The Barclays Premier League Thread 2013/14

[Blue Rosler]

The Bale money was horribly misused, I think that will cost them in the long run.

I really disagree. Chiriches and Eriksen have been great. Lamela is an incomplete. Paulinho was fine - not up to expectations, but not awful. Soldado wasn't good, but didn't really get a fair shake under Sherwood. I think that group of players will be fine, and I think they'd have been fine under AVB.

I think for Soldado, it was more personal reasons affected his move. His wife had a miscarriage at the start of his move to England, and she wants to move back to Spain. Whilst I'm sure he's a professional, that will affect his game.

[GoGo Yubari]

Soldado was a weird one. He was actually very good at creating chances for others while mostly very bad at finishing chances created for him. He had a rough season personally and professionally, and it didn't help that after he finally seemed to have his breakthrough game he was promptly benched for the next couple weeks. I'd like him to stay with Spurs but I wouldn't be shocked if he didn't.

[EddieG]

So apparently Giggs is in Holland today to talk to Van Gaal.

[Colly]

Silly Giggsy, the provisional squad came out yesterday, he won't get in now.

[Plubby]

Using a pretty useless means of determination when isolated, yes.

I mean, it's whatever. Sherwood will go to the Championship probably and I wouldn't be surprised if he did very well there and either got a team promoted or got hired for a Premier League team within the next three or four years. The notion that Nabil Bentaleb is a useless player or whatever is silly too, or that he should really be blamed for taking an opportunity given to him. He's a solid youth player who's ready to be playing at the Premier League level, it's just that he was being started over the likes of Christian Eriksen and, essentially, Lewis Holtby.

I beg to differ.

I don't blame him for taking the opportunity, but it isn't like he took it well. He took it with a series of mostly ineffective tackles, and passes ranging NO FURTHER than five metres. He was as cutting as hot butter through a knife as opposed to hot knife through butter.

[Lineker]

Everton's 36-year-old centre-back Sylvain Distin is evidently in a playful mood this morning as he announces his retirement from international football. The France-born defender has never been capped by his country, and he tweets: "I'm retiring from France team. It was a wonderful experience and after a record of 0 caps it's time to say goodbye and focus on my club."

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

After hearing in reports about who was going to leave Spurs if Sherwood didn't go (Lloris, Vertonghen, Capoue, Sandro, Paulinho) and who Sherwood wanted to sell in the summer (Soldado and Lamela among others), teamed with who he wanted to bring in (including Winston Reid and Gareth Barry). I'm now pretty certain that he was basically doing what Stok was doing in his Football Manager diary with Arsenal by selling all their best players, bringing in worse players and trying to mess them up for the future.

[Lineker]

Cardiff earned more from finishing bottom of the Premier League this season than Manchester United earned as champions the previous campaign. The league's new £5.5billion broadcast deal meant Cardiff received £62.08m in finishing 20th this term, compared to United's £60.8m for winning the 2012-13 title. Manchester City, who succeeded United as champions on Sunday with a second title in three years, earned £96.5m, with second-placed Liverpool the top earners with £97.5m as a consequence of more of their games being screened live by broadcasters.

[stokeriño]

Yeah, this summer's going to be a little mental.

[brenchill]

Liverpool are quids in.

[Plubby]

Cardiff earned more from finishing bottom of the Premier League this season than Manchester United earned as champions the previous campaign. The league's new £5.5billion broadcast deal meant Cardiff received £62.08m in finishing 20th this term, compared to United's £60.8m for winning the 2012-13 title. Manchester City, who succeeded United as champions on Sunday with a second title in three years, earned £96.5m, with second-placed Liverpool the top earners with £97.5m as a consequence of more of their games being screened live by broadcasters.

When I saw the payout figures they struck me as rather large. I just assumed that the lower clubs spent so little because they needed like...50 million of that money just to offset operating losses. So it's because they have ALL OF THE NEW MONEYZ.

....my god, can you imagine if QPR had got their hands on that dosh?!

[stokeriño]

....my god, can you imagine if QPR had got their hands on that dosh?!

Yes. They'd fuck it up again.

[Plubby]

....my god, can you imagine if QPR had got their hands on that dosh?!

Yes. They'd fuck it up again.

IT'D BE HILARIOUS! >_<

[Arjen Robben]

They'd have about £5m of it left after Harry had got his hands on it and skimmed his bit off the top.

And was feeling a bit generous.

[Lineker]

They'd have about £5m of it left after Harry Rosie had got his hands her paws on it and skimmed his her bit off the top.

And was feeling a bit generous.

[brenchill]

....my god, can you imagine if QPR had got their hands on that dosh?!

Yes. They'd fuck it up again.

What would QPR do with that money?

Sign Gareth Barry on a 5-year deal on 160k-a-week along with David Bentley, Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch.

[Szumi]

I'm sure Robbie Keane would get the chance to play for his boyhood club, as well!

[Lineker]

Liverpool's goalscorers against Shamrock so far have been Aspas and Borini. I'm assuming that everyone else has already hit the beach if they're playing?

[Szumi]

Those 2, Allen, Lucas, and Kelly are the only people who have played first team football of any kind in the Premier League this year, I believe. Ibe is playing too - I want to see him hopefully get some more playing time next year.

[Gazz]

Everton's 36-year-old centre-back Sylvain Distin is evidently in a playful mood this morning as he announces his retirement from international football. The France-born defender has never been capped by his country, and he tweets: "I'm retiring from France team. It was a wonderful experience and after a record of 0 caps it's time to say goodbye and focus on my club."

If he'd let Woy know he was available he probably could have got in the England squad.

This TV deal, the PL gets £5.5bn and pays out £1.5bn, where does the other £4bn go?