Football 2024/25

[thetime]

1 hour ago, charlierc said:

I have no idea where to start. We won, yippee. We scored 4 goals in 10-ish minutes, awesome. We spent the second half looking like we couldn't be arsed and nearly let a 4-1 lead slip, less impressive.

 

Liverpool's good looking first half against Man City isn't a promising sign for us being competitive when we go to Anfield on Wednesday.

 

Good weekend for you with city, forest, Chelsea and villa all dropping points. Bit of a free game for Newcastle Wednesday. Today's 3 points could be vital come end of May. 

 

I still expect city to get 3rd, they have a good run in.

Edited February 23, 2025 by thetime

[charlierc]

3 minutes ago, thetime said:

 

Good weekend for you with city, forest, Chelsea and villa all dropping points. Bit of a free game for Newcastle Wednesday. Today's 3 points could be vital come end of May. 

Villa won against Chelsea, so not quite the full house, but it's a fascinating kerfuffle given everyone from 3rd to 10th might think that with England likely getting 5 Champions League spots, a place at that table is theirs to grab.

[charlierc]

27 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

Starting to look a bit better 

Do you need to be 20 points clear before you can truly relax?

[thetime]

Just now, charlierc said:

England likely getting 5 Champions League spots, a place at that table is theirs to grab.

 

Probably 6 😃

[Gnomicide]

Heads well and truly not gone.

[charlierc]

11 minutes ago, thetime said:

 

Probably 6 😃

Eh. One step at a time for taking that place.

 

... even if Real Soceidad aren't doing that well this season either.

[thetime]

16 minutes ago, charlierc said:

Eh. One step at a time for taking that place.

 

... even if Real Soceidad aren't doing that well this season either.

 

How does that extra place work if utd or spurs win europa and villa win champions league(finish outside top 5)? 

 

Can't see them allowing 7 teams in it. 

Edited February 23, 2025 by thetime

[charlierc]

14 minutes ago, thetime said:

 

How does that extra place work if utd or spurs win europa and villa win champions league(finish outside top 5)? 

 

Can't see them allowing 7 teams in it. 

People did get 6 in their Football Manager save games. I assume that's the limit.

 

EDIT: That was my assumption until I did more research, and got the following from - of all people - Bet365

 

"The limit surrounding the number of teams from one nation qualifying for the UEFA Champions League has now been lifted, meaning in theory the Premier League could have up to seven competing teams next season - the top five in the table, the potential UEFA Europa League winners and the potential UEFA Champions League winners."

Edited February 23, 2025 by charlierc

[Skip997]

1 hour ago, charlierc said:

Do you need to be 20 points clear before you can truly relax?

Yeah about that. As far as I remember Liverpool have blown being top at Christmas more often than anyone else 

[thetime]

2 hours ago, charlierc said:

 

 

EDIT: That was my assumption until I did more research, and got the following from - of all people - Bet365

 

"The limit surrounding the number of teams from one nation qualifying for the UEFA Champions League has now been lifted, meaning in theory the Premier League could have up to seven competing teams next season - the top five in the table, the potential UEFA Europa League winners and the potential UEFA Champions League winners."

 

That will be good then.

 

Would be hilarious if utd finished bottom 6, then amazingly some how winning the Europa. 

[charlierc]

12 hours ago, thetime said:

 

That will be good then.

 

Would be hilarious if utd finished bottom 6, then amazingly some how winning the Europa. 

Sevilla won the Europa League the season before last and got Champions League football despite finishing 12th. So it wouldn't be the first time somebody was that far down but got the CL prize.

 

Or booby prize in Sevilla's case given they were destroyed in that CL group and currently look like they're stuck in La Liga midtable.

[efcfanwirral]

On 2/22/2025 at 5:38 PM, lost said:

starting to look like the last day maybe quite boring, for the relegation places as well as 1st.

 

On 2/22/2025 at 6:41 PM, Gnomicide said:

 

Hope so, I'm at a festival, I want it to be all over by then.

Yep no complaints here, way too much drama the last couple of years for us. And I was also at a festival for the last game of the season 2 years ago when we had to win to stay up, which was in retrospect not a good idea as I just got hammered way too early as I nervously watched the game on my phone. Will always associate Sea Girls with watching the last 20 minutes or so of that game in the crowd!!

[charlierc]

On 2/23/2025 at 8:11 PM, Skip997 said:

Yeah about that. As far as I remember Liverpool have blown being top at Christmas more often than anyone else 

Even then, did they ever have a margin this secure?

 

I'm aware one of Newcastle's most famous PL moments was bottling a 10-12 point lead in 1995/96, but that does tend to be the exception rather than the rule and given Liverpool's closest challengers are an Arsenal team with no fit strikers, I think we can stick a fork in this turkey and say it's done.

 

... even if I can still be hopeful tomorrow is the first time in a long time we get the points at Anfield. Not that I think it's likely.

[Skip997]

I’ll “stick my neck out” and say that’s probably it

[charlierc]

On 2/25/2025 at 12:51 PM, charlierc said:

... even if I can still be hopeful tomorrow is the first time in a long time we get the points at Anfield. Not that I think it's likely.

Well... it went about as well as ever. Didn't expect much when Isak was ruled out with injury tbh.

[thetime]

Arsenal are in a bit of trouble getting top 4, no surprise and even I said it. Only scored in 1 of the games of the last 4. There front 3 currently is as bad as utd. 

 

Can see them being clawed back into the bunch off teams going for top 4. 

 

 

 

Edited February 26, 2025 by thetime

[FeverDream]

Well… LFC—NUFC went better than I expected. Predicted 3-0 Liverpool to my mates, so I’ll very reluctantly take 2-0. Luckily results yesterday went somewhat in our favour as we remain 6th (or were we 5th until yesterday? I can’t remember). But man, it makes you think. Had we won the Bournemouth, Fulham, West Ham and Brighton home games (which I’m sure all Toon fans expected to win) we’d be 2nd right now. Those will definitely be the games we look back on at the end of the season. At least the race for Europe is exciting, for once!

 

Thank god Isak has stayed fit for all of the season so far, and I pray to god his absence today due to groin issues was precautionary rather than anything major. We’re not the same team without him. I’ve absolutely no doubt in my mind he’d likely have scored Wilson’s first attempt (and remained onside) and absolutely buried his second attempt. 

[charlierc]

19 hours ago, thetime said:

Arsenal are in a bit of trouble getting top 4, no surprise and even I said it. Only scored in 1 of the games of the last 4. There front 3 currently is as bad as utd. 

 

Can see them being clawed back into the bunch off teams going for top 4. 

 

 

 

If they lost their next 2/3 games, it becomes a more realistic possibility. With an 8 point gap to 5th place Chelsea, they seem fine for now. Plus as said, it's likely top 5 will get Champions League so that's an insurance as well.

[charlierc]

The only reaction one can have to that Brighton game as a Newcastle fan is just "Urgh".

 

Hard to think how that could've gone worse.

[Skip997]

Great news from the Man Utd - Fulham game 

[thetime]

12 minutes ago, Skip997 said:

Great news from the Man Utd - Fulham game 

 

We are concentrating on the league... 😁

[Skip997]

😁

[pink_triangle]

This FA cup would be so exciting if Man City weren’t still in it.

[Crazyfool01]

5 minutes ago, pink_triangle said:

This FA cup would be so exciting if Man City weren’t still in it.

toughest draw available next round 

[pink_triangle]

11 minutes ago, Crazyfool01 said:

toughest draw available next round 

I would say Villa away the toughest, but at least they haven’t had an easy draw for a change. I was just waiting for them to get Preston at home.