Why 2024/25 was the best season since Leicester won the Premier League
2024/25 was rubbish, was it? Here’s why it’s been the best season since Leicester won the Premier League in 2015/16.
Send your views – preferably on anything but VAR – to theeditor@football365.com…
Whistle blower
Alright then. A few thoughts on the Man Utd/Villa controversy. I’ve caught up now having been out playing cricket and reading/hearing about what was happening from the BBC live feed, fielders, mates on WhatsApp. Whilst umpiring. Good job there were no vociferous LBW appeals.
Law 12 states a goalkeeper is considered to be in control of the ball with the hand when: ‘The ball is between the hands or between the hand and any surface or by touching it with any part of the hands or arms, except if the ball rebounds from the goalkeeper or the goalkeeper has made a save’…
What an earth does the second half of that sentence mean. ‘by touching it with any part of the hands or arms, except if the ball rebounds…’ Genuinely, can anyone explain that to me? If that ball is in contact with the back of a keepers hand they’re deemed in control? If it’s touching the elbow? Why do they makes the laws so ambiguous? I wouldn’t expect my keeper to get away with Bayindir’s error, so (along with seemingly the majority of others) thought the goal should have stood. However…
That, alone, has not cost Villa a CL spot. In fairness as well, I’m not sure McGinn or Emery claimed afterwards that it did. The complaint to the PGMOL seems a little churlish, but it is only a ‘complaint’. Or, if viewed differently, a suggestion of how to improve things.
Villa are not asking for anything specific in regards to that inicident. In the 90 minutes against a poor Man Utd team Villa were awful. They froze when in mattered most. (Palace and Olympiacos anyone?). Martinez’s madness is a fitting way for him to end his Villa tenure. What on earth was he thinking? Hojlund had so much to do still. Hojlund!
Villa have missed out on goal difference having drawn twice with Ipswich and conceded late late goals far too often (Bournemouth at home, City away, Forest away… I could go on). There are plenty of moments over 38 games where Villa could have done better. The thing is though, both things can coexist. I.e. that decision could have cost us CL football whilst, at the same time, Villa didn’t turn up and should take a look at their own performance in that game and over the season.
Anyhoo, three years in a row in Europe ain’t too shabby. I would imagine Villa will be amongst the favourites in the Europa League as well. What’s that Unai? Oh, you have, have you?
Gary AVFC, Oxford (Never a dull moment with Emi!)
MORE: Emery ‘owes the referee a drink’ for screwing Aston Villa as ‘man child’ ruins Villans legacy
The VAR debate rages on
So with due deference to Villa fans who will doubtless still be traumatised, I don’t think the refereeing f*ckup was that bad. Bayındır was clearly very very close to having both hands on the ball, and there’s so few “player kicks the ball out of the keeper’s hands” incidents that I’m not sure how the ref is supposed to be able to tell whether it’s a foul or a fumble if they’re even slightly unsighted.
I do completely understand Villa’s point about having a very new-to-the-PL ref who hasn’t got much experience of VAR when two experienced refs are assigned to the meaningless Liverpool and Arsenal games – a more experienced ref might have held on two seconds before blowing.
The issue is VAR’s ironclad rules about what it can’t be involved in, particularly the absolute cut off when the whistle goes again. Going back to the Liverpool Spurs fuckup, surely everyone would be okay with Spurs kicking off, the VAR officials screaming in their ear they should have awarded a goal, the ref blowing dead and giving the goal?
We’ve seen a ton of really dodgy decisions this year where the ref has given a yellow and suddenly VAR is entirely excluded. There’s also the daftness where once VAR is looking at an incident, it can only give pens, reds or no foul. Surely once you’ve got VAR involved they should be allowed to give the correct decision, rather than “whoops, not my department”.
I realise more VAR is probably not what anyone else wants, and I realise there is a safety aspect to making sure everything stops when the ref blows up, but surely there could be some flex here? I also realise there is a certain level of “can’t we just have some common sense”, but I think there’s some helpful flexibility available here.
I feel for the refs having to ref the rest of a game knowing they’ve made obviously bad decisions and can’t correct it because the rules say it’s the wrong kind of mistake.
Dan, Plastic LFC
What a VARce
Well done VAR once again for interfering and screwing up and costing two clubs a fortune.
Firstly, having enjoyed a full season without the Stockley Park idiots, we then have to welcome them for the Champo final at Wembley. Without VAR, the Blades second goal stands as the ref allowed the goal, and in all probability, we go up to the Premier League. But no. In steps VAR and overturns the decision (correctly) and we manage to screw it up by sitting back and allowing Sunderland to win the game. Cost to United – around £130m as an estimate.
Then we get the farce at OT when VAR cannot step in because the schoolboy running the game blew his whistle before Villa scored. What is the point of having VAR if a clearly wrong decision cannot be rectified? If that goal stands, then the probability is that Villa either win or hold out for a draw. Cost to Villa – around £100m as an estimate.
That’s two incredibly expensive decisions influenced (or not) by VAR. They should be made to re-imburse Villa and should be barred from all future play off finals where teams are used to not having the interfering prats doing all they can to rule out goals. Leave it to the ref and the lino’s.
At first, pretty peeved that we didn’t make it 10th time lucky in the play-offs (lost the previous 9), but on reflection, I think we may have swerved another season of misery and frustration dealing with VAR decisions. Good luck to the Black Cats – they are going to need it – but I think I’d rather enjoy the game than put up with the VAR nonsense.
Either scrap VAR or fix it, because at present what we cannot cure, we have to endure.
Bladey Mick (Happy days are here again)
Sadly, VAR
Dear all,
Another Premier League weekend, the last until August, but, sadly, VAR dominates a lot of the conversation. It even leaked into the Championship play off final and the decision to use it just for one game should be coming under a lot more scrutiny than it has so far.
However, for those criticising individual decisions, and the whole VAR circus, no matter how justifiably, I would like to remind you that last summer, one Premier League club instigated a vote on whether the whole thing should be abandoned, at least until it could be overhauled and reformed, a proposal which was defeated by a margin of 19-1.
In other words, if you support a Premier League club, and your team isn’t called Wolves, your club voted to retain the whole wretched procedure, ending up with some of the nonsense we’ve seen this past weekend. It is overwhelmingly tempting to use the phrase ‘We told you so’, so I will. You voted for it, this is the result.
Yours etc
Paul Quinton, Wolverhampton, someone who was in favour of introducing VAR, until he saw what a complete Horlicks the PGMOL made of it.
2024/25 review
“It’s been rubbish” they said. “There was no title race, and the three relegated sides were effectively down by January, there’s been nothing to get excited about”.
I say big fat sweaty bollocks to that.
What did people prefer as the alternative? Another Man City procession? Another season of the big boys sharing out the domestic cups between them?
No, this has been the most refreshing season since Leicester won the league.
Liverpool have been imperious in the league from start to finish (until they hit the beach for the last few games) and topped the Champions League group stage above all 31 other teams. No one saw that coming did they.
Newcastle broke their 50+ year drought in the Carabao Cup amid emotional scenes you’d have to have a heart of stone (or be a Mackem) not to have enjoyed. Palace win the first trophy in their long history, seeing off City in the FA Cup final. And to top it off Spurs broke their 17-year drought by clinching the Europa League in an all English final.
We’ve also seen the rebirth of one of the most storied clubs – Forest – as a force at the top end of the table.
And let’s not forget the shambles that is the modern day Manchester United – don’t tell me that hasn’t been entertaining, albeit in a macabre, sadistic way.
It’s been refreshing, it’s been surprising, and it’s been thoroughly compelling from start to finish.
Here’s hoping for more thrills and spills next season.
Andy H, Swansea.
Brace yourselves: Arsenal’s online fanbase is coming
I consider myself one of the sensible, level-headed ones – but as a lifelong Arsenal fan of nearly 40 years, even I am absolutely dreading the blowback from our unhinged online fanbase when we finally win something.
Dearest gloating fans of opposing teams, enjoy it while it lasts – because you’ve made your beds and you’re absolutely going to have to lie in them.
Call me an optimist – call me deluded if you wish – but I think it’s coming next year. And I know it’s going to be unbearable.
Dane (In The North Bank)
Good and bad luck
I finally found a replay of Salah’s “wonderful, match saving, record-breaking” goal from Sunday’s game. That replay confirmed my memory of watching the game live that Salah’s shot was far from special. He struck the ball straight at the Palace keeper and it took a big deflection off a defender into the goal.
Why did every single match report praise Salah for “brilliantly” setting a new record with absolutely no mention of his good luck with the deflection, nor the fact that Palace ended one place lower in the league as a direct result?
Now looking forward to Wembley again and revenge in the opening match of next season.
Eagle in exile by the sea near Athens in Greece
Classy Liverpool
I’m really proud as a liverpool fan that Trent was lauded and applauded to tears (not in a bad way!), that he felt loved and appreciated for the hard work and focus and dedication for the past 20 years. And for the honor and trophies he brought to the club.
He got a boo 2 weeks back for being perceived to have led on the clubs and fans. Klopp (decent man) came in and said his piece to admonish the fans, and Trent received the treatment he deserved (on the balance: minor boos for walking as a free agent; and extended laudatory applause At introduction and at end of game).
It was also really heartwarming to see both Palace and Liverpool giving each other guards of honor. Both teams congratulating and applauding the achievement of the other team.
Sports at its best.
Gab YNWA
On Aberdeen
In a year of sh*thousing finals, I was kind of hopeful that the green juggernaut from Glasgow that has won everything in Scotland for years might finally come unstuck, but after they scored in the first half my heart broke and I remembered what a folly it is to put hope and faith in a bunch of individuals who are just doing a job, and how stupid it is to get invested in something you have no control over whatsoever.
But then it happened, the wood work shook, the incredible fans roared, and we somehow managed to get over the line for penalties, and then the nervousness left. You could tell from the expressions and body language that only one team was going to win it from that point forward.
All that was left was for the Aberdeen FC social media team to drop one of the funniest memes I’ve seen for a while (yes recency/affiliation bias) and for the rest of the weekend to disappear in a red fug.
Tuna Stubbs, Aberdeenshire
A fond farewell
Can’t wait to read all the nice comments and reactions to the LFC supporters showing their appreciation and love for TAA. YNWA
Howard (not holding my breath though) Jones
Ten Hag, check mate
Erik Ten Hag is looking like he’ll have €130+ from sales to Liverpool…
Will he buy Antony for €85m and Onana for €45m, that is the question?
IJR