@KiwiPie Would that help though as you would still have just as many clubs coming down so effectively it would still be as much of a shit fight.
Looking at the teams that are currently in the National League there are a lot who have played in the Football League but most briefly.
I guess you all want to emulate Luton or Rotherham. At least there is automatic promotion. There were some decent non-league teams prior to 1986 who never got the chance to go up.
@Rancid-Schnitzel so good
look, i'm just happy someone on a sports show actually had a strong opinion
but holy shit that was an awful take. The price alone meant 15 goals would have been an amazing season
the fact he's got 14 after 8...
that guy should be shown that clip every single week.
@KiwiPie said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
@Bovidae Pretty good - Swiss education system is very good hence his English is superb as well.
Born in the same village as my wife. He’s a keeper that one
@Billy-Tell said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
@KiwiPie said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
@Bovidae Pretty good - Swiss education system is very good hence his English is superb as well.
Born in the same village as my wife. He’s a keeper that one
i thought he was a defender?
@KiwiPie said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
@Bovidae Pretty good - Swiss education system is very good hence his English is superb as well.
Cue Harry Kane joke.
@KiwiPie Obviously concentrating on the league!
A lucky win for Arsenal at Leeds, which had plenty of drama. First there was a 40 min delay to the game shortly after kickoff due to a local power cut. Arsenal had the better of the 1st half so deserved to be leading due to Saka's goal. But the 2nd half was all Leeds. They dominated possession and had numerous chances to equalise, none more so than the penalty. Then Gabriel gets sent off for a kick on Bamford, which VAR rightly overturned as Bamford pushed him over leading to the clumsy contact. Ramsdale was huge.
These are the tricky away fixtures you need to win if you want to make the top 4.
@Bovidae said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
@Cyclops Man City are still the team to beat. There are a lot of games to be squeezed in before the WC, and squad depth will be so important. They can rotate players without losing quality.
Agree.
If the goal was allowed to stand I think they would have won 2-0.
Fine margins in football.
As of today ....
Since Bournemouth lost 9-0 to Liverpool the only unbeaten side in the EPL is .... Bournemouth.
The current leader of the Championship has lost more games than the team at the bottom.
@KiwiPie said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
As of today ....
Since Bournemouth lost 9-0 to Liverpool the only unbeaten side in the EPL is .... Bournemouth.
The current leader of the Championship has lost more games than the team at the bottom.
And 5 hours later both of these statistical nuggets are no longer true.
@KiwiPie said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
@KiwiPie said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
As of today ....
Since Bournemouth lost 9-0 to Liverpool the only unbeaten side in the EPL is .... Bournemouth.
The current leader of the Championship has lost more games than the team at the bottom.
And 5 hours later both of these statistical nuggets are no longer true.
you did that on purpose ..evil I say! 
@bayimports said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
@KiwiPie said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
@KiwiPie said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
As of today ....
Since Bournemouth lost 9-0 to Liverpool the only unbeaten side in the EPL is .... Bournemouth.
The current leader of the Championship has lost more games than the team at the bottom.
And 5 hours later both of these statistical nuggets are no longer true.
you did that on purpose ..evil I say!
I was surprised you hadn't talked them up during this run.
Yesterday I watched most of Brighton v Forest. Forest were seriously clueless about how to progress the ball up the field. Not a single attempt in the first half, not much of note in the 2nd but still got away with a point. I watch the Bundesliga highlights every week and difference seems to be that lower teams there go for it so you seem to often have 4 attackers against 5 defenders. Too many EPL games are tedious because both teams keep so many players back that there is no space for the attackers.
@KiwiPie said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
@bayimports said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
@KiwiPie said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
@KiwiPie said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
As of today ....
Since Bournemouth lost 9-0 to Liverpool the only unbeaten side in the EPL is .... Bournemouth.
The current leader of the Championship has lost more games than the team at the bottom.
And 5 hours later both of these statistical nuggets are no longer true.
you did that on purpose ..evil I say!
I was surprised you hadn't talked them up during this run.
Yesterday I watched most of Brighton v Forest. Forest were seriously clueless about how to progress the ball up the field. Not a single attempt in the first half, not much of note in the 2nd but still got away with a point. I watch the Bundesliga highlights every week and difference seems to be that lower teams there go for it so you seem to often have 4 attackers against 5 defenders. Too many EPL games are tedious because both teams keep so many players back that there is no space for the attackers.
Didn't want to curse our mini run and we weren't playing any big teams since that point. This would have been seen as a must win game though, I would have thought, so not happy with the result. Still with new owner about to come onboard should come deeper pockets and we are still mid table so cant be too upset at this stage
@bayimports You're doing incredibly well.
Shows what happens if you ditch a manager who is tactically naive and promotes boring football. Have you joined the Parker is a Prat bandwagon yet?
Gary O'Neil has them playing to a system and you can see that the players have bought into it. It's still pretty defensive - Solanke was almost a central defender against Fulham a lot of the time, but it makes the most of what the Cherries have to offer.
They have become a hard to team to beat, today's mis-step against Saints notwithstanding.
It's turning into even more of a dogfight than usual. At this stage one week you could be looking at an ECL place and a fortnight later in the bottom 3
@dogmeat said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
@bayimports You're doing incredibly well.
Shows what happens if you ditch a manager who is tactically naive and promotes boring football. Have you joined the Parker is a Prat bandwagon yet?
Apart from those early resounding thumpings the squad has had in my mind had the talent to compete, just no confidence or depth. No question with any injuries we are burnt toast.
Look I don't hate Parker like yourself. He did a job and got us to the prem. He highlighted the lack of squad depth to the owners who didn't really do much about it as he was looking at packaging it up for sale..but the way he went about it was poor. So I am not hater but I am very happy with what O'Neil has done since
@dogmeat said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
It's turning into even more of a dogfight than usual
is it what
Liverpool in 7th are as close to last as they are to first.
Surely Rodgers is next manager out the door? Though Mr Gerrard must also be watching his inbox nervously
@bayimports I don't hate Parker. I would have given him the chance to get us out of the Championship last year - but he didn't want it. My dislike stems from the way he did tha.
I think he wears a nice cardy but his limitations as a Manager have been shown up by his successor at both our clubs
I think squad depth is going to be even more crucial than normal in avoiding relegation this season
Certainly injuries are hurting Fulham, particularly when this period of 5-6 games against fellow strugglers was where I was hoping to pick up points
Wouldn't be at all surprised to see two managerial casualties before the weekend.
Surely Gerard has to go after Villa were taken to the cleaners by Fulham. Yes, there was a red card, but really there was only one team in it; and the Villa players didn't seem to be interested.
I reckon Jesse Marsch might only have 45 minutes more, in which Leeds have to score 3, in order for him to avoid also getting his P45.
@dogmeat said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
I reckon Jesse Marsch might only have 45 minutes more, in which Leeds have to score 3, in order for him to avoid also getting his P45
fair
i think which ever manager lost that match was on the way out.
@mariner4life Thank fuck. Well out of his depth tactically and was found wanting once his assistant Michael Beale left for QPR.
Hopefully we can land Pochettino but not holding my breath.
Gerrard has seemed pretty clueless after his original new manager bounce - seems to be plenty of talent in that squad but no structure or tactical plan. Good win for Fulham though and a few more wins and they will be safe early in 2023.
Marsch also looks to be struggling - 3 games in a week means the players cannot play in hyperactive mode and that set of players aren't all that good in normal mode. Leicester not fantastic but despite his David Luis hair, Faes actually looks a decent defender. Leicester will keep Rodgers if only to stop him taking over at a relegation rival.
@KiwiPie said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
Good win for Fulham though and a few more wins and they will be safe early in 2023.
This century on average you need 36 points to be sure of staying up, so Fulham are half way there.
However, this figure is inflated by a couple of outliers. Feel the pain of the Hammers fans in 2003 when 42 points saw them relegated. There have only been eight years in the last 22 when 36 wasn't enough and only two in the last decade - the last time was 2016.
Having said that with the way things are panning out I figure the magic number might be 38 - a point a game. Fulham are comfortably in front of that target which is just as well as apart from the likes of Man City all teams have a bad run at times.
Plus it's a funny old season with the WC break.
I do hope Serbia don't progress beyond the group stage and that Mitro stays fit!
I see County are three points clear of the Amazon darlings in the Bananarama League. What's that 8/9? Will you lose Langland in January - and if so can you still push for automatic promotion?
18 days later
So arsenal take a 5 point lead into the world cup break.
It's going to be interesting to see how this affects the season. Players will be away so long and in completely different environments that I think the resumption will be an almost new season.
A trip to the Molineux is never an easy game.
Boxing Day is a long time away. It will be a new season.
Meanwhile the National League is developing into a head to head battle between Notts and Wrexham with Chesterfield hanging around. Our scorer has stopped scoring (mirroring Haaland) but others are stepping in. Both clubs currently on course for 100+ seasons for both points and goals.
@KiwiPie said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
Meanwhile the National League is developing into a head to head battle between Notts and Wrexham with Chesterfield hanging around. Our scorer has stopped scoring (mirroring Haaland) but others are stepping in. Both clubs currently on course for 100+ seasons for both points and goals.
So the top team gets promoted and the second has to go into a playoff?
@canefan said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
@KiwiPie said in EPL 2021 / 2022:
So the top team gets promoted and the second has to go into a playoff?
Yep - cruel isn't it? Places 4-7 play off to join places 2-3 in playoff semis.
