Football 2025-26

[thetime]

1 hour ago, balti-pie said:

crucially though, not Arsenal. Everyone's unfavourites. 

 

Arsenal winning never bothered me, except during the Wenger/fergie years. 

 

Only Liverpool and Leeds fall into that category. 

[balti-pie]

11 minutes ago, kaosmark2 said:

Outside the time the media were w*nking over Redknapp I've preferred Spurs to Arsenal, but yeah, that does colour it a bit.

 

Thought you looked excellent against both PSG and Man City. Spence's performances in those definitely warranted the England call-up. I loved watching Angeball but Frank has brought an organised press without compromising too much flair, and that's with Kulesevski injured.

 

Palhinha looks great and Xavi Simons (assuming it happens) is a big coup IMO. Big question for me is if the injuries of last season are going to be recurring, or if they were primarily a product of Ange's training/tactics combined with the chain of the first wave triggering players over-playing through December and getting injured from that.

 

I still don't rate Maddison though. A magic 10 minutes once a month isn't enough (unless you're Hatem Ben Arfa).

I disliked Maddison for years before he came to ours. I think he scored on his Leicester debut away at Man United, a consolation goal while 3-0 down or something of that ilk, and he just stood there and pointed to his name, and i thought 'berk' just as a neutral watching on tv. Still don't like him to be honest, he's a rat-face. 

 

In terms of being mostly neutral while other clubs win things - i don't particularly care if Man United or Liverpool win trophies, they're different flavours of the exact same thing to me. Big red machines. City and Chelsea trophies don't really count, and Arsenal trophies are a personal affront to nature and love, for humanity as a whole. They're a despicable smear on the face of society and should not be allowed to exist. The Partey stuff has been quite eye opening for the club as an entity though - and i'm not including all arsenal fans in my criticism here, because they have had a faction protesting and not wanting him playing and representing them (and fair play to them) - but the club itself has held its nose and supported a very, very unpleasant character purely because of what he meant to the first team. Morally bankrupt. 

 

Pretty much any other club winning things other than those five is good, and to be celebrated! I think that Newcastle, Palace and (yeah i know im biased) Spurs winning trophies as well were refreshing and beautiful occasions, and i'd like more of them, for other clubs. 

[kaosmark2]

45 minutes ago, balti-pie said:

I disliked Maddison for years before he came to ours. I think he scored on his Leicester debut away at Man United, a consolation goal while 3-0 down or something of that ilk, and he just stood there and pointed to his name, and i thought 'berk' just as a neutral watching on tv. Still don't like him to be honest, he's a rat-face. 

 

In terms of being mostly neutral while other clubs win things - i don't particularly care if Man United or Liverpool win trophies, they're different flavours of the exact same thing to me. Big red machines. City and Chelsea trophies don't really count, and Arsenal trophies are a personal affront to nature and love, for humanity as a whole. They're a despicable smear on the face of society and should not be allowed to exist. The Partey stuff has been quite eye opening for the club as an entity though - and i'm not including all arsenal fans in my criticism here, because they have had a faction protesting and not wanting him playing and representing them (and fair play to them) - but the club itself has held its nose and supported a very, very unpleasant character purely because of what he meant to the first team. Morally bankrupt. 

 

Pretty much any other club winning things other than those five is good, and to be celebrated! I think that Newcastle, Palace and (yeah i know im biased) Spurs winning trophies as well were refreshing and beautiful occasions, and i'd like more of them, for other clubs. 

I was so relieved when he signed for you, as we were heavily linked with him that summer as well. He has his moments of looking good, but there's so many games he does basically nothing. I don't watch anywhere near every Spurs game so I don't know for sure if it's an attitude problem, but there's certainly no consistency to his game. I suspect Frank ships him out in January if he doesn't start getting involved with the press when he's fit again.

 

I've quite enjoyed Man City winning things tbh. They had a significant amount of fans that stuck with them when they got relegated in the 90s. And they've mostly signed upcoming talented players as opposed to Galactico type signings. Far prefer them to Man U/Chelski/Liverpool/Arsenal, and Madrid/Bayern who've spent decades doing the same thing as Man U in their own leagues. They didn't try and go nearly as hard on the super league stuff either.

 

Fully agree on the Partey stuff, and it's not just about continuing to play him, they had him front and centre of a lot of promotion/advertising over the last year. Worth saying I don't think that would have happened under Wenger.

 

Completely agree on it being good to see other clubs winning things. I don't like Marinakis but I still hope Forest supporters manage to get that sort of feeling soon (particularly if Anderson gets to lift a trophy). It'd also be nice to see Brighton tell Liverpool and Chelsea to f**k off one year and just keep a team together long enough to win something.

[thetime]

Only utd can agree a fee, then its withdrawn an hour later. 🤣

[kaosmark2]

23 minutes ago, thetime said:

Only utd can agree a fee, then its withdrawn an hour later. 🤣

Lmao that's batshit. 

 

I imagine it's something to do with Betis and/or Antony realising Man U weren't going to cover a difference in wages. But still hilarious.

[thetime]

2 hours ago, kaosmark2 said:

that's batshit. 

 

 

Not as batshit spending 150m on him and Sancho. Also giving rashford 325k a week, with only getting over 11 league goals a season twice in his career. 

 

Mason mount on 250k a week.

Casemiro 350k a week. 

 

We could go on, its mental. 😂

 

 

[charlierc]

17 hours ago, thetime said:

 

Arsenal winning never bothered me, except during the Wenger/fergie years. 

 

Only Liverpool and Leeds fall into that category. 

There was an intensity around 1997-2005 to the Wenger v Fergie rivalry when it was always one of them getting the title. Can imagine it was difficult not to get swept up in that. 

 

Now I'm guessing it's still satisfying to win but it's no longer the biggest game in the calendar. 

[charlierc]

7 hours ago, kaosmark2 said:

Lmao that's batshit. 

 

I imagine it's something to do with Betis and/or Antony realising Man U weren't going to cover a difference in wages. But still hilarious.

It was certainly something to go to sleep last night seeing everyone saying it's done then waking up seeing everyone now saying the exact opposite. 

 

Maybe another loan might yet happen but it's still a bit of a debacle. 

[charlierc]

16 hours ago, kaosmark2 said:

It'd also be nice to see Brighton tell Liverpool and Chelsea to f**k off one year and just keep a team together long enough to win something.

What exactly is the deal there? Brighton aren't really using Enciso and Buonanotte yet are currently selling the former for Chelsea to forward on to Strasbourg on loan and the latter has apparently turned down Leeds to join Chelsea on loan. 

 

There's certainly a peculiarity in Chelsea continually using Brighton as a feeder club to begin with but doing it for players who spent last season on loan with Ipswich and Leicester sides that came nowhere near survival just adds to the puzzle. 

[SPW]

4 hours ago, charlierc said:

There was an intensity around 1997-2005 to the Wenger v Fergie rivalry when it was always one of them getting the title. Can imagine it was difficult not to get swept up in that. 

 

Now I'm guessing it's still satisfying to win but it's no longer the biggest game in the calendar. 

Football wise it was a great rivalry, and intense as you say. Have great memories of the games v Arsenal because of that intensity. For me, though, it was always different to a Liv or City rivalry which is something different altogether. 

[thetime]

5 hours ago, charlierc said:

 

 

Now I'm guessing it's still satisfying to win but it's no longer the biggest game in the calendar. 

 

Liverpool always the biggest rivalry. What's weird is there glory days, never really clashed with ours. They ruined my childhood, im sure we did the same in the 90s and 00's. 

 

They dominated in the 70s and 80s, where utd won 3 trophies and relegated. Utd dominated 90s and 00's and they were nowhere in the league. Now they are on top, utd could be relegated this season with the manager and gk situation. 

[charlierc]

9 hours ago, thetime said:

 

Liverpool always the biggest rivalry. What's weird is there glory days, never really clashed with ours. They ruined my childhood, im sure we did the same in the 90s and 00's. 

 

They dominated in the 70s and 80s, where utd won 3 trophies and relegated. Utd dominated 90s and 00's and they were nowhere in the league. Now they are on top, utd could be relegated this season with the manager and gk situation. 

Certainly when they had the direct Man Utd v Liverpool title fight in 2009, it felt like an exception for those two to be the direct participants. Then Liverpool fell off a cliff again and the idea of it becoming the regular thing fizzled out. 

 

Certainly, beating Burnley helps dilute some of the tension but you'll need more than that to demonstrate a corner has been turned. 

 

Even if I'm aware Sky rather generously chose to broadcast our game at Leeds for anyone who needed a nap. 

[thetime]

13 minutes ago, charlierc said:

Certainly when they had the direct Man Utd v Liverpool title fight in 2009, it felt like an exception for those two to be the direct participants. Then Liverpool fell off a cliff again and the idea of it becoming the regular thing fizzled out. 

 

Certainly, beating Burnley helps dilute some of the tension but you'll need more than that to demonstrate a corner has been turned. 

 

Even if I'm aware Sky rather generously chose to broadcast our game at Leeds for anyone who needed a nap. 

 

Utd certainly not turned a corner, thats couple of windows away. City and Chelsea next up. Still expect utd to be in the bottom 3 by October internationals, maybe accompanied by Newcastle. 

[SPW]

19 hours ago, thetime said:

 

Liverpool always the biggest rivalry. What's weird is there glory days, never really clashed with ours. They ruined my childhood, im sure we did the same in the 90s and 00's. 

 

They dominated in the 70s and 80s, where utd won 3 trophies and relegated. Utd dominated 90s and 00's and they were nowhere in the league. Now they are on top, utd could be relegated this season with the manager and gk situation. 

Was saying exact same to someone in the pub after yesterday that the respective cycles have never really aligned (and that for the size of the clubs the lulls have been very long). 

[charlierc]

20 hours ago, SPW said:

Football wise it was a great rivalry, and intense as you say. Have great memories of the games v Arsenal because of that intensity. For me, though, it was always different to a Liv or City rivalry which is something different altogether. 

I remember as a kid watching the famed Man Utd v Arsenal game in 2004 that ended the Arsenal Invincibles' unbeaten run and it was one of the most intense and vicious games in PL history. If they had VAR, the game would've gone on for a week. The 0-0 the year before was pretty much a riot as well.

 

Even by the end of the decade, it felt like that rivalry had peaked though. Still some bite when they play one another, but having Chelsea and an improved Liverpool along for the ride kinda made it no longer feel like the biggest of affairs. It certainly was a contrast to the Man City-Liverpool period at the turn of the decade when those two were the regular top 2 and the games between them, while having some spice, never quite felt that nasty.

[charlierc]

9 hours ago, thetime said:

 

Utd certainly not turned a corner, thats couple of windows away. City and Chelsea next up. Still expect utd to be in the bottom 3 by October internationals, maybe accompanied by Newcastle. 

We do seem to have peaks and troughs. I think last season we were below Man Utd and Spurs in late November, then really found a tweak that unlocked performance and flew up the table whereas those two decided the Europa League was the priority fairly early on. Our next 4 is Wolves, Bournemouth, Arsenal and Forest... there's at least one win in there with any luck.

 

Admittedly I have no idea what the hell is going to happen over the next day and a half until the window shuts. Could get Wissa, could get Strand Larsen, or could still have that malcontent Isak around because Liverpool seem to think they can just offer £10-30mil less than the media report they're going to offer (something they're also doing with Guehi).

 

I can guess for Man Utd that there are two better games they can return from the internationals with, although even then, they seem to play better against other ESL 6 teams than the rest of the league. Maybe if the following two against Brentford and Sunderland also go wrong, that could be the end of Mr. 3-4-2-1. But we shall see.

[thetime]

2 hours ago, charlierc said:

I remember as a kid watching the famed Man Utd v Arsenal game in 2004 that ended the Arsenal Invincibles' unbeaten run and it was one of the most intense and vicious games in PL history. If they had VAR, the game would've gone on for a week. The 0-0 the year before was pretty much a riot as well.

 

 

 

You're to young to remember both teams getting points deducted, for a massive brawl of 20 players in 1990. 

 

 

Edited August 31, 2025 by thetime

[thetime]

Newcastle will look a bit silly signing Wissa after today's comments. Especially with the over reaction from the club and fans with Isak. 

 

 

[thetime]

3 hours ago, SPW said:

Was saying exact same to someone in the pub after yesterday that the respective cycles have never really aligned (and that for the size of the clubs the lulls have been very long). 

 

There is certainly a pattern forming post Busby and post Fergie, although post Busby a quicker decline to relegation.

 

Tommy Doc and sexton stabilised utd, Ron Atkinson was unlucky. Never finishing outside the top 4 and a couple of cup wins. Should of won the league 1 year, after going 10 straight wins at the start of the season. Then Robbo got injured, utd fans knew the crack when that happened. 

[kaosmark2]

3 hours ago, thetime said:

Newcastle will look a bit silly signing Wissa after today's comments. Especially with the over reaction from the club and fans with Isak. 

I do think there's differences, but I'd definitely prefer to have someone else instead of him given his tantrum.

 

If Isak had submitted a transfer request instead of trying to pretend he deserves a loyalty bonus with a sale noone would care as much.

[charlierc]

1 hour ago, kaosmark2 said:

I do think there's differences, but I'd definitely prefer to have someone else instead of him given his tantrum.

 

If Isak had submitted a transfer request instead of trying to pretend he deserves a loyalty bonus with a sale noone would care as much.

Tbf the way Wissa had put his out in forensic detail was more interesting than Isak's cryptology. But yeah, I can't say I feel enticed. It is a curious psychology now though to see Eze & Guehi earn praise for playing on despite the links (and indeed Wolves' JSL until the injury yesterday) while Wissa & Isak are doing their best to lose people's support by being this petulant.

 

Maybe Liverpool should get Wissa instead for the lolz.

 

As already discussed, it is bizarre Isak started throwing this tantrum after Liverpool signed Ekiteke. If in mid-June or something Isak handed in the transfer request, and we didn't have to do a desperate last minute scramble for Plan B/C, then that would've felt slightly less infuriating. But it is what it is.

Edited August 31, 2025 by charlierc

[charlierc]

5 hours ago, thetime said:

 

You're to young to remember both teams getting points deducted, for a massive brawl of 20 players in 1990. 

 

 

I do seem to recall seeing the footage. Honestly, think a points deduction for that was harsh. Though I'm aware the history is full of flashpoints - van Nistelrooy getting bullied in 2003, that incident in 2004 above or the near tunnel fight in 2005.

 

Maybe it's more noteworthy when it gets excessive. The time Arsenal & Chelsea had a combined 3 players sent off for a fight in the League Cup final was particularly impressive.

[thetime]

50 minutes ago, charlierc said:

I do seem to recall seeing the footage. Honestly, think a points deduction for that was harsh. Though I'm aware the history is full of flashpoints - van Nistelrooy getting bullied in 2003, that incident in 2004 above or the near tunnel fight in 2005.

 

Maybe it's more noteworthy when it gets excessive. The time Arsenal & Chelsea had a combined 3 players sent off for a fight in the League Cup final was particularly impressive.

 

Proper football. 

 

Miss all that, blood and thunder football. 

[kaosmark2]

1 hour ago, thetime said:

Proper football. 

 

Miss all that, blood and thunder football. 

Well I heard the fans of a certain club have saved football.

[thetime]

2 minutes ago, kaosmark2 said:

Well I heard the fans of a certain club have saved football.

 

You've lost me.