This Weekend's Fixtures & Palace v Forest (02/03/04/05 May)

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Friday, 2nd May 2025
Manchester City v Wolverhampton Wanderers, 20:00 https://i.imgur.com/htwHZ0c.jpg

Saturday, 3rd May 2025
Aston Villa v Fulham, 12:30 https://i.imgur.com/tM2pRxb.png
Everton v Ipswich Town, 15:00
Leicester City v Southampton, 15:00
Arsenal v Bournemouth, 17:30 https://i.imgur.com/htwHZ0c.jpg

Sunday, 4th May 2025
Brentford v Manchester United, 14:00
Brighton & Hove Albion v Newcastle United, 14:00 https://i.imgur.com/htwHZ0c.jpg
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur, 14:00
Chelsea v Liverpool, 16:30 https://i.imgur.com/htwHZ0c.jpg

Monday, 5th May 2025
Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest, 20:00 https://i.imgur.com/htwHZ0c.jpg

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Man City won 1-0

How the hell Wolves manager to mess up when it was 2 v 1 at the back is beyond me.

[Mac76]

Was the Wolves manager playing? :blink:

[Letters]

Was the Wolves manager playing? :blink:

I'm going to go out on a limb and say he meant "managed".

[HCZ_Reborn]

When did we last have a player-manager in the league ?

Wasn’t Mark Hughes still playing for Blackburn whilst managing Wales

Atillio Lombardo had a player-manager thing going on with Palace in the late 90s

Nothing recent stands out though

[Mac76]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say he meant "managed".

well if you're going to be boring about it... :lol:

[Mac76]

When did we last have a player-manager in the league ?

Wasn’t Mark Hughes still playing for Blackburn whilst managing Wales

Atillio Lombardo had a player-manager thing going on with Palace in the late 90s

Nothing recent stands out though

Chat GPt says "The last player-manager in the English Premier League was Gianluca Vialli at Chelsea, during the 1998–1999 season. Vialli initially took over as player-manager in February 1998 after Ruud Gullit was sacked. He continued to appear occasionally as a player while managing the team, but his playing role diminished rapidly, and he retired from playing in 1999, focusing solely on management. Player-managers have become extremely rare in top-flight football due to the increasing demands and complexities of modern management."

It also tells me there's no player managers anywhere in the Football League but lower down, there is Scott Davies – Slough Town (National League South) and Ryan Shotton – Hanley Town (Northern Premier League Division One West)

Further to that I'd say on the other hand we're seeing a lot of younger managers, e.g. Howe, Martin and ofc Arteta so maybe that's the other side of it

[HCZ_Reborn]

Of course Vialli, can’t believe I didn’t remember that. Poor sod

Arteta was what 34 when he stopped playing which is kind of young, in his last few seasons with us as a player he was noticeably slow. And going back a very long time, Clough became a manager because his playing career ended very early due to injury.

So yeah it seems you either call it a day in your early thirties and maybe get into coaching, latest example of that being both Ramsey and Wilshere (although Wilshere called time on his career before he even got to 30 I think) or you carry on like Ronaldo into your late thirties/early forties

Wayne Rooney did the player manager thing with Derby I just remembered (albeit not in the premier league obvs)

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Villa 1-0 Fulham, Tielemans.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Everton 1-0 Ipswich Beto

Leicester 1-0 Southampton Vardy

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Everton 2-1 Ipswich, McNeil and then Enciso.

Leicester 2-0 Southampton, Ayew.

[Mac76]

1-0 to Brighton

looks like Minteh was giving the Toon fans some after scoring that ... :lol:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Giving it back to his old club

Brentford 2-1 Man Utd

West Ham 1-1 Tottenham

[Mac76]

Gordon draws a pel as usual

[Mac76]

actually it was outside the area, so a FK

[McNamara That Ghost...]

3-1 Brentford, Schade with his second

[Mac76]

Another Toon pel appeal, Willock dive, gets booked :lol:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

4-1 now, Wissa!

[Mac76]

4-1 now, Wissa!

Amorim :haha:

[Mac76]

Gordon sends one into space - Newcastle really have been shite, but you can bet they'll be at their best against us in a couple of weeks

[McNamara That Ghost...]

4-2 Garnacho

[HCZ_Reborn]

1-1 Isaak pel

Stonewall have to say

Brighton already had two pel decisions given on field, overturned by VAR


Didn’t learn their lesson, blatant handball

[Mac76]

Gomez misses a point blank header for Brighton

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Brentford 4-3 Man Utd, Diallo.WTF.

[Mac76]

Man Ure get another = 4-3 :blink:

[Mac76]

Newcastle's draw sees the threat of their overtaking us receded a little, still think they'll be better against us though, especailly as they'll be less assured of a top five finish now

[HCZ_Reborn]

Strange result for a team that whenever I see them don’t look like they can score a goal

[Mac76]

Chelsea 1-0 up already... Slot trying to look like he gives a s***

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Newcastle's draw sees the threat of their overtaking us receded a little, still think they'll be better against us though, especailly as they'll be less assured of a top five finish now

They play Chelsea at home next weekend so we'll see

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Drunk Liverpool. :lol:

Until next weekend. :rose:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

2-0 Chelsea, Van Dijk wallops it against Quansah and in it goes.

[HCZ_Reborn]

Liverpool putting in a, we don’t give a fuck performance

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool, Van Dijk.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Pelanty to Chelsea.

Quansah. :lol:

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Chelsea 3-1 Liverpool, Palmer.

[Mac76]

Pelanty to Chelsea.

Quansah. :lol:

He was given a real hospital pass by Szoboshlie* tbf

*ikr but it'll do

[Niall_Quinn]

We are lucky bastards, that's for sure. New castle could have been right on our arse. None of the teams behind us, except city of late, have managed to get their shit together for the run-in.

[HCZ_Reborn]

We are lucky bastards, that's for sure. New castle could have been right on our arse. None of the teams behind us, except city of late, have managed to get their shit together for the run-in.

Newcastle from what I saw of the game were the better side. Wilson brought a very good save out of Verbruggen near the end. But Brighton got two reprieves and still decided to play with fire….i don’t think I’ve seen such a blatant handball in a long time

[Mac76]

Newcastle didn't have many chances and mainly resorted to trying to win dodgy pels

They eventually got a legit one due to a suicidal handball

[Niall_Quinn]

Newcastle didn't have many chances and mainly resorted to trying to win dodgy pels

They eventually got a legit one due to a suicidal handball

Maybe practising for the game against us?

[Letters]

We are lucky bastards, that's for sure. New castle could have been right on our arse. None of the teams behind us, except city of late, have managed to get their shit together for the run-in.

I’m not sure it’s luck really, it’s just been a really poor season in terms of quality.
The bottom 3 have stunk the place up.
We have two sides who are probably Europa League finalists who in a normal season would be flirting with relegation. No one else but Liverpool has been any good.
It’s why I’ve never been worried about top 4. We’ve been rubbish but marginally less rubbish than the rest (I stand by that if we do end up not finishing 2nd which would be because of sheer laziness)

[Marc Overmars]

Trent confirms he is leaving.

[Shaqiri Is Boss]

:rose:

Finally.