2017/18 Premier League & General Football Discussion

[Famine]

Apparently we've signed a Dutch defensive midfielder called Joey Pelupessy, who might now hold the title for best name at the club since Chris Bart-Williams.

Still, isn't in funny that when we got in a Portuguese manager from a Portuguese club, we suddenly started signing players from Portugal or Portuguese clubs, and now we've got a Dutch manager from a German club we're signing (or looking to sign) players from the Netherlands or German clubs...

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Full times.

Brighton 0-4 Chelsea
Leicester 2-0 Watford
Stoke 2-0 Huddersfield
Arsenal 4-1 Crystal Palace
West Ham 1-1 Bournemouth
Everton 1-1 West Brom
Burnley 0-1 Man United

Much needed win for Stoke, big wins for Chelsea and Arsenal.

Man City v Newcastle still to come.

 

[Dave A]

Pretty nasty double leg break for Evertons James McCarthy, he's just returned from an injury not too long ago too.

 

[Jimlaad43]

Another one bites the Watford coloured dust

 

[m8h3r]

Another one bites the Watford coloured dust

Laying the blame at Evertons feet too.

 

[Famine]

It's not just Watford. McDons by mutual consent, and Southend United by gardening leave.

 

[Pagey279]

Another one bites the Watford coloured dust

If every club sacked their manager after a bad run of form no team would finish the season with the same manager they started with. It's madness.
They have a largely championship quality side and they are currently 10th, bad run of form or not what more could they want?

 

[adamp93]

For what it's worth, at this point last season there had been 31 managerial changes. Ten fewer this season is good news for under-the-kosh managers.

It's not just Watford. McDons by mutual consent, and Southend United by gardening leave.

2017/18 getting it's act together. Completely bonkers decision from Watford imo.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Silva sacking is a bit stupid but no surprising considering who the owners are.

Alexis Sanchez currently at United's Carrington training ground having his medical whilst Mkhitaryan is doing the same at Arsenal.

Chelsea now reportedly interested in Burnley's Ashley Barnes after interest in Andy Carroll and Peter Crouch, good to see Antonio Conte going full Football Manager and making bids for every striker he can find!

 

[DK]

Walcott was terribly mismanaged in the last few years. I think he can still make a good ending of his career with a manager that knows what he wants from him and teaches him to be onside again.

It feels so weird seeing him leave. I remember a decade back when he was being pushed as the Second Coming of Thierry Henry. I think the last time I felt like this was Schumi returning for Mercedes.

 

[Famine]

Another one bites the Watford coloured dust

Laying the blame at Evertons feet too.

If every club sacked their manager after a bad run of form no team would finish the season with the same manager they started with. It's madness.
They have a largely championship quality side and they are currently 10th, bad run of form or not what more could they want?

2017/18 getting it's act together. Completely bonkers decision from Watford imo.

Silva sacking is a bit stupid but no surprising considering who the owners are.

I didn't realise until someone brought it up, but Watford's form since the Everton approach is by far the worst in the league. They've picked up 5pt from the last 33 available, having scored a reasonable but not wonderful 15pt from the 33pt before Everton enquired of his services. And they've not been particularly tricky games - Leicester, Brighton, Huddersfield, Southampton, Swansea, Palace... It's tough to argue that his head hasn't been somewhere else.

Anyway, Watford appointed Javi Gracia within about four seconds of Silva's sacking.

 

[yas]

I don't think so - he felt out of favor since the "they wanted it more" interview last year after the defeat to CP. He hasn't started since (albeit those Europa League cameos). If it was up to him, I guess he'd prefer to stay, but without any game time he has no chance getting to this WC which is his last. His chances are beyond slim anyway.

 

[Jimlaad43]

My home town are getting in on the act

 

[C-ZETA]

Not the Pep I wanted to see go.

Anyway. Sanchez is happening. Wew. I'd like to think he'll end up on our weak spot that is the right side, what with Martial and Rashford on the left and all, but this is Mourinho so, who knows.

 

[Touring Mars]

Hearts beat Hibs in the Scottish Cup/Edinburgh derby yesterday, with a hint of irony about the only goal of the game. The last time the teams met was a few weeks ago in the league, where they played out one of the dullest matches I've ever seen. There was just one shot on target in the entire match, and that led to a goal which was disallowed as the linesman and ref didn't see that the ball had actually crossed the line, much to the annoyance of Hibs fans. Hearts' goal yesterday saw the ball creep over the line at the exact same spot where the Hibs goal had crossed the line, only this time it was spotted by the officials and the goal was given. And that happened with 3 minutes of the game left. Hearts progress to the next round of the cup while Hibs are left to lick their wounds

 

[ASH32]

On Watford it's no surprise they are on a bad run, their defence and goalkeeper are the worst in the league in my opinion. I'd doubt any of them would get in the Bournemouth team for example, so as soon as they stopped scoring they were bound to lose game after game.

Still they were still in 10th despite of this because of their overachievement at the start of the season and it'd been hard to make a case for them going down instead of three of Swansea, Brighton, Huddersfield, Newcastle and Stoke. There are also a number of other teams, including two others actually in the relegation zone in just as much potential trouble as Watford, although that likely just means more sackings are coming soon enough.

The only question is which Premier league team will be the first to sack their second (permanent) manager of the season as they panic they are going to go down/lose money.

 

[m8h3r]

I feel sorry for the Watford fans and i apologise to them but i hope Watford go down for this. How can you expect to bring in someone new and either maintain or improve on 10th. Not going to happen IMO.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Sanchez deal still not done.

Jimmy Armfield sadly passes away aged 83.

 

[Pagey279]

I didn't realise until someone brought it up, but Watford's form since the Everton approach is by far the worst in the league. They've picked up 5pt from the last 33 available, having scored a reasonable but not wonderful 15pt from the 33pt before Everton enquired of his services. And they've not been particularly tricky games - Leicester, Brighton, Huddersfield, Southampton, Swansea, Palace... It's tough to argue that his head hasn't been somewhere else.

Anyway, Watford appointed Javi Gracia within about four seconds of Silva's sacking.

We aren't privvy to what's happened behind closed doors but as a manager even if your head is else where I don't see how it would change your approach to setting up the team, coaching players, tactics, training ground routines etc. Some players have commented on it, not explicitly but the general gist I have got is that they aren't happy with the sacking either.

Contract wise I presume he was tied to Watford but if the employer is able to terminate it at a moments notice surely the employee can, if he did really want to go to Everton would he have been able to quit? I'm not too clued up on all that.

 

[MUSC4EVER]

The swap deal between Sanchez and Mkhitaryan is done!, United to release a statement soon, Alexis Sanchez joins Man United with Henrik Mkhitaryan joins Arsenal.

Welcome to the club Alexis!

 

[m8h3r]

The swap deal between Sanchez and Mkhitaryan is done!, United to release a statement soon, Alexis Sanchez joins Man United with Henrik Mkhitaryan joins Arsenal.

Welcome to the club Alexis!

Shame to see miki leave but for a good reason I guess. Welcome Mr number 7 Alexis Sanchez!

 

[MUSC4EVER]

He will be wearing the number 7 shirt.

Mkhitaryan signs 3 and a half year deal.

 

[Famine]

If I were a Manchester United fan, I wouldn't be sure what to make of the Sanchez move. Undoubtedly he's a good player, but when a player who switches off as quickly as he does when he's unhappy is moving with such a large salary involved (to say nothing of the effects on the club's wage structure), can fans really get excited about it?

He's a top quality mercernary. He'll win games on his own, but by the same token if he feels like something isn't going his way he could well disappear for 80 minutes. And will Sanchez fit into the United system, if Mourinho's playing a flat back 10?

 

[MUSC4EVER]

Well what I make of it is that we have swapped a top class player for a World class player.....and that's it, and that sounds pretty good to me.

 

[sems4arsenal]

Ozil and Micki should be fun. If we get Aubameyang through the line then it will be a pretty decent January window.

 

[Dave A]

Well what I make of it is that we have swapped a top class player for a World class player.....and that's it, and that sounds pretty good to me.

I agree and I wish Mhiki well, but I hope he doesn't become too consistent for Arsenal.

I think he'll do well in that team, they play to feet more. On his day he's excellent, but his day never came around nearly as often as it needed to at United. He also had a nack for not being involved in a game for 70+ mins and then popping up with a goal or assist.

I think it's a no brainer to swap him for Sanchez though, he's just a class above and far more consistent.

 

[Jezza819]

Liverpool

 

[christara321]

Good result for Swans, Puts them right back in the mix.
Need to follow it tho.

 

[m8h3r]

Cheers Swansea

 

[Jimlaad43]

wtf