The [Horribly Unpopular] Soccer Thread

[BrewSavage]

qhrumphf,

Are you conceding the title to Leicester?

 

[Qhrumphf]

qhrumphf,

Are you conceding the title to Leicester?

Nope. Not until it's over. We've got an easier final run in and a motivated side. If we win out, and they fumble to motivated ManU and in form Saints and Irons, it could still happen. Odds are certainly in their favor, but a chance is a chance.

Meanwhile a rough 5-0 loss on the pitch today. Couldn't maintain possession, slaughtered in midfield, and we only had a couple decent chances, all fired wide. At least i got an alright shot a hair wide.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Come On You Irons!

One of the few times you'll hear that from me. That, and hopefully a few Leicester reds, injuries, and suspensions.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Thank the football gods for Andy Carroll!

And there's still time, plus Vardy's red card. There's hope for a Spurs title yet!

 

[Qhrumphf]

I'm forever blowing bubbles!

 

[Qhrumphf]

Well that was a rollercoaster end to the match. A point is better than 3, but I'd still rather tail by 4 than 5. Onward to the Potters tomorrow then.

 

[Talgrath]

Aston Villa is being relegated and that means Brad Guzan, who was our presumed "next goalie up" for the USMNT is either out of a job or going to the 2nd tier of the English leagues. Where should he go from here? I have a vaguely informed opinion!

Staying in England
Let's start off by being frank, Brad Guzan has not had a good year, nobody at Aston Villa really has but Guzan's issues have been glaring. From his flubs at the Gold Cup to his flubs at Aston Villa, at times Guzan has looked downright awful. Realistically, no EPL team is likely to pick him up as their starting keeper, unless it's one of the Championship sides about to be promoted (I don't know much about tier 2 English soccer). He could stay in England and keep playing for Aston Villa...but I wouldn't recommend it. Aston Villa is a mess on the backend, even if they can afford and want to pay Guzan's roughly $2.4 million salary (1.7 pounds sterling) it's probably best to jump ship like a rat than sink, I don't think Villa is coming up for a few years at least. So staying in England probably means playing for a Championship side of some sort, personally I don't think that's going to get Guzan the experience to cement him as the USMNT #1 keeper.

The Rest of Europe
There's more to European soccer than just the premier league, and there are a lot more options out there. The Eredivisie has been pretty friendly to American imports, and in a league where you'll see lots of shots on goal a good keeper is a nice thing to have. The Bundesliga is, I think, out, Germany is producing plenty of talented keepers right now so there's not a lot of spots open. Spain, outside of teams from Barcelona or Madrid, is probably an option. Italy has, on occasion, been friendly to US imports as well. Chances are good Guzan could find a starting spot somewhere in a top league in Europe, and I think this would be the best option if he wants to become a true top-quality keeper.

Back to MLS
Guzan only played 3 seasons in MLS for the now defunct Chivas USA, just long enough for him to make an impression and get signed by Aston Villa. Guzan could go back to MLS...but I don't see it as being ideal. For one thing, while I think he'll take a "haircut" on his salary no matter what happens, I can't see an MLS team spending big on Guzan like the Rapids did for Tim Howard; he doesn't have the same sort of draw and legendary status that makes Howard a good business decision as a designated player (even if he isn't a great competitive decision). That means Guzan needs to come in as a player either under the salary maximum ($450k) or at the least somewhere near where it's easy to "buy down" his contract with allocation money so he isn't on the books as a designated player, basically $750k or less, less than a 1/3rd of his current salary. What's more, due to the funky rules of MLS, any team that might want to pay for Guzan also has to first trade for the top allocation spot, currently held by the Chicago Fire, and the fire might not give that spot up cheaply (though I suppose it's possible the Fire could want to hire him, Guzan is originally from Illinois and played in their U-23 squad). Lastly, Guzan returning to MLS would look like a failure, tucking his tail and running back home after Villa gets relegated; it's unlikely anyone in Europe would give him another look unless he played lights-out amazing football. I love MLS, but I don't think going back to MLS is a smart move for Guzan.

The Rest of the World
Travelling to Liga MX is a possibility, Guzan does already have ties to Chivas via his time in their US team after all, and Liga MX does get some attention from Europe in a way that MLS often doesn't. A trip to South America seems unlikely to me, but I could be wrong. Chinese teams have been splashing some cash, buying Guzan might get some American eyeballs on their matches. Overall, outside of Liga MX I think it's unlikely Guzan lands anywhere except MLS or Europe, but it's a wide world and it could happen.

 

[Qhrumphf]

I would have hoped that AV players would try and at least show some heart (Guzan included) to audition for new clubs, jumping ship with the relegation. But it doesn't seem they even care to do that much. I suppose if they really want to just lay down and die, they deserve to go down with the ship.

Also apparently Vardy got lippy with Moss after being sent off and may receive additional punishment on top of the one game suspension for the red card (I hope I hope I hope). http://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnatio...tion-fa?_ga=1.121690059.1993576613.1441377342

Different sources claim different things, but it seems consistent that he made at least SOME aggressive remark at Moss, even if not necessarily "f***ing c***" as the (obviously biased) link above says.

I cannot congratulate Leicester for the title when one of their key producers behaves like this, not even including his past bigoted remarks.

The sport doesn't need another Diego Costa.

 

[Talgrath]

A week of wild weather in MLS brought some wild results. Starting to get a bit heated out here.

Jermaine Jones as a #10?
Jermaine Jones played his first game back after serving a 6 game suspension for an altercation in the playoffs last season, now playing for a new team, the Colorado Rapids. Paublo Mastroeni bizarrely put Jones in the #10 slot in a 4-5-1 with two wingers and two defensive mids. It worked, as it so turned out, with Jermaine Jones getting the game winner in a snow game (Side Note: This shows exactly how stupid the idea that MLS should be on a European schedule is.) not unlike the one that made him a household name in the US. Their opponents, the New York Red Bulls, are bizarrely at the bottom of the eastern conference with a lone win, time to hit the panic button and splash some cash I think. Colorado also beat Sporting KC on Wednesday.

You Can All Relax, Jordan Morris Scored a Goal
A lot of hand-wringing has been done over Jordan Morris, the much-hyped US striker, not scoring goals since moving to the Sounders. (Imagine the problem this would be if he had gone to Germany...) Fortunately for the US and the Sounders, he scored the game winner against Philadelphia and overall looked much, much better than he has so far this season. Critics might point out that he did it against 10 man, but his outside of the right boot shot when being double-teamed is still pretty damn impressive. For the Union, this is their third loss and they've yet to get a draw all year, but with 3 wins they have a nice enough points padding to not care too much.

FC Dallas Make a Statement
FC Dallas got two huge wins this week, first against the Portland Timbers 3-1 midweek in Portland and then in a lightning-threatened Dallas against the always rough and tumble Sporting KC. Dallas now sits atop MLS and having beaten most of the western conference teams in the playoff spots right now, has to feel pretty confident. The only challenger would seem to be Real Salt Lake, who have played two fewer games, but the teams won't meet until late June, by which time the standings will likely have changed.

The Fastest Penalty in MLS
In the very first play of Orlando City vs New England Julio Baptista got into the box within 15 seconds and drew the penalty, which Kaka converted at 1:37 for the fastest penalty goal in MLS history (by time of scoring). Now I bring this up because it's interesting, but also because it highlights what a tough job referees have and why they need to get it right. The announcers disagreed with the call initially (particularly Taylor Twellman) but on further review the New England defenders had their hands and legs all over Baptista and it looks like there is a small trip. Unfortunately for Baldomero Toledo, he ended the game with two horrendous bits of refereeing. The first occurred on the second goal that Orlando scored, in which Cyle Larin used his shoulder and then his forearm to a control a ball, put it at his feet and score. Mere minutes later, New England got a penalty call for a phantom handball in the box off a chested pass, meaning that Toledo and his team screwed up two handball-related calls in a half, infuriating both coaches. It sucks to be a referee, but never forget that Toledo also sucks as a referee.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Well, aside from a very bad error from Alli (dribbles past the keeper, literally nothing between him and the goal, and he hits the woodwork and out. Would expect it from Benteke but not Alli) that had both him AND Pochettino face down on the ground in frustration, that was a lot of fun (and of course he scored twice beyond that anyway, alongside two more for Kane as well).

And that's why I'm not conceding the title to Leicester.

Fox hunting season is still on.

 

[robdogj]

I haven't been in this thread in a while. A lot has change since my last post here, but such is life because it's in constant flux. Looking forward to see more tears of joy from Don Claudio this season.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Vardy and Leicester both accept the charges of improper conduct at the West Ham match. Vardy requests a personal hearing. Seems that Vardy will miss Manchester United as well as Swansea (which is fantastic from where I'm sitting, glad the racist little bastard gets his due), and I assume the club will face fines.

 

[Talgrath]

A controversial week of MLS action with bad referee decisions all over the place.

A Bad, Bad Week for Team Zebras
MLS referees aren't necessarily world class, but this week saw some egregiously bad calls. There was a clearly offsides goal in Seattle vs Colorado, while San Jose was lucky to not get a clear penalty called on them which then lead to a penalty at the opposite end that was called correctly against Sporting KC and the cherry on top was a clear red card foul against New York that went uncalled which eventually led to the Red Bulls beating Orlando 3-1. Now yes, referees usually at least kind of get things right, more often than we give them credit for, but all of these calls are glaringly bad, particularly the NYRB no call in which the player launched a two-legged, studs-up aerial challenge that could have grievously harmed Cyle Larin. MLS has to fix this, it has to get this better, because it is changing games and it is harming teams.

Toronto Wins the First Derby Match Against Montreal
The first derby match of the year between Toronto and Montreal was a heated affair in French Canadian city, ending with 2-0 maestro performance by Sebastian Giovinco. In previous years, due to both teams being objectively bad, this derby hasn't gotten much press despite the clear rivalry between the two sides, culturally and geographically, but that should change with the presence of Giovinco and Drogba. Both Montreal and Toronto look to be a strong presence in the east this year, so keep an eye on this rivalry.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Swansea rolled over. And we sat down. One more win for the Foxes and the title is theirs. We need the same miracle that has been granted them.

Going to be a glum evening.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Plus a probable Dier injury. And potential disciplinary ban for Alli after he punched one of the West Brom players out of sight of officials, but not off the camera.

 

[robdogj]

pretty much the title is in the bag for the Foxes - spudz have to win @ Stamford Bridge, a place where spudz haven't won since the 80's. Sux for them...this result must be worse than the result on 05/19/2012

 

[Qhrumphf]

pretty much the title is in the bag for the Foxes - spudz have to win @ Stamford Bridge, a place where spudz haven't won since the 80's. Sux for them...this result must be worse than the result on 05/19/2012

As deflating as it (potentially) is for Tottenham, gotta be even worse for the Gunners. Although I suppose they'd rather be behind us without us winning the title, than see us win the title.

But celebrating the anti-St. Totteringham's Day will be a silver lining regardless. We've been discussing what we're going to call it. I'll get in trouble again if I post ideas.

However, while nothing short of a complete and total miracle will hand us the title, it still isn't over. Hopefully LVG and the boys from Manchester can muster something.

Although I can totally see the following scenario (not in its likelihood as a whole but rather the likelihood of certain actors within)- we crush Chelsea, then we crush Southampton. Meanwhile Leicester lose to Man U, and to Everton. Last match of the year, news hits Stamford Bridge that we've gone up against Newcastle. So f***ing Chelsea deliberately throws the match just to deny us the title.

 

[robdogj]

As deflating as it (potentially) is for Tottenham, gotta be even worse for the Gunners. Although I suppose they'd rather be behind us without us winning the title, than see us win the title.

But celebrating the anti-St. Totteringham's Day will be a silver lining regardless. We've been discussing what we're going to call it. I'll get in trouble again if I post ideas.

However, while nothing short of a complete and total miracle will hand us the title, it still isn't over. Hopefully LVG and the boys from Manchester can muster something.

Although I can totally see the following scenario (not in its likelihood as a whole but rather the likelihood of certain actors within)- we crush Chelsea, then we crush Southampton. Meanwhile Leicester lose to Man U, and to Everton. Last match of the year, news hits Stamford Bridge that we've gone up against Newcastle. So f***ing Chelsea deliberately throws the match just to deny us the title.

Let's be real here....It's over bro...if spudz win, I will be the first to stand up & raise a glass to the cocks, but I will go by the prophetic words of Supa Frank Lampard

ps...I am not sure if you follow CFC, but at Bornemouth the 'whole' stadium was chanting, "****ing better beat Tottenham - ****ing better beat Tottenham". The players know their duty now. The whole world wants to see Leceister win the title & don't forget, Don Claudio used to be gaffer for CFC. Of course CFC will bend over to the Blues, but don't worry bro it won't go to that.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Let's be real here....It's over bro...if spudz win, I will be the first to stand up & raise a glass to the cocks, but I will go by the prophetic words of Supa Frank Lampard

It's been statistically unlikely for some time. We've all known it. But still not mathematical certainty. Odds of a Spurs title are still better than winning the lottery by a significant margin.

So that's how I'm looking at it. Like a lottery ticket. Hope for it, but know it ain't gonna happen.

 

[Qhrumphf]

ps...I am not sure if you follow CFC, but at Bornemouth the 'whole' stadium was chanting, "****ing better beat Tottenham - ****ing better beat Tottenham". The players know their duty now. The whole world wants to see Leceister win the title & don't forget, Don Claudio used to be gaffer for CFC. Of course CFC will bend over to the Blues, but don't worry bro it won't go to that.

I didn't actually watch that match, but yes, I was aware of the chants.

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

http://www.espnfc.us/tottenham-hots...-hit-with-fa-charge-after-claudio-yacob-punch

 

[Qhrumphf]

Yeah, everyone knew that was coming. He hasn't much of a case for an appeal either, it was obvious. Better now than when there's something legit left to fight for, and hopefully he learns a lesson, because this is going to become a strategy for dealing with him (I'd say it already is), wind him up, get him to lash out, get him sent off.

Hopefully it doesn't send Spurs spiraling downward, but I doubt that.

 

[Grannyknot]

But celebrating the anti-St. Totteringham's Day will be a silver lining regardless. We've been discussing what we're going to call it. I'll get in trouble again if I post ideas.

I bet its going to be so awesome to celebrate finishing ahead of arsenal.

 

[Qhrumphf]

I bet its going to be so awesome to celebrate finishing ahead of arsenal.

Given that some good luck on Leicesters part, some bad luck on our part, and some points where we simply didn't seal the results we needed, ended up costing us the title, a remarkable season still feels like a letdown. But given that we're all but certainly going to finish higher than we have in my lifetime, and already considered title contenders for the years to come (moreso than Leicester), trying to keep it all in perspective.

But yes, it'll be oh so sweet to finish above Arsenal. We'll be making DVDs about it for years

 

[hoppyhoppyhippo]

US announced 40 man roster. Not many shocks, lots of old and familiar names.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION (Club; WCQ Caps/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS (5): David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes), Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Ethan Horvath (Molde), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (15): Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas), Ventura Alvarado (Club America), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Edgar Castillo (Monterrey), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca), Eric Lichaj (Nottingham Forest), Matt Miazga (Chelsea FC), Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana), Tim Ream (Fulham), DeAndre Yedlin (Sunderland)
MIDFIELDERS (12): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (FC Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Jermaine Jones (Colorado Rapids), Perry Kitchen (Heart of Midlothian), Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution), Danny Williams (Reading FC), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
FORWARDS (8): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Ethan Finlay (Columbus Crew), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund),Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Bobby Wood (Union Berlin), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)

Assuming health, what I'd want the starting XI and final 23 to be.

First starting XI
GK - Guzan
LB - Ream (or Chandler)
CB - Brooks
CB - Cameron
RB - Yedlin
LM - Fabian
CM - Bradley
CM - Nagbe
RM - Bedoya
ST - Jozy
ST - Wood

My 23 would be

GK - Guzan, Howard, Bingham
DF - Besler, Brooks, Cameron, Birnbaum, Ream, Chandler, Acosta, Yedlin
MF - Bradley, Bedoya, Nagbe, Fabian, Kitchen, Morales
FW - Jozy, Wood, Dempsey,Pulisic, Zardes, Finlay

It was hard leaving Miazga off, but I needed Acosta there. He's too versatile to leave off. Birnbaum vs Miaga I give Birnbaum the edge right now though Miazga should be a superior player.

Finlay, Zardes, and Pulisic can play the wide mid roles as well.

 

[Talgrath]

US announced 40 man roster. Not many shocks, lots of old and familiar names.

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION (Club; WCQ Caps/Goals)
GOALKEEPERS (5): David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes), Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Tim Howard (Everton), Ethan Horvath (Molde), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
DEFENDERS (15): Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas), Ventura Alvarado (Club America), Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City), Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), John Brooks (Hertha Berlin), Geoff Cameron (Stoke City), Edgar Castillo (Monterrey), Timmy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders FC), Omar Gonzalez (Pachuca), Eric Lichaj (Nottingham Forest), Matt Miazga (Chelsea FC), Michael Orozco (Club Tijuana), Tim Ream (Fulham), DeAndre Yedlin (Sunderland)
MIDFIELDERS (12): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Alejandro Bedoya (FC Nantes), Michael Bradley (Toronto FC), Mix Diskerud (New York City FC), Fabian Johnson (Borussia Moenchengladbach), Jermaine Jones (Colorado Rapids), Perry Kitchen (Heart of Midlothian), Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt), Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers), Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution), Danny Williams (Reading FC), Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)
FORWARDS (8): Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders FC), Ethan Finlay (Columbus Crew), Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC), Christian Pulisic (Borussia Dortmund),Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes), Bobby Wood (Union Berlin), Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)

Assuming health, what I'd want the starting XI and final 23 to be.

First starting XI
GK - Guzan
LB - Ream (or Chandler)
CB - Brooks
CB - Cameron
RB - Yedlin
LM - Fabian
CM - Bradley
CM - Nagbe
RM - Bedoya
ST - Jozy
ST - Wood

My 23 would be

GK - Guzan, Howard, Bingham
DF - Besler, Brooks, Cameron, Birnbaum, Ream, Chandler, Acosta, Yedlin
MF - Bradley, Bedoya, Nagbe, Fabian, Kitchen, Morales
FW - Jozy, Wood, Dempsey,Pulisic, Zardes, Finlay

It was hard leaving Miazga off, but I needed Acosta there. He's too versatile to leave off. Birnbaum vs Miaga I give Birnbaum the edge right now though Miazga should be a superior player.

Finlay, Zardes, and Pulisic can play the wide mid roles as well.

I mostly agree with you here, though I think I'd put Morris ahead of Zardes right now and I think Miazga should edge out Acosta. I wouldn't leave Jozy off the roster, but I don't think he should crack the starting XI, he's been pretty bad to start the season for Toronto, I'd rather see Dempsey and Wood up top. I think I might also put Zusi in at right mid, he's looked excellent at the start of the season for Sporting KC, if he can keep that form going into the Copa America I think we'll have a real strong right mid.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Well, the one match where I hoped Leicester would lose they drew. Man U couldn't get it done. While it denies Leicester the title-clinching win, it means that for us to win the title, we have to not only win out (including beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge which we haven't done in decades), but Leicester has to lose to either Everton or Chelsea, and lose or draw to the other as well. I don't see Everton happening, and as already mentioned I could see Chelsea being scum and losing intentionally just to deny us the title.

Meanwhile winning tomorrow will all but cement our place in the Champions League, as well as cementing that we will finish above Arsenal. The former is all but guaranteed already (the odds of Manchester United surpassing our goal differential are less than our odds of the title, even if we lose out the rest we still at least finish 4th, and the odds of City finishing out of top 4 AND winning the Champions League while Liverpool ALSO winning Europa are quite small).

 

[Talgrath]

Another week of MLS action, here are the highlights as I see it.

The Timbers' Back Up Keeper Stands on His Head
Jake Gleeson probably isn't a name you know, but he's worth keeping an eye on. The New Zealander came in for the Timbers injured first string keeper and absolutely stood on his head, giving the Timbers a much-needed win. If you like to see reflex saves from keepers, these highlights are for you:

Toronto vs Timbers Highlights

Now Gleeson's footing and positioning isn't great, but that sort of thing can be taught and he's only 25, if he can correct those problems he could be an amazing goalkeeper. Think Nick Rimando but with a bigger body and better positioning, which would be faintly amazing. Unfortunately he's not eligible for the USMNT, but I fully expect to see him on New Zealand's roster if they can make it back to the World Cup. Toronto will go home to their newly renovated stadium disappointed, but if they can keep putting pressure on teams like they did on Portland they're going to have a very good season.

Jordan Morris Scores Again
A few weeks ago USMNT fans were wondering if Jordan Morris might be a bust, he hadn't done well in the Olympic qualifier playoffs against Colombia and he struggled in the early stages of the MLS season, but maybe that worry was premature. Morris seems to have found his scoring boots for the Sounders at least, he has three goals in as many games, two of them game winners, he's the top scorer for the struggling club. Columbus Crew will feel like bad luck lost them the game against the Sounders as they had some great chances, but the Sounders dominated the second half, leaving the Crew struggling to find the answer to their poor scoring.

NYRB Roar Back to Contention, Dallas Searches Desperately for Answers
After being in all sorts of trouble for weeks, it looks like the Red Bulls are finally figuring things out. Their win in Orlando may have been controversial, but once again scoring goals seems to have woken the whole team up, they smashed FC Dallas 4-0 on Friday for their second win is as many weeks and second time in as many weeks scoring 3+ goals. The two wins don't put NYRB above the red line, but they look confident and they seem to have regained momentum. FC Dallas, on the other hand, has to be searching for answers now. This is the second game in as many weeks that they have lost by 3+ goals, one of the dangers of working with young players is that they sometimes don't know how to work through, and out of a slump, and a slump right now could be very bad for Dallas. Things only get worse too, Toronto FC open their new stadium next week against Dallas and I expect them to come out motivated and dangerous.

 

[Talgrath]

Well, the one match where I hoped Leicester would lose they drew. Man U couldn't get it done. While it denies Leicester the title-clinching win, it means that for us to win the title, we have to not only win out (including beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge which we haven't done in decades), but Leicester has to lose to either Everton or Chelsea, and lose or draw to the other as well. I don't see Everton happening, and as already mentioned I could see Chelsea being scum and losing intentionally just to deny us the title.

Meanwhile winning tomorrow will all but cement our place in the Champions League, as well as cementing that we will finish above Arsenal. The former is all but guaranteed already (the odds of Manchester United surpassing our goal differential are less than our odds of the title, even if we lose out the rest we still at least finish 4th, and the odds of City finishing out of top 4 AND winning the Champions League while Liverpool ALSO winning Europa are quite small).

I had hoped Leicester would clinch it against Manchester United, just because they'd absolutely hate that, but then again I'm not a particularly big fan of any EPL club. Sorry, but I think that the foxes will clinch it unless Tim Howard stands on his head in one of his last two games in the EPL.

 

[Qhrumphf]

I had hoped Leicester would clinch it against Manchester United, just because they'd absolutely hate that, but then again I'm not a particularly big fan of any EPL club. Sorry, but I think that the foxes will clinch it unless Tim Howard stands on his head in one of his last two games in the EPL.

I'm all but certain at this point that Leicester will win the title, we will finish 2nd. Arsenal and City will fight for 3rd, but I think Arsenal will finish 3rd and City 4th, with Man U 5th. Irons will take 6th, and Liverpool may squeak out CL from Europa (they have better chances than City does in my book) but will finish 7th in the table.