2016/17 Premier League & General Football Discussion

[MUSC4EVER]

Claudio Bravo in Manchester ahead of his medical at Man City.

Second round of the EFL Cup tonight and tomorrow (the new name for the League Cup), Burton v Liverpool is the TV game on Sky tonight with Accrington v Burnley tomorrow night.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Bastian Schwienstiger has issued a statement regarding his current situation at Man United, for those of you that don't know he was told by Jose that he wasn't wanted at the club, to clear his locker and train with the U21's, he hasn't played a single minute for the first team under Jose and that includes the pre-season friendlies, I've loved having Jose at the club so far but the treatment of a great player like Bastian is pretty disgusting.

Anyway in his statement he said that United will be his last club in Europe, that he will fight for his place and will be ready if/when he is called upon, he has been on social media a few times wishing the lads the best before they have a match too, his attitude throughout all this has been fantastic and a lot of the younger players in the squad and indeed around the world can learn from it. 👍

 

[Dennisch]

Anyway in his statement he said that United will be his last club in Europe, that he will fight for his place and will be ready if/when he is called upon, he has been on social media a few times wishing the lads the best before they have a match too, his attitude throughout all this has been fantastic and a lot of the younger players in the squad and indeed around the world can learn from it

He will go and cash some Chinese or desert euros.

 

[Liquid]

He will go and cash some Chinese or desert euros.

Or...

"And Bah-steen Sweenstayger will be the first exclusive foreign non-domestic superplay wildcard overtime draft pick. Thanks, buddy! Have a great day sponsored by the Mmmm Goodtimes! Royale Chicken Zinger."

 

[DK]

It should do for the amount of money the rest of us spent on it...

I guess David Cameron's favourite team really is West Ham!

 

[lxmmy]

Southampton are set to sign Boufal from Lille.

Cillessen has signed for Barcelona on a 5 year contract.

Arsenal are looking to buy Lucas Perez for around €20m.

Bentaleb has joined Schalke on loan.

 

[Liquid]

Poll added for a domestic hot topic.

Rants to follow later.

 

[SVT Cobra GT]

Poll added for a domestic hot topic.

Rants to follow later.

Can you add a further option of "couldn't give a rat's arse"?

 

[Liquid]

Can you add a further option of "couldn't give a rat's arse"?

Indifferent is the diplomatic choice.

 

[Dennisch]

Where would that Team GB operate? In place of England, Wales and Scotland?

 

[SVT Cobra GT]

Indifferent is the diplomatic choice.

Voted.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Voted.

EFL Cup third round draw from last night

Swansea v Man City
Fulham v Bristol City
Bournemouth v Preston
West Ham v Accrington
Newcastle v Wolves
Derby v Liverpool
Notts Forest v Arsenal
Stoke v Hull
Brighton v Reading
Tottenham v Gillingham
Leeds v Blackburn
Everton v Norwich
QPR v Sunderland
Leicester v Chelsea
Northampton v Man United
Southampton v Crystal Palace

 

[Akmuq]

The poll probably doesn't apply to me in the slightest but predictably enough, I also couldn't give a rat's arse.

 

[Liquid]

The poll probably doesn't apply to me in the slightest but predictably enough, I also couldn't give a rat's arse.

How about an All-Ireland team?

Ignoring all politics, only focusing on the football.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Edit delete...

 

[Akmuq]

How about an All-Ireland team?

Ignoring all politics, only focusing on the football.

Yeah that would be great I think. Doubt it would happen as I can't see the FAI changing unless they get found out for corruption.

(Pretty much when and not if)

 

[MoLiEG]

Poll added for a domestic hot topic.

Rants to follow later.

What do you mean by Limited one? (option 2)

Also, I hope Schweinsteiger changes his minds and leaves Manchester. I want him for my poor little Inter

 

[Liquid]

Yeah that would be great I think. Doubt it would happen as I can't see the FAI changing unless they get found out for corruption.

I'm pretty sure that, for one reason or another, an All-Ireland team would fall under the jurisdiction of the IFA and not the FAI even if the entire country was united. The IFA has a seat on the International Football Association Board and an exclusive ability to vote in matters relating to the laws of the game whereas the FAI does not. The IFA was also founded first and was responsible for the pre-1922 united Ireland team.

So to stay on the decision-making board it would be in the football team's best interests to be IFA affiliated. Which would be... uh, interesting.

But yeah, it would be a decent team combined. Especially when you consider past players like Best, Jennings, Whiteside and Blanchflower.

What do you mean by Limited one?

Having it for the Olympics only or calling it "Team GB" but only using English players.

As opposed to option one: getting rid of the English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish teams completely.

 

[MoLiEG]

Having it for the Olympics only or calling it "Team GB" but only using English players.

As opposed to option one: getting rid of the English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish teams completely.

Ohhh I see. Both options would be hard to accomplish given the fact that the last time a GB Team was composed, back in London 2012, only England and Wales provided players. Would be great if a "real" GB Team could be assembled, but I don't see that happening soon.

So, I don't know

 

[Liquid]

back in London 2012, only England and Wales provided players. Would be great if a "real" GB Team could be assembled, but I don't see that happening soon.

Even though it was U-23 football that nobody cared about, the London team was a real Team GB. What you mean is that "only English and Welsh players were selected". There were literally Scottish and Northern Irish players available, they just weren't deemed good enough by the manager.

There's no criterion that a Team GB "must" have a quota from the home nations. Team GB means the best British selection available and if that means 95% English players then that's the way it is. Turkeys shouldn't vote for Christmas and the SFA, IFA and FAW should stay the 🤬 away from Team GB.

Coleman said it best the other day. "It should be called the England Olympic team really because that's what it will be. But they'll cherry-pick Bale or Rambo maybe - why should we give them up, say water them down, take the best out of them and then throw them back to us when you finish with them?"

 

[MoLiEG]

Even though it was U-23 football that nobody cared about, the London team was a real Team GB. What you mean is that "only English and Welsh players were selected". There were literally Scottish and Northern Irish players available, they just weren't deemed good enough by the manager.

There's no criterion that a Team GB "must" have a quota from the home nations. Team GB means the best British selection available and if that means 95% English players then that's the way it is. Turkeys shouldn't vote for Christmas and the SFA, IFA and FAW should stay the 🤬 away from Team GB.

Coleman said it best the other day. "It should be called the England Olympic team really because that's what it will be. But they'll cherry-pick Bale or Rambo maybe - why should we give them up, say water them down, take the best out of them and then throw them back to us when you finish with them?"

Ohhhh I see now. Clearly I didn't think about that: Players would be chosen from GB as a whole, my mistake then 👍

 

[daan]

Even though it was U-23 football that nobody cared about, the London team was a real Team GB. What you mean is that "only English and Welsh players were selected". There were literally Scottish and Northern Irish players available, they just weren't deemed good enough by the manager.

I'm obviously coming at this from a different angle, but I don't recall any Scots players saying they would be available if selected with the exception of Steven Fletcher. Also Stuart Pearce was an awful selection as manager. The ideal manager would have been Ferguson, O'Neill, Moyes, Coleman etc as they transcend national borders.

 

[Dreadmed]

Even though it was U-23 football that nobody cared about, the London team was a real Team GB. What you mean is that "only English and Welsh players were selected". There were literally Scottish and Northern Irish players available, they just weren't deemed good enough by the manager.

There's no criterion that a Team GB "must" have a quota from the home nations. Team GB means the best British selection available and if that means 95% English players then that's the way it is. Turkeys shouldn't vote for Christmas and the SFA, IFA and FAW should stay the 🤬 away from Team GB.

Coleman said it best the other day. "It should be called the England Olympic team really because that's what it will be. But they'll cherry-pick Bale or Rambo maybe - why should we give them up, say water them down, take the best out of them and then throw them back to us when you finish with them?"

A year or 2 ago, me and my dad jokingly predicted that very thing if Team GB became a thing. If's and but's aside, after seeing what our respective teams were capable of over the summer I'm glad each country is individually represented as it is... so that's a no from me.

On top of that, whilst there may not be a cast-iron obligation to include at least 1 player from the home nations, it wouldn't stop people clamouring or complaining about it. At the very least, I can imagine it would disenfranchise a fair few viewers from the countries that end up under-represented.

 

[Akmuq]

@Liquid I couldn't see the FAI agreeing to relinquish any control in Ireland.


Realistically it would be some sort of merger between both associations but there is no way the FAI would agree to that unless the IFA are also corrupt.(no idea if they are or not)

Football in Ireland is pretty broken, I don't believe the men in charge have plans to do anything regarding it, never mind combining with each other.


Edit: Apparently (source: The Metro, so probably not) Spurs flat out rejected Napoli enquiring about Kane. Just no. Not happening. Don't bother trying.

 

[Liquid]

I'm obviously coming at this from a different angle, but I don't recall any Scots players saying they would be available if selected with the exception of Steven Fletcher.

Like the IFA and SFA the FAW took no part in the London team and Ramsey, Allen, Taylor, Giggs and Bellamy went of their own initiative. I can understand the one-off nature of it but I'm fairly confident that if it was detrimental to the Welsh team, or meant the end of it all together, Bale and co. wouldn't partake in a future team.

The ideal manager would have been Ferguson, O'Neill, Moyes, Coleman etc as they transcend national borders.

Ferguson would have been perfect.

---

It is interesting to note, however, that the United Kingdom has three gold medals for Olympic football; Paris 1900, London 1908 and Stockholm 1912. It also competed in Antwerp 1920, Berlin 1936, London 1948, Helsinki 1952, Melbourne 1956 and Rome 1960. But what is important to remember is that professionals were not allowed before 1984 so these teams were the English national amateur team entered as Team GB.

If the English FA want to enter a team using the Team GB name, fine. A further issue here is why anybody cares about Olympic football? In Europe especially. Never mind that the Olympics is a bent, rich boy's playground, it is not the pinnacle of the sport and not even for its approximate age group; there's an U-21 World Cup to cater for that.

 

[Dennisch]

Danny Blind's life line has been cut off. Dickie Advocaat is on his way to Istanbul to join Fenerbahce.

So unless the blind man gets a new assistant like Advocaat was that will be no 2018 tournament for us.

Ruud Gullit was this >< close to becoming assistant. But then he said no. He and Hans van Breukelen, who is now technical director at the KNVB couldn't agree on the contract terms.

Aaw. Gullit probably wants (needs) more money for all the women he needs to pay.

Edit.

Thierry Henry is now assistant at the Belgium squad!

 

[lxmmy]

Inter Milan are set to sign Gabriel Barbosa and Joao Mario.

Takuma Asano joins Stuttgart on loan.

West Ham's bid of £28m for Zaza has been accepted.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Tomorrow's games then....


Saturday
Chelsea v Burnley
Crystal Palace v Bournemouth
Everton v Stoke
Hull v Man United (5.30 BT)
Leicester v Swansea
Southampton v Sunderland
Tottenham v Liverpool (12,30 Sky)
Watford v Arsenal

Sunday
Man City v West Ham (4pm Sky)
West Brom v Middlesbrough (1.30 Sky)

Swansea agree £5 million fee for Barnsley's Alfie Mawson...

 

[sems4arsenal]

Looks like both our new signings won't be ready for tomorrow. Hopefully Ozil and Giroud start, would rather have Jack play as well.

 

[Liquid]

Note to self: Never, ever, ever watch Wrexham when they play on telly. They always lose.

Further note to self: Stop ignoring these notes. They always lose.

It's only August.