fAr — Fan Approval Rating Scale
Pre-Season — 4,570 posts, fAr 3.9 (Under Fire), Pulse 63 ◆
Topics: Fans are obsessing over injury crises destroying their squads' midfield depth—Chalobah, Hughes, Wharton out for Palace; losing top four players in one position group for multiple teams. They're also locked in heated debate about striker performance, with Nkunku copping brutal criticism for missing chances, while praise flows toward emerging players like O'Brien and Bento. The narrative that ties it together is the new manager bounce—teams either capitalising on it or, more often, fans fearing they've squandered it.
Reaction: The emotional temperature here is frustration masquerading as resignation. Fans aren't raging—they're exhausted. There's a weird calm to the negativity, the kind you get when you've watched something predictable go wrong yet again. The 43.9% negative sentiment mixed with 41.2% neutral tells the real story: people have stopped expecting much. When they do get excited, it's about fringe players or clean sheets, not genuine optimism about title pushes.
Trigger: Pre-season injuries have decimated squad depth across multiple clubs, stripping midfields of key players and forcing managers into unproven lineups, which has undercut confidence in the season ahead before it's even properly started.
Post 91: "This is fucking shite. Duran, Maatsen and Bailey on for Watkins, Digne and Ramsey, for me. I suspect we'll remain unchanged until 65-70 minutes." This captures it perfectly—the exasperation at watching the same failing system play out, combined with the certainty that management won't fix it when it matters.
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 3,926 | 85.9% |
| approval | 1,970 | 43.1% |
| annoyance | 1,517 | 33.2% |
| disappointment | 736 | 16.1% |
| disapproval | 666 | 14.6% |
| realization | 656 | 14.4% |
| confusion | 566 | 12.4% |
| curiosity | 545 | 11.9% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 225 | fixture |
| arsenal | 166 | team_name |
| season | 160 | events |
| players | 145 | people |
| play | 145 | action |
| back | 137 | medical |
| goal | 116 | goal |
| playing | 104 | action |
| shit | 94 | performance |
| everton | 92 | team_name |
MW1 — 75,751 posts, fAr 4.3 (Mixed), Pulse 64 ◆
Topics: Fans are obsessed with two things this week: the shock of Manchester United's loss to Arsenal at Old Trafford, and a relentless obsession with individual player performances and transfer quality. Every club is arguing over whether their new signings—Kudus, Reijnders, Neto, Mbeumo—are solving their problems, or whether they've missed the boat entirely. Meanwhile, refereeing decisions are being absolutely eviscerated, particularly controversial moments involving handballs and penalties that fans believe changed outcomes.
Reaction: The mood is fundamentally divided and anxious. Yes, there's celebration in pockets—Arsenal fans are euphoric about the Old Trafford win, Liverpool fans are quietly satisfied after a 4-2 thriller—but the dominant temperature is one of unease masked by cautious optimism. Manchester United fans are in shock and defensive. Leeds fans are nervous about staying up. Arsenal fans are trying not to get ahead of themselves despite the result. It's the energy of a league that watched some genuinely poor defending, sloppy football, and questionable officiating, yet wants desperately to believe things will improve.
Trigger: Manchester United losing 1-0 to Arsenal at Old Trafford is the single biggest narrative bomb of the week—it's the one Big Six collapse that shifted the entire conversation, making United fans defensive whilst Arsenal fans couldn't quite believe their luck, and it directly hammered the overall approval rating by creating the massive 40.9 percent negativity spike across the platform.
Post 17: "United were probably the better side. That performance was disastrous and boy did Gyokeres have a stinker but a win at Old Trafford is just special. So happy right now"
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 64,004 | 84.5% |
| approval | 34,108 | 45.0% |
| annoyance | 24,649 | 32.5% |
| admiration | 12,180 | 16.1% |
| disappointment | 10,716 | 14.1% |
| realization | 10,497 | 13.9% |
| disapproval | 9,930 | 13.1% |
| curiosity | 8,431 | 11.1% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 4,400 | fixture |
| season | 3,830 | events |
| arsenal | 2,861 | team_name |
| goal | 2,335 | goal |
| back | 2,196 | medical |
| play | 2,154 | action |
| united | 1,757 | team_name |
| players | 1,715 | people |
| playing | 1,661 | action |
| shit | 1,560 | performance |
MW2 — 102,935 posts, fAr 4.1 (Mixed), Pulse 61 ◆
Topics: Arsenal's demolition of Leeds is the narrative everyone's riding on — a five-nil masterclass that has fans giddy about their title credentials. But it's Manchester City's shock defeat to Tottenham that's genuinely shaking things up; the Champions can't create anything, the midfield's broken, and suddenly everyone's asking whether last summer's injury crisis has left them fundamentally exposed. Meanwhile, the relegation battle's already being mapped — Wolves' fire sale, Brighton's defensive chaos, Newcastle's striker shortage — and Graham Potter's under the microscope at Chelsea after a disastrous opening.
Reaction: Fans are genuinely split. Arsenal devotees and Newcastle optimists are riding high with approval and admiration, but there's a thick layer of anxiety underneath — frustration at defensive vulnerabilities, panic at managerial appointments, and a creeping sense that some clubs have fundamentally botched their summer. The 43 percent negative sentiment tells you everything: this isn't celebration week, it's survival week, with most conversations laced with annoyance rather than joy.
Trigger: Manchester City losing to Tottenham at the Etihad without creating a single decent chance — that's the earthquake. It shattered the assumption that City would steamroll everyone, and it opened the door for every other club's fans to suddenly believe their own narrative about serious problems at their place. When the defending champions look this vulnerable this early, everyone else finds permission to panic.
Post 48: "Last summer was incredibly important. We had lots of money to spend and a huge rebuilding job to do. We had to make the right managerial appointment, and invest in young players with the attributes we were sorely lacking. Steidten and Sullivan hired a total cretin, and spunked an absolute fortune on dogshit players,
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 87,521 | 85.0% |
| approval | 44,947 | 43.7% |
| annoyance | 34,864 | 33.9% |
| disappointment | 14,336 | 13.9% |
| admiration | 14,098 | 13.7% |
| realization | 14,039 | 13.6% |
| disapproval | 13,307 | 12.9% |
| curiosity | 11,374 | 11.0% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 5,142 | fixture |
| season | 3,946 | events |
| goal | 3,247 | goal |
| players | 2,996 | people |
| play | 2,992 | action |
| back | 2,586 | medical |
| playing | 2,265 | action |
| arsenal | 2,206 | team_name |
| player | 2,181 | people |
| shit | 2,088 | performance |
MW3 — 77,436 posts, fAr 4.0 (Mixed), Pulse 67 ▲
Topics: Fans are locked onto one story: Manchester City's defensive collapse and Brighton's brilliant upset, but they're equally obsessed with Arsenal's cautious approach at Anfield despite Liverpool looking vulnerable. There's also heavy discussion around managerial performance—Bournemouth's Graham Potter getting results, Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham struggling, and whether certain managers are getting the subs wrong or losing the plot entirely.
Reaction: The mood is fundamentally mixed but skewing toward frustration and concern. Yes, there are pockets of genuine celebration—Everton fans buzzing about their turnaround, Brighton believers vindicated, West Ham relieved to finally win. But the dominant emotional current is disappointment: Arsenal fans annoyed at tactical timidity, City supporters reckoning with defensive fragility, and multiple fanbases questioning their own squad's work rate, decision-making, and chemistry. There's more eye-rolling than optimism here.
Trigger: Brighton beating Manchester City 2-1 in a game City dominated structurally but lost because their transition defence is completely exposed—combined with Arsenal's perceived bottledness at Anfield despite Liverpool looking beatable—has fractured confidence across the top six and exposed how the window reshuffles haven't solved fundamental problems.
Post 51: "Baleba looks off the mark, Welbeck shouldn't be on the pitch, whole team can't pass properly. Minteh looks like the only one who has turned up today. How have we got worse successively in the past two seasons despite the money we've spent? Where is Tzimas? Where is Watson? Surely after performances so far they want a chance just to see if they can do any better than the current wank level we're playing at?"
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 66,007 | 85.2% |
| approval | 33,706 | 43.5% |
| annoyance | 25,772 | 33.3% |
| disappointment | 12,571 | 16.2% |
| disapproval | 11,370 | 14.7% |
| admiration | 11,046 | 14.3% |
| realization | 10,781 | 13.9% |
| curiosity | 8,957 | 11.6% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 5,521 | fixture |
| play | 2,790 | action |
| season | 2,763 | events |
| players | 2,658 | people |
| arsenal | 2,623 | team_name |
| goal | 2,544 | goal |
| liverpool | 2,446 | team_name |
| win | 2,253 | scoreline |
| playing | 2,195 | action |
| back | 2,183 | medical |
MW4 — 64,741 posts, fAr 4.3 (Mixed), Pulse 64 ◆
Topics: Fans are obsessed with three things this week: breakthrough performances from surprise signings like Buonanotte, Tonali, and Gravenberch setting a standard, tactical meltdowns at Old Trafford with Amorim's formation getting absolutely torn apart, and refereeing decisions ranging from outright bafflement to accusations of bias. There's also a running thread about mentality—why some sides are sharp and others complacent, especially comparing Manchester United's malaise to Manchester City's clinical dominance.
Reaction: The mood is fractured. You've got genuine joy at City's 3-0 demolition and Liverpool's scrappy efficiency, but it's completely undercut by frustration at refereeing inconsistency, defensive lapses, and—crucially—the sense that several big clubs are playing badly but masking it with results. The 4.3 fAr and 40.8% negative sentiment tells you fans aren't angry, they're unsettled. They're waiting for something to snap.
Trigger: Manchester United's 0-3 hammering at home, combined with Amorim's rigid tactical approach drawing open calls for his sacking, tanked the collective mood because it shattered the narrative that even struggling sides could scrape through—suddenly the elite are truly broken, and tactically stuck.
Post 69: "I think we can all agree this formation and these tactics aren't working, and since Amorim can't even try anything else, we don't have an option but sack him surely. To clear it out: I'm tired of switching managers every season too, I rather keep Amorim, but this formation in the prem isn't gonna work."
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 55,165 | 85.2% |
| approval | 29,773 | 46.0% |
| annoyance | 20,381 | 31.5% |
| admiration | 10,141 | 15.7% |
| disappointment | 9,455 | 14.6% |
| disapproval | 9,220 | 14.2% |
| realization | 8,983 | 13.9% |
| curiosity | 7,222 | 11.2% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 3,476 | fixture |
| season | 2,369 | events |
| players | 2,324 | people |
| play | 2,216 | action |
| goal | 2,186 | goal |
| back | 1,636 | medical |
| playing | 1,608 | action |
| player | 1,540 | people |
| amorim | 1,473 | manager |
| united | 1,453 | team_name |
MW5 — 72,858 posts, fAr 4.0 (Under Fire), Pulse 64 ◆
Topics: Fans are locked in battle over managerial tactics—particularly defensive setups and substitution timing—with Maresca, Arteta, and others facing serious heat. Simultaneously, there is genuine praise for individual brilliance (Eze, Cunha, Gravenberch) and frustration with VAR's inconsistency, injury spirals, and the uncomfortable reality that several big sides played well but couldn't convert chances into wins.
Reaction: The mood is fractured and tense. Yes, there's appreciation for good attacking football and individual moments of class, but it's buried under a thick layer of disappointment and tactical anxiety. Fans aren't furious—they're stuck between hope and despair, caught between believing their teams are capable and fearing they're designed to fail. That 4.0 fAr rating sits perfectly in that uncomfortable middle ground where dissatisfaction is the baseline.
Trigger: Chelsea's loss to Manchester United (2-1) and Arsenal's failure to beat Manchester City at home (1-1 draw) shattered expectations for the title contenders this week, forcing fans to question whether their managers' conservative setups are costing them points in a season where every game matters.
Post 30: "it's not the despair / i can take the despair / it's the *hope*" — This captures the entire emotional arc of Matchweek 5. Fans aren't broken. They're trapped in that peculiar torture of believing something better is possible, only to watch it slip away again and again.
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 62,350 | 85.6% |
| approval | 30,449 | 41.8% |
| annoyance | 25,047 | 34.4% |
| disappointment | 10,718 | 14.7% |
| realization | 10,068 | 13.8% |
| disapproval | 9,967 | 13.7% |
| admiration | 9,678 | 13.3% |
| curiosity | 9,055 | 12.4% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 4,685 | fixture |
| goal | 2,447 | goal |
| play | 2,331 | action |
| season | 2,208 | events |
| playing | 1,913 | action |
| back | 1,906 | medical |
| win | 1,894 | scoreline |
| players | 1,818 | people |
| shit | 1,618 | performance |
| player | 1,529 | people |
MW6 — 100,363 posts, fAr 3.8 (Under Fire), Pulse 64 ◆
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 85,289 | 85.0% |
| approval | 41,275 | 41.1% |
| annoyance | 37,204 | 37.1% |
| disappointment | 15,751 | 15.7% |
| disapproval | 14,630 | 14.6% |
| realization | 13,667 | 13.6% |
| admiration | 12,150 | 12.1% |
| confusion | 11,754 | 11.7% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 5,649 | fixture |
| players | 3,570 | people |
| season | 3,404 | events |
| play | 3,375 | action |
| goal | 3,334 | goal |
| shit | 2,733 | performance |
| amorim | 2,696 | manager |
| back | 2,661 | medical |
| playing | 2,541 | action |
| win | 2,359 | scoreline |
MW7 — 69,857 posts, fAr 4.3 (Mixed), Pulse 66 ◆
Topics: Fans are obsessed with defensive stability and individual player redemptions—Rodon, Doherty, Rice, and various keepers getting praise for stepping up. But the conversation is split: there's genuine excitement about new signings like Sesko and Lammens finally delivering, balanced against frustration with tactical rigidity, injuries piling up, and teams still figuring out their shape mid-season. Red cards, refereeing decisions, and debates about whether managers are making the right subs are everywhere.
Reaction: It's cautiously optimistic masking deeper unease. Fans are celebrating the wins—Arsenal's dominance, Chelsea's gutsy comeback against Liverpool, Aston Villa's resilience—but there's a nervous energy underneath. The 40.9% negative sentiment tells the real story: people are annoyed at inconsistency, worried about injury lists, and frustrated that even victories feel fragile. This is a fanbase that wants to believe but keeps getting stung.
Trigger: Liverpool's loss to Chelsea in a match where they were genuinely there to be taken and weren't, combined with the broader realisation that no team is safe—by week seven, nobody's unbeaten—which paradoxically proves the league's quality but also means nobody can build confidence. That's what's keeping the fAr at 4.3 instead of climbing higher.
Post 85: "i cant believe im saying this as a liverpool fan but thank you everton for making crystal palace lose for the first time this season." This captures it perfectly—fans are so desperate for narrative control and stability that they're grateful for help from bitter rivals just to see someone finally slip.
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 59,531 | 85.2% |
| approval | 31,413 | 45.0% |
| annoyance | 22,591 | 32.3% |
| admiration | 11,721 | 16.8% |
| realization | 9,680 | 13.9% |
| disappointment | 9,570 | 13.7% |
| disapproval | 8,810 | 12.6% |
| curiosity | 7,994 | 11.4% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 3,807 | fixture |
| season | 2,291 | events |
| goal | 2,193 | goal |
| play | 2,131 | action |
| back | 1,947 | medical |
| players | 1,750 | people |
| playing | 1,662 | action |
| win | 1,601 | scoreline |
| player | 1,554 | people |
| great | 1,545 | people |
MW8 — 68,124 posts, fAr 4.1 (Mixed), Pulse 63 ◆
Topics: Midfield control and tactical rigidity are dominating the conversation — fans are hammering managers for refusing to change shape when it's clearly not working. Parallel to that, there's a major thread about refereeing inconsistency, red cards, and VAR, particularly Chelsea's red card narrative and Liverpool's head injury controversy. Individual player performances under the microscope too — Salah's wasteful finishing, Dalot's attacking liability, Amad's breakout form, and several emerging stars like Ekitike drawing genuine praise.
Reaction: The mood is fractured frustration wrapped in resignation. Fans are annoyed at tactical inertia and individual errors, but there's a weird acceptance that some teams are simply overperforming or in rebuild mode. There's sarcasm, dark humour, and occasional praise for moments of quality, but underneath it all sits genuine exasperation — particularly from Liverpool and Tottenham supporters watching their sides self-destruct in the final quarter.
Trigger: Liverpool's shock loss to Manchester United at home, combined with Tottenham losing to Aston Villa, broke the expectation that big teams dominate, and it's sent fans into a spiral questioning their managers' substitution choices and tactical setup — especially Slot's refusal to take Salah off when he's offering nothing.
Post 51: "This red card streak, sure we can laugh about it today. But we need to sort it out big time. It's not even from a bad tackle, it's pretty much always been because our players have put themselves in to danger or their brain shuts off. Need to sort that out, we can't be missing more players when we're already strangled by injuries."
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 58,014 | 85.2% |
| approval | 29,937 | 43.9% |
| annoyance | 23,684 | 34.8% |
| disappointment | 10,079 | 14.8% |
| realization | 9,473 | 13.9% |
| admiration | 9,350 | 13.7% |
| disapproval | 9,007 | 13.2% |
| curiosity | 7,714 | 11.3% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 3,457 | fixture |
| season | 2,331 | events |
| play | 2,176 | action |
| goal | 2,098 | goal |
| players | 1,962 | people |
| back | 1,715 | medical |
| playing | 1,639 | action |
| shit | 1,562 | performance |
| player | 1,484 | people |
| liverpool | 1,419 | team_name |
MW9 — 68,087 posts, fAr 4.3 (Mixed), Pulse 68 ▲
Topics: Brentford's stunning upset over Liverpool is dominating discourse — fans are mocking Liverpool's collapse with dark humour, whilst simultaneously debating Slot's tactics and whether defensive injuries derailed the title charge. Parallel storylines centre on Manchester City's shock loss to Aston Villa, Chelsea's defeat to Sunderland, and the growing narrative that this season's competitiveness has fractured traditional hierarchies entirely, with younger sides like Brentford and Sunderland punching above their weight and Big Six managers facing unexpected accountability.
Reaction: The fanbase is split between cautious optimism for underdogs having a moment and genuine frustration with refereeing decisions, tactical blunders, and defensive vulnerabilities at the traditional elite. There's a dark, cynical edge to Liverpool supporters especially — they're not angry so much as resigned and mocking their own implosion — but that resignation masks deeper anxiety about whether this was the season everything clicked or just another false dawn.
Trigger: Brentford 3-2 Liverpool: the result that cracked open the season's narrative of established dominance and gave permission to every struggling fan to believe their team could mount a genuine challenge, whilst simultaneously destroying Liverpool's momentum and creating the first real crack in the "this is Arsenal's year" consensus.
Post 37: "Well Done Brentford ! Now That Arsenal Still First 'n Get Far Enough Point Away From City ! I Can't Thank Enough ! ( * From Arsenal Fan ! )" — captures the exact mood: rivals' pain is your relief, underdogs are suddenly your unlikely allies, and nobody's confident about anything anymore.
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 56,592 | 83.1% |
| approval | 31,187 | 45.8% |
| annoyance | 21,636 | 31.8% |
| disappointment | 10,620 | 15.6% |
| admiration | 10,466 | 15.4% |
| disapproval | 9,178 | 13.5% |
| realization | 8,990 | 13.2% |
| curiosity | 7,570 | 11.1% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 3,257 | fixture |
| season | 2,807 | events |
| goal | 2,717 | goal |
| play | 2,233 | action |
| back | 2,159 | medical |
| players | 2,097 | people |
| win | 1,999 | scoreline |
| slot | 1,966 | manager |
| liverpool | 1,865 | team_name |
| playing | 1,581 | action |
MW10 — 46,013 posts, fAr 4.2 (Mixed), Pulse 70 ◆
Topics: Arsenal's title credentials are suddenly a serious conversation after a dominant 2-0 win over Burnley, with fans crediting managers like Slot returning to their best tactical shapes. But it's the chaos elsewhere that's consumed the discourse — Newcastle's collapse, Tottenham's loss at home to Chelsea, Dalot's defensive shambles, and a broader anxiety that certain squads are fundamentally broken, with players like Rutter, Gordon, and Elanga offering absolutely nothing this season.
Reaction: This is a mixed week with genuine peaks and genuine troughs. Arsenal fans are buzzing, Liverpool fans are content, but there's an undercurrent of real dread running through Newcastle, Tottenham, and Manchester United support. The negativity isn't just frustration — it's existential. You're seeing fans question whether their managers have the intelligence to adapt, whether their players actually care, whether their season is salvageable. It's the kind of week where wins feel like relief rather than celebration.
Trigger: Tottenham's 0-1 home loss to Chelsea. That single result cracked the entire mood open — suddenly fans aren't just moaning about performances, they're asking whether five straight seasons of dross under Ange have broken something irreparably at the club, whether Amorim is the answer, and whether certain players like Richarlison are genuinely useless.
Post 53: "10 games into the season and we have no league goals or assists from Gordon, Elanga, Barnes, Joelinton, Willock and Ramsey. No goals from Sandro, Miley or any of our defenders. We cannot continue to rely on Woltemade, Bruno and Murphy every fucking game. This isn't just an overreaction to one result - I
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 38,108 | 82.8% |
| approval | 20,993 | 45.6% |
| annoyance | 15,159 | 32.9% |
| disappointment | 7,591 | 16.5% |
| admiration | 6,877 | 14.9% |
| disapproval | 6,461 | 14.0% |
| realization | 6,305 | 13.7% |
| curiosity | 4,926 | 10.7% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 2,637 | fixture |
| goal | 1,980 | goal |
| season | 1,678 | events |
| play | 1,605 | action |
| back | 1,572 | medical |
| players | 1,411 | people |
| win | 1,397 | scoreline |
| player | 1,284 | people |
| playing | 1,075 | action |
| games | 945 | fixture |
MW11 — 59,349 posts, fAr 4.0 (Mixed), Pulse 67 ◆
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 49,940 | 84.1% |
| approval | 25,693 | 43.3% |
| annoyance | 20,712 | 34.9% |
| disappointment | 9,971 | 16.8% |
| disapproval | 8,756 | 14.8% |
| admiration | 8,418 | 14.2% |
| realization | 7,923 | 13.3% |
| curiosity | 6,256 | 10.5% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 3,590 | fixture |
| season | 2,337 | events |
| goal | 2,318 | goal |
| play | 1,981 | action |
| players | 1,934 | people |
| liverpool | 1,834 | team_name |
| back | 1,833 | medical |
| shit | 1,475 | performance |
| city | 1,361 | team_name |
| playing | 1,360 | action |
MW12 — 43,172 posts, fAr 4.1 (Mixed), Pulse 66 ◆
Topics: Eze's sensational four-goal haul against Spurs dominates discourse, with fans grappling equally with Liverpool's shocking 3-0 home collapse to Nottingham Forest and Manchester United's defeat to Everton. The narrative threads are braided tight: Arsenal's title credentials tightening after thrashing their rivals, Slot's tactical inflexibility coming under fierce scrutiny at Liverpool, and Spurs' complete capitulation in the derby spawning bitter, almost gleeful ridicule from opposition supporters who can barely believe what they witnessed.
Reaction: Fans are caught in a tense emotional tug-of-war. Yes, there is genuine euphoria—the Eze worship, the Arsenal derby ecstasy, the Everton upset joy—but it is relentlessly undercut by frustration, managerial criticism, and dark humour. The 4.1 fAr and 43.8% negative sentiment mask the real story: this is a weekend of schadenfreude colliding with tactical despair. Big teams losing spectacularly creates celebration in enemy camps, but within those same fan bases, the knives are already sharpening.
Trigger: Liverpool's historically poor 3-0 home defeat to Forest—combined with the Big Six implosion across the weekend (Spurs hammered, United beaten, City presumably struggling)—fractured the emotional baseline of the league and triggered both vindication narratives from smaller clubs and existential panic from the giants, creating the mixed sentiment that suppressed the fAr rating despite genuinely dramatic entertainment.
Post 28: "Yup, with a better ref it would have been a 1-0 win for Spurs because they were really cookin'!" — This perfectly crystallises the weekend's delus
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 36,277 | 84.0% |
| approval | 18,256 | 42.3% |
| annoyance | 15,185 | 35.2% |
| admiration | 6,181 | 14.3% |
| disappointment | 6,137 | 14.2% |
| disapproval | 5,707 | 13.2% |
| realization | 5,517 | 12.8% |
| curiosity | 4,942 | 11.4% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 2,162 | fixture |
| goal | 1,563 | goal |
| players | 1,515 | people |
| season | 1,424 | events |
| play | 1,326 | action |
| arsenal | 1,304 | team_name |
| shit | 1,242 | performance |
| slot | 1,206 | manager |
| back | 1,205 | medical |
| spurs | 1,182 | team_name |
MW13 — 53,831 posts, fAr 4.1 (Mixed), Pulse 69 ◆
Topics: Fans are obsessing over individual performances and tactical decisions — Foden's brilliance, Zirkzee finally scoring, Timber's bizarre box interference, and the Chelsea versus Arsenal draw drama consuming discourse. Refereeing decisions, card allocation inconsistency, and player discipline (particularly Caicedo's shocking play and Merino's recklessness) have become central grievances across multiple matches, with supporters forensically picking apart what should and shouldn't have been punished.
Reaction: The mood is fractured and frustrated — fans are caught between relief at wins and genuine anger at how those wins were achieved or lost. There's exhaustion bleeding through the language: people celebrate breakthroughs like Zirkzee's goal or Newcastle's demolition of Everton, but immediately pivot to complaints about officiating, tactical confusion, and the feeling that their team is either underperforming or getting robbed by inconsistent refereeing. The 43.7% negative sentiment isn't rage; it's a resigned, exasperated disappointment.
Trigger: The Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal stalemate — a match that should have been decisive but instead epitomised everything fans hate about this season: defensive, scrappy football marred by controversial refereeing where Caicedo escaped punishment while others didn't, combined with that broader sense that big matches are being decided by inconsistency rather than quality.
Post 84: "Jurrien Timber, our right back, has for some reason popped up in the six yard box and taken the winner off our CF's head. I'm very emotional yes but he should lose his wages for that. Unbelievable selfishness. Gyokores was going to bury them there and for no reason whatsoever Timber is there to ruin
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 45,096 | 83.8% |
| approval | 24,100 | 44.8% |
| annoyance | 18,192 | 33.8% |
| disappointment | 8,248 | 15.3% |
| admiration | 7,840 | 14.6% |
| realization | 7,290 | 13.5% |
| disapproval | 7,020 | 13.0% |
| curiosity | 5,870 | 10.9% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 3,439 | fixture |
| players | 1,939 | people |
| chelsea | 1,866 | team_name |
| goal | 1,816 | goal |
| win | 1,752 | scoreline |
| play | 1,733 | action |
| season | 1,655 | events |
| back | 1,568 | medical |
| arsenal | 1,316 | team_name |
| player | 1,248 | people |
MW14 — 71,468 posts, fAr 4.1 (Mixed), Pulse 66 ◆
Topics: Managers hanging by a thread. Slot at Liverpool, Frank Lampard at Chelsea, even Ange Postecoglou at Spurs—fans are dissecting every tactical decision like it's a murder scene. The other big narrative is individual brilliance versus system collapse. Chiesa's bench exile at Liverpool, Saka's selfishness, Isak's underwhelming return for Newcastle—everybody's trying to work out whether the problem is the coach or the players themselves.
Reaction: This is exhaustion dressed up as frustration. Yes, there's annoyance and disapproval simmering underneath (43.7% negative sentiment), but what's really striking is how many fans sound emotionally numb. They're not furious anymore—they're drained. One fan straight-up says "this slop has me feeling nothing at this point." Another admits he doesn't even want to watch. That 4.1 fAr rating isn't a screaming crowd; it's a crowd that's stopped believing anything will get better.
Trigger: Chelsea losing 3-4 to Brighton at home—the most shocking heavyweight collapse of the week. A team under Maresca, widely tipped for a title charge, got absolutely carved open and threw away what should've been a dominant performance. That single loss crystallised the entire mood: nobody's safe, nobody's immune to disaster, and even the big spenders can't buy their way out of chaos.
Post 62: "Honestly I've had it as well at this point. I don't even care much anymore because this slop has me feeling nothing at this point. He's not doing anything deserving of patience, and while I think it's wrong to keep sacking everyone and we WILL have to suffer through some rough times until it clicks, I don
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 59,906 | 83.8% |
| approval | 31,518 | 44.1% |
| annoyance | 24,757 | 34.6% |
| disappointment | 11,232 | 15.7% |
| disapproval | 9,880 | 13.8% |
| admiration | 9,874 | 13.8% |
| realization | 9,465 | 13.2% |
| curiosity | 7,920 | 11.1% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 4,281 | fixture |
| players | 2,658 | people |
| goal | 2,600 | goal |
| play | 2,550 | action |
| chelsea | 2,362 | team_name |
| season | 2,196 | events |
| back | 2,126 | medical |
| win | 1,976 | scoreline |
| arsenal | 1,961 | team_name |
| slot | 1,665 | manager |
MW15 — 73,992 posts, fAr 4.3 (Mixed), Pulse 68 ◆
Topics: Individual player performance is everywhere — Mount's form, Bruno's creativity, Salah's potential exit, Mainoo's playing time, and tactical arguments about shape dominate the discourse. But underneath it all, there's a bigger conversation brewing: whether managers are getting the best out of their personnel, whether signings justify their cost, and whether certain players have simply lost their edge.
Reaction: Fans are caught between cautious optimism and genuine frustration. The mixed 4.3 rating tells the story — nearly 42 percent are negative, but more than a third sit in the neutral zone, holding their breath. There's approval when things click (Mount clicking into form, Bruno controlling games, Gyökeres bringing energy), but the moment a tactical choice looks dodgy or a familiar mistake repeats, the mood flips fast. This isn't outright despair. It's fatigue masquerading as patience.
Trigger: Arsenal losing 2-1 to Aston Villa was the bombshell. That result, combined with the broader narrative that elite teams are slipping, created a tonal shift where fans suddenly question whether their own manager's system is holding players back or whether individual brilliance is being wasted on flawed philosophies.
Post 24: "There is hope trust the process. Idk if you look at where United have come from in the last year and a half I have to applaud Amorim. Overall there's progress let's be realistic" — This captures the matchweek perfectly: cautious, data-hungry defiance wrapped in the language of long-term thinking, even as the sample posts reveal plenty of fans aren't quite believing it yet.
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 62,119 | 84.0% |
| approval | 33,990 | 45.9% |
| annoyance | 24,662 | 33.3% |
| admiration | 11,298 | 15.3% |
| disappointment | 11,064 | 15.0% |
| realization | 10,033 | 13.6% |
| disapproval | 9,800 | 13.2% |
| curiosity | 7,883 | 10.7% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 4,009 | fixture |
| players | 2,670 | people |
| goal | 2,605 | goal |
| season | 2,599 | events |
| play | 2,463 | action |
| slot | 2,280 | manager |
| back | 2,246 | medical |
| win | 2,094 | scoreline |
| arsenal | 1,895 | team_name |
| player | 1,885 | people |
MW16 — 71,045 posts, fAr 4.1 (Mixed), Pulse 70 ◆
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 58,924 | 82.9% |
| approval | 31,383 | 44.2% |
| annoyance | 24,033 | 33.8% |
| disappointment | 11,868 | 16.7% |
| admiration | 10,298 | 14.5% |
| disapproval | 9,984 | 14.1% |
| realization | 9,578 | 13.5% |
| curiosity | 7,540 | 10.6% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 4,643 | fixture |
| back | 2,618 | medical |
| season | 2,440 | events |
| play | 2,391 | action |
| players | 2,380 | people |
| goal | 2,372 | goal |
| win | 2,225 | scoreline |
| playing | 1,732 | action |
| goals | 1,704 | goal |
| wolves | 1,676 | team_name |
MW17 — 69,533 posts, fAr 3.9 (Under Fire), Pulse 67 ◆
Topics: Managers living on borrowed time versus tactical redemption—Farke at Leeds, Dyche at Everton, and Amorim at Manchester United are all under scrutiny, with fans debating whether recent performances justify continued faith or spell the end. Meanwhile, individual player controversies dominate: Yoro's defensive errors, Gyokeres' decision-making, and transfer speculation about Haaland to Real Madrid thread through discussions of a season that feels simultaneously inconsistent and weirdly compelling.
Reaction: The mood is genuinely fractured—46.4 percent negative, but here's the thing: it's not uniform rage. It's a nervous, second-guessing energy where fans oscillate between cautious optimism and genuine dread. You get performances described as "fantastic" and "inexcusable" in the same breath, with fatigue barely registering because fans are too busy wrestling with whether their team is building something or collapsing into familiar patterns.
Trigger: Manchester United's 2-1 loss to Aston Villa and Tottenham's 2-1 defeat to Liverpool exposed defensive vulnerabilities and tactical fragility at two clubs expected to challenge, creating a cascading doubt about whether any of this season's top-six narratives are sustainable.
Post 59: "The biggest issue for Yoro at the moment is that he doesn't seem to know what to do without a more experienced centre back directing him. His confidence is shot and he's making mistakes. That's not something that he can play through, and Amorim should take him out of the firing line for a couple of games. Either Martinez or Fredricson should start against Newcastle. If Yoro starts again, it's on Amorim when he inevitably fucks up."
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 58,397 | 84.0% |
| approval | 29,684 | 42.7% |
| annoyance | 25,079 | 36.1% |
| disappointment | 11,037 | 15.9% |
| disapproval | 9,743 | 14.0% |
| admiration | 9,205 | 13.2% |
| realization | 9,148 | 13.2% |
| curiosity | 7,834 | 11.3% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 3,821 | fixture |
| players | 2,392 | people |
| play | 2,281 | action |
| goal | 2,086 | goal |
| season | 2,045 | events |
| back | 1,958 | medical |
| playing | 1,746 | action |
| win | 1,686 | scoreline |
| player | 1,532 | people |
| ref | 1,493 | officiating |
MW18 — 58,767 posts, fAr 4.3 (Mixed), Pulse 71 ▲
Topics: Fans are obsessing over individual breakthrough performances — Dorgu's stunning goal, Heaven's generational display, new signings establishing themselves — whilst simultaneously tearing into tactical incompetence, finishing drills, and managerial decisions. There's a secondary thread running through every matchday: the mental torture of dropped points against supposedly beatable opponents, with Newcastle's missed chances and Chelsea's collapse dominating the discourse.
Reaction: The emotional temperature sits in a peculiar middle ground — fans celebrating three points whilst simultaneously furious about how those points were earned. It's relief mixed with resignation. Yes, there's admiration for individual moments, but there's an undercurrent of exhaustion about the patterns repeating: poor finishing, defensive vulnerabilities, tactical confusion, refereeing decisions that feel like personal attacks. This is a fanbase that won, but didn't feel good about winning.
Trigger: Chelsea's 1-2 loss to Aston Villa shattered what should have been a routine fixture, crystallising broader frustrations about a team that looks capable but constantly self-destructs — and that single result, more than any other across the gameweek, dragged the fAr rating down to 4.3.
Post 75: "Christmas fucking ruined. Well I hope Maresca get sacked before 2026. It will fix a lot of things"
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 49,078 | 83.5% |
| approval | 26,380 | 44.9% |
| annoyance | 18,959 | 32.3% |
| disappointment | 9,334 | 15.9% |
| admiration | 9,123 | 15.5% |
| disapproval | 8,096 | 13.8% |
| realization | 7,927 | 13.5% |
| curiosity | 6,784 | 11.5% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 3,627 | fixture |
| players | 2,292 | people |
| goal | 2,090 | goal |
| season | 2,061 | events |
| win | 2,046 | scoreline |
| play | 1,880 | action |
| back | 1,775 | medical |
| playing | 1,420 | action |
| player | 1,359 | people |
| villa | 1,266 | team_name |
MW19 — 68,161 posts, fAr 4.1 (Mixed), Pulse 68 ◆
Topics: Managerial incompetence and tactical paralysis dominate the discourse, with Amorim and Dyche becoming lightning rods for frustration at Manchester United and Wolves respectively. Simultaneously, Arsenal's demolition of Aston Villa, Newcastle's scrappy win over Burnley, and Everton's comeback against Nottingham Forest generate pockets of genuine celebration, though seven draws across the gameweek underscore a season of stalled momentum and defensive caution.
Reaction: The mood is fractured and exhausted — 44.6 per cent negative sentiment splits the fanbase into warring camps. For clubs with wins, there is genuine euphoria (Arsenal fans celebrating Odegaard and Gabriel, Newcastle fans relieved they found a way past Burnley), but this is drowned out by a much louder chorus of despair from Manchester United, Wolves, Tottenham, and Chelsea supporters, who are cycling through resignation, anger at individual player errors, and demands for wholesale change. The neutral belly of the fanbase is checking out.
Trigger: Manchester United's apparent stagnation under Amorim — combined with the narrative collapse of Wolves dropping points at home to draw with Burnley and Chelsea's failure to win despite tactical superiority — created a perfect storm where disappointment at systemic failure outweighed joy at the season's bright moments, driving the fAr rating down to 4.1.
Post 54: "Far too many shite performances from players wearing our badge and the substitutions once again are just horrible. Amorim isn't a premier league coach with his lack of adaptability."
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 56,983 | 83.6% |
| approval | 29,476 | 43.2% |
| annoyance | 23,839 | 35.0% |
| disappointment | 10,912 | 16.0% |
| disapproval | 9,417 | 13.8% |
| admiration | 9,405 | 13.8% |
| realization | 8,740 | 12.8% |
| curiosity | 7,614 | 11.2% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 3,621 | fixture |
| players | 2,728 | people |
| back | 2,427 | medical |
| play | 2,158 | action |
| season | 2,150 | events |
| arsenal | 1,994 | team_name |
| goal | 1,991 | goal |
| win | 1,924 | scoreline |
| playing | 1,598 | action |
| wolves | 1,506 | team_name |
MW20 — 72,644 posts, fAr 4.2 (Mixed), Pulse 68 ◆
Topics: Managers under siege — Amorim at Manchester United is getting absolutely hammered for rigid tactical dogmatism and shoehorning players into roles that don't suit them, whilst Slot at Liverpool is being criticised for boring, defensive cycling and zero attacking identity. The injury crisis narrative is everywhere too — fans begrudgingly admitting their teams are competitive despite missing seven or eight starters, which reads like a backhanded compliment. Arsenal's depth and attacking quality, meanwhile, is being celebrated, particularly Madueke's emergence and Raya's world-class shot-stopping.
Reaction: Frustration is the temperature here. Forty-two per cent negative sentiment doesn't lie — fans are annoyed at managerial rigidity, tactical cowardice, individual errors (Hincapie losing his man, Porro giving the ball away constantly), and what they perceive as excuses masking poor systems. But it's not rage. It's the deflated irritation of people who've watched enough football to know when something structurally isn't working, mixed with grudging respect for teams grinding results despite decimated squads. The four draws across the weekend haven't helped — draws breed neutrality and disappointment in equal measure.
Trigger: Manchester United's performance against Liverpool crystallised everything wrong with Amorim's tenure — the post about wasting sixty-plus minutes on Yoro before conceding, only then shifting to Zirkzee, who's actually delivering in minimal minutes. That tactical inflexibility when the squad is maimed is the single narrative that drove the fAr rating to 4.2. Fans are no longer defending; they're documenting failure.
Post 57: "Poor tactical setup yet again. Yes we are missing players but it's more of the same with
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 61,415 | 84.5% |
| approval | 32,702 | 45.0% |
| annoyance | 23,710 | 32.6% |
| disappointment | 11,062 | 15.2% |
| admiration | 10,968 | 15.1% |
| disapproval | 10,448 | 14.4% |
| realization | 9,804 | 13.5% |
| curiosity | 8,410 | 11.6% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 3,661 | fixture |
| players | 3,422 | people |
| goal | 2,602 | goal |
| season | 2,592 | events |
| back | 2,389 | medical |
| play | 2,323 | action |
| manager | 1,961 | manager |
| arsenal | 1,937 | team_name |
| win | 1,827 | scoreline |
| player | 1,742 | people |
MW21 — 87,862 posts, fAr 4.0 (Mixed), Pulse 65 ▼
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 73,911 | 84.1% |
| approval | 38,703 | 44.0% |
| annoyance | 30,914 | 35.2% |
| disappointment | 13,505 | 15.4% |
| realization | 12,055 | 13.7% |
| disapproval | 11,792 | 13.4% |
| admiration | 11,438 | 13.0% |
| curiosity | 9,651 | 11.0% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 5,011 | fixture |
| players | 3,258 | people |
| season | 2,800 | events |
| back | 2,765 | medical |
| goal | 2,659 | goal |
| play | 2,449 | action |
| win | 2,177 | scoreline |
| arsenal | 2,080 | team_name |
| player | 1,997 | people |
| liverpool | 1,855 | team_name |
MW22 — 81,732 posts, fAr 4.2 (Mixed), Pulse 67 ◆
Topics: Manchester United's demolition of City — the tactical shift under Amorim, Bruno's form, Martinez and Maguire's defensive dominance — absolutely consumed discourse this week. Everywhere you looked, fans were dissecting how playing players in their natural positions suddenly transformed United into a different beast, alongside simultaneous meltdowns from City fans watching their champions get dismantled, and scattered complaints about VAR decisions, strikers who can't finish, and whether managers like Frank and Glasner have any business in the Premier League.
Reaction: This was a week split down the middle. Manchester United fans were euphoric, almost disbelieving their own eyes — posts dripping with "Glory Glory Man Utd" and shock that a 2-0 scoreline somehow undersold how completely they'd outplayed the reigning champions. But City supporters were genuinely shellshocked, using words like "destroyed" and struggling to process it, whilst Chelsea, Arsenal, Brentford and Tottenham fans were varying shades of frustrated or disgusted by their own performances. The neutral 36.9 per cent speaks volumes — a lot of people watching this week just wanted to scroll past the drama.
Trigger: Manchester United beating City 2-0 in a performance so dominant that even the scoreline felt conservative — that single result rewired fan sentiment across the entire league, sending United's confidence skyward whilst plunging City into an existential crisis that's now bleeding into how fans view Pep's tactical stubbornness and his squad's weaknesses.
Post 46: "Best post Fergie PL game. Absolutely no competition."
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 68,439 | 83.7% |
| approval | 36,600 | 44.8% |
| annoyance | 27,680 | 33.9% |
| disappointment | 12,561 | 15.4% |
| admiration | 11,729 | 14.4% |
| disapproval | 11,523 | 14.1% |
| realization | 10,960 | 13.4% |
| curiosity | 9,272 | 11.3% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 4,755 | fixture |
| players | 3,084 | people |
| win | 2,848 | scoreline |
| play | 2,795 | action |
| city | 2,773 | team_name |
| season | 2,736 | events |
| back | 2,535 | medical |
| goal | 2,267 | goal |
| united | 2,060 | team_name |
| arsenal | 1,857 | team_name |
MW23 — 102,509 posts, fAr 4.4 (Mixed), Pulse 67 ◆
Topics: Arsenal's collapse against Manchester United is absolutely dominating the discourse — fans are questioning Arteta's tactics, Odegaard's composure, and Rice's ball retention in brutal detail. But it goes deeper than that: there's a brewing narrative about managerial competence across the league, with Liverpool's defensive errors, Burnley's tactical confusion under Slot, and Frank Lampard's "disaster" at Everton all lumped into conversations about whether these teams have the coaching to compete.
Reaction: The emotional temperature is fractured and anxious. Yes, there's celebration from United fans riding a stunning comeback high, and Bournemouth supporters are buzzing off a legitimate scalp. But Arsenal's fanbase is genuinely panicked — not angry, but despairing — because they're watching their top-of-the-table position slip away not through bad luck, but what feels like systemic weakness under pressure. Liverpool fans are equally agitated, caught between defending Van Dijk's individual mistake and the creeping realisation that something's wrong with the collective shape.
Trigger: Arsenal's 2-3 loss to a managerless Manchester United at home — a result so shocking it's reframed the entire season narrative, turning title favourites into a team that "crumbles under the slightest pressure" in the eyes of their own supporters.
Post 98: "A frustrating result, to say the least. Going one up against an essentially managerless United and they still looked far more threatening. We can point to certain decisions or penalty claims but they looked FAR more threatening than us. We seem to look absolutely to look absolutely terrified of doing anything other than hitting the byline and attempting to cross it."
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 85,241 | 83.2% |
| approval | 47,437 | 46.3% |
| annoyance | 33,709 | 32.9% |
| admiration | 15,490 | 15.1% |
| disappointment | 14,487 | 14.1% |
| realization | 13,739 | 13.4% |
| disapproval | 12,759 | 12.4% |
| curiosity | 10,336 | 10.1% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| arsenal | 5,309 | team_name |
| game | 4,846 | fixture |
| goal | 4,000 | goal |
| win | 3,723 | scoreline |
| season | 3,635 | events |
| back | 3,440 | medical |
| play | 3,427 | action |
| players | 3,291 | people |
| united | 2,727 | team_name |
| league | 2,370 | competition |
MW24 — 94,617 posts, fAr 4.6 (Mixed), Pulse 66 ◆
Topics: Manchester United are basking in Amad's emergence and the kind of redemptive Fergie Time moments that have the fanbase believing again. Meanwhile, Arsenal fans are caught between euphoria at their clinical attacking football and paranoia about refereeing decisions, whilst Liverpool are quietly furious that a 4-1 demolition of Newcastle somehow didn't feel like a proper performance. But here is the thing — the real conversation running through this gameweek is about rotation and squad depth. Chelsea beating West Ham after they blew a 2-0 lead, Tottenham drawing at home against Manchester City, Brighton holding Everton — these are the moments where managers' tactical choices and squad management are being absolutely dissected by fans who think they know better.
Reaction: The fanbase is fundamentally split and exhausted. You've got pockets of genuine admiration — Konate getting love, Sesko being hyped as a future star, Evanilson impressing — but beneath that runs a current of frustration so thick you can feel it through the screen. Forty-seven thousand posts in the negative or neutral bands, with refereeing complaints, defensive vulnerabilities, and tactical confusion dominating the discourse. The 4.6 fAr rating isn't mixed — it's a fanbase treading water between hope and resignation.
Trigger: The relentless inconsistency in defensive shape and referee decisions across the gameweek — particularly the Arsenal and Liverpool matches where dominant performances felt undermined by either their own individual errors or perceived officiating failures — has left fans oscillating between pride in their teams' attacking intent and genuine anxiety about whether anyone's actually got a convincing blueprint for winning the league.
Post 26: "When Odegaard plays well, arsenal plays well. The criticism was warranted but name
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 79,707 | 84.2% |
| approval | 45,502 | 48.1% |
| annoyance | 29,737 | 31.4% |
| admiration | 15,175 | 16.0% |
| realization | 13,012 | 13.8% |
| disappointment | 11,858 | 12.5% |
| disapproval | 11,493 | 12.1% |
| curiosity | 10,203 | 10.8% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 4,526 | fixture |
| goal | 3,711 | goal |
| play | 2,957 | action |
| season | 2,831 | events |
| back | 2,819 | medical |
| players | 2,724 | people |
| arsenal | 2,572 | team_name |
| win | 2,440 | scoreline |
| player | 1,893 | people |
| games | 1,837 | fixture |
MW25 — 73,277 posts, fAr 4.2 (Mixed), Pulse 63 ▼
Topics: Liverpool's shock 1-2 defeat to Manchester City has absolutely dominated the conversation, with fans forensically examining City's medical team, Haaland's recent form slump, and whether the title race is genuinely slipping away. But it's not just about the big boys — Newcastle's 2-3 loss to Brentford has sparked serious questions about tactical direction and squad morale, particularly around the Lascelles situation, whilst Arsenal's demolition of Sunderland (3-0) and the emergence of players like Martinelli as genuinely reliable contributors has given Gunners fans genuine hope that this might finally be their season.
Reaction: The emotional temperature is fractured and frustrated. Fans oscillate wildly between admiration for individual performances — Haaland's brilliance despite his recent blip, Martinelli's consistency, Palmer's three-goal haul — and genuine anger at defensive catastrophes, tactical confusion, and what feels like systemic underperformance at crucial moments. There's a grinding sense of disappointment mixed with resignation, particularly from Newcastle and Liverpool fans, but zero fatigue; engagement remains feverish even as satisfaction sits at just 4.2 out of 10.
Trigger: Liverpool's collapse against Manchester City — a 1-2 home defeat that has fundamentally reshuffled the narrative around title credentials, Haaland's form, and whether City's medical protocols have genuinely given them an unassailable edge.
Post 58: "Dog shit. Absolute dog shit. I don't care about not winning, but the tactics, the performance was fucking atrocious. Id say probably only Martinez can walk off that pitch with his head held high. Not 1 other play turned up today."
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 62,532 | 85.3% |
| approval | 32,879 | 44.9% |
| annoyance | 24,839 | 33.9% |
| admiration | 10,435 | 14.2% |
| realization | 10,429 | 14.2% |
| disappointment | 9,589 | 13.1% |
| disapproval | 9,400 | 12.8% |
| curiosity | 8,458 | 11.5% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 3,615 | fixture |
| goal | 2,620 | goal |
| season | 2,518 | events |
| play | 2,127 | action |
| back | 1,890 | medical |
| players | 1,842 | people |
| win | 1,663 | scoreline |
| shit | 1,575 | performance |
| city | 1,556 | team_name |
| playing | 1,542 | action |
MW26 — 80,826 posts, fAr 3.9 (Under Fire), Pulse 64 ◆
Topics: Managers are having a crisis week. Frank Lampard's chewing gum obsession at Everton, Slot's RB decisions at Liverpool, Arteta's substitution choices coming under fire—it's chaos in the dugout. Meanwhile, the refereeing narrative has exploded. VAR decisions, dodgy penalties, time-wasting, push-in-the-back rulings—fans are convinced there's corruption afoot, with some clubs getting protected whilst others get punished for identical contact.
Reaction: This is frustration wrapped in resignation. The mood is split between grudging acceptance of decent performances—lads like Yoro and Elanga getting quiet praise—and seething annoyance at individual moments of madness. What cuts deepest is the sense of self-sabotage. Fans aren't just angry at opposition or referees; they're furious at their own teams for bottling it, wasting chances, and repeating the same tactical mistakes week after week. It's 46.5 percent negative for a reason: this is a fanbase watching its teams implode from within.
Trigger: Tottenham's 1-2 loss to Newcastle was the watershed moment—a top-four contender collapsing at home against a resurgent Newcastle, crystallising the narrative that elite clubs cannot defend leads or resist sustained pressure, which fed directly into the broader "bottlers" discourse dominating the week.
Post 90: "Bunch of bottling nearly-men led by our coward of a manager and the personification of his cowardly risk averse football, our wet paper towel of a captain."
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 67,920 | 84.0% |
| approval | 34,087 | 42.2% |
| annoyance | 28,779 | 35.6% |
| disappointment | 13,514 | 16.7% |
| disapproval | 10,934 | 13.5% |
| realization | 10,857 | 13.4% |
| admiration | 10,003 | 12.4% |
| curiosity | 8,910 | 11.0% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 4,694 | fixture |
| season | 2,636 | events |
| goal | 2,541 | goal |
| players | 2,528 | people |
| play | 2,480 | action |
| win | 2,352 | scoreline |
| back | 2,342 | medical |
| arsenal | 1,981 | team_name |
| shit | 1,813 | performance |
| playing | 1,812 | action |
MW27 — 91,554 posts, fAr 3.9 (Under Fire), Pulse 63 ◆
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 77,601 | 84.8% |
| approval | 37,925 | 41.4% |
| annoyance | 34,370 | 37.5% |
| disappointment | 13,301 | 14.5% |
| admiration | 12,030 | 13.1% |
| realization | 11,913 | 13.0% |
| disapproval | 11,808 | 12.9% |
| anger | 11,125 | 12.2% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 5,311 | fixture |
| goal | 3,096 | goal |
| players | 2,754 | people |
| play | 2,662 | action |
| shit | 2,544 | performance |
| season | 2,534 | events |
| arsenal | 2,426 | team_name |
| back | 2,209 | medical |
| win | 2,077 | scoreline |
| playing | 2,024 | action |
MW28 — 120,143 posts, fAr 4.0 (Mixed), Pulse 63 ◆
Topics: This midweek was absolute chaos. Arsenal's controversial win over Chelsea, Liverpool's demolition of West Ham with Ekitike's brilliance, and Tottenham getting absolutely humiliated by Fulham on St Totteringham's Day dominated the conversation. But here's what really caught fire: refereeing decisions — especially around Arsenal, with fans screaming about inconsistent handball calls, dubious fouls, and whether the officials are favouring certain clubs. Plus there's serious concern about whether players like Zirkzee and various defenders are actually up to the job in the Premier League.
Reaction: The mood is frustrated and divided — 43.9 per cent negative, only 18.8 per cent positive, which tells you everything. There's massive annoyance about refereeing and set piece defending, genuine excitement about breakthrough performances from young players, but underneath it all sits a grinding disappointment. Fans aren't angry enough to abandon their teams; they're weary, sarcastic, and increasingly convinced their clubs are making the same mistakes week after week.
Trigger: Arsenal's narrow 2-1 win over Chelsea with VAR controversy and perceived refereeing bias is the smoking gun here — it's spiked annoyance, triggered a backlash about corruption narratives, and exposed how fragile trust in officiating has become across the fanbase.
Post 91: "You think I'm a Spurs fan? I was enjoying the ride while Sonny was there. Will you complain about the referees after they hand you the title this year? There's pushing and shoving on nearly every set piece that Arsenal have scored this year and the refs stopped none of it. Every Arsenal fan I know of either has a victim mentality or is peak delusion. Legit the cowboys fans
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 104,110 | 86.7% |
| approval | 54,972 | 45.8% |
| annoyance | 46,071 | 38.3% |
| disappointment | 17,526 | 14.6% |
| disapproval | 15,349 | 12.8% |
| realization | 15,139 | 12.6% |
| admiration | 14,067 | 11.7% |
| curiosity | 12,940 | 10.8% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 6,004 | fixture |
| arsenal | 4,179 | team_name |
| players | 4,089 | people |
| season | 3,946 | events |
| goal | 3,653 | goal |
| play | 3,521 | action |
| win | 3,500 | scoreline |
| back | 3,040 | medical |
| chelsea | 2,960 | team_name |
| shit | 2,777 | performance |
MW29 — 141,849 posts, fAr 4.1 (Mixed), Pulse 62 ◆
Topics: Managers under fire—Amorim's United handling, Ange's Spurs legacy, and Slot's Liverpool crisis dominate, alongside explosive VAR and refereeing controversies. Set-piece reliance (Saka's goal notwithstanding), individual player form swings—Palmer's brilliance, Salah's struggles, Gakpo's baffling decisions—and shock results upending the narrative around big-six expectations collide in a chaos-driven midweek.
Reaction: Raw anger mixed with nervous gallows humour. Fans are fractured between cautious optimism (Arsenal's escape, Chelsea's demolition of Villa, Newcastle's grit) and existential dread (United's implosion, Liverpool's identity crisis, Spurs' structural collapse). The neutrality count masks a seething undercurrent—43 per cent negative sentiment reveals genuine distress, not just banter. This is resignation sprinkled with spite.
Trigger: Manchester United losing at home to Newcastle whilst drowning in refereeing grievances and Amorim's tactical credibility, combined with Liverpool's defeat to Wolves, shattered the top-six security blanket and exposed how fragile these institutions have become.
Post 56: "we're fucked it's time to accept it"
| Emotion | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| neutral | 121,749 | 85.8% |
| approval | 64,706 | 45.6% |
| annoyance | 53,619 | 37.8% |
| disappointment | 20,811 | 14.7% |
| realization | 17,396 | 12.3% |
| disapproval | 17,107 | 12.1% |
| admiration | 17,022 | 12.0% |
| curiosity | 14,911 | 10.5% |
| Entity | Mentions | Type |
|---|---|---|
| game | 7,158 | fixture |
| season | 5,029 | events |
| players | 4,281 | people |
| win | 4,208 | scoreline |
| play | 4,166 | action |
| goal | 3,708 | goal |
| back | 3,318 | medical |
| arsenal | 3,277 | team_name |
| shit | 3,234 | performance |
| playing | 2,944 | action |
Results Impact: The data reveals a brutal truth: results barely moved the needle. fAr stayed locked in Mixed territory (4.0-4.6) across all 29 matchweeks despite wild swings in performance. Arsenal's demolition of Leeds 5-0 in MW2 and Manchester United's 4-4 draw with Bournemouth in MW16 both landed at fAr 4.1—identical approval despite completely opposite narratives. The clearest cause-effect moment comes in MW24 when fAr spiked to 4.6 (highest of season) following Manchester United's 3-2 win over Fulham and Liverpool's 4-1 hammering of Newcastle—but even this only lifted fans from Mixed to upper Mixed, not into Favoured territory. What this tells you is that individual matches cannot break the ceiling. Fans are not swinging based on next week's scoreline; they are locked in patterns of moderate discontent that results cannot fundamentally shift.
Fatigue Drivers: Fatigue spikes cluster around two specific triggers: fixture congestion and narrative repetition. The highest fatigue reading comes in MW21 and MW20 at 1.2% each, both packed with seven and four draws respectively—the data shows draws exhaust fans faster than losses because they feel unresolved. More damning is the fatigue stability around managerial crisis discourse. MW19, MW20, MW21 all sit at 1.1-1.2% fatigue despite mixed results because the conversation locked onto "managers under siege"—Amorim at United, Dyche at Everton becoming punching bags week after week. The final three matchweeks (MW27, MW28, MW29) explode with post volume (91k, 120k, 141k) yet fatigue stays flat at 0.9-1.0%, suggesting fans were energised by drama and stakes, not exhausted by repetition.
Surprise Disconnects: MW6 is the clearest disconnect: fAr dropped to 3.8 (Under Fire)—the season's lowest—despite Chelsea losing and drawing, not because of any single catastrophic result but because the topic shifted to managerial tactics and defensive setups. This is psychological, not results-driven. Conversely, MW7 bounced back to 4.3 despite Liverpool losing 1-0 to Brentford, but the narrative flipped to "defensive stability and individual player redemptions," suggesting fans value narrative redemption more than clean sheets.
Seasonal Pattern: fAr oscillates narrowly (3.8-4.6) in a band that defies traditional seasonal arcs—there is no clear mid-season dip or late-season surge. Instead, the pattern is almost metronomic: whenever fans fixate on managerial incompetence (MW14, MW19, MW20, MW26, MW27, MW29), fAr bottoms out at 3.9-4.1 and fatigue holds steady or rises; when the discourse shifts to player breakthroughs or tactical redemption (MW7, MW13, MW18, MW24), fAr ticks upward without fatigue spiking. Fatigue itself remains stubbornly stable (0.8-1.2%) regardless of season progression, suggesting fan exhaustion is driven by narrative saturation and managerial crises, not by cumulative fixture fatigue.
Premier League fans spent fourteen months treading water in the Mixed band — never truly satisfied, never in full crisis, trapped in a state of perpetual ambivalence that speaks volumes about the 2024-25 season.
The season opened on shaky ground. Pre-season hit Under Fire territory at 3.9, and things didn't immediately improve — Matchweeks 5 and 6 both dipped back below 4.0, signalling early instability and frustration among the fanbase. But here is the thing: the fAr never collapsed further. Instead, fans settled into a stubborn Mixed band that lasted from MW1 through to the final weeks, oscillating between 3.8 and 4.6 with no real momentum toward Favoured status. The only genuine spike came at MW23 and MW24 — reaching 4.4 and 4.6 respectively — which hinted at something clicking, but even that couldn't sustain. By the close at MW29, we're back to 4.1, right where we started. It's a flat line masquerading as a season.
Fatigue: Fan fatigue remained locked at 1.0 per cent across the entire campaign, suggesting engagement never truly wavered despite the emotional plateau. Yet here's the paradox: stable fatigue combined with persistently low approval means fans didn't disengage — they just stayed disappointed, watching on regardless.
Outlook: Watch whether the pre-season ahead can break the cycle and push approval above 5.0, or whether the fanbase faces another season of resigned dissatisfaction.