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Post by Gifton on Jun 14, 2017 12:19:47 GMT
8 of last year's top 10 in the first 9 games!? Is it me or do we always end up with tough starts? I know you have to play them all but come on... I really don't understand why people think there's some anti-Stoke agenda. I do believe smaller clubs are often fucked over with regards to many things but the idea that anyone in authority is targeting Stoke specifically is ridiculous.
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Post by cheekymatt71 on Jun 14, 2017 12:21:00 GMT
Wow the first 8 fixtures are super hard. Comparing to the results of the same fistures last season we got Everton A : 1 - 0 defeat Arsenal H : 1 - 4 defeat West Brom A : 1 - 0 defeat Man United H : 1 - 1 draw Newcastle A : No game last year but they will be strong at home under Rafa Chelsea H : 1 - 2 defeat Southampton H : 0 - 0 draw Man City A : 0 - 0 draw So of those 7 fixtures we achieved the grand total of 3 points last season. A repeat of those results would see us way behind the pack and in the relegation zone. Im sure Hughes will not be excited about this prospect given his current plight. We needed a couple of easy games first up to get some momentum so let us all know which is an easy fixture Well maybe playing a side that we beat last season in the first quarter of next season would have been nicer? Im just pointing out some stats, im not making this shit up Anyone who doesnt think that is a really tough first 2 months is living in dreamland If we manage 7-8 points from the first 8 games it would be a major achievement
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Post by cheekymatt71 on Jun 14, 2017 12:22:51 GMT
So, like it or not, there it is. A very tough start. We took 1 point from the corresponding fixtures last season, excluding Newcastle of course, what do you think we will realistically come away with this year : Everton (A) Arsenal (H) WBA (A) Man Utd (H) Newcastle (A) Chelsea (H) I'll give us 8. Very optimistic I know. A good result at Everton and I can see us really kicking on into the 3 big clubs at home. We got 2 points last season - draws to ManUre and Southampton
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Post by mattface on Jun 14, 2017 12:50:40 GMT
Think 6 to 8 points is certainly achievable from those games
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Post by wrighter on Jun 14, 2017 12:54:04 GMT
Jesus H Christ
fixtures have been out for just 5 hrs, and the wrist slashers have come out of hibernation already
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2017 12:55:39 GMT
So, like it or not, there it is. A very tough start. We took 1 point from the corresponding fixtures last season, excluding Newcastle of course, what do you think we will realistically come away with this year : Everton (A) Arsenal (H) WBA (A) Man Utd (H) Newcastle (A) Chelsea (H) I'll give us 8. Very optimistic I know. A good result at Everton and I can see us really kicking on into the 3 big clubs at home. We got 2 points last season - draws to ManUre and Southampton Where does Southampton come in? I quoted the first 6 we have.
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Post by scfc75 on Jun 14, 2017 12:56:49 GMT
*nerd alert* Thought I would see how difficult a start we have scientifically, compared to everybody else. Taking last seasons finishing position, with Newcastle as 18, Brighton as 19 and Huddersfield as 20, and calculating the average finishing position of each opponent for the first 8 games. It's not pretty: So basically, the average finishing position last season of our first 4 home opponents was 5th... contrast that with the other end of the table, and Swansea have the 'easiest' (on paper) home start. Away we don't fare much better, 7th worst start (Burnley's is a pig, they're away to Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool & Everton). Overall the finishing positions of our first 8 opponents was just over 7th making ours the toughest start.
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Post by Gods on Jun 14, 2017 12:59:58 GMT
Game 9 on October 21st Bournemouth at Home will be the first match we start as bookmakers favourites. The first 8 games are brutal. Not really what we needed at all
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Post by okeydokeystokie2 on Jun 14, 2017 13:38:38 GMT
I'd prefer a tough start to a tough end because there's time to put things right and make the necessary tactical and possibly managerial changes to put things right. With the January window there too if you're still struggling at Christmas. Palace made good use of that last season. Hughes is under massive pressure now though, fans won't tolerate a poor start and it's looking like one is inevitable right now. But in the context of those first 8 games, what is a poor start? It's entirely possible we lose to Everton, Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City. That leaves West Brom and Newcastle away and Southampton at home as opportunities for points and those are 3 difficult fixtures. Could we tolerate 2 -4 points? We've got to be realistic about the points we might take from those fixtures whenever they were in the season, never mind the first 8 games. It's a tough start and we have to get behind the manager and the team
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Post by baystokie on Jun 14, 2017 13:45:31 GMT
He's absolutely fucked with it isn't he? With defeatists like you, he is. It must be in Potters' DNA to turn pessimism into an art form. Suppose if we do well, it will be due to other teams' incompetence.
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Post by bayernoatcake on Jun 14, 2017 13:48:24 GMT
He's absolutely fucked with it isn't he? With defeatists like you, he is. It must be in Potters' DNA to turn pessimism into an art form. Suppose if we do well, it will be due to other teams' incompetence. If we do well, it will be a bloody miracle.
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Post by heworksardtho on Jun 14, 2017 13:52:15 GMT
We will win some , draw some and lose some , the top six will be the same , we will be safe on 40 plus points ,it's like Groundhog Day in the premier league
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Post by clarkeda on Jun 14, 2017 13:56:33 GMT
It's a tough start but if the team show, fight desire and intensity in those games, hughes will get more time.
Without that, he's going to be struggling.
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Post by benjaminbiscuit on Jun 14, 2017 13:57:33 GMT
With defeatists like you, he is. It must be in Potters' DNA to turn pessimism into an art form. Suppose if we do well, it will be due to other teams' incompetence. If we do well, it will be a bloody miracle. If we do well it will be because we invest if we don't it will be because we don't . Personally I think it might not be too bad to catch some of these early , they will have new players who might not settle .ie Everton first game without lukaku , Pickford price tag might weigh etc bout in the long term we will survive if we compete financially and we won't if we don't .
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Post by Gods on Jun 14, 2017 14:03:54 GMT
*nerd alert* Thought I would see how difficult a start we have scientifically, compared to everybody else. Taking last seasons finishing position, with Newcastle as 18, Brighton as 19 and Huddersfield as 20, and calculating the average finishing position of each opponent for the first 8 games. It's not pretty: So basically, the average finishing position last season of our first 4 home opponents was 5th... contrast that with the other end of the table, and Swansea have the 'easiest' (on paper) home start. Away we don't fare much better, 7th worst start (Burnley's is a pig, they're away to Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool & Everton). Overall the finishing positions of our first 8 opponents was just over 7th making ours the toughest start. That's a fine piece of work, I salute you. Whether you go first 4 matches or first 8 matches it is for sure a brutal start to the campaign exactly when we needed a nice benign one.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2017 14:04:52 GMT
So, like it or not, there it is. A very tough start. We took 1 point from the corresponding fixtures last season, excluding Newcastle of course, what do you think we will realistically come away with this year : Everton (A) Arsenal (H) WBA (A) Man Utd (H) Newcastle (A) Chelsea (H) I'll give us 8. Very optimistic I know. A good result at Everton and I can see us really kicking on into the 3 big clubs at home. We got 2 points last season - draws to ManUre and Southampton I've quoted our first 6 games. Nothing to do with Southampton?
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Post by cheekymatt71 on Jun 14, 2017 14:15:46 GMT
We got 2 points last season - draws to ManUre and Southampton I've quoted our first 6 games. Nothing to do with Southampton? ah ok I was counting the first 8 fixtures. Got ya now
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Post by jezzascfc on Jun 14, 2017 14:16:14 GMT
Some of the negativity on this thread is astonishing. I hope many of you are kept away from sharp implements........
The tough first few games (remember we do have to play all teams twice, no matter the order!) should at least focus Les' mind on getting the right new signings in before August and making sure we push ourselves in pre-season and do not enter the campaign seriously undercooked.
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Post by bayernoatcake on Jun 14, 2017 14:19:22 GMT
Some of the negativity on this thread is astonishing. I hope many of you are kept away from sharp implements........ The tough first few games (remember we do have to play all teams twice, no matter the order!) should at least focus Les' mind on getting the right new signings in before August and making sure we push ourselves in pre-season and do not enter the campaign seriously undercooked. He should have thought about that before giving new contracts out willy nilly.
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Post by cheekymatt71 on Jun 14, 2017 14:23:14 GMT
Im curious to see if Mark Hughes comes out with some "expectation setting" at the start of the season about us not worrying about the table position until November.
Its going to be a tough August/September period for sure.
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Post by superheroantonius on Jun 14, 2017 14:40:32 GMT
Arsenal wba Chelsea newcastle... These are the teams in our league and it's sparky's job to get us to pick up points against these teams.
To do that he has to set up a team, that can take it's chances when they are on top and ride out the pressure when they are not
That's easier said than done! But if he doesn't know how to do that he shouldn't be manager.
Basically by october we will know whether he's up to the job or not.
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Post by hanibal7 on Jun 14, 2017 14:47:39 GMT
Game 9 on October 21st Bournemouth at Home will be the first match we start as bookmakers favourites. The first 8 games are brutal. Not really what we needed at all Bournemouth beat us at bet365 last season
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Post by hanibal7 on Jun 14, 2017 14:47:49 GMT
Game 9 on October 21st Bournemouth at Home will be the first match we start as bookmakers favourites. The first 8 games are brutal. Not really what we needed at all Bournemouth beat us at bet365 last season
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Post by maninasuitcase on Jun 14, 2017 14:51:59 GMT
The middle part of the season is gonna be massively important.
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Post by bettyswallox on Jun 14, 2017 14:56:50 GMT
It's an absolutely horrendous schedule isn't it?
Away first game, away last game, away on Boxing Day and then again 4 days later, before game at home against the reigning champions two days after that. Not to mention the fact that our last 3 games are either against bogey teams or on rounds where we never seem to play well.
Regardless of who's in charge it's a proper shitter of a fixture list, that.
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Post by Pugsley on Jun 14, 2017 14:57:10 GMT
Im curious to see if Mark Hughes comes out with some "expectation setting" at the start of the season about us not worrying about the table position until November. Its going to be a tough August/September period for sure. He's never done that before so why would he now? He's not the ex-manager.
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Post by Kjones9 on Jun 14, 2017 15:11:34 GMT
He's not won a match in a month.
Hughes out.
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Post by wearepremierleague on Jun 14, 2017 15:14:06 GMT
I think he's fucked. If he hasn't worked out how to actually start a season from the first game and not the 8th, he's a goner
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Post by gibby1409 on Jun 14, 2017 15:18:10 GMT
Two seasons ago, and I might be wrong cos I haven't got my glasses! But I think we took 13 points from those fixture?
I just hope the manager and players are showing a bit more bottle than many supporters appear to be doing? 😉
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Post by Mr_DaftBurger on Jun 14, 2017 15:20:25 GMT
Everton (A) 1 - 2 Shaq, Arnie Arsenal (H) 3 - 0 Berahino hat trick WBA (A) 0 - 1 Berahino pen in the last minute Man Utd (H) 2 - 0 Shaq, Berahino Newcastle (A) 1 - 1 Crouch Chelsea (H) 1 - 0 Cahill O.G. Turned his back and it hit him on the head when going well wide and deflected into the net! 25 points needed.
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