5000-1 - The 2016/17 Premier League thread

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Liverpool have given Lovren a new 100k a week long term deal

Lol

[westisbest]

I dont like players dropping like wet bags of cement but then again I grew up watching football being played by men.

I've no problem with folk calling it sportsmanship. It'll always be cheating in this house! Sanchez last night was even worse.

That aside when does the Pep revolution start?

Your top paragraph is exactly why I have gone off football over the last 5+ years.
The game is to soft.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

It reminds me of my first game of men's football at 16. Centre back grabs my shirt at the first corner and just refuses to let go, laughing. We got on well and he just kept telling me how defenders can do this stuff. It's true, there's so much cheating and unsporting play in football, yet no one cares much about that stuff because they're used to it. There's some weird honour in defending like that, it's called experienced or tricks of the trade. It's the same as diving for me

[Crimey]

Michael Antonio wants to leave West Ham after the way the board has handled contract negotiations and his hamstring injury. West Ham are hoping he'll reconsider, but he's pretty adamant that he wants to leave.

I wouldn't mind Liverpool taking a look, assuming the price was alright. We need some pace and width and should we qualify for European competition we'll need the depth. 

Considering his popularity with fans this isn't great for the West Ham board.

[Guest]

Liverpool have given Lovren a new 100k a week long term deal

Lol

Got any good news for me, Olly?

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Oh good stuff. Still, think it won't end like that and will be brinkmanship for more money.

Might have gotten a bit ahead of himself regardless. He ain't fitting in at the top six sides

[Crimey]

Oh good stuff. Still, think it won't end like that and will be brinkmanship for more money.

Might have gotten a bit ahead of himself regardless. He ain't fitting in at the top six sides

You could see Everton or Southampton looking at him though and they may pay him more if West Ham refuse to. Everton almost definitely would.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

He's ex-Southampton but he has to move out of London for either of those moves and we pay pretty well. And we've got him on a few years left so they'd have to pay good whack.

I wouldn't be concerned about either of them. They're certainly ahead of us right now, but they're also in the packet of clubs who have a good or bad summer and things swing again.

[Crimey]

He's ex-Southampton but he has to move out of London for either of those moves and we pay pretty well. And we've got him on a few years left so they'd have to pay good whack.

I wouldn't be concerned about either of them. They're certainly ahead of us right now, but they're also in the packet of clubs who have a good or bad summer and things swing again.

Supposedly he's on £35k a week, he wants more which West Ham agreed to, but then he found out how much Jose Fonte and Robert Snodgrass were on and has decided that he wants to move. I agree that he'll probably sign a contract with West Ham eventually because I can't see anybody paying £25m+ which I imagine is what WHU will demand. Everton would definitely pay more than £35k and I wouldn't be massively surprised if Liverpool and Tottenham saw him as a decent squad option. That would depend on: 1. how much Antonio costs, 2. how much he wants to be paid and 3. if he wants first team football guaranteed as he won't get it there.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Liverpool have given Lovren a new 100k a week long term deal

Lol

Got any good news for me, Olly?

After reading what Klopp's been saying in the press - I have nothing Freek. I'd be very worried!

[GSC]

Pearce can't manage for Poopie but he could evaluate

[Guest]

I think Moyes is well and truly done as a top tier manager now. Pitiful all season.

The guys deserves a slap.

[GSC]

Eh, the bottom has finally fallen out for Sunderland but they've been putting plasters on open wounds for years. This was going to happen sooner than later

[Ent]

Moyes has been a terrible manager for years, just takes it's time to become apparent.

[Guest]

I think Moyes is well and truly done as a top tier manager now. Pitiful all season.

The guys deserves a slap.

David Moyes at the beginning of the season said Sunderland were not good enough to stay up then carefully steered them to relegation.  I can't imagine a worse performance as a manager in the premiership apart from Bob Bradley at Swansea who was out of his depth.

[Guest]

Eh, the bottom has finally fallen out for Sunderland but they've been putting plasters on open wounds for years. This was going to happen sooner than later

He's not even made a fist of it. Allardyce wouldn't have fared this bad with the same players as wouldn't many other managers.

Who'd want Moyes now? Let's say West Ham dump Bilic, would he realistically be in the frame for that gig? He'll have to drag a minnow back up to get back in the big time again. Toast.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

He said they were in a relegation fight. They obviously were, they had been for years.

He then got given nothing to add to a side that had scrapped to survive then been left by Allardyce.

He's been awful, but it isn't the worst performance you'll see from a manager.

[westisbest]

I think Moyes is well and truly done as a top tier manager now. Pitiful all season.

The guys deserves a slap.

David Moyes at the beginning of the season said Sunderland were not good enough to stay up then carefully steered them to relegation.  I can't imagine a worse performance as a manager in the premiership apart from Bob Bradley at Swansea who was out of his depth.

I'll Raise you Remi Garde

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Avram Grant is livid he isn't involved in this

[Crimey]

I am going to throw in Roy Hodgson at Liverpool, different breed but managed to lead Liverpool to the relegation zone.

[Ent]

Dive there from Rashford, not nice to see that.

[GSC]

Dive there from Rashford, not nice to see that.

I await the condemnation he will inevitably receive here

[Ent]

Appalling from united.

This team lacks many things, one of them being brains.

Do not give away cheap free kicks when the opposition has the best freekick taker in the league on their team.

Every single one of Rashford's set pieces were terrible, yet no one takes the last crucial ferric and corner off of him.

Just absolutely maddening - second best at home to a side fighting relegation.

Should have lost, huge clear out needed.

[Guest]

That is a beauty, Pedro!

Man City level.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

An ideal day for Liverpool so far

[Guest]

Yeah but then came Watford.

[Guest]

Goodnight Arsenal. Shocking two minutes

As for Spurs, they just look like falling short once more. Wonder if that squad believe they can make the step up, while playing at Wembley, or decide to jump ship. Walker to City is gathering momentum already.

[Crimey]

Good day for Liverpool but only if we beat Watford tomorrow. They're pretty much guaranteed safe so hopefully they are on their holidays already. 

Supposedly Bayern Munich are also interested in Kyle Walker.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Again - Emre Can is Liverpool's best midfielder

[Crimey]

Fantastic goal from Emre Can and glad we're starting to grind out the wins.

Don't think you can realistically say Can is the best midfielder when Lallana is in the squad. I'd still take a fully fit Henderson over Can as well.

[GSC]

Dive there from Rashford, not nice to see that.

I await the condemnation he will inevitably receive here

Amazing how this seems to slip under the radar. Wonder why

[Dolphin Ziggler]

I agree with David Preece's article suggesting he expected to get caught and went soft footed for it. Keeper pulls out very late

[lfc91]

The whole diving thing is just ridiculous. Hard to watch a game now where someone isn't guilty of it somewhere on the pitch. Sterling for example against united just falling all over the place to try and win free kicks around the area.

Then you have the more blatant ones such as Rashford and then Lucas the very next day! It is cheating, plain and simple. There was talk of bringing in a retrospective ban for diving, wonder if that plan has gathered any momentum.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Why? It's a foul, like any other foul

[GSC]

I don't really care, I just enjoyed the hysteria when Aguero overreacted to Fellaini, yet Rashford does worse and it's silent.

[GSC]

Anyway onto actual important matters, hopefully Aaron Lennon gets the help he needs

[Crimey]

David Moyes will be staying on as Sunderland manager next season.

[GSC]

He needs to find some motivation from somewhere, the Championship is a hard slog and Sunderland have plenty of hard decisions to make.

[Ent]

I don't really care, I just enjoyed the hysteria when Aguero overreacted to Fellaini, yet Rashford does worse and it's silent.

Bigger game and most people have said Rashford dived.

[NickisBHAFC]

Kyle Walker booked for winning a tackle.

[Guest]

WHU 1-0 Spurs  FT

Title is pretty much done & dusted now

[Guest]

It's happened again! @ Dolph

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Spurs's season - just one big anti climax. Failed in the CL, failed in the cups, failed in the league

[Guest]

You imagine playing at Wembley will be difficult next season & given Pep/Jose will be further into their projects, you get the feeling Spurs might have missed their opportunity. Always felt they were one or two players short & were always going to be paying the price for such poor recruitment, i.e. janssen/sissoko

[Guest]

Spurs's season - just one big anti climax. Failed in the CL, failed in the cups, failed in the league

They remind me of the Leeds side of the late 90's/early 2000's. Talented group of players who might just fall short every time.

Be a shame if this mob don't pick something up along the way, though. If they can keep the squad together.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

It's happened again! @ Dolph

I've had a lovely night in London Freeky!!

[NickisBHAFC]

Whilst it is funny to see Tottenham muck it up. I really wouldn't call it a bottle job when Tottenham have won 9 games in a row to actually make it a title race. Don't see city, united, Liverpool and Arsenal challenging. Tottenham have had a superb season (in the league) its city, united and most importantly Arsenal who have been incredibly underachieving

[Dolphin Ziggler]

You can get your half and half scarf next year

[88Chris05]

This wasn't Spursy or a bottle job by Tottenham. Just an easy stick to hit them with this season. They didn't lose the title last night - they lost it between October and November when they let Chelsea get 10 points ahead of them. They've done well just to make it vaguely interesting going in to the last few weeks.

To call their season a failure is a load of cobblers. Most people didn't see them finishing top four at the start of the season, or even mid-season. They're almost certainly going to finish second which is a fine achievement given how that they've been outspent by the other members of the top six in recent years, absolutely massively in the cases of the Manchester clubs and Chelsea. It's only three years ago before Pochettino arrived that they were getting absolutely spanked almost every time by the Premier League's big boys and looked a long way off being a top four team.

As for the Champions League, it's hardly surprising that they struggled. History shows that just about every English team has a hard time excelling in it at first, regardless of how successful it appears they should be; United in the mid nineties, Arsenal around the turn of the century, and it took until last season for Manchester City to make any noticeable splash. Experience is vital in Europe - you can only get that by qualifying consistently. Job done for Spurs in that respect.

The Cup is the one they should reproach themselves for. They had chances to beat Chelsea in that semi and a couple of really poor individual errors cost them. It'd be a shame if that group of players don't bag a major trophy, as they've played some great stuff and it's a team that has been put together in a way that gives hope to other clubs outside of the Mr. Moneybags teams. I think they'll be right in the mix again next season, but if it doesn't happen then I think they'll have a job on maintaining that level.

[Ent]

Spurs will probably struggle next season.

They are top of the home table but 5th in the away, playing at Wembley will be a big disadvantage. I think they'll miss CL and have their squad picked apart.

Palace absolutely awful today, in particular Schlupp at centre back putting in a performance to rival William Prunier. Shocking.

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