The 2025-2026 Football Thread

[Scepticalscribe]

The new football season is upon us.

As the competition that those of us of a certain age will remember as the Charity Shield (I have just realised that this competition nowadays - and for the past quarter of a century - goes by the name of the Community Shield) is scheduled to take place this coming week-end, - a date that traditionally marks the opening tie (even if it has become a somewhat ceremonial tie) for the forthcoming football season, - and, moreover, as matches in the Championship have also actually started today - and, furthermore as the various sports pages in the print (and screen) media are busily writing about the forthcoming season - everything from forecasts, prognostications, transfers, including even articles inviting fan opinions about planned team kit changes - it seems that now is an appropriate time to start a thread for the discussion of the football season of 2025-2026.

With that, herewith the 2025-2026 football thread.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

The pity of it is - with an increase of games, international competitions (real ones and fatuous, money-generating monstrosities) , so-called "friendlies", exhausting tours to Asia packed with activities and games - in the already bloated football calendar, - that, increasingly, there appears to be very little of an "off season" any longer.

Nevertheless, the actual Football Season of 2025-2026 commences this week-end in the Championship, with the curtain-raiser to the Premiership - in the form of the ritual game of the Charity Shield - also taking place tomorrow.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Not feeling very hopeful. We’ve spent nearly the least in the league and sold one of our star players. Not a Happy Hammer.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Not extremely confident about the coming season on Everton's behalf, even with new owners, a new stadion and Moyes back in charge.

I think the best I can hope for is a safe mid-table position without ever getting too close to the drop zone... or is that too much to ask for?

We could really need a winger or two (on loan?) in the coming week, and possible a fullback?

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Not feeling very hopeful. We’ve spent nearly the least in the league and sold one of our star players. Not a Happy Hammer.

The transfer window will remain open for another few weeks.

Nevertheless, I'm sorry to see Antonio leave West Ham - he was a superb player for the club - though I suspect that the appalling injuries he suffered last year in that horrific car crash, along with a recovery that probably presented considerable challenges - may have promoted him to reconsider his priorities in life, even if it had been possible to recover full match fitness, which is something we cannot know.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Re Arsenal, despite - or, notwithstanding - a busy transfer season (six players in, several released, or sold) - almost all of the pundits I have read predict another second place finish in the Premier League. Nobody has predicted that we actually win the title.

However, the transfers in do seem to be somewhat better - more thoughtfully acquired - than was the case last season.

We do have a disturbing pattern of injuries, - which it seems the staff are finally beginning to address with a more sensible rotation policy - worse still, serious injuries to key signings just as the season starts (Timber and Calafiori both come to mind), and worst of all, serious injuries to key players late in the season, which is often a sign that too much has been asked of them (and their bodies) over the course of a season.

Of course, if this transpires to be the case, it will be the fourth consecutive second placed finish, and objectively speaking, (subjectively speaking is another matter entirely) one cannot really complain (though that won't stop the complaining, some of which can be very loud).

This is even if the number of trophies won, or silver amassed, (which is one FA Cup), since Mikel Arteta was appointed, is rather limited, nevertheless, one cannot deny that Arsenal have improved enormously under the stewardship of Mikel Arteta; six years ago, I would have happily taken three consecutive second place finishes, and a semi final place in the Champions League.

In any case, in theory, some of the issues concerning the fact that we lacked a striker seem to have been acknowledged with the purchase of Viktor Gyokeres, though whether he will manage a successful transition to the pressure and press of the Premier League (while still scoring goals) remains to be seen.

Last season, our defence was possibly the best in the division; I would like for our defence to remain equally robust this season.

 

[Lioness~]

In any case, in theory, some of the issues concerning the fact that we lacked a striker seem to have been acknowledged with the purchase of Viktor Gyorkeres, though whether he will manage a successful transition to the pressure and press of the Premier League (while still scoring goals) remains to be seen.

Gyökeres scored today in the match against Athletic Bilbao that are still live - 2 - 0 to Arsenal now.
Good for him, and definitely for Arsenal.
The expectations on him are NOT small - It was a huge disappointment, at least here in Sweden, that he didn’t scored last match when he didn’t had that much minutes.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I have been reading (with interest) the profiles of each team that the Guardian publish in the fortnight immediately preceding the start of the actual season - two a day for a fortnight, arranged alphabetically - along with predictions for the season, and almost invariably find myself wondering at season's end just how accurate such forecasts have been.

 

[daneoni]

Predicted Top 8
LFC (Self-explanatory, unless they suffer a title hangover)

City (Now that Rodri is injured till Sept, and no more KDB)

Chelsea (They’ve assembled a really good squad)

Arsenal (Unless they get Eze or Rodrygo)

Man Utd (Their midfield is still average but maybe Mbuemo, Cunha, and Šeško can save them)

Aston Villa (Lack of Europe, relatively same players)

Newcastle (Oh dear…)

Spurs (Maddison injured...again)

UCL
Barcelona

WC
France

 

[pachyderm]

in

 

[Lioness~]

I have to say, that I don't understand the 'desperation' to create a new Football thread for every year/season.
I've never seen Football in that cut-off way when I played, and I doubt that a lot of players see it that way either.
Especially not today.
Every season of the year have different focus, sure. But it keeps rolling between various tournaments that connects between the serie contexts.

You can do what you want, sometimes I'm participating and somtimes I'm not interested at all of these discussions, so I really don't care, as I have 'my own seasons' of participating in various online stuff 😉

 

[Madonepro]

Not feeling very hopeful. We’ve spent nearly the least in the league and sold one of our star players. Not a Happy Hammer.

What team do you speak of? Is there really another Fulham FC supporter, or am I simply idolising the notion that someone else is as foolhardy!

I have to say, that I don't understand the 'desperation' to create a new Football thread for every year/season.

You made the remark you don't care, and you have your own 'seasonal' participations, yet you posted you think this thread is an example of desperation! I believe that this thread, and it's subsequent yearly brothers and sisters, are distinctly a themed extrapolation of the Global football seasons, with each and every one of them, an act in a long play. There is nothing desperate, in putting to bed, the previous years escapades, and looking forward to players and teams, returning, or joining teams, after a well-deserved break, to create many stories.
@Scepticalscribe keep up the great work...

 

[timber]

It's like an iPhone thread. Some may prefer a continuous thread others a model separation.
I kind of like the yearly thread. Teams change a lot between different years. Some even get famous like Brasil 82.

 

[decafjava]

I am looking forward to reading this thread and following the teams. Our Geneva Servette club is ok - my concern after the very positive UEFA Women's World Cup is we had some brawls between fans - and the worst is there are two small hardcore groups of Srvette fasn who got into a fight in downtown Geneve two weeks ago. Yes fans of the same team. 🙄 Ah well, other places have it worse.

 

[Apple fanboy]

What team do you speak of? Is there really another Fulham FC supporter, or am I simply idolising the notion that someone else is as foolhardy!

You made the remark you don't care, and you have your own 'seasonal' participations, yet you posted you think this thread is an example of desperation! I believe that this thread, and it's subsequent yearly brothers and sisters, are distinctly a themed extrapolation of the Global football seasons, with each and every one of them, an act in a long play. There is nothing desperate, in putting to bed, the previous years escapades, and looking forward to players and teams, returning, or joining teams, after a well-deserved break, to create many stories.
@Scepticalscribe keep up the great work...

West Ham. Long suffering fan. Still remember our glory years when we were third! Third from bottom is what I fear this year.

Opening game at The Stadium of Light next week. Sunderland will be well up for it and I suspect a defeat.

If we can keep Bowen fit and Calum Wilson can hit a good streak, maybe we get mid table.

 

[pachyderm]

@ 10:30 CDST.... It'll be here goes nothing time for THE MASSIVE...

 

[Madonepro]

West Ham. Long suffering fan. Still remember our glory years when we were third! Third from bottom is what I fear this year.

Opening game at The Stadium of Light next week. Sunderland will be well up for it and I suspect a defeat.

If we can keep Bowen fit and Calum Wilson can hit a good streak, maybe we get mid table.

At least your club has won an FA Cup, we've only managed runners up, and nothing won in Europe.

 

[Apple fanboy]

At least your club has won an FA Cup, we've only managed runners up, and nothing won in Europe.

Three actually. Also most recently the Europa League conference.

 

[pachyderm]

Three actually. Also most recently the Europa League conference.

Three !?!?

 

[pachyderm]

I have to say, that I don't understand the 'desperation' to create a new Football thread for every year/season.
I've never seen Football in that cut-off way when I played, and I doubt that a lot of players see it that way either.
Especially not today.
Every season of the year have different focus, sure. But it keeps rolling between various tournaments that connects between the serie contexts.

You can do what you want, sometimes I'm participating and somtimes I'm not interested at all of these discussions, so I really don't care, as I have 'my own seasons' of participating in various online stuff 😉

It's such a fluid thread, soooo many posts each day (Last season-75 pages with 1869 posts), I think it helps keep everyone current by creating a new one each season.

Also, you're already in here!


Cheers and Welcome!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Re a discussion about threads on the one hand, that are described and determined by a specific, and set, time, such as a given week, or month, (as we see with the weekly photography competitions, or the monthly activity challenges, for example), a calendar year, (some sports) or a football season, which is measured from August to the following May/June - and, in years with international competitions - such as the Euros, or World Cup, can extend well into the summer - or, threads that are more thematic, (the coffee and food threads, to give two such examples), I think that there are a number of elements in play (all puns intended).

The first is that the memory - shared, or individual - of how football is experienced is measured in seasons which are described by the year in which they took place - by commentators, writers, and, above all, by fans.

You remember (vividly) the year when your club - the club that you support - won the league (the Premier League, Championship, or promotion), and you remember (vividly) Cup victories and trophies. You also remember soul-destroying defeats, the ones that cost you (well, your team), safety, or security, or a trophy, or, a season ending injury to a key player that had an impact on the outcome of your (your club's) season.

Secondly, my academic and intellectual background, the intellectual love of my life - before anything else - is history: My intellectual default setting is defined by and framed by dates; thinking in dates - and defining, setting and framing knowledge in dates - comes very naturally to me.

Thirdly, more to the point, while I would very happily applaud, support, and participate in, an overall, a general thread discussing football, one not necessarily confined by the possibly limiting straitjacket of a book-ended pair of dates, my feeling is that such a discussion would - almost inevitably - spill over from just discussing games - and players and managers - into more contentious matters, such as ownership models, changing mores (on and off-field), - matters which are touched upon in these annual or yearly threads, but which would run the risk of dominating a more general discussion and taking it in a rather different direction.

Fourthly, I don't own this thread (or topic) and never did.

Until a few years ago, @Lord Blackadder used to start the season's thread sometime each August. In fact, this year, I waited until just before the Community Shield/Charity Shield game, the game that is generally regarded as the traditional curtain-raiser and start to a fresh season, before starting a fresh thread, which means that anyone else was free to do so this past week, but yes, I freely admit that I would have considered starting the thread any earlier - or, much earlier - to have been, perhaps, somewhat premature.

Meanwhile, I note that while @Apple fanboy is somewhat concerned and depressed about West Ham's prospects, (though, I would imagine not quite as depressed as @pachyderm is about the future of Sheffield Wednesday), the Guardian seems to think that Brentford will be seriously at risk this season.

While I think the absence of Rodri seriously affected Manchester City's form last season, the fact that the notorious 115 charges still hang over them must also be a source of some stress for the team and its manager.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

THE MASSIVE are a complete mess. No idea where it is headed.

Merge with Sheffield Utd and Sheffield Town. Between the three clubs they might have enough money to get by.

Good luck with it.

No.

I meant to return to this in the previous thread, as - teasing apart - it raises an interesting point, but the timing (start of the new season, hence a new thread) meant that I thought to bring this over, to port it over here, instead.

To the fans, clubs are about identity, belonging, and loyalty, which in turn, means that much support is not remotely rational, but it is intensely felt and can be exceedingly emotional.

Money matters, but so, too, do many other things, when discussing football.

 

[martint235]

Predicted Top 8
LFC (Self-explanatory, unless they suffer a title hangover)

City (Now that Rodri is injured till Sept, and no more KDB)

Chelsea (They’ve assembled a really good squad)

Arsenal (Unless they get Eze or Rodrygo)

Man Utd (Their midfield is still average but maybe Mbuemo, Cunha, and Šeško can save them)

Aston Villa (Lack of Europe, relatively same players)

Newcastle (Oh dear…)

Spurs (Maddison injured...again)

UCL
Barcelona

WC
France

I may be proved wrong but while Chelsea have an undoubtedly strong squad will it actually play better than a sum of its parts or end up relying on Palmer?

 

[Apple fanboy]

Good to see Palace beat Liverpool in the charity shield. Always like to support the underdog if I have no skin in the game.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Good to see Palace beat Liverpool in the charity shield. Always like to support the underdog if I have no skin in the game.

Delighted with this result, as well; terrific to see Palace deservedly defeat Liverpool for a trophy that some of us still call, and remember as, the Charity Shield (which goes by the name of Community Shield, nowadays).