Rival watch

[The RDBD]

Just for this game? Sounds about right...

Nah, save him for the 6 game ban resulting from a game next weekend (over to you, Jan) .

 

[Citizen Kane]

Chelsea's recent form:

P6 W6 D0 L0 GF 17 GA 0

Next weekend is going to be our hardest game of the season, of that I have no doubt. Conte is doing a fantastic job with the ****es it has to be said.

 

[The RDBD]

Next weekend is going to be our hardest game of the season, of that I have no doubt.

Only if the ref is going to do a Clattenf**k.
Other than that, will IMHO be the same as the game just gone against the Goons
(another side in alleged "great form" who did not survive scrutiny in the cold light of day) .

 

[The Changing Man]

Chelsea's recent form:

P6 W6 D0 L0 GF 17 GA 0

Next weekend is going to be our hardest game of the season, of that I have no doubt. Conte is doing a fantastic job with the ****es it has to be said.

Its really annoying I have always liked Conte and Klopp, not only good managers, but they also seem like genuinely likeable people, why they had to end up at Chelsea and Liverpool god only knows, but I think they both have all the tools to be very successful (unfortunately).

 

[Citizen Kane]

Only if the ref is going to do a Clattenf**k.
Other than that, will IMHO be the same as the game just gone against the Goons
(another side in alleged "great form" who did not survive scrutiny in the cold light of day) .

They've comfortably disposed of Everton, Soton and United - 3 of the supposedly 'decent' sides in the league. Arsenal by contrast had faced a sorry collection of relegation fodder in the build-up to us outplaying an out-thinking them at the Library.

Don't know about you but given the fact that the mercenaries in royal blue tend to treat games against us as a cup final, I'm nervous as ****.

 

[Citizen Kane]

Only if the ref is going to do a Clattenf**k.
Other than that, will IMHO be the same as the game just gone against the Goons
(another side in alleged "great form" who did not survive scrutiny in the cold light of day) .

They've comfortably disposed of Everton, Soton and United - 3 of the supposedly 'decent' sides in the league. Arsenal by contrast had faced a sorry collection of relegation fodder in the build-up to us outplaying an out-thinking them at the Library.

Don't know about you but given the fact that the mercenaries in royal blue tend to treat games against us as a cup final, I'm nervous as ****.

 

[Citizen Kane]

In fact, I'm so nervous I've posted that twice

 

[The RDBD]

... Don't know about you but given the fact that the mercenaries in royal blue tend to treat games against us as a cup final, I'm nervous as ****.

Even with all this, it is testament to the defensive regime that Pochettino has
produced, that I am confident that Spurs will not lose (tis the bus-parking
smash and grab wannabees that scare me most) .

 

[Bodinki]

1-0 win either way or a 0-0 draw for me

 

[Diego]

1-0 win either way or a 0-0 draw for me

This could be the best possible time for you to play them, Toby may still be out and Rose is banned leaving the defence a lot weaker than usual.

 

[Hoddle is a god]

2. MoTD did say that Leicester this season have the most worsest away form ... in the PL.

Leicester City are a completed disgrace, this season.

There is no doubt in my mind that I will not see a bottling like theirs by another league champion side, in my lifetime.

You lads should pile over to my Leicester Spiral Watch thread on the general board, and make you feelings known.

 

[Bodinki]

Leicester City as a completed disgrace, this season.

There is no doubt in my mind that I will not see a bottling like theirs by another league champion side, in my lifetime.

You lads should pile over to my Leicester Spiral Watch thread on the general board, and make you feelings known.

I dunno, they got a ways to go before they match us last season
Still got plenty of time to finish higher than 10th

 

[Hoddle is a god]

I think we've got to get a result against Chelsea to prove we are serious title contenders. Mind you, a loss to them ought not to put us off track for a top 4 finish.

 

[Bodinki]

I think we've got to get a result against Chelsea to prove we are serious title contenders. Mind you, a loss to them ought not to put us off track for a top 4 finish.

Still early days mate.
A win for us would put you 7 points from the top, which is dodgy, especially since you'd have to leapfrog Liverpool, City and Arsenal to get to the top as well.
Who do you think you would surplant if you got top 4, not just saying this to blow smoke up your arse, but for me it would have to be Arsenal.
They have a better squad than last season but their first XI still looks lightweight up front for me, and plus they have Wenger, which is always a negative to factor in. (****ty substitutions, playing Ramsey as a left winger etc).

 

[Hoddle is a god]

Who do you think you would surplant if you got top 4?

At the moment, I don't think there is a clear title favourite among the top 5, and one of whom could win it. By the same token, any among the five could finish in the top 4.

Pundits make a big thing about how good 'Pool and Chelsea look this season, and make nothing of the fact that Spurs remain unbeaten, which I think is the bigger deal, especially after 12 games. You saw how, yesterday, Spurs fought until the very last second, and did not stop believing that they could win the game, despite being 1-2 down with 88 minutes on the clock. That ought to demonstrate the belief running through that team.

Don't forget, that we have, now, played City, 'Pool, and Arsenal, and none of those sides have been able to beat us, despite the fact they all three would feature in the pro pundits' odds-on-for-the-title lists.

If Chelsea manage to beat us next week, succeeding where every other team has, so far, failed, they will have done remarkably well, and earned the right to be considered title favourites in my mind. However, if we win, I think pundits ought to start giving us some respect as genuine title contenders. I think a draw will be most likely, and then it will be up to the other three sides to take advantage with respective wins.

It is going to be another tight season, whatever the result next week.

 

[Citizen Kane]

Still early days mate.
A win for us would put you 7 points from the top, which is dodgy, especially since you'd have to leapfrog Liverpool, City and Arsenal to get to the top as well.
Who do you think you would surplant if you got top 4, not just saying this to blow smoke up your arse, but for me it would have to be Arsenal.
They have a better squad than last season but their first XI still looks lightweight up front for me, and plus they have Wenger, which is always a negative to factor in. (****ty substitutions, playing Ramsey as a left winger etc).

It's a really tough question that. I hadn't expected Conte to settle so quickly - he has, and you now have an excellent manager in charge of a squad that clearly punched well below its weight last season.

It's an unusual phenomenon to have 2 title contenders who have absolutely no Euro commitments. Last season we all saw how Leicester benefited from having a nice clear week in between matches, especially towards the business end of the season. There is no question in my mind that the most damaging week of our season last year was the 3rd-10th of March, which saw us face West Ham (A), Arsenal (H) and Dortmund (A) in quick succession. Two defeats and a disappointing draw later, and we'd missed 2 chances to go top and were all but out of the Europa. It was a week that left us with a mountain to climb on the other side of the international break. No European football, especially not the ridiculous 3000-mile round trips to Never Never Land on a Thursday night, and I strongly feel that we would've comfortably won the league.

Out of the current top 4, I'd have to say that yourselves and Liverpool look the most dangerous. Rejuvenated under new managers who have made sensible signings without disrupting the chemistry of their squads, and that lack of the mid-week game could prove golden.

Which leaves City and Arsenal. I'm not particularly impressed by either of them but for me, Arsenal have been a bit meh all season - despite finally spending a fortune in the summer. City for me have more match winners - players who turn up when the going gets tough like Aguero and De Bruyne. But then Arsenal have the formidable experience and nous of Wenger in the dug out with his umpteen years of CL qualification.

It's going to be excruciatingly close, there's no question about that, which is why I look back at our last month of 4 draws with a sense of dread - we cannot afford to be dropping points that regularly ever this season.

I'd bite your arm off if you offered me a draw next weekend, but in all honesty I agree - a win is essential if we want to be seen as serious title contenders.

 

[Bodinki]

At the moment, I don't think there is a clear title favourite among the top 5, and one of whom could win it. By the same token, any among the five could finish in the top 4.

Pundits make a big thing about how good 'Pool and Chelsea look this season, and make nothing of the fact that Spurs remain unbeaten, which I think is the bigger deal, especially after 12 games. You saw how, yesterday, Spurs fought until the very last second, and did not stop believing that they could win the game, despite being 1-2 down with 88 minutes on the clock. That ought to demonstrate the belief running through that team.

Don't forget, that we have, now, played City, 'Pool, and Arsenal, and none of those sides have been able to beat us, despite the fact they all three would feature in the pro pundits' odds-on-for-the-title lists.

If Chelsea manage to beat us next week, succeeding where every other team has, so far, failed, they will have done remarkably well, and earned the right to be considered title favourites in my mind. However, if we win, I think pundits ought to start giving us some respect as genuine title contenders. I think a draw will be most likely, and then it will be up to the other three sides to take advantage with respective wins.

It is going to be another tight season, whatever the result next week.

Well you would, but it isn't.
Pundits are talking about Chelsea and Pool and not Spurs for 3 reasons.
1) Both teams form is an immeasurable improvement on last year, when, lets face it, Pool and Chelsea were turd.
2) Chelsea and Pool have been tearing teams apart and looking class, Spurs have been decent, but they haven't completely battered anyone. High score lines always bring the headlines
3) Whats actually more important is points, and Chelsea and Liverpool have the most.

 

[Diego]

At the moment, I don't think there is a clear title favourite among the top 5, and one of whom could win it. By the same token, any among the five could finish in the top 4.

Pundits make a big thing about how good 'Pool and Chelsea look this season, and make nothing of the fact that Spurs remain unbeaten, which I think is the bigger deal, especially after 12 games. You saw how, yesterday, Spurs fought until the very last second, and did not stop believing that they could win the game, despite being 1-2 down with 88 minutes on the clock. That ought to demonstrate the belief running through that team.

Don't forget, that we have, now, played City, 'Pool, and Arsenal, and none of those sides have been able to beat us, despite the fact they all three would feature in the pro pundits' odds-on-for-the-title lists.

If Chelsea manage to beat us next week, succeeding where every other team has, so far, failed, they will have done remarkably well, and earned the right to be considered title favourites in my mind. However, if we win, I think pundits ought to start giving us some respect as genuine title contenders. I think a draw will be most likely, and then it will be up to the other three sides to take advantage with respective wins.

It is going to be another tight season, whatever the result next week.

I think realistically at this stage of the season you would have to look at City and Chelsea as favourites.
If Harry gets his scoring boots cleaned and stays fit then Spurs would be a good outside bet.
Liverpool and Arsenal can never be considered as favourites until the last week of the season, they have both been at the top so many times (and for long periods) and ended up bottling it that to take them seriously this early is a joke. Top 4 would be the best bet on those two but I suspect one of them will miss out on that.

 

[Hoddle is a god]

3) Whats actually more important is points, and Chelsea and Liverpool have the most.

You, top, have 4 more points than us, in fifth.

Ripping teams apart isn't what matters, it's consistency. Spurs are unbeaten and are, therefore, the most consistent side so far.

I'll repeat, you will do very well to beat us next week, and if you do, imo, you will make yourselves favourites for the title. On the other hand, if we beat you, we ought to be considered viable title contenders. Personally, I think a draw is most likely, which will keep the title in the mix for all five sides.

 

[Hoddle is a god]

Manchester City are planning a world-record bid in excess of £100m for Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, 29, next summer. They will offer the Argentine a £500,000-per-week contract. (Sunday Mirror)

Can't help thinking that if this deal came off, it will end up being the most expensive flop in football history.