Premier League 2025/26 Thread

[AjcW]

4 hours ago, Footballwipe said:

Scott Parker truly the 'Robert Earnshaw' of managers.

 

Wildly good at getting teams up, a successful championship manager. Just can't do it in the Prem.

 

You'd back them to roll through the league next year if they keep him.

Is he wildly good at it, or has he just managed Bournemouth, Burnley and Fulham with very very good squads (I know we're testament to that not meaning much but still....)

 

I'd like to see him do the same somewhere like Preston or Bristol City, those STUCK HERE FOREVER type teams.

[Super_horns]

Surely this won’t happen unless there has been a falling out behind the scenes?

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cqj8n7p491wo

[Footballwipe]

14 minutes ago, AjcW said:

Is he wildly good at it, or has he just managed Bournemouth, Burnley and Fulham with very very good squads (I know we're testament to that not meaning much but still....)

 

I'd like to see him do the same somewhere like Preston or Bristol City, those STUCK HERE FOREVER type teams.

Gives a bit "would pep still win things if he managed Port Vale" vibes to me.

 

I can appreciate he can get a good squad out of the division. Him and Farke seem to struggle to adapt to the Prem but three separate promotions with three different teams highlights his ability in the second tier imo.

[CrispinLA in Texas]

14 hours ago, Corky said:

Burnley have had the most forgettable Premier League season in a long time.

Yup, a team nobody knows they are in existed in the premier League this season, at least with Dyche nobody wanted to play at their ground because at was a tough grind 

[AjcW]

17 minutes ago, Footballwipe said:

Gives a bit "would pep still win things if he managed Port Vale" vibes to me.

 

I can appreciate he can get a good squad out of the division. Him and Farke seem to struggle to adapt to the Prem but three separate promotions with three different teams highlights his ability in the second tier imo.

For sure. 

Farke has flown ahead of him this season for me, by realising he needed to adapt his style/system. Would say he also inherited a second season after relegation team at Norwich too. 

[Deeg67]

1 hour ago, AjcW said:

For sure. 

Farke has flown ahead of him this season for me, by realising he needed to adapt his style/system. Would say he also inherited a second season after relegation team at Norwich too. 

There's not a manager in the world, Pep included, who could have come anywhere close to survival with those two Norwich teams.

[Super_horns]

Football Focus is being cancelled.
 

Not a surprise unfortunately but cannot say I watched it for sometime  either due to live matches being on .

[Asha]

Forest 3-0 up at Sunderland, pretty much safe after this.

[Super_horns]

Forest going a long way to at least putting pressure on Spurs and West Ham to get results tomorrow.

 

Another team caught out trying to mess around at the back.

[StanSP]

What is going on at Sunderland? Have they imploded this week?!

[MC Prussian]

Bloody hell, Forest!
 

Be nice, I have Mukiele in my FPL team.

[Fox92]

Wow Forest 4 up. That’s how you do it. And players now showing up.

[RowlattsFox]

Jeez Sunderland, have they literally turned up in their flip flops

Edited 24 April by RowlattsFox

[Fear Of The Fox]

Spurs are done and dusted. Almost 99% possibility now they're sinking into the depths of oblivion like us. West Ham know it and this is why the game against Palace was like a summer friendly. 

Bye Spurs. See you in National League. 

[EastAnglianFox]

.

Edited 25 April by EastAnglianFox

[Fear Of The Fox]

12 minutes ago, EastAnglianFox said:

Damn,  all those on here that were desperate for Forest to stay up must be on a proper bender tonight… enjoy lads

Oh wait. Let me pray for a team that haven't won a single game in 5 months to stay up. You're absolutely clueless. 

[Muzzy_no7]

That is an absolute joke of a result. 

 

They are going to scab survival and end up in the Champions League by winning a massively degraded competition they shouldn’t have even been in😂😂😂.

 

Football is absolutely rotten to the core 

[Jattdogg]

Sunderland started really well but have really leveled off iver the season. Can see them finishing 14th which is still a great result. Survival is key to help grow their brand but if they dont invest well could be in trouble next season. That said,   teams in the championship are piss poor this season so likely will be saved by 3 up, 3 down being restored.

 

Looks like west ham and spurs will battle it out.

 

[Super_horns]

9 minutes ago, Jattdogg said:

Sunderland started really well but have really leveled off iver the season. Can see them finishing 14th which is still a great result. Survival is key to help grow their brand but if they dont invest well could be in trouble next season. That said,   teams in the championship are piss poor this season so likely will be saved by 3 up, 3 down being restored.

 

Looks like west ham and spurs will battle it out.

 

Might be getting a new manager too but they have denied Le Bris will be sacked. 

[Leicesterpool]

Sunderland tend to have tight defence, then they play Forest at home and lose 0-5! project get spurs down... think everyone is in on it 

 

Forest and Leeds are just one league win away from premier league safety. Tottenham could be relegated at there most dreaded place.... Stamford Bridge 

Edited 24 April by Leicesterpool

[dsr-burnley]

On 23/04/2026 at 12:49, AjcW said:

Is he wildly good at it, or has he just managed Bournemouth, Burnley and Fulham with very very good squads (I know we're testament to that not meaning much but still....)

 

I'd like to see him do the same somewhere like Preston or Bristol City, those STUCK HERE FOREVER type teams.

Parker has a system that works well when we have better players than the opposition, but fails miserably when the opposition has better players than us. Basically it involves passing the ball round at the back until the opponents leave a gap for us to score. If they don't leave a gap, we don't score. Even in the Championship season, we had 11 0-0s in the first 32 games, until Edwards signed and provided the extra bit of class that could unlock a packed defence.

 

In the PL, opponents are better and so they score first. We have just gone 13 home games without a win, and taken the lead twice in those 13 games - one of them was an own goal. The plan is to play for 0-0 until we go behind, and then (perhaps) try and equalise.

 

When his plan doesn't work, he persists anyway. His only tactical change, whether in game or from the start of a game, is to play 4-5-1 instead of 5-4-1, and he does it with different defenders every game. He has spent all season telling the players they aren't good enough, and they believe him.

 

Would you like him to get you promotion? Yours for a smartie and an opal fruit.

[The Year Of The Fox]

Just seen last nights highlights @Finnegan

[Trent Steel]

Balls... Glorist look safe now...

Ah well as long as they dint win the EL

Now its tine for spurs to go down...

[The Bear]

I still don't fancy us to beat Spurs today. 

 

We're playing with the pygmy Armstrong up front because Tolu the massive striker we have has apparently had a training ground bust up and is out of favour. 

 

Armstrong is just no good at this level. 

[CWC1983]

37 minutes ago, The Bear said:

I still don't fancy us to beat Spurs today. 

 

We're playing with the pygmy Armstrong up front because Tolu the massive striker we have has apparently had a training ground bust up and is out of favour. 

 

Armstrong is just no good at this level. 

Tried to buy a ticket yesterday to cheer on the Spurs demise,  but no recent purchase history meant computer said no. 

I even phoned the ticket office, but no luck there either.