Premier League 2016/17 - General Discussion

[Royal Rother]

Great mouth watering curtain raiser to get the pulse racing at 12.30.

Hull v Leicester

I'm expecting something unexpected again this season so have popped Arsenal into a Lucky 15 with Reading, MK Dons and Leyton Orient.

What was I thinking?

Chelsea, without European football, would be my head bet, Arsenal the dumb arse heart bet.

Relegation - Hull (of course), Swansea and Burnley.

Anyway, for me the whole hype over the battle of the managers is a load of bollocks (it's about football we get to see not the quality of the press conferences and post-match interviews and all that shite) but I do hope to see Mourinho fall flat on his face and end up the disheveled unshaved scruffy mess he was at Chelsea last season.

Yet again the big-spending circus leaves me cold. You have to spend big to keep pace with the others.... All this new money coming in means it gets better every season... Every other team is spending big to keep on improving.... Really? So is the PL actually getting better with every new season? Of course it's not.

All bollocks. It just means the players get wealthier and the money goes around the big clubs across Europe in bigger lumps. The fans don't get a better deal - as should happen of course.

[tidus_mi2]

Well my 40/1 on Leicester to be relegated looks a bit better after that one.

[Brosef Stalin]

Stones worth every penny

[Ascotexgunner]

I'm bored of the PL already. 20 mins into Bournemouth ManU and the home team look devoid of ideas and Maureen's United look like long all merchants.

[From Despair To Where?]

I still think City are frail defensively, Arsenal are Arsenal, Liverpool are still playing catch up and I'm genetically programmed to despise any team managed by Jose Mourinho so here's to the Man Utd

If Chelsea can remain reasonably competent throughout the season, they should win it.

[Ascotexgunner]

Think I'll file Bournemouth under "probabals" for relegation.

[Brosef Stalin]

Moreno is a proper Donkey!

[Royal Rother]

Awful defender.

[LUX]

Blimey, could do with a few more games like this to reconcile me to the Premiership.

4-3 Liverpool with 1/4 of an hour left.

[Royal Rother]

Liverpool were absolutely blinding for 20 minutes, rest of the time Arsenal probably looked the better team.

No real mistakes made as such but the boos rang out of course.

[Ginger Ninjas]

Neither of those two can win the league unless they improve their respective defences. Think it will a three-way scrap for the title (MU, MC, Chelsea) and an equally tight battle for fourth (Ars/Liv/Tot). But with the Olympics still in full flow, who really gives a fcuk?

[YateleyRoyal]

Neither of those two can win the league unless they improve their respective defences. Think it will a three-way scrap for the title (MU, MC, Chelsea) and an equally tight battle for fourth (Ars/Liv/Tot). But with the Olympics still in full flow, who really gives a fcuk?

Agreed, not so bothered about the football at the moment.

FWIW, i'd go

1) City
2) United
3) Chelsea
4) Spuds
5) Arse
6) Liverpool

18) Burnley
19) Boro
20) Hull

[BR2]

Liverpool were absolutely blinding for 20 minutes, rest of the time Arsenal probably looked the better team.

No real mistakes made as such but the boos rang out of course.

Arsenal fan in the office today being anti-Wenger because of playing Ramsey but not others who played at the Euros.
Not sure whether the pundits picked up on it but there were 7 ex-Saints playing in that game-I wonder if that is some kind of record.

Glad that the Premier season has started at long last so that discussion will (hopefully) now be about games rather than the managers or the extremely boring protracted transfers of Stones and Pogba.

In the Man Utd game at Bournemouth it was interesting to see that Bournemouth continue (since the promotion season) to have more divers in their side than most other teams with King and Wilson leading the way.

[Brosef Stalin]

Liverpool were absolutely blinding for 20 minutes, rest of the time Arsenal probably looked the better team.

No real mistakes made as such but the boos rang out of course.

Arsenal fan in the office today being anti-Wenger because of playing Ramsey but not others who played at the Euros.
Not sure whether the pundits picked up on it but there were 7 ex-Saints playing in that game-I wonder if that is some kind of record.

Glad that the Premier season has started at long last so that discussion will (hopefully) now be about games rather than the managers or the extremely boring protracted transfers of Stones and Pogba.

In the Man Utd game at Bournemouth it was interesting to see that Bournemouth continue (since the promotion season) to have more divers in their side than most other teams with King and Wilson leading the way.

Mata took a complete dive in that game, opponent a good foot away from him

Rooney was looking for a penalty so took a fall. He prolly was off balanced by
defender but def not enough for a foul.

[sputnik]

Moreno is a proper Donkey!

i'm surprised he hasn't been shipped out following his Europa League final performance.

[Sanguine]

Lucky Costa, but Chelsea just about value for their win. I don’t think there was any malice in that challenge – not a straight red, but absolutely a yellow, it was late, over the ball and through Adrian’s ankle. Cracking finish from Costa for the winner.

[No Fixed Abode]

Lucky Costa, but Chelsea just about value for their win. I don’t think there was any malice in that challenge – not a straight red, but absolutely a yellow, it was late, over the ball and through Adrian’s ankle. Cracking finish from Costa for the winner.

and lucky West Ham. We had two clear penalties not given. Should have been a more comfortable victory for us.

I also didn't understand why Costa got his yellow card for smashing his hands on the ground when he didn't get a decision, then Andy Carroll got away with exactly the same sort of thing. At least if you're going to have these rules the refs could be consistent.

[Sanguine]

Lucky Costa, but Chelsea just about value for their win. I don’t think there was any malice in that challenge – not a straight red, but absolutely a yellow, it was late, over the ball and through Adrian’s ankle. Cracking finish from Costa for the winner.

and lucky West Ham. We had two clear penalties not given. Should have been a more comfortable victory for us.

I also didn't understand why Costa got his yellow card for smashing his hands on the ground when he didn't get a decision, then Andy Carroll got away with exactly the same sort of thing. At least if you're going to have these rules the refs could be consistent.

50% agreed. Costa deserved his booking under the new rules - but you will see inconcistency here because each incident is open to interpretation. Perhaps Costa said something too.
Two clear penalties is stretching it somewhat - the first on Oscar was exactly the kind of pathetic diving that I hope goes unrewarded for all teams, all season. It wasn't a foul, he ran into an arm. The arm didn't grab him or hold him and if the whinging little cnut hadn't thrown himself to the ground he'd have had a shot at goal. And he has form in that regard. The second I've seen given and West Ham probably got away with it.

[No Fixed Abode]

So deliberately putting your arm across a player to impede his run isn't a penalty? It was a case of arms to Oscar rather than Oscar running into arms. The replays showed that quite clearly.

[Sanguine]

Football is a contact sport. Whenever players challenge for the ball they use their arms. Oscar could have run straight through it, he chose not to. Pathetic.