Yep, Emery has done well to turn them round after Stevie G did his best to get into a relegation battle. His old mate Frank is kinda blowing his Chelsea manager audition 😀
His old mate Frank is kinda blowing his Chelsea manager audition
Nice of the Brighton fans to give him a rousing chorus of ‘sacked in the morning’ 😂
Spurs be Spursying too.
A good set of results for us with Newcastle losing too, but we’ve got the chuckle brothers back in defence tomorrow so I’m not banking on anything
I bet Pep wishes City had the Ipswich goal difference.....just saying...
@muggomagic - it should be an absolute belter!
I know some people are saying it’s likely to be an all Manchester final. I’m certainly not. Nor are any other United fans I know. I think that’s being incredibly insulting to Brighton as they look like they can beat anyone at the moment. One things for sure.. we won’t be keeping a clean sheet against a squad like Brighton with that defence, so it’s game on!
Well the biscuit men got a draw against mighty Burnley - the impossible fight starts.
and in doing so means they can't overtake our record points tally.
Double result
Yes! 05-06 record still safe.
I think Wrexham can still set an English football points record in the National league
Piers ****ing Morgan!
*sorry for the gambling advert.
Looks like an absolute demolition job on West Haaaaaam here. Two up in 10 minutes with some proper quality football. Could be a cricket score if they carry on like this
Hope former Irish international Rice is having a stormer.
West Ham are having ago now. 1-2.
I love the psychology of it all, game by game but also at this time of the season. Squeaky bum time, if you will.
I reckon the 2 goal lead is at almost as dangerous as the 1 goal, perhaps more when it's early, if you don't go on and extend. Because you should be able to manage that and yet, concede and then you're just a goal away from blowing it. And you know it too....'surely we aren't going to blow a 2 goal lead?' Panic starts to set in, the other team have nothing to lose and weird stuff happens. I know it's confirmation bias, loads of times a side goes 2 up and then wins comfortably but then there's been enough times to not discount completely.
And particularly having blown a 2 goal lead last week, SURELY they can't do it again..... Arteta has a job on with a youngish team to get those thoughts out of their heads at half time.
..... and weird shit starts to happen......
You were saying?
😂
Saka's heads gone.
I can see West Ham winning this now.
Arsenal being Spursy, Man City's names already on the trophy.
Just sets it up even better for an epic winner-takes-all match between the two of us.
Devon Lough as i said way up the thread. City have reeled them in. Will be a pity though as i'd like to see a naturally created team win instead of a poached and purchased one.
*ing Maguire getting carded in the second minute because he’d been skinned on the half way line! He’ll probably get himself sent off before half time. He’s an absolute *ing donkey!!!
Fair play to the Forest fans singing ‘Leicester reject!’ 😂
'Naturally created'? You 'poached' two of your first team from us, and not cheaply, either. Others came 'naturally' via Real Madrid, Athletico, Brighton, Chelsea, Celtic...
You ‘poached’ two of your first team from us, and not cheaply, either.
Did we? How come we're so shit then? I think you're mistaking Caher for some other glory hunter.
That’ll do! Should have been more but Navas had one hell of a game. The save to tip Bruno’s shot onto the bar was world class
Bruno and Erickson absolutely bossed the midfield! Not bad seeing as one of them wasn’t meant to be playing
Naturally created’? You ‘poached’ two of your first team from us, and not cheaply, either. Others came ‘naturally
I support Reading, what players did we poach of Man City? I have a particular dislike for City supporters, when they played Reading in 1999 the fans sang 1-0 in your cup final. City were also in the second tier at the time. As they walked into the town to the train station they caused all sorts of mayhem.
Like I said I'd like Arsenal to win as they didn't build a team by buying all the best players
Sorry, took you for a Arse fan in premature mourning despite being top of the league with a handful of games to go. Chances are Arsenal will still nudge it.
Funny enough, I was at that Reading game, didn't sing along to that though (and wasn't catching the train home...)
This is always an interesting chart, particularly in relation to Arsenal not buying their way to success.
https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/premier-league/fuenfjahresvergleich/wettbewerb/GB1
Last five years, a net spend of 550 million for the naturally-created Arsenal, only Chelsea and Man U are higher.
As I said, we sold two of our best players to them for this season, Gabriel Jesus (nice goal this afternoon), and Zinchenko. They have got home grown academy players in the first team, most notably Saka, but then, we've got Phil Foden and Cole Palmer.
TBH, I don't think there's as much difference between the Emirates and the Etihad as you think.
^ well said that man.
It is amazing how the Arse's spend seems to go under the radar.
As a Citeh Fan since 1968, we may still have the ability to seize defeat out of the jaws of victory. It's in our DNA.
That said, finding myself more focused on the local team doing so well - with a great team, great manager and great ethic.
And at Wembley next w/e - c'mon the Seagulls (from an occasional Norf Stand boy)
Most premier league teams have what, 2-3 home grown players in the squad, let alone in the starting line up. Most spend big. City just do it better than the rest, having a bottomless pit in terms of transfer funds and salaries, helps, obviously, but they are so well run.
I mean, Man Utd have, according to that chart, spent well over a billion (net) on transfers in the past 10 years, and you could hardly accuse them of buying success.
City identify any perceived weakness in the team, target top quality replacements who will fit into the existing team and Peps way of playing. They’re also brutal at moving players on who don’t live up to expectations or are passed their best
United transfer policy has, pre Ten Hag, been utterly inexplicable. Chucking money around on expensive signings in a completely scattergun fashion without any discernible strategy, with decisions clearly taken by board members (who know nothing about football) rather than the manager. As for moving players on? Phil Jones is still on the books and receiving an enormous salary every week. Our most expensive signing ran his contract down then left on a free. Twice
Somewhat unsurprisingly, it’s been a (very expensive) disaster. The club has been appallingly managed since the Glazers arrived
An approach Chelsea presently appear to be replicating, for some bizarre reason
City identify any perceived weakness in the team, target top quality replacements who will fit into the existing team
Yeah and City will also have a max price they are willing to pay. Eg Cucurella, they weren't prepared to go above £35-40m so walked away. Thankfully Chelsea were prepared to pay £62m plus the loan of Colwill (with no upfront loan fee) for a year who has been excellent for us (shame we couldn't get that one as a permanent deal at the time). Chelsea have been very good to us this season. Given us over £80m to upgrade our team and head coach and 6 points.
One of Pep and City's strengths is keeping such a big squad relatively happy, with lots of rotation. And then dealing promptly with any tantrums, like Cancelo found out.
A predictable result from us against West Ham. This is going to be very painful to watch over the next couple of weeks. City will utterly destroy us at thiers, I'm going an easy 3/4-0. We'll finish second, just. I'd rather be second and chasing than in first and throw it down the sh11ter.
Off to Wemberley on Saturday to suffer the pain of watching City take the Blades apart 😭😂
If we can keep it to single figures, it will be something 🤣
Oh well, will be a good day out. 1st class on the train each way, beers, meet a load of mates before the game, no doubt get on the wrong train home or get off somewhere random - has been known. Never seen us win at a national stadium (did the millennium stadium too for the playoffs v Wolves)
I think Wrexham can still set an English football points record in the National leag
Have a bit of a soft spot for Wrexham (not because of the celebrity status) even though they don't like us much. But for the entertainment they gave the nation over 2 legs against us
This is going to be very painful to watch over the next couple of weeks. City will utterly destroy us at thiers, I’m going an easy 3/4-0.
You sound like a City fan circa 2012! Have some faith in what is a very good Arsenal side.
Yeah and City will also have a max price they are willing to pay. Eg Cucurella, they weren’t prepared to go above £35-40m so walked away.
Yeah, they seem to be pretty shrewd in the market and even though they spend loads on occasion, they also recoup plenty. Guess it helps that players want to play for Pep and the club due to the chance of success, Pep is happy and settled because he gets unlimited backing from his mates who run football operations and they trust him and the club has unlimited funds if it did go wrong, which must make the task easier. Taking the politics out of it I'd prefer my team to be run like Manchester City rather than any of the other supposed top six (although what Spurs have done to warrant that status is a mystery).
It'll be interesting to see what model for running a club NUFC go for. Clearly the money is there but a few have cautioned against going all in all at once. To some extent this season is forcing the hand a bit, they wouldn't really have expected to be in the thick of a CL battle in the first full season of the project. Will the owners stand back and let Ashworth and Howe continue to build or interfere and force them into purchases and pressures they don't really want to make at this point in the project.
There's a lot still to do at Newcastle - eg: academy is not high performing and whether as a first team feeder or developing players that can then be sold to other clubs they need foundations and stability as well as star signings. Lots to like, lots to also be wary of. They can learn a lot by looking at the Man City and Liverpool model, and also the mistakes at Man Utd and Chelsea.
Taking the politics out of it I’d prefer my team to be run like Manchester City rather than any of the other supposed top six (although what Spurs have done to warrant that status is a mystery).
I'm baffled as to how Spurs are still in fifth, but if you look at the present table it makes a complete mockery of the idea of a Superleague and the 'Top 6' clubs. This weekends results and where this leaves everyone in the table are exactly the reason that the Premier League is watched all round the world
Chelsea in 11th, Liverpool in 8th with Newcastle, Villa, Brighton, Fulham and Brentford all absolutely flying
It’ll be interesting to see what model for running a club NUFC go for.
I don't think they will just throw money at it.
Next season will be much harder, a top six finish looking likely and a top 4 finish possible, then there will be a lot more games to play.
If we do qualify for the CL, then a lot of the current squad are simply not good enough to compete at that level.
But if you do qualify for the CL then you become a very attractive destination for the top players, who I imagine would also fancy playing under Eddie Howe
...but you can't easily do both - you can attract top players that will make you competitive in the CL but if the rest of the squad is still weak (comparatively) and then you drop points in the 'easier' games when you rest your CL players then you don't qualify for the CL season after season and then your attractiveness declines. It visualizes to me as a pyramid, your base of squad players has to be able to support the CL activities, a CL squad can't be relied upon for 60 games in a season at the intensity that the EPL and CL requires.
Its a 'problem' you wouldn't mind having though 😀
Its a job that has to be done over a period of time. You can't do it overnight. And both Howe and the owners look like they're in it for the long haul, not expecting miracles in the short term. I'd say that as a project it looks like its ahead of schedule and being built on pretty solid foundations
"Chelsea in 11th, Liverpool in 8th with Newcastle, Villa, Brighton, Fulham and Brentford all absolutely flying"
Even the Eagles are begining to flap their wings, what are the odds of them finishing higher than Chelsea?
I put this on the thread earlier but it deserves repeating, after one of the recent Chelsea defeats one of the pundits made the comment 'They thought they'd be challenging for the title and right now they're the fifth best team in London'.
They could indeed very soon be the sixth best, with Palace on a roll 🤣
