NWR General Football Thread

I would love to see Leicester win the premiership (or Arsenal at a push). They have played some wonderful football this season. I think it will come down to whether or not they can keep their first 11 fit and playing. If they get a couple of injuries it could go wrong. I have seen Arsenal, MC, MU and Tottenham play this season and none of them look consistent enough to make a serious run at the end of the season (e.g. Arsenal only took 1 point from Southampton this season), in addition I think Leicester have a (theoretically) easier last few games. Interestingly most of the current top teams still have to play Chelsea, so they may have a big impact on where the title goes.
 
For those that are interested Premier League 1992 To Date - Transfer League shows the full data since PL money changed the landscape. As with all of these things it depends on where you draw the lines, especially if there is an anomaly like the sale of Ronaldo or Bale.
I'm sure the Spurs fans can correct me but my memory had them as regular spenders, most often 5-6th in the table of net spend, and consistently mid-table (not in the top 6, not in the bottom 6). And then Bale came along and things changed.
As I look at the table Spurs are clearly not the team with the worst return on money spent.
Fisk in The Times has shown that transfer spends is not a great indicator of position in the table because of the anomalies. There is a much higher correlation between player wages and eventual position.
 
Stating the bleedin' obvious, but doubt Leicester were in the PL for all those seasons? Seems to me that spending the Bale money well has been Spurs' biggest problem, though Lamela and Eriksen seem to have stepped up this season.

PS. Time for Villa fans to look away?..
 
I did think it was shoddy coding but tbf the site lists all transfers in the period for each club (I think). So the Leicester and City (and others) figures cover their periods in lower divisions.
 
Damian Hosty said:
For those that are interested Premier League 1992 To Date - Transfer League shows the full data since PL money changed the landscape. As with all of these things it depends on where you draw the lines, especially if there is an anomaly like the sale of Ronaldo or Bale.
I'm sure the Spurs fans can correct me but my memory had them as regular spenders, most often 5-6th in the table of net spend, and consistently mid-table (not in the top 6, not in the bottom 6). And then Bale came along and things changed.
As I look at the table Spurs are clearly not the team with the worst return on money spent.
Fisk in The Times has shown that transfer spends is not a great indicator of position in the table because of the anomalies. There is a much higher correlation between player wages and eventual position.
Click to expand...

A few inaccuracies here. We finished fifth in each of the two seasons (2005-6 and 2006-7) before Bale joined. We finished 11th and 8th in his first two seasons; he missed half the first one with an injury and was on the bench for most of the second one. In the six seasons since, we've not finished outside the top six. As I said earlier, the problem with trying to qualify for the Champions' League is that the players who could get you into it prefer to sign for clubs that are already in it.
 
Nah! Sp*rs just want a year without a St Totteringhm's Day ... There hasn't been one this century ... :)

But Pochettino is doing a great job. And that's quite an impressive goal difference which could be crucial .

I see Citeh coming in fourth. New manager speculation has destabilised them I suspect - along with United.

Next weekend I see Arsenal beating Leicester and Sp*rs beating Citeh.
 
Last edited:
Well, well, well. Quite the season! Who are your favourites now? Are you writing City off? I still think Leicester can win this, but it all depends on their psychological response to such a painful late defeat.
 
Yes, John - that Arsenal goal felt like a real body blow; the short break may help. Anything at all from that game would have kept Leicester in pole position, but it seems wide open now with those points tallies. Having tipped City at the start of the season I'm now leaning towards Arsenal from here, but so much seems to depend on them getting their act together for a few weeks in a row; you'd fancy them to get something at Old Trafford, but who knows this year?!
 
Mathematically it's a four horse race, but what I have taken from the last two weeks is that there are only three horses that really believe they can win.
 
We'll know what Arsenal's chances are in three games... Tricky game at Old Trafford then a huge trip to White Hart Lane on 5th March.

As much as it pains me to say it, Tottenham look like a better side than us this year - perhaps a little less talent on paper, but resolute, confident, unified.
 
It was a killer blow, that goal. I was listening on the radio and something told me they'd score with the last touch. That pessimism singles me out as a true Leicester fan! But they were not a disgrace, especially with ten men. They have a virtual two week break. They just have to keep winning. Norwich, however, has as one person put it in a Leicester Mercury story, "away win written all over it" (it's that pessimism again ;)).

After Norwich it's Albion, Watford, Newcastle, Palace, Sotton, Sunnerlun, Hammers, Swansea, Man U, Everton, Chelsea. Every one of those a potential banana skin, and a particularly tough away match on the final day with GH wanting a spectacular five goal sendoff for having saved Chelski from relegation ;).

As an aside, I don't have the stats (nor the will to look them up), but Arsenal has always been perceived as a bogey team for Leicester (whereas we have often been lucky v Liverpool, even in their heyday). As a teenager I can recall watching some unlucky defeats against Arsenal. Especially one cup match where I was behind the goal in the days of Glover, Worthington and Weller (IIRC) when we must have hit the post and bar several times but still lost by a single goal. A point would have felt like a win yesterday.

Arsenal play Spurs at WHL on 5 March. That's a big one, and if Leicester falter, a possible title decider. Arsenal host Villa on the last day of the season, and Spurs I think are away to Newcastle.
 
As a Liverpool fan i am duty bound to say we still have a chance(ha ha;):rolleyes:)but I desperately would love Leicester to win. I am struggling to get behind any of the other sides though at a push I would rather Arsenal grab it than the Manchester sides or Chelski(sorry forgot they are bottom half this year!). As for Spurs......no,no,no.
 
Warren EDWARDES said:
...

I see Citeh coming in fourth. New manager speculation has destabilised them I suspect - along with United.

Next weekend I see Arsenal beating Leicester and Sp*rs beating Citeh.
Click to expand...

Only just seen the Sunday results. I had gone into football purdah after seeing:

Arsenal 0 Leicester 1 HT

imagining that with Arsenal throwing everything into the attack they would be hit by Leicester counter-attacking as against Olympiakos.
 
I saw that at half time, with 3 yellow cards for Arsenal. I reckoned the smartest bet was on a sending off. I was surprised that it came from a Leicester player, but am not complaining!

BTW, having had a look at remaining fixtures, I'd rather have Leicester's or Arsenal's than Spurs's...
 
I too think Leicester will pull it off. They will have a week in sun and return to training revitalised and ready for the biggest time in their lives. In some ways I think the defeat will spur them on.
If it comes to pass I think Ranieri will feel some recompense from fate. Please, if my memory serves me wrong do correct me. But, as I recall, he took Russian money and built the core of the Chelski side, got them to a CL semi-final and 2nd in PL. or am I misguided? He was then replaced by Mourinho despite Ranieri's progress being pretty darned good.
 
I sometimes think the fixture list can be misleading during the run-in, where confidence and momentum count for so much. If Leicester can bounce back then it's there for them, another big slip and they may drop off the pace - even seasoned champs tend to slip up against unfancied teams as the fixtures and injuries pile up in spring. David - it's always tricky when it's your team, but that's a pretty handy run up to Sunderland & West Ham, I reckon...

A slight side-step, but has anyone else really enjoyed the FA Cup this year? Bit short on big upsets maybe, but some good, lively games, especially replays (if anyone out there is listening!).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top