The Football Thread - Season 2015/2016

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nickEnackEnoo said:
I hope this isn't a flash in the pan and a couple more 'smaller' teams at least press the 'top' teams in the next few years. Well done Leicester, inspirational.
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If the 'bigger' teams are as complacent as this year, then the door is ajar for a good solid 'team' to try and emulate Leicester to some degree and push for the top 4. Southampton, Stoke, West Ham, etc, they may not win it, because maybe this season was the 'perfect storm' for Leicester, but they give everyone hope.

A great team can beat a poor team no matter how much they cost. Chel$ki's first 11, about £176m, Leicester's first 11, about £24m. :eek:

The story of Leicester's incredible title win in four surprising charts
 
fabs said:
Well, who saw that coming!
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My next door neighbour.
Sadly, he died on 12 April, but last August he placed three separate bets on Leicester to win...one for each of his kids.
His son lives across the road.
There's a bit of a bittersweet gathering going on over there right now.
 
It shows that when you have foreign owners who embrace the culture of a club that success can be achieved.

It also gives similar sized clubs that tiny little chink of hope that it could be us, even when you are in the darkest of times.
 
Sad news from Dynamo Bucharest. Patrick Ekeng collapsed and died during their match tonight.
 
Game of the day is in the Championship today. Middlesborough v Brighton, supposedly worth £170m!

Question is where do they put the Championship Trophy? If Burnley win at Charlton or Middlesborough and Brighton Draw, they'll be champions. Other permutations could see any of the 3 as champions.
 
fabs said:
Game of the day is in the Championship today. Middlesborough v Brighton, supposedly worth £170m!

Question is where do they put the Championship Trophy? If Burnley win at Charlton or Middlesborough and Brighton Draw, they'll be champions. Other permutations could see any of the 3 as champions.
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Guessing that Burnley should beat Charlton so that would be the obvious choice. Nice to see a club rewarded for not ditching the manager when going down.

Like Houghton, think he has done a good job as has Karaoke, so hoping that the 'loser' goes up in playoffs.
 
cambsno said:
Guessing that Burnley should beat Charlton so that would be the obvious choice
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Indeed but we've all seen what can happen on the last day of the season. Charlton are down, they could easily become party poopers.

cambsno said:
Nice to see a club rewarded for not ditching the manager when going down.
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Agreed

cambsno said:
Like Houghton, think he has done a good job as has Karaoke
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Predictive text? :D

nickEnackEnoo said:
Don't they just have replica trophies for these scenarios?
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Not sure, but would be a good idea though. Especially if they don't tell them which is which. ;)
 
cambsno said:
I know it's not over but looking at the table again and I just can't believe it. Leicester. Champions. Really? How?

Just survived relegation then sack manager and bring in someone who failed in Greece. Add in cast offs and players who cost diddly squat and they run away with it.

I still can't get my head round it.
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Just shows what unity and belief can do - Nobody at Arsenal is united and nobody believes they can win anything - that's the difference !!
 
The thing is that the Leicester turnaround started before Ranieri took over. They were bottom in April last year then powered their way out of trouble without any change in personnel.
 
Plenty of Leicester people still acknowledge the foundations laid by Pearson.
 
It would have been a nice gesture for Pearce to be part of the celebrations at Leicester.

Great professionalism from Leicester today. It could have been so easy and understandable to have let their standards drop but they were by far the better team again. :clap:

Worthy Champions by far. :clap:
 
cambsno said:
Nice to see a club rewarded for not ditching the manager when going down.
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Fully agree with you (y) Also slightly surprised a bigger club haven't poached him by now.
Burnley should also be praised a bit more for `living within their means`. They own their own ground & training ground & have no real debt.

Re Leicester, although I'm glad they won the Premiership, it shouldn't be forgotten that they overspent & had massive debts not that long ago & effectively got a free stadium, with lots of businesses suffering when the club couldn't pay them.
I think there are still investigations ongoing around their finances.

Bournemouth have recently been fined for breaching the financial fair play rules.

Far too much money in football these days. (n)
 
fabs said:
Indeed but we've all seen what can happen on the last day of the season. Charlton are down, they could easily become party poopers.

Snip
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Pahahahahahahaha. Have you not seen us at all this season!
 
seems like some west ham 'fans' got the words "blowing bubbles" mixed up with "throwing rubble" tonight
 
Looks like Newcastle and Norwich about to drop.

Everton roll over more than a friendly labrador!
 
Sunderland 3-0 up now. Looks like Sunday's going to be a bit of a damp squib.
 
Being a Newcastle fan and sports photographer I'm looking forward to this weekends game.... Newcastle vs Spurs.. NOT

League table does;t lie and we deserve to go down.

Newcastle biggest task is now keeping Rafa. If they do we bounce straight back, if not then we are the new Leeds.

Difference between Newcastle and Sunderland this season whilst both teams have been woeful (I've covered both teams all season) is Jermaine Defoe who has been quality. On form he deserves to go to the Euro's
 
whitey said:
Being a Newcastle fan and sports photographer I'm looking forward to this weekends game.... Newcastle vs Spurs.. NOT

League table does;t lie and we deserve to go down.

Newcastle biggest task is now keeping Rafa. If they do we bounce straight back, if not then we are the new Leeds.

Difference between Newcastle and Sunderland this season whilst both teams have been woeful (I've covered both teams all season) is Jermaine Defoe who has been quality. On form he deserves to go to the Euro's
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Cant argue with that. My mates a Newcastle fan and says the same. Serves Ashley right really! Also think that Sam has done a decent job in turning them around and had plenty of time to do it.
 
The only gripe I have with the whole thing (apart from appointing a failing championship manager in the first place) was why not sack him sooner? There was a break of two weeks (I think it was actually 18 days) in which they went to Spain for a warm weather training camp.

That was only a couple of weeks before he was sacked. Had they have sacked him sooner and taken Rafa then, allowed him those 18 days with his new squad then we wouldn't be in this position.

I'm pleased is done and confirmed though. I don't like those tense last games that Sky seem to love as it creates something for live viewing and we only go down anyway lol
 
Well Spuds managed to cock up their season right at the end, not that I'm upset about it...

What worries me most is Giroud got a hat trick today, and Wenger will come out with his annual "We don't need another striker" statement.....
 
Jelster said:
Well Spuds managed to cock up their season right at the end, not that I'm upset about it...

What worries me most is Giroud got a hat trick today, and Wenger will come out with his annual "We don't need another striker" statement.....
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Yup, another summer of signing a couple of 2nd rate players as we have all we need. Unless he brings in 3 defs, a striker and def mid, we will not even finish top 5.
 
You Arsenal fans make me laugh, highest finish for 11 years and you're still moaning! :LOL:
 
Jelster said:
Well Spuds managed to cock up their season right at the end, not that I'm upset about it...

What worries me most is Giroud got a hat trick today, and Wenger will come out with his annual "We don't need another striker" statement.....
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Yup, embarrassing end to the season, over the last few matches.
Being a young team, I hope we learn from this and improve next year.
 
Highest finish in 11 yrs, but it was 12 yrs ago we finished 1 place higher.
Relatively barren since then.
However, being a Gooner, today brings joy...
 
Not the end of season I suspected, had a feeling we would win but not like that with ten men.

huge few days ahead. Feel NUFC have to do everything to keep Rafa. He is what NUFC need at present and is the best thing since Sir Bobby on the managerial front. Anything less than Rafa come August and I fear for a long season ahead.
 
fabs said:
You Arsenal fans make me laugh, highest finish for 11 years and you're still moaning! :LOL:
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I'm not moaning. I have firm belief that no single club has a divine right to win the league, unlike some of my co-supporters. Finishing above where we did last year and above Spurs are 2 of the KPI's that I would expect to see.

I just wish we had bought (or developed) a world class striker. Can you imagine how many assists Ozil would get with a couple of decent strikers ?
 
whitey said:
Not the end of season I suspected, had a feeling we would win but not like that with ten men.

huge few days ahead. Feel NUFC have to do everything to keep Rafa. He is what NUFC need at present and is the best thing since Sir Bobby on the managerial front. Anything less than Rafa come August and I fear for a long season ahead.
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I think you bought him in too late. Given another 5 or 6 games and he may well have turned it around, although Allardyce seems to have proven again that he can teem failing teams in the league.
 
Benitez is an under-rated manager in this country. Newcastle improved under him and if he'd started 4-6 weeks earlier they might have stayed up.
Keeping him would be a coup.
 
Its the biggest thing that could happen this summer. I don't really care at this stage who stays or goes as long as he stays.

The one thing that surprised me to be honest as the season drew to a close was how well Sunderland did in all fairness. As well as Newcastle did to put themselves in that position and give themselves a chance I never seen Sunderland doing as well away to Norwich and then at home to Chelsea (A game in which I actually covered).

How well we would have done had he have came in earlier is anyones guess but had he have come in those weeks earlier when there was the FA Cup weekend we didn't play (Theres a surprise) and we went on a warm weather camp for ten days was perfect to change then. Can't see any reason the club waited and waited.
 
Well what a disappointing Europa Cup Final. :( Great goal from Sturridge. :clap:

After having the better of the first half Liverpool never turned up after the Sevilla goal in the first 20 seconds of the second half. :( :rolleyes:

The better team won, and made history at the same time, winning the Europa League three years on the run. :clap::clap::clap:
 
Have to agree. Believe there are better days ahead for us Liverpool fans.
 
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