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Never saw that happening. Spurs hit the woodwork twice, three times in first Half?
Funny thing is, Spurs are barely above 2 points per game. That would never be enough to challenge for the league in the last decade I reckon.
And Spurs are said to have had a super season. City and Arsenal have been terrible, yet there are only 5 points between them. Maybe the new normal is a much more competitive league but one season isn't evidence of that yet.
I guess Spurs are having a good season because they're second and finishing strongly. Didn't they have an iffy start?
I wonder is the 25-man squad limit having any effect this season? Only thought of it after noting Leicester had "only" used 23 players all season (though it's still impressive that only 15 have really contributed)
Dropped the ball a little early on:Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Leicester City 1 - 1 Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur 0 - 0 Everton
Sunderland 0 - 1 Tottenham Hotspur
Anyway, Leicester could clinch the league at Old Trafford next week.
Leicester could clinch the league at Old Trafford next week.
Leicester could clinch the league at Old Trafford next week.
Just shows you never know in football. A lot myself included thinking Spurs would win the last four and a case of Leicester slipping up but Leicester have hardly slipped up all season so credit to them. I suppose if they win it now Spurs could look at that late goal Leicester got at the lane and also allowing a ten man Arsenal back in when 2-1 up on them. Still a great season for Spurs no matter what.
A couple of interesting articles on football odds. It seems Leicester at 5000/1 is the most unlikely event ever to happen in bookmaking (not counting accumulators and match-rigging).
Greece were 150/1 to win Euro 2004.
Amazingly, Hungary were 500/1 to win in Wembley in 1953, as were the US to beat England in the 1950 World Cup.
Mali were 1000/1 to beat Angola when 3-0 down with 16 minutes to play.
A Finnish league game was won 8-0 at odds of 8787/1 last year - the losing club and their manager were both fined, though no firm evidence of rigging was found.
Couple of links here and here.
ONLY in the Premier League apparently, according to a downcast Souness, would a mid table team with nothing to play for put up such a performance (doh, like Swansea at Leicester for instance??). This "only in the Premier league" from Sky is enough to (almost) spoil what was an entertaining game. When the ball starts bouncing off the post and WBA are not put away, you always believe something could happen and nerves take over. After the equaliser you could actually hear the WBA fans singing "Ally Ally Ally Ohhhhhh Ally Ally Ally Ohhhhhh..." - so repetitive that I went to bed and couldn't get the bloody song out of my head but whether they enjoyed helping their midlands rivals taking a step towards the League title, who knows.
McLean played very well defensively and worked really hard - hats off to him.
Expectation levels are everything. Tottenham's improvement has been fairly radical also. For Tottenham, finishing above Arsenal is a super season, let alone finishing above Arsenal, City, Man Utd, Liverpool and Chelsea. For City and Arsenal, finishing below Tottenham and Leicester is catastrophic really.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
I remember thinking when Japan beat South Africa in the Rugby World Cup that it has to be up there with the biggest shocks ever in sport. Leicester winning the league, should it happen, would dwarf it I think, given it's over 38 games and not one.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Just two days after 16th place Rayo Vallecano put Real Madrid to the pin of their collar in Spain, going into a 2-0 lead in the first half before eventually losing 2-3 with minutes remaining. Not to mention mid-table Valencia winning at the Nou Camp two weeks ago, etc., etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by OwlsFan
33/1 apparently. The equivalent in football would be longer I guess - maybe twice as long - because the odds of drawing are much smaller in rugby.Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
Of course, an individual match is always going to have shorter odds than a 38-game season. Even then, Japan were 1000/1 to win the World Cup before beating South Africa.
Yeah, the "only" things drives me nuts. The Times put it better and more modestly today: a mid-table team putting it up to a title-chasing team is what helps make the PL popular around the world, which I think is largely true.Quote:
Originally Posted by OwlsFan
La Liga, despite Rayo at the weekend, just isn't as competitive. Look at the points per game of the big 3. Look at their goal differences too. Look at the gap between 3rd and 4th.
It's funny because during years of relative certainty of outcome and dominance of big / rich teams, and consequent financial irresponsibility, the EPL resisted any calls for financial regulation citing quality rather than competitive balance as a key factor in the league's global commercial success versus, say, Germany. Now, after introducing financial regulation and seeing a bizarre unpredictable outcome about to unfold, they bang on about how the unpredictability is what makes it so great!
I suppose the pre-regulation era helped build the brand(s), now the product's commercial life cycle has moved on to a different stage.
On McClean, Danny tweeted a good comment: McClean was picked in The Telegraph's EPL's worst XI of the season but as a left back. Is it a case of his politics influencing their selection? Telegraph is notoriously right-wing, pro-Establishment. By no stretch of the imagination could he be called a left-back, even if he has played there a handful of times.
33/1 was very stingy I think.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
The odds of drawing would be smaller in rugby alright, but it's easier to cause a shock in one-off football games I would say, as scores are much more difficult to come by.
100% - regardless of where he was selected. He's clearly had a very decent season. Sad ba$tards.Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
Cheering for Chelsea is weird. Cheering for Chelsea to help Leicester to win the league is weirder.
EDIT: How Spurs have managed to end this manage with 11 I dunno. Absolute filth.
No, I couldn't do it. Would have liked Spurs to have brought it to Saturday instead of giving that shower any happiness. And the filth was kind of refreshing in a mad way, total throwback.
Wow. Congrats Leicester.
I enjoyed it to a point. But it got ridiculous towards the end and Rose, Walker and Dembele should have seen the line.Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
In saying that it was a cracker of a match!
Not condoning it a such it's just football has gone so soft and timid it was great to see a bit of filth and Chelsea being on the receiving end probably helped, even if they were happy out. Spurs should have definitely had three reds at least. It was counter productive for Spurs though really as they would have surely created another chance or two to win it had they kept the heads.
Dier could have got two reds! Well obviously he couldn't but you know what I mean.Quote:
Originally Posted by BonnieShels
The team with the fourth lowest wage budget in the league, playing with a first 11 that cost a QUARTER of the fee paid by Real Madrid for Gareth Bale just won the Premier League.
Let's just savour that for a moment.
The money men were beaten by a group of nobodies.
Fan-fu*king-tastic.
Absolutely. Thought it was a great game and the aggression made it better. 9 yellows for Spurs without a red is amazing though; were they taking it in turns to hack Chelsea down?Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
If you can't win the league yourself, I guess seeing Spurs throw away a 2-goal lead is the next best way!
Saw a stat that the last time Hazard scored at home in the league, it was to decide the 2014/15 league season.
Delighted for Leicester though.