The Barclays Premier League thread 2015/2016

[stokeriño]

It's all relative, obviously. Remember when we were told by the press two years ago that all neutrals wanted Liverpool to win the league? LO-fucking-L.

It's natural that all other teams are a massive step below *insert personal team of choice here* with regard to 'wanting' them to win the league... Indeed, 'wanting' is likely the wrong word. Once you get beyond your own team winning, it generally comes down to 'least-annoying' alternative. 

I have no particular fondness for Leicester outside of the Tinkerman himself, and if a different manager who elicited more of an urge to punch him in the face (say, Brendan Rodgers) were on this run with Leicester then my irritation levels might knock them off the spot of least-bad non-Chelsea alternative for me. But as it is, that slim margin of fondness I have for Ranieri is enough to make me 'want' to see them win it. And if it's just a matter of making Top Four, I'll take them over any of the Manchester/Arsenal/Liverpool/Spurs/etc. lot, but that too is a matter of rivalries making me dislike the others more, rather than wanting it for the good of the league/entertainment/being different/any such things.

[Nerf]

8 hours ago, Dan said:

Everyone in the country who isn't a fan of Man Utd/Chelsea/Arsenal/Man City should be wanting to Leicester to win the league or at least finish top four. Ranieri is a great guy and for him to take a "small" club with a small budget and mix everything up would be unprecedented in the last 2 decades.

I'm trying really, really hard to embrace Leicester, but my hatred of Jamie Vardy is making it really, really difficult. If, say, United throw billions at him in January and he moves, then I can start rooting properly for Mahrez, Schlupp, and all their other likable players.

[Benji]

12 hours ago, Alexis Sanchez said:

I don't understand what world I'm currently in.

When did Mahrez get so good? Unbelievable technique. Playing against the champions for a much smaller team and having the confidence to do that speaks volumes about the current state of affairs.

He's stepped up his game this year, but he has always been very good, just absurdly inconsistent. Ranieri seems to have had a massive effect on him.

[lanky316]

Nerf hates Vardy. Another reason to hope they walk over everyone and win the league with Vardy breaking all sorts of goalscoring records.

[Jimmy]

Yeah, Mahrez scored a fantastic goal against Spurs last year. I remember thinking he looked very good, but then did fuck all for the rest of the season, so I just put his performance down to us being Spurs-y  It's incredible what's going on, I just hope we can still knick a top four place, maybe at the expense of United, and then everyone can be happy. 

[The Lusophone]

Not everyone.

[Nerf]

3 hours ago, lanky316 said:

Nerf hates Vardy. Another reason to hope they walk over everyone and win the league with Vardy breaking all sorts of goalscoring records.

I mean, if you wanna throw in all your support for a racist thug, then, by all means (Y)

[MDK]

He's the Suarez of Leicester!

[Jimmy]

20 minutes ago, Social Justice Nerf said:

I mean, if you wanna throw in all your support for a racist thug, then, by all means (Y)

Yeah, I mean, you totally did with Suarez, right?  

[Benji]

In fairness, I get where he's coming from, in 2013/14 I was supporting Liverpool over the usual suspects, but I also really wanted someone to punch Luis Suarez in the knackers.

[The Lusophone]

41 minutes ago, Benji said:

In fairness, I get where he's coming from, in 2013/14 I was supporting Liverpool over the usual suspects, but I also really wanted someone to punch Luis Suarez in the knackers.

I get why he can't stand Vardy, despite his undoubted ability. (Although there are glaring disparities between the Vardy incident and Suarez's antics. Mainly that Vardy apologised).

It's like Ibrahimovic. Amazing footballer, but also a violent, sexist cockmunch.

[Lineker]

Apparently Bielsa is the favourite for the Swansea job.

[DavidMarrio]

57 minutes ago, Lineklaus said:

Apparently Bielsa is the favourite for the Swansea job.

He'd be a great appointment for Swansea  

Would be pretty mental too so that'll be entertaining to watch.  

[TCO]

3 hours ago, Social Justice Nerf said:

I mean, if you wanna throw in all your support for a racist thug, then, by all means (Y)

What is irony? 

[Baddar]

Andy Burton (what a cock he is) is on SSN talking about Chelsea and Jose - one thing that stood out was his mention of a section of Chelsea fans unhappy with Mourinho now, and possibly wouldn't be bothered if he was sacked. He said that there was a "you're nothing special, we lose every week" chant on Monday, as if that was aimed at Jose, but wasn't it meant for the Leicester fans, @stokeriño?

[stokeriño]

It was absolutely, one billion percent, aimed at the Leicester fans in reaction to their celebrations.

Honestly, it hadn't even crossed my mind that the 'special' bit might have been (intentionally) misinterpreted until now.  

[Colly]

That is pathetic journalism.

[The Lusophone]

Seeing a number of former United academy or reserve players doing so well in Leicester's squad is kinda depressing. Danny Drinkwater was supposedly highly rated by the club and we let him go and he's played every league game for Leicester this season. Matty James and Danny Simpson are also there and have done well (although the former may still be injured now that I think about it), and they also have Ritchie De Laet who is superior in almost every way to players like Blackett and McNair who we've been forced to rely on.

Craig Cathcart at Watford is the same, and despite disciplinary issues, Stoke's Ryan Shawcross would at least have been a welcome rotation player last season especially. We sold Welbeck and (the admittedly not United produced) Zaha for whatever reasons and now we find ourselves in a position where we just don't score goals, and concede silly ones as well. I don't know whether these players would've developed as they have at other clubs if they'd stayed at United, but its a hideous lack of forward planning that's played out across Fergie's last years and to the present day.

[DavidMarrio]

Andy Burton is a gobshite. Always has been. Wouldn't listen to anything he says at all. Rubbish reporter. 

He should have been sacked alongside Andy Gray and Richard Keys during the sexism incident. 

 

[Adam]

I'm actually surprised to hear Andy Burton is still employed by Sky. He has always been an enormous cretin.