'Even allowing for inflation, this thread is not worth 198 Terry Francises' - EPL 2017-18

Vertonghen's face after potentially destroying Hazard's World Cup.

Pards out

lol you smalltime wankers what is the fucking point lie down and shut up

it's funny how the effect of spending £45m in the summer was completely negated by the formidable dampener duo of Pulis/Megson. W Brom won about 4 in a row at the start of the season, before they could exert their influence.

“The Albion? That would piss a few people off wouldn’t it?" said McCarthy. "But you know me, I like pissing people off.”

Best bit about that story is Pards ringing Megson up to complain he'd done too well in his caretaker stint and had robbed Pardew of his new manager bounce.

The worst part of that is that one of the relative successes of Megson's stint, and WBA's season, was a 1-1 draw that I witnessed at Wembley.

If we reach the end of the season and are c.2 points short of something valuable like 3rd or 4th place, it won't be good to reflect that we couldn't get a home win against the most abject PL team in years.

Other than about £2m in prize money, there's no difference between finishing 3rd or 4th this season.

You'd *hope* we won't let Chelsea close an eight point gap on us in just seven games.

(They've only got eight points from their least eight league games)

Everyone at Chelsea appears to have given up, including Conte.

I have been told that if Arsenal win the EL then the 4th placed team don't go into CL. Is that not correct?

Even leaving AFC out of it, 4th place has always meant a qualifying round, and 3rd place hasn't - that's quite a big difference, if it still applies.

That didn't happen when United won it last year and I haven't seen anything suggesting the rule have changed.

https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/the-5001-shot-that-would-cost-tottenham-champions-league-football-even-if-arsenal-and-chelsea-finish-a3786196.html

Looks like it's if AFC win EL, AND CFC win CL -- then THFC don't go into CL.

Chelsea are already out.

This is a great and very welcome reminder.

Even leaving AFC out of it, 4th place has always meant a qualifying round, and 3rd place hasn't - that's quite a big difference, if it still applies.

It doesn't anymore. From next season's CL (i.e. based on this season's final places) all of the Top 4 from Spain, Germany, England and Italy go straight into the Group Stages.

https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/newsid=2499801.html#/

Crikey, that's big news - the kind of thing that determines what goes in sport, but also goes under the radar.

O'er here it was reported quite a bit, through Dutch eyes: the big countries get more spots, the smaller ones less. The Dutch champions won't even enter the group phase any more, and need to qualify. Which will be nearly impossible. The gap's gotten too big.

I agree -- anything that is bad for equality and open competition, bad.

Real vs Juventus tie reminded me of their meeting in the 2nd round in 1986 -- when it was all knockout rounds and when two European Giants could randomly be drawn against each other at that stage. Eventual winner: Porto.

Sam Allardyce sums up the Merseyside Derby pic.twitter.com/QSme634OhS

— Anthony Martial (@EliteMartiaI) April 7, 2018

looking at newcastle's squad compared to leicester's it's amazing how close they are

I don't think Kane touched that.

what was mourinho's team talk like i wonder

Good Kompany

Appalling Smalling

Holy shit, Gundogan

xp lol

united getting absolutely rinsed. liverpool need salah much more than city need de bruyne

they could have played Toure today

hapless

that assist was the tits

LOL

fuck yes!!!

holy shit! Pogda is totally in the zone.

well

I can't find a single fucking pub showing the football and now I'm actually annoyed about it.

amazing. mb they could do w a bit of kev

LOL worst player on the park in the 1st half

Fucking hell chrissy boy!

Really don't want these pricks to win the league at Wembley.

wtf!

Actually I just realised they can't win it at Wembley if the score stays like this.

Pogba going full macgregor

Holy shit that save

Ugh five minutes of ET

I love football :)

half time they were dead and in the cave then smallsy rose again from the transfer list and rolled away the stone

SOUNESS IS FUMING. HOW MANY TIMES ARE PUNDITS GOING TO WRITE OFF TECHNICALLY GIFTED BLACK PLAYERS LIKE THIS??.....#POGBA pic.twitter.com/2z3a4mg32l

— Titi (@Yaga_yawww) April 7, 2018

Not sure Graeme would recognize technically gifted if it lunged in and broke his leg

I love football :)