Football 2025-26

[thetime]

16 hours ago, Punksnotdead said:

Absolutely delighted tonight but I'm not kidding myself that we're suddenly a great team - we could easily have lost comfortably - indeed, the post was probably our man of the match! 🤣 Definitely better signs up front for us this season but we still look dodgy in midfield and at the back (although our goalie looks like an upgrade on the 2 other clowns we've had between the sticks).

 

Certainly nice to have a GK not dive out of the way. The midfield situation will get us more often than not this season. 

 

That being said the new signings are doing well. Hopefully get the midfield sorted next summer. 

 

Result wise it hasn't been a bad start, expected defeats against Arsenal and City. Unexpected wins against Chelsea and Liverpool, only the Brentford defeat has been the one they should of won. 

 

Really need to back it up v Brighton. 

 

 

[SPW]

19 hours ago, thetime said:

 

Certainly nice to have a GK not dive out of the way. The midfield situation will get us more often than not this season. 

 

That being said the new signings are doing well. Hopefully get the midfield sorted next summer. 

 

Result wise it hasn't been a bad start, expected defeats against Arsenal and City. Unexpected wins against Chelsea and Liverpool, only the Brentford defeat has been the one they should of won. 

 

Really need to back it up v Brighton. 

 

 

Yeah the space left in the midfield continues to be an issue, and we will get caught out by that if not fixed.  Hard to fathom how poor they looked effort/tactically v Brentford when it all felt a bit hopeless and deffo felt a potential turning point in the away end that day. But fingers crossed they can build a bit of momentum. 

 

Thought Cunha was v.good on Sun and showed he has the head for United - was the one who really kept his nerve towards the end. Promising start by the keeper who looks 'steady' and steady is what we need between the posts! 

 

And fair play to Maguire - notwithstanding if he is ultimately the level needed for a successful United or not, he had a really rough time of it but kept his head down and broke through that. Not many have that resilience so fair play to him.

[thetime]

5 hours ago, SPW said:

 

 

And fair play to Maguire - notwithstanding if he is ultimately the level needed for a successful United or not, he had a really rough time of it but kept his head down and broke through that. Not many have that resilience so fair play to him.

 

Personally just think the captaincy was to big for him at utd, especially being relatively bew to the club. 

 

He has been 'adequate' without it. 

Edited October 21, 2025 by thetime

[charlierc]

Curious to see us score more in the Champions League than the Premier League. But hey, least we have proof of concept that the attack can score and cause others trouble.

 

Not a bad start in Europe at all. Now just have to work on the domestic side of things.

[charlierc]

On 20/10/2025 at 12:29, thetime said:

Result wise it hasn't been a bad start, expected defeats against Arsenal and City. Unexpected wins against Chelsea and Liverpool, only the Brentford defeat has been the one they should of won. 

 

Really need to back it up v Brighton. 

Tbf judging by yesterday, Brentford look like they have sussed quite a few things out. Though admittedly that may have been helped by West Ham being abysmal. Chelsea was a very odd game but I guess when they had their keeper sent off straight away and immediately sacrificed all their attackers, that did help.

 

Football is a weird sport though, no? Lord knows I watched the Ashley-era Newcastle on multiple occasions give a bloody nose to a big 6 team then faceplant against a side on its way to the Championship.

[kaosmark2]

9 minutes ago, charlierc said:

Curious to see us score more in the Champions League than the Premier League. But hey, least we have proof of concept that the attack can score and cause others trouble.

 

Not a bad start in Europe at all. Now just have to work on the domestic side of things.

Some of those flicks from Woltemade were things of absolute beauty. Gordon scoring in every CL game and not getting any in the Prem is kinda funny though.

[thetime]

8 minutes ago, kaosmark2 said:

Some of those flicks from Woltemade were things of absolute beauty.

 

Are you geordies on some hallucinating drugs? I watched 70 minutes of the Newcastle game, intrigued by Woltemade and he didn't do anything of note. 

[charlierc]

8 hours ago, kaosmark2 said:

Some of those flicks from Woltemade were things of absolute beauty. Gordon scoring in every CL game and not getting any in the Prem is kinda funny though.

It is quite a contrast for Gordon to have a 100% record in the Champions League but have his most noteworthy PL contribution be that red against Liverpool. Maybe we need to play the music before every game to trick him. 

 

Pope getting an assist with a 60+ yard throw was quite impressive. Plus tbf I've not been convinced by Barnes so far this season so a brace was good stuff. 

[kaosmark2]

12 hours ago, thetime said:

 

Are you geordies on some hallucinating drugs? I watched 70 minutes of the Newcastle game, intrigued by Woltemade and he didn't do anything of note. 

There were a couple of one-touch flicks to play someone in that didn't lead to something, but that one for the 3rd goal was so gorgeous.

[kaosmark2]

3 hours ago, charlierc said:

It is quite a contrast for Gordon to have a 100% record in the Champions League but have his most noteworthy PL contribution be that red against Liverpool. Maybe we need to play the music before every game to trick him. 

 

Pope getting an assist with a 60+ yard throw was quite impressive. Plus tbf I've not been convinced by Barnes so far this season so a brace was good stuff. 

Barnes has tended to run hot and cold throughout his career, not just for us but also Leicester. And when he's not getting shots away his contribution tends to look really quite flat. Hopefully it gives him some confidence to kick on and get into a good run again.

[balti-pie]

I really like Woltemade. And there's something lovely about seeing Isak doing bugger all at Liverpool.

Now i dont particularly like - or hate, for that matter  - Newcastle, they're just sort of there, i think its just distaste at Isak downing tools and forcing a move out of a club where if he'd played it just a little differently, he would have been loved for forever even having moved away. And having done that, for his replacement to instantly start doing bits straight off the bat and looking really elegant and perfect for the prem, its just nice to look at as a neutral.

(til he scores against us, and i'll call him all the c**ts under the sun 😄)

[charlierc]

1 hour ago, balti-pie said:

I really like Woltemade. And there's something lovely about seeing Isak doing bugger all at Liverpool.

Now i dont particularly like - or hate, for that matter  - Newcastle, they're just sort of there, i think its just distaste at Isak downing tools and forcing a move out of a club where if he'd played it just a little differently, he would have been loved for forever even having moved away. And having done that, for his replacement to instantly start doing bits straight off the bat and looking really elegant and perfect for the prem, its just nice to look at as a neutral.

(til he scores against us, and i'll call him all the c**ts under the sun 😄)

The Isak case is curious. I definitely think Ekiteke has looked better but I wonder if Isak plays better as a focal point. It could also be it ties in with Liverpool having problems on their right flank given they don't seem settled on a first choice right back and Salah is having a fairly mediocre start by his high standards, though it could be argued Isak is better served by a winger who feeds him whereas Salah has something akin to a free role where he'll frequently try to score himself. 

 

At the very least, I'm happy we've landed on our feet. Wissa getting injured on international duty before he'd even played for us could've derailed this as much as the Isak shambles but Woltemade is looking like a decent line leader already. So that's a big plus. We do need to get more given we're still on just 2 Premier League wins so far against 2 of the early bottom 3, but there's scope to grow alright. 

[thetime]

6 hours ago, charlierc said:

The Isak case is curious. I definitely think Ekiteke has looked better but I wonder if Isak plays better as a focal point. It could also be it ties in with Liverpool having problems on their right flank given they don't seem settled on a first choice right back and Salah is having a fairly mediocre start by his high standards, though it could be argued Isak is better served by a winger who feeds him whereas Salah has something akin to a free role where he'll frequently try to score himself. 

 

I think people are being a bit harsh on Liverpool to be honest. They are transitioning to a new team. Diaz leaving, Jota passing away. Perhaps the Jota passing is having a big impact on the likes of Salah. 

 

Will take time, with the hew forward line. Slowly removing Salah and Dijk is the way forward. 

[charlierc]

18 minutes ago, thetime said:

 

I think people are being a bit harsh on Liverpool to be honest. They are transitioning to a new team. Diaz leaving, Jota passing away. Perhaps the Jota passing is having a big impact on the likes of Salah. 

 

Will take time, with the hew forward line. Slowly removing Salah and Dijk is the way forward. 

Tbf Liverpool have just beaten Frankfurt in the Champions League and racked up 5 goals in the process. That'll certainly put any crisis talk to bed for at least a few days.

 

It's easy to overreact based on an individual streak of games tbf and I do try not to do it. But I do stand by the query about right-back, not least as Szoboszlai seems to be their best option there. Admittedly part of that is based on watching him be surprisingly good in that role when Liverpool played us a few months back. 

[charlierc]

Interesting results so far this weekend. West Ham look already in deep sh*t, Sunderland have really done well to subvert the recent trend of promoted clubs doing badly, Chelsea feel like a team who need players back, Man Utd are starting to look a lot better and Liverpool seemed to go back to having problems after Frankfurt. 

 

Plus also Newcastle got a last minute winner and I got to laugh at my Fulham supporting friend who very gleefully rubbed it in when they beat us home and away last season. The important things ofc. 

[kaosmark2]

2 minutes ago, charlierc said:

Chelsea feel like a team who need players back

Given the obscene amounts of both spend, and churn at that club, and the fact they expanded the dressing room to accommodate their oversized squad, this seems completely ridiculous.

 

Last season the whole thing was that while their 1st team wasn't that strong, the drop-off to their 2nd string was so minimal they could win while rotating 8+ players.

 

Zero sympathy for Chelsea whining about injuries. They've got more than enough names that they signed on big money.

[charlierc]

10 minutes ago, kaosmark2 said:

Given the obscene amounts of both spend, and churn at that club, and the fact they expanded the dressing room to accommodate their oversized squad, this seems completely ridiculous.

 

Last season the whole thing was that while their 1st team wasn't that strong, the drop-off to their 2nd string was so minimal they could win while rotating 8+ players.

 

Zero sympathy for Chelsea whining about injuries. They've got more than enough names that they signed on big money.

They're a very odd club in many respects. It's kinda strange that they've spent extravagant sums in transfer fees and wages but seem to be aiming for the resale profit approach a la Brighton. A club who's philosophy ironically works because Chelsea keep buying their best players. 

 

Even then, it was their choice not to sign an extra centre back when they needed it or seem to be only interested in stockpiling wingers when other positions seemed to be bigger problem positions.

[kaosmark2]

3 minutes ago, charlierc said:

They're a very odd club in many respects. It's kinda strange that they've spent extravagant sums in transfer fees and wages but seem to be aiming for the resale profit approach a la Brighton. A club who's philosophy ironically works because Chelsea keep buying their best players. 

 

Even then, it was their choice not to sign an extra centre back when they needed it or seem to be only interested in stockpiling wingers when other positions seemed to be bigger problem positions.

It feels like Boehly simultaneously wants to try and do the Galacticos thing and the Moneyball thing. They struck lucky with quite how good Palmer is and Caicedo is a beast of a midfielder (even if Maresca plays him at right-back 1/4 games which.... weird), but other than those 2 there's not really anyone who looks brilliant. Enzo Fernandez certainly isn't a flop, but arguably their other best player is Reece James, from their own academy. And as you say, they still don't seem to have numbers or quality at centre-back.

 

I don't know if the wingers thing is whimsical, or based on some analytical metric that even if they don't play, young wingers hold their value best. I have a nasty suspicion it's the latter, and yet more dehumanisation of players into assets for the PSR churn.

[thetime]

12 minutes ago, charlierc said:

They're a very odd club in many respects. It's kinda strange that they've spent extravagant sums in transfer fees and wages but seem to be aiming for the resale profit approach a la Brighton. A club who's philosophy ironically works because Chelsea keep buying their best players. 

 

Even then, it was their choice not to sign an extra centre back when they needed it or seem to be only interested in stockpiling wingers when other positions seemed to be bigger problem positions.

 

I don't think Chelsea have much to worry about, if they won yesterday they would be sitting in 2nd place now. Likewise if Utd lost yesterday, they would of been sitting in 10th place. 

 

There's only 6 points between 2nd and 15th, for me the league hasn't settled down yet. More to do with internationals, or perhaps the amount of teams in European competition. Maybe telling 3 of the top 5 are not playing in Europe. 

 

Edited October 26, 2025 by thetime

[andyrhodes24]

41 minutes ago, charlierc said:

Interesting results so far this weekend. West Ham look already in deep sh*t, Sunderland have really done well to subvert the recent trend of promoted clubs doing badly

I’d still expect us (Leeds) to go down, we haven’t looked great really. We’ll run out of steam in the upcoming run of Brighton, Forest, Villa, City, Chelsea, Liverpool. We’ve struggled for game management and nearly threw it away on Friday by letting West Ham have the ball the entire second half.

 

Sunderland will stay up, and think some of the sides down there at the moment will get themselves together. Strange old vision this season.

 

DOWN: Leeds, Burnley, Wolves.

[Skip997]

2 hours ago, andyrhodes24 said:

We’ll run out of steam in the upcoming run of Brighton, Forest, Villa, City, Chelsea, Liverpool.

You’ll beat Liverpool, anyone can beat them at the moment.

 

 I thought we’d got the new Bob Paisley, we’ve actually got the new Roy Hodgson, making players worse.

 

Strangely Klopp won the league with Liverpool last season even though he wasn’t the manager. 

[thetime]

1 hour ago, Skip997 said:

 

Strangely Klopp won the league with Liverpool last season even though he wasn’t the manager. 

 

You're more reactionary than a utd fan. 

 

Was always going to take time at Liverpool after last season wasnt it? 6 big money signings are not going to gel at once.  Add that salah being 33 and Dijk being 34, they are not going to be at the same level. 

 

Also losing 3 forwards and trent, plus the tragedy of Jota on everyone's mind. 

 

Champions league qualification has to be Liverpool's aim.

[Skip997]

50 minutes ago, thetime said:

 

You're more reactionary than a utd fan. 

 

Was always going to take time at Liverpool after last season wasnt it? 6 big money signings are not going to gel at once.  Add that salah being 33 and Dijk being 34, they are not going to be at the same level. 

 

Also losing 3 forwards and trent, plus the tragedy of Jota on everyone's mind. 

 

Champions league qualification has to be Liverpool's aim.

The tragedy of Jota is having an effect that most are ignoring, Isak was a mistake as was signing so many at once. Said so at time. 
 

Slot doesn’t seem to have a clue what to do.

[andyrhodes24]

2 hours ago, Skip997 said:

You’ll beat Liverpool, anyone can beat them at the moment.

 

 I thought we’d got the new Bob Paisley, we’ve actually got the new Roy Hodgson, making players worse.

 

Strangely Klopp won the league with Liverpool last season even though he wasn’t the manager. 

Very alarming if Man United can get a result against them never mind at Anfield. Having said that, they’re only two wins away from that lad getting a haircut.

 

Down the bottom the worrying thing for me is that we’ve still got Fulham, Forest and West Ham below us, and I think they’ll all improve.

 

Don't think West Ham are as doomed as their fans think, these clubs have a habit of scraping by.

[thetime]

9 minutes ago, andyrhodes24 said:

Very alarming if Man United can get a result against them never mind at Anfield. Having said that, they’re only two wins away from that lad getting a haircut.

 

 

 

Win next Saturday utd are up to 2nd, will get a bit dizzy up there. 😆😆