*** The official 2025/26 Premier League thread ***

[Robspur12]

Bloody hell I thought that was a pen.

 

[Chrissivad]

Bloody hell I thought that was a pen.

Yeah seems like if your close enough it doesn't matter where your arms are now

 

[Lemonade Money]

What an embarrassing club and manager.

 

[Lemonade Money]

How brick are toon.

 

[Dicko]

Ergh

 

[Rafa87]

I don’t think I ever see them win a game where they haven’t dived, cried and cheated their way through it.

Utter scum club, this particular version of them as well with Lego Pep and Gabriel etc are a particularly unlikeable bunch of scum.

 

[DubSpur]

What's Pope doing there?

 

[Robbo]

Jammy clams

 

[Jurgen the German]

Brilliant. Really glad Liverpool lost yesterday which means scum are now only 2 points behind them.

 

[Robspur12]

Was that 2 corners they scored from?

 

[Lemonade Money]

Celebrating like they've won the league again.

 

[Yiddo]

Hate them clams.

 

[Rafa87]

Has Odegaard got the camera out yet?

 

[DeanoAustin]

There’s a change in how teams approach football now. More long balls. More reliance on corners. Long throws. Long goal kicks. I do think coaches had become too hive minded about trying to be Pep and high pressing and there is more than one way to play the game (and the game needs diverse tactical approaches) but I hope everyone doesn’t follow this direction slavishly and we end up with football akin to the late 80s straight out of the Charles Hughes handbook.

Woolwich are the poster boy for it but saw us doing all of the above last night.

 

[Kandi1977]

fudging Pope, flapping around like a seal begging for fish. Absolute idiot. There was no way he'd get to the ball. If he stays on the line, it's an easy catch.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

There’s a change in how teams approach football now. More long balls. More reliance on corners. Long throws. Long goal kicks. I do think coaches had become too hive minded about trying to be Pep and high pressing and there is more than one way to play the game (and the game needs diverse tactical approaches) but I hope everyone doesn’t follow this direction slavishly and we end up with football akin to the late 80s straight out of the Charles Hughes handbook.

Woolwich are the poster boy for it but saw us doing all of the above last night.

It’s mad really because your talking about a time when coaches have more tools and players available than ever

 

[Baleforce]

Football is a sandbox, styles will follow what’s rewarded by the officiating and demanded by the fanbases and owners.

 

[yiddo37]

I thought that at the start of the season, but I increasingly fancy City.

Getting Dunna Runner in as GK may just win them the title

 

[DeanoAustin]

Football is a sandbox, styles will follow what’s rewarded by the officiating and demanded by the fanbases and owners.

Not necessarily. You had the likes of Russell Martin and Vincent Kompany in the PL thinking they could play out from the back despite gifting goals every week.

There were (and maybe still are) tonnes of teams down the leagues doing it when their players aren’t capable and so many underage coaches think likewise. Lots of coaches follow trends.

 

[SissokoWasGood (BoL)]

Not necessarily. You had the likes of Russell Martin and Vincent Kompany in the PL thinking they could play out from the back despite gifting goals every week.

There were (and maybe still are) tonnes of teams down the leagues doing it when their players aren’t capable and so many underage coaches think likewise. Lots of coaches follow trends.

I think it’s that when so many teams tried to copy Pep and get small, nifty little players that can play in tight spaces, they’ve left a gap for teams that want to emphasise size can exploit.