British Army League 2026

You don’t quantify it. You don’t quantify whether ice cream tastes nicer than asbestos.

Neither do you with football. You use your brain to evaluate “this is drudgery, this is shit”.

There isn’t even a title race.

Even Liverpool’s implosion has become turgid and completely uninteresting.

The only things that are in the EPL right now to attract even the mildest of interest are Aston Villa, the Greg Allen Lunchtime Sports Report Best Of The Irish factor of Bainisteoir Andrews, and beloved football man Moyesie.

That isn’t remotely enough.

Discerning football women and men have simply zoned out and are concentrating on the SPFL which is Europe’s BOX OFFICE league BY FAR this season, rich in narrative, intrigue, messiah figures, chaos and indeed a superior standard of football.

And that’s merely in the Scottish Championship, never mind the Scottish Premiership.

1 Like

Klopp is gone. Pep is half way out the door… there’s no great managers in the league. Go back to when you had Wenger, Mourinho, Alec Ferguson, Rafa, Big Sam… Even Peak Klopp and Pep when the wider may not have been hectic but two teams relentless for a few years.

Lego head is now the main manager in the league. Jesus Mary and Joseph all wept.

1 Like

I don’t think there’s been a league with a better overall standard. I’m in a last man standing and all the odds are so even. The odd match that isn’t then like Liverpool last week were 1/6 and drew.
If the teams were all so shit there would be at least some looking at going out of Europe. I think they are all in and doing well.
You’re arguing about something different. If Liverpool or man united were playing at anywhere near the potential of their players theyd be challenging arsenal and it’d be a great title race.
I agree it needs one of them to be anyway interesting to most Irish people but again that’s a different argument

Outside of the Manchester derby, not one of the other televised games was worth watching this weekend. Theres been more 0-0s this season already than last season.

So the Fulham Man City 5-4 wasn’t worth watching?

United Bournemouth was 4-4. Thats never not funny.

Brighton Villa was 4-3, seems like that might have been good tv.

Leeds Liverpool was 3-3, probably a bit of entertainment there.

Didn’t Newcastle beat Leeds in the 98th minute 4-3 a couple of weeks ago? cc @footix

And it was also televised.

I’m not sure what @YellowBib wants, a half time bust up in the dressing room televised live maybe?

It’s part of the problem.

Bad results doesn’t mean a strong league, the fact anyone can beat anyone suggests the standard is poor, not strong… all the top teams are brutal and are struggling to break down low blocks - that shouldn’t be happening in a good league.

You’re equating the also rans and hammer throwers getting results with a strong league when it just shows the standard is very low.

There isn’t an outstanding team but the depth in the league is massive because they are all spending huge money and Hoovering up talent from all over Europe. The likes of Bournemouth have Evanilson, who would be the best forward in Portugal.

1 Like

Ya like Liverpool spent 600 million and have probably only stood still.

Every year the pack just seems to get stronger.

1 Like

A league with a lot of big strong athletes that are competent footballers. No outstanding team at the minute. Arsenal are probably a forward or two away. With the budgets they have, they can’t not be good.

Ipswich were relegated comfortably last season after spending nearly 200 million.

Spent it in the wrong areas, and lost their guys for different reasons we all know. Had the chance to really kick on and go back to back. I’m surprised Slott is still there.

See spurs are 10th in the champions league. Where are they in the premier league?

1 Like

No space, everyone if 6’2 and an Olympic 800m runner. Need to widen the pitches.

1 Like

He’ll be there till seasons end I’d imagine but he’s a dead man walking

1 Like

It speaks volumes that Liverpool have only collected 21 points from the last 17 league games yet somehow still find themselves in the top 4. Playing the worst football in more than 15 years since the Roy Hodgson era.

3 Likes

Shocking. In a proper league they’d be 10th

• Arsenal were better 2 years ago than they are now in my opinion. They have nobody who’s even hit double figures for goals yet and Gyokeres has been a bit of a dud. Saka has regressed. They were a better side on the whole in 2023/24.

•Man City aren’t a patch on the treble winning side of 2023.

•Villa are pretty much what they’ve always been under Unai Emery but on paper it’s weaker they’re getting considering they’ve just let Malen leave and lost a lot of their depth (Bailey, Diaby, Luiz etc.).

• Liverpool are nowhere near as strong as they were under Jurgen Klopp or even last season. Good players on paper but playing turgid football lately. Somehow not far removed from crisis but 12 unbeaten because nobody is good enough to kill them off (e.g Arsenal in the 0-0).

•Man United don’t have as strong a squad as a few years ago. Michael Carrick isn’t inheriting a team with a supposedly world class player like Pogba or Di Maria.

• Chelsea have a savage midfield but are weaker overall than the team that won the Champions League in 2021.

•Brentford are weaker on paper than last seasons team but find themselves in a higher position with a similar points tally.

•Sunderland have been excellent but in previous seasons €150 million doesn’t bridge a gap of losing 5 in a row in the championship to settling like a duck to water in the top tier.

•Fulham have downsized their squad but actually find themselves in a better position.

•Palace were better last season.

•Bournemouth were better last season but their recent travails is perhaps a good mark of the league as they’re a good side languishing 15th.

•Leeds have no stars in their ranks akin to Raphinia but are doing really well. Somehow still only 16th despite their brilliant recent form.

• West Ham are devoid of any proper attacking talent outside of Bowen.

• Forest were better last season.

• Burnley are weaker than previous Premier League iterations under Dyche.

•Wolves are a pale shadow of 5 years ago.

•Newcastle were better last year when they had Isak.

•Everton have improved.

•Brighton are pottering around at a similar level to previous seasons but if you look at their team they have no outstanding talents like a Caicedo, MacCallister, Pedro or Cururella in their ranks these days.

• I forgot Spurs actually. Spurs were far better a few years ago under Poch.

4 Likes

Bound to be a lull after the Pep v Klopp era. Best teams of the Premier League era.

4 Likes

You CAN count points as a measure when Liverpool get lots of them.

At all other times it’s irrelevant.

Apparently