I haven't seen the Spurs-Chelsea game yet (will watch the replay tonight), but congrats to the Foxes. They totally earned the title. They won when they had to and showed grit and toughness all year. Special congratulations to Ranieri, not a bridesmaid anymore!
2015-16 English Premier League/Champion's League
- Thread starter Niles
- Start date
Be prepared to see some disgraceful stuff. Spurs came unraveled....9 bookings for them. Absolutely unbelievable that they didn't have 3 players sent off. Dembele gouged someone's eye. Lamela stepped on Febregas's hand. There was almost a fight after the final whistle...people had to be separated. Dier was disgraceful too.
I mean, it's a London derby so of course it's tense, but they acted like children in the second half after Chelsea came back. And they let Diego Costa get to them, which is exactly what he wanted. Pochettino was magnanimous after the game when he spoke to the press, but he needs to control his players. Spurs fans cannot complain about Mourinho's behavior when their players act like that.
9 yellow cards for Spurs, what a disgrace, I hope they get the book thrown at them.
Really. I mean, these last two weeks have seen their players lose it. A lot has been made about how they have the youngest team in the League...well I guess this shows it pretty well. Young players, hot heads. And just like with Dele Alli's punch last week, I hope we don't see some writers claim that this is a symptom of the "passion" that Pochettino instilled in his side. They played dirty...simple as that. I am stunned that they finished with 11 players. We'll see some retroactive bans after this game.
All that talk of the pressure getting to Leicester...well, it got to Spurs instead. I'm reminded of what Clive Tyldsley said after the 1999 Champions League Final, wondering about what Bayern was thinking..."with the greatest respect, who cares?" That's how I feel right now. Leicester won in one of the greatest fairytale/upset stories in history, and really...Spurs didn't blow it. They *blew up*, but they didn't blow it. They were behind the whole time. And they lost their heads at the end.
Congratulations, buddy.
Ranieri will never have to pay for dinner in Leicester for the rest of his life, will he?
I envy you, Nick. Enjoy this!
Oh you BEAUTIES . . . congratulations to the culmination of a glorious story, and not only in terms of SPORT.
After watching the Spurs-Chelsea game on replay, I completely agree. That game was nasty from the get go, on both sides. Watching American Football, I'm used to hearing the names of some referees, and in baseball, I know the names of more than a few umpires, but I will never forget the name "Mark Clattenburg." That name was spoken more frequently than "Costa" or "Kane."
I don't quite know where to start....
I still haven't taken in the magnitude of the Foxes' achievement. Maybe it will sink in when the trophy is presented on Saturday. It still feels like it's happened to someone else's team, because this sort of thing doesn't happen to an unfashionable club like mine. It just doesn't happen. Leicester are only the sixth different winners of the Premier League, and the first new winners of a top-flight title in almost 40 years. In the era of the modern game, this sort of triumph is reserved for the big money elite clubs - until now. What is momentous about Leicester's achievement is that they have torn up the rule book: they have shown that a strong team ethos, shrewd scouting and signings, and a manager who brings belief to a team, can take on and beat the rest, no matter how much money they throw at their teams. The whole really has been greater than the sum of its parts. One of the most telling of the many stats that have been floating around is that Manchester United spent more on players in the last two years than Leicester has spent in the 132 years of its existence.
The other thing that this season has been about has been simple - joy. There has been a joyful freedom about their play for most of the season, and joy off the field as well. There has been no expectation of success; no mind games; no pressure from the fans. It's been owners, manager, backroom staff, team and fans in perfect harmony. I read a comment a few months ago from a hairy-handed football reporter who's seen everything in which he said that covering the Foxes this year has just been the most joyous experience of his career.
This is the stuff that dreams are made of, except I never dared to dream this. Roy of the Rovers has nothing on this! I didn't even dare to use the "c" word until Spurs drew with WBA and realised that it was there for the taking.
Whether or not this proves to be a one-season wonder, I really hope that what the Foxes have done this season will give hope and belief to other small, unfashionable clubs that they, too, can take on the rich big boys and win. And if that proves to be the case, the whole of football will be the winner, not just my beloved home town team.
I still haven't taken in the magnitude of the Foxes' achievement. Maybe it will sink in when the trophy is presented on Saturday. It still feels like it's happened to someone else's team, because this sort of thing doesn't happen to an unfashionable club like mine. It just doesn't happen. Leicester are only the sixth different winners of the Premier League, and the first new winners of a top-flight title in almost 40 years. In the era of the modern game, this sort of triumph is reserved for the big money elite clubs - until now. What is momentous about Leicester's achievement is that they have torn up the rule book: they have shown that a strong team ethos, shrewd scouting and signings, and a manager who brings belief to a team, can take on and beat the rest, no matter how much money they throw at their teams. The whole really has been greater than the sum of its parts. One of the most telling of the many stats that have been floating around is that Manchester United spent more on players in the last two years than Leicester has spent in the 132 years of its existence.
The other thing that this season has been about has been simple - joy. There has been a joyful freedom about their play for most of the season, and joy off the field as well. There has been no expectation of success; no mind games; no pressure from the fans. It's been owners, manager, backroom staff, team and fans in perfect harmony. I read a comment a few months ago from a hairy-handed football reporter who's seen everything in which he said that covering the Foxes this year has just been the most joyous experience of his career.
This is the stuff that dreams are made of, except I never dared to dream this. Roy of the Rovers has nothing on this! I didn't even dare to use the "c" word until Spurs drew with WBA and realised that it was there for the taking.
Whether or not this proves to be a one-season wonder, I really hope that what the Foxes have done this season will give hope and belief to other small, unfashionable clubs that they, too, can take on the rich big boys and win. And if that proves to be the case, the whole of football will be the winner, not just my beloved home town team.
Congratulations, buddy.
Ranieri will never have to pay for dinner in Leicester for the rest of his life, will he?
Thank you! Still in shock to be honest.
I will! It's been a long time coming!
As for the Chelsea-Spurs game itself, it was really nasty and how both teams had 11 players on at the end was beyond me. I hadn't realised there was quite so much needle between the two clubs, and I guess the comments by some Chelsea players that they wanted to stop Spurs winning the title got to their players at the end. The last ten minutes were a disgrace to football and there is bound to be retrospective action against both teams.
Spurs' failure to close out the game cost them dear, just as it did against WBA last week. If they can tighten their defence, and sort out some of the hot-heads, I'd fancy them to be challenging for the title next season. They're not far off being the finished article; they'll learn a lot from this season's campaign when the pain subsides and come back stronger.
Spurs' failure to close out the game cost them dear, just as it did against WBA last week. If they can tighten their defence, and sort out some of the hot-heads, I'd fancy them to be challenging for the title next season. They're not far off being the finished article; they'll learn a lot from this season's campaign when the pain subsides and come back stronger.
Congrats to the Foxes and their supporters.
I must say that this is my first season to follow the EPL (or any football league) and I have been overwhelmed by the spectacle. The athletes, the supporters, the media and my favorite: the match commentators, have been a pleasure to watch. I am already looking forward to the next season and all the machinations that may occur before the season arrives.
I must say that this is my first season to follow the EPL (or any football league) and I have been overwhelmed by the spectacle. The athletes, the supporters, the media and my favorite: the match commentators, have been a pleasure to watch. I am already looking forward to the next season and all the machinations that may occur before the season arrives.
The US coverage for the Premier League since NBC took over from Fox 3 years ago has been nothing short of fantastic. Fox had the broadcast rights for years and didn't do anything with them. We got the bare-bones of a pregame, halftime and postmatch analysis, and especially with early morning games, they would come on 5 minutes before kickoff, often after a MightyPutty infomercial or something.
ESPN did a better job, but they only got 1 or 2 games a week, and though they did provide on-site commentary and some local color, it wasn't anything like NBC does.
When NBC debuted their coverage, I was stunned. For the first time since I started watching this league in 1998, it was treated SERIOUSLY. Getting Rebecca Lowe was a coup, too. And although sometimes I miss the Sky Sports commentary feed that Fox had access to, Arlo White & co. do a great job. I love the local color, I love how they go into the tunnel and don't talk over it like Fox did...they let us hear the sounds (ESPN did this too, to be fair). And Fox used to cut the commentary feed AS SOON AS THE GAME ENDED before the commentator finished summing up the game, something that used to bug the heck out of me. I'd rather listen to Martin Tyler's thoughts immediately after the final whistle than some yahoos in a LA studio. And because NBC has an on-site team, the stadium sounds are louder.
NBC got the rights and went ALL OUT to present the Premier League like it was serious business and there were actual fans here in the US that cared about it and wanted the same sort of coverage that the UK got. I'm VERY happy that they have the rights through 2021, including Rebecca and Arlo, though I hope they sign the other guys up as well. I've grown to really like the 2 Robbies and even Kyle, despite his habit of making everything into some weird marriage/dating analogy.
Graeme and Lee in the commentary booth, too.We won't see Rebecca again until week 3 of next season, since she's part of the Olympic coverage in Rio, but here's hoping they go from strength to strength. The ratings alone (150% growth over Fox's coverage) shows that American soccer fans WILL tune in when you give the Premier League proper backing and don't treat it like a niche interest. Stuff like sending the whole team over to England for a weekend is great too. Hope we see more of that next season. And more Premier League Download features!
I've been impressed witht the NBC coverage when I've been over in the US. Arlo White is a Leicester fan and I would haved loved to hear his commentary on the game that won his team the title!
He actually kept his Leicester fandom pretty quiet, I guess to preserve the "commentator's impartiality" thing. I had no idea until he revealed it during the whole team's UK trip (minus Rebecca) and did a piece introducing us to "his hometown", the city of Leicester. As for his call of the game yesterday, he was excited, and said it in a way that was about on par with Martin Tyler.
Peter Drury has been more excited about Leicester this year than Arlo has, on balance. His call of "that" Vardy goal vs. Liverpool was crazy.
Peter Drury has been more excited about Leicester this year than Arlo has, on balance. His call of "that" Vardy goal vs. Liverpool was crazy.
The US coverage for the Premier League since NBC took over from Fox 3 years ago has been nothing short of fantastic. Fox had the broadcast rights for years and didn't do anything with them. We got the bare-bones of a pregame, halftime and postmatch analysis, and especially with early morning games, they would come on 5 minutes before kickoff, often after a MightyPutty infomercial or something.
ESPN did a better job, but they only got 1 or 2 games a week, and though they did provide on-site commentary and some local color, it wasn't anything like NBC does.
When NBC debuted their coverage, I was stunned. For the first time since I started watching this league in 1998, it was treated SERIOUSLY. Getting Rebecca Lowe was a coup, too. And although sometimes I miss the Sky Sports commentary feed that Fox had access to, Arlo White & co. do a great job. I love the local color, I love how they go into the tunnel and don't talk over it like Fox did...they let us hear the sounds (ESPN did this too, to be fair). And Fox used to cut the commentary feed AS SOON AS THE GAME ENDED before the commentator finished summing up the game, something that used to bug the heck out of me. I'd rather listen to Martin Tyler's thoughts immediately after the final whistle than some yahoos in a LA studio. And because NBC has an on-site team, the stadium sounds are louder.
NBC got the rights and went ALL OUT to present the Premier League like it was serious business and there were actual fans here in the US that cared about it and wanted the same sort of coverage that the UK got. I'm VERY happy that they have the rights through 2021, including Rebecca and Arlo, though I hope they sign the other guys up as well. I've grown to really like the 2 Robbies and even Kyle, despite his habit of making everything into some weird marriage/dating analogy.
We won't see Rebecca again until week 3 of next season, since she's part of the Olympic coverage in Rio, but here's hoping they go from strength to strength. The ratings alone (150% growth over Fox's coverage) shows that American soccer fans WILL tune in when you give the Premier League proper backing and don't treat it like a niche interest. Stuff like sending the whole team over to England for a weekend is great too. Hope we see more of that next season. And more Premier League Download features!
Spot on regarding NBC's coverage. I have also used Tune-In Premium to listen to the matches when I have been unable to watch them. They have teamed up with Talk Sport for pretty decent coverage of the EPL. Hoping to find more choices available as the technology develops.
The best footballing sides I have ever seen used very few players during their seasons.
The great Liverpool sides of the late 70's, early 80's used about 22 players in a season in approximately 55 competitive games.
The Nottingham Forest side of the same time period used around 19 players in 63 games in the 78-79 season.
Arsenals Invincibles used 34 players for the incredible 2003-4 season, but only really 20 of those players competed in the league.
The AC Milan squad from the late 80's to early 90's used about 22 players per season.
The point I'm making is if players stay fit and work together competitively "week in, week out", they not only get to know each other better, but they go the extra mile for their teammates.
I'm a bit surprised due to Ranieri's previous displays of chopping and mixing it up at other clubs (which has definitely cost him jobs in the past), that the Foxes used what seemed like fewer players in the season than most other squads. I'd love to see statistics on how many players were used during the fantastic season they just had.
The great thing for Leicester supporters (and believe me this is something I know about being a Forest fan), your club won the league! That will never be taken away from the club or the fans no matter what happens in the future. Even if 20 years from now they are playing in League 2 and opposition fans are singing "you're not famous anymore", you will always have won the top flight and not all that many clubs can say that.
Well done to the Foxes.
The great Liverpool sides of the late 70's, early 80's used about 22 players in a season in approximately 55 competitive games.
The Nottingham Forest side of the same time period used around 19 players in 63 games in the 78-79 season.
Arsenals Invincibles used 34 players for the incredible 2003-4 season, but only really 20 of those players competed in the league.
The AC Milan squad from the late 80's to early 90's used about 22 players per season.
The point I'm making is if players stay fit and work together competitively "week in, week out", they not only get to know each other better, but they go the extra mile for their teammates.
I'm a bit surprised due to Ranieri's previous displays of chopping and mixing it up at other clubs (which has definitely cost him jobs in the past), that the Foxes used what seemed like fewer players in the season than most other squads. I'd love to see statistics on how many players were used during the fantastic season they just had.
The great thing for Leicester supporters (and believe me this is something I know about being a Forest fan), your club won the league! That will never be taken away from the club or the fans no matter what happens in the future. Even if 20 years from now they are playing in League 2 and opposition fans are singing "you're not famous anymore", you will always have won the top flight and not all that many clubs can say that.
Well done to the Foxes.
Sorry I'm so late to bandb, and learning that there is a premier thread, looking forward to leicester performing in Champions league next year. Though I doubt Maurez will stick around.
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