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The 2017-2018 Football Thread

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As I said... Liverpool should still be leading 4-2. But they did not take advantage of Arsenal's horrible first half.

On the other hand, Arsenal are still looking a bit ropey. Could be more goals in this match.

EDIT: Ugh. Like I said...

EDIT2: What the hell just happened? Liverpool looked wonderful for 85 minutes and suffered a total collapse for five minutes.

It's no exaggeration to say that despite leaking three goals, Liverpool could easily have won this match. It's also fair to say that Arsenal came close to scoring a couple more as well.

Just crazy stuff, though Arsenal will feel better about this result.
 
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Good game for the neutral but both teams are really far from the summit of the EPL. Don't think any of their rivals would be worried by what they saw. To get back level or even win against Liverpool just stay in the game mentally...even 2-0 down is not a write off. Against Arsenal, invite them onto you and lob the ball into space for a counter. Both teams dont really have a midfield or defence...or even keeper. Only their front 3 which is why one or two of the forwards want out. All their hard work keeps getting undone.

The art of defending is really dying in the modern game.
 
Tonight was the battle for 5th. Whatever way you look at it. There is a gulf between them and the big 4. Even more so the rest of us!

We face Newcastle tomorrow. Another 6 pointer. On current form it should be our day, but you never know! I have everything crossed that we can continue the good run of form we are in. The fact that those results have all happened since we dropped Hart, coincidence? I think not.
Come on you Irons!
 
Alphazoid said:
...... Against Arsenal, invite them onto you and lob the ball into space for a counter. Both teams dont really have a midfield or defence...or even keeper. Only their front 3 which is why one or two of the forwards want out. All their hard work keeps getting undone.

The art of defending is really dying in the modern game.
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The best keeper in the world will be undone by brittle and careless defenders.

Extraordinary match; yes, both sides should have wrapped it up - but they didn't as both had their respective plusses and minuses very much on full, glorious display.
 
Currently 1 a piece at the London Stadium.
I'd not be happy with a draw against Newcastle, but there's a long way to go at this stage.
Arnautovic gets the goal again. In form at the moment.
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Scepticalscribe said:
Everton do well in holding Chelsea to a draw.
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Agree. But that's what Big Sam does for you.
 
Apple fanboy said:
Tonight was the battle for 5th. Whatever way you look at it. There is a gulf between them and the big 4. Even more so the rest of us!
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I'm not so sure - Man City are clearly running away with it, and Man Utd are managing greater consistently than the teams below them, but they could stumble - and none of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool or Spurs look entirely convincing. Meanwhile Burnley, Leicester and Everton are still hanging around.

I think 3rd through 9th are still up for grabs, and Mourinho is not entirely safe in second. A few key injuries or an unexpected run of either good or bad results from one or two teams could change things drastically.

Liverpool need to buy a couple top quality defenders this summer - even if it costs obscene amounts of money, and even though Coutinho is leaving.
 
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Not a good day at the office. Loosing to Newcastle at home has done us no favours.

We could have pulled away to mid table comfort going into the new year.
However we are still caught in a relegation fight.
At least West Brom lost. Swansea and Palace sharing the points isn't a terrible thing either (for us).
Meanwhile at the top end of the table, Man City continue to march on towards the title.
 
Apple fanboy said:
Not a good day at the office. Loosing to Newcastle at home has done us no favours.

We could have pulled away to mid table comfort going into the new year.
However we are still caught in a relegation fight.
At least West Brom lost. Swansea and Palace sharing the points isn't a terrible thing either (for us).
Meanwhile at the top end of the table, Man City continue to march on towards the title.
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At this rate, Manchester City will readily match (if not far surpass) the record of the Invincibles, and good luck to them.

Agree with @Lord Blackadder that third to ninth are up for grabs; a three or four game good spell will put a team in any of those spots up to third or fourth; meanwhile, I am not so sanguine about Mr Mourinho - he may yet implode going on his previous form, and the fact that he is now a known quantity.
 
Big Sam gets another hardworking, courageously dull draw to frustrate Chelsea. They are up to ninth, which is still below where Everton fans want to be. But I'm afraid under Allardyce they may have to get used to it.
 
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Lord Blackadder said:
Big Sam gets another hardworking, courageously dull draw to frustrate Chelsea. They are up to ninth, which is still below where Everton fans want to be. But I'm afraid under Allardyce they may have to get used to it.
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Indeed. But they won't be dicing with the relegation zone, either.

They did well today, and Jordan Pickford was an excellent signing - a decent, talented, modest, hard-working goal-keeper.

And I must say - although he didn't play today - I am very pleased to see Wayne Rooney enjoy a sort of Indian summer of success playing for the club he supported as a boy.
 
Man Utd miss a few good chances, make a few mistakes and pay dearly for it as Leicester find a late equalizer. 13 points away from City now.

Scepticalscribe said:
Indeed. But they won't be dicing with the relegation zone, either.

They did well today, and Jordan Pickford was an excellent signing - a decent, talented, modest, hard-working goal-keeper.

And I must say - although he didn't play today - I am very pleased to see Wayne Rooney enjoy a sort of Indian summer of success playing for the club he supported as a boy.
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Big Sam is a fireman, and an excellent one at that. They probably need him just now to stop the rot. But he won't take Everton as far as Moyes did, and, frankly, he probably won't even get the chance to. Everton will dump him once they are safe from the drop and can lure in someone with a reputation for a more appealing playing style.
 
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I headed off to bed (I'm a few hours ahead of GMT) after Leicester were reduced to ten men, convinced that it was all over, only to learn this morning, that it wasn't, in fact, all over at that point.

Well done, Leicester, and I'd imagine that the Sulky and Petulant One might be that bit closer to implosion after this result.

"Childish decisions," indeed.
 
Question. How long can Spurs keep hold of Harry Kane? Is there a better striker in the premier league at the moment?
He must be the first name on the England team sheet in the summer.
Hope he stays fit.
 
After the second last minute capitulation in the course of four days, so many questions to ask of United's manager and players. Poor tactics and management by Mourinho, or lack of heart and/or talent by the players?

Why not both?
 
Silencio said:
After the second last minute capitulation in the course of four days, so many questions to ask of United's manager and players. Poor tactics and management by Mourinho, or lack of heart and/or talent by the players?

Why not both?
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Possibly both, indeed.

Nevertheless, I suspect much of the reason for this lies with the manager - and, normally, I am not someone to blame managers for short-comings or seek to sacrifice them too readily.

But, in Mr Mourinho's case, we have the possibility of the dreaded "third season" syndrome starting early - it is almost impossible to conceive a set of circumstances whereby Manchester City would fail to win the Premier League this year, thus, Manchester United will not win it - and Mr Mourinho's frustrations are starting to show.

His somewhat toxic and graceless character must be having an influence in the dressing room; accusing your players, in public, of being responsible for "childish decisions" seems to me to be the sign of someone whose authority may be eroding and for whom respect may be decreasing; besides, Mr Mourinho almost always - at least in recent times - leaves a club in controversial circumstances.

Moreover, I think that Mr Mourinho is finding it difficult to accept that he is no longer "the new kid' in managerial terms, - he is now a known quantity, and the media no longer scramble to report his every utterance as was the case a decade and a half ago.
 
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So another six pointer looms for us today. This time travelling to Bournemouth.
Currently we are 17th and 18th respectively.
So I'm expecting a close edgy match.

But tbh you never know which West Ham will turn up. Sometimes we seem to have a bit of confidence going forward.
Others, not so much.
 
Apple fanboy said:
So another six pointer looms for us today. This time travelling to Bournemouth.
Currently we are 17th and 18th respectively.
So I'm expecting a close edgy match.

But tbh you never know which West Ham will turn up. Sometimes we seem to have a bit of confidence going forward.
Others, not so much.
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I think Bournemouth are better than their record shows.

I think they also have a really good manager.
 
pachyderm said:
I think Bournemouth are better than their record shows.

I think they also have a really good manager.
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Agree. They have quite a few injuries at present, and like a lot of the teams at the wrong end of the league (including us), their second string players are simply not good enough.
When we have our first 11 available we can play well, but the players that come in as cover are pretty average.
 
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Apple fanboy said:
Pretty impressive from Spurs. 5-1. Kane's 8th hat trick of 2017. Very impressive. Top striker. You wonder how long before Real Madrid or the like come knocking.
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Indeed; but Harry Kane has been good - very good - for quite some time now.

Still, it is very impressive that he has beaten (by three goals at this sage) Alan Shearer's record of the most goals scored in the Premiership, over the course of a calendar year.
 
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