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General Premier League Thread 2025/2026 - See Post #1 for Mod Note

Necro

Fixtures are out for the new season so opening a new thread to discuss the upcoming season.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c0q8ewklkpgo

Tough first few fixtures for a few clubs, but I suppose you have to play them all at some point or time in the season.

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Mod Note:

Posting Standards In The Soccer Forum

It has not gone unnoticed that there has been a dip in standards in the Soccer forum recently, and in the interest of fairness, all users are invited to please carefully read below a reminder of what is expected from posters per our Charter and in the interests of free and fair discussion.

It is perfectly acceptable to not like a team/player/manager for their football style, behavior, style choices, hair colour etc. What is less acceptable is to constantly bring this up at every possible opportunity to the point where it is seemingly a personality trait. From now on this will be considered baiting/trolling and subject to appropriate sanctions per the charter.
Conversely, if someone has made it their personality about not liking your team/player/manager and you've made it your mission to respond to every criticism perceived, fairly or unfairly, this will be considered to be encouraging trolling, and baiting in itself and will also subject to appropriate sanctions per the charter.

For example, if you are posting unconstructive comments such as "I hope Boards.ie FC don't win because I can't stand them" or "I don't like John Manager as he is outside of his technical area" as a one off is not necessarily trolling, but consistently bringing it up every time Boards.ie FC/John Manager plays, or having constant digs in such a way that may wind up fans of Boards.ie FC will be considered trolling.

Fans of Boards.ie FC, or elsewise, instead of responding to these types of comments should use the report function so a member of the Mod team can review, as is the mods role. Consistently responding to non-constructive criticisms with other non-constructive posts will be actioned.

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Comments

Quazzie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124480459#Comment_124480459

This...

From a Chelsea fan....

After that FA cup final.....

😲

PARlance

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124480459#Comment_124480459

The bare arse cheek of some of them

Esse85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124480456#Comment_124480456

If it's only a "grazing with a little force" as you claim, then why wouldn't you give out had Havertz been sent off?

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124480457#Comment_124480457

He went back on that and said he would follow them into relegation.

Quazzie

I counted 14 yellow cards for Burnley players kicking the ball away.

martingriff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124480464#Comment_124480464

Where in the rules does it say that. As I said if his leg was anyway planted it would not take that much force and it was reckless and out of control

Gael85

Another clean sheet for Arsenal. 4 in a row.

Necro

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124480484#Comment_124480484

Not over yet as much as I'd take it🤣

Necro

Tbf I don't think Hincapie was actually trying to look for a peno. He was just trying not to flash the world more than his arse.

Did you smash it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124480483#Comment_124480483

Under both the official International Football Association Board Laws of the Game and the guidance used by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the degree of force used in a challenge is explicitly a factor in determining the disciplinary sanction.

The Laws distinguish between three broad levels of challenge severity:

Careless
- A player shows lack of attention or consideration.
- No disciplinary card is required.
- Foul only.
Reckless
- A player acts with disregard to the danger or consequences for an opponent.
- Mandatory yellow card.
Using excessive force
- A player exceeds the necessary use of force and/or endangers the safety of an opponent.
- Mandatory red card for serious foul play or violent conduct.

The phrase “excessive force” is central here. That means force is not merely incidental — it is built directly into the law’s framework for punishment.

The key nuance is that referees are not judging force alone. They assess:

intensity/force,
speed,
point of contact,
studs showing,
likelihood of injury,
control,
whether the opponent’s safety was endangered.

So a challenge can involve:

high force but low danger → possibly reckless/yellow,
or moderate force with dangerous contact → potentially red.

PGMOL guidance and referee training heavily emphasise “player safety” and “endangering the safety of an opponent,” particularly for:

high tackles,
lunges,
straight-leg challenges,
exposed studs,
challenges above the ankle/Achilles area.

This is why you sometimes hear referees or pundits discuss:

“the intensity of the challenge,”
“the force used,”
“excessive force,”
“endangering an opponent.”

Those are all embedded concepts within the disciplinary framework rather than subjective extras invented by commentators.

A common misconception is that “winning the ball first” cancels out dangerous force. It does not. A player can legally touch the ball first and still be sent off if the subsequent challenge uses excessive force or endangers safety.

ronjo

Filth from Flemming

Fionn1952

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124480471#Comment_124480471

Because it was a foul that I'd firmly put in the, 'orange' area. Seen them given, wouldn't have felt aggrieved if it was,....but disgusting for less physical force than I've seen at an average under 12s game seems a bit hyperbolic. Looking at posting history, it makes more sense though.

Quazzie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124480500#Comment_124480500

Comes across as a petty man angry with the world. Pathetic

martingriff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124480491#Comment_124480491

okay did not know I stand corrected but I would say it was moderate force and dangerous so I still think red he was lucky

jacool

Timber and Merino look like they could be in an episode of Kojak.

martingriff

2 wins now needed by City

Esse85

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124480505#Comment_124480505

Disgusting based on how high, late and potential to do damage the tackle was.

Agree to disagree and stop obsessing over one word used in my post.

505_

Mental yellow for Pires there.

Declan rice MOTM. Unbelievable. Awful game and he’s contributed pretty little to it.

Fionn1952

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124480525#Comment_124480525

A gust of wind has the potential to do an awful lot of damage, in reality it was a poor tackle with pretty low physical force. If it wasn't Arsenal, it wouldn't be in the top 10 debatable decisions this week let alone your amateur dramatics society reaction.

antimatterx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124480521#Comment_124480521

They’ll win both. 0 pressure.

Did you smash it

fcuk me that was ugly. Arsenal have a lot of decisions to make on their attacking players win or lose the title.

ronjo

COME ON BOURNEMOUTH!!!!

TheRona

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124480526#Comment_124480526

I thought the same, and then they put up all the stats that he was #1 for in the match. Unseen work or something.

Baseball72

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124480559#Comment_124480559

not an Arsenal fan but would like them to win the league……I thought Ese was going to be a game changer signing in terms of goals but find him disappointing, and casual. He has the talent but not showing it often enough…

thebaz

Over to City, hopefully Bournemouth do the job. Some pressure for Arsenal fans, doing it the hard stressfull way

jacool

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124480545#Comment_124480545

At no point did Havertz attemp to play the ball, and he was high and dangerous. The player limped off shortly afterwards. Doesn't look any better each time I see it.

Good to know you could measure the force from behind your couch.

ronjo

I would guess if Saka pen given it doesnt get overruled and if Havertz red given it doesn't get overruled

martingriff

So depending on tomorrow results we could have 4 games with a lot riding on them

If City win (which is very likely) Its City Arsenal for the title

If Chelsea win Its Spurs West Ham to see who goes down

If Bournmouth somehow wins its themselves and Liverpool for the final CL place

martingriff

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124480557#Comment_124480557

more then likely

Fionn1952

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124480587#Comment_124480587

It's a Monday night, up for work early in the morning and I'm quite happy with the 3 points so I'm not interested in getting into a pissing contest, but are you genuinely suggesting that only the person on the receiving end of a tackle is capable of determining how much force was in it?

What is your suggestion for VAR review? Should the ref stand there and take one before he's allowed to review?