2016/17 Soccer Thread

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Well, the Euros are over.

Pep is at City, Moaninho is at United, Conte is at Chelsea, Ancelloti is at Bayern, and Lord knows who's in charge of England.

Season 16/17 has already kicked off in the darkest qualifying corners of Europe, so let's get ready for another season of (mostly) good natured banter, sarcastic character assassination and incredulity over the sums of money being quoted for average players (£30m for Troy Deeney ?? Turned down ? ) and the eye-watering sums demanded for better ones.

So, in now time-honoured fashion..

IMAGE(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/07/12/article-0-02B0114C0000044D-243_634x428.jpg)

Let's go Dynamo!

And Dash!

Also,

USA AIN'T NOTHIN' TO F*** WITH!

Well then, time to randomly support an English team.
Liverpool, I choose you!

slazev wrote:

Well then, time to randomly support an English team.
Liverpool, I choose you!

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/mms2soW.jpg)

Looking forward to another great season in the Premier...

Championship. Oh. I remember that.

So Mamadou Sakho's performance-enhancing drugs ban has turned out to be an awful big mess:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/...

The compound was included in a fat-burner Sakho had been taking, which had apparently been checked against Wada’s prohibited list to ensure it was legal.

It gets.... worse/better further in the article.

Dimmerswitch wrote:
slazev wrote:

Well then, time to randomly support an English team.
Liverpool, I choose you!

ominous picture

Since it's Walking Dead, I'll assume that's a bad thing. And it's only July...

Leeds United seem to be buying/loaning a lot of players this summer. That seems odd.
Next day oh now it makes sense. Another year of nothingness in the mid table awaits! On the plus side all those that bought season tickets will get 25% back when we don't make the playoffs.

IMAGE(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CnF0k1tW8AAfoPI.jpg)

Silly season is upon us!

Or we could just keep basking in the glory of that Euro?

IMAGE(https://scontent-yyz1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/13662053_1191654210874137_2966953986556006435_o.jpg)

Back to silly season.

Arsenal are linked with Sissoko because we're obviously still trying to replace Viera. He then goes on to have an amazing final playing where Pogba probably should of been also. Newcastle slap a 35m price tag. Le sigh.

I wouldn't mind him for a price that you would expect to pay from a team that just went down but nope. Silly season. Its probably a good thing we don't really need him.

Pelle to China? Chelsea fighting to sign Kante vs a Chinese team? Wtf.

Thing that confuses me is not how is there money in China but considering its China how is the money being sanctioned to be pretty much blown on football. Is this some crazy play to actually try and establish a Chinese league for the future knock on effects? Has there been any actual commentary on this? Its as if China is pro this route vs their billionaires taking their money out of the country like the middle east owners have. Strange stuff.

I think the £35m for Sissoko price is just an anchoring price to start the negotiations, £20-25m and he's probably out the door. Not convinced Arsenal need an attacking midfielder/winger even though I think Sissoko's pretty good. Sissoko, Winjaldum, Janmaat, and in the past Davide Santon all seemed to get stick from Newcastle fans for not being good enough/not caring when I thought they were quite good and performed perfectly well. Meanwhile Tim Krul and Rob Elliott get plaudits while being bad premier league shot stoppers.

I read a couple articles linked on Twitter about China's football league back when Jackson Martinez moved over there, I think I still have them in my favourites so I'll have to go through and check.

onewild wrote:

Leeds United seem to be buying/loaning a lot of players this summer. That seems odd.
Next day oh now it makes sense. Another year of nothingness in the mid table awaits! On the plus side all those that bought season tickets will get 25% back when we don't make the playoffs.

IMAGE(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CnF0k1tW8AAfoPI.jpg)

Playoffs? What league is that? I didn't think European leagues had them.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

Playoffs? What league is that? I didn't think European leagues had them.

Most leagues below the top division have a playoffs system for the last promotion spot. In the Championship teams 3-6 are in it; 3 v 6, 4 v 5 in a two-legged home/away fixture and then the playoff final at Wembley.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

Playoffs? What league is that? I didn't think European leagues had them.

Different kind of playoffs than US sports.

The Bundesliga uses a different format (which I like, but believe I'm in the minority on that point).

Ah, thanks for that lesson, y'all. Yes, a very different kind of playoffs indeed!

Roke wrote:

I think the £35m for Sissoko price is just an anchoring price to start the negotiations, £20-25m and he's probably out the door. Not convinced Arsenal need an attacking midfielder/winger even though I think Sissoko's pretty good. Sissoko, Winjaldum, Janmaat, and in the past Davide Santon all seemed to get stick from Newcastle fans for not being good enough/not caring when I thought they were quite good and performed perfectly well. Meanwhile Tim Krul and Rob Elliott get plaudits while being bad premier league shot stoppers.

I read a couple articles linked on Twitter about China's football league back when Jackson Martinez moved over there, I think I still have them in my favourites so I'll have to go through and check.

Nope, consensus among most Newcastle fans is that Tim Krul is awful, I hope he leaves this summer. Rob Elliott was probably our player of the season last year, we would've been relegated much sooner if it wasn't for him, I'll be quite sad if he goes back to being on the bench next season, he deserves our #1 spot.

I can't believe there are people who would actually be happy getting Sissoko for £20m! I don't think the man won a header in his whole time at Newcastle. The main problem is that he had some unbelievable games, but they were just a handful, the majority of the time he just ran in a straight line, hoped for the best and usually got nowhere. His lack of tracking back cost us dearly too many times as well.

Winjaldum got stick because he was absolutely anonymous for about half a season, he just crumbled at the smallest amount of pressure and contributed nothing.

Dimmerswitch wrote:
Fedaykin98 wrote:

Playoffs? What league is that? I didn't think European leagues had them.

Different kind of playoffs than US sports.

The Bundesliga uses a different format (which I like, but believe I'm in the minority on that point).

Belgium top league has a playoff system. After the regular season points are halved, and the top six play two more games against each other. The lower ranked teams play another playoff for the last European ticket and the bottom teams to avoid relegation.

I personally like it, but I'm in the minority.

Bravo and well-done to Lincoln Red Imps, a team of part-timers from Gibraltar, which just defeated Celtic 1-0 in the opener of their Champions' League qualifiers.

Not the most auspicious start to Brendan Rogers' tenure there.

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/Shk3vDZ.jpg)

Clusks wrote:
Roke wrote:

I think the £35m for Sissoko price is just an anchoring price to start the negotiations, £20-25m and he's probably out the door. Not convinced Arsenal need an attacking midfielder/winger even though I think Sissoko's pretty good. Sissoko, Winjaldum, Janmaat, and in the past Davide Santon all seemed to get stick from Newcastle fans for not being good enough/not caring when I thought they were quite good and performed perfectly well. Meanwhile Tim Krul and Rob Elliott get plaudits while being bad premier league shot stoppers.

I read a couple articles linked on Twitter about China's football league back when Jackson Martinez moved over there, I think I still have them in my favourites so I'll have to go through and check.

Nope, consensus among most Newcastle fans is that Tim Krul is awful, I hope he leaves this summer. Rob Elliott was probably our player of the season last year, we would've been relegated much sooner if it wasn't for him, I'll be quite sad if he goes back to being on the bench next season, he deserves our #1 spot.

I can't believe there are people who would actually be happy getting Sissoko for £20m! I don't think the man won a header in his whole time at Newcastle. The main problem is that he had some unbelievable games, but they were just a handful, the majority of the time he just ran in a straight line, hoped for the best and usually got nowhere. His lack of tracking back cost us dearly too many times as well.

Winjaldum got stick because he was absolutely anonymous for about half a season, he just crumbled at the smallest amount of pressure and contributed nothing.

Rob Elliott's stopped about the same percentage of shots as Tim Krul, he was just as bad as Krul has been but had a couple of games where he was outstanding (just like Krul has been in his career at Newcastle). I'm glad the club brought in a goalkeeper

I think Sissoko (and Wijlandlum's, and Janmaat's) main problem was Newcastle were a completely broken team for over a year (at least from the point Pardew left, if not earlier, up until Rafa got the ship kind of righted, if not later. And Rafa righted the ship by going very conservative which limited Sissoko and Wijnladum's attacking output).

For at least two seasons Sissoko and Janmaat were the only two players on the club capable of moving the ball into the attacking third and Sissoko was also one of the few players to consistently create any chances (there's a reason he led the team in assists last year).

Wijnladum merely lead the broken team in goal-scoring and most non-star attacking midfielders are going to run hot and cold when it comes to goals, especially an efficient one like Wijnldum who tends to take a lot of his shots in the danger zone of the penalty area rather than from 20+ yards out. It's hard to craft those kind of chances on your own.

Dimmerswitch wrote:
Fedaykin98 wrote:

Playoffs? What league is that? I didn't think European leagues had them.

Different kind of playoffs than US sports.

The Bundesliga uses a different format (which I like, but believe I'm in the minority on that point).

I seem to remember that being tried, a long time ago (late 80's), and there was a significant amount of trouble at one game, which is why they then went to playoffs just involving teams in the same division.

So, apparently this is a real thing.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/...

Allardyce manager of England. With Gary Chuckle as sidekick (it would appear that there ARE people who believe that his crushing failure as Valencia boss and invisibility as England nr 2 to Hodgson are strong points on his CV...).

Still, if it's international football the FA won't have to keep worrying about what percentage of transfer fees goes into his back pocket. And from his point of view, he will have found the ideal job - one where finishing fourth from bottom is a cause for national celebration.

Everton's new away kit revealed.

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/GaiQUdZ.jpg)

I like it - loads better than the Cub Scout one from a few seasons back, though no word whether it has magical powers like our third kit in the 2014/15 season.

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/USU2g2s.jpg)

I note with interest that Stones is not amongst this year's kit models.

Although that doesn't say much, I think Bony and Mangler were modelling City's new home kit this season.

davet010 wrote:

I note with interest that Stones is not amongst this year's kit models.

Although that doesn't say much, I think Bony and Mangler were modelling City's new home kit this season.

Pretty sure he's gone, and for 50m you're welcome to him.

Think he'll develop into a great defender, and wish it'd be with us, but that much money will help a lot with the rebuilding we need to do this summer.

Wish I thought the same. Last fee I heard was £45m, but in reality City could get Bonucci for that, and I'd much rather have him. It doesn't say much for Stones when Cahill and Smalling were preferred to him in Euro 2016, and both of them looked like a disaster waiting to happen.

slazev wrote:

Well then, time to randomly support an English team.
Liverpool, I choose you!

IMAGE(http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/38/388a5d8fe9d53c38af13497902f993db782236b7be19e25eefd977ce01cc5d2b.jpg)

Kante to Chelsea for 29m? the release fee was 22m? *scratches head*

I liked the Xhaka signing for 30m but isn't Kante the same signing but checks that 'proven EPL experience' box.

Maybe as important is what the hell all the other clubs were doing. Arsenal need to be selling players in midfield (Walcott!) but Kante seems like an obvious upgrade for pretty much everyone else.

jowner wrote:

Kante to Chelsea for 29m? the release fee was 22m? *scratches head*

I liked the Xhaka signing for 30m but isn't Kante the same signing but checks that 'proven EPL experience' box.

Maybe as important is what the hell all the other clubs were doing. Arsenal need to be selling players in midfield (Walcott!) but Kante seems like an obvious upgrade for pretty much everyone else.

Kante had an amazing season, but that's still a massive fee for what is effectively as of now a one season wonder.

Rumours that Hearts have been rebranded as Battenberg FC might not be too far away....

IMAGE(http://i3.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article8426766.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/CnZSsFgWgAAVh00.jpg)

davet010 wrote:

Rumours that Hearts have been rebranded as Battenberg FC might not be too far away....

IMAGE(http://i3.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article8426766.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/CnZSsFgWgAAVh00.jpg)

Lol. This was on The Express last night and they hated it. Called it a "polo shirt".

Scottish teams seem to stray occasionally into bizarre kits. A friend of mine actually bought this atrocity (well, to be fair he is actually a Thistle fan...but still).

IMAGE(http://ptfc.co.uk/img/news/strip2.jpg)

Memorably described as 'Barbie does camouflage'.

Everton linked with Leicester City's assistant manager as our new Director of Football.

Disappointed that Monchi couldn't happen (though not entirely surprised, since we couldn't tempt Emery away). Don't know enough about Steve Walsh to have much of a read, but if his appointment means we can finally start bringing in the players we need, I'm all in favor.

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