General Premier League Thread - 2017/2018

Agent Coulson

Liverpool

If Hughes is still in a job by midnight tonight it's all a joke.

Iused2likebusts

Liverpool

Agent Coulson wrote: »

If Hughes is still in a job by midnight tonight it's all a joke.

Put himself under serious pressure by prioritizing this game and then losing it

Minderbinder

blueser wrote: »

What is Allardyce playing at; 7 changes. Does he seriously think they've a better chance against Liverpool in the cup?

Maybe he’s prioritising the cup over the battle for 7th/8th place in the league. The lunatic.

Agent Coulson

Agent Coulson wrote: »

If Hughes is still in a job by midnight tonight it's all a joke.

Yep, he's a goner I'd imagine

theoneeyedman

M!Ck^ wrote: »

Sparkys last game as Stoke manager I'd say

I'd be delighted for him if he is. Basically threw the Chelsea game so as he could beat Newcastle in his own words. Has seen Stoke regress seriously in the last 18 months in spite of a quite large wage bill, but as always with Hughes it will be someone else's fault rather than his.
He won the lottery when he became a football manager, total bluffer.

Minderbinder

Iused2likebusts wrote: »

Agent Coulson wrote: »

If Hughes is still in a job by midnight tonight it's all a joke.

Put himself under serious pressure by prioritizing this game and then losing it

Sometimes the players just want the manager out. They’re not trying a tap. I admire Stoke for trying to stick a manager but the players threw in the towel long ago.

TitianGerm

Liverpool

theoneeyedman wrote: »

I'd be delighted for him if he is. Basically threw the Chelsea game so as he could beat Newcastle in his own words. Has seen Stoke regress seriously in the last 18 months in spite of a quite large wage bill, but as always with Hughes it will be someone else's fault rather than his.
He won the lottery when he became a football manager, total bluffer.

There are some very very good players there as well so shouldn't be near the bottom.

Minderbinder

theoneeyedman wrote: »

M!Ck^ wrote: »

Sparkys last game as Stoke manager I'd say

I'd be delighted for him if he is. Basically threw the Chelsea game so as he could beat Newcastle.

It was the sensible approach though. The players just don’t care.

Thanx 4 The Fish

Next up, el Busico

Turtwig

Koeman to Stoke?

blueser

Minderbinder wrote: »

It was the sensible approach though. The players just don’t care.

The players aren't good enough for the PL. They're a Championship side that didn't adequately strengthen after promotion. They need to get some proven PL quality players in during the january window. But who will want to go there? The appeal of playing in front of a full house of fantatical bare chested geordies (calm down, it's only the blokes who get their thruppennies out!) will soon diminish when you're losing week in, week out.

theoneeyedman

blueser wrote: »

The players aren't good enough for the PL. They're a Championship side that didn't adequately strengthen after promotion. They need to get some proven PL quality players in during the january window. But who will want to go there? The appeal of playing in front of a full house of fantatical bare chested geordies (calm down, it's only the blokes who get their thruppennies out!) will soon diminish when you're losing week in, week out.

Geordies???

Stoke have been well backed by the Coates/Bet365 family since promotion. They have a wage bill well up there, is typically 9th or 10th in terms of player wages in the EPL every year. Most sports follow the pattern that in general, the overall position is at or close to the playing staff wage bill. Hughes and his supporters have praised him greatly in recent years for merely reaching par of scraping a top 10 league place. To see them wallowing in the wider relegation zone now with no sign of improvement should see him getting ran like a dog IMHO, but he seems well connected in the media so he might last a while, or worst case for him, get a big pay off and talk his way into another job forthwith.

eagle eye

Stoke are 5 points off the 10th place team, it's not like they are way off the pace. Some people get so carried away so quickly over a wobble. There is every chance they can still make the top ten and nothing more than that should be expected.

eagle eye

Everton

eagle eye wrote: »

Stoke are 5 points off the 10th place team, it's not like they are way off the pace. Some people get so carried away so quickly over a wobble. There is every chance they can still make the top ten and nothing more than that should be expected.

You are probably right but it's the nature of the PL
I can't see the board holding on

gimli2112

blueser wrote: »

What is Allardyce playing at; 7 changes. Does he seriously think they've a better chance against Liverpool in the cup?

Man Utd fan that's why Liverpool fans hate him, well I do.

eagle eye

Well Mourinho, Conte, Wenger and Pottechino should all be sacked immediately then because their clubs aspirations is winning the title and they are all way further off that target than Stoke are off 10th place.

Just for a bit of perspective.

Everton

Anyone see That Guy recently?
Have not seen him post in a while

gimli2112

Everton

gimli2112 wrote: »

Man Utd fan that's why Liverpool fans hate him, well I do.

Definitely, was chatting to him last night said he was throwing the game
He's having a bottle of wine with Jose laughing about it :P

Minderbinder

eagle eye wrote: »

Stoke are 5 points off the 10th place team, it's not like they are way off the pace. Some people get so carried away so quickly over a wobble. There is every chance they can still make the top ten and nothing more than that should be expected.

Having seen a couple of their games recently there is a very noticeable difference in work ethic from even the start of the season. Shawcross was borderline unprofessional in one game I saw, and he’s supposed to be setting an example. I’d be shocked if Hughes manages to turn it around.

Minderbinder

Minderbinder wrote: »

Having seen a couple of their games recently there is a very noticeable difference in work ethic from even the start of the season. Shawcross was borderline unprofessional in one game I saw, and he’s supposed to be setting an example. I’d be shocked if Hughes manages to turn it around.

They are leaking a staggering amount of goals. 47 so far.

blueser

theoneeyedman wrote: »

Geordies???

Stoke have been well backed by the Coates/Bet365 family since promotion. They have a wage bill well up there, is typically 9th or 10th in terms of player wages in the EPL every year. Most sports follow the pattern that in general, the overall position is at or close to the playing staff wage bill. Hughes and his supporters have praised him greatly in recent years for merely reaching par of scraping a top 10 league place. To see them wallowing in the wider relegation zone now with no sign of improvement should see him getting ran like a dog IMHO, but he seems well connected in the media so he might last a while, or worst case for him, get a big pay off and talk his way into another job forthwith.

My mistake. For some reason I thought you were referring to Newcastle.

theoneeyedman

eagle eye wrote: »

Stoke are 5 points off the 10th place team, it's not like they are way off the pace. Some people get so carried away so quickly over a wobble. There is every chance they can still make the top ten and nothing more than that should be expected.

What direction are Stoke going in though.
They have threaded water at midway for a few years, but now over the last 18 months have seen performance levels drop towards the relegation zone. They would seem to have players capable of holding their own, but it's not happening. I have been unimpressed personally with Hughes over the years, but notwithstanding that the question remains is he capable of rebooting this side before they slip slide away to the championship. From position 8 down is very competitive this year, and Stoke have dropped into the midst of thus quagmire. Have they with Hughes the wherewithal to get going again. I see Stephen Ireland was togged for them again yesterday, hardly a good sign.

Iused2likebusts

Liverpool

Hughes putting on a show for the home crowd and screaming at arnautovic the other week when he was coming off was embarassing.

GavRedKing

Liverpool

WBA, Palace and Stoke are teams I wouldnt mind watch falling into the Championship, I call it the Pulis effect for hating certain sides.

I do however think Stoke will have enough to survive, with or without Hughes.

Gbear

Liverpool

eagle eye wrote: »

Well Mourinho, Conte, Wenger and Pottechino should all be sacked immediately then because their clubs aspirations is winning the title and they are all way further off that target than Stoke are off 10th place.

Just for a bit of perspective.

The target isn't the 108 pts that City are heading towards.

If it was a normal season, Mourinho wouldn't be under pressure because he'd either be 1st or within 6 pts of it and the rest of the challengers would be in striking distance if they put a big run together.

Any top team, whether they have it as an explicit target or not, would be hoping for the 85-90 pt mark to feel 90% certain of winning the title.

I'm not a fan of Mourinho in any sense but I don't think he's doing a particularly bad job either.
Pep and City are just in a different class at the moment.

Conte should be safe as well given those factors.

Pochettino isn't playing the same game as the other 3. Any title challenge is a bonus for them, and they've no god-given right to a top 4 finish. Unless they totally collapse and finish 9th or something there's no issue with a little bit of a dip in their form (but again, the unprecedented competetiveness and brilliance of City makes that look worse than they really are).

Wenger should've been sacked 3 years ago and should've been sacked at every point in time between then and now.

rob316

Under Hughes they finished 9th three seasons in a row, I really think he's a good manager who can get a lot out of his players without playing **** on a stick football. He would certainly have no shortage of takers if he was sacked tomorrow, the pick of the mid table managers IMO.

The problem Hughes and Stoke have found is without huge investment there isn't anywhere to go after solidifying mid table, so naturally they regress and fall back down the table towards relegation. It must be a very hard club to attract players to too considering its Stoke. Finishing 9th or 17th won't make much of a difference to the clubs balance sheet so staying in the PL becomes the objective. This is nothing new it happens all the time.

If Hughes is sacked its down to motivation, they just need a fresh approach.

GavRedKing

Liverpool

Gbear wrote: »

The target isn't the 108 pts that City are heading towards.

If it was a normal season, Mourinho wouldn't be under pressure because he'd either be 1st or within 6 pts of it and the rest of the challengers would be in striking distance if they put a big run together.

Any top team, whether they have it as an explicit target or not, would be hoping for the 85-90 pt mark to feel 90% certain of winning the title.

I'm not a fan of Mourinho in any sense but I don't think he's doing a particularly bad job either.
Pep and City are just in a different class at the moment.

Conte should be safe as well given those factors.

Pochettino isn't playing the same game as the other 3. Any title challenge is a bonus for them, and they've no god-given right to a top 4 finish. Unless they totally collapse and finish 9th or something there's no issue with a little bit of a dip in their form (but again, the unprecedented competetiveness and brilliance of City makes that look worse than they really are).

Wenger should've been sacked 3 years ago and should've been sacked at every point in time between then and now.

This should be the biggest thing to take out of this season so far, Chelsea, Utd, Pool are having good seasons so far but City have been on another level and are well out on top as a result.

Theres not much more you can do when a team is playing as well as City are and breaking records as they go.

Rumple Stillson

GavRedKing wrote: »

This should be the biggest thing to take out of this season so far, Chelsea, Utd, Pool are having good seasons so far but City have been on another level and are well out on top as a result.

Theres not much more you can do when a team is playing as well as City are and breaking records as they go.

I think there are two things which brings separate pressure on Mourinho that the other managers avoid. One is the style of football, which at times can be quite negative. The other is his interactions in the media, criticising current and former players and other unnecessary stuff.

Overall he's doing a reasonably good job given the money spent and certainly has United back as a competitive force. He just may end up talking himself out of the job.

Rumple Stillson

GavRedKing

Liverpool

Rumple Stillson wrote: »

I think there are two things which brings separate pressure on Mourinho that the other managers avoid. One is the style of football, which at times can be quite negative. The other is his interactions in the media, criticising current and former players and other unnecessary stuff.

Overall he's doing a reasonably good job given the money spent and certainly has United back as a competitive force. He just may end up talking himself out of the job.

That will almost certainly happen at some stage. The only job he left on good terms was Inter, arguably Porto too but they knew they couldnt keep him after the EL and then CL wins.

Jose is always held to different standards than the rest, he expects so much from himself and his squad but its the soundbites that he provides that often provide fuel to media and its part of his character that when hes winning, its a lot of laughs, joking, few witty remarks in the press conference but when it goes the other way, you get the Jose that tries too hard to rely on mind games and openly taking digs at other managers, at this stage, he should be above it and should know better but he'll never learn.

Rumple Stillson

Everton

Rumple Stillson wrote: »

I think there are two things which brings separate pressure on Mourinho that the other managers avoid. One is the style of football, which at times can be quite negative. The other is his interactions in the media, criticising current and former players and other unnecessary stuff.

Overall he's doing a reasonably good job given the money spent and certainly has United back as a competitive force. He just may end up talking himself out of the job.

Ah yes, the negative football style soundbites

Everton

https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/947952933282476034

Rumple Stillson

M!Ck^ wrote: »

Ah yes, the negative football style soundbites

To be fair I said at times, most of the time it's fine, twas decent last night.

Rumple Stillson

Everton

Rumple Stillson wrote: »

To be fair I said at times, most of the time it's fine, twas decent last night.

You could say that about any team in the league

Rumple Stillson

M!Ck^ wrote: »

You could say that about any team in the league

Most of the clubs in the league haven't spent £700 million assembling their squad so aren't held to the same standard.

eagle eye

M!Ck^ wrote:

Ah yes, the negative football style soundbites

You've never heard me say anything about the style of football but friends who are life long United fans who aren't that bothered if they miss a game because of the style of football.

It surprised me and its maybe got something to do with them being out of contention for the title but there seems to be a fair amount of United fans that aren't happy with things at the minute.

Rumple Stillson

Everton

Rumple Stillson wrote: »

Most of the clubs in the league haven't spent £700 million assembling their squad so aren't held to the same standard.

I'd count 4 of them all close to that figure

Rumple Stillson

M!Ck^ wrote: »

I'd count 4 of them all close to that figure

Depends how you define close. City have spent marginally more. Chelsea have spent £550 million. Arsenal/Liverpool around £300 million less and Tottenham significantly less again. I don't think that's 4 clubs close to that figure.

Anyway the style of football for me is not a big issue but it does appear to be an issue for some United fans and some of their former players.

Rumple Stillson

Everton

Rumple Stillson wrote: »

Depends how you define close. City have spent marginally more. Chelsea have spent £550 million. Arsenal/Liverpool around £300 million less and Tottenham significantly less again. I don't think that's 4 clubs close to that figure.

Anyway the style of football for me is not a big issue but it does appear to be an issue for some United fans and some of their former players.

You can't please everyone. Just still think the negative soundbites thing is nonsense narrative driven from the rags and rival fans

Everton

News from Sky sources stating the board considering the future of Hughes

Harry Palmr

They should have fired him months ago, he's just drifting along without a genuine care about Stoke.

Agent Coulson

Liverpool

I wonder what odds Bet 365 are giving on Hughes getting the bullet.

Some insider info going on there.

Everton

Pep having a little moan about the fixtures only because his team have picked up a few injuries

Everyone team has to deal with it, get over it

Harry Palmr

Thank goodness Mo doesn't have little moans eh?

Bridge93

Liverpool

He said something very similar after Everton last night

Trigger

Liverpool

And they are right in fairness.. while it’s all good for us, playing 2 games so close together (and the amount as a whole)is a recipe for disaster. It’s always been the same, teams always pick up injuries over the Christmas list. It’s such a big money earner for Sky though that it won’t change. Players will come second.

Fitz*

I think really the managers that have the 2 games in 48 hours are entitled to moan, and even more so when their direct rivals don't have the same turnaround time.

When games are weekend to weekend, and you can play Saturday/Sunday I think that's ok - just get on with it. But seeing the difference in rest days for the Christmas period of we'll say Chelsea / Arsenal compared to Liverpool / United. They have a big big advantage due to the little rest day, preparation for the games, recuperation from games and avoiding injuries & burnout.

Bridge93

Liverpool

How have West Ham and Spurs ended up 2 games behind over half the league? They have to play Tuesday Thursday Saturday now I think.

Harry Palmr

Everton

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Thank goodness Mo doesn't have little moans eh?

Thank goodness klo doesn't have little moans eh?
Am I doing this right?

Lucas Hood

astradave wrote: »

And they are right in fairness.. while it’s all good for us, playing 2 games so close together (and the amount as a whole)is a recipe for disaster. It’s always been the same, teams always pick up injuries over the Christmas list. It’s such a big money earner for Sky though that it won’t change. Players will come second.

The premier league needed to fit in an extra fixture over Xmas so the league finished early for the world cup.

Nothing to do with Sky, though they won't turn down showing the games.