On Monday, April 11, 2022 at 1:01:01 PM UTC+2, Werner Pichler wrote:

On Saturday, December 4, 2021 at 11:28:15 PM UTC+1, MH wrote:

On 2021-12-04 15:12, Werner Pichler wrote:

On Saturday, September 21, 2019 at 10:29:32 PM UTC+2, Werner Pichler wrote:

That was a fun idea at the beginning of last season to
speculate about potential upsets in the major European
leagues.

2021/22 edition:

Could Union Saint-Gilloise be for real? Four points clear at the half-point of the season,
in their first campaign in the top flight since 1973. Proper old-timey club with 11 championships
to their name between 1904 and 1935, and nothing since.

Of course, there's still the stupid 4-team championship play-off with halving of the points
awaiting.

Plus Bruges might have more energy for the league after their CL exit.
I have to confess I had never heard of Union Saint-Gilloise until this year. I didn't even know St. Gilles was a quartier of Brussels, though I have spent a lot of time in Brussels because of the in-laws. It is
quite close to Anderlecht, where I have been, but most of the time I stayed around the centre, or in places like Schaerbeek, Ixelles, Wezembeek, Uccle, and Woluwe, which is where the various beaux-frères
and belles-soeurs live or have lived.

Having extended their lead to nine points around New Year's, SG faltered a little bit due to a
number of scoreless draws and the correctly predicted late Brugge surge, but at the end of the
regular season they're still five points ahead (if, as logic dictates, they eventually get the three
points from their match yesterday against dead last Beerschot that had to be abandoned because
of crowd trouble).

Of course, halving the points means that with six games among the Top 4 remaining they're
now less than three points ahead of a Brugge side that have won their last eight league matches.

Yep, Union SG lost both Championship Play-Off games against Brugge, and now the title's all but
gone - they're 3.5 points back with two matches to go.

Ciao,
Werner

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

2021/22 edition:

Could Union Saint-Gilloise be for real? Four points clear at the half-point of the season,
in their first campaign in the top flight since 1973. Proper old-timey club with 11 championships
to their name between 1904 and 1935, and nothing since.

Of course, there's still the stupid 4-team championship play-off with halving of the points
awaiting.

Plus Bruges might have more energy for the league after their CL exit.
I have to confess I had never heard of Union Saint-Gilloise until this
year. I didn't even know St. Gilles was a quartier of Brussels, though I >>> have spent a lot of time in Brussels because of the in-laws. It is
quite close to Anderlecht, where I have been, but most of the time I
stayed around the centre, or in places like Schaerbeek, Ixelles,
Wezembeek, Uccle, and Woluwe, which is where the various beaux-frères
and belles-soeurs live or have lived.

Having extended their lead to nine points around New Year's, SG faltered a little bit due to a
number of scoreless draws and the correctly predicted late Brugge surge, but at the end of the
regular season they're still five points ahead (if, as logic dictates, they eventually get the three
points from their match yesterday against dead last Beerschot that had to be abandoned because
of crowd trouble).

Of course, halving the points means that with six games among the Top 4 remaining they're
now less than three points ahead of a Brugge side that have won their last eight league matches.

Yep, Union SG lost both Championship Play-Off games against Brugge, and now the title's all but
gone - they're 3.5 points back with two matches to go.

It was even looking as though Anderlecht might pip USG for the second
place, but USG are currently ahead in that match. A point should be
enough.
Bruges already champions, I think, with their win today. (Because of the rounding issue - the actual table would lead one to believe it was not
over yet)

With no Besiktas players in the CL next year, and no Lille (David), I
guess it is good for Canada that Buchanan and Davies, at least, will
play in that competition (Eustaquio too, except that he is getting very
few minutes for Porto, and would not be surprised if he gets loaned out)
. Though transfers could change a lot of things

Ciao,
Werner

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 12/10/2023 5:25 PM, Werner Pichler wrote:

On Wednesday, September 26, 2018 at 11:52:43 PM UTC+2, MH wrote:

If we made this a contest (sophisticated or not) who would you predict
as your best bets to make the CL as outsiders ?

2023/24: Girona City?

I was just about to post the exact same thing, in this exact same
thread. But just two points ahead of Real, and seven ahead of Atleti and Barca...I don't think they can do the Full Leicester.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)