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The 2023-2024 Football Thread
- Thread starter Scepticalscribe
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No, - and I may have expressed myself poorly, with insufficient clarity - actually, I was referring to the extraordinary (and unfortunate) season of 2018-2019 when Liverpool - having chased all season, and having lost but one game all season (okay, they drew seven) - and ended the season on 97 points, did not win the Premier title, as that went to Manchester City on 98 points (on the very last day of the season).
Personally, I have long thought - or suspected - that that was the day when dreams, or idealism, died in the Premier League.
Understood. I think you’ll find that although City are dominating right now, it’s not really that much different to other periods when teams were up there. They have hardly walked away with it this year (or the year you mention that Liverpool run them close).
I take your point about certain teams having "eras", or periods, (Liverpool in the 1980s, for example), when they were dominating, or, on top.
That is undoubtedly true.
However my concern is that I think that the degree of City's current domination (and the reasons for it - such as the resources at their disposal) is extraordinarily unhealthy for the Premier League (and I would still think that even if Arsenal were not the team currently chasing and challenging City for the title - I thought it in 2018-2019, for example, and would have loved to have seen Liverpool take the title then).
Congratulations to Man United women for winning the women's FA cup for the first time. I wonder if this win will spur on United men to win their version of the FA Cup.
Seems very unlikely that anything besides man city catching Ebola is likely to spur Man U on to win the FA cup.
I have heard it said that City's dominance is a result of what is being referred to as 'financial doping', manipulating the system, moving money around so City can afford to buy players that they would not normally have been able to afford, not with everything else a club has to pay for. The books have to be balanced right so a club can not only spend on buying players (both men and women) but also making improvements to their stadium, training facilities, IT upgrades, local area investments, paying dividends to owners/shareholders. Sometimes something has to give due to there not being enough money to cover everything which is why you see all the other top clubs limiting their spending on certain areas one year then a different area the following year but with City, year in year out they have been able to spend on everything which has allowed them to stay one step ahead of their rivals.
With regards to the comment of Ciiy's dominance being unhealthy for the Premier league I have always wondered what the fans from France, Spain and Germany think of their leagues over the years due to the dominance of PSG (France), Real Madrid and Barcelona (Spain), Bayern Munich (Germany). The UK press never seem to do in-depth articles focusing on the dominance of those teams mentioned and the feelings of football fans of those team dominance, are they happy? annoyed? frustrated? because it would be good to gauge their thoughts about club dominance in their leagues against the dominance of City in the Premier League. Is fan feeling the same?
Soooo.... The team I play on this season finished last out of 4 teams,lol.
10 game season.
2 - 1 - 6
The last two games are semifinals, the following week, the final.
We beat the #1 team last night in our semi match.
The #3 beat the #2 team team last night as well.
So the two worst teams in the league are in the final next week.
p.s. We all know each other pretty well. Some of the players I coached when they were kids. My son is on my team.
Our captains get to pick our names each fall when they draft new teams and this past fall they chose "Sheffield Wednesday" in honor of me they said. lol I'm one of the last surviving players who created the league 23 years ago. And probably the oldest playing this season.
10 game season.
2 - 1 - 6
The last two games are semifinals, the following week, the final.
We beat the #1 team last night in our semi match.
The #3 beat the #2 team team last night as well.
So the two worst teams in the league are in the final next week.
p.s. We all know each other pretty well. Some of the players I coached when they were kids. My son is on my team.
Our captains get to pick our names each fall when they draft new teams and this past fall they chose "Sheffield Wednesday" in honor of me they said. lol I'm one of the last surviving players who created the league 23 years ago. And probably the oldest playing this season.
So there is a possibility that the worst team in the league can win the final lolSoooo.... The team I play on this season finished last out of 4 teams,lol.
10 game season.
2 - 1 - 6
The last two games are semifinals, the following week, the final.
We beat the #1 team last night in our semi match.
The #3 beat the #2 team team last night as well.
So the two worst teams in the league are in the final next week.
p.s. We all know each other pretty well. Some of the players I coached when they were kids. My son is on my team.
Our captains get to pick our names each fall when they draft new teams and this past fall they chose "Sheffield Wednesday" in honor of me they said. lol I'm one of the last surviving players who created the league 23 years ago. And probably the oldest playing this season.
Not that I care too much about the English leaugues, but as long as Chellsea and Hayes didn't win I am all good with it. I would've preferred Aresenal though. But good for Manchester United 👍🏼
At the moment, I follow our Hockey guys in their success in Worldcup in Czechia, without having any possibility to watch all games of it. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Men's_Ice_Hockey_World_Championships
It was a long time ago since our best pro's was playing together in a big tournament, so they are having a lot of fun, and it's quite obvious.
In todays sportworld, it's so many channels that compete with rights of big events. But we get fairly good coverage from our national channel at least, and I don't have to put down a lot of time on it, and still can follow their joy in the summaries of the games. A win win for my time at the moment 😀
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Jonathan Wilson has an interesting and thought-provoking piece in today's edition of the Guardian (Clubs are finding gulf below Premier League harder to bridge) which makes the point that all three of last season's promoted teams are set to be relegated, and that the gulf between newly promoted teams and the standard required to maintain membership of the Premier League is becoming more difficult to sustain for a number of reasons, resources being a key element of this equation.
The points tally for the three teams coming up has been the lowest since the creation of the PL.
Mind you when you look at some of the mistakes they have made it’s not surprising. Burnley in particular have been awful. Trying to play out from the back when the players had neither the time or the skill. Passing across your 18 yard line in suicide in defending terms.
Sometimes the best option is kick it up the pitch or into the stand.
Looks like the club are cutting their losses with Miedema. Shame but since the knee injury, not quite been the same.
And i guess the club have decided to move on. Wonder if there'll be a parallel with Jesus
In any case, Miedema has been legendary for us, and i wish her the best with City. Even though i despise City.
And i guess the club have decided to move on. Wonder if there'll be a parallel with Jesus
In any case, Miedema has been legendary for us, and i wish her the best with City. Even though i despise City.
She will come back to a good form, but cruciate ligament injuries are not to play with, it takes its time to rebuild totally and fully to not have any further consequences in the future.
It says a short contract with City in our media here - so maybe a transitional place to get things going after returning, as she played with Arsenal for some time.
I was thinking Barcelona for her.
I also think that the fact that Klopp has announced his departure hasn't helped their form, their ambition, or their season.
Liverpool's draw with Villa makes the Spurs v man City game a very interesting one because it is a must win game for Spurs if they want that 4th Champions league spot BUT if they do manage to beat City it means handing the league title to their bitter London rivals Arsenal. The revenue from the Champions league would be a much welcome boost to Spurs and money they most probably need but is that enough to see their rivals win the league?
It does make we wonder with the PL charges hanging over Man City will City become the football version of cycling's Lance Armstrong where he was investigate for taking performance enhancing drugs throughout his career and thus stripped of all his Tour De France titles (7 of them). If City was found guilty of the charges against them would the PL and FA have the guts to strip City of their league titles.
It does make we wonder with the PL charges hanging over Man City will City become the football version of cycling's Lance Armstrong where he was investigate for taking performance enhancing drugs throughout his career and thus stripped of all his Tour De France titles (7 of them). If City was found guilty of the charges against them would the PL and FA have the guts to strip City of their league titles.
Let’s hope not. Stripping titles and awarding them to the second placed teams retrospectively would not work for me.
Personally I’d rather see a points deduction spread over the next x years so it means they miss CL football for the next few years would be better.
Exactly.
At this stage, a retrospective points deduction would achieve nothing.
Personally, I'd prefer any points penalty to take place over the coming years - the next few seasons - rather than have it applied retrospectively.
In Australian Rugby League Melbourne Storm were stripped of a series of titles about 15 years ago. They never rewarded them in the records they just have a # next tot heir name and a disclaimer pointing out they were stripped. I think that’s the best outcome, you can’t rewrite everyone’s history but you can deny city their history.
That is the way it should be done. Lance Armstrong was stripped of his 7 Tour De France wins but the titles were not given to the 2nd placed riders. The same happened when Juventus was stripped of their league titles, they were not rewarded to those that finished in 2nd place. I feel the same could be applied to City, have their titles stripped away and not be given to the teams that finished in 2nd place.
Your point of denying a team their history is a good one because that is how individuals and teams get better sponsorships, better money and better deals by being able to say they are holder of X amount of awards/titles. Remove that history and you remove the increase in earning potential.
Alas, poor Tottenham Hotspur; the dismal and depressing inevitability of yet another soulless City victory has all too readily come to pass.