Football (Soccer) Thread

[Sheilbh]

I don't know. While there are exceptions (Wolves this year), most teams that get promoted from the Championship to the Premier have a hard time staying up. There is a fair bit of difference between the premier league and the lower teams. Money plays a huge role in this.

It depends how long-view you look at it. There's always 1-2 clubs that go straight back down - Wolves are an exception but it's often they're the ones who already have a lot of money (for the Championship) and try to rebuild their squad for the Premier League. It feels like the teams that basically have a project to get into the Premier League and stick with it to survive tend to do better.

But I sort of wonder if, after a while, the energy of that project to get promotion and survive wears off if there's nothing new to aim for. Like Southampton and Bournemouth this season and Swansea or Wigan before them.

[Admiral Yi]

Why is it that every time I look at the PL standing Liverpool has one less game played than everyone (-1) else?

[Liep]

Why is it that every time I look at the PL standing Liverpool has one less game played than everyone (-1) else?

They haven't played the round against West Ham yet, they'll probably play it on a weekday when there's no CL or Cup games.

[Admiral Yi]

They haven't played the round against West Ham yet, they'll probably play it on a weekday when there's no CL or Cup games.

Is there a special reason they haven't played it yet?

[Liep]

They haven't played the round against West Ham yet, they'll probably play it on a weekday when there's no CL or Cup games.

Is there a special reason they haven't played it yet?

I haven't heard of any extreme weather in England this season so it's probably scheduling conflicts with cup games or similar. Usually they can't fit in more than 2 games a week.

EDIT: Google says it's because of the FIFA Club World Cup.

[The Larch]

They haven't played the round against West Ham yet, they'll probably play it on a weekday when there's no CL or Cup games.

Is there a special reason they haven't played it yet?

I guess they skipped the game because it was meant to be played during the Club's World Cup that Liverpool played due to them being the current Champions League title holders. Now they'll have to wait for a suitable new date to be available, maybe they'll end up playing mid week some time later in the season.

[Admiral Yi]

Groovy

[Liep]

Williams with the miss of the decade. 1 meter from goal and he shoots it out of the stadium.

[Admiral Yi]

What is the Emirates FA Cup?

[The Larch]

What is the Emirates FA Cup?

England's FA Cup, its oldest and most prestigious cup competition. The Emirates thing is for sponsorship reasons.

[Sheilbh]

Also within English culture it used to matter more than the league - I think partly because it was on TV when the league wasn't - but now is very much secondary in importance.

[Josquius]

It's sad how far it has fallen. Secondary is over stating it. It seems even middling premier league teams don't care these days.
Money is the reason of course.

[The Larch]

In a decision that might go down in football management history as one of the possible worst ones ever, Barcelona have fired Valverde because reasons and hired Quique Setién instead.

[Liep]

Yeah, not understanding that decision at all. Setiens resume doesn't look that impressive, is he known in Spain?

[celedhring]

Valverde was terrible. Setién will also suck.

Way to piss away the last years of Messi's prime.