The 2026/27 Football Season

[john122350]

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[timsussex]

Spurs bottom going into the break - well that was £300million well spent - Man U away next game followed by Coventry at  home
 A loss or even a draw to the mighty sky blues would surely seal de Zerbi fate

[mr.bluesky]

Spurs bottom going into the break - well that was £300million well spent - Man U away next game followed by Coventry at  home
 A loss or even a draw to the mighty sky blues would surely seal de Zerbi fate

Hopefully that win against Nottingham Forest will have kick started our season especially if we can get something from our home game against Newcastle. This season is the 40th anniversary of our epic FA cup final win over Spurs ( hence this is why we are wearing the same kit this season ) it would be somewhat ironic if we were both to get relegated 

[Vice Admiral]

Spurs bottom going into the break - well that was £300million well spent - Man U away next game followed by Coventry at  home
 A loss or even a draw to the mighty sky blues would surely seal de Zerbi fate

The (almost) anyone can beat (almost) anyone syndrome is one of the things that makes the Premier League so compelling these days.  It’s been the case for a few years now, but I don’t think it was in the 2000’s and 2010’s.

As a relative neutral, it is somehow very satisfying that on the morning of 10 October – seven weeks into the Premier League season – Brighton (team's current market value €603.50m) , Brentford (€5850m) and Leeds (€408m) will wake up third, fourth and fifth in the table, and mighty (?) Spurs (€824m) bottom.

OK, the table’s in its infancy, and it’ll probably be a fair bit different come May.  But still.

Incidentally, when I went to External Link/Members Only to check on squad value, I was surprised to find the three B’s as high as 8th, 9th and 11th in that table.  So their success is not quite so David vs Goliath as I had imagined.

How is it that these three “minnows” are among the richer clubs in the league?  I'll never understand football finances for as long as I live...

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[mr.bluesky]

The (almost) anyone can beat (almost) anyone syndrome is one of the things that makes the Premier League so compelling these days.  It’s been the case for a few years now, but I don’t think it was in the 2000’s and 2010’s.

As a relative neutral, it is somehow very satisfying that on the morning of 10 October – seven weeks into the Premier League season – Brighton (team's current market value €603.50m) , Brentford (€5850m) and Leeds (€408m) will wake up third, fourth and fifth in the table, and mighty (?) Spurs (€824m) bottom.

OK, the table’s in its infancy, and it’ll probably be a fair bit different come May.  But still.

Incidentally, when I went to External Link/Members Only to check on squad value, I was surprised to find the three B’s as high as 8th, 9th and 11th in that table.  So their success is not quite so David vs Goliath as I had imagined.

How is it that these three “minnows” are among the richer clubs in the league?  I'll never understand football finances for as long as I live...

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I can only assume Bournemouth has a very rich owner because they have the smallest ground in the Premier league just over 12,000 so wouldn't make much from gate receipts  I guess they use their " Sky " money better than most. They are a club like Brighton who always seem to punch above their weight

[john122350]

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[TomTank]

Pleased Utd got a late equalizer
Had they lost this would make the incompetent higher ups more likely to think about a replacement over the extended international break
He's probably done enough to survive
Which is ideal as i can see another Amorim scenario slowly  developing, less obvious but its still there
The added complication for Utd is that the list of potential replacements who would likely be any better is limited
Carrick seems most relaxed he's on a 2 year contract which popped up out of nowhere which whatever happens will strengthen his at best very average managerial CV
& most likely point him towards a club where his skillset will be appreciated & where he doesn't have to deal with the under performing prima donnas playing for him & reporting to the cunts above
A 1 year contract would have focused his attention perhaps
Wrexham manager next season ?

Important away point against our relegation rivals ....

[timsussex]

The (almost) anyone can beat (almost) anyone syndrome is one of the things that makes the Premier League so compelling these days.  It’s been the case for a few years now, but I don’t think it was in the 2000’s and 2010’s.

As a relative neutral, it is somehow very satisfying that on the morning of 10 October – seven weeks into the Premier League season – Brighton (team's current market value €603.50m) , Brentford (€5850m) and Leeds (€408m) will wake up third, fourth and fifth in the table, and mighty (?) Spurs (€824m) bottom.

OK, the table’s in its infancy, and it’ll probably be a fair bit different come May.  But still.

Incidentally, when I went to External Link/Members Only to check on squad value, I was surprised to find the three B’s as high as 8th, 9th and 11th in that table.  So their success is not quite so David vs Goliath as I had imagined.

How is it that these three “minnows” are among the richer clubs in the league?  I'll never understand football finances for as long as I live...

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Rather than current value perhaps Squad cost is a better measure External Link/Members Only

Good news for our resident Leeds fan

Bournemouth have several players who are now valued at well above what they cost and will probably be sold soon and replaced with cheaper players costing only £30-40 million ! as they have done several times in the past few seasons

[timsussex]

Granit Xhaka has been dropped from the Switzerland squad while Swiss authorities investigate whether he obtained a fake Covid vaccination certificate, something the midfielder has now admitted to.

Xhaka, 33, and the Swiss FA reached a mutual agreement that he would withdraw from the squad and not take part in any of their forthcoming fixtures amid reports that he had acquired a certificate despite not receiving the vaccination.

[alftupper]

Who were Forest playing in the middle of WW2?

During the Second World War they continued playing wartime football, mainly against other Midlands clubs in regional competitions.

The Forest run was publicised in 2024, when it was also mentioned Everton, Crystal Palace and Crewe had longer runs, whether that is still true today I don't know.

Ryan Yates is the only academy player in the first team squad currently, so the run is looking tenuous.

[Vice Admiral]

Rather than current value perhaps Squad cost is a better measure External Link/Members Only

As we enter the horrors of the international break from proper football – it’s not quite as bad as the World Cup, but it’s still pretty grim – all that football aficionados are left with is to rake over the embers of the season so far.

Schadenfreude is an emotion best expressed with restraint, but I am still finding it very satisfactory that Spurs will be bottom of the Premier League until at least mid-October – while being top of the “financial disparity league”.

According to Bill Edgar in yesterday’s Times, since November 2024 the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has staged more Beyoncé concerts (six) than home league wins (five).

Those five victories have come over the past 36 home league matches.  Since the league’s formation in 1888 no other top-division team have had such a sequence while remaining in the top division throughout the run in question.

Meanwhile, I see that Sheffield Wednesday’s crowd of 32,290 at home to Stockport County on Saturday in what used to be called the Third Division was higher than at any match in the Championship (including even the local derby between high-flying Wolves and West Brom) – and higher than Nottingham Forest vs Coventry in the Premier League.

With all due respect to the Hatters, they’re not one of the biggest draws in English football.  So the loyalty of Wednesday’s fans through thick and thin – and they’ve had a lot of thin over the past few years – is much to be admired.

[Stevelondon]

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What is load management 🤷🏼

[Blackpool Rock]

What is load management 🤷🏼

No idea but i'm sure someone got paid a shit load of money to come up with a new Buzz Phrase 

[mr.bluesky]

What is load management 🤷🏼

It means he can't be arsed to play for his country when he's on 200 grand a week playing for Chelsea. He's tired five weeks into the new season. I wouldn't bother picking him again if I was England manager.

[Stevelondon]

When a game has been so one sided and a team loses by a lot of goals.  I’ve heard the expression “Steamrolled over” being used.

But I’ve never actually seen a player being steamrolled until I saw Andros Townsend in Thailand.

Go Google 😂

[mr.bluesky]

When a game has been so one sided and a team loses by a lot of goals.  I’ve heard the expression “Steamrolled over” being used.

But I’ve never actually seen a player being steamrolled until I saw Andros Townsend in Thailand.

Go Google 😂

It's what's known as a flat back four 

[Mr Rollison]

I can only assume Bournemouth has a very rich owner because they have the smallest ground in the Premier league just over 12,000 so wouldn't make much from gate receipts  I guess they use their " Sky " money better than most. They are a club like Brighton who always seem to punch above their weight

They've got a billionaire owner who has been converting the money owed to him into equity. So not much debt left.

[TomTank]

When a game has been so one sided and a team loses by a lot of goals.  I’ve heard the expression “Steamrolled over” being used.

But I’ve never actually seen a player being steamrolled until I saw Andros Townsend in Thailand.

Go Google 😂

Bloody hell, I've only just realised that clip wasn't an AI spoof 

[john122350]

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[mr.bluesky]

What is the point of a three week international break five weeks into the new season to play a tournament a lot of players pull out of with so called " injuries" . We have just had a major ( if somewhat overbloated ) international tournament with the World cup. Uefa has been rightly critical of Fifa after some of the goings on in the recent World cup but themselves have introduced a totally meaningless tournament to the calendar. I understand the idea of it was to replace meaningless friendlies with a tournament that means something but all they have done is replace meaningless friendlies with a meaningless tournament 

[Jumping Jack Flash]

What is the point of a three week international break five weeks into the new season to play a tournament a lot of players pull out of with so called " injuries" . We have just had a major ( if somewhat overbloated ) international tournament with the World cup. Uefa has been rightly critical of Fifa after some of the goings on in the recent World cup but themselves have introduced a totally meaningless tournament to the calendar. I understand the idea of it was to replace meaningless friendlies with a tournament that means something but all they have done is replace meaningless friendlies with a meaningless tournament 

I get what you’re saying but what they’ve done this time is remove the October international break and replace it with a longer September break which I’m all for, rather than two international breaks of two weeks each week have one international break of three weeks.

Friendlies were killed when the relevant football associations agreed between them to allow multiple substitutions, so that sides could effectively have a completely different XI at the start of the second half, it made the friendlies meaningless. So in an attempt to provide competitive football outside of tournament qualifiers they introduced a meaningless tournament. I understand the logic but not the execution.

[john122350]

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[Stevelondon]

I’d definitely buy a patch but for the life of me I can’t find a small enough mower anywhere on Amazon. 🤷🏼

[webpunter]

I’d definitely buy a patch but for the life of me I can’t find a small enough mower anywhere on Amazon. 🤷🏼

I have you down as a Hayter mower person
Staff using it, obvs

[webpunter]

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Roberto De Zerbi claims that Tottenham Hotspur ‘have maybe the best full-backs in the Premier League’.

Delusional 

He's reminding me of the disconnect from reality which Amorim displayed variously

DZ is the shortest odds 2-1 to be the 1st manager to depart with Carrick the same tho 7-4 with one bookies

I'm wondering if DZ is trying to test Spurs higher ups to get shot of him & hence he pockets a sizeable payoff he knows he's out of his depth & CBA with the effort

[WARSZAWA16]

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Oh dear! However, I suspect they can produce quite a lot with all the shit that plays on it every fortnight.

[timsussex]

Oh dear! However, I suspect they can produce quite a lot with all the shit that plays on it every fortnight.

looks far too long to play football on - which may explain a lot !

[Stevelondon]

I have you down as a Hayter mower person
Staff using it, obvs

Obs……….. but it’s a sit on type.
I got it remapped so they can cut the grass quicker. 

[Vice Admiral]

Andy Burnham:  “I don’t think it’s fair for football fans to be singled out [in not being able to drink alcohol in stadiums].  I think that legislation dates to an era where football was very different.  And I do believe there is a case to remove that discrimination. There are different ways it could be done, perhaps on a trial basis."

A UK Football Policing Unit spokesman:  “Changes to the law would pose challenges to policing and the safety of staff and fans at football games.  Other sports simply don't see the violence and criminal behaviour from their supporters that football does, albeit a minority, with alcohol often playing a significant part in violent and disorderly behaviour.  It would be irresponsible to fuel this by allowing greater alcohol consumption during games."

Vice-Admiral:  “I’m 150% with Plod on this.”
(The maximum percentage available is of course 100%, but football-speak doesn’t always adhere to arithmetical principles.)

[timsussex]

I believe the ban only applies to the top 5 tiers
Politics today had a conservative MP who watches non league and said he knew one chairman who said they cant afford to be promoted and lose that revenue !

[Blackpool Rock]

On the other hand someone pointed out that while you can't drink at the game you can drink excessively before the game so some fans will preload by swigging back as many pints as quickly as they can in the 2 or 3 hours before KO

Seem to remember before licencing laws were changed people would go to the pub at lunchtime for a couple of hours and neck it back as quick as possible before closing time but then they'd leave pissed up so the argument was not to close and promote slower more responsible drinking

[mr.bluesky]

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You'd think this is a April fools joke, sacking dinner ladies is not enough for them to save money and now they come up with this. No doubt there will be some mugs ready to part with their cash. Will the proceeds go towards fixing the leaky roof at the stadium or go to Carrick's pay off when he gets the sack   

[mr.bluesky]

I believe the ban only applies to the top 5 tiers
Politics today had a conservative MP who watches non league and said he knew one chairman who said they cant afford to be promoted and lose that revenue !

Just what we need, morons throwing their beer in the air when your team scores a goal ( which isn't often in my teams case ) then a endless stream of fans going back and forth to the bar during the game and slopping their beer all over you as they make their way back to their seat, either way you go home stinking of beer.

[Blackpool Rock]

Just what we need, morons throwing their beer in the air when your team scores a goal ( which isn't often in my teams case ) then a endless stream of fans going back and forth to the bar during the game and slopping their beer all over you as they make their way back to their seat, either way you go home stinking of beer.

My mate had a sports bar years ago with a really high ceiling and massive screen, I remember WC98 standing watching a game one afternoon and I was chatting to him at the bar, a team scored and all you could see was about 100 pints simultaneously being ejected into the air and people getting soaked with beer.

Thankfully he was savvy enough to have only handed out plastic glasses, I commented that it was just as well the floor was a hard surface so could be cleaned with a mop and bucket, he laughed and said yeah plus i'll sell another £200 of beer 

[WARSZAWA16]

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[john122350]

Well First day of international break.

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