Football thread 2016/2017

[oldbluefox]

Anyone want a good laugh at this couple of muppets' predictions how Spurs were going to win the league last season?
A good example of how arrogantly optimistic predictions can come back and bite you on the backside which will give all Leicester, Chelsea and Arsenal fans a good laugh.

[oldbluefox]

Not the best of days if you're a Huddersfield supporter.

[qbman1]

Not the best of days if you're a Huddersfield supporter.

Is it ever ?

[Manoverboard]

Being a Leicester City supporter isn't too grand these days either ....

[oldbluefox]

Gone from Champs of England to Chumps!!!
Ok so we made 10 changes but I have never seen such a spineless performance from a bunch who were hoping to break into the first team, who aren't much better at the moment. Roll on the transfer season and let's ship out a few dead legs. Injuries haven't helped but I think they're all still on the razzle after last season.
How long can one hangover last?

[RB1961]

I thought this thread had been locked

RB

[oldbluefox]

I thought this thread had been locked

RB

It will be if our form doesn't pick up some time soon!!!! We even lost to Watford!!!
Long time since we heard from you RB. Nice to see you back again, even if you are a gooner!!

[Manoverboard]

... We even lost to Watford!!!

Did you really, I hadn't noticed

ps .... we both have Man City anytime soon, gulp

[gfwgfw]

Bournemouth 4 Liverpool 3

[oldbluefox]

gfw,
Burnley 3 Bournemouth 2

[oldbluefox]

... We even lost to Watford!!!

Did you really, I hadn't noticed :

I did!!! Another disastrous weekend!!!

[towny44]

... We even lost to Watford!!!

Did you really, I hadn't noticed :

I did!!! Another disastrous weekend!!!

Did Ranieri borrow his old mate Conte's team tonight, if not how did your lot manage to beat Man City?

Anyway I am happy Klopp junior got town back on winning ways today, and they have looked more like their old selves in the last 2 games, how Blackburn were not thrashed 10-0 last week is one of footballs greatest mysteries.

[oldbluefox]

Well, I didn't see that one coming. My lot are literally a Jekyll and Hyde outfit but last night was a much better performance all round.

How is young Nahki Wells doing nowadays? I remember when he moved to Huddersfield he was being touted as a good young talent. Is he living up to it?

Good win for Mob's Watford - flying high eh? I must say they must have a good scouting system because they keep bringing in chaps we have never heard of who must be doing something right.

[Manoverboard]

Those Foxes outplayed City all night .... brilliant, but I doubt that we can do the same on Wednesday evening.

It's simple, the Foxes have been saving their key energy for the Champions League games, they want to test themselves against Barcelona and chums. They will go as far as they can, not too far I dare say, and then it'll be back to concentrating on 10th place in the Prem.

[gfwgfw]

Bournemouth 1 Leicester 0

[oldbluefox]

Another spineless performance from us gfw. In fairness we had three influential players out but those who replaced them just are not good enough for Premiership football. We were non existent in the first half and in the second Bournemouth put up the shutters and we didn't have the guile to open them up.
Correct result on the night.

[towny44]

Well that was third time lucky on TV for Town and thoroughly deserved, at leat IMO. Lets just hope we can kick on from here and get back into the top 2.

[oldbluefox]

A useful three points towny because Norwich have been going well of late.

[towny44]

Four wins on the bounce and we are now securely in the play off positions, all we need now is to emulate Chelsea and we could begin to dream of life in the Premiership.

[barney]

Careful what you wish for towny.

So often, the dream turns into a nightmare when you realise that you are £50 million in debt.

In my opinion, unless your club has a sugar daddy willing to personally chuck millions in, a club the size of the Terriers cannot sustain top league football these days.

Make the most of it my friend, because these are the good times.

[towny44]

Careful what you wish for towny.

So often, the dream turns into a nightmare when you realise that you are £50 million in debt.

In my opinion, unless your club has a sugar daddy willing to personally chuck millions in, a club the size of the Terriers cannot sustain top league football these days.

Make the most of it my friend, because these are the good times.

Do not want to disagree with you Barney but I think that now might just be the time for the smaller clubs to thrive in the PL, take the examples of Burnley, Bournemouth, Watford, West Brom, Southampton, Middlesbrough and even Swansea and Hull. With the massive TV payouts there has never been a better time for small clubs to enjoy reasonable success in the top flight, and with the generous parachute payments they have a very good chance to bounce straight back, and if they are well run they need not run up huge debts which wrecked the likes of Leeds in previous years. Of course you do need a huge slice of luck to do as well as Leicester did.

[oldbluefox]

Of course you do need a huge slice of luck to do as well as Leicester did.

I would suggest any team which wins the Premier League by 10 clear points falls outside the category of being lucky.
Unfortunately it is difficult for the smaller clubs to stay there once the big boys start taking notice and taking your best players. Southampton have done very well in redefining themselves in such circumstances.

[Manoverboard]

Of course you do need a huge slice of luck to do as well as Leicester did.

I would suggest any team which wins the Premier League by 10 clear points falls outside the category of being lucky .... .

Ok, we are all agreed ... the Foxes were dead unlucky

The only danger to any club getting promoted to the Premiership is IF the SKY payments came to a juddering halt, it did happen before with ITV Digital and several Clubs ( including Watford ) nearly went broke.

[towny44]

Of course you do need a huge slice of luck to do as well as Leicester did.

I would suggest any team which wins the Premier League by 10 clear points falls outside the category of being lucky.
Unfortunately it is difficult for the smaller clubs to stay there once the big boys start taking notice and taking your best players. Southampton have done very well in redefining themselves in such circumstances.

You don't consider that Man U and Chelsea's disastrous seasons were a touch lucky for you. Then you had perennial under achievers Arsenal, plus Spurs who routinely chicken out at the last hurdle and Liverpool not yet gelling under Klopp as the main competition. That left just Man City and you broke their hearts and resolve with your 3-1 away win in Feb, which also seemed to give your season a major fillip and led to "probably" Leicester City's greatest footballing achievement, unless you win the UEFA Champions League this season.

[oldbluefox]

You don't consider that Man U and Chelsea's disastrous seasons were a touch lucky for you. Then you had perennial under achievers Arsenal, plus Spurs who routinely chicken out at the last hurdle and Liverpool not yet gelling under Klopp as the main competition. That left just Man City and you broke their hearts and resolve with your 3-1 away win in Feb, which also seemed to give your season a major fillip and led to "probably" Leicester City's greatest footballing achievement, unless you win the UEFA Champions League this season.

In which case that same 'luck' would apply to every other team in the Prem. By that same token it could have been any one of the other teams who were better placed to succeed.
If you are talking about commitment, teamwork, determination and tactics which many teams found difficult to cope with I would agree with you but that has nothing to do with luck. The Foxes were written off before the season started. They started well and the general concensus was that it was 'a flash in the pan, it won't last'. Even in the final matches the media had them written off. They were underestimated and nobody could believe what was happening.
Sadly we lost our midfield general to Chelsea and our tactics of last season have been sussed out. However anybody who thought we would be up there again would be naive, as would anybody who thought last season's success was based on luck.