Rival watch

I agree. But I'm taking this more from the angle of the title rather than merely a top 4 finish. I agree that to secure top 4 football, being flat-track bullies as Arsenal traditionally are is usually sufficient. But the gap between 4th and 1st can be and often is vast. Off the top of my head because I don't follow other teams that closely, but our two 4th-place finishes in recent years were a whopping 16 and 20 points off of the champions. Closing that kind of gap requires much more than simply steamrolling the 'little' teams; you need outfox the 'big' guns too. This may be stating the obvious, but this season for the first time has in a way presented a situation where the traditional big guns are all so s***e, that it has opened the door for perpetual haymakers Arsenal and even newcomers such as Leicester to stand a chance of winning it.

In a similar vein, I very much expect the gap between 1st and 4th to be the smallest it's ever been this year. IIRC, the last time we had a season like this was 1996-97, when United managed to win the league with just 75 points following Newcastle's 'I'd just love it' implosion under Keegan. That year, Newcastle, Arsenal and Liverpool all finished level on 68 points and had to be seperated by GD. What many Spurs fans prefer not to remember from that season (aside from being stuffed 6-1 by 1st Division Bolton in the cup), is that the table was so close that we finished 10th yet were only 6 points off the relegation zone! I wouldn't be surprised to see 4th less than 7 points off of 1st this year tbh.

 

To take one more spin at the wheel.

The top teams are suffering more from rich team’s disease, or Man City-itis (in which a football team dissolves into a collection of rather uninterested very rich young men under pressure). They’re also suffering more often from being a collection of recently bought strangers with no style, literally and figuratively.

The TV money and good managers are forging more teams into good and attractive sides. These teams tend to benefit from the 7 donkey syndrome as well. Take a team of very hard working players who’ve worked together to reach the PL and stay there, and you have the perfect team to add a top player or three to. The championship battlers understand they need to put their new stars in a position to win games.

But it’s more the latter than the former, for me.

 

Yeah, you're on the right track. Clubs know that the Premiership is where the money is! First of all is get there, and if you can, stay there by hook or by crook. And if you're already there, avoid relegation at all costs!

And, yes, the money does definitely seem to be leveling the playing field somewhat.

What I like about our manager is his constant references to the team! Unlike some others ( no names mentioned!) he understands that, above all, this is a team game! A 'team' will always eventually overcome a collection of 11 supposedly superior players.

 

That's the first time I've heard that term used and it's an intriguing one. I guess in a league as physical and fast-paced as the PL, in weather as bad as England's with no winter break, you absolutely do need a 'critical mass' of players who play with their heart on their sleeve. I think this was our single greatest failing in AVB's second season and it only marginally improved under Interim Tim because he at least had bags of passion under that gillet. We rapidly went from having Brad,Ledley, Daws, Paker, VDV etc. - players who played like they genuinely cared about the club, to a collection of misfits who appeared to genuinely not give a toss.

Now that I think about it, how many players can United, City, Chelsea, Liverpool boast of who truly wear their hearts on their sleeve? That is the single greatest benefit of investing in youth and bringing players through the academy; they care. And to the credit of our scouts, we've finally managed to bring in some players whose passion and commitment appears to be like-for-like in Dier, Toby and Alli. I'd even throw Lamela in there too, as much as I dislike tipping my hat to Baldini in any way, for the sheer fact that his dedication is second to none in most games.

 

It's the Battle of Boredom this evening, as Chelsea and Man Utd fight it out to see who can slow the game down more and play the most sideways passes.
Probably be 4-3 now I've said that!

 

strange team Wenger has picked. Chambers in midfield, Koscielny dropped (surely Mertesaker was the weak link!) for Gabriel

 

Chambers can play there. I thought he'd be starting in that role more regularly after Coquelin got injured.
Koscielny and Mertesacker were both **** against Southampton, so it's probably more about who's fresher.
Don't think Bournemouth have much of an aerial threat, though. Bit odd.

 

Shiqiri's second goal to make it 2-1 to Stoke:

Great goal, if he wasn't trying to square it!

 

Is this the one they are saying is goal of the season? Not as good as Martina's against the goons.

 

Utd v Chelsea is actually a good start to the game. Mata nearly scoring a belter and De Gea making a top save already.

 

Chelsea struggling badly. On the ropes.
Might want to try playing a striker!

 

West Ham continue their slide down the table. Championship football at the Olympic stadium yet?

 

Why isn't Martial booked for that obvious dive?
No contact, throws himself down and wants a penalty.
Pathetic.

 

Man Utd machine-gunning Hazard.
Lots and lots of fouls, mainly on the same player.

 

United have always played dirty.

I strongly believe that one of the major reasons for United's dramatic demise is the fact that refs are no longer tolerant of United's perpetual track-bully methods. With no Fergie there to terrorize cowardly refs, they are finally getting to treat United like any other side that relies on dirty tactics to win games.

 

Howard Webb got his P45 along with Sir Alex's departure so their 12th man is gone... for now!

 

Webb retired after years of sterling service, wasn't fired. #UtdLegend

 

Fired or retired, he'll frame that P45 looking back at the titles he helped his beloved Utd win

 

Webb was so tied to United, that he used to dive in the penalty box for them! I heard that, once, he was forced to send himself off for doing a hatchet-job on an opposing striker!

 

Matic