Premier League Thread 2019/20

[KrefelderFox666]

5 minutes ago, Markyblue said:

Nice to see a lot of realism on here. Top 4 would be almost impossible,  top 6 incredibly difficult,  aim for top 10 to 7 and lets give both cups a real go. Time the fa cup went in the trophy room. 

 

 

A good season would be a Top 10 finish, with a real push to get into Europe/Top 6 or 7 and a semi final in one of the cups. We really have to give it our all in the cups and of course we need a lot of luck in the draws. We've been a little unlucky with getting Man City/Chelsea in our recent quarters but got close to beating them on every occasion. Certainly an interesting season ahead, Puel has done all the groundwork and now it is over to Brendan to move us to the next level.

[Fox92]

4 hours ago, ealingfox said:

Been saying it from the start - pure delusion thinking we're getting top 6, let alone top 4.

I agree. People's expectations are somehow very high.

 

A good return for me would be top 10 and at least a semi final of one of the cups.

Edited 29 July 2019 by Fox92

[The Bear]

It's just anticipation and excitement. It is the same at Wolves. 

[walkerleeds]

A season where we don't draw Man fvcking City in the QF of a cup should be seen as a successful one.

[DerbyshireFox]

3 hours ago, Haywood_6 said:

Have Watford signed anyone? Seem to be having a very quiet window. They were one of the strongest teams around us last year. 

Only Craig Dawson of any major note, but pushing hard for Ismaila Sarr apparently (unfortunately). @Super_horns any other moves afoot 

[murphy]

56 minutes ago, The Bear said:

It's just anticipation and excitement. It is the same at Wolves. 

So what is the consensus among the fans for you lot regarding aims and expectations?

 

I think Wolves are a good team but Europa League may prove a hinderance to improving on seventh.

 

 

[murphy]

59 minutes ago, Fox92 said:

I agree. People's expectations are somehow very high.

 

A good return for me would be top 10 and at least a semi final of one of the cups.

I think that we have our own mini league of ourselves, Everton, Watford, West Ham and Wolves.

 

I would say that a 10th place finish would mean finishing bottom of that group.  Not a disaster but not a success.  

[OntarioFox]

I said a few weeks ago that top half (9th or above - i.e. not regressing) would be an acceptable finish and was laughed out the room. I still stand by that, purely because the pack around us is every bit as capable as us of going on a run and breaking out of the cycle of blowing hot and cold that cost us a top 7 spot last year. The one team to acheive that was Wolves last year, and they are deservedly playing European football as a result.

 

I don't know why we're obsessing about going toe-to-toe with the top 6 - we already do. We took points off of Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City last year. It's throwing home bankers against the likes of Cardiff, Southampton, Newcastle and Crystal Palace down the sh*tter that is stopping us from pushing on to a European spot.

 

Consistency is key. If we don't turn up in the quote-unquote "easier" games, we're going to be sat here again next summer in exactly the same position.

Edited 29 July 2019 by OntarioFox

[LC/FC]

1 hour ago, Fox92 said:

I agree. People's expectations are somehow very high.

 

A good return for me would be top 10 and at least a semi final of one of the cups.

That "somehow" was called the 15/16 season. 

I too, like many before would have desired the FA Cup and have settled for before all this happened. 

But then the impossible happened.

Figuratively it was impossible but literally it happened.

Now beyond all reasonable hopes and expectations harboured before 2015 I can't seem to settle for... Premier League survival and possibly a domestic cup. 

Something in my psyche says if we don't challenge for the title every year... We might as well be Nottingham Forrest. 

[Haywood_6]

We played with Ndidi and Mendy in midfield for most of the season with Puel in charge, somehow still finished 9th.

 

Now we've spent £80 million and have a far better squad and manager. I'm not sure we'll get top 6, but I fully expect us to have a good go at it.

[KingsX]

1 hour ago, murphy said:

I think that we have our own mini league of ourselves, Everton, Watford, West Ham and Wolves.

 

I would say that a 10th place finish would mean finishing bottom of that group.  Not a disaster but not a success.  

 

Doing the math ... appears you've got Arsenal, Man U or Chelsea in 11th then. 

[The Bear]

1 hour ago, murphy said:

So what is the consensus among the fans for you lot regarding aims and expectations?

 

I think Wolves are a good team but Europa League may prove a hinderance to improving on seventh.

 

 

Excited about the players coming in and hopeful of even bigger names.

 

Expectations are a similar season to last, with hopefully a Europa Cup run. It'll be tough and a real test of Nuno's credentials though. The media are no doubt poised to jump on the second season syndrome or Europa struggles bandwagon if we do suffer to begin with. 

[HighPeakFox]

Just now, The Bear said:

Excited about the players coming in and hopeful of even bigger names.

 

Expectations are a similar season to last, with hopefully a Europa Cup run. It'll be tough and a real test of Nuno's credentials though. The media are no doubt poised to jump on the second season syndrome or Europa struggles bandwagon if we do suffer to begin with. 

With no wish whatsoever to put a downer on your hopes (because I really like your contribution to our forum), I would imagine that other teams will have wised up a little, and, as you alluded to, the difficult 2nd album syndrome may or may not be a thing.

[The Bear]

We all thought teams would wise up to us second time of playing them, both in the Championship and Prem. But we have a very defensive but fluid system that allows us to transition from defence/attack and vice versa very effectively. Newcastle and Man City still couldn't score against us in the Asia Trophy. And we battered Newcastle 4-0. The more and better defensive and attacking players we sign the harder we'll be to contain again. And now we have Cutrone who is known for being a good impact player off the bench, something we lacked last season. 

 

I'm not guaranteeing we'll have the same season again, but there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic. 

Edited 29 July 2019 by The Bear

[Guest MattP]

7 minutes ago, The Bear said:

Excited about the players coming in and hopeful of even bigger names.

 

Expectations are a similar season to last, with hopefully a Europa Cup run. It'll be tough and a real test of Nuno's credentials though. The media are no doubt poised to jump on the second season syndrome or Europa struggles bandwagon if we do suffer to begin with. 

I think you'll be fine.

 

People exaggerate the effects of the Europa League - providing he's sensible with his rotation on Thursday nights you should be still in that group just behind or pushing the top 6.

 

Burnley weren't shit last season because of it, they were just shit full stop. 

[murphy]

6 minutes ago, The Bear said:

We all thought teams would wise up to us second time of playing them, both in the Championship and Prem. But we have a very defensive but fluid system that allows us to transition from defence/attack and vice versa very effectively. Newcastle and Man City still couldn't score against us in the Asia Trophy. And we battered Newcastle 4-0. The more and better defensive and attacking players we sign the harder we'll be to stop again. And now we have Cutrone who is known for being a good impact player off the bench, something we lacked last season. 

 

I'm not guaranteeing we'll have the same season again, but there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic. 

 

I thought that during our title season.  Surely teams will get wise to this rope-a-dope trick.  Many didn't, some did but we still ended up scraping 1-0s in the second half of the season.   By then I think we had built up momentum behind us which is very powerful in football, either positive or negative and that carried us through.

 

[Buce]

5 hours ago, HighPeakFox said:

You say potato, I say potatto...

 

Really, Peaky.

 

I thought you had a better command of English than that.

[murphy]

1 hour ago, OntarioFox said:

I said a few weeks ago that top half (9th or above - i.e. not regressing) would be an acceptable finish and was laughed out the room. I still stand by that, purely because the pack around us is every bit as capable as us of going on a run and breaking out of the cycle of blowing hot and cold that cost us a top 7 spot last year. The one team to acheive that was Wolves last year, and they are deservedly playing European football as a result.

 

I don't know why we're obsessing about going toe-to-toe with the top 6 - we already do. We took points off of Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City last year. It's throwing home bankers against the likes of Cardiff, Southampton, Newcastle and Crystal Palace down the sh*tter that is stopping us from pushing on to a European spot.

 

Consistency is key. If we don't turn up in the quote-unquote "easier" games, we're going to be sat here again next summer in exactly the same position.

Very true and also we need to cut out the unnecessary errors.  Silly late goals lost to Wolves and Watford cost us as did our terrible starts so often gifting teams a goal in the first ten minutes that it became a running joke. 

 

Add Youri to our team and we are much more formidable than last year but I would think that Wolves, West Ham and Everton will be too.

 

Can't wait.

[MC Prussian]

Seeing that Bale's transfer to China hasn't gone through, rumour mill says he could go to Manchester United in exchange for Pogba.

[UniFox21]

This is a great gesture from Mane and it is brilliant to see footballers giving back to their communities at home, especially when those are disadvantaged or poorer areas. 

 

But; he's on 100k a week before bonuses and sponsorships, this is like a months wage at most.

 

It's lovely to see, and I wish more did stuff like this.

 

[Xen]

18 minutes ago, UniFox21 said:

This is a great gesture from Mane and it is brilliant to see footballers giving back to their communities at home, especially when those are disadvantaged or poorer areas. 

 

But; he's on 100k a week before bonuses and sponsorships, this is like a months wage at most.

 

It's lovely to see, and I wish more did stuff like this.

 

Plenty do, they just usually keep it quiet or do it anonymously.

 

There's also campaigns like Juan Mata's Common Goal charity which has got a decent number of pledges from footballers in the PL and further afield.

[Super_horns]

4 hours ago, DerbyshireFox said:

Only Craig Dawson of any major note, but pushing hard for Ismaila Sarr apparently (unfortunately). @Super_horns any other moves afoot 

In for a couple of wingers who play in France .

 

Sarr from Nice is one as you say - be a record buy.

 

Would like another defender and striker in ..

 

Doubt we will be top 10 martieral as it stands .

 

 Who will Everton buy to replace Gueye? Leaves a big hole in thier midfield.

Edited 29 July 2019 by Super_horns

[mikey54]

8 minutes ago, Super_horns said:

In for a couple of wingers who play in France .

 

Sarr from Nice is one as you say - be a record buy.

 

Would like another defender and striker in ..

 

Doubt we will be top 10 martieral as it stands .

 

 Who will Everton buy to replace Gueye? Leaves a big hole in thier midfield.

I think they’ve been linked with Lemina  at Southampton

Edited 29 July 2019 by mikey54

[MPH]

1 hour ago, UniFox21 said:

This is a great gesture from Mane and it is brilliant to see footballers giving back to their communities at home, especially when those are disadvantaged or poorer areas. 

 

But; he's on 100k a week before bonuses and sponsorships, this is like a months wage at most.

 

It's lovely to see, and I wish more did stuff like this.

 

100k a week becomes 50k after tax, agent fee, ect...

 

 

 

But see your point. 

[Fox92]

It's good of Mane, that, and I won't knock anybody giving back but plenty of people in football (footballers, owners, former players) do give back which doesn't get publicised as much.