The Good, The Bad & The Surprise (2017/18 Edition)

[Bluewolf]

On 8/28/2017 at 16:35, bozziovai said:

how come ??  i'm only mirroring what HoneyNUFC has said, coz a surprise won't be a surprise when we know who/what it is.

 

just like rando said that his surprise is WestHam but look at how Westham is doing right now, very poor.

i'll stand by to what i said, we'll see this coming mid-season to which of the "low" teams will be performing well in the table.

Dans family are rancid Leicestershire lepers

 

On 9/26/2017 at 01:14, Any O'Brien said:

By all means disagree but there was no need to bring Dan's family into it.

 

On 9/26/2017 at 01:18, Dan said:

Agreed. Absolutely shocking. It's deterred me going near this thread.

 

On 9/27/2017 at 07:53, bozziovai said:

what the F is this ???   which part did i make personal comments against Dan ???   Care to enlighten me ??

 

On 9/27/2017 at 09:41, Any O'Brien said:

You have now edited your post, but despite your sneakiness I still seen the original. I think an apology to Dan is in order and then we can sweep it under the carpet and move on.

 best laugh I have all week that is.... 

[Danny]

@RandoEFC I did say also that Chelsea would reach 80 points 

[Bluewolf]

1 hour ago, Danny said:

@RandoEFC I did say also that Chelsea would reach 80 points 

Yea I did start laughing when I read that... 

[Lucas]

On ‎11‎/‎08‎/‎2017 at 00:29, Lucas said:

The Good: Leroy Sane (Man City)

First and foremost, I believe City will win the league. I think they have greatly improved the full back situation that bugged them the past two years as well as the goalkeeper and although they will sweat on the fitness of Kompany still, they have an embarrassment of riches in attack with goals a plenty.  

One man who I think will really kick on and be instrumental in this will be Leroy Sane. He took a while to get to grips with the Premier League and looked a little short of confidence when he first appeared but ever since January, he shone brightly and finished the season with great credit, chipping in with goals and assists to his game, posing a real threat.

In addition to that, Sane has frightening pace, is very skilful, and actually deceivably strong for someone his age. He will only get better under the influence of Guardiola. It has worked out brilliantly for him and City by missing the Confederations Cup and having a well rested Summer and he's been eased into pre season gently so there should be no question on his fitness levels.

And he fit's perfectly into City's system on the left of the front three. I expect him to fully kick on this season and be one of the best players in the league, providing he stays fit, healthy and isn't consistently rotated by Pep.

Infact, I'd tip him to win the PFA Young Player of the Year for 2017/18. He's one of those players that looks like he has an 'X-Factor' about him.

 

The Bad: Mark Hughes (Stoke)

I have a feeling the second longest serving PL manager, Mark Hughes, will get the sack with Stoke this season. Infact, I think they may find themselves really struggling this year in a fight to stay up. I don't see how the fans will put up with the 'same old, same old' tag of just being portrayed as a mid table club going nowhere fast.

I feel like under Hughes, they have stagnated. After firmly establishing themselves in the Premier League, and three consecutive ninth placed finishes, last year was a very mediocre year for them. 13th place wasn't exactly very inspiring. Sections of their support began to sound disgruntled mainly because of the standard fare served up by Hughes since his appointment in 2013. The football was nothing exciting. They were the 5th lowest scorers in the league with just 41 goals. They will start the season with 36 year old Crouch, Diouf who managed the grand total of one goal last year, Bojan and Joselu who spent last year unwanted out on loan that resulted in nothing spectacular and an utterly bereft of confidence Berahino.

This season looks to be no better having lost their best player in Arnautovic. Their transfer business doesn't scream to me like they have improved what they already had. So, as a result of the above, I feel like Hughes will inevitably start this season as Stoke manager for the last time. If they get off to a poor start, the pressure on him will continue to rise, ultimately resulting in him losing his job. Infact, I'd go as far to say, it wouldn't surprise me if he's gone by Christmas. Either way, I'm nearly certain he will suffer the chop at some point.

 

The Surprise: Huddersfield Town

I think Huddersfield will surprise a lot of people and stay up this season. They played some really good football under David Wagner last year and presuming that they continue to play to their beliefs the same way, I think there will be a few shock results go in their favour.

The home games are going to be bouncing. Cheap season tickets meaning they will have a full house backing them, and to their credit, they generate a good atmosphere. No one will relish going there that's for sure.

They play well as a team, that's what did for them so well last year, no individual brilliance, and I'm sure knowing Wagner, the players he will have identified and signed will fit in with Huddersfield's team ethic. The players will buy into what he want's them to achieve.

Tom Ince is someone who really has the tools to be a tidy player in this league. He has skill, pace, he scores goals and creates assists. You just have to question his attitude and why it's taken till now for someone to take a punt on him at this level. He's shown signs of promise in pre season with 4 goals and could be a very canny signing.

Aaron Mooy was unbelievably good last year, too good for Championship level and would have been a brilliant signing for a mid table PL team in all honesty. So it's been massive for them keeping him and a few more of their signings really intrigue me. Steve Mounie looks like a good coup, scoring 14 for Montpellier in Ligue 1 last year (one behind Mbappe), great in the air and he's only 22 too. Then there is Depoitre, a physical striker who has valuable Champions Legaue experience with Porto and Gent who should cause problems. It really bodes well for them.

I also like the look of the Danish defender, Mathias Jorgensen. Danish international, has good pace and will get in the faces of strikers. He looks made for the PL and will compliment the cool and composed German, Christopher Schindler at the back.

I also think that the gap between the Championship and the bottom half of the Premier League really isn't as big as it once was. There are a lot of average clubs treading water that Huddersfield will fancy turning over and I can see them getting enough points to stay up and live to fight another day.

Well I'm claiming a hat trick here.

Sane voted the best young player as predicted. Hughes to get sacked and Stoke to drop as predicted, and Huddersfield to be a surprise and stay up, as predicted.

Bring on 2018/19.

[Stan]

On 11/08/2017 at 10:54, Stan said:

The good:

Man City. I think they'll click and Aguero/Jesus will tear shit up with the support of De Bruyne, both Silva's, Gundogan, Sterling and Sane. Their attacking options are ridiculous. Admittedly I don't know much about Ederson but surely better than the liability that is Bravo? Defensively I'm surprised they got rid of Zabaleta but let's be honest who needs defence when you have attack like that

The bad:

Similar to Lucas, Stoke. They've had nearly 10 years in this league and although establishing themselves up til now I think their time is up. I don't think they've moved forward over the past couple of seasons and Hughes has become stale there. Consequently the club has too. Losing Arnautovic may hit them hard as I'm not sure how they will reinvest in the squad. He was hot and cold but it says a lot when one of your best players is like that. Shaqiri is now the the little big fish there and Stoke are asking a lot to rely on him. I think they may be relegated this season, if not close to it. 

The surprise:

Again similar to Lucas in the form of a promoted team upsetting the odds but for me, it's Brighton who will survive. I like the way they play and I like Chris Hughton so part of me is hoping he does well anyway. If Knockaert has learnt and grown since he was with us then they've got a fine player on their hands. Maybe he'll be the spark of creativity that Brighton need to stay up. 

@Lucas 

joining you in the knowledgeable football fan club.