Football Season 2017-18

[Fierce_LiNk]

There have been a few big transfers already, with a few more speculated to happen.

First off, United have made a huge signing with Lukaku, who I'm excited to see next season. Could be a massive player for us.

Morata at Chelsea and Lacazette at Arsenal are also going to be huge players, I feel.

 

However, the biggest news has to be surrounding Neymar, surely? The speculation that he'll be going to PSG just doesn't seem to be going away and it's expected to happen sometime in the next week. Crazy.

[Hero-of-Time]

13 minutes ago, Fierce_LiNk said:

However, the biggest news has to be surrounding Neymar, surely? The speculation that he'll be going to PSG just doesn't seem to be going away and it's expected to happen sometime in the next week. Crazy.

Usually I don't really care about the transfers that happen abroad but this one could effect Liverpool. I'm hoping Neymar leaving doesn't mean that we will lose Coutinho.

Watching the transfer market has been hilarious. The prices players are going for now are just absurd. Jose was complaining about it the other week, saying it's hard to get any business done due to the price of players. How much did he spend on Pogba and Lukaku?  He's not exactly helping matters if he's happy to fork out that kind of cash.

I've been watching the womens England matches recently. They've been on a great run and could nab a spot in the final. 

I can't wait for the season to start. Weekends seem so empty without a bit of footy to watch. Luckily the Championship kicks off this week and this should give me my fix until the main event (Premier League) starts soon after.

 

[Fierce_LiNk]

1 minute ago, Hero-of-Time said:

Usually I don't really care about the transfers that happen abroad but this one could effect Liverpool. I'm hoping Neymar leaving doesn't mean that we will lose Coutinho.

Watching the transfer market has been hilarious. The prices players are going for now are just absurd. Jose was complaining about it the other week, saying it's hard to get any business done due to the price of players. How much did he spend on Pogba and Lukaku?  He's not exactly helping matters if he's happy to fork out that kind of cash.

I've been watching the womens England matches recently. They've been on a great run and could nab a spot in the final. 

I can't wait for the season to start. Weekends seem so empty without a bit of footy to watch. Luckily the Championship kicks off this week and this should give me my fix until the main event (Premier League) starts soon after.

 

The prices have been inflated by everyone. Once a player like Sigurdsson was quoted as being £50 million or someone like Kyle Walker gets quoted as £45-50, then there's no going back really. If the Neymar value does turn out to be true, then I guess it just sets a whole new baseline for everyone. Insane numbers. We'll probably see the first billion-pound signing in our lifetime.

 

[Hero-of-Time]

1 minute ago, Fierce_LiNk said:

The prices have been inflated by everyone. Once a player like Sigurdsson was quoted as being £50 million or someone like Kyle Walker gets quoted as £45-50, then there's no going back really. If the Neymar value does turn out to be true, then I guess it just sets a whole new baseline for everyone. Insane numbers. We'll probably see the first billion-pound signing in our lifetime.

 

The Kyle Walker price was just stupid and Spurs made out like bandits in that deal. To think, just a few years ago you could get someone like Suarez for just over 60 million. Now you're having to pay 50 million just for a defender. It's nuts!

[Fierce_LiNk]

1 minute ago, Hero-of-Time said:

The Kyle Walker price was just stupid and Spurs made out like bandits in that deal. To think, just a few years ago you could get someone like Suarez for just over 60 million. Now you're having to pay 50 million just for a defender. It's nuts!

The TV money deals have probably contributed to this, too. Now that clubs know that there are teams that can afford these prices, they've just increased the prices. Everything is £20-£30million more expensive than it was a few seasons back.

Spurs must have been laughing all the way to the bank with that one. But if City want the player, then they're going to have to pay the price. 

Not sure what will happen with Coutinho. Would be a huge loss for Liverpool if he leaves. Given that United, Chelsea, City and Arsenal have strengthened, it could be what costs them top four.

[Hero-of-Time]

Just now, Fierce_LiNk said:

The TV money deals have probably contributed to this, too. Now that clubs know that there are teams that can afford these prices, they've just increased the prices. Everything is £20-£30million more expensive than it was a few seasons back.

Spurs must have been laughing all the way to the bank with that one. But if City want the player, then they're going to have to pay the price. 

Not sure what will happen with Coutinho. Would be a huge loss for Liverpool if he leaves. Given that United, Chelsea, City and Arsenal have strengthened, it could be what costs them top four.

The likes of BT and Sky have really contributed to these kinds of price increases.

The Coutinho situation is going to be interesting to watch. Klopp has said a few times he is not for sale but if Barca come knocking at the door with 90 million waiting then I can see the club flip flopping and selling him. Given that we have Champions League football this season, we really need to keep a hold of players who have proven their worth, rather than taking the risk of selling and buying players that may end up falling apart in the system that we play.

[Fierce_LiNk]

3 minutes ago, Hero-of-Time said:

The likes of BT and Sky have really contributed to these kinds of price increases.

The Coutinho situation is going to be interesting to watch. Klopp has said a few times he is not for sale but if Barca come knocking at the door with 90 million waiting then I can see the club flip flopping and selling him. Given that we have Champions League football this season, we really need to keep a hold of players who have proven their worth, rather than taking the risk of selling and buying players that may end up falling apart in the system that we play.

If Klopp sells him early, then there is money there for transfers. The worst case scenario would be for Klopp to sell him with a few days to go before the window closes.

Personally, I'd keep him. Is there anyone else on Liverpool's radar at the moment? Salah aside, I've not seen them linked to anyone, really. They've definitely been a lot quieter than a lot of their rivals. Everton have had a busier summer.  (good signings, too)

[Hero-of-Time]

20 minutes ago, Fierce_LiNk said:

If Klopp sells him early, then there is money there for transfers. The worst case scenario would be for Klopp to sell him with a few days to go before the window closes.

Personally, I'd keep him. Is there anyone else on Liverpool's radar at the moment? Salah aside, I've not seen them linked to anyone, really. They've definitely been a lot quieter than a lot of their rivals. Everton have had a busier summer.  (good signings, too)

The only other player we have been after is Keita but I don't think that is going to happen.

Yeah, Everton have made some very strong purchases in this window. It will be interesting to see how they all fit. 

[killthenet]

I kept looking in the forums to post in the football thread, didn't realise there wasn't one until today. 

The Women's European Championships have been taking place in the Netherlands since July 16th and the quarter final stage wrapped up yesterday. Before the tournament all pundits were predicting that the semi finals would feature the four favourites for the title, Germany (who have won the last 6 Euros), France (pre-tournament favourites), Sweden (perennial semi finalists) and England (a team full of confidence after their 3rd place showing at the 2015 world cup), but as with the best sport very little seems to have gone with the script and only one of the pre-tournament favourites has made it to the semi finals.

Sweden were convincingly beaten by hosts the Netherlands on Saturday afternoon, while Germany were shocked by Denmark in a cracking match yesterday lunch time after the initial fixture was rained off. Debutants Austria dispatched of Spain in a penalty shootout before England overcame a tough French side with a narrow 1-0 win, beating France for the first time in 43-years. Both semi finals are on Thursday with Denmark vs Austria first at 18:00 CET (17:00 UK) before Netherlands vs England at 20:45 CET (19:45 UK). None of the semi finalists have won a major tournament before so whatever happens there will be a new name on the trophy and with Germany & France gone, England are now the favourites to lift the trophy on Sunday. They are in good form, winning 7 games on bounce, and have shown a lot of grit and character to come through difficult games against Spain and France as well as showing plenty of attacking flair in their 6-0 demolition of Scotland in the opening group game. England's number 9 Jodie Taylor looks nailed on to win the Golden Boot, with 5 goals from 6 shots. Channel 4 and More 4 have been providing great coverage of the tournament, anchored by Claire Balding, so those in the UK should make sure to tune in on Thursday to cheer on England. 

Unfortunately Scotland's heavy loss to England meant they failed to get out of the group at their first European Championship, effectively losing out to Spain on goal difference. Forever Scottish Football's achilles heel.

[Kav]

Seriously?! This has to be a joke, right?

Why not just keep Chalobah?!!!

 

Edited August 2, 2017 by Kav

[Fierce_LiNk]

20 hours ago, killthenet said:

I kept looking in the forums to post in the football thread, didn't realise there wasn't one until today. 

The Women's European Championships have been taking place in the Netherlands since July 16th and the quarter final stage wrapped up yesterday. Before the tournament all pundits were predicting that the semi finals would feature the four favourites for the title, Germany (who have won the last 6 Euros), France (pre-tournament favourites), Sweden (perennial semi finalists) and England (a team full of confidence after their 3rd place showing at the 2015 world cup), but as with the best sport very little seems to have gone with the script and only one of the pre-tournament favourites has made it to the semi finals.

Sweden were convincingly beaten by hosts the Netherlands on Saturday afternoon, while Germany were shocked by Denmark in a cracking match yesterday lunch time after the initial fixture was rained off. Debutants Austria dispatched of Spain in a penalty shootout before England overcame a tough French side with a narrow 1-0 win, beating France for the first time in 43-years. Both semi finals are on Thursday with Denmark vs Austria first at 18:00 CET (17:00 UK) before Netherlands vs England at 20:45 CET (19:45 UK). None of the semi finalists have won a major tournament before so whatever happens there will be a new name on the trophy and with Germany & France gone, England are now the favourites to lift the trophy on Sunday. They are in good form, winning 7 games on bounce, and have shown a lot of grit and character to come through difficult games against Spain and France as well as showing plenty of attacking flair in their 6-0 demolition of Scotland in the opening group game. England's number 9 Jodie Taylor looks nailed on to win the Golden Boot, with 5 goals from 6 shots. Channel 4 and More 4 have been providing great coverage of the tournament, anchored by Claire Balding, so those in the UK should make sure to tune in on Thursday to cheer on England. 

Unfortunately Scotland's heavy loss to England meant they failed to get out of the group at their first European Championship, effectively losing out to Spain on goal difference. Forever Scottish Football's achilles heel.

I've watched a few games here and there and have quite enjoyed it. The pace in the games has been excellent and near enough every game has been end to end. It's quite refreshing to watch a tournament and know that neither team are just going to sit back and defend for over three quarters of the game. The Germany/Denmark game was excellent.

[Hero-of-Time]

Chuffed to bits the Pool match is on ITV4. The first half has been great for us. Mane has torn Bayern apart.

[drahkon]

We are terrible...that's all.

Edit: Fucking Christ...it can't get any worse than that.

It was offside, but still...our defense is non-existent.

Edit²: Well......

Edited August 1, 2017 by drahkon

[Hero-of-Time]

Can Sturridge not stay fit at all? The guy must have terrible leg muscles as he constantly gets injured.

Great performance by the team. I don't usually put much stock in pre-season games but I'm encouraged by what I've seen and read from all our games, especially when going forward.

[Fierce_LiNk]

Neymar set to leave in £198m deal.

Brace yourselves, everyone. This will change things.

[drahkon]

1 minute ago, Fierce_LiNk said:

Neymar set to leave in £198m deal.

Brace yourselves, everyone. This will change things.

Especially if you consider how they might circumvent the Financial Fair Play rules.

Rumours have it that Barcelona will get a player from PSG to reduce the costs or Neymar will pay the transfer fee himself and in turn be named some kind of ambassador for Qatar Sports Investment (PSG's owner) and receive €300m.

 

[Hero-of-Time]

I see the Neymar deal is pretty much done. 5 year deal worth £450 million. Absolutely crazy.

In other news, the Liverpool match last night was really poor. Both teams looked so tired and it was a bit lifeless. I'm not sure what is gained by having two teams play two games in 24 hours. I think we've got another friendly on Friday, as well. I'm hoping that will be it and the players will get some rest before the Premier League kicks off.

[Fierce_LiNk]

I know that PSG are no better, but it's actually nice for Barcelona to be on the receiving end of a high transfer deal for a change. I just love how they're throwing hissy fits about PSG not complying with FFP when they've been doing shady and expensive dealings for years. Not so nice now, is it?

Having a huge calibre figure like Neymar in Ligue 1 might see the quality of that league increase, if the other teams start attracting more talented players. Out of the other big European leagues (Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A), the French league is the weakest by far.

[Charlie]

I wonder if this will spark a merry-go-round with Neymar moving? Barcelona have a lot of money to spend and I can see them splashing out on Coutinho or even Mbappe now there is a space in the team.

Absolute insane amount of money for a single player. If Neymar is buying out his contract himself he's obviously technically doing nothing wrong but I think FIFA needs to take a look at this. It doesn't feel right that a company can pay him millions directly to get round FFP on behalf of a club.

[Fierce_LiNk]

26 minutes ago, Charlie said:

I wonder if this will spark a merry-go-round with Neymar moving? Barcelona have a lot of money to spend and I can see them splashing out on Coutinho or even Mbappe now there is a space in the team.

Absolute insane amount of money for a single player. If Neymar is buying out his contract himself he's obviously technically doing nothing wrong but I think FIFA needs to take a look at this. It doesn't feel right that a company can pay him millions directly to get round FFP on behalf of a club.

You'd then have to look at buyout clauses and the "fairness" of them. Barcelona put a £200million buyout clause in his contract. Surely that's anti-football to raise a clause so high, yet complain when there's a team there willing to pay it? Of course there are going to be insane figures going around for players if the prices are so high in the first place.

[killthenet]

The truly outrageous figure with the Neymar deal is that he'll be on a £775,000 a week contract. PSG might be able to fudge financial fair play for the transfer fee, but justifying £40m a year wages for one player is insane. I'd be surprised if PSG earn much more than that per year through traditional earnings (TV rights, competition prize money, shirt and ticket sales) so the owners are surely going to be paying it out of their own pocket which is just a big Fuck You to the UEFA regulations. 

In Women's Euro's news, England's number one goalkeeper Karen Bardsley broke her leg in the win over France after colliding with teammate and captain Steph Houghton so will miss the rest of tournament. Alongside suspended Jill Scott it's put a bit of a dampener on preparations for tonight's semi final against the Netherlands, but replacement goalkeeper Siobhan Chamberlain has plenty of experience with over 40 caps for the senior side and England's defence is solid so it shouldn't be too much of an issue. 

[Hero-of-Time]

1 hour ago, killthenet said:

 

In Women's Euro's news, England's number one goalkeeper Karen Bardsley broke her leg in the win over France after colliding with teammate and captain Steph Houghton so will miss the rest of tournament. Alongside suspended Jill Scott it's put a bit of a dampener on preparations for tonight's semi final against the Netherlands, but replacement goalkeeper Siobhan Chamberlain has plenty of experience with over 40 caps for the senior side and England's defence is solid so it shouldn't be too much of an issue. 

Wow! I watched that game and didn't realize it was that bad. Fair play to her because she still tried to keep on playing after the clash. True grit right there. You then get Premier League footballers, who no doubt get paid a hell of a lot more than the lasses playing tonight, flapping around the floor like a fish out of water whenever someone so much as touches them.

[Fierce_LiNk]

Looking forward to the England/Netherlands game tonight. It's going to be close. Tempted to say a 1-1 draw before extra-time.

[killthenet]

England have been appalling tonight. No consistency to their play, too many errors, too little possession. And it's some of their most experienced players who are costing them the game. Chamberlain looks very nervy in goal, Ellen White has made a number of mistakes and Fara Williams gifted the Dutch the 2nd goal Would be an absolute miracle is they could overcome this.

[Fierce_LiNk]

6 minutes ago, killthenet said:

England have been appalling tonight. No consistency to their play, too many errors, too little possession. And it's some of their most experienced players who are costing them the game. Chamberlain looks very nervy in goal, Ellen White has made a number of mistakes and Fara Williams gifted the Dutch the 2nd goal Would be an absolute miracle is they could overcome this.

Nerves probably got the better of them. It's a huuuuge game. Although, I have to say that the Netherlands have looked pretty good throughout the tournament and looked the better team tonight. Just a bit more control to their game.