The Barclays Premier League thread 2015/2016

[Hobo]

Looks more like Kris Marshall.

[The Lusophone]

I'm going to miss Colin Pascoe and his shorts. Mike Marsh has left as well.

Supposedly we are going to sign Bogdan on a free because we need a Championship quality backup goalkeeper what with Brad Jones leaving

And rumours are that Sami Hyypia is going to join our coaching team, would be made up if he did.

Getting Rodgers replacement in early?

[Lineker]

Unai Emery, the double Europa League-winning coach, has distanced himself from a possible move to West Ham by committing his future to Sevilla until 2017.

The 43-year-old, who last month secured a second straight Europa League when Sevilla beat Dnipro in Warsaw, was reportedly the No1 candidate to replace Sam Allardyce at Upton Park but he has instead opted to oversee the Andalusians’ tilt at the Champions League. They qualified for it by beating Dnipro.

A statement published on Sevilla’s official website on Friday read: “Unai Emery has extended his contract with Sevilla for another season, thus prolonging his link with the club until 2017.

“The coach has committed his future to the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, where he has achieved his greatest successes, winning the Europa League in both 2014 and 2015.”

Emery – previously employed by Spartak Moscow and Valencia – had also been linked to the vacancy at Serie A club Napoli that remains open following Rafael Benítez’s departure for Real Madrid.

Since arriving at Sevilla in January 2013 he has recorded two fifth-placed finishes in the Primera Division.

---

Watford have appointed the former Atlético Madrid coach Quique Sánchez Flores as their manager. As part of the new coaching set-up, Dean Austin will remain on the staff, having returned to the club in January as part of Jokanovic’s backroom team, while Flores is to be assisted by Alberto Diaz and Antonio Carlavilla.

[Thrilla]

• Relegation Prediction: Villa, Newcastle, Norwich
• Top of the League Prediction: Chelsea
• Underachieving Prediction: Liverpool
• Overachieving Prediction: Stoke (Euro qualification through the league)
• Sack Race Prediction: Brendan Rodgers
• Nigel Pearson Incident Prediction: Dogging.

[Marcos]

• Relegation Prediction: Watford, Bournemouth and Leicester
• Top of the League Prediction: Chelsea, City, Arsenal, United
• Underachieving Prediction: Southampton (below 10th)
• Overachieving Prediction: Everton (top 6)
• Sack Race Prediction: Nigel Pearson.

[Noah]

I predict Liverpool will do something really silly and we will laugh and DavidMario will cry.

I'm crying that you can't spell my username right even though it says it next to my posts

You think you have it bad? People get lineaker's username wrong all the time.

[Rafael]

• Relegation Prediction: Bournemouth, Norwich and West Bromwich
• Top of the League Prediction: Arsenal wins, Chelsea very close 2nd and City 3rd.
• Underachieving Prediction: Liverpool or Manchester United finish out of the top 6.
• Overachieving Prediction: Southampton takes that place.
• Biased Prediction: Newcastle finishes top 8. Riviere and Cabella come good, De Jong will get a solid sequence of games.
• Sack Race Prediction: Dick Advocaat.

[JTB]

So, supposedly - and I say supposedly because it sounds so preposterous at the moment, Wang Jianlin has an interest in buying West Bromwich Albion with a takeover to be announced on Monday. Some random fella on Twitter has popped up and loads of Albion fans seem to be buying in to it, not helped by a prominent member of our media team following him (I'd imagine he's just following him to gauge what fans are saying on any potential takeover, real or not).

Anyway, turns out Wang Jianlin is the wealthiest man in China. $37.6 billion net worth. The main reason I don't believe this at the moment is because there is almost no logic to the wealthiest man in the world's biggest economy (China's was last time I checked, I may be wrong now, however) buying West Bromwich Albion. Aston Villa are up for sale and whilst I'd argue that they are not as good a team as us right now nor do they look as stable for the future (touch wood Albion remain this way! and Villa do not...ahem...), they're still the biggest team in the West Midlands with a big fan base, a big Premier League ground and being a Birmingham-based club they have that city appeal that Albion don't.

Still, if this bloke really does want to take over and bring us Champions League football as is being suggested, I'd love to see Tony Pulis with a massive transfer war chest. Gonna be some great craic down the pub if we spend a combined £100m on Ryan Shawcross, Peter Crouch and Glenn Whelan.

[Colly]

http://www.eurosport.co.uk/football/papiss-cisse-gets-married-in-paris-without-telling-british-girlfriend_sto4769253/story.shtml

[MDK]

Playas gon play

[DavidMarrio]

LAD.

Also Harry Redknapp now has twitter....TOP LAD

[Lineker]

The sale of Aston Villa has moved closer with the granting of exclusive negotiations to an unnamed bidder, with early favourite Paul Smith understood to be no longer in the frame.

[Baddar]

BT has announced the first "Ultra HD" (4x the resolution of HD) channel, which will launch in August, starting with the Community Shield.

They've got packages available for those who want to subscribe early, as they have exclusive CL and Europa League rights next season, but they haven't put anything on for people who want to watch through Sky TV just yet.

Gary Lineker, Jake Humphrey and Rio Ferdinand will front the live UEFA Champions League coverage. Also joining the current BT Sport team are new signings Steven Gerrard, Harry Redknapp, Glenn Hoddle and Howard Webb.

Am I reading this wrong, or is Rio going to an ACTUAL presenter?

[Gorka]

Ferdinand has been painfully wooden in any presenting role when I have seen him.

That new BT line-up seems pretty bad.

[stokeriño]

This is what happens, you see. Now they've set the precedent of "well if Phil Neville can do it...", we're all fucked.

[Baddar]

I will undoubtedly subscribe, I'm just waiting to see what the damage is going to be. One of Sky's top bosses played down BT's CL deal yesterday, saying that viewing numbers for the competition have fallen drastically in the last few years. Even so, people will still jump on board just because of the CL coverage. It makes Sky's European channel seem even more silly now.

Besides, with the group seeding shake up, there's the potential for some huge matches early on in the tournament every year now, as opposed to Man City just getting unlucky again.

[Whisper]

I like the addition of Gary Lineker. Could absolutely do without 'Arry and Howard Webb though.

Re: Ferdinand; Lineker was pretty wooden when he first started too. Rio at least has a bit of personality about him which will help.

[Szumi]

Are there any pictures of the pundits leaning on something to confirm these are done deals?

[Baddar]

Some of the new team there!

[Lineker]

I noticed this morning that they've already rebranded ESPN.