Premier League 2020/21 Thread

[Tom12345]

Tuchel is a confident man. Instills winning mentality that you are good enough. Maybe his downfall eventually but it is admirable. A bit more of that from Rodgers would be good: when he said he and his team are happy with 4 points against Burnley over the course of the season. Burnley are way down the table and if we want to challenge for the top 4 we need to be unhappy about that.

 

www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-9323453/amp/Chelsea-boss-insists-team-WIN-Premier-League-season.html

Edited 4 March 2021 by Tom12345

[UpTheLeagueFox]

58 minutes ago, STUHILL said:

Decided I am going to stop stressing about dropping out the top 4, and just enjoy the ups and downs we are all going to be in for over the next 11 games! Bring it on! We can beat anyone on our day! 

Spot on, Stu. 

[urban.spaceman]

How many defeats on the bounce at home Jurgen?

 

[lnkstern]

The Chelsea win may not be ideal for our top 4 aspirations, but I do enjoy seeing Liverpool lose...

Edited 5 March 2021 by lnkstern

[foxfanazer]

Anfield's been such a tough place to win at for the past couple of years now even Liverpool are struggling to win there 

Edited 5 March 2021 by foxfanazer

[Gerard]

2 hours ago, Tom12345 said:

No way we can stay ahead of Chelsea now with them winning tonight. Everton might overtake us too given our poor recent form. We are looking like we will be sliding down the table again like last year.

 

2 hours ago, Leicester_Loyal said:

Honestly can't see how we can possibly finish top 4, but I hope to be proved wrong. I think we'll end up 6th.

A huge assumption that Man Utd and Chelsea will finish top four.

 

Liverpool 7 pts behind us with 11 to play

An average Tottenham 8pts behind and a game in hand.

Everton and West Ham mid table sides having a good season.

 

Certainly we have our own problems but we have two winnable league games in the next four weeks and by then hopefully most of the squad is rested and back from injury and Barnes might be back on the training pitch if we're lucky. 

 

Even if the doom mongers want to assume that Man Utd and Chelsea will get top four that last place is well up for grabs.

[Jattdogg]

2 hours ago, Samilktray said:

I wonder what it would take for Liverpool to get rid of Klopp

He isnt getting fired any time soon  injuries havent helped but he has won things. Cant win every year (fergie). If they can keep their players, get vvd back they are still a good team that can mount a title challege next season.

 

Winning champs league and epl has boughthim considerable time to retool. I think the more likely  scenario is him wanting to walk away after his contract is done.

[RowlattsFox]

I think there is a relatively decent chance Liverpool win champions League and Spurs win the Europa. Could really do finishing 3rd rather than 4th.

 

Chelsea looked good yesterday, defence was solid, kept the ball well and was a threat on the break but they haven't been scoring lots of goals.

[Blarmy]

If I was in charge I would:

 

1) Bin VAR off other than for checking penalty decisions and looking for simulation. The “simu-checks” could take place whilst the game was continuing, so no hold ups. 
 

Simulation would get the player booked every time. Simulation would be categorised as “ending up on the deck when you didn’t need to” and would be phrased exactly like that in the rule book.  The reason for the bookings would be displayed on the big screens.

 

2) Add mandatory off-pitch treatment times if a player appears to be in pain for any reason. 7 minutes sounds about right.

 

3) Mic the refs up rugby style.

 

4) Ban substitutions after 80 minutes. No exceptions.

 

5) Give refs better training but also “Accountability Reviews” and also make them take a quarterly fitness test - fail that and no PL reffing.  Not worked al this out yet but something like a timed ascent of Pen-Y-Fan with a backpack full of whistles and shaving foam. These fitness tests would be televised at prime time on terrestrial channels. 

 

6) etc.

[Nalis]

Liverpool at home to Fulham this weekend.....

 

[RowlattsFox]

I do find managers and players hypocritical regarding VAR. Considering what they were like whenever a decision went against them before VAR. This is why it was introduced anyway.

 

 

 

 

[StanSP]

 

 

[KrefelderFox666]

44 minutes ago, RowlattsFox said:

I think there is a relatively decent chance Liverpool win champions League and Spurs win the Europa. Could really do finishing 3rd rather than 4th.

 

Chelsea looked good yesterday, defence was solid, kept the ball well and was a threat on the break but they haven't been scoring lots of goals.

No chance of Liverpool winning CL, they are maybe 4th or 5th favourite in my eyes. Would be a great achievement if they pulled it off. Man City and PSG teams to beat.

[st albans fox]

39 minutes ago, Blarmy said:

If I was in charge I would:

 

1) Bin VAR off other than for checking penalty decisions and looking for simulation. The “simu-checks” could take place whilst the game was continuing, so no hold ups. 
 

Simulation would get the player booked every time. Simulation would be categorised as “ending up on the deck when you didn’t need to” and would be phrased exactly like that in the rule book.  The reason for the bookings would be displayed on the big screens.

 

2) Add mandatory off-pitch treatment times if a player appears to be in pain for any reason. 7 minutes sounds about right.

 

3) Mic the refs up rugby style.

 

4) Ban substitutions after 80 minutes. No exceptions.

 

5) Give refs better training but also “Accountability Reviews” and also make them take a quarterly fitness test - fail that and no PL reffing.  Not worked al this out yet but something like a timed ascent of Pen-Y-Fan with a backpack full of whistles and shaving foam. These fitness tests would be televised at prime time on terrestrial channels. 

 

6) etc.

I’m sure you’re coming from a place of good intentions but some of your ideas are a little difficult for me to get behind ........

[Blarmy]

24 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

I’m sure you’re coming from a place of good intentions but some of your ideas are a little difficult for me to get behind ........

Which ones?

[ARTY_FOX]

Just now, Blarmy said:

Which ones?

If the game continues why they check for simulation does that mean they just take the free kick anyway? 

[davieG]

8 hours ago, Tom12345 said:

Tuchel is a confident man. Instills winning mentality that you are good enough. Maybe his downfall eventually but it is admirable. A bit more of that from Rodgers would be good: when he said he and his team are happy with 4 points against Burnley over the course of the season. Burnley are way down the table and if we want to challenge for the top 4 we need to be unhappy about that.

 

www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-9323453/amp/Chelsea-boss-insists-team-WIN-Premier-League-season.html

What manager's say in public isn't necessarily what they say in private or how they say it which is what you'd expect from a good manager.

 

I'm sure in private he was more than a little up set about losing to Burnley he wasn't too happy about the goal even in public. Different managers have different characters and different approaches.

[Aus Fox]

11 hours ago, filbertway said:

The A league use VAR superbly. Its rarely intrusive and even less rare does it become centre stage.

 

They dont review decisions OTT like happens here. Checks takes about 10-20 seconds and you rarely find yourself disagreeing

 

I'd rather it not be used than used poorly I suppose.

From someone who watched and attends A League games - they absolutely do not!!

It is just as bad here, if not worse than the PL. not sure where this idea has come from.

I’ve seen checks go for 3/4 minutes, goals disallowed where there was an infringement 2 minutes before the goal was scored... it’s a joke here!

[Pliskin]

I'm probably being too positive... But I reckon that 4th place will be going to one of Chelsea West Ham or Spuds.... Whilst we quietly slip into second and confuse the **** out of all of the pundits after the last game..... 

[filbertway]

1 minute ago, Aus Fox said:

From someone who watched and attends A League games - they absolutely do not!!

It is just as bad here, if not worse than the PL. not sure where this idea has come from.

I’ve seen checks go for 3/4 minutes, goals disallowed where there was an infringement 2 minutes before the goal was scored... it’s a joke here!

Haha you bloody Aussies killing my argument!

 

I usually watch the 2/3 games on saturday mornings (uk time) and can honestly say I don't recall many incidents at all. 

 

Got a couple of recent examples for me?

[Koke]

If West Ham or Everton lost as many first team players as we did they would be in a relegation battle.

[Aus Fox]

6 minutes ago, filbertway said:

Haha you bloody Aussies killing my argument!

 

I usually watch the 2/3 games on saturday mornings (uk time) and can honestly say I don't recall many incidents at all. 

 

Got a couple of recent examples for me?

The best one recently was a Wellington Player being sent off against MacArthur.

Western United have been on the receiving end of a couple of absolute howlers recently too. Berisha has had two goals ruled out that there was nothing in, including one where there was a soft foul, but it was at least 2 minutes before the ball went in the net and not even close to being in the same phase of play. 

[turtmcfly]

42 minutes ago, Blarmy said:

Which ones?

 

Based on 1 to 5 I really don't like 6

 

[Blarmy]

55 minutes ago, ARTY_FOX said:

If the game continues why they check for simulation does that mean they just take the free kick anyway? 

Yep, nothing else changes to keep the game flowing, and the simulator gets retrospectively booked. Does it again he’s off. 

[Hoopla10]

2 hours ago, Blarmy said:

If I was in charge I would:

 

1) Bin VAR off other than for checking penalty decisions and looking for simulation. The “simu-checks” could take place whilst the game was continuing, so no hold ups. 
 

Simulation would get the player booked every time. Simulation would be categorised as “ending up on the deck when you didn’t need to” and would be phrased exactly like that in the rule book.  The reason for the bookings would be displayed on the big screens.

 

2) Add mandatory off-pitch treatment times if a player appears to be in pain for any reason. 7 minutes sounds about right.

 

3) Mic the refs up rugby style.

 

4) Ban substitutions after 80 minutes. No exceptions.

 

5) Give refs better training but also “Accountability Reviews” and also make them take a quarterly fitness test - fail that and no PL reffing.  Not worked al this out yet but something like a timed ascent of Pen-Y-Fan with a backpack full of whistles and shaving foam. These fitness tests would be televised at prime time on terrestrial channels. 

 

6) etc.

I've said for a while, this isn't a VAR problem this a referee problem. If we just take yesterdays games it wouldn't be a stretch to consider them either incompetent or bribed (I don't think it's this). And the most frustrating thing is these massive mistakes have a cost for clubs like Fulham fighting for every point. But as we know it's not just those directly effected it also effects those around the teams those mistakes benefit. Millions of pounds, careers of managers and players, all rely on these incompetent under trained people to do their jobs right. At some point people (especially pundits on programs like MOTD) have to point their fingers at refs and ask, what are you doing? Get them on the program, ask them directly. Having them hiding away untouchable exacerbates the feeling of no repercussions. Since that is never going to happen I 100% agree mic them up on the pitch. I'd have it so only the captains can communicate with the refs and they can ask directly (like during that WBA game why) the ref didn't feel that was a pen'. And he has to explain. Have transparency of communication and do it like adults. I don't feel like these are radical ideas. 

 

So yeah binning off VAR is a good start. If they can't do their jobs normally VAR is only going to highlight their incompetence and make things worse as we're seeing.

 

If a captain swears at a ref or is rude or whatever send them to a sin bin for 10 minutes. The problem with doing that for diving (though ideally I agree) is we're back to the refs doing their jobs right. How angry would you/we be if Vardy gets clipped and goes down and the ref thinks its a dive. We've gone from what should be a pen' to losing our striker for 7 mins. 

 

People talk about VARs off-side lines not being perfect, but lets say there is a system that is perfect. It's almost certainly possible if somebody wants to invest in it. Not only is it perfect but it's instant. Would people be okay with that?  

 

Edited 5 March 2021 by Hoopla10