It’s under a week until the fixtures are released, at 09:00 on Wednesday 16th June, so time to get the new season’s thread going…
Can anyone stop the human rights abusing cheats from the Emptihad? How many dodgy penalties will United get? And will we reach ten thousand posts again, like we did in last year’s thread?
Will Atkinson, Taylor, Kavanagh, Coote, Friend and Tierney retire?
I’m interested to see how all the new managers get on - Lage at Wolves, Fonseca at Spurs and whoever Palace and Everton end up with.
Feels like a while since there have been so many new faces at the start of a season, adds a fair bit of unpredictability.
Not really.
Wolves will still be a Portuguese enclave; Spurs gonna Spurs; Palace will be happy in mid-table mediocrity and Everton will still be shite.
But how shite? These are the big questions 
EFC (MMA) FC and Wolves for the drop next season me thinks…
Pickford to get the most hostile reception at Anfield ever known to man… (anyone ever remember that before every derby at Anfield, the likeable Gordon West goalkeeper was always presented with a handbag from a fan invading the pitch), was thinking someone could do worse than present Pickford with the biggest ever inflatable of a T.Rex… The Prick.!
Considering every England goalie makes a massive error at a major tournament he is due one so his tour of grounds might be one massive booathon and let’s face it, it’s hardly out of the realm of expectation if he did.
So this upcoming season see’s a change to VAR;
thicker lines to give a bigger margin of error to the offsides and to give the benefit of the doubt back to the attacker.
Seems sensible to me given how many marginal ones we’ve had go against us.
That’s the change I’ve wanted to see, thicker lines should improve things. Hopefully we’ll see fewer of those calls that just seem silly.
I also read they’ll stop showing how the lines are drawn, which I like as well. Creates unnecessary drama.
It’s not transparency that creates drama. It’s the inconsistency of the decisions. This just looks shady.
I like the offside change, though.
Nothing will change, for better, as long as there are morons and cunts officiating the games. 
Don’t mind that change though I think it should have been even more simplified.
Ah, that was one of my main issues with VAR. That and the new hands rule (that doesn’t really have anything to do with VAR, just that I dislike the rule). This is very good news.
I don’t really see how it’s going to change anything.
How about if you have to draw lines to determine, he’s onside. If you can tell he’s offside without drawing lines, he’s off. Level used to go to the attacker. Having sleeve or knee past last defender not really in spirit of game in my opinion.
Yeah I’ve said if you can’t tell with the naked eye on replay you stick with the on field decision.
With this ‘Star Trek’ VAR technology, it has made the referee and the person running the line, very insecure of calling any sort of decision like they used to do with some confidence in the past.
The referee is never far enough up with play to look along a line for the off-side call, and the person running the line who should be in-line with the last man, can never be exactly sure when the ball leaves the foot of the player who makes the forward pass, because they could be hitting the ball from 50-60metres away…!
VAR has allowed the officials to hide behind a technology that has proven time and again, that it is not fit for purpose…!
I’ll miss Hodgson’s gwumpyness.
Vieira to be the new Crystal Place manager is the latest.