Mails: Liverpool will not finish in the top four

Mails: Liverpool will not finish in the top four

Keep them coming to theeditor@football365.com

Is it fun to support a top-six team?
This may be a redundant, perhaps frequently covered question, but I’ve been thinking about it recently, particularly with the rise of ‘Arsenal fan tv’, and just general fan discussion in the mailbox and elsewhere. Do fans of ‘the top six’ (previously ‘the big four’) actually enjoy supporting their teams?

From the outside, it seems like the intense media focus, the limited acceptable possibilities (essentially the expectation of winning all but a few matches), and the stagnation, even if said stagnation is at the right end of the table, lead a lot, if not all, of their fans to be extremely defensive, take little pleasure from the majority of victories, and have a far bigger window than other clubs for what is considered a failure vs. what is considered a success.

A negative outlook and tribalism obviously exists in pretty much every club’s fanbase. They exist to be our punching bags, to some extent. And perhaps the real answer here is that hysterical fans of the big clubs are simply represented more. But it is an interesting phenomena, at least to me, and it makes me wonder if a little moving and shaking can actually make the experience more enjoyable. As a Derby fan, I have literally seen the worst the Premier League has to offer. Not long after we made Robbie Savage our captain. It’s difficult to get overly upset about our current dip in form when you have those memories stored away. I quite enjoy the ride, provided it doesn’t come off the rails, and only a drop into a relegation battle would have me seriously concerned. I’m not looking for a medal by the way, just illustrating what I imagine a lot of fans of similar clubs feel.

People might say these things are relative, but they sort of aren’t. If you’re that upset about being sixth, then you’ve lost perspective, no matter who you are. Being ‘accustomed to a certain lifestyle’ is a bit sad. Falling a bit is not the end of the world, and if winning becomes routine and unexciting, personally I’d lose interest. Fear of failure and loss of face seems to be the defining experience for many. I don’t really want them to stop, because it’s f***ing hilarious (particularly with a Stormzy backing track), and I do get where the frustrations come from, but it is interesting how the actual experience doesn’t necessarily line up with the fortunes of your team.
Mark, Newcastle

No way Liverpool will finish top four
I haven’t seen any mention of the fact that the only other top-six team Liverpool play is Manchester City on March 19th. Currently on 52 points in fourth place, what are the odds that this team won’t finish with over 65 points? I’d say it’s a pretty good bet given Liverpool are still talking about grit and effort being the difference between Leicester and Arsenal when all the teams they have left to play are thinking defending deep and scoring on the quick counter. My predictions are as follows:

Burnley – loss because Burnley doing the double is what you’d expect.
@ Man City – easy win (+3)
Everton – win down to “feckin pashun” with Lallana singled out (+3)
Bournemouth – loss with Fraser showing more “feckin pashun” leading to comments about squad depth instead of tactics.
Stoke – loss with Allen scoring the winner on a quick counter.
West Brom – loss that will put Klopp’s future in doubt.
Crystal Palace – ultimate bogey team so a draw to show we’re making progress (+1)
@Watford – loss down to what Klopp will describe as “only one team came to play actual football”.
Southampton – loss because they have all our future players who are better than our current ones, and that’s not fair
@West Ham – win only because West Ham will come out trying to attack (+3)
Boro – Traore will have a blinder scoring 1 and setting up another in a 2-2 draw to make us sure we’ll push on next year if we only have someone like him (+1)

So that’s 11 additional points to get to 63 points for the season. Seems pretty obvious to me this Liverpool team are in for a tough run-in so let’s stop the media hype about a race for the top four and recognize we’ll be lucky to visit a few former Russian republics in the autumn.
Niall, Denver

Nothing has been decided except Chelsea
Micki’s email yesterday basically stated that the only thing to play for at the top was fourth place but thinking that might be premature, given the topsy turvy nature of the PL so far. Man City have to play four more games against the other top six, so still a chance for them to drop points, especially if they continue to progress in the CL and are distracted by big name games. United also have four more to go and Arsenal three more. With United playing for draws in those games and gawd knows what Arsenal are doing, lots of dropped points likely for those two. Agreed that no one is going to catch Chelsea now but still think all three places are up for grabs with it being so close and so many top six games still to play.

Even though Liverpool have the fewest – one more – against City – that is not necessarily in their favour. They would probably prefer to only play the top 6 until the end of the season.

If any of them go on a half decent run, including United, there is everything to play for. It has never been so close before between second place and sixth place. So even though Chelsea are runaway leaders, the top and bottom races are going to keep it interesting until the last day.
Paul McDevitt

Will Jose survive finishing sixth?
Yes. Yes he will.

For two reasons :

He is Jose. If they actually sacked him then who could then bring in and argue have upgraded to ? He was supposed to be the dog’s bit. The best available manager in Europe. I also say this because have you noticed how we talk about managers here more than clubs. Like somehow they have a magical ability to add points to a club. Maybe they do. Maybe they don’t. But you know that we all took a deep breath when Pep went to City, regardless of the fact that with the amount of money they have, the squad, the training academy, the coaches, the scout network and the youth set-up that somehow one mans presence would have some magical effect. And we talk about Klopp a lot too. You see it in business too, that halo effect of high level hires.

At some point you have to look at that side and other peoples and think, ‘We hired one of the top five best managers available. We gave him a sack of cash. Still couldn’t challenge. Hmmmm. Maybe it is not as simple as we thought after all…’
Matt ‘Wouldn’t miss JM from this league, his schtick is pretty obvious and tiresome these days’ Hanchett

…Am I supposed to take Mickey’s mail on the state of play seriously first of all Jose will be in his job even if Everton or West Brom pass utd not because we like headlines more than titles nowadays (an ironic claim since even if we don’t win either of the two trophies available to us this year we will still have won as many as Spurs, Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal have in the last two years) but because he’s improved the vibe at the club.

Moyes was let go because he didn’t measure and it’s a testament to how badly he has done since leaving Everton that Soceidad are now fifth level on points with Atletico Madrid and LVG as I have said time and time again was putting everyone off with his tactics and with the way the landscape was changing would probably have out of a job even if he finished fourth.

Besides the goodwill who really do Utd get to replace him? Simeone is too defensive, Allegri gives you the impression he’s not very good at rebuilds and the only two managers you would say are genuinely better are already in the Premier League.

There is also the fact that we have handed him a load of cash. Personally I think with another scoring option and a younger Carrick we will be fine and I also think Woodward can’t really afford to sack a third manager in four years so he will be their next year‎ during which Chelsea will have the burden of European football and Man City will be integrating a new defense if you are right and he can come third next year, he will even get another crack at it.

So in summary he’s going nowhere.
Timi Mufc

Keane > Kante
N’Golo Kante is good. He really is. But he comes from an era of no personal battles and where possession retention is 9 tenths of the law. Which is why I feel he isn’t a patch on Roy Keane. Who played that role during the Premier League’s greatest era. The rivalrly between Fergie and Wenger was at fever pitch and the poster boys of it were two of the most combative midfielders of all time. I distinctly remember genuine intrigue over Keane’s competiveness, and how he had a mental edge over Vieira. And that does an injustice to the class he brought from midfield. For all Carrick’s understated brilliance, United have been lacking Keane’s dynamism there since his retirement. And for an Irish man to be the captain of a dominating team is all the more impressive.
Brian (Keano the legend), Wexford

Sakho: Too bloody good for Palace
A Liverpool fan asked Monday afternoon’s mailbox if Palace fans would be happy to keep Sakho, well I for one would be bloody delighted! The difference he has made is pretty obvious to see, 2 wins, 2 clean sheets and 2 MOTM performances. Other players are making a point of mentioning him when interviewed. James Tomkins enjoying the composure that Sakho has brought to the defensive unit and he has been playing some of his best football at the club as a result, and Zaha citing his distribution as being top class, if you make the right run he will find you, if you don’t than he will ensure the team keeps the ball. With him in the team we are miles better, our defense is a lot calmer and our forwards are looking for the runs as they know he has the ability to find them.

Honestly, the guy is better than the level he is playing at with us and I’d be shocked if he was turning out for us again next season. He is probably the best loan signing we’ve had for a long time, Ashley Cole being the last one that sticks out to me as being so clearly above the level we are used to. I really enjoy his character as well and from what a fan can see, the players are coming back in to a tight group that enjoy playing together. There seems to be great relationships between people like Sakho, Cabaye, Mandanda, Zaha, Benteke to name a few. This was lost under Pardew as he chose to push the characters out of the club and ensure he was King.

Allardyce must take some credit for the recruitment that appears to be bearing fruit but the five anonymous January signings article also highlighted to me where Palace as a club have improved. Previously I’d click and expect to see one of our signings up there, not long ago we were signing players without a space in the named squad for them. Our last two transfer windows have seen us sign Schlupp, Milivojevic (just say ‘Mili’ ‘Voy’ ‘ Evitch’, easy!), Van Aanholt, Sakho, Benteke, Townsend, Tomkins, Remy, Mandanda and Flamini. Steve Parish himself would admit that the learning curve for this aspect of running the football club in the Premier League has been steep but we certainly seem to have started to get the hang of it. Sure, some of the above list have been overpriced, but those that are less reliable either in age or fitness are on shorter deals and most have been signed from far more established clubs than Palace. I can’t think of many other clubs that have had better recent transfer windows, perhaps because we needed the players, but at the moment Sakho is looking like one of the best bits of business we’ve done in a long, long time.
Ant, CPFC

Build around Tottenham, Gareth
Watching yet another very impressive performance from Spurs on Sunday, it dawned on me shouldn’t England just stop messing about and just copy Spurs’ style of play? I mean, five of the Spurs first team should be legitimately starting for England in anyway.

Goalkeeper: Anyone from Foster/Hart/Heaton

Defenders: Walker, Cahill, Smalling, Rose

Defensive Mids: Dier & Henderson (Wilshere if fit)

Attacking Mids: Sterling, Alli, Lallana

Striker: Kane

Who knows maybe Harry Winks could force his into the team soon too!

Not a world-beating team I agree but you’d do a lot better at a big tournament with that team and the Spurs playing style. As an Irishman I don’t really care what ye do but I thought I’d help you out and give you a plan to start with. You are welcome.
Simon P, Dublin

BT need to wake up…
Just a point I’d like to raise as we move all CL football over to BT Sport.

I hate TV. I have no interest in who’s had a botox, what the Kardashians are up to etc etc. That changes when it comes to sport in general and football in particular! I don’t pay for Sky or Virgin as I don’t want to watch 99% of the dross they show.

Now TV makes some money from me from time to time though as there are early and late games I really want to watch, Liverpool vs Arsenal this weekend as an example. So I might buy the one day for £6.99 or if they have another game later in the week? I might buy seven days at £11.99.

Basically I’m a typical modern consumer, I get it when I want and am happy to pay. I will also stream from far flung corners of the world if I have no other option!

Let’s compare that to BT…I need to subscribe with them direct or add it on to my existing package with Sky. Basically all or nothing 🙁

Which means for me? Nothing thanks BT as I am not a great fan of their coverage and nor do I want to have to get a TV package I don’t want, to then pay extra to get their coverage. They hope that people will buy their packages as they now have way more of the rights then Sky BUT I am not going to forced into it. I actually resent the tactic!

I work for a rather large music streaming company (the one with the green logo) and I don’t want to get into the music industry as a whole comaparison of the rights and wrongs etc. If you look at the music industry now, a huge % of their profit comes from streaming not CD sales etc. They slowly but surely have changed their model to mean they can make ends meet

I think BT need to wake up to this, be more flexible and give people the ability to get the content they want, when they want it!

I see people just sticking 2 fingers up and going back to piracy, which in the long run isn’t good for anyone.

Thanks F365 🙂
Guy Johnson

They won’t stop me watching Champions League
I was initially really disappointed to see BT secure Champions League coverage until 2021 as I firmly believe it should be free to watch. Then it occurred to me though, I’m not really watching any less Champions League football than I used to.

Are “the powers that be” aware that I can type in to Google “watch X vs Y free” and be presented a plethora of reliable options? Do they not know that I can cast them to my TV at the touch of a button? I’m not just talking about the football, either. I can watch BT’s coverage, free, as long as I have Wi-Fi.

It’s far from perfect, but I’m a student and the notion of paying for a subscription to BT Sport is pretty much impossible to fathom. But what am I supposed to do, not watch games like Man City 5-3 Monaco, when I can easily get a stream up with no (immediate or obvious) ramifications? And at least the Premier League has Match of the Day on iPlayer. At least the EFL has Football on 5. Where is the Champions League’s free-to-view round-up?

I promise that by the time I live in a house that’s not scattered with boxes from Perfect Fried Chicken and cheap Polish lager cans, and perhaps when I have a comma in my bank balance, I’ll pay my subscription fee like a proper grown up. I’ll even buy some Gazprom if that helps cleanse me of my sins. However in the meantime, my only other option is to miss out on all the fun of the Champions League, simply because I decided to get some further education.

Frankly, I don’t feel too guilty about it.
Laurence, Reading

On monopolies in football
Wow, it was really tough trying to work out which of the topics in Monday evening’s mailbox I should reply to. Hoping this one is the least arsey/most likely to get published to break my longstanding drought. I decided on the thing that I’m most passionate about (even more so than arguing with random strangers on the internet about football), and that’s the state of broadcasting rights.

Rustin Cohle, you’re definitely along the right lines, and some of the suggestions you make are very sensible ones. Many other countries have a Premier League Pass like system where you can watch all 380 games streaming on demand. In fact the one I was subscribed to was the New Zealand service called Premier League Pass! I missed the pre/post match and half time coverage but it was exactly what I wanted: any game, any time, decent price, a little faff but not too much. We can’t have that here, mainly because of the FA/PL/FL rule against showing 3pm kickoffs on TV which prevents the majority of matches being shown on any given weekend.

Where you’re wrong though is stating that the European Commission stopped Sky having a monopoly on TV rights. To be fair even with a quick search I can’t find who actually passed the rule, but the inaccuracy is down to the thought that Sky have ever had a monopoly on football rights. They may have purchased all of the existing packages, but the monopoly on football rights actually sits with the owner of the competition. The Premier League have a complete monopoly on selling the rights to their competition. UEFA have a monopoly on Champions League and Europa league etc. Therefore whether Sky have 100% of the matches or 50% of the matches means nothing in the grand scheme of things, because the monopoly owner is still there. Because the PL are the rights holders the competition is in who buys the rights, and as a monopoly they can cause a bidding war or hold out for basically any amount, knowing that someone will pay it. Even if every TV channel had the money to bid for football match coverage it wouldn’t drive prices down, in fact it would put prices up (more demand, higher price). Therefore the losers are whoever is funding the ever increasing contracts, and that’s the customers of Sky, BT, ITV Digital etc etc.

That is the way of things, and it will be until the monopoly can be broken such as:

Anyone can show a football match without having to pay for it – Obviously this won’t ever happen for financial and logistical reasons, but if BT and Sky were showing the same matches then people could make an informed decision and the companies would compete on price, quality of coverage etc (man that would be sweet, no more Savage, no more Owen, more intelligent and thoughtful commentators)

There is more than one football competition to watch – This is slightly more likely. If there was a European Super League in a new federation alongside the existing competitions where say, 50% of the Champions League teams moved to, the broadcasting companies would now need to bid for one or the other. As each of the federations would now be competing to get the money of the broadcasters, they would need to compete with each other on price, which teams they had, how many games the broadcaster got etc. I think this would be a pretty mediocre experience overall but it is a way to break the federation’s monopoly.

I could probably write quite a lot more on this but I won’t (unless the Ed wants me to!). It’s certainly an issue that has been around for goodness knows how long yet doesn’t get any better, and I don’t expect it to given the dinosaurs that run football. UEFA, FIFA, the FA, the PL are all stuck way, way in the past.
Calum, MUFC, Wokingham (can’t…resist…a dig…Micki Attridge you do come across as a bit of a buffoon. Mourinho won’t get sacked if he finishes sixth in a close run race. We’ve had a few narky draws and every team in the top six has been playing way above usual levels. Check back on points distribution if you don’t believe me!)

The greatest e-mail of the week
When Darron Gibson burst onto the scene, I hoped he would go on to become a fixture in the Man United midfield for years. Not because I thought he was good, or because I have any positive feelings towards Man United, but because I was obsessed with the extra o in his name.

My plan was to write a series of missives about him into the mailbox, about once a month, but each time, add an extra o. So Darron Gibson would become Dorron Gibson, Dorron Gobson…Doooon Goooon and eventually, after about a year, I would be referring to him as Oooooo Oooooo. But regulars would still know who I was referring to. You see? YOU SEE?

I envisioned other mailboxers and under-commenters joining in until – possibly on my birthday – Storey would call him Oooooo Oooooo in an award-winning article.

It’s good to have a dream.
Alex Stokoe, Newcastle upon Tyne