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2025-26 Premier League Thread

In a move that’s been brewing for months, Nuno Esposito Santo is out at Nottingham Forest. A rift opened between Nuno and Edu, who had been appointed as global head of football in July for all clubs owned by Evangelos Marinakis.
 
Well, that didn’t take long. Forest appointed Ange Postecoglou as their new manager. He arrived for training today and will take charge for Saturday’s match at Arsenal. He also has the chance to go back to back in the Europa League with Forest starting the group stage at Real Betis on September 24.
 
andyt said:
Well, that didn’t take long. Forest appointed Ange Postecoglou as their new manager. He arrived for training today and will take charge for Saturday’s match at Arsenal. He also has the chance to go back to back in the Europa League with Forest starting the group stage at Real Betis on September 24.
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Again, same as I said when Tottenham hired Ange ... he needs a very specific type of roster setup to make Ange-ball work and I'm not sure he's got it. Will Forest do what Spurs wouldn't and mold the player group to the manager over time and be willing to wait for the real payoff? I honestly feel like there's a long term success story there if Ange can ever find the right situation in the Prem. Sadly, I don't think it's going to be Forest.
 
The FA hit Chelsea with 74 charges of alleged breaches of regulations around agent regulations, regulations on working with intermediaries, and third party investment in players regulations. The charges cover 2009 - 22 but are primarily related to the 2010-11 through 2015-16 playing seasons. Chelsea self-reported them with the payments we uncovered during due diligence conducted by Blue Co. during the takeover process after Abramovich was forced to sell. Since the alleged breaches are so far in the rear window, and they were self reported, this is likely to result in a fine rather than points deduction.

news.sky.com

Chelsea hit with 74 charges by FA

The charges relate to alleged breaches of the FA's agent regulations and third-party investment in players.
news.sky.com news.sky.com
 
The EFL is considering changing the format for Championship playoffs. They would extend the playoffs to the 7th and 8th place clubs in a 1 legged eliminator with the 5th place team playing the 8th and the 6th place team playing the 7th. The winners would advance to the traditional 2 legged playoff against the 3rd and 4th placed teams. It would mirror the National League playoff format. The EFL would also like to extend it down to Leagues One and Two but probably can‘t at this point since the EFL is resisting National League calls to add a 3rd team to promotion/relegation.
 
Wins yesterday for the Gunners, Cherries, Newcastle (with their new boy scoring the only goal), Fulham (on the most absurd own goal I can ever recall seeing), and Spurs (decisively over the Hammers). Nil-nil for Villa/Everton and Palace/Sunderland, and 2-2 for Brentford and Chelsea (with the Bees tying it in the third minute of injury time on a goal by our old boy Fabio Carvalho).

Today, my Reds beat Burnley away 1-0 on a penalty, and City won the Manchester derby, thrashing United 3-0.

Liverpool still top of the table with 4 wins in 4. Arsenal, Spurs, Bournemouth (!) and Chelsea round out the Top 5. West Ham, Villa and Wolves bring up the rear. Villa has yet to score in its first four fixtures. :oops:
 
West Ham have conceded 11 in 4 league matches but one of them was a 3-0 shutout of Forest for their only win. They also conceded 3 to Wolves in the EFL Cup. At the other end of the spectrum, Arsenal, Spurs and Palace have only conceded 1. Palace is on a 15 match unbeaten run in all competitions, which started on April 19 through the FA Cup, Community Shield and 2 Conference League qualification matches. They host Millwall in the FA Cup tomorrow.
 
Villa have the most exciting and expensive bench in the league! Sadly, our actual starters are hell bent on ruining every single weekend for me! This lineup could very easily go the entire season without scoring. I want new hire Emery back, not whatever this is.
 
*whispers slightly louder than last time* Emery out

He has to realize that plan A isn't working at some point, right? Right????? I just don't get it at this point, at least he finally subbed Rogers off during a match where he was completely stinking up the joint. Hell of a strike from Cash at least even though it probably should have been saved. Konsa ball watching yet again on the equalizer. I'm just tired.
 
VinatieriDefinesClutch said:
*whispers slightly louder than last time* Emery out

He has to realize that plan A isn't working at some point, right? Right????? I just don't get it at this point, at least he finally subbed Rogers off during a match where he was completely stinking up the joint. Hell of a strike from Cash at least even though it probably should have been saved. Konsa ball watching yet again on the equalizer. I'm just tired.
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What are you complaining about? They scored a goal today.
 
They do look utterly lost and out of ideas. As much as the organization owes to Emery, this can't go on much longer. He needs to either find a way to play with what's he's got or he's going to get the axe eventually. There's too much riding on this season financially to just let him flounder. Their personnel program simply cannot handle a season with no European income of any kind without a total reset and that's exactly where they're heading.
 
And it's being reported that Monchi has been sacked. If I had to bet money, I don't think Emery finishes the year either. Some rumblings that he lost the locker room with the Martinez saga and then especially selling Ramsey. Just the briefest taste of something better as a Villa fan and then struck back down to reality with incredible vigor. Sigh.
 
Honestly, I have zero issues with Monchi getting the boot. Olabe seems a competent replacement, and looking at Monchi's recruitment results I see WAY too many chances taken on guys who either couldn't crack the roster or who the manager was never going to select. He was getting paid a ton of money but his hit rate was alarmingly low and Villa didn't profit nearly enough from selling guys along. For all the ballyhoo about their connection, it never really seemed to me like Monchi and Emery were on the same page other than in January windows when they got desperate ... and more pragmatic.
 
Last weekend there were a fair number of draws (including the big match, Arsenal 1-1 Manchester City), while Fulham, Man U (!), Palace, Leeds and my Reds (2-1 in the derby) won. Villa scored their first goal (referenced above), Wolves and the Hammers continue to struggle, and Sunderland is making a good name for itself thus far.
 
I mean, he shouldn't have been. Dude got sacked from Wolves because they got bored and their recruitment hit a wall, got sacked by Spurs because he was never going to fit their roster and got fired from Forest because their director wants to get all the credit for their success. He's always been a good manager

I kinda hoped he'd hang around long enough to be there for Villa if they decided to give Emery the axe.
 
jeffbear said:
I kinda hoped he'd hang around long enough to be there for Villa if they decided to give Emery the axe.
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Just be patient. It's West Ham, after all. They've been pretty hard on managers since Moyes' second spell. No reason to suspect, with this squad, that will change.
 
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