BPL Review Thread

[TheRef]

So we have come to the end of the Premier League season. A couple of upsets this year, and a complete domination at the top of the table.

Final Table

1. Chelsea - 87 points Champions League
2. Manchester City - 79 points Champions League
3. Arsenal - 75 points Champions League
4. Manchester United - 70 points Champions League
5. Tottenham Hotspur - 64 points Europa League
6. Liverpool - 62 points Europa League
7. Southampton - 60 points
8. Swansea City - 56 points
9. Stoke City - 54 points
10. Crystal Palace - 48 points
11. Everton - 47 points
12. West Ham United - 47 points Europa League
13. West Bromwich Albion - 44 points
14. Leicester City - 41 points
15. Newcastle United - 39 points
16. Sunderland - 38 points
17. Aston Villa - 38 points
18. Hull City - 35 points Relegated
19. Burnley - 33 points Relegated
20. Queens Park Rangers - 30 points Relegated

Promoted to Premier League for 2015-2016 Season
1. Bournemouth (Won Championship)
2. Watford (Championship Runner-Up)
3. Norwich (Won Play-off for Final Promotion)

Headlines

- Chelsea wins Premier League in complete domination. Led Premier League all season
- Leicester City completes the greatest comeback in Premier League history to survive another season
- Hull City surprisingly relegated after 3 seasons in the BPL

[Liverpooldawg]

I am still a diehard Liverpool fan but I aquired a new team while on vacation in England a few days ago. We spent three nights in Norwich. We had to leave the day of the second leg against against their bitter East Anglian rival, Ipswich. Our driver drove us by Carrow Road on the way out and the fans were already arriving. We heard them singing their songs late at night from our hotel room next to a pub. Even the guide we had at the cathedral, a retired private school headmaster, was a season ticket holder. Norwich is a wonderful town and the people were just great. I loved the place and I couldn't be happier for them. I'm sure they will go straight back down but I know they enjoyed the beating of Ipswich in what they were calling the biggest East Anglian Derby ever.

[War Machine Dawg]

So we have come to the end of the Premier League season. A couple of upsets this year, and a complete domination at the top of the table.

Final Table

1. Chelsea - 87 points Champions League
2. Manchester City - 79 points Champions League
3. Arsenal - 75 points Champions League
4. Manchester United - 70 points Champions League
5. Tottenham Hotspur - 64 points Europa League
6. Liverpool - 62 points Europa League
7. Southampton - 60 points
8. Swansea City - 56 points
9. Stoke City - 54 points
10. Crystal Palace - 48 points
11. Everton - 47 points
12. West Ham United - 47 points Europa League
13. West Bromwich Albion - 44 points
14. Leicester City - 41 points
15. Newcastle United - 39 points
16. Sunderland - 38 points
17. Aston Villa - 38 points
18. Hull City - 35 points Relegated
19. Burnley - 33 points Relegated
20. Queens Park Rangers - 30 points Relegated

Promoted to Premier League for 2015-2016 Season
1. Bournemouth (Won Championship)
2. Watford (Championship Runner-Up)
3. Norwich (Won Play-off for Final Promotion)

Headlines

- Chelsea wins Premier League in complete domination. Led Premier League all season
- Leicester City completes the greatest comeback in Premier League history to survive another season
- Hull City surprisingly relegated after 3 seasons in the BPL

Steve Bruce has too much class to ever say it, but injuries gutted Hull all season. Lost Snodgrass for the season in just the second match. Went a significant stretch without Michael Dawson. Lost Jelavic for 6+ weeks twice. Lost Mo Diame for the season about halfway thru. Then Huddleston played like garbage, Ben Arfa never contributed and got cut midseason, Abel Hernandez never got going, and Gaston Ramirez & Sone Aluko were inconsistent as hell. The only guy who really played well was Dame N'Doye and he was a midseason transfer. Gotta give props to Ahmed Elmohamady, too. He had a solid year, I thought.

The only "manager's decision" that really baffled me all season were Andy Robertson riding the pine so much and loaning out Tom Ince for the season. Robertson looked like one of our best defenders, had blazing speed down the sides, and looked like he had good skill crossing the ball into the box. Ince would have been a huge midfield addition as an attacker, considering how deficient we were in that area. We desperately needed an attacking presence and I liked what I saw from Ince in the 3 games he actually played with Hull. He seemed to bring a real energy to the pitch.

Outside of those two decisions, there really isn't much I can fault Bruce for this season. I thought he played the hand he was dealt about as well as possible. Especially considering what a glaring need we have to upgrade our keepers.

[TheRef]

Steve Bruce has too much class to ever say it, but injuries gutted Hull all season. Lost Snodgrass for the season in just the second match. Went a significant stretch without Michael Dawson. Lost Jelavic for 6+ weeks twice. Lost Mo Diame for the season about halfway thru. Then Huddleston played like garbage, Ben Arfa never contributed and got cut midseason, Abel Hernandez never got going, and Gaston Ramirez & Sone Aluko were inconsistent as hell. The only guy who really played well was Dame N'Doye and he was a midseason transfer. Gotta give props to Ahmed Elmohamady, too. He had a solid year, I thought.

The only "manager's decision" that really baffled me all season were Andy Robertson riding the pine so much and loaning out Tom Ince for the season. Robertson looked like one of our best defenders, had blazing speed down the sides, and looked like he had good skill crossing the ball into the box. Ince would have been a huge midfield addition as an attacker, considering how deficient we were in that area. We desperately needed an attacking presence and I liked what I saw from Ince in the 3 games he actually played with Hull. He seemed to bring a real energy to the pitch.

Outside of those two decisions, there really isn't much I can fault Bruce for this season. I thought he played the hand he was dealt about as well as possible. Especially considering what a glaring need we have to upgrade our keepers.

Definitely. Watching Hull City play this year was more of just watching it and going "If only [insert injured player here] were able to play. Boy they were so close." I hate it for Hull too that the owners and management really were just derp through the year. But injuries will absolutely kill a squad, no matter when and where they happen. But especially when it's some of your key players that go down.

Regardless, I'd love to do this again for next season.

[War Machine Dawg]

Definitely. Watching Hull City play this year was more of just watching it and going "If only [insert injured player here] were able to play. Boy they were so close." I hate it for Hull too that the owners and management really were just derp through the year. But injuries will absolutely kill a squad, no matter when and where they happen. But especially when it's some of your key players that go down.

Regardless, I'd love to do this again for next season.

Indeed. I'll just have to report on a new team....maybe Man City, ha. Or maybe BoomBoom could re-draft for us.

[DawgHouseUnited]

Indeed. I'll just have to report on a new team....maybe Man City, ha. Or maybe BoomBoom could re-draft for us.

I'm game for doing it again. But I do kinda like my Saints, I'd kinda like to keep them. I loved keeping up with it throughout the year.

[Tbonewannabe]

I had Burnley but could never get into them much. I watched Arsenal mostly and enjoyed it. Didn't realize they were any good until after about a month of watching and did some research.

[DanglyGiant]

I wouldn't say no to a re-draft. I never really got into Manchester United, though I did watch them as often as I could. I'll still likely follow them, but meh.

If we do have a re-draft, could I send a list of teams to choose from? I'm making a trip to the UK this December and would like to catch a match, but I can't decide which one to attend. This could make it much easier to decide.

[DanglyGiant]

I just got home from attending the Chelsea v Barcelona match last night (we drove up to DC from Jackson) and WOW. It was incredible. I can't wait to attend a match in England this December now.