The Premiership - Is this the best ever?

[bluebastardo]

Yes, we're not at our best.......but.......

The Premiership this year is turning out to be one of the most exciting seasons I've witnessed for some time.

The top 4 are being taken to the cleaners by teams that are finding their feet and refusing to be bullied. Even Utd have lost a game, and might have lost a few more had it not been for late goals.

Not one side is unbeaten.

Burnley have a 100% home record for example, yet can't win away.

Man City are proving to be a force, as are Spurs.

Villa are finding their feet after a bad start, and even Portsmouth are playing great football despite their position.

Stoke are making people sit up and take notice, and Sunderland look a real force.

This could be the best Prem season since it started if things keep going the way they've started.

Could Liverpool actually miss out on a top 6 finish?
Could Arsenal?
Infact, nobody is safe at the moment.

It's great!

Except that we're dropping points like everyone else. :huh:

 

[Goat]

Normal service will resume, Chelsea, Arse and united will win lots, Spurs, Villa and City will do well, Sunderland will push everybody hard. The Rs are crap, dont even care about them.

And when we get our stars back we will start to motor, again, too late.

 

[bluebastardo]

I think the top 4 will be smashed wide open this year if a few teams can stick the pace.
The LFC-Utd game next week should be interesting.

 

[davek]

I think the top 4 will be smashed wide open this year if a few teams can stick the pace.
The LFC-Utd game next week should be interesting.

If they get beat against United next week and lose again a couple of times before Christmas (hopefully one against us) then I'd say a very big question mark would hang over Benitez. I know the smart money would be on letting him see out the season if they were adrift at Christmas, but that debt is hanging over LFC like a dark storm cloud. I'd love to see him sacked, tbh. I know that others like Mikel say it'd lead to their appointment of a better manager, but I'd take that risk in order to see a man who has no respect whatsoever for Everton FC humiliated.

 

[daza_1973]

Nothing will change IMO, okay the shi*e are all but out of the running and Spurs / The Makems have had a bit of a good start, but come May it will be the usual suspects filling the top 3 - maybe if Citeh spend big in January they might pip the shi*e to fourth.
Then us, villa, Spurs and one of the above two will battle it out for fifth (ring a bell ???) :sleep:

 

[best little spaniard]

Will end up being the same as ever.

Maybe one other team will crack the sky 4, which the media won't let us forget.

 

[bluebastardo]

Nothing will change IMO, okay the shi*e are all but out of the running and Spurs / The Makems have had a bit of a good start, but come May it will be the usual suspects filling the top 3 - maybe if Citeh spend big in January they might pip the shi*e to fourth.
Then us, villa, Spurs and one of the above two will battle it out for fifth (ring a bell ???) :sleep:

Do you genuinely believe we will be in for a shout of 5th m8?

 

[NeoNaoNeo]

There'll be a different top 4 this season, I'll say that now. Whether it's Liverpool (who will inevitably go on one of their 20 match unbeaten runs around Christmas) or Arsenal who drop out for Spurs or City (or Villa or...dare I say us at a MASSIVE push) is anyones guess.

 

[bluebastardo]

Wigan looked very good today.
They are playing very well this season despite a few thumpings, and it wouldn't surprise me to see them pushing for Europe.

BTW.. Isn't anyone voting?

 

[NeoNaoNeo]

Well I don't know what to pick. Because for me it'll definitely be Chelsea or United who win the league, which is same as always, but it'll be different cos it'll be a different top 4.

 

[Goat]

I think somebody will take the RS place in the top 4, thats about it. The teams I said at the start of the season will challenge, Utd, Chelski, Arse, Villa, Spurs, City, Sunderland, the rest will scrap it out for minor places.

 

[bluebastardo]

I wonder how much influence the World Cup will have.
Bent must surely be in contention, as must Defoe, but some of the midfielders and defenders must be a little concerned in the top teams.

 

[daza_1973]

Do you genuinely believe we will be in for a shout of 5th m8?

Why not - we are a fifth of the way into the season, we are six points off 5th and a game in hand over most above us.

As I mentioned in another thread yesterday we are up on this time last years tally of points. If we had had this conversation exactly a year ago it would have seemed far fetched, but then we played Utd at home Neville did Ronaldo - felliani equalised and we never really looked back.

To quote an alcoholic cockney - it's a funny 'ald game

 

[bluebastardo]

Our first 9 last year:

Blackburn
West Brom
Portsmouth
Stoke
Hull
Liverpool
Newcastle
Arsenal
Man Utd

Our first 9 this year:

Arsenal
Burnley
Wigan
Fulham
Blackburn
Portsmouth
Stoke
Wolves
Bolton

Much harder start last year.

 

[Cahill_Winner]

I'd say this season is certainly entertaining in the respect that results are less predictable and the top 7 has never been so competitive (or so much quality in the likes of Spurs, Villa, us and City trying to wrestle into 4th place, at the expense of a very weakoned looking Liverpool, and pretty shaky Uniteds and Chesleas right now).

So results are exciting, however, does anyone else think there has been a general trend toward setpiece goals these days. Hardly any team seems very proficient at defending them, while more and more teams gear themselves up to exploit this as perhaps the important point of attack. It used to just be Bolton, but now Stoke, Blackburn, Villa are at it.

Although to be fair, Burnley, Pompey and other strugglers are still trying to fashion chances in a more reasonable way. As I've typed this I'm thinking there is less truth in it than I first thought, but the point remains that seeing as so many teams are hopeless at dealing with aerial balls, the culture of setpiece attacking can be expected to expand in the future, if defending doesn't improve.