[Football] Guardian Reviews of the Season

[South west gull]

Looking at a top 7 team yesterday (WHU) I am fairly confident that we have better players in most positions than them. OK, they were a bit knackered after their European adventure, but there was a notable lack of quality, once you take Rice, Bowen and Antonio out of the equation. Stating the bleeding obvious, we need to keep this team together (excl Biss, obviously)....next season is going to be tougher!

West ham without rice would definitely be bottom half

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[SUIYHP]

Will be ever thus. Leeds spend 15 years outside the PL and moment they’re back the media hype is unreal rather than “PL new boys”

For #teams like Brighton we will always be #teams like Brighton unless we a) get a 40k stadium and regularly fill b) win trophy after trophy for a ten year period at least. And stay in top flight for another 75 years. None of which are likely.

So accept media bias, it’s there and always will be especially when todays pundits never played against us during their heyday because we were checking out Stockport, Wrexham, Southend, Chesterfield etc ie we just don’t figure on their radar!

Don’t forget limbs. Limbage is all that matters to be taken seriously in this league.

 

[rogersix]

west am are a quality team, the league table doesn't lie. they've played a lot of games because they're good

still can't beat us tho'

 

[BluesRockDJ]

West ham without rice would definitely be bottom half

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Did he play yesterday ?

 

[BluesRockDJ]

Howe up for manager of the season ? He's only been there half a season ?

 

[Robinjakarta]

Did he play yesterday ?

Non-playing captain.

 

[Springal]

Howe up for manager of the season ? He's only been there half a season ?

Hell of a turn around though really without adding that much in terms of players really.

Conte also done well to get Spurs into 4th

 

[The Clamp]

Before we (I) spend hours (days) getting annoyed about how unappreciated we are by the media, I thought it would be good to share these 3 (now 4) Guardian reviews of the season. Makes for good reading:

Players of the Season:
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...r-league-2021-22-review-players-of-the-season

Managers of the Season:
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...-league-2021-22-review-managers-of-the-season

Goals of the Season:
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/may/23/premier-league-2021-22-review-goals-of-the-season

Signing of the Season:
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...-league-2021-22-review-signings-of-the-season

Nice to see some early recognition

Great round-up. Thanks for those

 

[HastingsSeagull]

West ham without rice would definitely be bottom half

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Agree and without Rice, Bowen and Antonio would be relegated.

Who are our three similar players and would we be the same? I think not.

Bissouma, Trossard and one of the two strikers?

 

[Bakero]

Hell of a turn around though really without adding that much in terms of players really.

He did transform them so I'll give him credit for that but they had the biggest transfer spend in Europe this January. Trippier, Burn, Guimaraes, Wood set them back the best part of a 100 million. Plus there was the loan signing of Targett. That's a significant addition to the wage bill too.

 

[Stat Brother]

He did transform them so I'll give him credit for that but they had the biggest transfer spend in Europe this January. Trippier, Burn, Guimaraes, Wood set them back the best part of a 100 million. Plus there was the loan signing of Targett. That's a significant addition to the wage bill too.

He transformed them from a team that finished 14th last season into a team that's just finished 12th.
To do all.of that for only £90,000,000 is mightily impressive.

 

[Billy in Bristol]

Gary Neville Podcast 12 mins 50 secs onwards gives Brighton due praise.

 

[BluesRockDJ]

Hell of a turn around though really without adding that much in terms of players really.

Conte also done well to get Spurs into 4th

Only £98m on players ?

 

[Springal]

Only £98m on players ?

And what’s their spend been over the last 2 or 3 years ? Wood & Burn hardly spectacular, Trippier injured for most of it - and Joelinton has turned around from a waster to a key player

 

[BluesRockDJ]

And what’s their spend been over the last 2 or 3 years ? Wood & Burn hardly spectacular, Trippier injured for most of it - and Joelinton has turned around from a waster to a key player

was talking about their January spend with the Brazilian midfielder included.

 

[Stato]

And what’s their spend been over the last 2 or 3 years ? Wood & Burn hardly spectacular, Trippier injured for most of it - and Joelinton has turned around from a waster to a key player

There has been a lot of underplaying the huge investment that Howe enjoyed. If you ignore the improvement in defence that the new players gave them: (Burn, Targett, Trippier), the general match impact of the players and the impetus created around the squad by bringing new blood into a struggling group and just look at points directly gained from goals or assists by new signings, then Newcastle would be 12 points worse off:

13/2/22: 1-0 Win against Aston Villa - goal from Trippier becomes 0-0 draw;
10/3/22: 2-1 Win against Southampton - goals from Guimaraes & Wood, assist from Burn - becomes 1-0 loss;
8/4/22: 1-0 Win against Wolves - goal from Wood becomes 0-0 draw;
17/04/22: 2-1 Win against Leicester - both goals from Guimaraes - becomes 1-0 loss;
20/04/22:1-0 Win against Palace - Goal assisted by Guimaraes - becomes draw.

That would leave them 17th with 37 points.

Howe's done alright. He's ridden the wave and improved some players. However, he managed them for 8 games before the first transfers arrived and took 5 points from a possible 24. He then managed them for 19 games afterwards and took 38 points. That's 0.625 ppg before the investment and 2 ppg after it. Had his team continued to pick up points at the pre-transfers rate, they would have taken 12 points from those 19 games instead of 38 and finished the season with 23 points vying with Watford on goal difference for who got 18th place.

Anybody arguing that Newcastle's change in fortunes wasn't about the money, but about Eddie Howe is either wilfully ignoring the facts or just being silly. (Either could apply to Shearer of course). Give Sean Dyche £90 million in January instead and Burnley would have been mid table and Newcastle would have been relegated. (I originally wrote that Eddie Howe would have a second relegation on his CV, but of course, he also wouldn't be there if it wasn't for the money that they gave him, personally in wages to buy his conscience, and then in transfer fees and player wages to allow him to buy safety).

Manager of the season? Hadaway and sh*te!

 

[zefarelly]

Well put Stato.