Whale.io 🐳 | ⚽ English Premier League Season: 2026/2027

[igebotz]

I was extremely confident Bournemouth would win. Carrick might be sacked tomorrow, there are rumours about Howe or Conte taking over.

They need someone with balls and Howe isn't that person; they've tried so many tactical managers and none worked out, maybe it's time to try someone with balls + old fashioned who will confront the management when decisions are bad and/or put on the gloves and box with the players with bad attitudes in training ( he box with a player at Totteham) and that person is Conte!

There are too many spoilt kids in the teams that's needs to be put in their place and maybe return the club to a " performance based salary" structure like Chelsea did.

Although one interviewer was unprofessional with that question, but he was asked to his face if he was expecting a sack later from the team yesterday.

That's not being "unprofessional" it's more like putting reality to check to make him get prepared of what is expected if things don't improve. It's already Monday afternoon and he escaped the sack. Time to fix things?

[Sandra_hakeem]

I was extremely confident Bournemouth would win. Carrick might be sacked tomorrow, there are rumours about Howe or Conte taking over.

They need someone with balls and Howe isn't that person; they've tried so many tactical managers and none worked out, maybe it's time to try someone with balls + old fashioned who will confront the management when decisions are bad and/or put on the gloves and box with the players with bad attitudes in training ( he box with a player at Totteham) and that person is Conte!

Conte is the man! No seriously, the level of tolerance that Carrick has for his players, even when they're messing up is alarming. What qualifies you to be a manager? "Oh, I don't wanna hurt anybody's feelings". So who cares? He doesn't know when to react, suit himself and his downplayed ego, or satisfy the club's ambition. No timing, no trajectory... Where's the club going?

There are too many spoilt kids in the teams that's needs to be put in their place and maybe return the club to a " performance based salary" structure like Chelsea did.

I think there's a rumor flying around that he refused to start a particular player because they had a little disagreement the previous day. Is that true?

Although one interviewer was unprofessional with that question, but he was asked to his face if he was expecting a sack later from the team yesterday.

~snip Time to fix things?

I don't see any future with Carrick as the manager of that club.

[igebotz]

I think there's a rumor flying around that he refused to start a particular player because they had a little disagreement the previous day. Is that true?

Rumor? No, it was right in our faces, and we expected it to happen; first was L. Martinez after making remarks about the club management and then Bruno remarks on Carrick's tactics against Como after the game.

Were they right to throw their manager under the bus the way they did? No

Was Carrick right in making the team suffer for his decisions? No

Are they all mad? Yes

There are numerous ways to handle dressing room situations....

[JollyGood]

They need someone with balls and Howe isn't that person; they've tried so many tactical managers and none worked out, maybe it's time to try someone with balls + old fashioned who will confront the management when decisions are bad and/or put on the gloves and box with the players with bad attitudes in training ( he box with a player at Totteham) and that person is Conte!

There are too many spoilt kids in the teams that's needs to be put in their place and maybe return the club to a " performance based salary" structure like Chelsea did.

Conte is a manager that does not care about players reputations, he will put the players in their place whether he is the manager at Napoli, Chelsea or Manchester United. After hiring managers that have a soft approach, it is about time they were managed by a strong personality that can confront the players (as and when needed).

Here are the next set of fixtures:

MATCH DAY 9:
^{31.10 12:30} Chelsea vs Man United
^{31.10 15:00} Man City vs Brighton Hove
^{31.10 15:00} Bournemouth vs Leeds United
^{31.10 15:00} Coventry City vs Sunderland
^{31.10 15:00} Brentford vs Nottingham
^{31.10 15:00} Hull City vs Ipswich Town
^{31.10 17:30} Tottenham vs Crystal Palace
^{31.10 20:00} Aston Villa vs Fulham
^{01.11 16:30} Liverpool vs Arsenal
^{02.11 20:00} Newcastle vs Everton
_{Info: day.month. time (UTC)}

------------------

Chelsea are hosting Manchester United in the first match of the day. I think there is a possibility Carrick will not be there as manager by the time the match is played. This biggest game this weekend has to be Liverpool vs Arsenal. I think this will be a home win at Anfield as Liverpool have started to improve since Isak returned to full fitness.

[tokeweed]

Nice...  I would've gone for Brighton but I'm following my 'little helpers' picks again.    And the picks are Man City to win, Arsenal to win and Chelsea to win.  Taking them all without any handicap.

My helper says the same about Liverpool vs Brighton game but I've chosen to stick to the middle; BTS pick and add Arsenal and Chelsea ML to the mix.

Lol you got a little helper of your own eh?  I suggest getting a couple more, use the same prompt, load them with stat sources then let them run their picks.  Compare their picks and let them 'learn from their mistakes' so they develop their own model.

It's fun and it's actually more fun in trying to improve their process rather than having them get the right picks. 

[igebotz]

Chelsea are hosting Manchester United in the first match of the day. I think there is a possibility Carrick will not be there as manager by the time the match is played. This biggest game this weekend has to be Liverpool vs Arsenal. I think this will be a home win at Anfield as Liverpool have started to improve since Isak returned to full fitness.

Well, Carrick will be in charge of the team and will manage against Chelsea - the team have decided to back him up one more time and they want to continue with him but for how long ? That's what we don't have answers to at the moment.

For the managers; there's no Conte on the shortlisted lists - they're still going for another new generation managers.

Lol you got a little helper of your own eh?  I suggest getting a couple more, use the same prompt, load them with stat sources then let them run their picks.  Compare their picks and let them 'learn from their mistakes' so they develop their own model.

It's fun and it's actually more fun in trying to improve their process rather than having them get the right picks. 

I didn't know how to make one on Chatgpt/ Grok so I usually just ask the questions on the general bot and take it up from there. I was surprised Brighton couldn't get a goal against Liverpool. Lol 

[tokeweed]

^  Yeah...  The game was at Anfield.  The atmosphere shouldn't be a huge factor but sometimes it is simply is.  Don't know why that is for some clubs like Real Madrid, Man United, Liverpool, etc...

Anyway, my little helpers agreed to Chelsea, Man City, Coventry or draw, Aston Villa and Newcastle.  Not sure which ones I'll put my money on but it's most likely to the matches I'll be watching...  Chelsea and City. 

[igebotz]

^  Yeah...  The game was at Anfield.  The atmosphere shouldn't be a huge factor but sometimes it is simply is.  Don't know why that is for some clubs like Real Madrid, Man United, Liverpool, etc...

Anyway, my little helpers agreed to Chelsea, Man City, Coventry or draw, Aston Villa and Newcastle.  Not sure which ones I'll put my money on but it's most likely to the matches I'll be watching...  Chelsea and City. 

Those grounds are incredibly scary, and I believe the fear factor still works on away teams; we haven't beaten Liverpool or Manchester United at home in a long time, and no matter how bad they are, they always show up at home against top sides.

Manchester United are in a shithole, and there's simply no reason why we shouldn't win and put M. Carrick in a deeper hole, but I'm not putting money on it.

Did Manchester City and Brighton ( the League Cup game )just gave us what to expect this weekend? BTS & Over 3.5 goals looks better.

[buwaytress]

They need someone with balls and Howe isn't that person; they've tried so many tactical managers and none worked out, maybe it's time to try someone with balls + old fashioned who will confront the management when decisions are bad and/or put on the gloves and box with the players with bad attitudes in training ( he box with a player at Totteham) and that person is Conte!

There are too many spoilt kids in the teams that's needs to be put in their place and maybe return the club to a " performance based salary" structure like Chelsea did.

Hear, hear. There's nothing to fix about technical ability or expertise in that club. You could get Pep in there, Klopp, Ancelotti, they would all fail because the rot is in the ownership, and that translates to the dressing room.

You have a captain that attacks your manager in public. And still only the manager is able to chastise him.

But hey, I'm enjoying Manure like this for as long as possible. May the rot continue.

[igebotz]

Hear, hear. There's nothing to fix about technical ability or expertise in that club. You could get Pep in there, Klopp, Ancelotti, they would all fail because the rot is in the ownership, and that translates to the dressing room.

You have a captain that attacks your manager in public. And still only the manager is able to chastise him.

But hey, I'm enjoying Manure like this for as long as possible. May the rot continue.

Are you saying if Mourinho or Conte were the Manager, these players would come outside to question their game plans?

Ramos and Ronaldo didn't do anything close to this and Mou sent both to the bench at Real Madrid at some point. The way he runs the dressing room I honestly think no one would bad mouth him while he's still in charge.

For the sake of football, we all want Carrick to continue and also allow us to benefit from the Honeypot this weekend; the last time they were in their lowest lows, Amorim took a point from us at Old Trafford.. lol

[JollyGood]

Before the announcement about Carrick keeping his job for the Chelsea match, the two most mentioned names were Howe and Nagelsmann. I think Howe is a good manager but he never won anything except a Carabao Cup with Newcastle United a couple of seasons ago. The only thing Nagelsmann and Klopp share is their nationality, other than Klopp is head an shoulders above Nagelsmann.

Chelsea will have home advantage therefore if they can capitalise on the chaos at Manchester United, it could be an important win for Alonso. A loss for Manchester United and a win for the four teams below them will take Manchester United to the bottom of the table.

Well, Carrick will be in charge of the team and will manage against Chelsea - the team have decided to back him up one more time and they want to continue with him but for how long ? That's what we don't have answers to at the moment.

For the managers; there's no Conte on the shortlisted lists - they're still going for another new generation managers.

[igebotz]

Before the announcement about Carrick keeping his job for the Chelsea match, the two most mentioned names were Howe and Nagelsmann. I think Howe is a good manager but he never won anything except a Carabao Cup with Newcastle United a couple of seasons ago. The only thing Nagelsmann and Klopp share is their nationality, other than Klopp is head an shoulders above Nagelsmann.

Chelsea will have home advantage therefore if they can capitalise on the chaos at Manchester United, it could be an important win for Alonso. A loss for Manchester United and a win for the four teams below them will take Manchester United to the bottom of the table.

Nagelsmann was also shortlisted for Chelsea job the year we signed Enzo Maresca and he was one of the few shortlisted candidates I liked; he's a not a bad manager but everything that comes in contact with Manchester United fails if you look at the long list of managers they've employed and sacked in recent times; all were brilliant before they came to Old Trafford 

Conte is kind of a very expensive package and I want to believe it was the reason they went with two other cheaper options and those they can easily control from the head. Nagelsmann, I'd prefer for them.
___________

I liked how we performed against Liverpool in the league cup even without Palmer and Pedro - if we show a bit of that against Manchester United we can beat them..

[JollyGood]

Chelsea could occupy a Champions League position, that is what is at stake for Alonso and his team. I am expecting Chelsea to dominate the match and inflict a heavy defeat on Manchester United whether Pedro and Neto are on the pitch or on the bench. Somehow this seems to be perfect timing for Alonso.

Even though Carrick had the Old Trafford fans applauding him after losing to Bournemouth, suffering another heavy defeat (this time by Chelsea) might be the end for Carrick in his role. If Carrick loses his job, I doubt either Howe or Nagelsmann will get the job. If Conte is overlooked, I cannot think of a suitable name right now.

[buwaytress]

Hear, hear. There's nothing to fix about technical ability or expertise in that club. You could get Pep in there, Klopp, Ancelotti, they would all fail because the rot is in the ownership, and that translates to the dressing room.

You have a captain that attacks your manager in public. And still only the manager is able to chastise him.

But hey, I'm enjoying Manure like this for as long as possible. May the rot continue.

Are you saying if Mourinho or Conte were the Manager, these players would come outside to question their game plans?

Ramos and Ronaldo didn't do anything close to this and Mou sent both to the bench at Real Madrid at some point. The way he runs the dressing room I honestly think no one would bad mouth him while he's still in charge.

For the sake of football, we all want Carrick to continue and also allow us to benefit from the Honeypot this weekend; the last time they were in their lowest lows, Amorim took a point from us at Old Trafford.. lol

Actually, no, I'm saying the system needs to allow the likes of Mourinho and Conte to come in and do some house cleaning. I don't remember what exactly transpired the last time Mou was at United but am certain he left citing a lack of unity from the boardroom when it came to player discipline. He put Pogba down for sure, can't remember who else but half the dressing room was at cold war with him, and he didn't get the bosses to back his disciplining.

But yes, Chelsea odds are too good to ignore. I put a peasant's bet on it acca'd with a Liverpool win vs Gooners. Should be a fun weekend...

[JollyGood]

Pogba, that name brings back a lot of memories. He had plenty of potential but never lived up to the hype at Manchester United. He was a phenomenal player at Juventus after moving there for a tiny nominal fee but was not the same at Manchester United after his then world record £89 million fee. As for Mourinho, he was upset when was not allowed to buy the players he wanted when Guardiola was buying player after player. That caused some dressing room issues but I cannot recall players questioning him in public.

Regarding Chelsea, as expected they just won. Manchester United are just one point above the relegation zone and could be occupying one of the relegation spots after the remaining Premier League games take place this weekend.

Actually, no, I'm saying the system needs to allow the likes of Mourinho and Conte to come in and do some house cleaning. I don't remember what exactly transpired the last time Mou was at United but am certain he left citing a lack of unity from the boardroom when it came to player discipline. He put Pogba down for sure, can't remember who else but half the dressing room was at cold war with him, and he didn't get the bosses to back his disciplining.

But yes, Chelsea odds are too good to ignore. I put a peasant's bet on it acca'd with a Liverpool win vs Gooners. Should be a fun weekend...

[Sandra_hakeem]

Chelsea could occupy a Champions League position, that is what is at stake for Alonso and his team. I am expecting Chelsea to dominate the match and inflict a heavy defeat on Manchester United whether Pedro and Neto are on the pitch or on the bench. Somehow this seems to be perfect timing for Alonso.

Mate, that was easy money if you had a stake on the odds. At no point did I ever think Man United would, even with the slightest chances, win that match. It's true that their previous meetings derby over the years have really been a competitive one, but the United that could easily take on Chelsea was dead a long time ago. That's what happens when a deadbeat, money-grubber buys 29% of the club and automatically assumes the position of the director, supervisor, manager, president, every single position. I assume he did that to cut down cost? The 16th position on the table is where Jim Ratcliffe has successfully wheeled the club back at, yet he claims to be Billionaire businessman.

It's clear that Amorim was a good coach, but was sacked for demanding investments in the club. This is someone they had to beg to show up mid-summer OMG! Everyone knows Michael Carrick is not the problem either.

[JollyGood]

The 16th position on the table is where Jim Ratcliffe has successfully wheeled the club back at, yet he claims to be Billionaire businessman.

His input at the club (since purchasing the minority stake) has been nothing short of embarrassing, especially as he claims to have been a supporter of the club since he was a child living in poverty in Manchester. The Glazers have been even worse, they have sucked money out of the club in a deal that the UK government should have stepped in to stop going ahead. The leveraged buy-out has effectively added over £1 billion in debt on a club that had zero debt before the Glazers purchased it in 2005.

If the current Chelsea owners tried to do the same thing when they purchased the club a few years ago, I am sure the government would have intervened to stop it going ahead. In the end, it was a deal that involved a cash sale without leveraging Stamford Bridge or their training ground in order to facilitate the deal.

It's clear that Amorim was a good coach, but was sacked for demanding investments in the club. This is someone they had to beg to show up mid-summer OMG! Everyone knows Michael Carrick is not the problem either.

Just as Alonso is steadying the ship at Chelsea, it is collapsing at Manchester United. Clearly, the problem is much deeper than just hiring and firing a manager. The CEO is the one that employed the Sporting Director and the fact seems to be that both are incompetent. How on earth did Wilcox end up as Sporting Director at that club?

Even at Manchester City with back to back defeats, it is now becoming apparent that Maresca might not have the mentality to take over after Guardiola departed. Having said that, I am not stating that Maresca is going to lose his job before the season ends. I think common sense has to prevail (including giving managers appropriate time to change things) before decisions are made to sack managers.

Comparing those situations with what is happening at Chelsea, I am confident Alonso will be a success if the owners give him time to make the gradual changes the club needs in order to be successful again. Given time, even De Zerbi is changing the atmosphere at Tottenham therefore lessons can be learned. When it relates to Manchester United, changing managers has not worked for the past 13 years since Ferguson retired. The problem is down to the owners and operators of the club seeming to be incompetent.

[Sandra_hakeem]

The 16th position on the table is where Jim Ratcliffe has successfully wheeled the club back at, yet he claims to be Billionaire businessman.

His input at the club (since purchasing the minority stake) has been nothing short of embarrassing, especially as he claims to have been a supporter of the club since he was a child living in poverty in Manchester.

He really has proven how big of a supporter he is.  

The Glazers have been even worse, they have sucked money out of the club in a deal that the UK government should have stepped in to stop going ahead. The leveraged buy-out has effectively added over £1 billion in debt on a club that had zero debt before the Glazers purchased it in 2005.

I didn't even want to talk about the The Glazers, especially since Jim assumed all the responsibilities of running the club all by himself. Eitherway, the volatility of the predatory layer of debt, most especially the PIK loan they took may wreck the team in the nearest future. Although the new rules in the EPL protects every club from repeating the same mistake.

Instead of paying off the principal to avoid more penal interests, they decided to refinance the loans. Can they make any account for all the money they took out of two separate loans? I don't think so.

If the current Chelsea owners tried to do the same thing when they purchased the club a few years ago, I am sure the government would have intervened to stop it going ahead. In the end, it was a deal that involved a cash sale without leveraging Stamford Bridge or their training ground in order to facilitate the deal.

It was that bad..! Not just the government, but the current rules won't permit any of that.

It's clear that Amorim was a good coach, but was sacked for demanding investments in the club. This is someone they had to beg to show up mid-summer OMG! Everyone knows Michael Carrick is not the problem either.

~snip
When it relates to Manchester United, changing managers has not worked for the past 13 years since Ferguson retired. The problem is down to the owners and operators of the club seeming to be incompetent.

The big flaw there is---- every new manager comes with their own philosophy and understanding of the game, which displaces entirely what the previous ones had on ground, including the players and their positions. With that happening too frequently, it destabilized  the team to the worse state. I don't know who told them that employing a new manager every season would better the team.

[JollyGood]

It is clear that everything at the club is basically in a shambles from top to bottom. I am sure all of the big (English) Premier League clubs will be extremely happy at the demise of a once powerful and dangerous adversary as it has allowed other clubs to take the spotlight but I am not sure that having any of the big clubs in trouble is a good advert for the Premier League.

As for the games this week, Chelsea took full advantage of the problems at Manchester United and won the match. It was a solid first half by the players as they showed they were playing for Carrick but in the end Chelsea only had 10 players to contend with.

I was surprised when Arsenal beat Liverpool. Before the game started, I was expecting this to be a Liverpool win. I probably saw the last 15 minutes and Liverpool were dominating as they were pushing for an equaliser.

[Sandra_hakeem]

As for the games this week, Chelsea took full advantage of the problems at Manchester United and won the match. It was a solid first half by the players as they showed they were playing for Carrick but in the end Chelsea only had 10 players to contend with.

I was surprised when Arsenal beat Liverpool. Before the game started, I was expecting this to be a Liverpool win. I probably saw the last 15 minutes and Liverpool were dominating as they were pushing for an equaliser.

Liverpool isn't serious at all for this match week and it can be detrimental to their stats later on. The last time they won any match in a major competition was against Brighton. They gave up that cheap 3 points to Arsenal, and even though the difference was just one goal away, it counts.

Now guess what they did today? I bet you can't because they lost against Fenerbahçe from the turkish league. You never know what's going to happen when it gets to the UCL, so maybe Man United have successfully passed the bat to Liverpool after the surprising defeat against Roma? Who knows