2016/17 fixtures released. Thoughts?

[AFCB_Mark]

What do you make of your side's fixtures released this morning? First game, last game, Christmas fixtures, all that good stuff. A tough start to the season? A tricky run in?

Man United first up for us, Jose starting life in his new job at Dean Court.

Our fixtures look more balanced than they were last season, when we seemed to have incredibly hard looking months with all the big sides together and then easier looking months, seems more spread out this time. Also our run in looks much kinder next season compared with last. Boro, Sunderland, Stoke, Burnley, and Leicester away to end with.

 

[MJA]

I don't want to sound like a killjoy but everyone plays every team twice so why any excitement about what order they are?

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[Pagnell]

Really shitty start for us with Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea away and Leicester at home in the first 5 games. It's a good job David Moyes isn't our manager.

 

[AFCB_Mark]

I don't want to sound like a killjoy but everyone plays every team twice so why any excitement about what order they are?

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It's a fair point, I think it's always exciting as a milestone in the summer that means the new season is on the way.
Of course the fixture list will be mutilated when Sky get their hands on it, but there we go.

 

[silkyman]

Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea one after the other in March/April looks painful. But if City get through that in any sort of contention, the rest of the run in doesn't look too bad.

But yeah, you play everyone twice so it doesn't really matter, apart from a bit of it being easier to play mid table sides in the last few weeks, but you can't predict that at this stage.

 

[JimJams]

Hull, Arsenal, Swansea, Liverpool, Burnley, Man Utd.

Anything less than 18 points would be a disappointment I think.
Although Arsenal may end up having more of our current squad available for that game than we will.

The bastards.

 

[Pagnell]

I don't want to sound like a killjoy but everyone plays every team twice so why any excitement about what order they are?

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Logically, that can't be argued with. But if a team ends up playing the top 8 of the previous season in their first 10 games then bad results can start up a spiral of low confidence that can be difficult to come out of.

 

[MJA]

Logically, that can't be argued with. But if a team ends up playing the top 8 of the previous season in their first 10 games then bad results can start up a spiral of low confidence that can be difficult to come out of.

Very good point

 

[Super_horns]

Tough start for us with Saints/Chelsea/Arsenal and West Ham but maybe we can catch them cold...

Tricky end too but got to play everyone twice at some point anyway...

 

[Stevencc]

“I hope it’s not because Manchester United won the league were quite comfortably shite last year [that] the fixtures have been made much more less difficult.”

He added: “I find it hard to believe that’s the way the balls came out of the bag, that’s for sure.”

Moyes - 2016

 

[epic73]

Really shitty start for us with Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea away and Leicester at home in the first 5 games. It's a good job David Moyes isn't our manager.

I'll enjoy your 5-7 matches in the relegation zone then.

 

[Pagnell]

Nah, that's 12 points in the bag right these.

 

[Liam_SWFC]

Why were the Premier League fixtures drawn today but not the Football League? Some tasty opening day fixtures though.

 

[Murphy]

Boxing Day fixtures are pony. I know there's policing stuff to consider, but it seems odd that Bournemouth can't play Southampton, thus freeing up two further London clubs to play against eachother.

 

[JJ1532]

I don't want to sound like a killjoy but everyone plays every team twice so why any excitement about what order they are?

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How the fixtures are grouped together matters doesn't it? If you are a side tipped for relegation and you have a final 5 of Arsenal, Man City, Spurs, Man U and Chelsea, well thats incredibly tough and that team will know its more advantageous if they are close to safety before they start that run. Take Middlesbrough for example. Their final 6 contain Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool. Thats a horrible run in. A team with a run in of Burnley, Hull, West Brom, Sunderland, Swansea and Watford is a much easier final 6 isn't it?

When the big boys clash can be fun. Everton v Liverpool the weekend before Christmas. That should be interesting. Playing a team on the coast is also exciting if you draw them in warm month(August/May), much better than a cold month no? I understand your point, but when certain fixtures fall and how they group together can be exciting.

 

[lancyclaret]

The way fixtures fall is incredibly important - two seasons (2014/15) ago, Burnley had an eight-game run when they played the top eight teams at the time in February/March.....Man United (a) L 1-3, Chelsea (a) D 1-1, Swansea (h) L 0-1, Liverpool (a) L 0-2, Man City (h) W 1-0, Southampton (a) L 0-2, Tottenham (h) D 0-0, Arsenal (h) L 0-1.

Only 5 points from 8 games which virtually consigned us to relegation despite finishing the season with a little flourish. It's hard to believe but when we led Crystal Palace 2-1 at half-time in the 23rd match at the end of January, Burnley were 12th in the "As It Stands" table.....but they lost 3-2 and were unable to avoid the drop.

Leicester's "great escape" coincided with a fairly soft set of fixtures of mid-table or struggling teams - bar one match against Chelsea. I still believe Leicester would have been relegated 2 seasons ago but for a stoppage time winner in a 2-1 home win against a rapidly-fading West Ham followed by another last-minute 3-2 win against at a West Brom team just about already safe from relegation.

I hope West Ham are "on the beach" when we play them at home in our final match this season.

 

[johnnytodd]

Very good point

no it isn't...... what if they win them games

 

[JimJams]

Leicester's "great escape" coincided with a fairly soft set of fixtures of mid-table or struggling teams - bar one match against Chelsea. I still believe Leicester would have been relegated 2 seasons ago but for a stoppage time winner in a 2-1 home win against a rapidly-fading West Ham followed by another last-minute 3-2 win against at a West Brom team just about already safe from relegation.

Bit of an odd assessment as all that means is we played all the harder fixtures first and the argument could be made that had we played the bigger ties later it may have meant less to them and we'd have done them as well as doing over the lower sides if we'd played them before.

 

[Bilo]

Shit start for us, but from april onwards we've got a great run in.

 

[JimJams]

To sneak into the Europa league spots ye bastards ye.

 

[MUFC_]

First 6:

Bournemouth (A)
Southampton (H)
Hull (A)
Man City (H)
Watford (A)
Leicester (H)

Hard opening 6 games there in my opinion. Bournemouth away we lost last season, Southampton at home we lost. Hull will be well up for it as well but from those three we should come away with a healthy amount of points. It's the next three I'm concerned about, obviously we know how hard Manchester City are going to be, Pep there as well. Watford away will be difficult but again I'd hope we have enough to come through it and obviously Leicester are the champions so it will be interesting to see how they start.

Last 6:

Chelsea (H)
Burnley (A)
Swansea (H)
Arsenal (A)
Tottenham (A)
Crystal Palace (H)

Chelsea will be a toughie, reckon Conte will have them flying at this point. Burnley in my opinion will need all the points they can get at this point and in our last couple of visits we haven't won, Swansea will be on the beach by then as will Palace. Last season we didn't fair well in London, I also think Spurs will win the league this time so we shall see.