General Premier League Thread 2023-24 Mod Note in op 27/6/23 And 21/05/24

SlickRic

I don't know why anyone is surprised about the non-penalty.

When was the last time you can remember a significant decision going against City?

jacool

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122063738#Comment_122063738

I know people say it doesn't matter but I know a punter who was "heavy" into a penalty awarded tonight. Could easily have been 3, which won't console him much! His TV will probably suffer when "Ask The Ref" is on this Monday.

golfball37

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122063738#Comment_122063738

Haaland clean through to win game against Spurs and no foul was big. I’m sure there are many more. All of the big teams get decisions and has always been thus

McFly85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122063948#Comment_122063948

That’s the only one I can think of from this season, and it’s sort of in a different category I think because the intent behind the decision was to benefit City, Hooper just didn’t see Haaland.

I can think of all sorts of decisions in big games that went their way this season though. The Doku challenge at Anfield, Kovacic somehow staying on the pitch at the Emirates, the extremely soft penalty at OT.

It’s extremely rare to see stuff like this go the other way.

fyfe79

Sure aren't the ref's out being wined and dined in Abu Dhabi every so often? Nothing to see here…

It will all come out in the wash, eventually, but will take a long time.

Bounty Hunter

Pep will probably win the league and FA cup but with a lower points tally and perhaps a come down from last year's treble.
Arteta will probably finish second with Arsenal but win nothing.
Klopp will finish the season most likely with only the league cup.
Emery most likely to get the 4th CL spot and potentially a European trophy too.
People like Postacoglu, they'll get Europa at least and moved up 3 places after losing Kane while playing attacking football.
Iraola & O"Neil could be said to have overachieved by never really being in any sort of relegation battle with Wolves & Bournemouth.
Dyche has Everton comfortably free from relegation despite an 8pt penalty.
As of now Poch and Ten Hag still have their jobs... that is an achievement in some ways.

If things stay as they are does it have to be Emery for manager of the year?

(Biast Villa fan here but) I'd also argue that if the league was to end now Ollie Watkins should be player of the year. 1 goal off the golden boot with no penalties and more assists than anyone else in the league.

Despite that I think they will give it to Foden with Palmer taking the young player of the year award.

El Gato De Negocios

Emery is a shoo-in or at least should be. He's done an exceptional job. He's also proven he can balance the demands of European football with league commitments which bodes well for Villa for next season. Great time to be a Villa fan I'm sure.

Flaneur OBrien

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122064463#Comment_122064463

I know you say Arteta has won nothing, BUT, if Arsenal are to get to the last day while still in a fight for the title (unlikely, but still) I would give it to him. How many Times have we seen Arsenal collapse in March/April in all competitions and limp away? It would be some feat if he could stick the title challenge after being written off by so many after the Bayern and Villa defeats (including myself).

Only 4 games left, still a lot of football to play.

Saying all the above, I certainly wouldn't hold it against Emery if he was to win Manager of the Season.

Bounty Hunter

In some ways I agree and you can definitely see growth in Arsenal and despite not actually picking up a trophy I wouldn't class it as a bad seeing at all, in fact the opposite. However it'd still seem odd to give the award to the 2nd place manager as opposed to the 1st place one (Pep)who will probably also win a cup or the guy (Emery) who just like Arteta might get CL football but with a team with much lesser expectations who could also potentially win the conference league while doing so.

Arsenal should definitely be the main challengers again next season too as they are growing while others are going through a period of change. If Pep was to leave City they would definitely be the best placed to take advantage.

Flaneur OBrien

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122064790#Comment_122064790

As long as City don't poach Arteta (which is my daily nightmare)

Bluebb993

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122064040#Comment_122064040

Hee-chan 100% should have been sent off earlier in the season when they bet city. He cleaned walker out of it but he was only after getting a card 30 seconds before hand. Wolves won the game.

8-10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122063297#Comment_122063297

His first in the PL

citytillidie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122064693#Comment_122064693

Why give it to a manager who finished 2nd just because he ran Pep close, Klopp only got it when he finished 2nd because he also won the FA Cup, and League Cup and reaching the Champions League final, might be a shout to give him the LMA award

ronjo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122065171#Comment_122065171

Agree with this.

If Arsenal win it I expect Arteta to get it but no way if dont.

Fitz*

I said a couple months back that I'd have had Watkins in the TOTY over Haaland and nothing has changed. Watkins has cemented his place, and definitely getting a nomination for POTY. A few weeks back the chat around the POTY was largely between Rice, Rodri & VVD and that the winner would go to the team which wins the league. Something I'm not a fan of, the best player award should be for the best player, not a player from the best team. I think I'd give it to Watkins now as his form has carried on and he is on the verge of one of the all time great seasons like Henry & Suarez both did with both 20 goals & 20 assists. He's currently on 19 & 17 (although some stat providers have him at 19 & 12. Either way, he's been the standout forward this season IMO.

Emery definitely in with a shout of winning the MOTY alright. It's a bit weird with Arteta getting it. I say that because Arsenal can win their remaining 4 games and not win the league, but they can also win their remaining 4 games and win the league. He has done his bit up to here but the fate is out of his hands. The margins are so tight and could come down to something trivial like the West Ham keeper randomly deciding to not play the last game for no reason and their reserve keeper throws one into the net last minute to give Man City the win. The same Arteta performance can result in 2 different outcomes. Should Arteta be punished for doin something he can't control from here on out, but at the same time could be rewarded for doing the exact same thing? Man City control the outcome, so surely Arteta should be judged irrespective of outcome (assuming that they win all 4 games of course)?

SlickRic

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122063948#Comment_122063948

I purposely didn't include this. It's the only one I can think of, and it was a completely weird set of circumstances. It's not really a 'decision'. They got a free, and the ref just didn't see Grealish.

And by the way, did you see how apoplectic City players went? As if the greatest miscarriage of justice ever had happened?

I guarantee you that you can't name many more marginal calls that went against City.

And I say this as a Liverpool fan who believes Wolves and Forest have been ridden by the refs worse than anyone. I don't think it's corruption. But I don't remember the last time I came out of watching a City game, or seeing their highlights analysed, and thought 'they got screwed today'.

SlickRic

Oh, and Emery is Manager of the Year, but won't get it. Followed by Iraola, but he won't get it either.

golfball37

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122064817#Comment_122064817

I’d say you’re safe enough there. That statement reminds me of Joe Kinnear in his pomp telling Real Madrid and Juventus hands off Marcus Gayle or Robbie Earle!

Flaneur OBrien

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122065854#Comment_122065854

lol

It's his first managerial role, will probably come 1st in the non-financial doping league and made it through to the quarter finals of the CL, and he was assistant manager in City.

Not too mention he only has a year left on his Arsenal contract, same as Pep's I believe.

No, no reason at all City would come knocking once Guardiola leaves 🙄

ronjo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122065854#Comment_122065854

Well thats a take

Necro

Emery is or should be manager of the year. Probably should have won it last year for Villas transformation in a few short months.

Infoseeker1975

Do fans really care about personal awards for players and managers; for me they are a non event, I just want my team to win a trophy…fast forward 4 weeks after the season and coming 2nd or 3rd is worthless. Yes you can say the team is developing though if that same team gets off to a poor start next season, the narrative changes so fast.

artanevilla

I'd like to see my manager and players getting the recognition they deserve yes. I never understand this "I'd rather win a trophy than xyz". They aren't mutually exclusive like, you can do both, it's not like winning MOTY excludes you from winning a trophy.

ronjo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122066409#Comment_122066409

If I could thank this 10 times I would.

I dont think there is anything more nauseating in football than the discussion around the Ballon Dor.

Infoseeker1975

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122066620#Comment_122066620

I suppose the point I was trying to make is you can control winning a trophy whereas the other is arbitrary in nature.

Is Pep winning a 4th league in a row better than Emery coming 4th, people likely to have different opinions

Pauliedragon

I'd say there's plenty of players/managers who always have an eye on individual awards especially from "smaller" clubs as it gets them noticed. They'd never admit it publicly though they'd get slaughtered for being selfish.

artanevilla

It depends on who's voting for the award I suppose, if it's your peers it must be a nice feeling to win.

jacool

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122067027#Comment_122067027

But for a MOTY award, it should 100% be redundant that he's won the previous 3 as none of them were in this year.

The year that Ryan Giggs won the POTY award, he wasn't even the best player at his club that season, not to mind the Premier League. It was a kind of "lifetime achievement" award. It was a season in which he played less games than he had in another 17 PL seasons and across the 2008-09 and 09-10 seasons he only scored 7 goals. Awards are s**t compared to trophies, and this is just one case in mind.

TitianGerm

https://twitter.com/MarcusRashford/status/1783641291965820954?t=0fhNyw0tgFGJQXzDl0iJtg&s=19

What the feck is happening with Rashford?

El Gato De Negocios

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122068081#Comment_122068081

He's playing crap and has been all season. Fans have been critical of him and his efforts, as have pundits. He doesn't like it and that Wally Goldbridge called out the alternative Manchester united coms twitter as being a culprit.