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The 2025-2026 Football Thread

Well done to Palace. What a ride they have had. Beat treble winners City in the FA Cup and now beat the premier league champions in the charity shield.

Palace had not won a major trophy in their history (Members Cup 1990-91 is not a major trophy) until their FA Cup win over City and now they have two, having beat two of the league best teams.
 
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martint235 said:
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?
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I think Palmer will have more help re- Delap, Estevao, Joao Pedro , Gittens. As opposed to last season where it was just Palmer and Neto (when he wasn't injured)

Hato and Simmons will also improve them.
 
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Predictions, anyone?

Top 4:
1. Arsenal
2. Man City
3. Liverpool
4. Chelsea
(5. Man Utd)

Bottom 3:
18. Leeds
19. Wolves
20. Burnley

First manager sacked:
Daniel Farke
 
Silencio said:
Predictions, anyone?

Top 4:
1. Arsenal
2. Man City
3. Liverpool
4. Chelsea
(5. Man Utd)

Bottom 3:
18. Leeds
19. Wolves
20. Burnley

First manager sacked:
Daniel Farke
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Liverpool top, City 2nd (unless Pep leaves before Xmas). I think Burnley have enough experience of the top flight to survive although losing Trafford was a blow
 
Scepticalscribe said:
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.
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@Lord Blackadder - Has he been in the footy thread lately?
 
martint235 said:
Liverpool top,
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Liverpool are replacing a lot of their team; while prominent departures include Darwin Nunez (an excellent, but erratic player who has been transferred), and Diogo Jota (who was tragically killed in a motor-car accident), they have brought in a considerable number of players, whom Slot has to try to blend, or meld, or craft, together into a team, rather than talented individuals.

That will happen - Liverpool have always been very good at forging a collective identity on the pitch - but it may not happen immediately.

Their key players - Salah, and of even greater importance - Virgil van Djik - are not as young as they used to be.

Last season, everything came together for them, and it was a terrific season for the newly appointed Slot.

However, while I
martint235 said:
City 2nd (unless Pep leaves before Xmas). I think Burnley have enough experience of the top flight to survive although losing Trafford was a blow
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Personally, I don't see City coming second.

I suspect that that may fall to be our fate, (yet again).

Firstly, Rodri has been injured again - and, I suspect that he may be more cautious when he does return to full health and fitness. Secondly, they have never successfully replaced KdB - Haaland works well in a team where all of the other parts function flawlessly. Thirdly, Pep looks increasingly burned out, and looks to need a break.

And fourthly, there is the minor matter of those 115 charges - this is no small number - hanging over the club; at some stage, - in fact, the delay is inexplicable - judgment will be delivered, and, given the magnitude of the charges, it is inconceivable that there will not be some sort of consequence in the form of penalties - fines, points docked and so on, given the nature of some of the punishments imposed on less prominent clubs for far lesser offences.
 
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Scepticalscribe said:
That will happen - Liverpool have always been very good at forging a collective identity on the pitch - but it may not happen immediately.
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I'm sure Slot would have seen this match, as one to still be experimenting, as there were no points up for grabs.
Elsewhere, Wrexham have had a rude awakening to the Championship, playing a relegated Premier League team, and conceding two goals in 'added' time.
 
It is going to be very difficult to call this year. Liverpool had a very good pre-season but their first real strong test against a fellow premier league team, they showed how disjointed they can be. They have brought in a raft of new players and it is going to take Slot some time to get them to gel together. Man City will not be challengers because they will be hit with punishment from the 115 charges they are facing because I do not think the premier league are going to be stupid to withhold the outcome for another year. Arsenal and Man United are in with a strong shout ONLY if they can get it working with the strikers they have bought because they have bought two of the hottest and youngest strikers in Europe and if they can get those strikers firing banging in goals like they had been doing for their respective clubs then both Arsenal and United are in with a shout. Yes I know you lot will say 'United, are you mad' but look at it this way, United was let down by not having a very good striker. The club paid £72 million of Hojlund in 2023 based on the goals he was banging in for Ajax. He was very young and I think United thought they could make Hojlund into another Ronaldo, take a young player who shows they have massive potential and turn them into a world class superstar. But it never worked out and that is what let United down, their defense was very good, their midfield was ok but their strikers were crap. Now they have got a very very good striker things could be totally different.

If I was forced to pick a team I would have to go with Arsenal because having viktor gyökeres makes them a very different prospect. I do think they would have won the league last year if they had been able to get a good striker in during the January transfer window. Now they have viktor gyökeres, if they can get him banging in goals, they will be a very difficult team to beat.
 
Madonepro said:
I'm sure Slot would have seen this match, as one to still be experimenting, as there were no points up for grabs.
Elsewhere, Wrexham have had a rude awakening to the Championship, playing a relegated Premier League team, and conceding two goals in 'added' time.
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I do think there are many fans who are hoping Wrexham fail because of the way they have achieved their success. They were languishing in the National league, they get bought by a couple of very wealthy Americans who invest heavily in the team resulting in the club gaining 3 promotions in a row to the championship. Will being in the championship be a step too far and they come down to earth with a bang or will they be able to secure promotion to the premier league which would make it 4 promotions in a row. Guess we will have to wait and see.
 
laptech said:
I do think there are many fans who are hoping Wrexham fail because of the way they have achieved their success. They were languishing in the National league, they get bought by a couple of very wealthy Americans who invest heavily in the team resulting in the club gaining 3 promotions in a row to the championship. Will being in the championship be a step too far and they come down to earth with a bang or will they be able to secure promotion to the premier league which would make it 4 promotions in a row. Guess we will have to wait and see.
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You make a valid point, but I don't think the term 'wealthy' in the guise of premier league wealth, holds much wait. Yes the 2 owners have some cash, but they have used the passion of the community, alongside the draw of their fan's from their endeavours, to promote the club, and pull in players that may have overlooked a lowly club. You may be right, that this is a bridge too far, but it's a nice feel good story, in a miserable lot of sad ones.
 
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Madonepro said:
And the European teams are the ones that don't suffer. Hangover from Brexit?
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Nah! The rules are relatively clear: Lyon is higher rated because they placed higher in their league.

And, if Textor had placed his ownership in (either of) the clubs in a blind trust, and stepped down as a board member in (at least) one of the clubs, BEFORE March 1st, this wouldn't have been an issue at all.

But now CP needs to qualify to the Conference League (probably in a double match with the Norwegian team Fredrikstad, which they should beat at least 9 out of 10 times), which has a bit less prestige and a bit lower cash prizes than the Europa League.
 
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laptech said:
It is going to be very difficult to call this year. Liverpool had a very good pre-season but their first real strong test against a fellow premier league team, they showed how disjointed they can be. They have brought in a raft of new players and it is going to take Slot some time to get them to gel together. Man City will not be challengers because they will be hit with punishment from the 115 charges they are facing because I do not think the premier league are going to be stupid to withhold the outcome for another year. Arsenal and Man United are in with a strong shout ONLY if they can get it working with the strikers they have bought because they have bought two of the hottest and youngest strikers in Europe and if they can get those strikers firing banging in goals like they had been doing for their respective clubs then both Arsenal and United are in with a shout. Yes I know you lot will say 'United, are you mad' but look at it this way, United was let down by not having a very good striker. The club paid £72 million of Hojlund in 2023 based on the goals he was banging in for Ajax. He was very young and I think United thought they could make Hojlund into another Ronaldo, take a young player who shows they have massive potential and turn them into a world class superstar. But it never worked out and that is what let United down, their defense was very good, their midfield was ok but their strikers were crap. Now they have got a very very good striker things could be totally different.

If I was forced to pick a team I would have to go with Arsenal because having viktor gyökeres makes them a very different prospect. I do think they would have won the league last year if they had been able to get a good striker in during the January transfer window. Now they have viktor gyökeres, if they can get him banging in goals, they will be a very difficult team to beat.
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The time that has passed for those charges to be ruled on makes me think more and more there will be no points deduction (even though there clearly should).
 
Both the Nottingham Forrest owner and the Crystal Palace owner were warned by UEFA that they needed to prove neither owner had any influence in any of the decision making at their respective clubs and they had to give their proof to UEFA by June. The Forrest owner put everything into a blind trust in April and showed UEFA before the deadline. The Palace owner did not. He tried to sell his stake in the club but the deadline came and went resulting in UEFA demoting them to the Conference league. How on earth did Palace think they was going to win the appeal? They was told to meet a deadline and they did not. Don't people respect the meaning of 'deadline' anymore? and if they don't meet it and get punished for it they claim they are being treated unfairly.

The thing that caught my attention about this appeal is how quickly UEFA have dealt with an issue of dual ownership and given out punishment where it is due but yet the premier league are still yet to announce their findings on the 115 charges against Man City. The hearings concluded in December 2024 and we are still waiting on the premier league to release the findings of the hearings.

there is a good article written about it in ESPN
www.espn.co.uk

Man City vs. Premier League: 115 financial charges explained

The sporting world is waiting for a resolution to the hearings on Man City's charges for allegedly breaching the Premier League's financial rules. Here's what we know, and what might come next.
www.espn.co.uk www.espn.co.uk
 
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daneoni said:
Presumably Palace did not anticipate ending up in Europe hence the negligence

Fail to plan, plan to fail.
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I think it was a combination: the owner didn’t expect CP to qualify but he also didn’t expect Lyon to win their appeal against relegation.

Doesn’t negate your statement though
 
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It just goes to show the difference in owner attitudes towards the clubs they own/part own. Forest chairman gave up his control of the club for the benefit of the club, Palace owner did not because he still wanted part control.
 
Scepticalscribe said:
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.
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I was simply carrying on the torch from others before me! This tradition of restarting the football thread each season long predates most of the current crop of forum posters. But at the time it seemed a logical way to 1) keep all the football-centered talk in one place (and have an occasional laugh about random interlopers who thought it was an NFL thread) and 2) break it up before the thread became too unmanageable (this forum is over 25 years old now, after all).

I've been laying off football recently - I still watch some of it, but the game isn't the joyous escape for me that it once was - there's too much of the current world leaking into it. I didn't enjoy Liverpool, or even Columbus, winning their leagues as much as I would have maybe ten years ago. But I'm not planning on vanishing any time soon. Just taking a back seat.
 
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laptech said:
It just goes to show the difference in owner attitudes towards the clubs they own/part own. Forest chairman gave up his control of the club for the benefit of the club, Palace owner did not because he still wanted part control.
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I think that’s a little unfair. I don’t think he did it out of greed or a power trip, he just never believed it would be an issue and when it became one it was too late. He did put his CP shares into trust but UEFA deemed he’d done it too late.
Now should an international businessman have a better approach to risk management? Absolutely. Should a major shareholder in a club gave more belief in that club? Also absolutely.
 
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Lord Blackadder said:
I was simply carrying on the torch from others before me! This tradition of restarting the football thread each season long predates most of the current crop of forum posters. But at the time it seemed a logical way to 1) keep all the football-centered talk in one place (and have an occasional laugh about random interlopers who thought it was an NFL thread) and 2) break it up before the thread became too unmanageable (this forum is over 25 years old now, after all).

I've been laying off football recently - I still watch some of it, but the game isn't the joyous escape for me that it once was - there's too much of the current world leaking into it. I didn't enjoy Liverpool, or even Columbus, winning their leagues as much as I would have maybe ten years ago. But I'm not planning on vanishing any time soon. Just taking a back seat.
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Where the hell you been?

🙂
 
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