Premiership improving for the neutral.

Culchie

I think it's great that Spurs, Everton, Liverpool and Newcastle (especially) are buying in real quality players at the moment and strengthening their squads.

I know most of you fellahs that post here have strict allegiances to your clubs, but from a neutrals point of view, it really is hotting up nicely.

Of course I'm not suggesting that over the season they will challenge the Top 3 for the title, but it makes it far more interesting than it was last season....for the neutral.

Big Nelly

Wont be interesting until Shef Wed are back into it

I suppose it is coming more interesting from a neutral point of view because I couldnt really who comes where excelt I would like to see Spurs and Villa do well, top 4 and 5 for both of them.....maybe take a bit of the excitement out of the Liverpool people!!!

Only problem now is that it is sure that most teams that come up are gone!

Lemlin

The most interesting battles now are the one for fourth place and the relegation battle. With Mourinho's leadership and Roman's cash, I'd imagine Chelsea have the Premiership wrapped up for the foreseeable future.

ntlbell

Yeah, it's great to see it, but i think it's a bit early to say it's more intresting.

if spurs,man city, charlton, new castle etc can be in and around utd,arsenal and chelsea it'll be a great year for not just the neutral but for everyone.

dunno about liverpool tho, i wreckon they'll be fighting around the bottom half with the rest of the mediocre teams not low enough to be in a religation battle but not high enough to be even noticed.

The Insider

ntlbell wrote:

dunno about liverpool tho, i wreckon they'll be fighting around the bottom half with the rest of the mediocre teams not low enough to be in a religation battle but not high enough to be even noticed.

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

evilhomer

It's hard to predict what will happen this season, Spurs, Newcastle, Man City, Middlesbrough all look better teams, but it's hard to know how injuries will affect the teams.

The best quality squads usually do well.

Necronomicon

I don't see why people are gift-wrapping the title for Chelsea already, United have a 100% record as well. So do Charlton for that matter!

jubbly

chelski have it won and have it won for the next 2-3 years probably. At least with the EL you dont know for definite who is going to win the league from the word go

applehunter

Bohs and Shels have divided the league between them for the last 5/6 years.

LFCFan

ntlbell wrote:

dunno about liverpool tho, i wreckon they'll be fighting around the bottom half with the rest of the mediocre teams not low enough to be in a religation battle but not high enough to be even noticed.

HaHa! thanks for that. I needed a good laugh. I must have really sicked you to see us win the European Cup in May. I hate Man Utd and Chelsea but I'm not stupid enough to think they won't be in the top 4.

pickarooney

jubbly wrote:

chelski have it won and have it won for the next 2-3 years probably. At least with the EL you dont know for definite who is going to win the league from the word go

Hasn't the Premiership had three different champions in the last three years? Didn't one of those years involve an Arsenal team judged invincible?
Chelsea aren't really all that good, but I reckon some teams have the same defeatist attitude as you (well, unless you're a Chelsea fan ), which can only make it easier for them.

Necronomicon

pickarooney wrote:

Hasn't the Premiership had three different champions in the last three years? Didn't one of those years involve an Arsenal team judged invincible?

Great point, couldn't have put it better!

A Dub in Glasgo

Same story this year as last year... Chelsea will win. Reminds of the MU run, only one other team would challenge and that was generally half hearted. The EPL may well improve for neutrals but not at the top.

jubbly

Necromomicon wrote:

Great point, couldn't have put it better!

Yeah but thats ignoring the fact that Mourniho has came in with lots of cash and can buy basically anyone he wants. The squad is sooo strong this year. Far Far stronger than last year.

A good title race is between two or three clubs trying to match each other. The EPL is about one club knocking all the other clubs down. Its all about seeing if they slip up.

It would be a better league if Man Utd and Arsenal had a team as strong as Chelski and were getting the same results. Arsenal are out of the race this season and Man utd are only getting themselves together. Time will tell I guess.

Necronomicon

jubbly wrote:

Arsenal are out of the race this season

Come on. Where is the basis for that comment? That they lost one game??
It is understandable, given Chelsea's cash, that they are favourites. But it's too early to start saying things like this. Far too early.

jubbly

Arsenal seem to have a really brittle mental attitute. Its a pressure cooker for them and I dont think they can compete with chelsea based on the two models they have.

PHB

Arsenal are out of the race this season and Man utd are only getting themselves together. Time will tell I guess.

HAve you been watching Chelsea so far this season?
They have been ****e.
Everybody says, oh play bad and win means your champions.
Thats true, when you play bad inregguarly.
They've been playing bad non-stop.
They got a last minute goal against Wigan, and fluke goal against Arsenal, won against West Brom, and needed a red card to get anywhere vs. Spurs.
They have been poor all season, and unless they get it together, they will start to lose points.
p.s.
Terry is injured for 4-6 weeks

~Rebel~

ntlbell wrote:

dunno about liverpool tho, i wreckon they'll be fighting around the bottom half with the rest of the mediocre teams not low enough to be in a religation battle but not high enough to be even noticed.

Seriously guy, what actually is your problem?! I dont like man u, but i can still go onto the manu thread and talk about the pro's and con's of the team and what they need/dont need rationally and like they were any other team. Just cant see how you can be so very blinkered in your views. Maybe that is really what you honestly think, but i find it hard to believe that someone who knew so little about football as your comments suggest would bother posting here.

On the premiership looking more exciting, i have to agree. The way the top teams behind the Top 3 are shaping up they all look capable of getting something out of a game with the Top 3 on their day. And then theres teams like the Brum who have players who could take points with a moment of magic from quality players like pennant, pandiani, forsell and even (on his 3days of being confident per year) heskey! (stop laughing.)

I could see a fair few upsets this year and a more competitive, less predictable Premiership, for the most part. Still hard to look past chelsea for the title - though even still, Arsenal are always gona be there or thereabouts, and Man U are looking very impressive and a january midfield addition could make for a very interesting end of season. (see i can be reasonable about man u's chances instead of saying somethign stupid like they'd be lucky to get 17th or something NTL). Think the clashes between top 3 vs next 5 or 6 will play a huge part in this title.

pickarooney

The same Arsenal that went unbeaten for 49 games (albeit without a few players)?
For me, squad size is overrated. The key is to get a good core of players gelling and playing regularly. A bit of luck with respect to injuries and prioritising one competition over another is vital.
That said, I'd have Chelsea as strong favourites to win this year, but wouldn't bet my house on it by any means.

Big Nelly

Will be a good season if the table is like this

1. Spurs
2. Villa
3. Everton
4. Bolton
5. Boro
6. Charlton

18. newcastle
19. Arsenal
20. Liverpool

Now thats what I would love!!!


Oh yeah and for Shef Wed to win the Championship and Ireland to get to WC with Whelan and partridge in the first team!!!!

I think it can happen!!! dont you??????

Necronomicon

I think we're due a good title run-in. When United caught up with Arsenal and it almost went down to goal-difference, that was exciting. But Arsenal and Chelsea have run away with it in the last two seasons respectively.