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2023-24 Premier League Thread

Villa vs Brentford was madness. One of the crazier second half's of football I've seen. Ref had zero control over the match and it all blew up. Really stupid red card by Kamara, I guess that's one way for him to get some rest this year.
 
Clown show ... ref was a joke. He sat on his hands on about 10-12 fouls in the first half and then wondered why he lost control after Mee's red. Idiot. Also, once somebody reviews tape, I hope Maupin and Collins face some sort of discipline. Asinine, childish behavior from those two.
 
Steve Cooper is out at Nottingham Forest. Nino Espírito Santo is the rumored replacement. He was sacked by Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia in November, he had been there since July 2022 and won both the league and Saudi Super Cup last season.
 
I kept forgetting that Cooper somehow salvaged his job last season. When I saw that headline it threw me for a minute. I thought it was from back in the spring.
 
It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

Premier League clubs will have 3 fixtures between today and January 2. And then the FA Cup rolls in starting January 4. Man City and Brentford only have 2 league matches, City play in the Club World Cup tomorrow, so their match against Brentford scheduled for Saturday was postponed.
 
I don't understand how var can look at a player intentionally use his bicep to hit the ball and communicate to the ref that it hit his chest. I haven't felt cheated like this in a while, and I'm also thankful for Zaniolo keeping it from being a complete embarrassment which is weird to say. He has looked better since his first goal and doesn't seem to be pressing as much which is frankly shocking... I still don't like him, but I hate him less.

I think Moreno needs to start again and Digne be the late sub. Moreno was the clear better player last year and while Digne has played better this season than last, he doesn't have the attack elements that Moreno does. I also don't know what to do about Cash. He just seems lost at this point.
 
And honestly, it's VERY weird to have Villa in a position where these VAR issues have real weight. When you're perpetually mid-table, it's a lot easier to shrug it off when you get screwed over by the review.
 
I would love for him to turn into a completely different player than the one that caused me to lose the rest of my hair for the first few months of his tenure. You are also absolutely correct, that wouldn't have bothered me nearly as much last year at this point. When they didn't even have the ref check the handball and apparently told him it hit the chest after spending five minutes trying to find a foul to disallow our goal I saw red.
 
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS Group have purchased a 25% stake in Manchester United for $1.3 billion. He’ll invest another $300 million of personal funds as a down payment towards future infrastructure upgrades. The INEOS group will take control of football operations, men’s, women’s and the academy. They also hold 2 board seats.

Ratcliffe previously tried to buy Chelsea and Newcastle. The INEOS Group owns Ligue 1 club Nice, FC Lausanne in Switzerland and RC Abidjan in Ivory Coast.
 
Well, Boxing Day sucked. Villa needs to find the line between helpful chaos and unhelpful ... and get a bit more cold blooded when they have a lead on the road.
 
jeffbear said:
Well, Boxing Day sucked. Villa needs to find the line between helpful chaos and unhelpful ... and get a bit more cold blooded when they have a lead on the road.
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That was painful. We just look tired and missing key players. I'm glad that January is barely any fixtures so hopefully we rest up and get back on track. I did circle this stretch as the worst one by far, and if we swapped our results against City and Arsenal with the last two, it would make a lot more sense. We aren't going to take anyone by surprise from hear on out, so adjustments will need to be made, but Emery has made plenty of adjustments already. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was a little worried, but I'm not that worried. I think Moreno takes back the starting job most likely which is good as he brings some dynamism that we need. Also getting Kamara and Pau back will obviously be huge. With both of them, I truly think our last two matches would have been wins. Especially Sheffield where Pau being allowed that much time on the ball about two thirds up the field probably would have resulted in that being a complete route.
 
Sami Mokbel from the Daily Mail reports that Hugo Lloris will move from Spurs to LAFC in January. Lloris made 31 appearances for Spurs last season but has been left out of the match day squad this season.
 
andyt said:
Sami Mokbel from the Daily Mail reports that Hugo Lloris will move from Spurs to LAFC in January. Lloris made 31 appearances for Spurs last season but has been left out of the match day squad this season.
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Lloris really lost the spring in his legs, as I recall. He'll be better in MLS where it's a bit less physical in the box.
 
Villa still looking a bit shaggy, but they pulled out 3 points late at home against Burnley ... on a fairly straightforward penalty converted by Luiz. That closes the book on stupid season so they can take a week to get everybody's legs sorted before FA Cup resumes in January.
 
Something to keep our eyes on in the next few weeks…Premier League clubs were due to submit their accounts for the 2022-23 season on December 31. That means that any breaches in the profitability regulations can be addressed during the season rather than 1 year later as with Everton. There are rumors that Nottingham Forest may be in breach and could face a points deduction.
 
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