# Soccer/Football official thread



## Killer2121

I don't know if one has already been created.. I wanted t make a thread about everything soccer, but anyways.

Anyone soccer/football fans here? I've been a fan for my whole life and have supported both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur for over 10 years. Also, what is your favorite league?


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## sleepytime

I'm a Liverpool fan but I'm a big admirer of La Liga.


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## kc1895

:b USWNT :clap


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## Killer2121

sleepytime said:


> I'm a Liverpool fan but I'm a big admirer of La Liga.


What do you think of Liverpool's chances this year at making a run for the top 4?



kc1895 said:


> :b USWNT :clap


Women's soccer :l... ahah just kidding


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## sleepytime

Killer2121 said:


> What do you think of Liverpool's chances this year at making a run for the top 4?


Judging by the current transfer activity, not great. I like Rodgers and am looking forward to seeing how he does, but I'm not expecting a top 4 finish.

As much as I love Kenny Dalglish, I think his woeful transfer spending has set the club back a few years. After spending about 75m on a bunch of lemons (Carroll, Downing, Henderson and Adam) I think the owners are going to be very cautious with their spending from here on.

Liverpool's best chance of bridging the gap will be if FIFA actually enforce the financial fair play rules, but I think the likes of Chelsea and City will find all kinds of loopholes to allow them continue outspending everybody else.

Do you think United can regain the title this season?


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## yellowpages

i don't like soccer as much as i used to, mainly because i've come to the realisation that it's all about money (especially in the premier league & la liga). now i just can't take it seriously. the fact that i have no good team to support probably played a part in this lol.

it can be a fun distraction from sa, though. :b


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## NumeroUno

Finally - a official thread. Was a bit worried when I didn't see one but far to lazy to make one myself! Tottenham fan here since I was...born. My family are all from there ya see. My great grandad actually had trials so I got a ton of stuff from back in the day signed - old programmes down the line too.

Exciting times with Villa Boas - feel Chelsea ruined him with players like Terry & Lampard, player power overruled him. Made some quality signings with quality names like Lloris, Oscar, Ganso, Llorente, Falcao and Moutinho being linked to us.

Theres me aged 6 with the Spurs shirt and sweatband, ha =]


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## Hello22

i'm a man united fan, and i follow the premiership, and i also like La liga and bundesliga.


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## Northern Lights

I am German so I mainly follow the Bundesliga. But I do enjoy the Premier League as well.


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## Killer2121

sleepytime said:


> Judging by the current transfer activity, not great. I like Rodgers and am looking forward to seeing how he does, but I'm not expecting a top 4 finish.
> 
> As much as I love Kenny Dalglish, I think his woeful transfer spending has set the club back a few years. After spending about 75m on a bunch of lemons (Carroll, Downing, Henderson and Adam) I think the owners are going to be very cautious with their spending from here on.
> 
> Liverpool's best chance of bridging the gap will be if FIFA actually enforce the financial fair play rules, but I think the likes of Chelsea and City will find all kinds of loopholes to allow them continue outspending everybody else.
> 
> Do you think United can regain the title this season?


Yes, Liverpool do have a very long way to go. I think Man U can regain the title if they add some depth to their midfield, that and injuries is what killed us last year 



yellowpages said:


> i don't like soccer as much as i used to, mainly because i've come to the realisation that it's all about money (especially in the premier league & la liga). now i just can't take it seriously. the fact that i have no good team to support probably played a part in this lol.
> 
> it can be a fun distraction from sa, though. :b


Every sport is about money these days 



NumeroUno said:


> Finally - a official thread. Was a bit worried when I didn't see one but far to lazy to make one myself! Tottenham fan here since I was...born. My family are all from there ya see. My great grandad actually had trials so I got a ton of stuff from back in the day signed - old programmes down the line too.
> 
> Exciting times with Villa Boas - feel Chelsea ruined him with players like Terry & Lampard, player power overruled him. Made some quality signings with quality names like Lloris, Oscar, Ganso, Llorente, Falcao and Moutinho being linked to us.
> 
> Theres me aged 6 with the Spurs shirt and sweatband, ha =]


I like Tottenham and want to see them do well. I think it's either a hit or miss for AVB. If he fails, he won't have another decent job for a long time. He has a good chance at succeeding though, if he can bring what he did at Porto to Tottenham. I personally think AVB came to a big league, big club and couldn't handle the pressure. We will see..


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## DMIND11

I like the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, and Liga Mx. My favorite teams are in this order:

1. U.S. Citta di Palermo (italy)
2. Tottenham Hotspur
3. Bayern Munich
4. Barcelona
5. Guadalajara


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## AlanJs

QPR FC fan of 15 years. First match I went to was in 1997. 

Great signings in summer 2012 so far with Green, Ji-Sung Park & Andrew Johnson. Likely more to come. New 45,000 seater stadium on the way.Exciting times and loving life back in the biggest sports league in the world. Top 10 finish this season i think, above foooolham.


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## NumeroUno

Killer2121 said:


> I like Tottenham and want to see them do well. I think it's either a hit or miss for AVB. If he fails, he won't have another decent job for a long time. He has a good chance at succeeding though, if he can bring what he did at Porto to Tottenham. I personally think AVB came to a big league, big club and couldn't handle the pressure. We will see..


I'm not just saying this as he is our manager now BUT I genuinely think ''player power'' took over at Chelsea and they lost respect for him. It started from him dropping the bigger names trying to bring new players though (look at Mata, quality) People like racist ******* John Terry, fat Frank Lampard and (c)Ashley Cole think they're bigger than the team and manager, Spurs don't have huge ego's like that and directors/chairman Daniel Levy and Co are miles above Chelsea's chairman..

The inside view is Villa Boas has just been ''one of the guys'' and they're all having a blast in training. Speaking of training Harry Redknapp literally had them train a couple hours a day, didn't bother with set pieces or tactics whatsoever tbh. Even Van Der Vaart said ''Harry just says run around'' lol. Villa Boas on the other hand has them really working and will bring a European style of football (4-3-3/4-5-1) and we've seen how effective that is from teams like Barcelona and even Spain when they play a CF. Similar system.

Plus the players we are being linked with because of Villa Boas...I'll be happy to see Modric go for 40m to Real Madrid because we'll get Joao Moutinho who plays for Porto who Villa Boas wants and had a amazing Euro2012..


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## Killer2121

AlanJs said:


> QPR FC fan of 15 years. First match I went to was in 1997.
> 
> Great signings in summer 2012 so far with Green, Ji-Sung Park & Andrew Johnson. Likely more to come. New 45,000 seater stadium on the way.Exciting times and loving life back in the biggest sports league in the world. Top 10 finish this season i think, above foooolham.


I think QPR can have a good season for sure. I just hope that the players they signed arn't like Joey barton, wright-phillips and ferdinand - flops.



NumeroUno said:


> I'm not just saying this as he is our manager now BUT I genuinely think ''player power'' took over at Chelsea and they lost respect for him. It started from him dropping the bigger names trying to bring new players though (look at Mata, quality) People like racist ******* John Terry, fat Frank Lampard and (c)Ashley Cole think they're bigger than the team and manager, Spurs don't have huge ego's like that and directors/chairman Daniel Levy and Co are miles above Chelsea's chairman..
> 
> The inside view is Villa Boas has just been ''one of the guys'' and they're all having a blast in training. Speaking of training Harry Redknapp literally had them train a couple hours a day, didn't bother with set pieces or tactics whatsoever tbh. Even Van Der Vaart said ''Harry just says run around'' lol. Villa Boas on the other hand has them really working and will bring a European style of football (4-3-3/4-5-1) and we've seen how effective that is from teams like Barcelona and even Spain when they play a CF. Similar system.
> 
> Plus the players we are being linked with because of Villa Boas...I'll be happy to see Modric go for 40m to Real Madrid because we'll get Joao Moutinho who plays for Porto who Villa Boas wants and had a amazing Euro2012..


well as I said time will tell. I really do hope Tottenham can become a bigger club than they already are as it pushes for more competition. I see Tottenham needing a midfielder and a striker, Adebayor isn't enough. On the other hand it's sad to see wasted talent like dos santos and david bentley most likely leaving.


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## Killer2121

Ledley King retired today... What a shame, his career was plagued by injuries. He was a good player.


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## JR217

Surely the English Premier League is the best. Been a Tottenham fan all my life, Optimistic about next season, new manager and new signings , shame about Ledley King though, he would have been amazing for club and country without all the injuries


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## lad

Championship is my favourite league, so unpredictable and my beloved brighton and hove albion are in it.


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## Nogy

FC Dallas supporter here. First voter for MLS too, not suprising lol. I started watching the Premiere League at the start of last season, since my new tv package includes Fox Soccer. What a year to start watching too, the season was incredible. I don't have a favorite team yet, i'm just happy whenever Man U loses hehe. I'll also be watching and supporting AS Roma in Seria A this season, since my favorite US player Michael Bradley got transferred there recently. He scored tonight for Roma in the friendly against Liverpool

Thought i'd post this pic as well that was held by fans at the MLS Allstars vs Chelsea FC game tonight. I lol'ed pretty hard. MLS won 3-2 btw, not that it means a damn thing....we're still well behind the top leagues in the world


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## KYJE

English Premier League, for sure. Even more so now that my West Brom are looking better and better! 

I'm a fan of soccer in general, and will watch pretty much anything if it promises to be a good game, but aside from the Premier League, the only others I follow religiously would be the Eredivisie and Virsliga. Well, as much as you can follow them, anyway...


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## paulyD

i'm a lifelong evertonian.


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## The Blues man

Sunderland fan here. Been a fan of them for about 12/13 years. Voted the English Premier League as my favourite but a league I'd quite like to get into would be the Italian Serie A.


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## Joe

Liverpool lost 3-0 and suddenly half the people who comment on the lfc website have lost all their optimism despite it only being one game. Maybe Steve Clarke will become the next legendary scottish manager?


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## SPC

watching aaron "shoot on sight" ramsey and arsenal today was maddeningly frustrating. im no fan of rvp but watching ramsey and gervinho fail over and over again at shooting made me laugh and cry at the same time.


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## Zeppelin

I am a Seattle Sounders FC (MLS) fan. I voted for the MLS as my favorite league.


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## KYJE

jJoe said:


> Maybe Steve Clarke will become the next legendary scottish manager?


So long as that legendary status is achieved while with West Brom, I hope so. :b


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## Joe

KYJE said:


> So long as that legendary status is achieved while with West Brom, I hope so. :b


I wouldn't mind that, especially with west broms budget , although it would make liverpools chances for top 4 even slimmer :cry. 5 years from now Roberto Martinez and Wigan might be their main rivals for the top spot.


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## mrneonshuffle

I support numerous teams, but first and foremost my local club Luton Town FC. Was at Wembley for the blue square premier playoff final defeat which was one of the worst days ever!

I also support Liverpool, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund (for years, before they were as awesome as they are now), Inter and Ajax. 

Was addicted to Football Manager and it's predecessors for about 15 years but don't play computer games at all anymore.


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## sleepytime

Apart from Liverpool  I support Ajax, Barcelona, and Nantes. The Ajax team of the early 90s were poetry in motion, just as good as the Barcelona team of present I think.


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## mattigummi

I'm a Liverpool fan and Barclays Premier League is my favorite league. I'm pretty sure we'll lose against Man City today and I'm afraid to watch the game :afr:b 
I'm hoping that one these guys, Spearing, Adam and Cole, will be sold before the transfer season is over. Cole's wages are just ridiculous and he isn't even in the Starting 11. Spearing is crap and Adam just doesn't fit in the team. 


Second favorite league is the German Bundesliga, support Dortmund there. People say I'm a glory hunter about that but I actually started supporting them in 2009 before they started winning the league, because I was playing them in Manager Mode in FIFA


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## sleepytime

mattigummi said:


> I'm a Liverpool fan and Barclays Premier League is my favorite league. I'm pretty sure we'll lose against Man City today and I'm afraid to watch the game :afr:b
> I'm hoping that one these guys, Spearing, Adam and Cole, will be sold before the transfer season is over. Cole's wages are just ridiculous and he isn't even in the Starting 11. Spearing is crap and Adam just doesn't fit in the team.


There are a lot of poor players in the squad that need to be moved on alright. It would be great if they can get rid of all 3 of those before the window closes. I'd like to see Henderson and Downing replaced too, but we're stuck with them for a while longer I think. I wouldn't be surprised if we beat City today, then lose to Sunderland next week!


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## heavyrain11

Liverpool played a great game today. They are really unlucky to not come out with a victory. Was a stupid goal they gave away


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## typemismatch

Man utd fan here, what a strange day - I actually enjoyed watching liverpool play and jumped up and down celebrating when suarez scored, strange times.


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## Loveless

Bayern baby . I love the Bundesliga but I watch any soccer from Europe. Other then Bayern Malaga, Anderlecht, Ajax, Tottenham are teams I like as well. I hate Dortmund though. And Juventus. I must say Belgium are underrated. Watch out. Not just Anderlecht but Club Brugge and Standard Liege as well.


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## marvG12

Too many Liverpool fans here...and a Luton fan which is even worse!!

QPR fan, too young to remember my first match (baby)

apart from r's i have a liking for marseille (greatest city in the world)


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## sleepytime

marvG12 said:


> Too many Liverpool fans here...and a Luton fan which is even worse!!
> 
> QPR fan, too young to remember my first match (baby)
> 
> apart from r's i have a liking for marseille (greatest city in the world)


Are you Joey Barton?


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## ty44

Liverpool supporter so the Premier league for me, watch La Liga as well however.


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## Ali477

Loveless said:


> Bayern baby . I love the Bundesliga but I watch any soccer from Europe. Other then Bayern Malaga, Anderlecht, Ajax, Tottenham are teams I like as well. I hate Dortmund though. And Juventus. I must say Belgium are underrated. Watch out. Not just Anderlecht but Club Brugge and Standard Liege as well.


 Last week while i was in munich i visted the allianz arena (we even got to go into the bayern changing rooms and walk down the tunnel, not bad for 8euros!!) its a great stadium.


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## Loveless

Luke688 said:


> Last week while i was in munich i visted the allianz arena (we even got to go into the bayern changing rooms and walk down the tunnel, not bad for 8euros!!) its a great stadium.


Lucky ******* xD. I want to go to a game there bad. Did you meet anyone?


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## Ali477

Loveless said:


> Lucky ******* xD. I want to go to a game there bad. Did you meet anyone?


No sadly we didnt meet anyone the whole stadium was empty as both bayern and 1860 munich were playing away the week i visted, Allthough my uncle who lives in munich showed me a picture of when he met schweinsteiger in his local cafe . If you ever get the chance to visit munich i cant recommend enough how good it is it really is a great city with very friendly people.


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## sleepytime

Interesting CL draw. United draw the softest group possible, as usual  City's group is scary looking, I think that might be the toughest CL group I've seen in a long time.


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## mattigummi

sleepytime said:


> Interesting CL draw. United draw the softest group possible, as usual  City's group is scary looking, I think that might be the toughest CL group I've seen in a long time.


I don't know, I think they should remove Galatasaray from the group and put some weaker team instead so it won't be too hard for Man Utd :roll

And in Europa League, Liverpool is in group A with Udinese, Anzhi and Young Boys. It's gonna be tough.


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## sleepytime

So Liverpool have to make do with 2 strikers until January (maybe longer). If Suarez gets an injury we're in huge trouble.


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## mattigummi

sleepytime said:


> So Liverpool have to make do with 2 strikers until January (maybe longer). If Suarez gets an injury we're in huge trouble.


Or banned for being accused of racism...

But yeah it really sucks that we didn't get another striker, after we lost Dempsey I thought we'd go for a loan move for Sturridge. And loaning out Carroll was a stupid move. We lost Bellamy, Kuyt, and Carroll and the youngsters Eccleston and Pacheco, and then only get Borini and some unknown German youngster instead but Borini's playing winger. So I guess we'll see a lot of Adam Morgan this season.


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## sleepytime

mattigummi said:


> Or banned for being accused of racism...
> 
> But yeah it really sucks that we didn't get another striker, after we lost Dempsey I thought we'd go for a loan move for Sturridge. And loaning out Carroll was a stupid move. We lost Bellamy, Kuyt, and Carroll and the youngsters Eccleston and Pacheco, and then only get Borini and some unknown German youngster instead but Borini's playing winger. So I guess we'll see a lot of Adam Morgan this season.


Yea looks like we'll be seeing a fair bit of the kids this season. I'm pretty worried we're destined for mid-table, i.e well detached from the top 4 :no The 1st 11 is pretty decent, but a couple of injuries and we'll struggle. I think Dani Pacheco's loan deal fell through before the deadline, if he doesn't get a few games this season, he never will!


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## paulyD

NumeroUno said:


> Finally - a official thread. Was a bit worried when I didn't see one but far to lazy to make one myself! Tottenham fan here since I was...born. My family are all from there ya see. My great grandad actually had trials so I got a ton of stuff from back in the day signed - old programmes down the line too.
> 
> Exciting times with Villa Boas - feel Chelsea ruined him with players like Terry & Lampard, player power overruled him. Made some quality signings with quality names like Lloris, Oscar, Ganso, Llorente, Falcao and Moutinho being linked to us.
> 
> Theres me aged 6 with the Spurs shirt and sweatband, ha =]


dembele - great signing. he will fill modric's boots definately. van der vaart - quite a loss. dempsey - decent signing. not sure he will fill van der vaarts boots though


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## paulyD

very optimistic about everton's chances this season. i can see a top 6 finish with an outside chance of 4th competing against arsenal, spurs and newcastle

this is the best everton squad i've seen since the 80's. we've got a solid back 4 and goal keeper. gibson and osman in centre mid. mirallass (aka the next christiano ronaldo) and pieanar on the wings. the immense and world class fellaini playing behind the goal machine jelavic.
and most importanlty we've got top class cover all over the park. heitinga at the back. oviedo down the left, coleman down the right, ross barkley (the best thing since wayne rooney) in the centre of midfield and steven naismith up top

it's looking very bright indeed for evertonians this season


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## sleepytime

paulyD said:


> very optimistic about everton's chances this season. i can see a top 6 finish with an outside chance of 4th competing against arsenal, spurs and newcastle
> 
> this is the best everton squad i've seen since the 80's. we've got a solid back 4 and goal keeper. gibson and osman in centre mid. mirallass (aka the next christiano ronaldo) and pieanar on the wings. the immense and world class fellaini playing behind the goal machine jelavic.
> and most importanlty we've got top class cover all over the park. heitinga at the back. oviedo down the left, coleman down the right, ross barkley (the best thing since wayne rooney) in the centre of midfield and steven naismith up top
> 
> it's looking very bright indeed for evertonians this season


Yea. Gotta give Moyes a lot of credit for what he's done there on a tight budget. That Ross Barkley looked like something special the couple of times I've seen him.


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## avoidobot3000

Man united really didn't deserve to win. What a cheeky win. :lol


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## Virtue

Yay an actual football thread!  My fav league is probably the Premier league, I guess Liga BBVA is my second fav, i only really watch barca & real madrid though. Im guessing u guys agree with me when i say Ronaldo is better than messi yh? lol


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## Killer2121

Blandyy said:


> Yay an actual football thread!  My fav league is probably the Premier league, I guess Liga BBVA is my second fav, i only really watch barca & real madrid though. Im guessing u guys agree with me when i say Ronaldo is better than messi yh? lol


Yes Ronaldo is better than Messi.


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## Killer2121

avoidobot3000 said:


> Man united really didn't deserve to win. What a cheeky win. :lol


as a United fan, I was pissed when they were 2-1 down but then you know who scored!


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## Virtue

Killer2121 said:


> as a United fan, I was pissed when they were 2-1 down but then you know who scored!


U know ur good when u miss a penalty and still score a hat-trick lol,
I wonder how loud the arsenal fans are gona boo RVP when they play mufc ha


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## Killer2121

Blandyy said:


> U know ur good when u miss a penalty and still score a hat-trick lol,
> I wonder how loud the arsenal fans are gona boo RVP when they play mufc ha


it's going to be loud, but i don't think it will be on the same level as when adebayor played arsenal for city.


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## TheComedian

Glad there are other SA soccer/football fans! I've followed Chelsea FC for a few years (became a fan as they were one of the only EPL clubs that we got regularly televised matches for in Texas), but my mother is from Frankfurt so I also follow the Bundesliga.


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## parzen

Killer2121 said:


> Yes Ronaldo is better than Messi.


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## sleepytime

parzen said:


>


I'm with you. Ronaldo is a great player, but Messi is another level.


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## Killer2121

parzen said:


>


The reason why I rate Ronaldo higher is because he has a somewhat average team compared to Barcelona... Yes I just said that lol. Ronaldo carries his team game in game out whereas Messi has a very good supporting cast around him. Ronaldo is a better all-round player in terms of heading the ball, free kicks and strength. Ronaldo has also proven himself in arguably the best league in the world: the EPL.


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## Virtue

sleepytime said:


> I'm with you. Ronaldo is a great player, but Messi is another level.


Nooooooooooooooo, think about it - if Messi and Ronaldo swapped teams, who do u think would do better? Messi has the luxury of always playing next to the 2 best midfielders in the world, without Xavi & Iniesta he would struggle imo


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## I wish i was normal

Man City fan here. I still have to pinch myself sometimes. I remember going to places like Barnsley and York with my Dad as a kid to watch us. Now we're off to the Bernabeu as Premier League champions! Insane.

I must have watched 'that' goal over 100 times during the summer... "Aguerooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"


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## Ali477

Blandyy said:


> Nooooooooooooooo, think about it - if Messi and Ronaldo swapped teams, who do u think would do better? Messi has the luxury of always playing next to the 2 best midfielders in the world, without Xavi & Iniesta he would struggle imo


 Well at international level Messi plays with a worse midfield than Portugal's and yet he still gets more goals/assists than Ronaldo. Also think about it Madrids midfield is the second best in the league next to barca (Ozil, xabi alonso ect) so even if Messi did play for them i could see him scoring 50+ goals a season again easy.


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## Virtue

Luke688 said:


> Well at international level Messi plays with a worse midfield than Portugal's and yet he still gets more goals/assists than Ronaldo. Also think about it Madrids midfield is the second best in the league next to barca (Ozil, xabi alonso ect) so even if Messi did play for them i could see him scoring 50+ goals a season again easy.


I dont know, i think there pretty much on the same level, but Ronaldo is a more of a complete player. The last 3 times barca played real, Ronaldo was the better player.

Can messi do all this?


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## sleepytime

Also Ronaldo has a terrible temperament at times, Messi is a model profession. 

Messi is a more complete footballer, he is much more than a goalscorer. If you played Messi in Xavi's position, he'd still be the best player on the pitch. I don't think I'd say the same about Ronaldo.


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## I wish i was normal

I actually enjoy watching Iniesta more than Messi or Ronaldo. It's unfair that the player considered the best in the world is always one that scores the goals, but if i could cherry pick any player in the world to play for my team, it would be Iniesta. Pure class.


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## Virtue

Hmmm seems like im not winning the whole Messi/Ronaldo argument lol

ill change the subject, any of you guys getn fifa 13?


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## reliefseeker

I wish i was normal said:


> I actually enjoy watching Iniesta more than Messi or Ronaldo. It's unfair that the player considered the best in the world is always one that scores the goals, but if i could cherry pick any player in the world to play for my team, it would be Iniesta. Pure class.


Yes, easily the best dribbler in the world for me.


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## Killer2121

Blandyy said:


> Hmmm seems like im not winning the whole Messi/Ronaldo argument lol
> 
> ill change the subject, any of you guys getn fifa 13?


Yep, and I will dominate just like I did in FIFA 12 

But I played the demo and it doesn't really look impressive to me, plus a lot of the player ratings seem WAYY off.


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## paulyD

tensedboy said:


> Yes, easily the best dribbler in the world for me.


messi is the best dribbler in the world and there is no disputing it


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## paulyD

Blandyy said:


> Nooooooooooooooo, think about it - if Messi and Ronaldo swapped teams, who do u think would do better? Messi has the luxury of always playing next to the 2 best midfielders in the world, without Xavi & Iniesta he would struggle imo


there is no comparison between messi and ronaldo. they shouldnt even be talked about in the same breathe. one of them is on a level that the other isn't and never has been or never will be.

in boxing you have the elite fighters like mayweather and pacquaio and then there is a level below that. the like of marquez, cotto, mosely, martinez etc... are great fighter but they can never be compared to the elite fighters like mayweather and pacquaio cos they simple aren't on that level.

in football the elite players are pele and maradonna. below that level you have the likes of zidane and the brazalian ronaldo etc....

out of messi and christiano ronaldo only one can be talked about in the same breathe as pele and maradonna. and that is LIONEL MESSI

to talk about christiano ronaldo in the same breathe as pele or maradonna is quite honestly laughable. ridiculous, embarassing.


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## Ali477

Imo messi is better and has accomplished more than Pele ever did sure pele scored 1000 goals but he includes goals scored against kids in charity games so its hardley an impressive record, there has been much better Brazilian players than Pele (Zico was much better, and a team player) he is overrated!!


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## Killer2121

Luke688 said:


> Imo messi is better and has accomplished more than Pele ever did sure pele scored 1000 goals but he includes goals scored against kids in charity games so its hardley an impressive record, there has been much better Brazilian players than Pele (Zico was much better, and a team player) he is overrated!!


Some of those goals were against tin pot teams, but not against kids and charity teams... Take away those goals and he still has close to 600 or something like that. Pele won 2 world cups for his team and took Santos to great heights almost singe handedly. Despite not playing in Europe, he destroyed European clubs in world club competitions. He also played during a time where there we no red cards and the fields were very rough and poor, he still dribbled through teams.


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## paulyD

Blandyy said:


> I dont know, i think there pretty much on the same level, but Ronaldo is a more of a complete player. The last 3 times barca played real, Ronaldo was the better player.
> 
> Can messi do all this?


ronaldo is a great player. messi is a GENIUS. there's a difference


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## H94

I guess I'm kind of a Toronto FC fan *sigh*. I used to be a big soccer (or football for you stubborn Brits) fan but I lost interest a few years ago due to depression. I was a hardcore TFC and MLS fan(I would watch Chivas USA vs New England Revolution on a grainy, illegal Internet feed with Spanish commentary on a Sunday afternoon in my basement). I still watch the EPL a bit - it's probably my favourite league now. I've become a bit of a eurosnob and MLS hater. I've tried following some European teams and getting back into MLS but I just don't care. I guess you can't fake passion. I'll care again someday. Wow this post sounds corny...


----------



## Killer2121

H94 said:


> I guess I'm kind of a Toronto FC fan *sigh*. I used to be a big soccer (or football for you stubborn Brits) fan but I lost interest a few years ago due to depression. I was a hardcore TFC and MLS fan(I would watch Chivas USA vs New England Revolution on a grainy, illegal Internet feed with Spanish commentary on a Sunday afternoon in my basement). I still watch the EPL a bit - it's probably my favourite league now. I've become a bit of a eurosnob and MLS hater. I've tried following some European teams and getting back into MLS but I just don't care. I guess you can't fake passion. I'll care again someday. Wow this post sounds corny...


Living in Toronto, I support TFC but it's very depressing to see the way they play. All Toronto teams suck sadly.


----------



## sleepytime

Luke688 said:


> Imo messi is better and has accomplished more than Pele ever did sure pele scored 1000 goals but he includes goals scored against kids in charity games so its hardley an impressive record, there has been much better Brazilian players than Pele (Zico was much better, and a team player) he is overrated!!


Pele was a great player, but he's kind of annoying because he is the least modest person ever.

When asked if Messi is the greatest player ever, he replied as follows...

"When Messi has scored 1,283 goals like me, when he's won three World Cups, we'll talk about it." - Pele.

What an absolute tool lol


----------



## Killer2121

Lol even though I am a Pele fan, I agree he is kind of an idiot. Look at his top 10 predictions.


----------



## Ali477

sleepytime said:


> Pele was a great player, but he's kind of annoying because he is the least modest person ever.
> 
> When asked if Messi is the greatest player ever, he replied as follows...
> 
> "When Messi has scored 1,283 goals like me, when he's won three World Cups, we'll talk about it." - Pele.
> 
> What an absolute tool lol


Yea thats true ive heard Pele come out with a few comments like that in the past most of its probably due to the bad blood between Argentina and Brazil though im sure if messi was Brazilian Pele would be saying he is the best thing since sliced bread.


----------



## sleepytime

Luke688 said:


> Yea thats true ive heard Pele come out with a few comments like that in the past most of its probably due to the bad blood between Argentina and Brazil though im sure if messi was Brazilian Pele would be saying he is the best thing since sliced bread.


True, he has a serious chip on his shoulder for Maradona. He comes across as a very insecure man.



Killer2121 said:


> Lol even though I am a Pele fan, I agree he is kind of an idiot. Look at his top 10 predictions.


http://www.goal.com/en/news/2377/top-10/2009/06/23/1338375/top-10-wrong-pele-predictions

Some of those all hilarious. I especially like the Nick Barmby one


----------



## jc22

Leeds fan here. 

Most depressing statement ever...


----------



## Virtue

jc22 said:


> Leeds fan here.
> 
> Most depressing statement ever...


Could be worse, u could support liverpool


----------



## Ali477

jc22 said:


> Leeds fan here.
> 
> Most depressing statement ever...


How are all those Pompey players getting on at leeds? imo you got a bargain snapping up Jason Pearce for 500k he was probably our best player last season.


----------



## jc22

Blandyy said:


> Could be worse, u could support liverpool


That is bad, but not as bad as Leeds. At Liverpool are in the Prem.


----------



## jc22

Luke688 said:


> How are all those Pompey players getting on at leeds? imo you got a bargain snapping up Jason Pearce for 500k he was probably our best player last season.


Jason Pearce did well and got man of the match in one of the matches this season. Not sure of his performance over all though. We bought El hadj Douif or however you spell it remember him? hes actually not bad ha.

Worst thing is three of our best midfielders have all gone to Norwich in the past year.


----------



## Ali477

jc22 said:


> Jason Pearce did well and got man of the match in one of the matches this season. Not sure of his performance over all though. We bought El hadj Douif or however you spell it remember him? hes actually not bad ha.
> 
> Worst thing is three of our best midfielders have all gone to Norwich in the past year.


 ah yes El hadj duif how can anyone forget about him lol, but 3 midfielders is that it? leeds are better of than pompey try losing your whole squad in one transfer window!! down to league 2 for us this season i think :b


----------



## Virtue

Killer2121 said:


> Yep, and I will dominate just like I did in FIFA 12
> 
> But I played the demo and it doesn't really look impressive to me, plus a lot of the player ratings seem WAYY off.


Haha are u on PS3/Xbox? Yh your right but it is just the demo, i imagine alot of the player ratings will change when the actual game comes out. I like the whole first touch control thing they have added


----------



## genes1s

Can't believe the scum won today. We (liverpool) played so well, bs call on the red card and bs call on the dive for the penalty... that's why i can't be bothered to watch the EPL anymore.. first game I actually watched this season, probably the last as well.


----------



## Zeppelin

genes1s said:


> Can't believe the scum won today. We (liverpool) played so well, bs call on the red card and bs call on the dive for the penalty... that's why i can't be bothered to watch the EPL anymore.. first game I actually watched this season, probably the last as well.


The both of those calls were legit calls. The Manu player was fouls in the box. Even the announcers said it was a good call. Secondly, that red card, it was a foul, but I only would have given an yellow if I was the ref.

I'm just glad the Red Devils won today.

And for the refs, try watching Major League Soccer, the EPL refs are 10x better.


----------



## sleepytime

genes1s said:


> Can't believe the scum won today. We (liverpool) played so well, bs call on the red card and bs call on the dive for the penalty... that's why i can't be bothered to watch the EPL anymore.. first game I actually watched this season, probably the last as well.


Shelvey was a bit silly lunging like that, but it's true that Evans slid in too. I think it was harsh for Shelvey to get red and Evans to get nothing.

There was definitely no contact at all for the penalty. Suarez' penalty shout was a much clearer claim, there was clear contact in that instance, unfortunately he goes down too dramatically and makes the ref weary of awarding anything.

The referee screwed Liverpool for sure, but they are going to have many days like this if they can't turn dominance into goals. Seriously need to buy a goal poacher in January.


----------



## darrellmonks

Everton fan here. Looking doward to Leeds vs Everton tonight. Great to see my team play in the once fortress Elland Road.


----------



## sleepytime

Liverpool are playing the kids again tonight. Really looking forward to seeing Yesil and a couple of others. There's a chance West Brom could give us a good hiding with us playing such an inexperienced team though.


----------



## Ali477

Anyone watching El classico tonight?


----------



## Zeppelin

Going to watch the Cascadia derby between the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers tonight. Go Sounders!


----------



## Soilwork

SPL FTW! The season has been interesting so far since Rangers were liquidated and the newco had to start in the 3rd division. It has really tight so far and my team Hibernian FC are currently doing well and are in 2nd place although there are two other teams on the same number of points as us.


----------



## Ironpain

Toronto F.C. and Real Madrid fan here, haha Juventus do you want to delete Juvuntus Inter/Cancel (haha never mind) Anyways yeah it's been such a crappy time to be a Toronto F.C Fan they have really choked big time and so has management, horrible just horrible. 

I cringe at how terrible they are but this is a theme in Toronto sports and I've seen it all over with the Jays, Leafs, the only T.O team to make the Playoff's right now is the CFL's Toronto Argonaught's and I'm not a CFL fan so I don't have any investment in them.


----------



## Zeppelin

Ironpain said:


> Toronto F.C. and Real Madrid fan here, haha Juventus do you want to delete Juvuntus Inter/Cancel (haha never mind) Anyways yeah it's been such a crappy time to be a Toronto F.C Fan they have really choked big time and so has management, horrible just horrible.
> 
> I cringe at how terrible they are but this is a theme in Toronto sports and I've seen it all over with the Jays, Leafs, the only T.O team to make the Playoff's right now is the CFL's Toronto Argonaught's and I'm not a CFL fan so I don't have any investment in them.


From a Sounders FC fan, I hope your team starts winning next year. Your team has a great fan base and I would hate for it to go away because your team is losing too much. Seattle has a similer theme in sports. The Mariners manegment sucks, and the only team to make the playoffs is the Sounders.


----------



## sleepytime

mark101 said:


> yess!! Arsenal 5 spurs 2


Every Arsenal game lately has a tonne of goals!


----------



## Hello22

****ing raging united lost to Norwich, i was expecting a 3 nil victory, with a van persie hat trick  I swear if man city win this league again i will go mad, i have money on Man united to win it, and plus city are totally off form anyway, here's hoping.

On a side note, i wish fergie would play chicarito more; he is exceptional, one of the best strikers in the premier league ( with van persie being the best), and yet doesn't get much time on the pitch; the mind boggles.


----------



## Zeppelin

Hello22 said:


> ****ing raging united lost to Norwich, i was expecting a 3 nil victory, with a van persie hat trick  I swear if man city win this league again i will go mad, i have money on Man united to win it, and plus city are totally off form anyway, here's hoping.
> 
> On a side note, i wish fergie would play chicarito more; he is exceptional, one of the best strikers in the premier league ( with van persie being the best), and yet doesn't get much time on the pitch; the mind boggles.


I thought that Manu was going to have another comeback victory.

We are only a point behind Mancity, so I think that the we will catch up soon, as long as the Red Devils don't have a whole lot more losses.


----------



## Zeppelin

I hate the Los Angeles Galaxy. I hope that the Seattle Sounders will somehow come back from the 3-0 aggregate game score and score 4 goals to win the MLS semi finals.
Last weeks game really pissed me off. They really need to win tomorrows game.


----------



## Hello22

Zeppelin said:


> I thought that Manu was going to have another comeback victory.
> 
> We are only a point behind Mancity, so I think that the we will catch up soon, as long as the Red Devils don't have a whole lot more losses.


yeah i still think united will edge a win come May. But i think it will completely depend on if city stay off form. Hard to tell right now......


----------



## sleepytime

Hello22 said:


> ****ing raging united lost to Norwich, i was expecting a 3 nil victory, with a van persie hat trick  I swear if man city win this league again i will go mad, i have money on Man united to win it, and plus city are totally off form anyway, here's hoping.
> 
> On a side note, i wish fergie would play chicarito more; he is exceptional, one of the best strikers in the premier league ( with van persie being the best), and yet doesn't get much time on the pitch; the mind boggles.


Hernandez is the new Solskjaer. Doesn't matter how well he plays or how many goals he scores, Ferguson will always give more playing time to Van Persie, Rooney and probably Wellbeck too. Suarez is the best striker in the league btw :duck


----------



## Zeppelin

David Beckham announces today that the MLS Cup game is going to be his last in game for the Los Angeles Galaxy. It is sad that that might be his last game in Major League Soccer. I am not a Beckham fan or a Galaxy fan. I hate the Galaxy , they are one of the Seattle Sounders FC( my favorite soccer team) rivals, but I respect Beckham and the LA Galaxy for their accomplishments and how they have both helped soccer become popular in America. I hope he changes his mind and either stays in the MLS, or buys a MLS team and become owner/ coach of it because that was included in his original contract with MLS. But the rumors say he is going to Austrailia.


Before Beckham joined MLS, the league wasn't really popular at all, but when he joined the league experienced a spike in popularity. My team the Sounders joined the league a couple years later and we have the highest attendance in the league 40,000+ fans per game. For the derby games between Portland and Vancouver we get almost 70,000 people. The league has changed so much since he has joined.

Edit: Some people say David Becham isn't a good player anymore because he is old. That is not true. He is still one of the best in the world , and still scores goals literally everywhere on the field at impossible distances and angles.


----------



## Ali477

I honestly cant belive Di Matteo has been sacked, in his last 8 months at chelsea he has: taken over, won the Champions League, won the FA Cup, top of the Premier League for a lot of this season so far, couple of poor results, and... sacked.

Utter madness if you ask me...


----------



## mattigummi

Luke688 said:


> I honestly cant belive Di Matteo has been sacked, in his last 8 months at chelsea he has: taken over, won the Champions League, won the FA Cup, top of the Premier League for a lot of this season so far, couple of poor results, and... sacked.
> 
> Utter madness if you ask me...


Agree, ridiculous decision. Doubt Benitez will do much better.


----------



## Soilwork

Luke688 said:


> I honestly cant belive Di Matteo has been sacked, in his last 8 months at chelsea he has: taken over, won the Champions League, won the FA Cup, top of the Premier League for a lot of this season so far, couple of poor results, and... sacked.
> 
> Utter madness if you ask me...


I don't think Abramovich ever really wanted him as he wasn't a big name but after winning the CL final he had no option but to offer him the job. He was always going punt Di Matteo at the earliest opportunity which is a shame because Di Matteo seems a nice guy and has hardly had a terrible start to the season.


----------



## Zeppelin

Luke688 said:


> I honestly cant belive Di Matteo has been sacked, in his last 8 months at chelsea he has: taken over, won the Champions League, won the FA Cup, top of the Premier League for a lot of this season so far, couple of poor results, and... sacked.
> 
> Utter madness if you ask me...


That's crazy. I mean, even though Chelsea isn't a the top of the table, there is lots of time for them to come back. I'm sure lots of EPL teams would be more than happy to be in there position. I'm sure Di Matteo won't have trouble finding another job with another team.


----------



## sleepytime

Soilwork said:


> I don't think Abramovich ever really wanted him as he wasn't a big name but after winning the CL final he had no option but to offer him the job. He was always going punt Di Matteo at the earliest opportunity which is a shame because Di Matteo seems a nice guy and has hardly had a terrible start to the season.


This. It took another 3 weeks after the CL win before they offered him the job, pretty obvious from that alone that they didn't really want him. In the meantime Abramovich was obviously trying to convince Guardiola to take the position. RDM was kept only because Chelsea couldn't get the man they wanted, and he was always going to be just a stop-gap until they did. Can't believe Benitez has agreed to be another stop-gap, I suppose he is getting desperate at this stage.


----------



## Hello22

sleepytime said:


> Hernandez is the new Solskjaer. Doesn't matter how well he plays or how many goals he scores, Ferguson will always give more playing time to Van Persie, Rooney and probably Wellbeck too. Suarez is the best striker in the league btw :duck


Statistically yes, but i doubt he (suarez) would get on the starting teams in the top clubs in the premier league,. i suppose that's irrelevant really, since he is not looking to move clubs anyway, but i still don't like his play acting and diving on the pitch.

Anyone else hear that Mancini was told to sell Ballotelli in the next transfer window? Dunno if that's only rumour? but i would be surprised if it were true.


----------



## Hello22

Luke688 said:


> I honestly cant belive Di Matteo has been sacked, in his last 8 months at chelsea he has: taken over, won the Champions League, won the FA Cup, top of the Premier League for a lot of this season so far, couple of poor results, and... sacked.
> 
> Utter madness if you ask me...


I ain't surprised, i always thought Di Matteo was only a temp for Villas boas's departure. I would say since there has been 9 managers in 9 and a half years, it's hard to please Abromovich, tbf.

Heard this the other day which made me laugh; 'it's predicted in 2025, you will never be more than 6 feet away from an ex-chelsea manager'


----------



## jc22

Leeds united been taken over. Bring on premiership


----------



## jayjaythejetplane

Oil money?


----------



## shammie

Chelsea fan here. 

Anyone got any cyanide?


----------



## sleepytime

Hello said:


> Statistically yes, but i doubt he (suarez) would get on the starting teams in the top clubs in the premier league,. i suppose that's irrelevant really, since he is not looking to move clubs anyway, but i still don't like his play acting and diving on the pitch.


Dunno about that! I'd say he's actually the best player in the league at the moment, never mind best striker. Then again, I'm slightly biased too of course. I can also understand how if he played for anybody else I'd absolutely despise him too.



shammie said:


> Chelsea fan here.
> 
> Anyone got any cyanide?


Haha. Very very strange to see Bentitez holding a Chelsea shirt, it's like a pic taken from some twilight zone type parallel universe.










I'm one of the few Liverpool fans who doesn't really rate him as a manager. His tactics will work great in Europe but not in the Prem league, unfortunately for Chelsea it might be too late for him to make an impact in Europe. It will be very interesting to see how a man who expects total subordination from everyone else copes with a bunch of players with massive egos, and vice versa. Hopefully it's a disaster :b


----------



## jc22

jayjaythejetplane said:


> Oil money?


I hope so. The companies accounts are terrible so it's actually a worry. But they know lots of wealthy backers in Bahrain apparently.

Just beat crystal palace anyway


----------



## shammie

sleepytime said:


> I'm one of the few Liverpool fans who doesn't really rate him as a manager. His tactics will work great in Europe but not in the Prem league, unfortunately for Chelsea it might be too late for him to make an impact in Europe. It will be very interesting to see how a man who expects total subordination from everyone else copes with a bunch of players with massive egos, and vice versa. Hopefully it's a disaster :b


Photos like that still makes me very, very queasy.

To me, it's like Gary Neville becoming Liverpool player manager.


----------



## Seosa

http://seanhaughton.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/why-mario-balotellis-future-must-lie.html


----------



## jayjaythejetplane

Am I the only one who thinks Rafa will do well? I don't think he's ever possessed such a technically gifted squad. The likes of Mata & Hazard clearly aren't shy of putting in a shift either, so it could be perfect for his balanced style.


----------



## sleepytime

I think he values discipline and work ethic much more than technical gifts, or at least that's how it felt when he was in charge at Liverpool. In his mind the primary role of the midfield is to protect the back 4, creativity is secondary. Could be wrong but I expect Chelsea will be set up a fair bit more defensively than they have been under RDM, AVB and Ancelotti.


----------



## Zeppelin

I'm so glad Manchester United scored those 3 goals in 8 minutes today. I thought that they were going to lose to the Queens Park Rangers for a while in the game...


----------



## Soilwork

Harry Redknapp is the new QPR manager I see. I think he will be a good appointment for them as he has plenty of experience and should be able to steer them away from the relegation zone. They're apparently looking at trying to sign David Beckham aswell.


----------



## Hello22

Zeppelin said:


> I'm so glad Manchester United scored those 3 goals in 8 minutes today. I thought that they were going to lose to the Queens Park Rangers for a while in the game...


Yeah i watched that game, well actually i was having a power nap, and then i woke up and turned on the tv to see evans scoring, then boom, boom - fletcher and hernandez. We always seem to perform well when we are 1 down.

I must admit i have a soft spot for QPR, as i used to live very near loftus road back in the day, so i kinda felt torn, lol.


----------



## Hello22

sleepytime said:


> Dunno about that! I'd say he's actually the best player in the league at the moment, never mind best striker. Then again, I'm slightly biased too of course. I can also understand how if he played for anybody else I'd absolutely despise him too.


Okay we will agree to disagree then  I personally wouldn't put Suarez ahead of Van Persie, Rooney or Hernandez, as i think they are ahead of him by a country mile but like you said, maybe i am biased too.


----------



## Zeppelin

Hello22 said:


> Yeah i watched that game, well actually i was having a power nap, and then i woke up and turned on the tv to see evans scoring, then boom, boom - fletcher and hernandez. We always seem to perform well when we are 1 down.
> 
> I must admit i have a soft spot for QPR, as i used to live very near loftus road back in the day, so i kinda felt torn, lol.


I had to DVR record the game because it started at 6:30 am Pacific Time. That's too early for me. I don't really know the history of QPR, so I don't hate them or like them. Most Americans are fans of Manchester United, Chelsea, and Arsenal in that order. Mainly because those are the only teams that really get all of their games televised here. My favorite EPL team is Manchester United. My 2nd favorite is Chelsea FC.

But yeah, we seem to always come back after we are down.


----------



## Zeppelin

Soilwork said:


> Harry Redknapp is the new QPR manager I see. I think he will be a good appointment for them as he has plenty of experience and should be able to steer them away from the relegation zone. They're apparently looking at trying to sign David Beckham aswell.


Its too bad Beckham's leaving the Galaxy, even though i hate the LA Galaxy (Im a Seattle Sounders FC Fan), he has done so much for the league.

I have heard rumors that he is going to become a minority owner in the Galaxy, play in Australia, play for PSG, play of QPR, or become a minority owner in the New York Cosmos and play for them when they join MLS.

Personally, I hope he joins the Cosmos.


----------



## loumon

Zero G said:


> That's generally true, however where I live I only ever seem to bump into fellow Gooners. Which is a good thing :lol
> 
> Any thoughts on the Ballon d'Or shortlist? I'm not the biggest fan of Chelsea (obviously) but how RDM isn't up for coach of the year ahead of Guardiola is quite staggering.


I think that if Di Matteo had managed a full season he would be in there for the top spot contention. I myself find it difficult to keep up with how the Chelsea club is run, managers get fired too often...
For the Ballon d'Or player - I'd give it to Ronaldo, the hardest working footballer, in my opinion...but, I'd like to see him not go to the ground so easily.


----------



## Elad

Another draw for chelsea, but hey I guess its not a loss. Torres is a forlorn figure of what he was, its sad to see from such a talent, they need to start playing marin or moses for him but Ibra wont stand for it... ridiculous. 

Newcastle looking terrible, Liverpool are now a mid table team and Tottenham look so much better with Dembele on the field, looking forward to seeing him in the bigger games.

oh and please spend some of that newly acquired 150m Arsenal, its time to step up and buy some top talent before you turn into liverpool.

edit; also Dortmund vs Bayern coming up..:eyes Gotze and Reus to rip them apart.


----------



## vanishingpt

Can't wait for the weekend to watch some football, it's been stressful.

Also this is a beautiful video. Couldn't be a lovelier combination of Barcelona and Coldplay:


----------



## Elad

Arsenal lose to Swansea... god damn it. Oh and thanks for stopping by Benitez, I'd feel sorry for you if you weren't making bank on this sinking ship.


----------



## googleamiable

i think chelsea's problems arent anything to do with who is managing them, and benitez is an excellent manager. mata/oscar/hazard in midfield is not balanced, they need someone in the center in the xavi / alonso mould, as well as luiz being awful and torres playing so badly he's effectively redundant on the pitch at the moment. 

liverpool arent scoring enough or winning enough games but i see good potential in the team and how they play (dominated vs city/man u already this season for example). the only thing we're really lacking is another striker/supporting forward to partner and link up with suarez. shelvey and sterling are given this role, sterling is good, but inexperienced, not seemingly a goal threat at the moment and shelvey is more of a central mid playing as a forward to fill in the gaps. 

so i can see why we're lacking goals. i think until another striker can be brought in we should be starting suso ahead of shelvey, he makes much more intelligent and incisive passes (which will work well with sterling/suarez, better than what shelvey can contribute), or suso more involved in centre mid with assaidi in the starting xi as one of the 2 wide players. he's looked excellent every time he's played.


----------



## jc22

Leeds win again. That's 3 out of 3 since takeover


----------



## Killer2121

Glad United and Spurs on today! Chelsea looks horrible, absolutely dreadful. They really need to freshen up their midfield and get a new striker. David Luiz is horrible without Terry and Hazard has gone down since the start of the year.

Arsenal is just lulz, they aren't making the top four this year. Absolutely dreadful game vs Swansea, glad to see them win though and West ham, it's making the table seem more interesting. QPR is dreadful man, all that talent and 5 points from a possible 42, I hope Arry can rally the troops.

I'm glad West Brom and Everton are doing well, they really deserve it, especially West Brom and their style of Play. I just hope those two can keep it up to make the race for fourth more interesting along with Spurs and Arsenal. Spurs look better but are still to inconsistant along with Everton, although Everton does get some big results.

Wigan is playing some attractive sexy football at the moment, but they cant get the result as often as they should. And I am very dissapointed at Newcastle, Cisse and Ba really need to connect sometime soon for them to start winning. Newcastle look all over the place.


----------



## Zeppelin

Los Angeles Galaxy beat Houston to win the MLS Cup yesterday. It was David Beckham's last game for LA and possibly Landon Donovan's last game ever. wow. Robbie Keane is an amazing soccer player.


----------



## Soilwork

We beat Hearts 1-0 today in the Scottish Cup.:boogieThe quality of the game was dire but managing to beat them after last year's cup final defeat was amazing.


----------



## lad

There's a documentary on itv4 about mourinho tonight if anyone's interested.


----------



## Killer2121

Zero G said:


> Just when I thought our season couldn't get worse. I only hope the Arsenal board finally realize that by selling top players each season and not replacing them with at least like-for-like quality is, eventually, a recipe for disaster.


I really don't know why Arsenal do this. It's a shame to see a team go downhill like that when looking at the days of Henry, Bergkamp and Adams.


----------



## sleepytime

I have a sneaking feeling Chelsea are going to qualify from their CL group tomorrow night. Benitez is just a very lucky manager when it comes to that competition. If they do manage to scrape through, Benitez will make them a very tough team to beat in Europe by the time the knockout stages roll around. He'll still be ineffective as a Premier League manager though I think.


----------



## Loveless

I'm an American Bayern Munich fan. Dortmund is overrated. Seriously. They won the group of death big deal. They have yet to prove they are anything more then a joke. That group was a joke. Dortmund is going to have reality hit them on the KO stages. Can't wait go see them trophyless


----------



## Joe

sleepytime said:


> He'll still be ineffective as a Premier League manager though I think.


Is this just from his few weeks at Chelsea? He was great at Liverpool considering how bad Hicks and Gillett were, feel sorry for Fenway over the state the clubs been in since they took over. Benitez had David Villa/Silva/Alves as transfer targets, if he was able to get those and keep key players Liverpool might of been able to push united that season in the league and keep up there.


----------



## jc22

Ok so the transfer window isn't a million miles away, who do you want to see at your respective clubs. I am an admirer of arsenal, I'd love to see them get cavani, if not him then even dzeko would be great, or ba at 6 mil. When diaby gets fit, diaby, wilshere and Cazorla in the middle. Great


----------



## sleepytime

jJoe said:


> Is this just from his few weeks at Chelsea? He was great at Liverpool considering how bad Hicks and Gillett were, feel sorry for Fenway over the state the clubs been in since they took over. Benitez had David Villa/Silva/Alves as transfer targets, if he was able to get those and keep key players Liverpool might of been able to push united that season in the league and keep up there.


I'm know I'm in the minority as far as Liverpool fans go, but I didn't really like him as a premier league manager. I thought his style is a little too negative for the premier league. You need to be able to batter lesser opposition consistently to win the league, like Man Utd do. Liverpool under Benitez always seemed to struggle against teams who just wanted to sit in and grab a point. Maybe it will be different for him at Chelsea since he has better resources available to him.


----------



## Joe

sleepytime said:


> I'm know I'm in the minority as far as Liverpool fans go, but I didn't really like him as a premier league manager. I thought his style is a little too negative for the premier league. You need to be able to batter lesser opposition consistently to win the league, like Man Utd do. Liverpool under Benitez always seemed to struggle against teams who just wanted to sit in and grab a point. Maybe it will be different for him at Chelsea since he has better resources available to him.


Yeah he had so many draws the season we came second but I still think under Hicks and Gilletts fiance restrictions it was a huge achievement. If we managed to get those three I mentioned earlier I still find it hard to believe we'd of not won the league or at least of been up there if he had better backing.

Hopefully we can get back up there once all these so-called good performances turn into wins rather than draws too.


----------



## googleamiable

jc22 said:


> Ok so the transfer window isn't a million miles away, who do you want to see at your respective clubs. I am an admirer of arsenal, I'd love to see them get cavani, if not him then even dzeko would be great, or ba at 6 mil. When diaby gets fit, diaby, wilshere and Cazorla in the middle. Great


liverpool and favourite realistic signing would be huntelaar. suarez atm plays as centre forward but i think his best position will be as a deeper roaming forward linking up with a centre forward. for that reason and because i think theyre overpriced and overrated i dont really want us to sign sturridge or walcott.

if not huntelaar im not sure who is realistic in janruary. cavani and gary hooper probably not for money/being in CL reasons respectively.


----------



## jc22

Who's Gary hooper? And sturridge seems to be reasonably likely I think. He could thrive? Although his wages would be disproportionate


----------



## googleamiable

he plays for celtic, supposed to be decent and saw some rumours. the unknown is always interesting, so im hoping we sign this guy

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/footb...rpool-transfer-news-finnish-superteen-1407966


----------



## sleepytime

jJoe said:


> Hopefully we can get back up there once all these so-called good performances turn into wins rather than draws too.


I really hope the owners stump up money for a *decent* striker. If we turned just half of those games where we dominated but drew into wins I'd be happy for the time being 



jc22 said:


> Ok so the transfer window isn't a million miles away, who do you want to see at your respective clubs. I am an admirer of arsenal, I'd love to see them get cavani, if not him then even dzeko would be great, or ba at 6 mil. When diaby gets fit, diaby, wilshere and Cazorla in the middle. Great


I'd take any of those 3 strikers at Liverpool! Cavani would be my 1st choice. I really hope they don't get Sturridge, not sure what BR sees in him.


----------



## Joe

sleepytime said:


> I really hope the owners stump up money for a *decent* striker. If we turned just half of those games where we dominated but drew into wins I'd be happy for the time being
> 
> I'd take any of those 3 strikers at Liverpool! Cavani would be my 1st choice. I really hope they don't get Sturridge, not sure what BR sees in him.


Probably the most likely transfer out of all our links, he's only 23 and can score goals but is a bit selfish. I would be surprised if we managed to get anyone like Huntelaar/Cavani/Walcott since other clubs are probably in for them too and Liverpool hasn't shown signs of being back on the ascendancy yet. 
Darren Bent on a loan with the option of buying sounds quite worthwhile too imo.


----------



## Elad

Torres looking better, niceeee finish.


----------



## googleamiable

im glad torres is doing well, must be like a huge black cloud fading away for him


----------



## Elad

michael1 said:


> im glad torres is doing well, must be like a huge black cloud fading away for him


He looked so much more confident in himself, a bit of swagger to him. I also liked the way he stepped up and took the penalty.

I seriously hope this is the ressurection of Torres, has been a favorite for so long. Man love.


----------



## sleepytime

Cmon City! Not that I like City, but the lesser of 2 evils and all that!


----------



## lad

I hope citeh win too.


----------



## jc22

They lost. I think I actually like Man U more than them anyway


----------



## Killer2121

Yes man utd

vanp ersieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee


----------



## shammie

sleepytime said:


> I really hope the owners stump up money for a *decent* striker. If we turned just half of those games where we dominated but drew into wins I'd be happy for the time being
> 
> I'd take any of those 3 strikers at Liverpool! Cavani would be my 1st choice. I really hope they don't get Sturridge, not sure what BR sees in him.


As a Chelsea fan, I think a strike force of Borini and Sturridge would be superb for you.

Now... please... give us £15 million for him.



Elad said:


> He looked so much more confident in himself, a bit of swagger to him. I also liked the way he stepped up and took the penalty.
> 
> I seriously hope this is the ressurection of Torres, has been a favorite for so long. Man love.


He's getting close to last-chance saloon. We've supported him and cheered him through some nightmares - but he really does shoot himself in the foot every time he talks to the press.


----------



## Zeppelin

Manchester United with another win!!!!Go Red Devils :evil :evil:evil


----------



## lad

Messi has scored 86 goals in a calendar year beating gerd mullers record. Possibly the best player we will ever see in our life time.


----------



## googleamiable

messi is alright, but he's no sean dundee


----------



## sleepytime

I still think Maradona was better...or do I? I'm not sure anymore, they're the 2 best players I've ever seen anyway. Poor old Cristiano Ronaldo must have cried himself to sleep last night.


----------



## lad

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20770678


----------



## Soilwork

lad said:


> http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20770678


I would say I'm shocked but they're Russian so it's not really a suprise. It's quite worrying to think the World Cup will be taking place there soon.


----------



## Zeppelin

Soilwork said:


> I would say I'm shocked but they're Russian so it's not really a suprise. It's quite worrying to think the World Cup will be taking place there soon.


They should of put the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in The United Kingdom and America. The decisions to put them in Russia and Qatar really made alot of people upset here in America.

Also, the next Winter Olympics are there too.


----------



## Elad

Wigan play some really attractive football, its a shame they cant convert the end product..


----------



## Joe

Cole out Sturridge in, if he can return to a similar goal standard that he was when he was lonaed to Bolton I'd be happy. Suarez's goal tally might not increase so fast but overall we'll hopefully add more than we've been doing as of now.


----------



## vanishingpt

Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or! YAAAAY! :clap
4th year in a row now. Definitely expected, but well deserved.


----------



## Joe

Suarez's hand celebration against Mansfield seems to cause the media to forget he celebrates with his wrist anyway and just accused him of doing it as a taunt.


----------



## sleepytime

jJoe said:


> Suarez's hand celebration against Mansfield seems to cause the media to forget he celebrates with his wrist anyway and just accused him of doing it as a taunt.


Lots of rubbish written in the media about that. I think Robbie Fowler put it best when he said that if a defender brings down an attacker he won't run to the referee confessing that it should be a penalty, so why on earth should an attacker who gains an unfair advantage do otherwise?

I love Suarez not just because he's a great footballer, but because he's not big headed, greedy, or a glory hunter..the fact he has never looked for a move from Liverpool in very difficult times is evidence of that. He loves to play football and he gives everything for his team, even when the game is long over as a contest (winning or losing) he is still running around like a maniac until the final whistle. What I really love and respect about him though is that he truly doesn't give a s*** what anyone thinks about him apart from his own team mates and fans. I wish I was more like Luis Suarez!


----------



## minimized

The media sure has a smear campaign out for the man. It's pathetic.


----------



## Joe

sleepytime said:


> Lots of rubbish written in the media about that. I think Robbie Fowler put it best when he said that if a defender brings down an attacker he won't run to the referee confessing that it should be a penalty, so why on earth should an attacker who gains an unfair advantage do otherwise?
> 
> I love Suarez not just because he's a great footballer, but because he's not big headed, greedy, or a glory hunter..the fact he has never looked for a move from Liverpool in very difficult times is evidence of that. He loves to play football and he gives everything for his team, even when the game is long over as a contest (winning or losing) he is still running around like a maniac until the final whistle. What I really love and respect about him though is that he truly doesn't give a s*** what anyone thinks about him apart from his own team mates and fans. I wish I was more like Luis Suarez!


Yeah I know what you mean, if he denied he was racist like Terry did I doubt he would of got much punishment (although apparently Ferdinand didn't think of reporting Terry till someone mentioned it to him which makes me wonder what actually happened). I think honestly like that should be praised rather than scrutinised which will just put other players off admitting it.

When its the daily mail smearing (usually is) its hard to take it seriously as well.


----------



## sleepytime

jJoe said:


> When its the daily mail smearing (usually is) its hard to take it seriously as well.


Here's more of it...

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/manchester-united-vs-liverpool-alex-1529887

Of course the real 'dirty trick' is Ferguson doing everything in his power to influence the ref yet again. Probably not even needed since it's Man United loving Howard Webb in charge!


----------



## Joe

sleepytime said:


> Here's more of it...
> 
> http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/manchester-united-vs-liverpool-alex-1529887
> 
> Of course the real 'dirty trick' is Ferguson doing everything in his power to influence the ref yet again. Probably not even needed since it's Man United loving Howard Webb in charge!


Ferguson makes me laugh, never seems to get punished for any of his absurd comments. Not really surprising him doing this but if got a sneaky feeling some of these papers are ran by united fans.


----------



## sleepytime

Liverpool have been awful this 1st half, can't see anything other that a comfortable win for United now.


----------



## Joe

Reina mistake was awful today. Wouldn't mind if Barca bought him and we got in a quality replacement. Although a return to his old form would be even better.


----------



## Joe

I think Tottenham will finish 4th again, Chelsea, Utd and City ahead (Chelsea are at risk though). Would love Arsenal to win the champions league now. Celtic even more (3-0 :cry), aside from those I don't really care.


----------



## emberam22

I never actually watched soccer, but I play it all the time. I've been playing soccer since I was three


----------



## Elad

I genuinely feel sorry for arsenal fans.

Fun fact: Bayern have only let in 7 goals in bundesliga this season and scored 57.

Goodluck.


----------



## jgymcar

i like man united and the premier league also like watching barcelona some team of players!


----------



## Zeppelin

Time too start celebrating #20 with 12 points ahead of City. I'm proud of my team. :clap


----------



## renegade disaster

shame saints couldn't beat newcastle after they got that fantastic result against city (nice tap in barry lol). still ,the new manager seems to be doing alright for them so far.


----------



## googleamiable

coutinho looked great vs wigan. quality vision, technique and passing. i still think he's way off his best. he hadn't played much for inter before we signed him, so theres no way he'll be fully fit and he's fitting into a new team/system/league, so he can only get (hopefully) better and better.


----------



## marcv2013

Let's go LA Galaxy!!!


----------



## SupaDupaFly

Looks like Real Madrid is going to win this years champions league.


----------



## monotonous

epl baby


----------



## Elad

Rage.

That red ruined the game, strong ref.... still proud of united though, fighting till the very last second.

Got to wonder what the **** Fergie was thinking not playing Rooney, as soon as he came on they looked better, also leaving chicarito on the bench when you're putting balls into the box and need ugly goals in the dying minutes.... wut.


----------



## Elad

SupaDupaFly said:


> Looks like Real Madrid is going to win this years champions league.


Bayern/Dortmund look better at this point, especially Bayern.


----------



## Hello22

I'll be happy when Man United win the premier league this yr (Which is obvious cos we are miles ahead of ****ing man city LOL btw since they spent millions and millions on duds, goes to show THAT CLUB CANNOT BUY SUCCESS), and that's when fergie steps down and Mourinho becomes our manager.


----------



## Zeppelin

My team, the Sounders have become the first American team to knock out a Mexican team in the quater finals of the Champions League. 

They beat the best team in Liga MX, the UNAM Tigres.


----------



## Joe

I can't wait until Liverpool win the rest of their games. Just need United and City to lose all remaining games (City can win a couple though) and the title is as good as ours.


----------



## ReleaseMe

Well done Everton, phenominal performance... number 20 is getting closer. :twisted


----------



## paulyD

ReleaseMe said:


> Well done Everton, phenominal performance... number 20 is getting closer. :twisted


20 what ?


----------



## ReleaseMe

paulyD said:


> 20 what ?


League titles... I'm a United fan.


----------



## NotMyFaultInOurStars

Hello22 said:


> I'll be happy when Man United win the premier league this yr (Which is obvious cos we are miles ahead of ****ing man city LOL btw since they spent millions and millions on duds, goes to show THAT CLUB CANNOT BUY SUCCESS), and that's when fergie steps down and Mourinho becomes our manager.


I don't reckon Mourinho will be next Manu manager.

For future managers ima say Guardiola/Moyes to Manu, Klopp to Chelsea, Mourinho to ManCity and Martinez/Laudrup to Arsenal. But thats just my prediction xP


----------



## lad

C'mon the Albion!


----------



## googleamiable

guardiola is going to bayern munich. anyone see soton pulverize l'pool? worst ive seen us play all season but fair play they were well up for it. can see moyes going to united/arsenal/city. tbh city are the most likely to have a vacancy this summer. i think red nose will want another go at the champions league, and wenger is too much of a semi deity to be sacked (at this point anyway)


----------



## paulyD

ReleaseMe said:


> League titles... I'm a United fan.


o i get ya. i thought you was a fellow evertonian

15 points clear it's all over now. congrats


----------



## paulyD

michael1 said:


> guardiola is going to bayern munich. anyone see soton pulverize l'pool? worst ive seen us play all season but fair play they were well up for it. can see moyes going to united/arsenal/city. tbh city are the most likely to have a vacancy this summer. i think red nose will want another go at the champions league, and wenger is too much of a semi deity to be sacked (at this point anyway)


im an evertonian and don't worry southampton ran rings around us too. theyre not a bad side

moyes wont get the united or arsenal job. the utd job isnt even available anyway. he'll probably go to city though and be sacked within 6 months cos he is out of his depth


----------



## paulyD

mark101 said:


> If i could choose i'd want David Moyes to be the next Arsenal manager.


are you an arsenal fan ? if so trust me you don't want want moyes as your next manager. arsenal play free flowing attacking football. moyes will completely ruin that. he one of the most negative managers in the game. he is only cut out for jobs such as the everton one where he needs to stabalise a team and move them up the table. he doesn't have the atrributes to manager one of the top teams. in the champions league he would fall to pieces. he wouldnt have a clue what to do cos he is tactically inept


----------



## googleamiable

paulyD said:


> im an evertonian and don't worry southampton ran rings around us too. theyre not a bad side
> 
> moyes wont get the united or arsenal job. the utd job isnt even available anyway. he'll probably go to city though and be sacked within 6 months cos he is out of his depth


the utd job is an interesting one. in a way i cant see the club being too keen on mourinho, he is the best manager around but never stays at a club for more than 2/3 seasons. moyes seems a better fit but it will be a HELL of a step up. talking about managers anyway for my money hiddink is the best, god knows why he takes these random jobs around the world


----------



## renegade disaster

michael1 said:


> anyone see soton pulverize l'pool? worst ive seen us play all season but fair play they were well up for it.


yea, saw the goals. liverpool were a bit unlucky with the deflection on that lambert free kick, the rodriguez goal was pretty excellent though. important result for southampton, they ain't out of the **** yet though, its looking tight at the foot of the table and I think wigan are winning today.


----------



## sleepytime

Going on 20 years now of thinking Liverpool are finally getting their at together. It's exhausting being a Liverpool fan I'll tell you. We were terrible against Southampton, the most one sided game I've seen in ages, they should have won by 4 at least.


----------



## lad

3 nil to the Albion , 3 nil to the Albion, we just fooked you up the ***, we just fooked you up the ***,


----------



## Foh_Teej

Azteca tonight. Piss balloons and batteries gallore. Fun for the whole family! 

ESPN / UniMás 10:30est


----------



## sleepytime

mark101 said:


> Just me or is international football utter cack nowadays?
> When i was growing up we'd be playing top teams in 90% of the qualifiers,now we're playing new countries with population's of 3000 people in every other game lol


Yea, probably since the likes of USSR and Yugoslavia breaking up into all those small little countries.

Even the World Cup itself isn't the same anymore, not when you get to see the best players in the world playing every week anyway. I remember in 1986 it was the most amazing thing ever to see Maradona play because that's the only time I'd ever got to see him play live. There's nothing _special_ about seeing Messi at the world cup when you've seen him play 50 times already that season!


----------



## Elad

It sucks how inactive this thread is.

anyways, which one are you looking forward to more, PSG/Barcelona or Bayern/Juventus ?

personally PSG/Barca interests me more.. since Zlatan has had his ban reduced and willnow play in both legs. Also I'm secretly hoping Beckham gets game time, seeing him throwing long accurate passes over barcas back line would be awesome. He may be old but hes still a world class passer.


----------



## Eazi

Die hard Chelsea fan


----------



## googleamiable

sleepytime said:


> Going on 20 years now of thinking Liverpool are finally getting their at together. It's exhausting being a Liverpool fan I'll tell you. We were terrible against Southampton, the most one sided game I've seen in ages, they should have won by 4 at least.


they gave chelski a spanking yesterday. soton arent a bad side when they're up for it, altho we were awful against them too.


----------



## renegade disaster

michael1 said:


> they gave chelski a spanking yesterday. soton arent a bad side when they're up for it, altho we were awful against them too.


yea ,they can put in a good performance. they could have beat united earlier this year and they had that win over man city. think both managers described them as a really good team. they just need to keep that consistency next season.


----------



## sleepytime

mark101 said:


> Not a Chelski fan but always nice to see man utd lose lol


Ditto on United losing....but I'd equally love to see Chelski miss out on the CL places this year. I'd love to see Arsenal and Everton get in ahead of Chelsea and Spurs. Unlikely both will get in, but I think one definitely might.


----------



## CristianNC

One of the most wonderful pictures ever. Pure joy!


----------



## lad

That's class. I wish players would jump in the crowd more often. I used to stand on the stair way at grounds to try and get on the tv highlights lol.


----------



## renegade disaster

anyone watching galatasaray vs madrid?

this is turning into a possibly great comeback. 2 goals in 3 minutes.

edit final score 3-2 to galatasaray;
that was a crazy last 20 minutes. second half was completely different to the first,if they could have kept up the pressure they could have got a couple more and gone through.last few minutes ronaldo wiped out their chances making it 5-3 on aggregate. in the other game malaga nearly went through until dortmund scored in injury time.


----------



## CristianNC

renegade disaster said:


> anyone watching galatasaray vs madrid?
> 
> this is turning into a possibly great comeback. 2 goals in 3 minutes.
> 
> edit final score 3-2 to galatasaray;
> that was a crazy last 20 minutes. second half was completely different to the first,if they could have kept up the pressure they could have got a couple more and gone through.last few minutes ronaldo wiped out their chances making it 5-3 on aggregate. in the other game malaga nearly went through until dortmund scored in injury time.


Valiant effort for Galatasaray but not enough. Mouhrinho is going to be pissed for sure 
though. Loved this beauty by Drogba.









Dortmund-Malaga was crazy though. I actually left the TV around minute 90 and only listened to the commentators. When they made it 2-2 I was like "What the ****?!". The winner goal was jaw-dropping, German attitude at its finest.


----------



## renegade disaster

yea that backheal was class. just saw the highlights of the other game. madness! 2 goals in 2 minutes.


----------



## lad

Can't believe Dortmund in the last minute too.


----------



## Joe

Hoping for spurs vs chelski in the europa league final.


----------



## renegade disaster

damnit! bayen are 1-0 up in the other second leg game. juve need 4...


----------



## lad

Psg are one up too.


----------



## renegade disaster

lad said:


> Psg are one up too.


edit;
1-1 final score in that match. barca go on along with bayen who won 2-0 in the end. balls!


----------



## Winds

PSG played a good game they just failed to capitalize on a lot of the chances they had and got sloppy in their back 4 late.


----------



## CristianNC

Messi preparing to come in last night. Now we all know his secret!









All jokes aside, Barca looked sloppy without him, even though he didn't do much last night, his presence seemed like a huge moral boost.


----------



## renegade disaster

finally something is being sorted about goal line technology. it makes me facepalm every time I see that recent footage of england germany and the refs decision to not award us a goal.


----------



## CristianNC

Who is the masked mystery player who is scoring so much for Chelsea in the Europa League?

Seriously now, Torres is playing ridiculously good since he broke his nose and started wearing that mask.

And how the hell did Basel just knock out Tottenham?! And way worse, how can Adebayor shoot like that from a penalty?! To quote my father: "*Such a beautiful run towards the ball. Like a retarded horse"*. Cracked me up haha. I mean seriously, compare the two!


----------



## renegade disaster

ha that penalty was terrible. really basel had some great support from the crowd. i'm kind of happy for them that they went through as from what I heard they haven't been that successful in europe? but it would have been nice to have seen chelsea-spurs semi final.


----------



## Micronian

He wanted to do a "Roberto Carlos", but ended up with a "Roberto Baggio".


----------



## CristianNC

So we got Bayern-Barca and Dortmund-Real in the Champions League and Fenerbahce-Benfica, Basel-Chelsea in the Europa League, looks fun.


----------



## nml

the toon are out, the dream is over. sad times.


----------



## renegade disaster

man city - chelsea in the fa cup. this is turning out to be a great game. 1- 0 so far at half time.


----------



## lad

Hope Dortmund win the champions league. Anyway my team won 2 nil away and our promotion rivals lost and drew, so all in all a good weekend.


----------



## lad

Sunderland beat Newcastle away and a Newcastle fan punches a police horse because he's upset.


----------



## Limmy




----------



## jjh87

Great win for us over man city. AVB aced it with his substitutions


----------



## Piscean

What the hell is wrong with Suarez?

Crap results today as far as Arsenal is concerned but I think we have the easiest fixtures left so I'm rather confident we'll finish in a champions league place.


----------



## renegade disaster

Limmy said:


> celtic


you must be happy today limmy, they won the title of the spl.


----------



## Limmy

renegade disaster said:


> you must be happy today limmy, they won the title of the spl.


You know it! 
 although, kinda knew we were gonna win it all along!


----------



## renegade disaster

ha! yea they pretty much are the best team up there now. they had it in the bag!


----------



## Limmy

mark101 said:


> To be fair now Rangers are gone there's only one team ever gonna win that two bob league lol


lol!!!! gotta admit, its a bit bitter sweet about rangers, on one hand as there rival i love that they got relegated like that, on the other, its awful for scottish football


----------



## Limmy

mark101 said:


> Exactly you gotta miss those games and being pushed all season long?
> 
> I'm an Arsenal supporter and we used to have some epic matches against Leeds,when they got relegated i breathed a sigh of relief but then i missed the atmosphere of those games :/


they'll be punished for a couple seasons longer  still a long ways until they are in the 3rd division, so it'll still be awhile for them to get back to the premier league


----------



## CristianNC

Sooooo.....Bayern-Barcelona.......interesting game and final score, huh?

This guy's reaction tells the whole story actually. And it wasn't even over yet!


----------



## Micronian

I wouldn't count Barcelona out yet, but it's going to be difficult.


----------



## Akhilleus

It's almost impossible for Barcelona, but with Leo Messi everything is possible.


----------



## googleamiable

agree. put it this way: are bayern so much better than barca, that they can win 4-0 but barca couldn't? the tough thing for barca is away goals. bayern score 1, they'll need 6 minimum, and that just wont happen


----------



## googleamiable

amazing performance from dortmund. and i have to say despite losing 1-4, madrid as usual were a pleasure to watch. great technique and incisive quick passing in general. lewandowski's technique in setting himself for his goals were the standout moments of the game, pure quality.


----------



## I wish i was normal

So happy Dortmund won. I am a Man City fan and i travelled to Dortmund earlier in the season when we played them in the group stage. Their fans are incredible, the atmosphere was amazing. Inside the stadium, there was no segregation of the supporters, so Man City fans were mingling with Dortmund fans. England and Germany aren't exactly the best of friends, but both sets of fans were so friendly to each other and i even swapped my City scarf for a Dortmund one with one of their fans as a gesture. It was a fantastic day (even though we lost 1-0)

This is me in Dortmund's stadium:










GOOD LUCK DORTMUND!!!!


----------



## Northern Lights

I wish i was normal said:


> So happy Dortmund won. I am a Man City fan and i travelled to Dortmund earlier in the season when we played them in the group stage. Their fans are incredible, the atmosphere was amazing. Inside the stadium, there was no segregation of the supporters, so Man City fans were mingling with Dortmund fans. England and Germany aren't exactly the best of friends, but both sets of fans were so friendly to each other and i even swapped my City scarf for a Dortmund one with one of their fans as a gesture. It was a fantastic day (even though we lost 1-0)
> 
> This is me in Dortmund's stadium:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> GOOD LUCK DORTMUND!!!!


Great shot!

I also hope that Dortmund will make it! Let's keep our fingers crossed for them!


----------



## Winds

Dortmund goes through to the final. The ending was great.


----------



## Milco

EastWinds said:


> Dortmund goes through to the final. The ending was great.


It was too close :b
Would have liked Dortmund to score a goal, but I guess it's the result that matters and the right team went through.


----------



## Winds

Milco said:


> It was too close :b
> Would have liked Dortmund to score a goal, but I guess it's the result that matters and the right team went through.


They had plenty of chances to. Madrid had difficulties keeping tabs on Lewandowski in both matches, but did a better job today. I'm glad they were able to hold on for the win in the end. Dortmund was the better team in both games, would have been tough seeing them play so well for most of the game only to lose out at the end.


----------



## Elad

Dortmund deserved the win, glad they got through. Looking like an all german final, and I think Dortmund will win it. (fingers crossed) Despite Bayern having the strongest squad in the world right now, I sense an upset.


----------



## Winds

This beatdown Munich is putting on Barca is hilarious


----------



## Micronian

I think Barcelona has peaked, and exacerbated more by Messi's injury. People can say whatever they want on the subject, but every injury slows you down just a little bit more, and it may be the case for Messi.

The interesting thing is that Guardiola is going to coach Bayern Munich next year. They could get even better.


----------



## Elad

Micronian said:


> I think Barcelona has peaked, and exacerbated more by Messi's injury. People can say whatever they want on the subject, but every injury slows you down just a little bit more, and it may be the case for Messi.
> 
> The interesting thing is that Guardiola is going to coach Bayern Munich next year. They could get even better.


the problem for Guardiola is its quite literally impossible, their defensive record this season is unreal. it'll be a shame if he breaks the team up to adopt his tiki-taka style..


----------



## sleepytime

I think Barcelona could be back next season, but they need to invest in a a couple of decent central defenders. They also need another striker, can't expect messi to do it all on his own. I don't think either Sanchez or Pedro are out and out strikers, and Villa isn't quite the player he was 4 years ago. The biggest mistake Guardiola made at Barca was selling Yaya Toure, I can't help but think they'd have been a much better team this year if he was still with them.

I also say that the Barcelona of 3 or 4 years ago were a superior team to Bayern Munich 2013. I'm looking forward to the final, I hope Dortmund win because unfortunately for them they're probably going to lose some of their stars this summer.


----------



## renegade disaster

^  good stuff, he was a bit of a legend. been in a similar mood, watching best of del piero videos ahead of juve clinching serie A again.






I think only a major ****up can stop them from winning the league again this season, they only need 1 point from this weekends game.


----------



## renegade disaster

the ball skills in that third video! he was absurdly good wasn't he!


----------



## 161

i thought i posted in this thread but i am a massive western sydney wanderers fan in the A-league here is a picture of us at an away game(about 1 and a half hours away so not much) we got a very south American flavour to our support which i love










but i loved football ever since 2005 jumped on the bandwagon when Australia qualified for the world cup but there is nothing i am more passionate about than football

btw ADP now plays in the A-league i am sure people know but for our main rival's really respect him though apart from him getting in the ear of the ref and constantly complaining he is all class


----------



## renegade disaster

I hope pochettino sticks around for a while as manager for saints, I really like the attitude he has. the fact that he dares to dream higher than what most of saints previous managers have is a great thing, he was talking about pushing for the top part of the table next season and the players are really behind that too.its been reflected in some of their results this season, they just need a bit more consistency,the squad has the admiration of a lot of other managers in the league.

good interview on football focus;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22390072


----------



## Winds

The Championship was flat out mayhem today. Still trying to make sense of what happened in the final minutes of all the games. So many wild endings. Hull City had me sweating bullets. I'm thinking they got the 3 points in the bag only for it to come crashing down at the end. Squad is absolutely lucky to be gaining auto promotion. But at the end of the day they survive and are going back up.

It's back to Premier League for the second time.


----------



## renegade disaster

^yea I saw some of that on final score. wonder who will else will be going up. I'd like to see brighton in the top flight. gutted that spurs won their game, I know bale is on a high right now with pfa player of the year. but did he have to score today and in the last fecking 5 mins lol.


----------



## Loveless

I'm lovin' my Bayern club this year .


----------



## apx24

Sad day for English football, Sir Alex Ferguson is leaving Manchester United, best manager to have graced English football. I wonder who will replace him, I guess David Moyes or Jose Mourinho are favourites. Fergie would not leave United without knowing who would succeed him.

This is all coming from a proud gooner by the way


----------



## SupaDupaFly

*Sir Alex Ferguson retires*

Jose Mourihno next?


----------



## Zeppelin

I can't believe Sir Alex is retiring. I'm happy for him, but I'm sad at the same time because I know the new manager next year won't be as good as him. But hopefully United will still do good and we will win our 21st title.


----------



## CW1985

Zeppelin said:


> I can't believe Sir Alex is retiring. I'm happy for him, but I'm sad at the same time because I know the new manager next year won't be as good as him. But hopefully United will still do good and we will win our 21st title.


Supposedly Moyes will be our new boss, but I'd prefer Mourinho if I'm honest.

If it is Moyes though, I feel more confident knowing Sir Alex will still be at the club in another capacity, so he can offer his advice if things are going wrong.


----------



## Zack

I think it is too commercialized now. It is just business. Look at Man City (and Chelsea) - non-entities until some billionaire or mega-bucks consortium bought them. I know money has always bought success to an extent but success is too easy now. I would rather watch League Two games.


----------



## renegade disaster

1-0 now


----------



## renegade disaster

hehe 

great result for the club!


----------



## Elad

cya mancini.


----------



## Winds

Good game, congrats to Wigan. Kone and McManaman had city on their heels for most of the match. Looks like Mancini is on the way out. He was already getting roasted by fans and the media, and then his performance today :lol Was the worse thing that could have happened for him.


----------



## renegade disaster

mcmanaman looked great. had their defence in pieces at one point and had hart jumping about like a cat chasing a bit of string.


----------



## sleepytime

Looks like it's down to Arsenal and Spurs for the final CL place, hope Arsenal get it.


----------



## CristianNC

Freaking Watford!






Also, one of the most powerful moments I've ever seen, yesterday, FC Porto won in injury time and pretty much sealed the title although Benfica dominated the whole season. This was Jorge Jesus's reaction (Benfica's manager) and Porto's manager when Porto scored the second goal and made it 2-1. Even that Porto ball-boy is sad for Jorge Jesus.


----------



## Winds

^ The Npower Championship has been crazy like that all season long. From a drama and entertainment standpoint, it was one of the best leagues to watch this year. Probably going to get another wild finish tomorrow with Brighton Hove Albion vs Crystal Palace considering their first game was kinda boring.

Watching Atletico Mineiro vs Cruzeiro and I swear it looks like if a player boots the ball to hard out of play on the eastern side of the field the ball is going to fly out of the stadium and dent someone car windshield. The parking lot is centered right behind the goal and there doesn't appear to be a high enough net to protect the ball from flying out lol.


----------



## Micronian

CristianNC said:


> Freaking Watford!


Are they still owned by Elton John? ...and, did the play-by-play guy call the last scorer Didí??

Also, I'm very happy about the Portuguese league. The team Pacos Ferreira made it to the champions league. My countryman--Paolo "the colt" Hurtado--plays on that team.


----------



## sleepytime

Arsenal have a much trickier final game than Spurs I think. Newcastle have been awful the last few months, but the pressure is finally off them with Wigan relegated. They might relax and look to end the season well against Arsenal.


----------



## typemismatch

Well, I'm just glad that Man City failed this season. I don't like these clubs that basically win the lottery (i.e. have some Oligarch/Sheikh buy them), and just buy their success from there.


----------



## In a Lonely Place

*Arsenal's heavy defeat of Wigan on Tuesday night has opened up the possibility of a play-off for third place in the Premier League.

The 4-1 win over the FA Cup winners moved the Gunners back into fourth place, ahead of fierce rivals Spurs, and it means a win at Newcastle on the final day of the season will guarantee them UEFA Champions League football.

It also meant they closed the gap on third-placed Chelsea to two points and left the chance that a not inconceivable set of results on Sunday would see them end the season level on points, goal difference and goals scored.

Under Premier League rules, if qualification for a competition cannot be determined by any of those criteria, the sides involved must play one another at a neutral venue either once or twice.

Third place in the Premier League gains automatic qualification for the Champions League group stage with the team finishing fourth going into the play-off round.

Going into the final set of games, which Chelsea host Everton, the Blues are two points ahead, have a goal difference advantage of one over their London rivals and have scored two more goals.

But that would only mean a combination of a 0-0 draw for Chelsea and a 2-1 win for Arsenal putting them level on all three criteria, the same applying for a 1-1 Chelsea draw and a 3-2 Arsenal win, and so on.*

This would be awesome,mainly because it will mean spurs aren't in the champions league


----------



## Winds

I feel bad for Benfica. They just lost both the Portuguese league and now the Europa League in the final minutes within a week's time.


----------



## againsthegrain

EastWinds said:


> I feel bad for Benfica. They just lost both the Portuguese league and now the Europa League in the final minutes within a week's time.


Man, that is quite unlucky. Haven't they lost the last 7 European finals they've been in as well?


----------



## Winds

againsthegrain said:


> Man, that is quite unlucky. Haven't they lost the last 7 European finals they've been in as well?


Yep, I think their last win came in like the 60s.


----------



## againsthegrain

EastWinds said:


> Yep, I think their last win came in like the 60s.


wow  They deserve more considering the team/players they've had over the last 5 years or so.


----------



## sleepytime

0-0 in Spurs and Arsenal games at half time. It'll be a nail-biting 2nd half in both games!


----------



## Elad

Now lets hope Wenger actually gets that 70m kitty to buy some quality..

also rip Spurs, I feel for you. time to sell Bale and stop being a one man team.


----------



## sleepytime

Gotta hand it to Wenger, he keeps delivering Champions League football even when early in the season they look like they've no hope of finishing in the top 4. If they actually go and invest some serious money they might be title challengers again.


----------



## sleepytime

Neo said:


> Please Wenger open the cheque book for some _quality_ players


Rumours are they have 70m. They could become title challengers with that kind of money.

Any chance you'd take Carroll off Liverpool for 35m?


----------



## fIashforward

In response to the poll, I'm not really bothered about any of those leagues.

I follow the SPL (Scottish Premier League) and support Celtic


----------



## Elad

t minus 1 hour.

LETS GO DORTMUND! YOU DONT NEED GOTZE!










rooting for quality play over mass money spending.. but lets be honest bayern have insane quality too. ~_~

COME ON REUS & LEWY! :clap


----------



## TheRob

Robben's Revenge...


----------



## CristianNC

Congrats Bayern! It was really emotional to see Robben like that, it was truly his sweet revenge! He deserves it!










BVB played heroically though, I have to admit I started the game rooting for Bayern, but ended it rooting for BVB after seeing Weindenfeller's godlike saves and Subotic hero save from the line. It's a shame BVB lost since I don't think they will get this chance ever again, their whole generation is going to leave soon enough. Gotze is already gone, Lewandowski most likely, Gundokan is sure to follow, Sahin is loaned etc. That's football I guess!










P.S: The moment when the whole BVB squad stood in front of their fans and applauded them after game brought tears in my eyes.


----------



## Joe

I was rooting for Dortmund but Bayern edged it. It would be awful if Dortmunds team got ripped apart, money is more important than ever in football.


----------



## Joe

Why are liverpool transfers so confusing?


----------



## SupaDupaFly

Radamel Falcao has officially been purchased by Monaco (Ligue 1) my question is why would he move from a top 3 liga club and a champions league 2013/2014 team to Monaco?? He should've gone to Real Madrid. :/


----------



## Soilwork

SupaDupaFly said:


> Radamel Falcao has officially been purchased by Monaco (Ligue 1) *my question is why would he move from a top 3 liga club and a champions league 2013/2014 team to Monaco??* He should've gone to Real Madrid. :/


£££

It's going to be interesting to see how they do next season as they have already bought James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho from Porto and will probably make a few more big signings before the window closes.


----------



## Nibbler

What a goal!


----------



## Winds

Dempsey


----------



## Elad

You could tell it was a friendly^ was zero intensity until that first goal, could have been 4 - 5 goals to brazil but it just wasn't happening, I really cant see them winning the WC, but who knows.












Soilwork said:


> £££
> 
> It's going to be interesting to see how they do next season as they have already bought James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho from Porto and will probably make a few more big signings before the window closes.


they are pretty much buying the whole porto team, or former porto players lol


----------



## Paper Samurai

I'm calling it now people, Neymar is going to be a huge (50mil) flop... at least at first. He needs a couple of seasons to adapt to European football and to bulk up - 'cos he was absolutely poo against England both times he played them the last few months.


----------



## SupaDupaFly

Soilwork said:


> £££
> 
> It's going to be interesting to see how they do next season as they have already bought James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho from Porto and will probably make a few more big signings before the window closes.


Yeah I realized it was about the money when I found out Monaco was owned by some Russian billionaire. I guess it makes sense in a way where they were just promoted to the first division. He's really going on a spending spree so he can stay there. I think it will benefit the Ligue 1 alot. It's going be more interesting watching it now.


----------



## Elad

Paper Samurai said:


> I'm calling it now people, Neymar is going to be a huge (50mil) flop... at least at first. He needs a couple of seasons to adapt to European football and to bulk up - 'cos he was absolutely poo against England both times he played them the last few months.


I believe he will flop in respect to what people are expecting. I mean its almost impossible for him to live up to all the hype thats built up, but barca and la liga suit him, and recent players (oscar, coutinho) with similar frames have been alright, I think he'll do well but unless hes up with messi everyone will call him a flop despite being only 21.


----------



## Winds

Monaco are also after Nani. The fee is supposed to be around 20mil pounds. When(or if) Financial Fair Play kicks in, they and UEFA will be in a real quagmire. They only have a stadium that holds about 18K and only get about 11k in avg attendance, and their biggest revenue stream(Dmitry Rybolovlev) will be cut off under the new rules. Not to mention teams in Ligue 1 have threaten to boycott them because of the unfair advantage they have with their tax system. One compromise was to have Monaco pay 200mil euros over a period of time to help ease the tension, but Rybolovlev refused, and filed a lawsuit against them.

You can read more about it here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2013/may/28/monaco-100m-transfers-ligue-1-ban


----------



## Paper Samurai

Elad said:


> I believe he will flop in respect to what people are expecting. I mean its almost impossible for him to live up to all the hype thats built up, but barca and la liga suit him, and recent players (oscar, coutinho) with similar frames have been alright, I think he'll do well but unless hes up with messi everyone will call him a flop despite being only 21.


Yeah, he's way to talented to be a complete failure, but I don't think he'll hit the ground running so to speak in his first season. (I think you're right though that Spain is definitely the best league for him)


----------



## ShineGreymon

offical: matinez to everton

think that will end badly.


----------



## Winds

A lot of FIFA World Cup qualifying games today across the globe.

*CONCACAF*

Jamaica Vs USA 
Costa Rica Vs Honduras 
Panama Vs Mexico

*CAF (Africa)*

Group D
Sudan Vs Ghana

Group I
Libya Vs Congo DR

*UEFA*

Group A
Belgium Vs Serbia 
Croatia Vs Scotland

Group B
Armenia Vs Malta 
Czech Republic Vs Italy

Group C
Austria Vs Sweden 
Republic of Ireland Vs Faroe Islands

Group E
Albania Vs Norway 
Iceland Vs Slovenia

Group F
Azerbaijan Vs Luxembourg 
Portugal Vs Russia

Group G
Latvia Vs Bosnia & Herzegovina 
Lichtenstein Vs Slovakia 
Lithuania Vs Greece

Group H
Moldova Vs Poland
Montenegro Vs Ukraine

Group I
Finland Vs Belarus

*CONMEBOL*

Bolivia Vs Venezuela 
Argentina Vs Colombia 
Paraguay Vs Chile 
Peru Vs Ecuador


----------



## Soilwork

Good result for us last night. It doesn't really mean anything, as we can't qualify, but it should give the team some much needed confidence and hopefully we can end the campaign on a high note.


----------



## Joe

Aspas, Toure and probably Ilori hopefully they can all fit their billing or at least potential (only really watched toure so no clue on the others tbh).


----------



## sleepytime

jJoe said:


> Aspas, Toure and probably Ilori hopefully they can all fit their billing or at least potential (only really watched toure so no clue on the others tbh).


Don't know much about them either tbh. Sounds like we'll be wrapping up the signing on Luis Alberto shortly too, looks like a very talented young lad. I like the strategy of snapping up these promising youngsters, but hopefully we'll be buying a couple of more players that will slot straight into the 1st team too.


----------



## Joe

sleepytime said:


> Don't know much about them either tbh. Sounds like we'll be wrapping up the signing on Luis Alberto shortly too, looks like a very talented young lad. I like the strategy of snapping up these promising youngsters, but hopefully we'll be buying a couple of more players that will slot straight into the 1st team too.


Alderweireld is another play we've been linked with, he has been compared to Vertongan in talent. The link doesn't sound as definite as Alberto due to other clubs being involved but he sounds like he'll be a decent replacement if Skrtel goes. Gutted that we are missing out on Eriksen though, if the rumors are true Dortmund will get him for just 10m.


----------



## sleepytime

jJoe said:


> Alderweireld is another play we've been linked with, he has been compared to Vertongan in talent. The link doesn't sound as definite as Alberto due to other clubs being involved but he sounds like he'll be a decent replacement if Skrtel goes. Gutted that we are missing out on Eriksen though, if the rumors are true Dortmund will get him for just 10m.


Yea. I'm a bit puzzled by the Eriksen thing too. I've been complaining for the last few years how we can no longer attract the brightest talents in Europe, and here we have one who pretty much said he wants to play for Liverpool and is available for just £10m, and it seems we don't want him anymore. I'll be horrified if he turns into a £30m+ player in a couple of seasons time.


----------



## Joe

sleepytime said:


> Yea. I'm a bit puzzled by the Eriksen thing too. I've been complaining for the last few years how we can no longer attract the brightest talents in Europe, and here we have one who pretty much said he wants to play for Liverpool and is available for just £10m, and it seems we don't want him anymore. I'll be horrified if he turns into a £30m+ player in a couple of seasons time.


I really wouldn't be surprised. I think Dortmund are a more attractive prospect than Liverpool currently football-wise but I don't think they have the finances to compete with us. I think this is the most stable the club has been in years.


----------



## 161

even though everyone ignored my original post, i am so happy that the socceroo's have almost made it to brazil, all we need to do is beat iraq while cant be underestimated they have had extremely poor form recently and we are in


----------



## SupaDupaFly

Can't wait for this




























A Spain vs Brazil final in the Maracana stadium would be epic.


----------



## Winds

Top of the hex :clap Probably one of their best attacking performances I've seen them play in the Klinsmann era.


----------



## Joe

EastWinds said:


> Top of the hex :clap Probably one of their best attacking performances I've seen them play in the Klinsmann era.


I'm surprised Altidore is only 23, been hearing his name for years (since the Villareal move actually). Seems like he'll grow into a top player looking at his AZ record.

In other news Schurlle has moved to Chelski, they've been linked with him for a few years although personally I've not seen much of him and his talents. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jun/13/chelsea-confirm-andre-schurrle-signing


----------



## Winds

jJoe said:


> I'm surprised Altidore is only 23, been hearing his name for years (since the Villareal move actually). Seems like he'll grow into a top player looking at his AZ record.
> 
> In other news Schurlle has moved to Chelski, they've been linked with him for a few years although personally I've not seen much of him and his talents. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/jun/13/chelsea-confirm-andre-schurrle-signing


He's gotten a lot better as a player since his early days at Villareal and Hull. Wouldn't mind seeing him back at Hull under Bruce but it looks like he is headed to Germany or if he does go back to England a middle of the pack club.

I haven't seen much of Schurlle either outside of a couple of games. I guess this means Torres is on the way out?


----------



## Joe

EastWinds said:


> He's gotten a lot better as a player since his early days at Villareal and Hull. Wouldn't mind seeing him back at Hull under Bruce but it looks like he is headed to Germany or if he does go back to England a middle of the pack club.
> 
> I haven't seen much of Schurlle either outside of a couple of games. I guess this means Torres is on the way out?


By the sounds of it Torres was leaving anyway, he's been linked with Barca at a cut price deal to come on as a super sub kind of player (think of how he was at Spain in the last euros I guess). Cavani is another Chelsea are trying for.

If Altidore keeps up a record like that he'll definitely be able to move and do well judging other players who've had similar records in the Dutch league.


----------



## Esugi78

Excited about the upcoming EPL Season, I think for the first time in a long time the EPL is pretty much wide open in terms of favorite to win. In the past decades or so only 3-4 teams expected to be in the top 3 year in year out. This year there are so many x factors, Moyes' Man U will be a top team for sure but I don't know if Moyes can pull it together from the get go and make the team focus and gel like they've been in Ferguson Era. And for all the criticism that Wenger have taken the past few years imo he still delivers, especially seeing how he's lost so many key players. And of course it's interesting if Mourinho can get Chelsea to where they were when he was the boss there... Man City's money will be the biggest factor of getting where they want to be... but can Pellegrini make them a champion by the end of the season, or just a bunch of very expensive mercs that gets the top 3 spots based on individual skills (which they have plenty of admittedly). The one team I'm really interested in though is Everton, they have a very good mix of talents and I admire Roberto Martinez very much will he be able to take advantage of the new squad he's leading? It's not going to be easy following David Moyes' act as it is quite a large shoe to fill!!


----------



## Elad

Shaping up to be a crazy season, looks like Arsenal are finally shelling out. If they get both Higuain and Fellani plus a couple more, things might get interesting. Even Tottenham and shelling out for the likes of Paulinho, now looking for a striker.. Chelsea already strengthening, they have so many prodigious young players its hard to believe Oscar is 20 and Hazard 21, Lukaku 19.. monstrous squad soon. 

Throw in City, United and.. Liverpool? (ha) its wishful thinking, but they are making moves early. o_o


----------



## SPC

Elad said:


> Chelsea already strengthening, they have so many prodigious young players its hard to believe Oscar is 20 and Hazard 21, Lukaku 19.. monstrous squad soon.


I am an Arsenal fan but if everything clicks for Chelsea next season they should be untouchable. Regardless of who their striker is, in the midfield they have Hazard, Mata, Oscar, De Bruyne, Hernanes, Essien, Mikel, Moses, and Schurrle and maybe even Marin if he ever wakes up. All these quality players to choose from... yikes.


----------



## Elad

SPC said:


> I am an Arsenal fan but if everything clicks for Chelsea next season they should be untouchable. Regardless of who their striker is, in the midfield they have Hazard, Mata, Oscar, De Bruyne, Hernanes, Essien, Mikel, Moses, and Schurrle and maybe even Marin if he ever wakes up. All these quality players to choose from... yikes.


that midfield is just beautiful, not sure if they will get Hernanes and Essien is getting older, Mikel given his form for Nigeria seems to be played too defensively by Mourinho.

Torres, Cavani, Lukaku, Ba. for probable choices up front, not bad.. not bad at all.

and I feel like saying Marin has been a flop, but it seems he hasnt been given enough chances for me to say that. still hoping for big things from him, such huge talents.


----------



## SPC

Elad said:


> that midfield is just beautiful, not sure if they will get Hernanes and Essien is getting older, Mikel given his form for Nigeria seems to be played too defensively by Mourinho.
> 
> Torres, Cavani, Lukaku, Ba. for probable choices up front, not bad.. not bad at all.
> 
> and I feel like saying Marin has been a flop, but it seems he hasnt been given enough chances for me to say that. still hoping for big things from him, such huge talents.


with 9-10 people fighting for 5 spots marin wont even sniff the bench most games. i even forgot to mention lampard in my first post. i think at least two out of hernanes, essien, mikel and lampard will start every game in the midfield so that the side is balanced, and who knows maybe mourinho will continue doing what rafa did and move david luiz into the midfield more often. the 3 attacking spots behind the striker favor players who are positionally versatile. i think moses and de bruyne will have a hard time breaking into the team next season.


----------



## Elad

SPC said:


> with 9-10 people fighting for 5 spots marin wont even sniff the bench most games. i even forgot to mention lampard in my first post. i think at least two out of hernanes, essien, mikel and lampard will start every game in the midfield so that the side is balanced, and who knows maybe mourinho will continue doing what rafa did and move david luiz into the midfield more often. the 3 attacking spots behind the striker favor players who are positionally versatile. i think moses and de bruyne will have a hard time breaking into the team next season.


I agree. If marin couldnt get in before, his chances havent improved, still havent seen anything linking hernanes with chelsea either? I think de bryune will get play time just not first team, so he will still get a lot of games assuming chelsea go deep into CL and everywhere else, like last season being 60+ games. I see moses as more of a super sup, but with so much raw pace he'll always be useful. I'm much more interested in the strikers for chelsea, if lukaku can step up and be drogba 2.0 it will be lights out for the PL.

also I wonder if terry will be used much, they really have stacked on their midfield. 0_0. still with kids like Piazon/courtois probably on loan too.


----------



## googleamiable

i dont see mourinho playing any of these youth players chelsea have on loans, hes never done that. tho he'll still probably win the league once or twice before he's sacked. 

wondering what alberto and aspas will be like. lpool still need in terms of signings a centre back, the midfield and attack looks good. i would earmark next summer for bringing in competition for the full backs. johnson for example had a really poor last 3/4 months at the end of the season, whilst he was very good and consistent earlier on. would like to see downing shipped out (he's just very very average), and suso playing more this season


----------



## SPC

suarez is on his way out so liverpool are taking a step back. with gerrard slowing down i see no chance of european football for the pool next year. 

regarding chelsea, i just think de bruyne would have been better off asking to go to dortmund because hes not going to dislodge the mata/oscar rotation in the center of the park. most of his best work last year in germany was done on the left wing, but at cheslea hes behind schurrle by default in a standard 4-5-1 and in a loose 4-5-1 hazard will take left and drift behind the striker. no matter what mourinho says de bruyne is destined to ride the pine next season.


----------



## Elad

brazil/uruguay was a scrappy game, was some funny moments from neymar though.


----------



## Esugi78

There's a rumor that Christiano Ronaldo holding talks with Man U? I personally don't think it's such a good move. No one would doubt his talent, but it will costs Man U an arm and a leg to get him back plus his wage will undoubtedly be the highest in the club. Plus ever since Ronaldo moved to Madrid, Man U started to play as a team again instead, having Ronaldo back going to turn Man U into a one man show again, and combined with a new coach I think that would make the team more shaky than anything else...


----------



## Zack

Spain vs Italy -->

Who wins? Who cares?

Is there anybody out there?


----------



## Elad

Steve300 said:


> Spain vs Italy -->
> 
> Who wins? Who cares?
> 
> Is there anybody out there?


spain is going to tear them apart.

no balotelli.


----------



## Zack

Elad said:


> spain is going to tear them apart.
> 
> no balotelli.


I hope Fernando scores!


----------



## Joe

Mignolet/Aspas/Alberto/Toure - No major signings of proven players, all just based on potential (Toure has been out for a while so his current ability might differ from what we've seen). I'd be surprised if any were of Coutinho/Sturridge standard right away but hopefully they will be.


----------



## Joe

I loved the penalty shootout, I was rooting for Italy but not massively bothered  nice to see Aqualani. Brazil vs Spain should be exciting.


----------



## Elad

tough for italy, played a good game and made it a lot tighter than I expected.


----------



## googleamiable

jJoe said:


> Mignolet/Aspas/Alberto/Toure - No major signings of proven players, all just based on potential (Toure has been out for a while so his current ability might differ from what we've seen). I'd be surprised if any were of Coutinho/Sturridge standard right away but hopefully they will be.


the irony being coutinho and sturridge are now the yardstick these 'non major' signings have to live upto, while when they were signed they were similarly non major/gambles/however you'd put it.

which is a reason to be optimistic as Rogers clearly has an eye for a player, borini/allen debate notwithstanding. allen's a right mystery isnt he, looked a world beater the first month or so, then average. injuries havent helped either of those 2 to be fair.

oh about suarez, I've no idea if he will leave. which clubs are actually in the market for him?


----------



## Joe

michael1 said:


> the irony being coutinho and sturridge are now the yardstick these 'non major' signings have to live upto, while when they were signed they were similarly non major/gambles/however you'd put it.
> 
> which is a reason to be optimistic as Rogers clearly has an eye for a player, borini/allen debate notwithstanding. allen's a right mystery isnt he, looked a world beater the first month or so, then average. injuries havent helped either of those 2 to be fair.
> 
> oh about suarez, I've no idea if he will leave. which clubs are actually in the market for him?


I think Sturridge was a relatively safe transfer, he played as a striker for Bolton and Chelsea under AVB (not 100% sure about chelsea though) and both times he done well. Although we are fortunate that Suarez can play just as well in different positions. I'm really surprised about Coutinho though, he had a decent record at Espanyol but aside from that he wasn't consistent. Hopefully he can keep on excelling for us.

Allen is a tricky one, he was playing with a shoulder injury near the later stages of the season but still had a few good games, hopefully he can be a bit more consistent. Borini was promising at Roma, although even when not injured he wasn't doing very well at Liverpool. He has been alright altely so hopefully he can build on it.

I think Real are the main club for suarez, with some rumors about man city now that they said they won't match Cavanis buyout clause. I can understand why he wants to leave though since he could play for any club in the world, 40m wouldn't be too bad considering he only plays 2 3rds of a season usually.


----------



## SPC

if ronaldo leaves real we could well see a suarez/bale double buy to keep the real madrid brand chugging along. someone should tell suarez that spanish league players taste better than premier league ones anyway.


----------



## Elad

Any footyheads watching Brazil vs. Spain?

cant wait, dem ball skills. hnnng. I think Spain have it, but if the likes of Neymar, Oscar, Paulinho catch fire, it will be one hell of a game.


----------



## Cam1

I'm watching with no rooting interest.


----------



## Elad

Damn a lot of diving going on from Brazil, but well earned win. Spain looked limp and toothless, same as Barca did against Bayern.. Pique shouldnt be in the team, Arbeloa .. wtf was he doing.. Torres being his Chelsea self, Villa almost invisible save for one shot... and why the ***** was Ramos taking a penalty. lmao.

pic says it all really










on another note, impressive as hell from Neymar, I see more of what the hype is about now, will be good watching him rip apart La Liga with Messi. Hero efforts from Luiz/Fred/Cesar.


----------



## suril

Hahahah...perfect pic. ACk...Ramos..WHY?!!
Brazil was easily stealing the ball away. We suddenly laughed when Pique got the red. Torres was only useful when Spain played against Tahiti...hahah. Elad, you basically summed it up well. 

I was going for Spain, but my cat picked Brazil for the win. Heh. She's been eerily right since I started using her to forecast (for fun).


----------



## SupaDupaFly

That block from David Luiz was just beautiful. I can't find a gif of it but damn that thing was a beauty of a block. Neymar made alot of believers today (including myself). I knew he was good but a bit overhyped..But his positioning and shooting on that second goal was just world class.


----------



## googleamiable

neymar will have to do it against a proper team before i'm impressed, not some second rate pub outfit like spain.


----------



## SupaDupaFly

michael1 said:


> neymar will have to do it against a proper team before i'm impressed, not *some second rate pub outfit like spain.
> *


Spain isn't any second rate team at all lol

Spain EURO Champions 2012









Spain World Cup Champions 2010









Free kick from Neymar vs Italy


----------



## Elad

michael1 said:


> neymar will have to do it against a proper team before i'm impressed, not some second rate pub outfit like spain.












felt embarrassed for Torres receiving his golden boot award for hitting 4 past Tahiti, lol, must have felt awkward as fu standing next to people whos goals made an impact.


----------



## Archibaldovich

Brazil can win as many Confecup as they can, but World Cups... ha, ha!


----------



## Micronian

Archibaldovich said:


> Brazil can win as many Confecup as they can, but World Cups... ha, ha!


Are you talking about the same Brazil who are 5-times world champions, and are playing the next world cup at home--in the same stadium where they just whooped Spain 3-0?


----------



## Esugi78

I know EPL's Community Shield is nothing more than just a glorified friendly but do you think if Man U fall to Wigan, it might be a bad omen for Man U? I think there's already doubt when a new manager take over such a successful club, and a bad start could have a big impact for the rest of the season...


----------



## SupaDupaFly

Esugi78 said:


> I know EPL's Community Shield is nothing more than just a glorified friendly but do you think if Man U fall to Wigan, it might be a bad omen for Man U? I think there's already doubt when a new manager take over such a successful club, and a bad start could have a big impact for the rest of the season...


 I wouldn't take the the community shield seriously. I'm sure Wigan is going to go all out to make a statement...since they were relegated.


----------



## el flaco

Don't know if its been posted before but some of you might be interested in this.

http://footballpantheon.com/


----------



## vanilla90

Fulham might be sold to a billionaire owner. YES GET IN HAHAHAHAHA


----------



## SPC

vanilla90 said:


> Fulham might be sold to a billionaire owner. YES GET IN HAHAHAHAHA


attn: american conglomerates and/or bored russian oligarchs


----------



## Bazz79

Love Gods own game, Spurs fan here. Any game where one team doesn't park the bus is a winner.


----------



## Bazz79

Esugi78 Silverware is Silverware my friend


----------



## Elad

Cant wait for the next season.. so many teams strengthening, the title race is going to be the most competitive it has in a while, really looking forward to Chelsea (hopefully) using a lot of the youth talent they have. Cant wait for La Liga and Ligue 1 also. I want to see how Monaco perform, same with PSG if they get Cavani.. him and Abra will be interesting.. plus the development of Lucas, Pastore and such..


HNNG.


----------



## loumon

Elad said:


> Cant wait for the next season.. so many teams strengthening, the title race is going to be the most competitive it has in a while, really looking forward to Chelsea (hopefully) using a lot of the youth talent they have. Cant wait for La Liga and Ligue 1 also. I want to see how Monaco perform, same with PSG if they get Cavani.. him and Abra will be interesting.. plus the development of Lucas, Pastore and such..
> 
> HNNG.


I have a feeling that Messi and Neymar are going to clash. Not sure that Real M. can do a good job in the new season. I think Chelsea will be the surprise team. I'm really looking forward to the new season for sure.


----------



## Elad

Guardiola now publicly saying he wants Thiago at Bayern... they already have the most stacked team in the world, and now Gotze and him? is this real life.










feel bad for united fans, must be how gooners feel (except they actually put offers in)


----------



## Esugi78

Elad said:


> Guardiola now publicly saying he wants Thiago at Bayern... they already have the most stacked team in the world, and now Gotze and him? is this real life.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> feel bad for united fans, must be how gooners feel (except they actually put offers in)


I don't think it's that bad for Man U. Carrick's an accomplished passer when he's played deep, and Kagawa's excellent playing behind striker. Rooney's creative enough to play behind the striker too and a proven striker if he has to spearhead the attack (maybe not last season but he still have it in him). Of course Thiago Alcantara or Fabregas would make the team better but as it is, as long as David Moyes can put the pieces together asap, Man U will still be a solid contender to win the EPL again


----------



## jjh87

Carrick is the best English midfielder in my opinion at the moment. Very few British players have that passing ability the he has.


----------



## nml

so pumped for the footie starting again. A post-Fergie Man U, Europe with Dortmund and Bayern, how the other teams will adapt their strategies playing them, etc etc

Not so looking forward to another year of anxiety about Newcastle possibly being relegated. And my local club is facing financial implosion too. Bummer


----------



## googleamiable

jjh87 said:


> Carrick is the best English midfielder in my opinion at the moment. Very few British players have that passing ability the he has.



Carrick is the best English midfielder in my opinion at the moment. Very few British players have that passing ability the he has.

Carrick is the best English midfielder in my opinion at the moment. Very few British players have that passing ability the he has.

um, no.


----------



## googleamiable

nml said:


> so pumped for the footie starting again. A post-Fergie Man U, Europe with Dortmund and Bayern, how the other teams will adapt their strategies playing them, etc etc
> 
> Not so looking forward to another year of anxiety about Newcastle possibly being relegated. And my local club is facing financial implosion too. Bummer


dortmund really arent all that. They were lucky o get past malaga, and vs madrid i wouldnt say either team decisively outplayed the other. in the first leg lewandowvsi had about 3 chances, scoring 4 goals. 2nd leg, madrid had 4-5 good chances in the first half, and just didnt finish. how games go.

bayern on the other hand have a very strong team, great all over the pitch. however, i'd expect madrid/barca to be up there and cant predict the english teams, they could go far (exception of course being arsenal-unless they sign some bona fide world class players i suppose)


----------



## vanilla90

Cavani to PSG... Yawn.


----------



## SPC

so apparently sources in the twittersphere are reporting that arsenal might get both suarez and cesc back. if that ends up true i will return to this thread and this post and do a happy dance.


----------



## loumon

michael1 said:


> dortmund really arent all that. They were lucky o get past malaga, and vs madrid.
> 
> Yep, D. barely got by malaga. I thought madrid just didn't focus enough before the first game again't D. It was as if the way D. played again't malaga...gave madrid the impression that D. would be easily beat.
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> " cant predict the english teams, they could go far"


Indeed, the premier league is up in the air. So many changes were made to the big teams. Will be exciting to see how it turns out.


----------



## vanilla90

Negredo to Man City... Bad move, especially with cheaper strikers available. Negredo missed the most clear cut chances of any striker in Europe's top 5 leagues last season, 25 or something ridiculous like that. They were better off sticking with Dzeko, he is the same player bascially.

Oh and Juan Mata is worth four Wayne Rooney's, what on earth are Chelsea thinking??


----------



## googleamiable

eh? 31 goals in 42 games last season for negredo, says wikipedia. as a lpool fan im hoping utd sign bale. if we assume the top 3 will be utd, chelski and $ity in any order, then castrating the spurs can only be a good thing. and wenger almost seems like he's trying to placate the "GO SPEND MONEY" brigade by merely being linked to alot of players. I dont see them spending 40mill on suarez, and other than higuain who are they even in for?


----------



## Elad

SPC said:


> so apparently sources in the twittersphere are reporting that arsenal might get both suarez and cesc back. if that ends up true i will return to this thread and this post and do a happy dance.


lol.

if you think thats happening you're dreaming.



vanilla90 said:


> Negredo to Man City... Bad move, especially with cheaper strikers available. Negredo missed the most clear cut chances of any striker in Europe's top 5 leagues last season, 25 or something ridiculous like that. They were better off sticking with Dzeko, he is the same player bascially.
> 
> Oh and Juan Mata is worth four Wayne Rooney's, what on earth are Chelsea thinking??


no way that rumor is true, so much bull**** getting spread around, some of the stuff is pretty laughable.



michael1 said:


> eh? 31 goals in 42 games last season for negredo, says wikipedia. as a lpool fan im hoping utd sign bale. if we assume the top 3 will be utd, chelski and $ity in any order, then castrating the spurs can only be a good thing. and wenger almost seems like he's trying to placate the "GO SPEND MONEY" brigade by merely being linked to alot of players. I dont see them spending 40mill on suarez, and other than higuain who are they even in for?


not a chance in hell tottenham are selling bale this year, they have no need to sell, they are bringing the likes of paulinho in on the promise that hes staying. when he does eventually leave it wont be to EPL club.

I actually think with a good striker tottenham will be a real force this season, their midfield is looking pretty classy.



michael1 said:


> dortmund really arent all that. They were lucky o get past malaga, and vs madrid i wouldnt say either team decisively outplayed the other. in the first leg lewandowvsi had about 3 chances, scoring 4 goals. 2nd leg, madrid had 4-5 good chances in the first half, and just didnt finish. how games go.
> 
> bayern on the other hand have a very strong team, great all over the pitch. however, i'd expect madrid/barca to be up there and cant predict the english teams, they could go far (exception of course being arsenal-unless they sign some bona fide world class players i suppose)


I think they have proved they are, their style is really fun to watch and they have some individual flair. they might have been lucky to get past malaga, but all teams need some luck in CL. in the first leg against madrid they certainly did outplay them, I'm not sure what match you were watching.. they were deserved winners, the way they pressed and linked up play .. they were just superior in the first leg.

second leg was scrappy as ****, madrid were basically just hoisting the ball into the box repeatedly way before the end, they were not all clear cut chances, and the unnoticed blatant fouling from ramos was lulzy.


----------



## vanilla90

Suddenly having flashbacks to when I was a ballboy at Preston North End, getting sweets thrown at me by stupid brats sitting in the front row. I didn't even get paid for it. I remember the season they got relegated to league 1, I don't think anyone really cared as the attendance record was lower than the audience for an M night Shyamalan film.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Cavani to France, Falcao to France...these guys should be in England or Spain or Italy or Germany, seems like such a waste


----------



## SupaDupaFly

Edinson Cavani,Zlatan Ibrahimović and Ezequiel Lavezzi are on the same team??


----------



## loumon

I'd like to see Ibra go to Real Madrid. He's got the speed and killer instinct that would compliment CR7. RM needs that if they are to offset Messi and Neymar.


----------



## Esugi78

Money talks, what can you say? They really should be dominating Ligue 1 again, CL will be the true measure on how well they're doing next season... but then again you never know, crap happens and it's really about how Blanc manage all the egos in the team in the end



SupaDupaFly said:


> Edinson Cavani,Zlatan Ibrahimović and Ezequiel Lavezzi are on the same team??


----------



## loumon

I got my ticket. Gonna be at the Brazil vs Portugal game, I'll be sitting a few rows up behind the net. Neymar and CR7 ...it's going to be crazy!


----------



## Esugi78

loumon said:


> I got my ticket. Gonna be at the Brazil vs Portugal game, I'll be sitting a few rows up behind the net. Neymar and CR7 ...it's going to be crazy!


Nice man!... I looked the ticket up online $85 for the cheapest one, for a friendly that's crazy pricey...


----------



## loumon

Esugi78 said:


> Nice man!... I looked the ticket up online $85 for the cheapest one, for a friendly that's crazy pricey...


Yep, the ticket prices were high...but the way I look at is : when am I ever going to have the chance to see these two power houses again before I die?!


----------



## googleamiable

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23411365

if barca get hiddink they'll become incredible again. best manager in the world.


----------



## Callum96

So the creator of this thread supports BOTH Man United and Spurs. 

Erm.


----------



## Micronian

I heard Gerardo "Tata" Martino will be the new Barcelona coach...


----------



## nml

if Suarez goes after all the crap he's put Liverpool through it'll be, well, not hilarious, uhm...


----------



## vanilla90

Soldado to Spurs is a done deal, interesting to see what kind of impact he makes.


----------



## Widowmaker

Loosing bale will make them flop it won't matter if real keep bidding world records


----------



## vanilla90

I'm guessing Mario Gomez scores unlimited amount of goals for Fiorentina next year, his style is perfect for Italian football. How on earth does the guy keep his hair how it is? Guy has a better hairline than me and he's 11 years older.


----------



## Paper Samurai

vanilla90 said:


> Soldado to Spurs is a done deal, interesting to see what kind of impact he makes.


I can't think of a guy who's more 50/50 in world football. He found a good niche at Valencia, but whether he can make it in the Premier League is anyone's guess.


----------



## Winds

Christian Benitez also known as Chucho, died earlier today after suffering from a cardiorespiratory arrest. He had just got signed to El Jaish(Qatar) and played in a cup game the night before. He was only 27.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23492978






RIP Chucho


----------



## Micronian

I heard about this news as soon as I woke up. This is a terrible loss for the game...

To put it into perspective: Imagine your country's #1 goalscorer, in the prime of his career, suddenly dying in a freak accident--with a vital WCQ game coming up next month, where he was key in winning the game. It would be as if Wayne Rooney kicked the bucket, or Ibrahimovich, or Mario Gomez.

...and never mind the game, this will be a national mourning for Ecuador...


----------



## vanilla90

"Fulham are front runners to sign Darren Bent"

Oh god why!?


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^Darren Bent had a great couple of seasons at Sunderland, in a few of them he finished 3rd or 4th in the leagues top scorers & always with 20+ goals. His move to Villa was a huge career mistake though, not sure if he can come back from that


----------



## vanilla90

Hmm well, the guy has an eye for goal and one of the best goal conversion rates in the prem. But with the injuries, his head not being in it, wrong side of 29... If it is for less than 5 million and we can keep his wages below 50 grand then I say we should sign him. But when Fulham have the chance of signing a quality striker like Pablo Osvaldo, and then go for a bit of a busted player like Bent hmm :/ I hope he proves me wrong and gets on the end of Berbatov's assists.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^I agree there are better options for you guys, just thought to point out that a fit spell & a run of play could potentially yield some fruit


----------



## googleamiable

no one baffled by how much madrid are willing to pay for bale?


----------



## CristianNC

michael1 said:


> no one baffled by how much madrid are willing to pay for bale?


Probably more than they paid for Ronaldo which is mind-boggling to me. Bale had an amazing season this year and he is without a shadow a doubt a world class player, but 100 million quid or more is absurd.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

michael1 said:


> no one baffled by how much madrid are willing to pay for bale?


I am. The kid is solid & had his best year ever last season but you have to do it at least 2 seasons in a row. Not to mention even if he had he's still not worth that much. Falcao & Cavanni didn't get that much & he shouldn't even qualify for an equal amount with them.

All that said, Bale needs out of Spurs for a better club, he absolutely deserves that


----------



## Joe

Canadian Brotha said:


> I am. The kid is solid & had his best year ever last season but you have to do it at least 2 seasons in a row. Not to mention even if he had he's still not worth that much. Falcao & Cavanni didn't get that much & he shouldn't even qualify for an equal amount with them.
> 
> All that said, Bale needs out of Spurs for a better club, he absolutely deserves that


Hard to say in comparison to Falcao and Cavani because Bale has only just changed position into a more central role (I think). Still its an insane price especially when you compare him to C. Ronaldo at the time.

I wonder how interested clubs would be for Suarez without his awful discipline record, 40-50m doesn't sound like much more than we'd get anyway.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Can't wait to watch Soccer Central tonight, I want to see the highlights of Drogba sinking Arsenal yet again, lol. I'm a blues fan if you don't already know so Drogba will always be a god to me.

Speaking of Drogba, I wonder if there's a highlight reel showing him getting sent off countless times in the Champion's League with final clip showing him scoring the penalty that brought Chelsea the trophy, that would be priceless, lol


----------



## CristianNC

Canadian Brotha said:


> Can't wait to watch Soccer Central tonight, I want to see the highlights of Drogba sinking Arsenal yet again, lol. I'm a blues fan if you don't already know so Drogba will always be a god to me.
> 
> Speaking of Drogba, I wonder if there's a highlight reel showing him getting sent off countless times in the Champion's League with final clip showing him scoring the penalty that brought Chelsea the trophy, that would be priceless, lol


I swear Drogba has something against Arsenal. He's probably scored more goals against Arsenal than against any other team in his career. I was watching the highlights of today's game earlier and I was wondering where's Drogba's goal, because he must've scored again right?. Sure enough, I was right.


----------



## renegade disaster

^ I saw that game, he was lucky to get the penalty, pure theatrics, shouldn't have gone in his favour. the second goal was class though.


----------



## divina

With Napoli bolstering their team, Milan having a good team, Juve, Inter and Roma also, I'm alot more interested in Serie A since the days Kaka played. Anyone else gonna watch this season?


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^I don't have the channels for Serie A but I'll be watching the English & German leagues this season & following the highlights of Spain & Italy. With the way things have been shaking up in this off season & the world cup coming up everyone will be looking to impress


----------



## Sad Larry

Italian Serie A


----------



## nml

so Chelsea beat AC Milan 2 - 0, and go on to play Real Madrid in the final of that international friendly cup thing. should be interesting.


----------



## renegade disaster

divina said:


> With Napoli bolstering their team, Milan having a good team, Juve, Inter and Roma also, I'm alot more interested in Serie A since the days Kaka played. Anyone else gonna watch this season?


I'll be watching where I can on espn/btsport this season.


----------



## CristianNC

divina said:


> With Napoli bolstering their team, Milan having a good team, Juve, Inter and Roma also, I'm alot more interested in Serie A since the days Kaka played. Anyone else gonna watch this season?


Even Fiorentina looks pretty buffed. Rossi is back after that awful injury, Mario Gomez is a beast, I think he will score at least 20 goals this season. Joaquin, Ambrosini, Ilicic are all good signings too.

I'm more of a Bundesliga/Premier League kind of guy, but I will definitely keep an eye on Seria A/Ligue 1 because interesting things are happening. La Liga is still that boring (in my opinion) two horse race so not very interesting.


----------



## vanilla90

Fulham sign Taarabt on loan. Is this some kind of cruel joke?


----------



## Paper Samurai

vanilla90 said:


> Fulham sign Taarabt on loan. Is this some kind of cruel joke?


Keep him off the pies and he's not a bad player tbh.


----------



## Paper Samurai

A new twist in the Suarez transfer saga:


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Paper Samurai said:


> A new twist in the Suarez transfer saga:


That's a pretty good comic, lol


----------



## Paper Samurai

Canadian Brotha said:


> That's a pretty good comic, lol


If only biting Brendan Rodgers could sort this whole thing out heh :b


----------



## CristianNC

Paper Samurai said:


> If only biting Brendan Rodgers could sort this whole thing out heh :b


I don't think Brendan would be as easy of a target as Ivanovic.


----------



## renegade disaster

good to see lambert getting some recognition

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23613462



> Southampton striker Rickie Lambert has been called up to the England squad for their friendly against Scotland.
> Wayne Rooney is also included in the squad for the game on Wednesday, 14 August despite missing most of pre-season because of injury problems.
> 
> ...
> 
> "I think if a man has really worked as hard over the years to prove his worth as Rickie Lambert, I think he really deserves this call-up, at a time of course when a couple of players who might have got a nod in front of him - Daniel Sturridge and Andy Carroll - are unavailable," said manager Roy Hodgson.
> The forward, 31, scored 15 goals as he played Premier League football for the first time last season having spent much of his career in lower divisions.
> He began his career at Blackpool but was released on a free transfer in 2000.
> The forward went on to play for Macclesfield, Stockport, Rochdale and Bristol Rovers before joining then-League One side Southampton for £1m in August 2009.
> 
> No hesitation over Lambert - Hodgson
> Lambert's goals helped them win successive promotions and he went on to play a key role for the Saints in the top flight.
> He finished last season as the joint leading English goalscorer in the Premier League along with Frank Lampard.


----------



## googleamiable

its another useless decision from hodgson, a useless manager. he's 31, may play in 1 game but a year from the world cup what is the point? also, why would carroll be in the england team if fit? he's as bad as emile heskey. and lastly why is sturridge not available? he played 45 mins for liverpool on saturday. 

overall tho hodgson's tenure just continues the FA tradition of hopelessly inept england managers. i remember a few years back Hiddink was available (according to rumours), as if the FA would ever appoint anyone that good. we can expect gareth southgate or who knows maybe even steve mclaren to replace the hodge when we capitulate amidst a cloud of ineptitude next year in Braziliano.


----------



## Horacio

Boca Juniors fan right here


----------



## vanilla90

Gourcuff to Arsenal would be brilliant. For all of Wengers flaws, only he can return Yoann to the star he used to be.


----------



## renegade disaster

what a great first touch in an england shirt. could have had another too but denied by the post. great game. well done lambert.


----------



## nml

^ it was a cracker of a game. One of many for Lambert let's hope.

and the guardian football podcast is back, huzzah.


----------



## renegade disaster

nml said:


> ^ it was a cracker of a game. One of many for Lambert let's hope.
> 
> and the guardian football podcast is back, huzzah.


yea hope so. scotland played pretty good,loads of spirit and determination and kenny miller's goal was great too.
fantastic atmosphere in the ground,thoroughly enjoyed watching that game.


----------



## Paper Samurai

nml said:


> ^ it was a cracker of a game. One of many for Lambert let's hope.
> 
> *and the guardian football podcast is back, huzzah.*


Another fan of Football Weekly on here 

"Woof !"


----------



## nml

renegade disaster said:


> yea hope so. scotland played pretty good,loads of spirit and determination and kenny miller's goal was great too.
> fantastic atmosphere in the ground,thoroughly enjoyed watching that game.


ikr, the crowd roaring throughout, lots of movement, attacking and substitutions, it was a blast  an England game that's enjoyable to watch, imagine that...



Paper Samurai said:


> Another fan of Football Weekly on here
> 
> "Woof !"


oh there's a contingent of us on here? 

there was a good bit about the Bale affair from their La Liga guy this week. Madrid put up daft money they don't even have, and apparently negotiations have slowed because Tottenham are realising this too! silliness.


----------



## Mystic Force

As a southampton supporter I was sceeaming in a demented way when Lambert scorred with his first touch. One of the best sporting moments I can remember.


----------



## Mystic Force

As a southampton I went a little bit nuts when Lambert scorred. One of the best sporting moments I have ever experienced.


----------



## Joe

Mystic Force said:


> As a southampton I went a little bit nuts when Lambert scorred. One of the best sporting moments I have ever experienced.


I dunno about best but it was a sweet moment for him, having his debut so old and scoring.

Puts him in contention for future caps and its nice to see new faces in the squad.


----------



## Paper Samurai

nml said:


> oh there's a contingent of us on here?
> 
> there was a good bit about the Bale affair from their La Liga guy this week. *Madrid put up daft money they don't even have, and apparently negotiations have slowed because Tottenham are realising this too!* silliness.


I love the 'in the know' stuff from that podcast :b They've got some really good sports journalists on there.


----------



## sleepytime

Apologies Arsenal fans, I like Arsenal, but this made me giggle :b


----------



## Elad

Mignolet you beauty.


----------



## Esugi78

Rooney didn't celebrate with his teammates on the goals... that can't be good... I think he still mad yo :b.


----------



## nml

Paper Samurai said:


> I love the 'in the know' stuff from that podcast :b They've got some really good sports journalists on there.


yeah they do, and Barry's always a good laugh.

the toon play man city on Monday. That should be a joy :blank


----------



## Canadian Brotha

It's great the league is back for another season! 

I feel sorry for Arsenal fans. If Tottenham outdoes them this season Wenger will finally face the guillotine. 

Not sure what to make of Utd just yet. I think once the games start coming thick & fast we may see their need for a bit more depth. Giggs, Ferdinand, Vidic still represent experience but no longer unyielding endurance. 

Man City with their early & decisive signings should be interesting to watch & of course I can't wait to see my Chelsea blue in action. Not quite sure what our main line up will be as yet but if our young squad can keep disciplined we will have a decent season


----------



## Adam W

I support Grimsby. It's still hard to accept that ten year ago teams like Portsmouth, QPR and West Brom would come to Blundell Park and get spanked. Now we're in the conference and lost at WELLING yesterday 

Anyway, I like the Premier league and the physicality of the game here, and also the Spanish league and Dutch Eredivisie


----------



## SocialPhobe

Adam W said:


> I support Grimsby. It's still hard to accept that ten year ago teams like Portsmouth, QPR and West Brom would come to Blundell Park and get spanked. Now we're in the conference and lost at WELLING yesterday
> 
> Anyway, I like the Premier league and the physicality of the game here, and also the Spanish league and Dutch Eredivisie


What?? No Bundesliga??


----------



## Duane Louis

Arsenal fan here. (I know)


----------



## Joe

sleepytime said:


> Apologies Arsenal fans, I like Arsenal, but this made me giggle :b


I think Arsene Wenger is a good manager, but really needs to spend more cash. 2-3 top players would make them a real force in Europe and the EPL.


----------



## Esugi78

Osvaldo to Southampton has to be a coup... despite his past problems he's a proven scorer. Overall Southampton have made some really good signings, and they should be able to finish mid table at least... it's also surprising how much they've spent so far


----------



## Zack

Has the Premier League season started yet or did I miss it?


----------



## Adam W

Arsenal fans demanding Wenger spends money - careful what you wish for.

As frustrating as it must be to watch your assets cherry picked by other clubs and not adequately replaced, Wenger is cautious with the club's money for good reason.

Looking at some of the disastrous signings of the last few years - Torres (£50m), Carroll (£35m), Aquilani (£17m), D Bent (£18m), do you really want to risk ending up with mistakes like that? Surely when the fair play rules come in, Arsenal will be the main beneficiaries because it will encourage more prudence and developing of young talent.

Of course I have no idea what I'm on about, our record signing was £500,000 ......


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I think one reason Arsenal have struggled to sign players is because of their history over the past 8 years. No trophies. Big players will weigh their options & a club that offers Champions League play with the potential to win something at seasons end will always seem the better option. They may have some money to spend now but what is the real draw for players to join? That's the question


----------



## loumon

*Thierry Henry*



Canadian Brotha said:


> They may have some money to spend now but what is the real draw for players to join? That's the question


And indeed a good question it is. It's certainly not the glory days of when Thierry henry was with the Gunners.


----------



## vanishingpt

I think even with big signings, it'll still be a long process for Arsenal. We can't just depend on 1-2 men to carry the entire team forward, other things have to fundamentally change as well.

BUT... I'm so damn happy the Premier League has started again, first few matches have been fantastic so far!


----------



## vanilla90

"Arsenal buckle over Guiata price"

HAHAHAHA not looking good for Wenger.


----------



## Shynobi

Solid performance by Arsenal. I just they can keep it going.


----------



## Zeppelin

I just bought a Rooney Jersey. He better stay with Manchester.


----------



## Joe

*Transfer news: Arsenal could respond to criticism with £35m double-offer for Swansea duo Ashley Williams and Michu *

And Benzema has been linked too. £35m sounds like a high price for both those. 10-15m Williams 20-25m Michu? I don't think Arsenal going trophy-less for a while should hinder them signing on players, considering the calibre of team they are they have been really unlucky not to win anything but cheap signings aren't helping, adding one or two world class players to Arsenal would make them a major force.

Liverpool miss out on Willian to Spurs, not really surprised lol but hopefully we get in a good player or two by the end of it. What happened to Eriksen? I don't think we'll get him, Spurs are now linked with him.


----------



## vanilla90

Di Maria, Benzema and Williams would please the Arsenal fans. Been crazy reports about them swooping for Iker Casillas. Would love that. Not too sure about them raiding Real Madrid though...


----------



## Joe

vanilla90 said:


> Di Maria, Benzema and Williams would please the Arsenal fans. Been crazy reports about them swooping for Iker Casillas. Would love that. Not too sure about them raiding Real Madrid though...


It would certainly be something. Papers are even linking Casillas with Chelsea, not sure if they'd need him with both Cech and Courtois there. I thought Casillas was untouchable before the past few seasons tbh.


----------



## vanilla90

jJoe said:


> It would certainly be something. Papers are even linking Casillas with Chelsea, not sure if they'd need him with both Cech and Courtois there. I thought Casillas was untouchable before the past few seasons tbh.


Looks like politics kept him without much competition for so long , he's an excellent keeper but not the same as he once was. Started his career very young for a keeper, age might be catching up with him.


----------



## Joe

vanilla90 said:


> Looks like politics kept him without much competition for so long , he's an excellent keeper but not the same as he once was. Started his career very young for a keeper, age might be catching up with him.


He was 18 when he got into the Madrid first team, still I'd be surprised if he can't regain his form since keepers can go on for quite a while.

It would be interesting if he moved though.


----------



## Winds

Mourinho giving AVB lessons on transfer and contract policy.



> Spurs had looked set to hijack Anzhi Makhachala star Willian from Liverpool in a £30 million deal after the 25-year-old passed a medical.
> 
> Mourinho could not resist gloating at the expense of former protégé Andre Villas-Boas, adding: "That's the danger of medicals before contracts. The best thing to do is do the medical in secret."
> 
> Asked how close Chelsea were to a deal, he joked: "We have to do a medical!"


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...r-Tottenham-Hotspur-claims-Jose-Mourinho.html


----------



## googleamiable

the thing about this bale deal is that spurs are getting 100 mill for a player worth about 40 mill, which gives them an absurd advantage in the transfer market. as for real madrid, who knows how much longer they can continue to spunk cash up the wall, maybe they'll end up as a spanish leeds once FFP comes into effect. Then again, ffp will never be implemented fairly if the team involved is as big a commodity as a madrid or city. Either way something needs to implode, be it madrid, the spanish league, league 1 or city/chelsea, and then from the resulting fallout there might be a fairer metagame. We'll see.


----------



## vanilla90

Wow Fulham... Just wow.


----------



## googleamiable

LOL city


----------



## Paper Samurai

michael1 said:


> LOL city


All the money in the world can't buy them class


----------



## CristianNC

Paper Samurai said:


> All the money in the world can't buy them class






Not Bellamy level class for sure!

So Chelsea-Man United today, I'd say the highlight of the game was seeing Mourinho unable to find his pen.


----------



## googleamiable

the pen bit was good, but for me the highlight was the final whistle. 

to be honest though mourinho must take the blame for that, playing no strikers. Madrid and chelsea previously wanted him out because of his stale (and effective) brand of football, and we saw a prime example vs the Northern Red Sox Ltd. odd that im sticking up for utd as a l'pool fan, but yea, they did play with 3 forwards from the start.

to change tac, the bale saga is going on and on, can't even tell if he's going to end up at madrid any more. to speculate, say he ended up at utd. then rooney off to London's Exiled Oligarch support group. mata possibly off to -unknown-. Either way if bale doesnt end up at madrid, seems like they'd come after suarez, which is concerning. Suarez is an absolute MONSTER of a striker.


----------



## nml

^ well, Moyes might have aimed to play attacking football, but after half time or so he pretty much parked the bus and settled for the point. The substitutions were defensive, and of course there's the benching of Kagawa Man U fans keep going on about. All of which is pretty understandable for a new manager playing a major rival tbf, though I wonder how Man U fans will feel about their team settling for a point at home.

I hope when (if?) Mourinho gets his striker Chelsea won't continue to be this boring. But yeah I know what you mean...with all the hype you forget Mourinho's thing is tactically shrewd but not too pretty football. 

big night for arsenal...


----------



## Paper Samurai

Neo said:


> Ramsey showing his worth again! Hope it continues throughout the season...
> 
> *It was rumoured that Juan Mata's dad was there at the Emirates. Which _obviously_ means we are going to sign him*


He probably just appreciates good football :b

*Would be surprised if he did come to us.


----------



## googleamiable

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...helsea-to-sign-Christian-Atsu-from-Porto.html

prospective chelski team from one of the comments ^

.................Schurrle

Marin Romelu Lampard Moses

......Oscar DeBruyne Hazard

.........Willian Atsu Mata

I assume Atsu is the goalie. The only problem with this team is the lack of cover if one of their attacking midfielders gets injured.


----------



## vanilla90

Chelsea are buying the wrong Porto player, they need to sign Jackson Martinez.


----------



## SupaDupaFly

Carlos Vela against Lyon in the 13-14 champions league...same player Arsenal's manager Arsène Wenger sold for a measly 4 million.


----------



## SupaDupaFly




----------



## Joe

mark101 said:


> Bang on there, FFP will never be enforced on clubs with so much power and influence, they will just come down on all the smaller clubs that spend too much.
> 
> We've all seen how bent FIFA and UEFA are with Qatar buying the World Cup when you'd be hard pushed to find a worse country to host the tournament.


 They should make one ruling for tv money if they want to introduce FFP. Madrid/Barca selling individual rights means they get far more than clubs like Man Utd.


----------



## vanilla90

mark101 said:


> *Arsenal FC
> Marseille
> Borussia Dortmund
> Napoli
> *
> 
> Wont be easy but it could have been worse.
> 
> Celtic got an easy draw lol


Are you kidding!? The runners up, a solid French team who are a nightmare to play against away, and one of the most strengthened clubs in Europe over the summer. I don't think any other group has 4 solid or better than solid teams in it. Good luck though haha.


----------



## vanilla90

mark101 said:


> I would have said if i was kidding or used smileys


Well it's nice to know you're confident haha.


----------



## vanilla90

mark101 said:


> All i said was that it could have been worse and it could.


I guess you're right, will be an interesting group for sure though.


----------



## Joe

It's funny that Celtic getting through the group stages last season was probably the reason most of their good players left.


----------



## sleepytime

Chelsea did the best of the English teams with that draw, by far. City, not too bad compared with their last 2 draws. Man U get a tough draw, for a change. Arsenal got the worst draw of the lot though imo.

Love this Danny Sturridge video!


----------



## Paper Samurai

An Arsenal fan here. Didn't mind the draw _that_ much. We beat Dortmund 2 seasons ago when they won the German league at a canter and Lazio despite their spending this summer are still a beatable size. It's challenging yeah, but not worth the hyperbole that the media is pushing on it.

City have no hope in beating Bayern in either their home or away game against them, which means they have to have a near perfect record with their other matches - can they do that when they lost to the mighty Ajax (European minnows nowadays) last season ?


----------



## minimized

Epic Super Cup, looked like Bayern was going to choke again. Miracle stoppage goal and of course ze Germans are money at pks.


----------



## sleepytime

Liverpool top of the league. Mad! Don't think we played particularly well in any of our games so far, but they do say that winning without playing well is the sign of a good team, lets hope so.


----------



## Joe

sleepytime said:


> Liverpool top of the league. Mad! Don't think we played particularly well in any of our games so far, but they do say that winning without playing well is the sign of a good team, lets hope so.


We've defended well for the most part (didn't see the villa game). Hopefully the momentum keeps up when Suarez gets back (think Aspas will go on the bench). The league is basically ours .

I think Arsenal get underrated, they always seem to be weak but somehow claw themselves to 4th. If Wenger spent a few pounds they'd be real contenders for the title.
New Spurs signings will be interesting to watch (hopefully they do bad though).


----------



## Esugi78

They're a different looking United... it used to be when they're behind, they'd take charge... In the game against Liverpool they just didn't seem to have that mentality... I want sir Alex back :\


----------



## CristianNC

#freekagawa Moyes!

Really nice match by Liverpool yesterday, lots of passion from the players too. Stevie calling Van Persie a "****ing prick" and a "wanker" was my favourite moment.


----------



## Joe

Ozil/Di Maria to Arsenal is a scary prospect 

Ilori and Sahko confirmed. Rumored that space is available to sell Skrtel back to Rafa.
I wouldn't mind seeing Napoli win a couple of trophies.


----------



## googleamiable

yea even though we've won 3/3, which is excellent, im slightly worried about our 2nd half vs villa, and most of the game vs united performances. in both we tended to sit back, soak up pressure and try to counter when possible - almost mourinho style, really not rogers style. however, it's obviously good that we have some defensive resilience, since we havent had that for a while. also our passing was very poor 2nd half and vs united, and coutinho seems like he's trying to impress in some way or at least not playing naturally. 

nevertheless suarez will be back soon, and moses may come into the team, so hopefully the fluidity of our passing and possession will get back to where it has been.


----------



## googleamiable

kinda funny just seeing arsenal lining up a 40mill+ transfer. Personally I always thought di maria was better than ozil, but everyone seems to say he's a very good player, so im sure he'll do well for the arsenal.


----------



## CristianNC

mark101 said:


> I can't recall seeing him, maybe at the world cup but my memory is just awful nowadays. :blank
> 
> Is he worth that kind of money? How good is he?


He's one of the best playmakers in the worlds. As a player, he's way better than Bale, Real Madrid are doing some horrible business in my opinion by spending a stupid amount of money on Bale and selling Ozil for 40-50 million.

Bale Isco Ronaldo

Benzema

^I guess that's what Ancelotti has in mind. Isco replaced Ozil as AMC and Ozil is not really a wide player like Bale, so he would rot on the bench at Real.


----------



## CristianNC

Also, Liverpool top of the league, good days!


----------



## googleamiable

i read somewhere that ancelotti didnt really even want bale, it's more a decision made by the owner. they just want to have made a big money signing, it's their galacticos policy. 

remember this is a club who signed david beckham instead of ronaldinho based on LOOKS (this is actually true).


----------



## CristianNC

mark101 said:


> I've just been reading about Ozil and watching some footage, he looks an amazing talent, god I hope he signs now :clap
> 
> Was just looking at comments around the internet and a lot of people like you cant believe Real are letting him go and saying the price is too *cheap* for a player with his talent.


If he comes, Arsenal looks bloody scary with Walcott, Ozil and Cazorla behind Giroud since Ozil is such a good passer, Cazorla and Walcott are such fast wingers and Giroud is a very cold-blooded scorer. They still lack depth in their squad though.


----------



## Paper Samurai

mark101 said:


> I can't recall seeing him, maybe at the world cup but my memory is just awful nowadays. :blank
> 
> Is he worth that kind of money? How good is he?


One of the best play-makers around - possibly _the _best atm in world football even; a ridiculously nice touch and a great ability to find space and exploit it.

*His Euro 2012 exploits:*

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...sut-ozil-will-be-the-player-of-the-tournament

*Dat first touch:*


----------



## Joe

mark101 said:


> That actually doesn't surprise me, aren't they the only club where as a manager you can win the league and still get sacked?


Boring Capello . He had 2 spells in madrid and was the man who brought in Seedorf and Roberto Carlos who were both amazing.

I remember Ozil being amazing against England a few years ago in that match that should of been 2-2... he has done well for Madrid I think. Probably blows all spurs transfers out of the way if you factor spurs losing bale into their strength (although I do think they are stronger all round).

Really surprised they are selling him. Khedria rumoured to go to chelski as well.


----------



## CristianNC

Jesus moly, it's actually done! Such a huge blunder by Real Madrid, reminds me of others like Makélelé to Chelsea, Robben to Bayern, Van der Vaart to Spurs, Snejder to Inter and the list goes on. Real Madrid has a such a huge history of selling obviously brilliant players. At least they can afford it!

It would also be hilarious if Bale flops, but that's unlikely, the man's brilliant, not 100 million brilliant, but brilliant.


----------



## googleamiable

miracles do happen, eh

pretty happy for the arsenal, they've held back from acting like chelski or city despite having the money available. finally brought in one expensive, big name in the end. 

not looking great for united on the face of it. although they have kagawa and rooney for that no.10 position, so they could be alright over the course of the season. 

chelski will be defensive and effecient, city and spurs are hard to predict, both full of new faces and you can't tell how well it'll work out yet. 

quietly confident about the pool with a big commanding CB in sakho. You always need one of those, missed one ever since the great hyppia left. Coutinho to get back to last season's form, sturridge isn't even fully fit yet, suarez to come back in, aspas to improve, moses as well, henderson playing very well.


----------



## googleamiable

27mill for fellaini done? LOL! seriously, that's insane. 

I'd actually say this is bad news for utd as it means the creative, technical kagawa playing is less likely, and a functional, strong midfielder in fellaini gets in instead. Moyes needs to adapt his mentality in terms of the players he wants, he's at utd now, not everton....

edit: one other thing i really like about rogers is he is decisive. He brought borini and allen in as his first 2 signings and has more or less dropped allen recently, making him earn his place in the team, and now borini has been loaned out. Even though they were HIS signings, means he looks at things objectively. When houllier was the manager, heskey got in the team week in week out for years despite constantly playing badly, and that's a trait alot of managers have. Really impressed by everything rogers has done so far, couldn't ask for a better manager.


----------



## Joe

michael1 said:


> edit: one other thing i really like about rogers is he is decisive. He brought borini and allen in as his first 2 signings and has more or less dropped allen recently, making him earn his place in the team, and now borini has been loaned out. Even though they were HIS signings, means he looks at things objectively. When houllier was the manager, heskey got in the team week in week out for years despite constantly playing badly, and that's a trait alot of managers have. Really impressed by everything rogers has done so far, couldn't ask for a better manager.


One thing about Brendan is he talks big. I remember him last January saying we can still finish 2nd, his optimism is really nice. Give it a few more weeks of good form and he'll be calling us title contenders, nice to see Liverpool top of the league again .

I think people are being harsh on Moyes. Drawing to Chelsea isn't bad and Liverpool games are always tight.


----------



## googleamiable

last season i just remember us playing really well in some big games and drawing or losing. vs utd and city, i think we lost 2 of them 2-1 while playing really well, vs arsenal, 2-2 and the same thing. on sunday we really didnt play our fluid game, but we still picked up the win. it's just looking good. im off to bed, roll on the rest of the season!!!


----------



## J220

Hmm, did they manage to sneak in that deal for Coentrao?


----------



## CristianNC

J220 said:


> Hmm, did they manage to sneak in that deal for Coentrao?


Apparently not haha. Some mess-ups with the paperwork.


----------



## sleepytime

Fair play to Arsenal for pulling Ozil out of the bag. I'm shocked that Madrid wanted to sell him, and that there weren't a bunch of mega rich clubs queuing up for him. The guy has 72 assists in La Liga over the past 5 years, that's an amazing stat.


----------



## Callum96

I just want to comment on Man United.

What an absolute embarrassment this transfer window has been for us. 

Ed Woodward is a shambles. Moyes should be furious.



Regardless, we still have the best squad in the league. And squads win championships, not teams. Fellaini is just the player we need (even though we've been royally bummed by Everton - £27m?!) and I'm looking forward to seeing Carrick and Fellaini in the middle together. I'm also glad we're being considered 3rd favourites for the league - takes the pressure off Moyes somewhat.


----------



## Joe

sleepytime said:


> Fair play to Arsenal for pulling Ozil out of the bag. I'm shocked that Madrid wanted to sell him, and that there weren't a bunch of mega rich clubs queuing up for him. The guy has 72 assists in La Liga over the past 5 years, that's an amazing stat.


PSG made an offer for him. Higher wages but Arsene convinced him otherwise, probably in part to the league.

Unrelated but Ozil is on 140k /w apparently, double the next highest earner on 70k /w (Walcott I think). Just makes me reflect on how crazy Liverpool were a few seasons ago.


----------



## Callum96

jJoe said:


> PSG made an offer for him. Higher wages but Arsene convinced him otherwise, probably in part to the league.
> 
> Unrelated but Ozil is on 140k /w apparently, double the next highest earner on 70k /w (Walcott I think). Just makes me reflect on how crazy Liverpool were a few seasons ago.


Ozil's camp were holding on for United last night - our bunch of clowns in charge were reconsidering but decided against buying him. 
Don't think Arsenal fans would be so keen to hear about that.


----------



## Callum96

mark101 said:


> In your dreams sunshine :roll




__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/374965811858796544 If you've any idea about Spanish football you'll know who Graham Hunter is.

Several other reliable journalists have also said that Ozil was offered to United and City earlier in the transfer window but neither club were interested.


----------



## Joe

Callum96 said:


> Ozil's camp were holding on for United last night - our bunch of clowns in charge were reconsidering but decided against buying him.
> Don't think Arsenal fans would be so keen to hear about that.


He's proven world class, ridiculous that only Arsenal and PSG placed bids.
I'd of expected clubs who we thought were all but done with transfers to be in for him too. Arsenal can probably go pretty far this season.



mark101 said:


> Yup plus he was a fan of our style of play and want's to play for Wenger.


I still can't believe he left Madrid. 24 years old, can only get better.


----------



## J220

Ozil would have been perfect for them... But 42m was a bit pricey, 34m/35m is more his value I think.


----------



## Joe

mark101 said:


> Arsenal are the perfect fit for somebody of his talent with our beautiful game


If Wenger dares to buy more world class then maybe


----------



## Callum96

Neo said:


> Then it's Man Utd's loss and our gain  I am surprised neither club would be interested. Again, good for us





jJoe said:


> He's proven world class, ridiculous that only Arsenal and PSG placed bids.
> I'd of expected clubs who we thought were all but done with transfers to be in for him too. Arsenal can probably go pretty far this season.
> 
> I still can't believe he left Madrid. 24 years old, can only get better.


I completely agree, it's just strange more than anything. Arsenal have done well.

And Madrid are just ****ing nuts. Robben, Makelele, Sneijder and now Ozil. They just discard world class players for seemingly no reason.


----------



## Callum96

J220 said:


> Ozil would have been perfect for them... But 42m was a bit pricey, 34m/35m is more his value I think.


Completely disagree, Ozil is well worth £42m in the current climate. He's top 10 in the world.



mark101 said:


> Really?
> 
> If it's on twitter it must be true.
> 
> Well if Moyes chose Fellaini over Ozil he really is a dumb **** :clap


Where do you get your information from, goal.com? Caughtoffside? A crystal ball?

Wrong. United needed a central midfielder, not an attacking midfielder. Ozil is no doubt a better player, but Fellaini is a better player for United.


----------



## Joe

Callum96 said:


> I completely agree, it's just strange more than anything. Arsenal have done well.
> 
> And Madrid are just ****ing nuts. Robben, Makelele, Sneijder and now Ozil. They just discard world class players for seemingly no reason.


I dislike Madrid as a team, they hold too much power. Each one of those players has been stars for the teams they moved to and I wouldn't think Bale is much better than him anyway (yet to be seen though).


----------



## Callum96

jJoe said:


> I dislike Madrid as a team, they hold too much power. Each one of those players has been stars for the teams they moved to and I wouldn't think Bale is much better than him anyway (yet to be seen though).


Bale for £86 million is absolutely outrageous. And they bought Kaka for £56m, spent £30m on his wages, then let him go on a free last night!
But that's what you can do when you are such a big club, and haven't been financially crippled by some American arseholes.


----------



## Joe

mark101 said:


> we already have top quality, i'd just like a few top defenders come in.


A few strikers wouldn't hurt either. Sanogo had a good record last season but is still relatively unproven and the only other fallback if Giroud/Podolski are out is Bendtner (it could be his year though ).


----------



## Callum96

mark101 said:


> Well in these two posts you say he was offered early in the transfer window, then you state he hasn't gone to utd because they don't need that type of player but then that Moyes was reconsidering last night but decided against it.
> 
> What's going on there then? :con


Yes, he was offered early in the transfer window.
No, we don't need that type of player. We have Kagawa.
Yes, he was reconsidering but then decided against it.

Pretty simple really.


----------



## Joe

Bale isn't on the level C. Ronaldo was on leaving United. The transfer market wasn't as ridiculous back then but it was getting there.


----------



## googleamiable

well madrid and barca benefit from the unfair tv rights in spain, so until that is righted they can waste money with no downside, regardless of success of ffp.


----------



## sleepytime

The standard in the Premier League has jumped another level this year I think. There is going to at least one seriously good team without CL football next year. I expect City and Chelsea will be there but there could be an epic battle for the other 2 spots. United, Spurs and Arsenal are all very close I think. Liverpool might even have an outside shot if we can keep our first 11 fit for most of the season.


----------



## Paper Samurai

sleepytime said:


> The standard in the Premier League has jumped another level this year I think. There is going to at least one seriously good team without CL football next year. I expect City and Chelsea will be there but there could be an epic battle for the other 2 spots. United, Spurs and Arsenal are all very close I think. Liverpool might even have an outside shot if we can keep our first 11 fit for most of the season.


City look extremely rusty and disjointed against both Cardiff and Hull - two promotion sides! I'm not actually sure if they're guaranteed a Top 4 slot.

But of course, this could be because they've tried to integrate far to many players way to soon (see Spurs as well) and they may improve as the season goes on. But if they continue playing as they have, who knows where they will end up.


----------



## googleamiable

^ yea its interesting. before the first game kicked off it felt obvious to me city would be incredibly good, hasn't gone that way in 2 of their 3 games. the first few games realyl seem like the top sides are wary of losing maybe because all 6 top clubs seem so strong, and no one wants to fall behind. Might see games opening up in a month or so.


----------



## Joe

mark101 said:


> Totally agree but you also have these billionaire owners dipping into their own pockets at man city/chelski/psg and **** loads of other clubs are going that way.
> That's going a long way to inflating prices.
> 
> Edit: yes i am aware we have billionaire owners but so far they haven't put their money into the club and that suits me just fine.


If FFP works as I think then billionaire owners will be calmed down slightly, but Madrid/Barca have hugely unbalanced incomes compared to other big teams due to tv money so it makes it incredibly unfair. I think all leagues TV money should work like the premier league, so lower clubs get decent amounts of money.


----------



## CristianNC

Was looking through some pictures and in the light of Celtic playing Barcelona again this year, I wanted to remind you guys of this gem of a match from last year. One of my favourites for sure!










P.S: TONY WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, TONY ****ING WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Bale is a solid player but for me he in no way deserves the fee he got. At best maybe a bit more than half that. Last season he was a one man wrecking crew but it's a different story when you're not the only cut above player in your squad. He does however deserve his move to Madrid & to be playing with the best of the best in the Champions League. Perhaps he'll have similar season to this past one & I'll eat my words come trophy time but the saga over his move & how much he would get just annoyed me. He was gone before the end of last season, so much drama over a done deal. End rant.

I'm glad the transfer window is closed. Now we can see which teams gel with their new arrivals & which teams have proper depth for a good run


----------



## CristianNC

^Happy days for Arsenal supporters huh? Signed Özil, won the North London Derby, Fabregas making fun of United and the traitor Van Persie got tossed around by Steven Gerrard haha.


----------



## karenw

I'm a Chelsea fan, man united & arsenal never, England yes, I like gerrard

BLUE LIONS...... (ROAR)

CMON YOU BLUES..... (ROAR)


----------



## CristianNC

Jesus Christ, Hungarians are mad as hell. In case some of you don't know, Romania is playing a very important game against Hungary tonight in the World Cup Qualifiers and again, if some of you don't know, Romania and Hungary have a relationship of hating each other to death for centuries because of historical reasons (I don't think you'll find two nations hating each more than that, in Europe at least).

They arrived today and the center of Bucharest is currently a war-zone between 2800 Hungarians and about 3400 policemen. I know Romanian fans weren't nice either when we played away in Hungary, but the Hungarians are just being mindless barbarians now.

Here's just a small example of what happened today:





I'll be going at the game tonight and this absurd animosity between the two sides is bothering me. Fun fact, there will be about 4000 policemen at the game tonight for just 5000 away fans (actually, the 50.000 Romanians won't be angels either so it's fair).

I can only imagine the massive booing that's going to take place when the Hungarian national anthem will be played.
*
Post game edit: We smashed 'em!3-0!*


----------



## CristianNC

Sorry if I'm boring you guys with my all my madness about Romania-Hungary, I just arrived from the game and I just wanted to post the singing of the national anthems.



CristianNC said:


> I can only imagine the massive booing that's going to take place when the Hungarian national anthem will be played.


Boy, was I right.....I'm not proud of my Romanians for this (I guess our patriotism got the best of us). Hungary's national anthem was booed by at least 90% of the 50.000 Romanians at the stadium so please skip this horrible moment and go to 1:50 if you want to see the singing of our national anthem, which was one of the most passionate and epic moments I've ever seen in person.


----------



## PrinceHF

CristianNC said:


> Sorry if I'm boring you guys with my all my madness about Romania-Hungary, I just arrived from the game and I just wanted to post the singing of the national anthems.
> 
> Boy, was I right.....I'm not proud of my Romanians for this (I guess our patriotism got the best of us). Hungary's national anthem was booed by at least 90% of the 50.000 Romanians at the stadium so please skip this horrible moment and go to 1:50 if you want to see the singing of our national anthem, which was one of the most passionate and epic moments I've ever seen in person.


Cool man, congratz with the victory. We(Turkey) have beaten Andorra 5-0, today. And tuesday we will be playing Romania, so goodluck and may the best win.


----------



## CristianNC

PrinceHF said:


> Cool man, congratz with the victory. We(Turkey) have beaten Andorra 5-0, today. And tuesday we will be playing Romania, so goodluck and may the best win.


Yeah, I know! If we win that might secure the 2nd spot in the group (since we only have the games against Andorra and Estonia left) and going to the play-offs, if you win, you're tied at 13 points with us and I'm terribly scared of Turkey since they brought Fatih Terim, that man is a brilliant manager. May the best win!


----------



## renegade disaster

good result for england last night, nice to see lambert get another goal and welbeck to score a couple. didn't see the booking but now he's out of the game against ukraine, which is gonna suck.



jJoe said:


> If FFP works as I think then billionaire owners will be calmed down slightly, but Madrid/Barca have hugely unbalanced incomes compared to other big teams due to tv money so it makes it incredibly unfair. I think all leagues TV money should work like the premier league, so lower clubs get decent amounts of money.


la liga is ****ed due to the inequality of payments, its basically a constant 2 horse race,loads of fans of the smaller clubs have protested before in the past. the whole bale thing for 100 million euro was ridiculous, how is a player is ever gonna live up to that amount of money. the price isn't reflective on him imo,sure he's a great player but the money was to simply send a message out to the world about how wealthy and great a club they are. its generates more money and publicity for them and sells more shirts,tv subscriptions and keeps the cash rolling in. its like a fashion industry to them ,they wanna be seen as the team that has the finger on the pulse with the latest and best players.


----------



## renegade disaster

^At 6p per print, Gareth Bale can buy the entire population of Pyongyang, North Korea, a picture of Barack Obama.

Kim Jong-un(believable)!!! 

lolol.


----------



## Joe

renegade disaster said:


> good result for england last night, nice to see lambert get another goal and welbeck to score a couple. didn't see the booking but now he's out of the game against ukraine, which is gonna suck.
> 
> la liga is ****ed due to the inequality of payments, its basically a constant 2 horse race,loads of fans of the smaller clubs have protested before in the past. the whole bale thing for 100 million euro was ridiculous, how is a player is ever gonna live up to that amount of money. the price isn't reflective on him imo,sure he's a great player but the money was to simply send a message out to the world about how wealthy and great a club they are. its generates more money and publicity for them and sells more shirts,tv subscriptions and keeps the cash rolling in. its like a fashion industry to them ,they wanna be seen as the team that has the finger on the pulse with the latest and best players.


Arguably C.Ronaldo has proved his worth as an 80m player, if shirt sales are to believed (no one can question his on pitch performance). I do agree that Bale was more of a statement of power than of a purchase of value, he doesn't come across like a superstar player through his personality either unlike other Galacticos.

Didn't see the England game but Lambert seems like a top choice so far although Welbeck looks much stronger for England than he does for United.


----------



## Callum96

jJoe said:


> Arguably C.Ronaldo has proved his worth as an 80m player, if shirt sales are to believed (no one can question his on pitch performance). I do agree that Bale was more of a statement of power than of a purchase of value, he doesn't come across like a superstar player through his personality either unlike other Galacticos.
> 
> Didn't see the England game but Lambert seems like a top choice so far although Welbeck looks much stronger for England than he does for United.


I think Ronaldo was an absolute bargain at £80m, relative to most other transfers.

Welbeck's a funny one. He plays better for United, yet scores more for England. His ability is underrated, and once he develops his finishing and positioning he'll be a top, top player.


----------



## Joe

I was going purely on goals, wrong of me to do since the amount of minutes he gets. Last time I watched United before the Liverpool game was when they played Madrid  he looked dangerous against Liverpool in movements but not too worrying because of his finishing. 

When the next Messi/Ronaldo calibre player arrives I wouldn't be surprised to see the fee over £100 million.


----------



## Joe

mark101 said:


> With Real Madrid/Barcelona or Manchester City being the only ones able to pay it and get around FFP I imagine. :blank


It's ridiculous. Real Madrid/Barca = T.V. Money (I've heard that Madrid has been funded from the Spanish royal family in the past even).
Man City = Unfair sponsorships (Ethidad Arena naming rights are the highest in world football, this was before they won a PL title).


----------



## starsfreak

I'm all Bundesliga  
Hamburger SV! (yeah funny name I know )









Probably the most famous player in our club^^









We're currently not really in form. Sitting at 12th at the moment but the season is long^^

I follow Liverpool in the Premier League aswell. Superb club!


----------



## Paper Samurai

DanielFromGER said:


> I'm all Bundesliga
> Hamburger SV! (yeah funny name I know )
> ...


You're the guys who have Djourou on loan  How's he doing by the way?


----------



## starsfreak

Paper Samurai said:


> You're the guys who have Djourou on loan  How's he doing by the way?


Yup 

Can't really tell at the moment cause he only had one game in this season so far and that was against a pretty weak team. But he proved to be solid there. I got confidence in him


----------



## Paper Samurai

DanielFromGER said:


> Yup
> 
> Can't really tell at the moment cause he only had one game in this season so far and that was against a pretty weak team. But he proved to be solid there. I got confidence in him


Good to know! He was very good a couple of seasons ago then lost confidence, hopefully he can pick up again.


----------



## CristianNC

Looks like Florentino Pérez is trying to explain his decision to sell Özil. Though it's hard to believe, there have been reports of Özil being caught smoking and Mourinho being concerned about his partying, but it seems to me like Pérez is exaggerating massively.


----------



## CristianNC

DanielFromGER said:


> I'm all Bundesliga
> Hamburger SV! (yeah funny name I know )
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Probably the most famous player in our club^^
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> We're currently not really in form. Sitting at 12th at the moment but the season is long^^
> 
> I follow Liverpool in the Premier League aswell. Superb club!


Hey dude! Though I'm a Liverpool fan, I follow Bundesliga every weekend since it's the most spectacular and offensive big league (hell, I even love playing Football Manager with German teams). I watched Hamburg's first game this season against Schalke, really spectacular game, but you guys threw the win two times . My opinion is that Thorsten Fink is not the right man for Hamburg (they should be way higher than they were in recent seasons), but who am I to say that.


----------



## CristianNC

mark101 said:


> They are just trying to slander Ozil now to get the fans back on side who along with the RM players are still angry at Perez for selling him.
> 
> *http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...with-the-fall-out-from-the-sale-of-mesut-ozil*​


Yeah, but I'll be the devil's advocate and say that we can't know anything for sure. There have been clear reports of Mourinho complaining about Ozil and his night life, but not to the extent Perez is talking about.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

That Steven Gerrard goal in the Friday England game is still running through my mind. The way he hit that ball seemed so off initially but it's actually such a brilliant strike


----------



## John310

Any England fans starting to get more nervous by the second about tonight's game?


----------



## John310

karenw said:


> Im not passionate about it, I do want England to win the match though,I saw Gerrard boot that ball over from one side of the pitch to the other, that man gets stuck in. . I can watch a full match if England are playing & Gerrard is in the team. . It's abit boring when nil nil.
> Lampards easy on the eye though!


Watching England has become boring full stop. It sounds like you have found another way to make it more entertaining!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

When England have proper competition they can't seem to find a real cutting edge anymore. Welbeck was a real miss for them yesterday, he's been great for the national side


----------



## John310

Canadian Brotha said:


> When England have proper competition they can't seem to find a real cutting edge anymore. Welbeck was a real miss for them yesterday, he's been great for the national side


Welbeck's done well for England and had a good start for Man Utd, but not sure he's going to be the saviour of English Football

But England have lacked a real cutting edge for sometime even with a full strength squad out there. Doesn't feel like there is any passion either. Say what you like about David Beckham he showed passion playing for England.


----------



## googleamiable

its what i always say about england. The problems start from the top, everything else is a symptom. Appointing bad / defensive / overrated managers. our current one is just another in a long line, i just dread who might get the job after we fail in brazil next summer. 

mclaren back or gareth southgate would be normal FA choices. 

hodge just plays a boring 4-5-1 regardless of home/away/opposition, giving very average players like lambert/milner caps, as well as the similarly overrated man united forwards in wellbeck and ashley young. 

lampard does have a good instinct for getting on the end of chances but with carrick/gerrard he's a luxury, and his ball control/passing is pretty bad. we couldve played something like:




defoe
sterling walcott 
henderson
carrick gerrard

@ @ @ @ 

@ (generic back 5)

in the previous 2 games with rooney and sturridge out. defoe can finish and is decent technically, whereas lambert is a big target man so i guess his inculsion was inevitable. 

alternatively put walcott up front, henderson further forward and wilshere infront of gerrard/carrick.


----------



## John310

michael1 said:


> its what i always say about england. The problems start from the top, everything else is a symptom. Appointing bad / defensive / overrated managers. our current one is just another in a long line, i just dread who might get the job after we fail in brazil next summer.
> 
> mclaren back or gareth southgate would be normal FA choices.
> 
> hodge just plays a boring 4-5-1 regardless of home/away/opposition, giving very average players like lambert/milner caps, as well as the similarly overrated man united forwards in wellbeck and ashley young.
> 
> lampard does have a good instinct for getting on the end of chances but with carrick/gerrard he's a luxury, and his ball control/passing is pretty bad. we couldve played something like:
> 
> defoe
> sterling walcott
> henderson
> carrick gerrard
> 
> @ @ @ @
> 
> @ (generic back 5)
> 
> in the previous 2 games with rooney and sturridge out. defoe can finish and is decent technically, whereas lambert is a big target man so i guess his inculsion was inevitable.
> 
> alternatively put walcott up front, henderson further forward and wilshere infront of gerrard/carrick.


Gerrard seems to play deeper every game and soon as we go a goal down against decent opposition he picks it up off the back four and tries to make 70 yard miracle passes. Don't get me wrong he a quality player but always been slightly overrated imo. Lampard gets in my England team before almost anyone right now and that's a bad sign considering his age.

Henderson!? you must be a Liverpool fan?

Agree about Ashley Young, how he got so far as a pro with his touch is beyond me.

What I like about Lambert is you can actually see how much playing for England means to him, reminds me of how you could see it in Beckham's face. The fact that he's actually in the squad shows England's lack of quality depth. But he's scored lots of goals and deserves his chance. I remember watching him in the lower leagues so its good to see him in an England shirt.

Now Southgate is under 21s manager that is a possibility, god help us.

This won't happen but what about giving Sir Alex a two-year contract after the World Cup to try and win the Euro's. Would love to see that but chances are slim to none.


----------



## googleamiable

This is the thing we feel all nice about giving lampard a billion mostly undeserved caps (usually is abysmal in tournaments), and the same with lambert, it's a nice story but the bottom line is he's not good enough, the wrong kind of player if we want to actually play football, and too old as well. 

i am a lpool fan but henderson improved massively last season, he makes good forward runs like gerrard in his pomp. he's easily a huge upgrade on someone like milner, would fit well in that example team i put out. ferdinand and terry at the back are very good, and cole remains an excellent (probably world class) left back, nso no problems there. 

Obviously right back is an area we need to look at. Walker is overrated as well, and johnson the 2nd half of last season was terrible for lpool, tho first half (his normal form) he was very good. He also hasa played well thus far this season, so maybe run of bad form is behind him.

gerrard plays deeper these days for club too, but i dont see any problem. he's probably the best allround midfielder in the world the past few decades. by that I mean he can adapt and thrive in any number of positions. 

He played for lpool for about 3 seasons as a fulyl fledged right winger, byline/crossing and all that, and was excellent. He can also play the number 10, left wing (england), holdinf mid, playmaker, box to box. The guy can do everything, and everything to a VERY high level, best mid we have hands down.


----------



## gunner21

John310 said:


> Gerrard seems to play deeper every game and soon as we go a goal down against decent opposition he picks it up off the back four and tries to make 70 yard miracle passes. Don't get me wrong he a quality player but always been slightly overrated imo. Lampard gets in my England team before almost anyone right now and that's a bad sign considering his age.
> 
> Henderson!? you must be a Liverpool fan?
> 
> Agree about Ashley Young, how he got so far as a pro with his touch is beyond me.
> 
> What I like about Lambert is you can actually see how much playing for England means to him, reminds me of how you could see it in Beckham's face. The fact that he's actually in the squad shows England's lack of quality depth. But he's scored lots of goals and deserves his chance. I remember watching him in the lower leagues so its good to see him in an England shirt.
> 
> Now Southgate is under 21s manager that is a possibility, god help us.
> 
> This won't happen but what about giving Sir Alex a two-year contract after the World Cup to try and win the Euro's. Would love to see that but chances are slim to none.


Gerrard is a better defender and playmaker (debatable) than Lampard, so I think he is better suited to play a deep defensive mid. Lampard would work better in an attacking role.


----------



## John310

gunner21 said:


> Gerrard is a better defender and playmaker (debatable) than Lampard, so I think he is better suited to play a deep defensive mid. Lampard would work better in an attacking role.


yeah but sometimes its been like playing with a back 5.


----------



## Foh_Teej

Mexico better step up or watch Brazil from home. Dos a cero really stings I bet:boogie


----------



## John310

karenw said:


> Yeah footballers thighs lol


I'm shocked! I thought it was their endearing personalities you liked the most lol


----------



## karenw

John310 said:


> I'm shocked! I thought it was their endearing personalities you liked the most lol


Nope I can't say I'm attracted to footballers without sounding like a sweeping generalisation of all footballers, I'm not one of those that would flock if a pro were in the house.


----------



## John310

karenw said:


> Nope I can't say I'm attracted to footballers without sounding like a sweeping generalisation of all footballers, I'm not one of those that would flock if a pro were in the house.


What about a semi-pro? Not that I would ever be in your house? Would I!? lol


----------



## karenw

Dunno lol, best to get back on topic re football Ha


----------



## John310

karenw said:


> Dunno lol


At least that wasn't a NO!


----------



## renegade disaster

congrats to usa for qualifying for the world cup. saw the end of that match complete with fireworks going off! kind of reminded me of this ad.





ah I love you guys sometimes.


----------



## nml

that Ukraine game was dreck. It's good the entitlement England fans once had seems to have been rightly deflated. The talent just isn't there imo. Take our striking talent, Rooney who has his moments but is (come on) past his best, or Lambert, who I like but, well...isn't exactly van Persie is he. We got the manager we deserve with Hodgson.

I suppose people look at the premier league and think "but those teams are really good, why isn't England as good?"

less depressingly I'm looking forward to seeing how Wenger plays Ozil. You'd think he'd be better suited to a passing, flowing team like Arsenal than a largely counter attacking side like Real. so should be interesting.


----------



## John310

nml said:


> that Ukraine game was dreck. It's good the entitlement England fans once had seems to have been rightly deflated. The talent just isn't there imo. Take our striking talent, Rooney who has his moments but is (come on) past his best, or Lambert, who I like but, well...isn't exactly van Persie is he. We got the manager we deserve with Hodgson.
> 
> I suppose people look at the premier league and think "but those teams are really good, why isn't England as good?"
> 
> less depressingly I'm looking forward to seeing how Wenger plays Ozil. You'd think he'd be better suited to a passing, flowing team like Arsenal than a largely counter attacking side like Real. so should be interesting.


I think Ozil will do well at Arsenal. BUT they have a lot of similar players now. Ozil, Chamberlin, Santi, Wilshire. Young, low-center of gravity, skillful. Imo they needed a world-class center half and a genuine leader who wasn't afraid to get his foot in now and then. Arsenal are still crying out for Viera v2. imo.


----------



## LeeMann

I like the Spanish, English and German leagues.

I started watching soccer since Euro96. But the 2009-2011 Barca team is the best I've ever seen. They looked totally dominant and invincible at the time. 

The recent counter-attacking trio Bayern, Dortmund and Madrid were also fun to watch. I thought Ozil was more fit in counter-attacking teams. Both Madrid and Germany (specially World Cup 2010) were devout C-attacking teams.


----------



## googleamiable

the barca team was great. ive had endless debates with my brother over whether it's the system or the players. he errs more toward system, me players. they have iniesta and messi in their prime together, probably the best attacker and best midfielder in the world. 

But i guess if stoke under tony pulis (or england under roy hodgeson) had those 2, they wouldnt dominate AS much as barca do.

arsenal are another good case. that invincibles team had a perfect synergy from the midfield up (every good team has a solid defence too), with petit-veiera, bergkamp and henry. Wenger's system may have been good, but the players were incredibe.

i'd say fergie's united are more a case of a system with interchangeable players. But his teams were always a mix of functional and quality (enough quality) to win leagues and compete, but they were never great.


----------



## nml

John310 said:


> I think Ozil will do well at Arsenal. BUT they have a lot of similar players now. Ozil, Chamberlin, Santi, Wilshire. Young, low-center of gravity, skillful. Imo they needed a world-class center half and a genuine leader who wasn't afraid to get his foot in now and then. Arsenal are still crying out for Viera v2. imo.


 
I agree with most of that. I thought the problem was Wenger lacks the options to make it through a full season...so when the inevitable injuries happen :no. How signing another (brilliant) creative player solves that? But it seemed to work in getting the press off Wenger's back.




michael1 said:


> the barca team was great. ive had endless debates with my brother over whether it's the system or the players. he errs more toward system, me players. they have iniesta and messi in their prime together, probably the best attacker and best midfielder in the world.


 
That's an interesting one. I guess I'd lean more towards system in Barca's case, especially considering how many Barca players went through La Masia, being taught the Cruyff system from so young. And lots of the Barca players were Spanish, so it's not like they got victory by shipping in a bunch of random talent (Man City!). but it varies, and Barca are a bit of an extreme.

and even if they had a squad of talented players drilled in that philosophy from a young age, would they still have been as good without Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and the rest, hmmm.


----------



## Joe

England is the worst team to watch. They deserve to be ranked #17 (if they are, being #3 after Euros was a joke). 

In other news Bale scored on his debut! And Eriksens good performance makes me cry on what could of been if Liverpool went for him early in the window.


----------



## Callum96

What a fantastic day for Man United. 

Can't comprehend how City are bookies' favourites to win the league. Should be Chelsea. 

Oh, and Ashley Young is an absolute disgrace - from a United fan.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

~ Utd didn't play all that well but got the points. Palace were working hard & holding their own. The ref made a bad call with the sending off, ruined the game

~ Man City drop points & didn't look cohesive at all. Stoke were trying to play more intricate football than they are used to, they deserved a win

~ Arsenal looked good but Sunderland deserved a draw, again the ref made a bad call disallowing the Altidore goal

~ Everton looked really good & my boys in Chelsea blue played well but just couldn't quite score. I think we deserved a draw but keep an eye on what Martinez is doing at Everton

~ I hope Liverpool drop points in their upcoming game


----------



## Paper Samurai

mark101 said:


> Good debut from Ozil and so good to see Aaron Ramsey finally getting back to the player he was before his injury.


My fellow countryman is doing well at the moment - only a matter of time till he regains the Wales captaincy


----------



## starsfreak

Not really amused about the last result of my club :no


----------



## renegade disaster

bit of a dull 0-0 result yesterday for saints. we should have won though, we deserved a goal. jaaskelainen kept the hammers on level terms.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Ronaldo's 3rd goal was quite something yesterday, such quick feet. The Juventus draw was a surprise for me. I hope Chelsea win today


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^That's a pretty cool crest pic

~We(Chelsea) lost again, the papers are going to have a couple field days with it for sure


----------



## LeeMann

DanielFromGER said:


> Not really amused about the last result of my club :no


Yeah. Dortmund are now one of the big boys. Deadly counter attacking with a beautiful play. But I don't know if that is because Klopp is too good or the squad...


----------



## Tiago89

FC Porto supporter here, the current nacional champion (portugal) 3 years in a row.


----------



## alotofnotalk

S.L. BENFICA, best team in the world


----------



## renegade disaster

and its all southampton fc! great to get 3 points at anfield. haha 

edit; also good result for chelsea, just seen the result, 2-0 against fulham.


----------



## Esugi78

Welcome to mediocrity Man U :/ ...


----------



## Elad

summary:


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Jon Obi Mikel scoring for Chelsea is amazing considering he hasn't in something like 8 years. It's well deserved for being a long time servant of the team


----------



## Zeppelin

Can't believe United lost to City. Hopefully we will beat them next time....


----------



## Fooza

Hope Manutd beat Liverpool come Wednesday, Sunday was just a nightmare...


----------



## Winds

Elad said:


>


----------



## Elad

Who are your favorite players ever? the one you rate the highest?

for me it has to be Ronaldo (brazilian), growing up watching him was amazing, never seen so much skill/power in a player before. sucks so much he got injured. even after gaining weight he was up with the best. legend.

immense:


----------



## Exsq

Possibly a long shot after last night haha, but any other Madridistas on here?


----------



## Elad

Exsq said:


> Possibly a long shot after last night haha, but any other Madridistas on here?


Location: UK


----------



## renegade disaster

favourite players ever? for me ,le god! I grew up watching him at the dell,at one point he was the main person responsible for keeping saints up season after season in the 90's. his penalty record was phenomenal and he could produce some moments of genius.















the divine ponytail! always thought he was a great player back then, its only upon reflection now I see how great he really was. he always had a decent humble demeanor too.


----------



## moloko

Not looking good for Manchester United. Losing at home with WBA. Succeeding Alex Ferguson could never be easy.


----------



## moloko

All the worst to petrodollars clubs, I'm glad Man City lost. (sorry any city fans)


----------



## Elad

lol

**** moyes


----------



## alotofnotalk

Elad said:


> Who are your favorite players ever? the one you rate the highest?
> 
> for me it has to be Ronaldo (brazilian), growing up watching him was amazing, never seen so much skill/power in a player before. sucks so much he got injured. even after gaining weight he was up with the best. legend.
> 
> immense:


I agree, Ronaldo was just amazing!

I also enjoyed watching Ronaldinho play in his Barcelona years

unique play style...


----------



## gunner21

My reaction when watching Arsenal play:


----------



## CristianNC

Elad said:


> Who are your favorite players ever?


Favourite player?

*By a mile.....*


----------



## Paper Samurai

Went to see Arsenal at Swansea today  ! 2-1 is a great result imo against a Swansea team that are very good at keeping the ball.


----------



## moloko

Just out of curiosity, how much did you pay for the ticket?


----------



## Paper Samurai

£45 (or $72) I'm not to sure of your location lol.


I can only see them a couple of times a year though, because it's just to expensive for me.


----------



## moloko

I'm €€€.  Yeah, that's expensive. Close to the pitch isn't exactly the best place to get cheap tickets either.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

@Paper Samurai ~Lucky SOB! One day I'm gonna get on a plane & watch some of these EPL games live

~ Upsets for Manchester fans on either side of the aisle

~ We(Chelsea) looked poor in the first half but Mata added some positivity with the change of shape & we looked on course for a comeback win if Torres wasn't sent off

~ Arsenal are on fire but I'm still not sure but their squad depth for the course of the season


----------



## Paper Samurai

Canadian Brotha said:


> @Paper Samurai ~Lucky SOB! One day I'm gonna get on a plane & watch some of these EPL games live


haha, cheers :b When you see a match live, maybe it's just me but it actually seems a couple of notches faster than when watching on TV. It actually makes you appreciate just how good modern footballers are to be able to pick out accurate passes at the speed at which they do.

I sometimes miss parts of a game because of how much 'faster' it is as well! But to be fair the atmosphere is bloody amazing live, so it makes up for it.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I wonder how long Jose will keep experimenting with our line up & shape before we see a more consistent team this season. I love the man as it's never dull with him around but his stubbornness with his authority can at times be detrimental to the team performances/results



mark101 said:


>


It's funny, all the Rooney hype through the summer & he puts on a pair of boots & does the business. By comparison such little media hype devoted to the departure of a managerial king & his successor & now we are seeing how they may struggle throughout the season. On one of our post game shows one of the the analysts said something to the effect of "maybe Sir Alex knew when to leave this group of players". That's a bit harsh but the fact remain Moyes inherited a team used to a dictatorship & he only brought in one player to aid in what was always going to be a trial year for him anyway



Paper Samurai said:


> haha, cheers :b When you see a match live, maybe it's just me but it actually seems a couple of notches faster than when watching on TV. It actually makes you appreciate just how good modern footballers are to be able to pick out accurate passes at the speed at which they do.
> 
> I sometimes miss parts of a game because of how much 'faster' it is as well! But to be fair the atmosphere is bloody amazing live, so it makes up for it.


Sounds a very fair trade to have that experience under your belt, no doubt!


----------



## Fooza

I'd still give Moyes a couple of season before I start judging him, knew this season getting in the top 4 would be a priority. I coudn't see Moyes winning a title straight after Fergie.


----------



## googleamiable

Elad said:


> Who are your favorite players ever? the one you rate the highest?
> 
> for me it has to be Ronaldo (brazilian), growing up watching him was amazing, never seen so much skill/power in a player before. sucks so much he got injured. even after gaining weight he was up with the best. legend.
> 
> immense:


yes, brazilian ronaldo all day. i especially like dynamic players, like henry, gerrard in his box to box days. ronaldo was the best of the lot, he had no respect for defenders at all. "4 defenders infront of me? ok, i will go straight through them"


----------



## Monster123

I have also been a Man Utd fan all my life. Manage to get to a few games a season, the last one being the 0-0 draw with Chelsea earlier this season. 

Testing times at the moment!


----------



## Elad

Too many videos in posts to quote everyone but those are all legendary players. God damn I love football.

I honestly don't think Moyes was/is ready for a top flight team (Everton isn't) but I'm sure the board knew this as they constantly stressed about long term stability which they got in Moyes. If they went for one of the biggest mangers it would most likely be a 3 year fix before they jumped somewhere else.

Despite the start United really arnt far behind at all, but the way Moyes talks (not enough world class players..) it seems pretty demoralizing for the team. I still think its between City/Chelsea simply because of the depth they have, still only 6 games in an Liverpool/Arsenal fans are prematurely jizzing their pants about winning the league.

Whatever happens, so far this looks like the most open season I've ever seen, the top 4 seem so interchangeable and teams like Swansea, Villa and Southampton are playing sexxxxy football.


----------



## Monster123

Exactly. I'm not sure why anyone would think the transition after fergies departure would go smoothly.. Scarily exciting in my opinion. I just hope we give Moyes more than just a season or two to get things together!


----------



## CristianNC

Looks like I'm going to Steaua Bucharest-Chelsea tomorrow, although I'm conflicted about it. My dad's boss is good friends with an important head of security and his company handles most big football games in Romania. He (the security officer) knows I'm a big football fan (I played pool with him, my dad and his boss on multiple occasions) so he offered to take me to the game in the VIP lounge (tickets are very expensive and long sold). More than that, he said that at half time we can go in the tunnel that leads to the dressing rooms and meet some of the players on their way there. Apparently he's been doing this for years and even had small-chats with some of the players (proven by the dozens of autographs and pictures from players he has in his collection). 

Although this may sound wonderful, it's still a form of corruption and abuse of power and it makes me terribly conflicted....though a picture with Lampard or Mourinho does sound nice...


----------



## Elad

mark101 said:


> Where did you get that from?
> 
> Not heard anything like that myself.


Just a lot of trolling, though I'm trolling a little bit myself with that comment. 



Monster123 said:


> Exactly. I'm not sure why anyone would think the transition after fergies departure would go smoothly.. Scarily exciting in my opinion. I just hope we give Moyes more than just a season or two to get things together!


I think the way the transfers were handled, and now not even being able to pick the best 11.. no one really expected this bad of a start. There should be some leniency for transition but its not like this is a new team, its a championship winning team that hes messing up. If he somehow doesn't make top 4... yikes. I think they'll need to strengthen in Jan.



CristianNC said:


> Looks like I'm going to Steaua Bucharest-Chelsea tomorrow, although I'm conflicted about it. My dad's boss is good friends with an important head of security and his company handles most big football games in Romania. He (the security officer) knows I'm a big football fan (I played pool with him, my dad and his boss on multiple occasions) so he offered to take me to the game in the VIP lounge (tickets are very expensive and long sold). More than that, he said that at half time we can go in the tunnel that leads to the dressing rooms and meet some of the players on their way there. Apparently he's been doing this for years and even had small-chats with some of the players (proven by the dozens of autographs and pictures from players he has in his collection).
> 
> Although this may sound wonderful, it's still a form of corruption and abuse of power and it makes me terribly conflicted....though a picture with Lampard or Mourinho does sound nice...


Damn.. I'm seriously jelly.

Whatever it is, its a massive opportunity you might never get again. I say get as many as you can! its just a moment of their time but something you'll have/remember forever, dont let the opportunity pass you by.

pic with Hazard/Oscar/Mata would be awesome too.


----------



## nml

Barca vs Celtic and Man City vs Bayern Munich this week, and both on tele


----------



## Monster123

I'm still pretty miffed about Ozil going to Arsenal, always thought it would be us that brought him to the premier league!


----------



## Fooza

Monster123 said:


> I'm still pretty miffed about Ozil going to Arsenal, always thought it would be us that brought him to the premier league!


Still upset about that, I thought manutd planned the transfer window like a bunch of school boys and we can see the results of it now. Hope we get some wins and push on now.


----------



## Paper Samurai

mark101 said:


> That must suck but he wanted to play for Arsene Wenger not Moyes
> He is just ridiculously good :clap
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> What a performance the boys put in tonight, each and every one of them
> 
> Arsenal 2-0 Napoli


Highlights in gif form  :


----------



## SupaDupaFly

Ozil is a beast.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Arsenal beating Napoli was a bit of a surprise for me. Thought maybe a 2-2 draw or 2-1 for Napoli but the gunners are on a hot streak at the moment


----------



## Jaxosix

Was expecting it to be alot tougher for us than it was last night tbh. Ozil, I mean WOW. How in the world did we manage to get him? He's the sort of player that every club across Europe should have been in for. 

Real Madrid, I'm sorry but whoever made that decision is just stupid. But, I'm happy because it means we've got him. 

The atmosphere at The Emirates last night sounded great, Best I've heard (on the telly) for a long time. Well done boys and Wenger!  COYG!


----------



## Elad

That first half from arsenal was just beautiful to watch, such free flowing football. Cant wait for the Dortmund games.

Bayern/City should be interesting today.


----------



## Paper Samurai

Elad said:


> That first half from arsenal was just beautiful to watch, such free flowing football. Cant wait for the Dortmund games.
> 
> Bayern/City should be interesting today.


City are going to get 'plundered' tonight I think :b


----------



## renegade disaster

^just seen the result, 3-1.

missed half of the juve game as I was trying to sort **** out with my mum... saw two of the goals, bit of a **** up at the back to let drogba score the first and saw the late juve penalty equaliser. overall I didn't think they looked as dominant as I thought they'd be, was hoping they'd be a real force in europe this year but on that performance i'm not really too sure.
:/


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Man City can't buy a good run in the Champions League, lol. That said Bayern were always a tall order for them, they are a tall order for every club in the competition


----------



## wayfreshnclean

Bayern looking just as strong if not stronger this season. Really proud of their win yesterday even though they cruised through it :clap. 

Anyone think Arsenal have a good chance of taking the Premier League title this season?


----------



## renegade disaster

^ it should never have been awarded to qatar imo.


----------



## renegade disaster

lol I know its ridiculous. I have my doubts about their claimed cooling systems for the pitches. plus all the news about the dodgy human rights just make me think they should give it to someone else. you can't have a world cup in the winter, it would ****up everything over in europe. and ,well its just not the same.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I love Mourinho because he is never dull but Moses & Lukaku leaving Chelsea this season was bad business I feel. I know he brought in some players but a couple of those guys left out for the 2 gone would have resulted in more cohesion for our team this season. I guess every fan is a manager without the stress of it though


----------



## Paper Samurai

Man Utd struggle to win against bottom of the table Sunderland :sus

It's amazing to me that this side won the league last season by such a big margin.


----------



## Fooza

Feel relieved to get that win, that save from De Gea was top. We can only kick on from here hopefully.


----------



## gunner21

Sturridge and Suarez are looking gooooood.


----------



## TheEmperor97

Hello guys, anyone here follow Scottish football?


----------



## wayfreshnclean

gunner21 said:


> Sturridge and Suarez are looking gooooood.


Playing in fiiiiiine form. Sturridge made Crystal Palace's defense look silly . Suarez is such a controversial player and the reason is that he is sooooo good. Big fan of Suarez. Call me crude, but I really enjoy the moments of madness that Suarez brings to the game :boogie


----------



## Winds

I thought nothing was going to top Gabriel Torres goal from last month, but Raul Jimenez just did:






Gabriel Torres Goal:


----------



## Micronian

mark101 said:


> I'll be glad once these international qualifiers are out of the way and we can get on with the league, pain in the arse waiting to see who comes back injured.


I'm of the other way around. I live for international games. ...don't care so much for leagues.

A lot of my English friends aren't really into FIFA qualifiers, or international tournaments. They tell me many in England are very apathetic to their national team for many years, and if both types of games were on tv at the same time, they'd prefer to tune into their domestic league game.
That's too bad. There is 1000x the passion in international games.


----------



## nml

there's a (fairly) new Spanish football podcast for anyone trying, like me, to follow la liga in a place where coverage is non existent btw. It's not as in depth as I would have hoped, mostly "this guy scored this week, that story's in the headlines atm" but it's not bad.


----------



## renegade disaster

^ yea watching england can be depressing for many reasons. I'll just be happy if we make it to the world cup so that we can be a part of it. although I should come to expect better it can be so heartbreaking at times.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Gotta be honest, I don't really care for international footy until it's tournament time, it disrupts my fix of league footy & I suffer from withdrawl, lol


----------



## Elad

Finally the ****ing international break is over, glad to see Ozil will be fit to play CP.


----------



## Paper Samurai

Elad said:


> Finally the ****ing international break is over, glad to see Ozil will be fit to play CP.


An Ozil led Arsenal facing Dortmund next Tuesday.










So many classy entertaining players on the pitch all at once. :yes - can't wait !


----------



## Joe

2-2 dsoijgfdoisugdsi90gsi this reminds me of almost every game from the 2011-12 season. The lads played well, just need to get the results now. Taking it game-by-game this was a bad result :rain.

I don't think I need to mention who I'm talking about, the biggest teases in the league.


----------



## Elad

mark101 said:


> Jack Wilshere scores today against Norwich​
> Oh my....


*HNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGG*

Arsenal are playing such ****ing beautiful football, bringing a bit of class to the premier league.


----------



## Elad

Ramsey you sexy beast.. sweet jesus.

also, man united fans right now: 









haha. oh moyes.


----------



## SambaBus

Jizzed after the first goal


----------



## renegade disaster

fantastic wilshire goal. apparently the ozil goal was pretty good too? 

glad saints got a draw at old trafford. would have been nicer to have got a win of course.


----------



## Fooza

Moyes' subs were baffling, his paranoia of losing is pissing me off. Should never have gone defensive against Saints at home no matter how good they're playing at the moment.


----------



## Paper Samurai

Fooza said:


> Moyes' subs were baffling, his paranoia of losing is pissing me off. Should never have gone defensive against Saints at home no matter how good they're playing at the moment.












This meme is strangely accurate :um.


----------



## Jaxosix

Wilshere
Ozil
Ramsey
Ozil










Amazing game and every goal was good. I heard that that was Mesut's first headed goal today? Is that true?

Anyway, The team played great today and apart from a shaky period when Flamini went off with double vision we completely dominated the game.


----------



## Paper Samurai

This pic is doing the rounds on Twitter apparently:

*Arsenal's first goal yesterday.


----------



## Callum96

Although I can't help but think that Arsenal goal was pretty lucky, it's the sort of goal that is scored once every 5 years. Pure, beautiful football.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

~ Eto scoring for my blues finally is pretty sweet

~ That Arsenal goal was pure tic, tac, toe...the kind of play we've expected of Barca in the past few seasons. I keep feeling like they are going to falter at some point but this may well just be their come back season as far as trophies go

~ I kind of think people are a bit forgetful that last season Utd relied fairly heavily on RVP to get them the title just Arsenal did to get a top 4 spot the season before he was traded. They had to come back from behind countless times as well. Utd are having a transition season both through manager & some of the old legs having to move on to sub/part time rolls & they didn't really bring in true fresh blood for inspiration like other teams did

~ If you haven't already check out Ibrahimovic's first goal for PSG this weekend, it's pure ninja! I saw him do something similar for AC Milan years ago. That guy is not only a regular goal scorer but a scorer of great goals


----------



## Elad

in summary


----------



## SPC

im putting the gif up so people who cant be bothered to click can still revel in arsenal magic


----------



## Canadian Brotha

mark101 said:


> We most likely will falter, it's only people outside of Arsenal getting carried away with title talk.
> I'm not naive enough to think we became title winners overnight when we signed Ozil but hey you have to dream a little and believe it's possible.
> 
> I don't get carried away with the lack of trophies like the doom and gloom merchants that would have had Wenger sacked years ago.
> For me at 41yrs old having seen what Arsene has done for my club these past 17yrs has been really special, that man has moulded AFC in his image from his philosophy to the new training ground and the Emirates stadium.


I don't necessarily think they will win the title this season but perhaps one of the cups is a realistic goal. Things always change a lot after xmas in the league & the teams that start the season on fire have their dips in form. Chelsea has had a few seasons where we essentially won most of our games up till the holidays & then it began to catch up. We still went on for cup trophies though


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Kasami's volley at that pace & angle was pretty unreal


----------



## Joe

Lucky Dortmund


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Eto scores for us at the weekend, Torres with a brace yesterday, could our strikes be finding their feet/form?


----------



## hughjames95

Arsenal = sh**


----------



## Paper Samurai

hughjames95 said:


> Arsenal = sh**


One match lost to the previous season's Champions league finalist - a match that should have been a draw in all fairness too. If that makes us sh*t in your eyes so be it :b


----------



## Jaxosix

There's no shame in losing to Dortmund who are a great team with a very good manager. But, The way we lost that game really annoys me. As far as I'm concerned we gifted them that first goal. Ramsey man, We know you're super confident and everything, But clear the bloody ball! 

We lost the game while searching for the win. Arsenal = S**t? for losing to last seasons finalists and one of the favourites for the competition this season - While not even deserving to lose? LOL.


----------



## hughjames95

Plenty of excuses from arsenal fans i see... Forever in chelsea's shadow.


----------



## hughjames95

I started supporting chelsea in 2001 because i lived in earls court, so they were my local club. Stop being jealous and also please refrain from overhyping ozil and wilshere you deluded gooooner, What's the point of having players like them when all you have up front is Giroud and... oh dear ....Bendtner.. Park chu young is still an arsenal player LOL.


----------



## Joe

hughjames95 said:


> I started supporting chelsea in 2001 because i lived in earls court, so they were my local club. Stop being jealous and also please refrain from overhyping ozil and wilshere you deluded gooooner, What's the point of having players like them when all you have up front is Giroud and... oh dear ....Bendtner.. Park chu young is still an arsenal player LOL.


Ozil is better than any chelski player, is there anyone better than Ozil in the entire league? Giroud and then Podolski are probably better than what chelski have too (until the transfer window). Neither team have the quality of SAS upfront though .

P.s. Bendtner is one of Denmarks top strikers :b (looking at his Sunderland record he might be more suited for mid-table though).


----------



## hughjames95

mark101 said:


> You sure you're 18?


How did you know??? What sorcery is this?


----------



## Paper Samurai

hughjames95 said:


> I started supporting chelsea in 2001 because i lived in earls court, so they were my local club. Stop being jealous and also please refrain from overhyping ozil and wilshere you deluded gooooner, What's the point of having players like them when all you have up front is Giroud and... oh dear ....Bendtner.. Park chu young is still an arsenal player LOL.


I know you're trolling - but let me bite just this once. If you started supporting Chelsea in 2001, that would have made you 6 years old - you would have no concept of what a 'local team' is, or why the heck you are supporting any team for that matter. You probably at that age would have 'supported' any team that won a match the previous week :b

And that's just the way it is, most people start supporting a team properly at around 12-14. So the way you're trying to make yourself out to be some holier than thou football fan who was somehow fully aware at 6 years old is laughable. Chances are, you only became aware of Chelsea when Abramovich pumped his money in - so you don't really have a right to be lecturing anyone to be really honest.


----------



## Zack

I started supporting Arsenal in 2003 when I moved to Swansea.


----------



## Elad

lLooking forward to el clasico, should be some fireworks! Hoping to see Bale succeed, would suck if he flops.



BBQ_Chicken said:


> Ozil is better than any chelski player, is there anyone
> 
> better than Ozil in the entire league? Giroud and then Podolski are probably better than what chelski have too (until the transfer window). Neither team have the quality of SAS upfront though .
> 
> P.s. Bendtner is one of Denmarks top strikers :b (looking at his Sunderland record he might be more suited for mid-table though).


Better than what chelsea have?










I think you're really underestimating the quality chelsea have, most of them would walk into the arsenal starting 11... but their style of play through wenger is beautiful, Ozil is a league above anyone else arsenal have.


----------



## hughjames95

Paper Samurai said:


> I know you're trolling - but let me bite just this once. If you started supporting Chelsea in 2001, that would have made you 6 years old - you would have no concept of what a 'local team' is, or why the heck you are supporting any team for that matter. You probably at that age would have 'supported' any team that won a match the previous week :b
> 
> And that's just the way it is, most people start supporting a team properly at around 12-14. So the way you're trying to make yourself out to be some holier than thou football fan who was somehow fully aware at 6 years old is laughable. Chances are, you only became aware of Chelsea when Abramovich pumped his money in - so you don't really have a right to be lecturing anyone to be really honest.


Good Work Sherlock. Ok, you got me. I said that because if I said that I started suppoting chelsea after abramovic bought the club you lot would spout the ususal s**t like " glory hunter" and " you only support chelski because of abramovic and his money" when in fact it had nothing to do with abramovic. I have to reiterate the fact that i lived in EARLS COURT for much of my childhood so chelsea were the closest club to me.

I bet you're an arse-nal fan, aren't you? 5th place beckons..


----------



## Joe

Elad said:


> lLooking forward to el clasico, should be some fireworks! Hoping to see Bale succeed, would suck if he flops.
> 
> Better than what chelsea have?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think you're really underestimating the quality chelsea have, most of them would walk into the arsenal starting 11... but their style of play through wenger is beautiful, Ozil is a league above anyone else arsenal have.


I just mean the strikers. Torres/Eto/Ba aren't exactly on fire, if Eto comes to form then it'd be different (I doubt Torres/Ba will be anything like they used to, not saying Ba was world class but he was a top striker when in form).


----------



## Joe

Paper Samurai said:


> I know you're trolling - but let me bite just this once. If you started supporting Chelsea in 2001, that would have made you 6 years old - you would have no concept of what a 'local team' is, or why the heck you are supporting any team for that matter.
> 
> And that's just the way it is, most people start supporting a team properly at around 12-14. So the way you're trying to make yourself out to be some holier than thou football fan who was somehow fully aware at 6 years old is laughable.


I'd of thought children would support whatever their family does. My family always supported Liverpool so I've always supported them, even if I wasn't that into football (even today I only watch games every now and then) my support wouldn't of changed no matter what.


----------



## Elad

BBQ_Chicken said:


> I just mean the strikers. Torres/Eto/Ba aren't exactly on fire, if Eto comes to form then it'd be different (I doubt Torres/Ba will be anything like they used to). I'm not counting wingers.


yeah then I'd agree with you, although torres hasn't looked bad this season so far.. but then again I've said the same thing the last two seasons hoping he would catch some form and been disappointed.  would love to see him revive his career.

anyway, only around 2 hours until..

ronaldo/bale/dimaria/isco

vs

messi/neymar/iniesta/xavi


----------



## Paper Samurai

hughjames95 said:


> Good Work Sherlock. Ok, you got me.


What can I say, I have a gift. ;-)



hughjames95 said:


> ... I said that because if I said that I started suppoting chelsea after abramovic bought the club you lot would spout the ususal s**t like " glory hunter" and " you only support chelski because of abramovic and his money" when in fact it had nothing to do with abramovic. I have to reiterate the fact that i lived in EARLS COURT for much of my childhood so chelsea were the closest club to me.
> 
> I bet you're an arse-nal fan, aren't you? 5th place beckons..


Look man, I have no problem with you being a Chelsea fan due to their recent success - providing of course you stick with them when the glory runs dry. However, if you try to stick your foot in it and tell people what it means to be a 'true fan' as a Chelsea supporter at your age you're just asking for a slap quite frankly :b You can't complain when abuse gets hurled your way in such circumstances.


----------



## Joe

Elad said:


> yeah then I'd agree with you, although torres hasn't looked bad this season so far.. but then again I've said the same thing the last two seasons hoping he would catch some form and been disappointed.  would love to see him revive his career.


I'd love to see that, but only if he moved abroad to Athletico or somewhere like that. Chelski are interested in Costa so a swap could happen (along with another 50m :b). Also, I think Arsenal don't need a huge striker as much as other clubs. Giroud assists as much as he scores it seems.

I reckon the best striker overall is Suarez, with Van Persie and Aguero (Lately he seems to be on fire, but only got 12 last season). Suarez isn't the best finisher though and I might be slightly bias.


----------



## Paper Samurai

BBQ_Chicken said:


> I'd of thought children would support whatever their family does. My family always supported Liverpool so I've always supported them, even if I wasn't that into football (even today I only watch games every now and then) my support wouldn't of changed no matter what.


It depends if your family is really into football or not. Most kids who don't have a family member's influence tend to swap who they support quite frequently from what I've noticed :teeth It's also a little difficult to really understand what's going on before you're 12-13, so I don't know, it's kinda hard to say that you were a die hard supporter at that age to be honest.


----------



## hughjames95

Paper Samurai said:


> What can I say, I have a gift. ;-)
> 
> Look man, I have no problem with you being a Chelsea fan due to their recent success - providing of course you stick with them when the glory runs dry. However, if you try to stick your foot in it and tell people what it means to be a 'true fan' as a Chelsea supporter at your age you're just asking for a slap quite frankly :b You can't complain when abuse gets hurled your way in such circumstances.


How many times do i have to say that i didnt start supporting chelsea because of their " recent success ". And how are you the superior fan? Just because chelsea havent been relegated in my lifetime doesnt me im not a "true fan". They were my local club, i could'nt live in west london and start supporting sunderland or wolves..


----------



## gunner21

DAT Header by Luis. Seriously, one of the best headed goals I've ever seen.


----------



## gunner21

Elad said:


> lLooking forward to el clasico, should be some fireworks! Hoping to see Bale succeed, would suck if he flops.
> 
> Better than what chelsea have?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I think you're really underestimating the quality chelsea have, most of them would walk into the arsenal starting 11... but their style of play through wenger is beautiful, Ozil is a league above anyone else arsenal have.


I think only Mata and Hazard come close to the quality of Ozil.


----------



## Paper Samurai

hughjames95 said:


> How many times do i have to say that i didnt start supporting chelsea because of their " recent success ".* And how are you the superior fan?* Just because chelsea havent been relegated in my lifetime doesnt me im not a "true fan". They were my local club, i could'nt live in west london and start supporting sunderland or wolves..


I'm going to grace you with one last reply big man  No one is saying anyone is superior, you entered this thread with the following:



hughjames95 said:


> Arsenal = sh**


Obviously looking to make friends and influence people with that one eh, someone calls you out and then you respond with the 'I'm a proper fan' routine.



hughjames95 said:


> I started supporting chelsea in 2001 because i lived in earls court, so they were my local club. Stop being jealous...


So basically, all people have done in this thread is disprove what you've posted.


----------



## hughjames95

It's club rivalry. I hate arsenal and especially the spuds, I was in no way suggesting that i was a "proper fan". I just don't like them.


----------



## gunner21

I think it's safe to say that LIVERPOOL ARE BACK!!!! Definitely in top 4 contention. Dat passing, dat interplay, dat finishing - HNNNNNNNNGGGGHHHH!!! Can't wait till Coutinho is back and we'll be firing at all cylinders. Defense still needs some MAJOR work though.


----------



## Elad

gunner21 said:


> I think only Mata and Hazard come close to the quality of Ozil.


I agree, maybe Oscar too though, hes younger than both (22) and on fire, so much potential and more to come.


----------



## SupaDupaFly




----------



## Paper Samurai

hughjames95 said:


> It's club rivalry. I hate arsenal and especially the spuds, I was in no way suggesting that i was a "proper fan". I just don't like them.


alright fair enough. I don't mind banter - but you got to admit, posting just 'Arsenal are sh*t' is more trolling than actual banter.

Something like 'Giroud wouldn't even get into my pub team' is more along the right lines (heard that from a Spurs fan a couple of months back)


----------



## Elad




----------



## Elad

lmao at ray hudson commentary. every. damn. time.

"Alexis puts on the ceramic brakes and flicks a rainbow into a pot of gold. Accuracy to the nth degree. He takes the gravitation of the moon and the planets in consideration. Observing his shot like Mussolini at the balcony." - Ray Hudson


----------



## Joe

Elad said:


>


It's funny how Bale is getting hounded by the media already, he had no preseason and is just back from injury. I hope he does well tbh.


----------



## Joe

Paper Samurai said:


> It depends if your family is really into football or not. Most kids who don't have a family member's influence tend to swap who they support quite frequently from what I've noticed :teeth It's also a little difficult to really understand what's going on before you're 12-13, so I don't know, it's kinda hard to say that you were a die hard supporter at that age to be honest.


Eh I reckon 12-13 is a bit high, sports was never a major interest of mine when I was younger (I done swimming, played football in the park but nothing much) but for people who were properly into football I'd assume they would follow it relatively well.

A lot of people who aren't necessarily sporty do get into it around that age though. I know a couple who got into it from Fifa.

I know there are games in hand but the league table makes me laugh:

Arsenal - 22
Liverpool - 20
Southampton - 18
Everton - 18


----------



## renegade disaster

good performance again from saints, fulham looked pretty awful today against them. could have been 2 or 3 for lambert.


----------



## moloko

Elad said:


> lLooking forward to el clasico, should be some fireworks!


Well, Real deserved the win. Played better than Barça, in my opinion. One penalty for them and one amazing shot by Benzema should have been enough. What Sergio Ramos said was true, it's not often that we see Barça burning time. Amazing goal by Alexis though.


----------



## SupaDupaFly

Real? or fake?


----------



## Canadian Brotha

That was an unlikely way for us to win against a Man City who bossed the second half. What was Joe Hart doing? Had he stayed on his line his defender would have nodded the ball back to him. The Aguero goal was impressive though, Cech was taking the second he needed to adjust and in that time it was past him


----------



## Elad

*Tooooorrrrrreeeeessssssss! *


----------



## renegade disaster

this would have been amazing if it went in;


----------



## Canadian Brotha

renegade disaster said:


> this would have been amazing if it went in;


That was unlucky. It's amazing the amount of power he got into that strike with all those players around him


----------



## renegade disaster

Canadian Brotha said:


> That was unlucky. It's amazing the amount of power he got into that strike with all those players around him


yea it was a good run he made on the ball too previous to the strike.

something from another league, what a finish by ibrahimovic, psg are looking deadly.


----------



## Esugi78

Do you think Roberto Mancini might be laughing at Man City now? , he did very well there. It's true that City spent ginormous amount of money on players and their salaries and have the top 3 overall talents in the past few years, but the accumulation of talents doesn't always equal win in football, and for the most part Mancini had done very well on getting the most out of them, considering the amount of player turnover in City. I still think Tevez was a huge mistake, and at times they still play like a bunch of mercenaries, and at times they still crumble mentally and that cost them trophies... but for a lot of games City did play like what their talents suggests they can do, and it's something that Pellegrini hasn't been able to do. I know it's very early in his tenure... but at least for now Mancini can snicker at City owners I think . I'm Man U fan, and I have no qualm watching City struggling just like United this season haha, and I guess the only thing that matter is how they'll do by the end of the season. So I'm not sure who'll fare better by the end of this season, Pellegrini or Moyes...


----------



## Paper Samurai

What if Basketball had a British Soccer commentator...


----------



## renegade disaster

lol. wouldn't mind watching some nba if there was good coverage over here. think its on espn but I haven't seen much.


----------



## Jaxosix

"Back With Tottenham" "PETER CROUCH, FINGER BILLIARDS!" LOL.
That video is just hilarious. xD


----------



## renegade disaster

^ great goals!

seems that begovic is the hero today for stoke against saints. apparently scoring from his own box after just 18 seconds played? I hear saints got one back but were denied a win by begovic in the closing moments of the game. 1-1, southampton stay 5th in the table.


----------



## Joe

mark101 said:


> Both sweet goals :clap


Enjoyed the first one the most despite it being against Liverpool although I'm curious if Skrtel could of done more if he watched Giroud and not the ball (Giroud had the momentum but coulda closed him down a little). I still think City/Chelski/United will certainly get top 4 and any hope of Arsenal slipping up to let Liverpool in is rapidly diminishing. Spurs haven't been setting fireworks so hopefully they'll stop getting 1-0 wins and start with 0-0 draws. Blatter said he wanted to merge the Europa and Champions League, he should hurry up and do that :cry


----------



## Joe

The Guardian made me laugh today with its transfer rumours: 

"Stoke top scorer Asmir Begovic talks about his failed move to Man City last summer"


----------



## renegade disaster

juve should have won that cl game last night against real madrid. they dominated in the first half and although they weren't as good second half, if it wasn't for casillas they would have probably got a vital 3 points. to be fair their results and position in their group aren't entirely reflective on their performances, they were pretty good at the bernabéu too.


----------



## Elad

sneaky eto. very sneaky.

ccoooommmeee onnnnn arsenal.


----------



## starsfreak

Dang is Arsenal good this season!


----------



## starsfreak

Very important win for Arsenal. Congrats! It's gonna be tough for Dortmund now.


----------



## Paper Samurai

DanielFromGER said:


> Very important win for Arsenal. Congrats! It's gonna be tough for Dortmund now.


Thanks man. I think one win each is fair over the two matches - we're both really good teams.

Let the Aaron Ramsey love fest begin :-D


----------



## LeeMann

DanielFromGER said:


> Very important win for Arsenal. Congrats! It's gonna be tough for Dortmund now.


Yay! But I don't think it would be that difficult for Dortmund too. They still can do it if they beat Napoli at home.


----------



## Winds

Really surprised at how Arsenal is playing, Ramsey in particular. That defeat against Aston Villa to start the season seems like a long long long time ago. Another huge game for them this Sunday.


----------



## gunner21

http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/bootroom/id/548?cc=5901

^ Good read. Personally, I think they should have a panel that goes through the video of all the fouls after the game and hands out suspensions to stop diving/simulation.


----------



## Elad

Lamela looked good last night, even if it was against a team called Sheriff lol. Hoping to see him make an impact in the league and not flop, guy has so much potential.

also


----------



## That random dude

The only bad thing to come out of Ramsey's reemergence is the fact that wilshere might suffer but then I always thought Ramsey was better than wilshere (before the leg break) but after that, wilshere was hands down anyway.


COYG!!!


----------



## Paper Samurai

*Arsenal V Mancs 
*
1st half 
Both teams were terrible, United however took the one chance that came their way very well.

2nd half
We had 68% possession but couldn't equalise :mumUnited pegged back but looked dangerous on the break a couple of times. A draw would have been a fairer reflection I feel, but hats off to them for being so solid defensively.

*Thankfully City, Chelsea, Spurs have all dropped points too this weekend which softens the blow of this result.


----------



## renegade disaster

this was superb, pogba has been really great for juve.


----------



## hughjames95

My german team is Hertha  Ramos = BEAST.


----------



## coolbreezeoverthemountain

lifelong liverpool fan. champos league next year if we keep sas fit for the season!!!


----------



## Dark Souls

As a Gooner, watching RVP score against Arsenal was like watching a girlfriend having sex with another man in your own bed. Okay a bit of hyperbole but you get the gist.


----------



## SupaDupaFly

Dark Souls said:


> As a Gooner, watching RVP score against Arsenal was like watching a girlfriend having sex with another man in your own bed. Okay a bit of hyperbole but you get the gist.


----------



## hughjames95

mark101 said:


> So sick of international breaks ffs


International footie is better imo


----------



## Canadian Brotha

mark101 said:


> So sick of international breaks ffs


Likewise


----------



## Elad

Finally the break is almost over, or should I say embarrassment for the england national team.

We really need to start playing youth over the old guard, especially the likes of Ravel Morrison, Zaha and Townsend. 

Ravel looks like a genuine talent, I feel bad for united having to watch both him and Pogba excel in other teams.


----------



## hughjames95

Elad said:


> Finally the break is almost over, or should I say embarrassment for the england national team.
> 
> We really need to start playing youth over the old guard, especially the likes of Ravel Morrison, Zaha and Townsend.
> 
> Ravel looks like a genuine talent, I feel bad for united having to watch both him and Pogba excel in other teams.


Prepare for a stuffing, as usual whaneus rooneus will be ineffective in the big games and ingerlhand will be stuffed 3-0. maybe 3-1.


----------



## Elad

I thought the tie was over when cristiano scored..

enter zlatan. 1 goal, 2 goal...










come on zlatan you beast.

edit: well ****.. this second half is so back and forth

rip my swede brahs and brahettes. goodnight sweet prince


----------



## gunner21

Ronaldo with the dagger.


----------



## Elad

no ronaldo, you did this.

some epic finishing and that silky passing from moutinho, wish he wasn't wasting his talent at monaco.

in other news, england gonna england. sturridge with the first touch of a rapist and clevery with his incredible ability to only pass side ways, guys like the crab version of a professional football player. **** this gay earth.


----------



## LeeMann

Germany B Team!!!

England 0 - 1 Germany

This German squad is ridiculous. Ozil, Kroos, Reus, Gotze, Muller, Schurle, Gomez, Schweni.


----------



## Elad

LeeMann said:


> Germany B Team!!!
> 
> England 0 - 1 Germany
> 
> This German squad is ridiculous. Ozil, Kroos, Reus, Gotze, Muller, Schurle, Gomez, Schweni.


lol @ those names. they all pale in comparison to danny welbeck the defensive forward and cleverly the crab midfielder.


----------



## Tiago89




----------



## LeeMann

Elad said:


> danny welbeck the defensive forward


LOL. But hey, a tournament is a totally different thing. Any team can be not as good and still become a convincing champion.


----------



## moloko

Reactions of Ibra and Ronaldo to each other's goals. Really cool perspective we don't often get from the players:
http://www.fotbollskanalen.se/video...&utm_source=permalink&utm_campaign=tv4play.se

Ibra's one cold *******. Ronaldo on swedish second goal: gross!


----------



## Joe

mark101 said:


>


Just need Scezney to get a hattrick from his own penalty box now.


----------



## Joe

Elad said:


> Finally the break is almost over, or should I say embarrassment for the england national team.
> 
> We really need to start playing youth over the old guard, especially the likes of Ravel Morrison, Zaha and Townsend.
> 
> Ravel looks like a genuine talent, I feel bad for united having to watch both him and Pogba excel in other teams.


I think it's going a bit far to say it was an embarrassment, its not like England got slaughtered. I wish Redknapp was manager though.


----------



## renegade disaster

jesus christ buroc







wth


----------



## renegade disaster

think arsenal were the better side in that match, denied by the post twice, could have gone 2 or 3 up. saints had their moments though, could have got an equaliser.



BBQ_Chicken said:


> Just need Scezney to get a hattrick from his own penalty box now.


tbf that wind assisted begovic goal was pretty lucky, if it wasn't for the unusual weather the players would have been able to handle it normally. you won't see us concede many more goals like that!  at least, I hope not lol


----------



## Joe

renegade disaster said:


> think arsenal were the better side in that match, denied by the post twice, could have gone 2 or 3 up. saints had their moments though, could have got an equaliser.
> 
> tbf that wind assisted begovic goal was pretty lucky, if it wasn't for the unusual weather the players would have been able to handle it normally. you won't see us concede many more goals like that!  at least, I hope not lol


Yeah I was really shocked, thought it was a glitch in the scores since it was first min Begovic. Saints conceded 7 right? Hope they do well, maybe a point or two behind Liverpool


----------



## renegade disaster

BBQ_Chicken said:


> Saints conceded 7 right? Hope they do well, maybe a point or two behind Liverpool


yea was 5 up until today. it's still the lowest in the epl second lowest in the premiership,currently .I get the feeling if our players get hit by injuries then we might start losing more points. we just don't have the depth of squad some of the big boys have and that is what might count in the long run. still ,i'm appreciating the decent form while things are good and its been great to see the saints players get england call ups.


----------



## Joe

renegade disaster said:


> yea was 5 up until today. it's still the lowest in the epl second lowest in the premiership,currently .I get the feeling if our players get hit by injuries then we might start losing more points. we just don't have the depth of squad some of the big boys have and that is what might count in the long run. still ,i'm appreciating the decent form while things are good and its been great to see the saints players get england call ups.


Lallana especially has been impressive this season. I think Southampton will be around to stay, challenging for Europa places most likely imo. Gutted when they drop points since flukey events but scared that they will finish ahead of Liverpool.


----------



## Elad

damn city



you scary


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Spurs have been dismantled!


----------



## Joe

renegade disaster said:


> yea was 5 up until today. it's still the lowest in the epl second lowest in the premiership,currently .I get the feeling if our players get hit by injuries then we might start losing more points. we just don't have the depth of squad some of the big boys have and that is what might count in the long run. still ,i'm appreciating the decent form while things are good and its been great to see the saints players get england call ups.


Second lowest no more. Unbelievable that Spurs conceded as much as they have all season in just one game, with a -3 goal difference to boot. Man City are simply brilliant at home.


----------



## renegade disaster

wow, just seen the score. tbh I think liverpool will do alright I can't really see them finishing below saints unless they really bodge things up. pochettino's target I think was to get into europe,i'd be happy if we finish in the top 7. I really like how he's turned things around at the club, the fact that he dares to dream big.


----------



## Paper Samurai

David Moyes at the moment ?


----------



## Canadian Brotha

The EPL is so tight this season, I hope it goes down to the wire again.

There were a lot of bad calls over this past weekend as well


----------



## LeeMann

BAYERN!! Currently the best team in Europe.

Dortmund 0 - 3 FC Bayern


----------



## hughjames95

Lol at the spuds 6-0 hahaha


----------



## That random dude

hughjames95 said:


> Lol at the spuds 6-0 hahaha


There's only 1 team in North London and that's the Arsenal.


----------



## LeeMann

Congrats The Gunners!

How many 2 - 0's this season. I've lost count.


----------



## badgerparty

I've been writing off Arsenal all season, just out of habit really, but the more I see the mediocrity below them, the more scared I get that they might actually finish top.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

For the most part this season Arsenal have become a team that can grind out results when they aren't at their best & that's what you need to win titles, you won't be ace every game.

My boys in Chelsea blue have been hit & miss this season but we're getting by


----------



## Fahad

Same here,, Glory Man united all the way )

I miss Sir Alex though 



Hello22 said:


> i'm a man united fan, and i follow the premiership, and i also like La liga and bundesliga.


----------



## hughjames95

Arse-nal won't win the prem. My top 4

1.Man city
2.Chelsea
3.Arse-nal
4.Southampton


----------



## Winds

I haven't watched much in the last few days, but can say that Spurs result has been a long time coming. They have been catching breaks after breaks for at least the last month plus. Hard to believe that after all the money they spent, their attacking and movement is worse than it was last year.


----------



## badgerparty

Canadian Brotha said:


> For the most part this season Arsenal have become a team that can grind out results when they aren't at their best & that's what you need to win titles, you won't be ace every game.
> 
> My boys in Chelsea blue have been hit & miss this season but we're getting by


Yep. Can't remember when I last saw Arsenal and "grind out results" in the same sentence, but they're doing it. Still think if Giroud gets injured they're in trouble.

My top 4:

Man City
Chelsea
Arsenal
Man Utd


----------



## Paper Samurai

This is so relevant right now


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Being a Chelsea fan is tough, lol. I never know what kind of performance we're gonna get & though I love Mourinho I don't always agree with his selections. Lampard is a legend but I think should be coming off the bench as a sub far more than starting. Essien should also be a second half sub until he regains his footing. I love the guy as well but he needs time, it's been a while for him. Luiz could be playing that holding midfield role with his experience in defense & he can also pick a great pass too. What did we get Schurrle for if not to use him? He was great for us early on in the season. Also, why not play 2 strikers more often, clearly it showed it's benefits today with Torres & Ba showing some link up potential. All that said, we turned it around today & got the result we needed. Rant ended, lol


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Anything Ibra can do Suarez can too, unreal!

Utd had better win a cup this season because in the league this season they just can't get it done. I think David Moyes needs/deserves time though as he inherited a team/legacy that is unrivaled. I think when the time comes that he's building his own team it'll be a lot better for him


----------



## Paper Samurai

mark101 said:


> ...


This is closer to Moyes current situation I reckon:


----------



## Elad

Did anyone watch the chelsea game? Hazard was completely unplayable, was beautiful to watch. 

Before the season I figured Swansea would be the surprise package, but as it turns out its Everton.. really love the way they're playing, possible top 4 darkhorse?  probably not but I've love to see it.


----------



## Donnie in the Dark




----------



## Jaxosix

Gooner here, But.... OVIEDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!


----------



## gunner21

Why the hell is no one talking about the blinder Suarez played yesterday. That man may be a douche, but he is a beautiful beautiful player.


----------



## Elad

anyone else watching the world cup group draw?

in to see england drawn against great teams and representatives start crying on screen.

oh and the brazilian female presenter is hot as ****. god damn. working stream: http://firstrownow.eu/watch/225698/5/watch-fifa-world-cup-2014-group-stage-draw.html


----------



## renegade disaster

lol we're ****ed. :lol


----------



## BTAG

renegade disaster said:


> lol we're ****ed. :lol


Oh boy. Why couldn't we get Russia instead of Portugal? There are so many easy groups, and we get probably the hardest.


----------



## Ckg2011

Ghana, we get Ghana. Ghana knocked us out of the last two World Cups. This sucks.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I didn't watch the draw but it's nice you posted the groups here. 

My heritage is Ghanaian so they are first in line for my support, we're in one hell of a tough group though


----------



## LeeMann

Groups D and G are the toughest. I'd like *Argentina vs Germany* in the finals, like in 86 and 90. Both teams have ridiculous attacking squad: Tevez, Aguero, Messi, Higuain, Reus, Goetze, Muller, Kroos, ... Expect Spain to be the 2002's France.


----------



## gunner21

mark101 said:


> [email protected] manutd


I'm rather enjoying this.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Sir Alex is now upstairs & Moyes is in the hot seat but at a certain point you have to put it on the players. They are last season's championship team, nobody left, nobody came in, those players know the deal & they simply aren't doing it for themselves, let alone the new boss. 

As I said previously, Moyes needs a cup & a champions league spot this season, that's the minimum. Outside of that he needs time to learn/adapt to the pressures of the club & he needs a chance to build his own squad as well. 

Everyone forgets Utd haven't been great in Europe the past few seasons & in the league last season they had to come from behind countless times, riding on the back of RVP. Sure they got the title, but that was in part because of other teams dropping points. That's my analysis...subscribe to my column! Haha


----------



## nml

"you're going down with the mackems" :lol

beautiful, just beautiful


----------



## Crimson Lotus

The group stage odds according to ESPN's SPI power ranking:

http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1639248/spi-world-cup-group-stage-projections?cc=3888

Poor Australia :lol.


----------



## gunner21

Liverpool move into second spot. HNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH


----------



## Canadian Brotha

My boys in blue lose & City draw, hopefully Arsenal drop points this weekend & keep the table as tight as can be


----------



## renegade disaster

absolutely superb!


----------



## Elad




----------



## Elad

Who you got for Arsenal/Everton? hoping for a really back and forth game with how fluid both teams play. I think Everton might just be able to take it if Deufelou/Lukaku show up, they have such a solid team this season. Looking forward to watching Barkley too, looks promising for an english player.


----------



## Elad

mark101 said:


> I wouldn't disagree, I think Everton could well win
> I just hope we can keep things tight till a bit of magic from Ozil and Ramsay maybe.
> I'm nervous about this game.


Probably worth a cheeky bet on everton depending on the odds, If Arsenal win this game convincingly then I think they'll win the title. This season is so up in the air in terms of where teams will finish, best in a long long time imo.


----------



## renegade disaster

yea some crucial games for arsenal. they have man city and chelsea after this.

we have a pretty tough run of games at the moment and I knew this part of the season would be hard for us,arsenal away,chelsea away, then man city (fortunately not at the etihad!) and newcastle at st james park and then tottenham. boruc is out for 6 weeks I think ,so its a bit of a test for gazzaniga. we should have picked up points against villa ,still playing good football though.


----------



## renegade disaster

mark101 said:


> ^ Southampton have been a real breath of fresh air to the league, shame they seem to be running out of steam now. I would have liked them to keep going but it's a big ask to keep fighting at the top given their previous experience or lack of.


hopefully osvaldo is settling in now and theres more like that goal against city to come from him. but like you say the team has hit a bit of a dry run and perhaps run out of steam a bit. i'm really enjoying seeing how our future england players are doing in the southampton squad, ward prowse and calum chambers hopefully big things to come for them in the future. also, I agree with elad about how this season is shaping up, been really great to watch unfold.


----------



## Elad

what a game, I agree draw seems fair.


----------



## nml

good game, Giroud was unlucky with that volley, and Martinez is a pretty underrated manager.


----------



## Donnie in the Dark

Elad said:


> Who you got for Arsenal/Everton? hoping for a really back and forth game with how fluid both teams play. I think Everton might just be able to take it if Deufelou/Lukaku show up, they have such a solid team this season. Looking forward to watching Barkley too, looks promising for an english player.


 You got what you wanted! And Barkley did do very well. He needs a bit more end product, but a great player.


----------



## Jaxosix

So close to first, Yet so so far. 3 teams on 12 points, Absolute madness!


----------



## renegade disaster

was hoping juventus would progress through. galatasaray are over the moon.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Juventus not making it through is a bit of a surprise


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^Man City at home is a tough ask but if Arsenal can frustrate them in the first half an upset just might be on the cards


----------



## Elad

the play between negredo/aguero is just beautiful. this is a great game, really shame about koscielny, hopefully the game stays competitive.


----------



## nml

cor, stonking game this.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Absolutely awesome game between City & The Gunners!

I love Zabaleta, he's an unsung hero amongst the big names in his team, but he's been loyal & brilliant. He did get lucky with that handball though, on another day that's a call


----------



## lad

City are unreal at home. Aguero's going to be a miss for them, saying that jovetic should be back soon..
In bigger football news the titans of the south Brighton and Hove Albion will be playing Middlesbrough.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

It's interesting to think that despite Man City's much criticized away form they are right up there with Arsenal in the table. The league this term is a wild ride!


----------



## Paper Samurai

A great game of football... but tis a shame that City won it. :no


----------



## Elad

for not applauding the arsenal fans


----------



## Canadian Brotha

My boys is Chelsea blue are just barely getting the results we need as well. We're keeping pace though. 

It'll be interesting to see if this is the beginning of an Arsenal slump should we beat them when we meet & also if that effects how they spend in January


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^One thing is for sure, you guys have way better odds against us, especially since Drogba has moved on


----------



## Nikola

I am a fan of Bayern Munchen. I generally only watch Bundesliga and German clubs in CL. I used to love football but it became boring more and more as time passes.


----------



## Nikola

Why are so many Premier League fans here?


----------



## Paper Samurai

Nikola said:


> Why are so many Premier League fans here?


Most popular league in the world is my guess ! :b


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^I watch Bundesliga matches but I don't really follow what's happening in the league table. I just expect Munich & Dortmund to be at the top.

About the EPL though, there has been a major promotion push for it over the past 5 years in North America, they show it on all the main sports networks now. To watch Bundesliga or other Euro leagues I have to pay extra. Not sure it works stateside for the other Euro leagues


----------



## Jaxosix

Suarez scores again! Currently Sp*rs 0-1 Liverpool. 

I wish we'd been able to get Ozil + Suarez in the summer.


----------



## Elad

AVB has to be sacked.

The way Spurs have been playing this season is hard to watch, its like they don't know what to do and have ZERO creativity. Also where the ***** is Lamela?! guy should be getting a chance ahead of Soldado now if they're not going to use Defoe.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Spurs get cooked by both Man City & Liverpool, that's gotta be hard to take for the fans! 

I don't know that AVB should be sacked though, rather I think the expectations for the team may be a bit high. Spending money doesn't guarantee UCL football, nor does it guarantee a team that gels. I say give him the season at least


----------



## renegade disaster

imagine if arsenal had suarez. think they'd be unstoppable...
agreed on spurs, they look disappointing.


----------



## Elad

Canadian Brotha said:


> Spurs get cooked by both Man City & Liverpool, that's gotta be hard to take for the fans!
> 
> I don't know that AVB should be sacked though, rather I think the expectations for the team may be a bit high. Spending money doesn't guarantee UCL football, nor does it guarantee a team that gels. I say give him the season at least


Hes doing an awful job, it doesn't even look like the team has any tactics other than awful crosses from the wings and long balling to Soldado. AVB is really getting found out now that Bale isn't in the team to pull a long shot goal out of nowhere and save his blushes.

Its all coming down to the way they are playing, because they have a pretty good squad, the problem has to be at coaching level. Its not just City and Pool, they got done 3-0 earlier by the hammers.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^All I'm saying is as a Chelsea fan I see we have a good squad & haven't been brilliant yet no one is screaming sack Mourinho.

Spurs are in 7th in a very tight season so there is still time for AVB to turn things around. That said, fresh blood before the transfer window is reasonable as well.

What I've noticed in general this season is a lot of managers are quite rigid with their tactical approaches, nobody seems willing to take a chance when things aren't quite panning out


----------



## Elad

Canadian Brotha said:


> ^^^All I'm saying is as a Chelsea fan I see we have a good squad & haven't been brilliant yet no one is screaming sack Mourinho.
> 
> Spurs are in 7th in a very tight season so there is still time for AVB to turn things around. That said, fresh blood before the transfer window is reasonable as well.
> 
> What I've noticed in general this season is a lot of managers are quite rigid with their tactical approaches, nobody seems willing to take a chance when things aren't quite panning out


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^No neutral can question a true fan! Haha.

Who would you want to replace him?


----------



## hughjames95

Elad said:


>


No need for that pic, i already knew they were . KTBFFH!


----------



## Joe

Liverpool game went well, thought it would most likely be a draw or a low scoring win.


----------



## hughjames95

Lord Drogba is returning!


----------



## LeeMann

I was mad at the way Arsenal played with Napoli. Now they are paying the price.


----------



## LeeMann

Looks like Arsenal's old Barca curse is transferred to Bayern.


----------



## LeeMann

mark101 said:


> The way I see it is to win the CL you will have to play and beat the best teams in Europe. If we can't beat Bayern we aren't good enough anyway, however if we do then what a huge confidence boost.


If I was Szczesny, I am currently having a panic attack and pissing in my pants. :afr


----------



## Joe

LeeMann said:


> Looks like Arsenal's old Barca curse is transferred to Bayern.


They certainly haven't had it easy in the CL this season.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

hughjames95 said:


> Lord Drogba is returning!


The football gods have willed it so!

Will the final kick that finally won it for us sink us this season???


----------



## Canadian Brotha

AVB is gone! I'm gonna have me a great laugh if they still don't turn things around, lol. If they do then it's only good for the league however


----------



## Nikola

mark101 said:


> The way I see it is to win the CL you will have to play and beat the best teams in Europe. If we can't beat Bayern we aren't good enough anyway, however if we do then what a huge confidence boost.


You think you can beat Bayern? :clap You English are so funny! You wont get any gifts this time. Prepare to be destroyed in both meetings.:kma


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^Bayern are a formidable force this season. They were good last season too but it's rare for a manager to inherit such a cohesive squad as Pep has, he really chose wisely after leaving Barcelona. I also think they will have learned from the Man City defeat as well so Arsenal will really have to show something extraordinary to beat them over 2 legs


----------



## LeeMann

Canadian Brotha said:


> ^^^Bayern are a formidable force this season. They were good last season too but it's rare for a manager to inherit such a cohesive squad as Pep has, he really chose wisely after leaving Barcelona. I also think they will have learned from the Man City defeat as well so Arsenal will really have to show something extraordinary to beat them over 2 legs


Very good this season. But not as untouchable as last season. The last season's Bayern is probably the second best in Europe in 15-20 years (next to Pep's Barca).


----------



## Nikola

mark101: I am just teasing you. Of course from a sports perspective it doesn't meter what opponent are you going to get. But from financial you should wish for an easier opponent because every stage brings more money (a lot more). 

LeeMann: Why you think Bayern is not as good this season as last one? They are stronger for Götze and Thiago, have new coach with that a new hunger for wining trophies and proving themselves also bigger confidence.


----------



## LeeMann

Nikola said:


> LeeMann: Why you think Bayern is not as good this season as last one? They are stronger for Götze and Thiago, have new coach with that a new hunger for wining trophies and proving themselves also bigger confidence.


Just a feeling. I knew they would smash the opponent in every game last year. And they won with big scoreline back then. They could even afford a tactical madness in small games like the one with Bate.

But I hope Bayern wins the Champions League this season too. My anger from those finals with Chelsea and Inter is not yet gone. Mia San Mia!


----------



## Elad

Everything Suarez touches is turning into gold right now, god bless you buck toothed cannibalistic beast. It really is beautiful to watch him in action, will be crazy if he beats the 34 goal PL record having been banned for the first 6.

Question is can Liverpool hold onto him after this season? When Madrid comes calling no one says no.. can see another 100m bid.


----------



## renegade disaster

i'm not really much of a fan of man united but it was good for them to finally get a decent result today, Adnan Januzaj looks like he could be a great player although that diving is pretty terrible,hope he knocks that on the head.


----------



## gunner21

Elad said:


> Everything Suarez touches is turning into gold right now, god bless you buck toothed cannibalistic beast. It really is beautiful to watch him in action, will be crazy if he beats the 34 goal PL record having been banned for the first 6.
> 
> Question is can Liverpool hold onto him after this season? When Madrid comes calling no one says no.. can see another 100m bid.


I think if Liverpool can make top 4, he might stay. Anyways, do you think he should be in discussion for POTY?


----------



## Elad

gunner21 said:


> I think if Liverpool can make top 4, he might stay. Anyways, do you think he should be in discussion for POTY?


I don't think there are any other candidates, hes blown everyone away tbh. If he stays and stays fit for the rest of the season I can see top 4 for sure. The the points gap between 1st even down to 8th is intense this season, sweet jebus.


----------



## renegade disaster

what would lfc do if suarez decided he wanted to go elsewhere? my guess is they would lock him down. they stated before about how no player is bigger than the club which wasn't what suarez was saying when he said he wanted to leave. he simply wanted to play at the very top level of football which is understandable when he is a player of his caliber.


----------



## Jack Jackson

renegade disaster said:


> what would lfc do if suarez decided he wanted to go elsewhere? my guess is they would lock him down. they stated before about how no player is bigger than the club which wasn't what suarez was saying when he said he wanted to leave. he simply wanted to play at the very top level of football which is understandable when he is a player of his caliber.


Seems liverpool don't have to worry about what they'd do without Suarez anymore. He signed a new long-term contract yesterday.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Considering his ban & all his controversies Suarez' goal scoring ratio/form is unreal! He's never put his head down, her takes his punishments & still produces gold. I have no doubt of Liverpool making Europe next season. The title will go down to the wire though.

Tomorrow the Blues of London shall steal the seat atop the mountain & the red shirts of the Gunners will consume them likes flames as the gods have willed....at least for day, haha


----------



## Elad

Jack Jackson said:


> Seems liverpool don't have to worry about what they'd do without Suarez anymore. He signed a new long-term contract yesterday.


Doesn't mean anything except a bigger buy out clause. If Madrid want him, they'll get him.


----------



## Jack Jackson

Elad said:


> Doesn't mean anything except a bigger buy out clause. If Madrid want him, they'll get him.


I doubt Suarez has a buy out clause in his contract. And if he does, it'll likely be to the tune of more than 100 million. Suarez is world-class, perhaps one of the top 5 players in the world right now, but he isn't worth that amount. Plus you can tell Suarez is happy at Liverpool these days and the fact that he signed a long-term deal shows he's committed to the cause. Even if Real were to bid an insane amount of money, it doesn't look like Suarez would want to leave.


----------



## Elad

Jack Jackson said:


> I doubt Suarez has a buy out clause in his contract. And if he does, it'll likely be to the tune of more than 100 million. Suarez is world-class, perhaps one of the top 5 players in the world right now, but he isn't worth that amount. Plus you can tell Suarez is happy at Liverpool these days and the fact that he signed a long-term deal shows he's committed to the cause. Even if Real were to bid an insane amount of money, it doesn't look like Suarez would want to leave.


Ha! There definitely will be a buyout clause, especially if pool fail to meet champions league. It wasn't that long ago he was campaigning to get a move away, hopefully to madrid. Its naive to think thats changed simply because hes having a good run, liverpool *had* to bump him up to 200k/week to try and make him stay.

When it comes to transfers, its not out of the question for 100mil if he can keep up his form and possible break the record for goals in a season. Prices are inflated like crazy, when you consider guys like Marquinhos going for almost 40mil after one season and the whole Bale saga along with many more.

At the end of the day money talks, and Madrid have it. If they come for him, he'll go and take the almost double wage and champions league play - and to be honest its what a player of his caliber deserves.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I hate to say it but I'm not sure Mourinho is the type of manager needed for the current Chelsea squad. I love him but we've not been as defensively sound this season & I kind of feel like our squad is better suited to the current Man City approach which isn't to prevent conceding so much as out score the opponent. For me the old guard should be on the bench with Terry & Cech being the exceptions & we should be playing 4-4-2 with Torres & Ba upfront or Eto & Ba or Eto & Torres. It's a midfield sacrifice but I saw Torres & Ba together for ten minutes in one game & they were totally giving the opposition a go in that short period time. I also think that David Luiz in midfield the way Benitez used him over Mikel(who I love & is a real unsung hero at Chelsea) would be good because he can pick a pass when he's had regular game time & he's less reckless in midfield as well. Lampard is a legend & still playing well but coming from the bench at 35 in the second half of games isn't unreasonable. 

What I'm really saying is Mourinho's transition team should be less cautious for a season. He's got too many solid players who simply need playing time to prove themselves on the bench & he's trying harder not to lose games than to win them. 

That said & all things considered we're doing ok. I don't have any doubts on a top 4 finish but the title for us seems more likely if other teams drop a lot of points as opposed to us finding serious consistency with the team constantly changing


----------



## Callum96

Man United at 16/1 for the title is incredible value - only 8 points off top, many players yet to start playing well, loads of injuries to key players, manager still settling in, with the chance to improve the team in January. And most importantly, we have a title-winning mentality. I think City are most likely to win the league but people are wrong to write off United so soon.


----------



## renegade disaster

^they got another win today. maybe they are finally turning things around. I don't fancy them for the title though.
just watching arsenal against west ham on btsport, they have liverpool at man city later. will be interested to see this match with suarez on top form and considering its really difficult for teams to win at the etihad. hopefully its a goal fest with both teams scoring. saints look likely to win today, 3-0 up against cardiff at half time.


----------



## Callum96

renegade disaster said:


> ^they got another win today. maybe they are finally turning things around. I don't fancy them for the title though.
> just watching arsenal against west ham on btsport, they have liverpool at man city later. will be interested to see this match with suarez on top form and considering its really difficult for teams to win at the etihad. hopefully its a goal fest with both teams scoring. saints look likely to win today, 3-0 up against cardiff at half time.


Who do you reckon will get top 4?


----------



## renegade disaster

Callum96 said:


> Who do you reckon will get top 4?


honestly, I thought at the start of the season the top 3 as they are now were all the favourites for the title, and I figured it would be some order of arsenal, man city, chelsea. I actually fancied chelsea for the title at the start of the season but right now i'm thinking if man city can sort out their away form they will most likely be champions. its so up in the air this season though. as for the 4th place newcastle and everton are up there imo and liverpool currently enjoying some really great form. any of these 3 I reckon if they hit form can take 4th place or maybe even 3rd if one of the top 3 slip. if man united manage some consistency they might sneak in for 4th but I don't fancy them for anything more than that.

great game yesterday, the first half was superb football to watch. that game could have gone either way. was nice to see hart back in the first team.


----------



## Callum96

renegade disaster said:


> honestly, I thought at the start of the season the top 3 as they are now were all the favourites for the title, and I figured it would be some order of arsenal, man city, chelsea. I actually fancied chelsea for the title at the start of the season but right now i'm thinking if man city can sort out their away form they will most likely be champions. its so up in the air this season though. as for the 4th place newcastle and everton are up there imo and liverpool currently enjoying some really great form. any of these 3 I reckon if they hit form can take 4th place or maybe even 3rd if one of the top 3 slip. if man united manage some consistency they might sneak in for 4th but I don't fancy them for anything more than that.
> 
> great game yesterday, the first half was superb football to watch. that game could have gone either way. was nice to see hart back in the first team.


I'm confident United will get top 4. I think the title is between City and Chelsea at the moment, but this season is nigh on impossible to predict. Liverpool, although they have Suarez and are playing some lovely football, have a poor squad compared to United, City and Chelsea so I can't see them hanging on for top 4. I also wouldn't be surprised if Arsenal capitulate at some point in the next few months and plummet down the table - I think they've been quite fortunate to pick up so many points and when I look at their squad I just don't see a title winning group of players.

Yeah, in terms of quality I'd say it's the best game of the season so far. Doesn't even bare comparison to what was served up by Arsenal and Chelsea on Monday.

Do you participate in fantasy football? If so how are you doing?


----------



## renegade disaster

I haven't done fantasy football for a long time, not since school. it's good fun to participate in and I like the speculation aspect but I wasn't too good at it, far to many variables to pay attention to (potential injuries etc) theres just too much unpredictability for me. I suppose I might try it again one day just for the fun of it.

btw, that quote in your sig is from one of my favourite scenes in i'm alan partridge.


----------



## Callum96

renegade disaster said:


> I haven't done fantasy football for a long time, not since school. it's good fun to participate in and I like the speculation aspect but I wasn't too good at it, far to many variables to pay attention to (potential injuries etc) theres just too much unpredictability for me. I suppose I might try it again one day just for the fun of it.
> 
> btw, that quote in your sig is from one of my favourite scenes in i'm alan partridge.


Yeah, I get what you mean about the unpredictability, it's massively luck-based. It's so so much fun though, I'm borderline obsessed with it. Started off with a personal rule of no City, Liverpool, Arsenal or Chelsea players but now I have Terry, Mertesacker, Suarez, Hazard and Negredo :teeth

YES! Finally someone appreciates Alan Partridge! He's so underrated. Could watch his shows over and over again


----------



## renegade disaster

sounds like a pretty good attack there!

haha!  yea last years film was really good too, definitely check that out if you haven't.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I still think Arsenal will need a good 2 or 3 players in the January window if they are to really make a title push, I just can't see the squad as it is capturing it.

With my boys in Chelsea blue I feel like we're still yet to hit stride this season with Mourinho still unsure of his best selection & our strikers on poor form. If we get solid front man in January it could really set us on a killer run.

Ultimately though I still feel it's Man City's title to lose with Liverpool being my wild card for the title


----------



## dasanko

anelka is still playing lol he must be getting on abit
Charlton fan here, massive game tomorrow against Sheffield weds its a must win to stay clear of relegation zone.. don't want to be in league one again.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I don't know what's been going on in France but that Anelka celebration didn't seem much different to some I saw him do over the years for Chelsea. Seems to me if he really wanted to offend there's another celebration he could have done. Anyway, he's no stranger to bad press


----------



## Alija Provokator

There must be no proceednigs, no hearings, even if he didn't mean anything by it, he should be banned for 10 games, just like Simunic was. 
Or is that just a punishment reserved for "filthy" balkan nations and the european gentlemen are excused?


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Great game between Chelsea & Liverpool! 

It's amazing the number of games this season in which a team scores early & the the opposing team turns it around for a win or draw. The league is crazy competitive this season


----------



## Elad

Good game by both sides, but it seemed like chelsea were always in more control pressing and bulling liverpool off the ball consistently, esp. in the first half.

was hoping torres was going to score, I always feel bad for him.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I feel bad for Torres too, his form at Chelsea has been a mix of a lost touch but also not playing to his strengths. At Liverpool he was like Suarez is now, The Man, carrying the team with a supporting cast whereas at Chelsea the midfield is way more important in terms of goals & he's not a hold up the ball player like Drogba(who was also immensely skillful) was.

It's also funny, the commentators of post game show I watched ripped Eto so bad the other day & today he scores the winner. He's not what he was but I still like him & think with more regular play he'll score a few more.

I'm glad to see Luiz in midfield too, you can see the true Brazilian in him there, the defense has given him experience & at midfield he can pick a pass as he's clearly able to.

Finally, John Terry is quietly having one of his best seasons ever. He's not in the papers every week for some controversial reason, he kust got himself fit & has been a rock


----------



## renegade disaster

mark101 said:


> *Nicolas Anelka alongside controversial French comedian Dieudonne M'bala M'bala*
> Since Dieudonné's 2009 "anti-Zionist" campaign in the European elections, his trademark has been the quenelle. This is a hand gesture that appears to merge the Nazi salute with a traditional, obscene French insulting hand signal, the bras d'honneur, which means, roughly speaking, "up yours".
> 
> *http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/12/...comedian-who-popularized-reverse-nazi-salute/*
> 
> I'd be surprised if he isn't banned, given the background of the gesture and his pal he was paying tribute to.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25550382



> "The club has asked Nicolas not to perform the gesture again. Nicolas immediately agreed to adhere to this request."


sounds like he's got the message, you might be right though. could spell the end of his career.
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/dec/29/premier-league-west-ham-west-browm-matchreport


----------



## gunner21

Elad said:


> Good game by both sides, but it seemed like chelsea were always in more control pressing and bulling liverpool off the ball consistently, esp. in the first half.
> 
> was hoping torres was going to score, I always feel bad for him.


When you do, just remember that he's making millions while doing what he loves.


----------



## Paper Samurai

gunner21 said:


> When you do, just remember that he's making millions while doing what he loves.


If I were to take a guess, I'd say Torres doesn't love playing football anymore - looks a bit disinterested when he's on the pitch sometimes.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

With regard to Anelka, I think if he were done in England he'd make a final play for MLS or just hang up his boots



Paper Samurai said:


> If I were to take a guess, I'd say Torres doesn't love playing football anymore - looks a bit disinterested when he's on the pitch sometimes.


Truth be told Torres at Chelsea has been a mixed bag for him because he's got trophies while here for both club & country but he's been nowhere near his former glory. I honestly thought he would have gone back to Spain for club footy in the summer. He'd be much more appreciated there & it might revive his career a bit. Perhaps he'll consider it in this January window


----------



## TheMachine

Didn't realize a lot of people like soccer/football. I'm a crazy City fan here I watch them week in and out and it has been a joy. 

Obviously we're favorites and we can run away with the title if somehow become consistent but I think it will be a close one. No doubt EPL is the best but other leagues are watchable too.

I also like Inter in Italy they're my favorite other team and I hope they get Mata. It will be a huge boost for them.

I agree about the Torres part he's lost his abilities both mentally and physically I think he should go to another league and rediscover himself.

I think all the big boys will win on NY day.

CMON CITEH!

CTID


----------



## hughjames95

Aw crap.... Torquay lost again...


----------



## renegade disaster

well I can't see saints coming back from this, chelsea just netted the second. I think they've pretty much wrapped up this game. apparently the suarez goal today was superb.


----------



## danny790

I'm a massive fan, but have remained neutral, am looking for a team to support, people always tell me let the team choose me, well it's been 3 years and still no team..


----------



## danny790

I've been told to support West Ham as they are my local team tbf.


----------



## Donnie in the Dark

Wow the Spurs fans went mental when Theo did that. Touchy!
I'm not keen on Spurs- 50million every transfer window, very annoying for an Everton fan to see.

I went to see the mighty Rochdale beat Leeds today! Only one team turned up. Great stuff.


----------



## danny790

****ing love it when Arsenal beat Spurs lol


----------



## danny790

One for you Mark


----------



## danny790

Thinking about going to watch Tottenham is the tickets are cheap I suppose


----------



## Micronian

I don't come to SAS all that often, but I am APALLED that none of the regular soccer "fans", "experts", or whatever you want to call yourselves, have made any mention of Eusebio's death.

Eusebio, right up there as one of the greatest stars of European soccer. Will be best remembered for his 4-goal game in World Cup 1966 to spark a comeback against North Korea. He was the top scorer of that world cup, and placed Portugal in 3rd place. I believe that was Portugal's best ever result in the WC.








The black pearl himself
Rest in Peace


----------



## Donnie in the Dark

Sorry to hear about Walcott.

I'm not sure what to want for United. I really hate them, but, as an Everton fan, I do feel protective of poor mr Moyes. It really isn't his fault- the team is shockingly average, and other teams just aren't scared anymore.


----------



## konqz

I prefer the Bundesliga (Bremen & Union Berlin), but the Premier League is just easier to follow in Canada. Can't say I've ever '_latched_' onto an English club. Liverpool got me involved in Football so I'll always have a soft spot for them, but I like (don't shoot me for this) Tottenham.

I also follow the Dutch (Ajax), Croatian (Hajduk) and Italian (Fiorentina) leagues.


----------



## konqz

mark101 said:


>


lmao.

In my defence, I'll watch any English football match and I don't actually hate Arsenal. To be honest, the only English club I truly have a dislike for is ManU.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Yesterday Chelsea, Man-U, & Tottenham didn't get anything going until the second halves of their games. Today Newcastle was totally robbed by the ref. Now to put on the Stoke/Liverpool game


----------



## starsfreak

LIVERPOOL! :heart:boogie



























SAS!! :heart


----------



## Canadian Brotha

The Stoke/Liverpool game was wild! I think Stoke totally deserved a point from it for their fighting spirit in that one


----------



## Canadian Brotha

GoonerN5 said:


> Milan have sacked Allegri and are rumoured to be close to appointing Clarence Seedorf as his replacement.


Whoa, there's some news. I thought Seedorf was doing his thing down in Brazil


----------



## Joe

mark101 said:


> _*D Moyes : My record in 2014:
> Won: 0
> Drawn: 0
> Lost: 3
> "Consistency is key"*_
> 
> *https://twitter.com/DavidWillyMoyes*​


Man United have sounded pretty bad lately but surprisingly they've got 15 points from their last 6 matches.

P.s. Good luck Aston Villa :twisted. Saying that I'm relying on Mertesacker, Ozil and Szczesny for fantasy league, just hoping Liverpool could somehow pip them in places. I could do with Spurs/Chelski/City/Everton and United dropping some points too.

My post is beginning to become a random kerfuffle but my ideal table would be:

1. Liverpool
2. Everton
3. Arsenal
4. City

Probably shouldn't have Everton in there because the Champs League $$$ would make them risky even if all their loan signings left (Barry/Lukaku/Delofeu are ridiculous quality loan signings, Barry/Lukaku are incredible coups). I put City at 4th since the champions league money won't impact on their spending anyway. But realistically the table probably will be like this:

1. City (Away form is sorted, they will be unstoppable)
2. Chelski (really hard to separate Chelski/Arsenal)
3. Arsenal (Would prefer them to win over City/Chelski)
4. Liverpool (A lot of away games against bottom half clubs, Liverpool have characteristically been strong away even in the ****ty times but so have Everton and Utd ).

^ I know most of this comment is waffle.


----------



## Joe

Darn your Benteke. No good fantasy league points from a clean sheet.


----------



## Jack Jackson

Nemanja Matic has signed for Chelsea. Finally hes come home!


----------



## Eazi

Jack Jackson said:


> Nemanja Matic has signed for Chelsea. Finally hes come home!


yes he has.. so long mikel.


----------



## Elad

glad liverpool scored, now it should be a much better game.

oh and looking forward to tomorrow.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

We(Chelsea) need to win tomorrow to keep pace.

I think if David Moyes wins a cup of some type & gets a Champion's League spot for the team he will be fine. The summer will come round & he can start to build his own team. He got put in the hottest seat available with a roster that needed shaking up & it didn't happen. Fergie was wise stepping down when he did rather than rebuilding again himself. He knew what the score was.

And though I'm enjoying Utd's decline this season I'll note that the year Chelsea won the Champion's League we finished 6th in the league. Utd got a good draw for the round of 16 so that's omething for fans to consider



Jack Jackson said:


> Nemanja Matic has signed for Chelsea. Finally hes come home!


What we need another midfielder for I don't know. I guess with the cup competitions, Champions League in particular rotation will be big...despite that the abundance is crazy...Willian, Oscar, Mata, Hazard, Matic, Lampard, Mikel, Shurrle, Luiz at times, etc. It's the beginning of Mourinho building his team however, next summer will be interesting indeed for the blues


----------



## Nathan18

I'm a fan of Man United. This season has been very sad to watch. 

The press seem to think that we're going to buy Mata. I find it hard to believe that Chelsea sell him to us and Mourinho will just troll us until deadline day. We don't even really 'need' a player in that position, but he's far better than our other options, so you just have to fit him in somewhere.

At least Sky Sports News are now happy that they have a big story. They had absolutely no good transfers to discuss before this. Jim would have been bored on deadline night.


----------



## SupaDupaFly




----------



## Nathan18

I seriously thought we would win after Hernandez scored right at the end. He was **** all night, but he got himself a tap in. Those penalties were absolutely terrible. This team is a shambles. Can't attack. Can't defend. Can't keep the ball.

At least we're buying Mata.


----------



## urbancoyote

Man Utd's problem isn't Moyes (well, not proven yet). It's the terrible squad that Ferguson has left him. It shows what a great manager he was to win the title with those players. They need a mass clear out. Smalling, Jones, Nani, Rafael, Young, Welbeck, Cleverley, Hernandez, Evans, Buttner, Valencia....none of these players are Man U/Champions League winning class.


----------



## Paper Samurai

Drunk Utd fan phones police about their defeat to Sunderland, demands to speak to Sir Alex Ferguson :clap:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/boos.audio...Xix1DdjUEcY1yLEaSn+A8s=&audio_clip_id=1872020


----------



## googleamiable

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25868272

liverpool really need to keep their targets private


----------



## J220

**** off Chelsea.


----------



## Nathan18

urbancoyote said:


> Man Utd's problem isn't Moyes (well, not proven yet). It's the terrible squad that Ferguson has left him. It shows what a great manager he was to win the title with those players. They need a mass clear out. Smalling, Jones, Nani, Rafael, Young, Welbeck, Cleverley, Hernandez, Evans, Buttner, Valencia....none of these players are Man U/Champions League winning class.


I disagree with this. Moyes is massively to blame. A lot of people are saying our squad isn't great and there are little bits of truth to that. We have lost games to Sunderland, Swansea, West Brom, Newcastle and Everton. We shouldn't be losing to these teams. Especially at home. They're not better than us. I can accept losses to City and Chelsea. We're averaging less shots for, more shots against and less possession this season. This is tactics and on Moyes. We can only really score off of direct set peices and set piece crosses into the box.

Our performances over the last couple years have been getting worse, but this year has been far worse than anything I've seen before. We don't even look like winning some of these matches. Last season, we were still able to create scoring chances and it did help that Van Persie was fit to score them.

Sir Alex is partly to blame for not getting rid of the average players and replacing them with quality. Valencia, Young, Evra, Vidic and Giggs all should have left by now. Some may not agree with Vidic, but he's had his injuries and he hasn't been the same player. We should have cashed in when he still had high value in the market. Rio also has massively declined this season.

There is also nothing wrong with half of those players. Smalling, Jones, Rafael, Welbeck and Evans shouldn't be leaving. They all have decent potential and should be kept. Evans and Rafael have already proven themselves. I would also keep Cleverley as a back up player. Shouldn't be starting in a 2 man midfield, though.

We need a new starting LB and CM urgently. I guess they will be bought in the summer. I think we also need a quality winger that can play on both sides and possibly a CB. Valencia needs to be taken out of the team and shipped as soon as possible. I don't understand how somebody so **** can play 40+ games a season and never get dropped. It also depends on how much Smalling and Jones improve.


----------



## SupaDupaFly

Radamel Falcao recently got injured...Most likely will miss the world cup..i was really looking forward seeing him play.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

SupaDupaFly said:


> Radamel Falcao recently got injured...Most likely will miss the world cup..i was really looking forward seeing him play.


That's sad for both the Champion's League & World Cup


----------



## Elad

check in on the city vs. watford game..

2-0 to watford...

wat...


----------



## mranonymous14

Glad to see premier league voted best where it should be. Come on you chelsea!


----------



## Nathan18

Elad said:


> check in on the city vs. watford game..
> 
> 2-0 to watford...
> 
> wat...


Then Aguero bags himself a 2nd half hattrick. Had to bring him straight back in for Fantasy Football. Way too good.

I'm also surprised that Liverpool risked half of their first team against Bournemouth.


----------



## Elad

Nathan18 said:


> Then Aguero bags himself a 2nd half hattrick. Had to bring him straight back in for Fantasy Football. Way too good.
> 
> I'm also surprised that Liverpool risked half of their first team against Bournemouth.


yeah that was a great response. drooling at the city/barca match up.


----------



## Nathan18

Elad said:


> yeah that was a great response. drooling at the city/barca match up.


City v Barca should be a great game. I'm very happy that City v Barca, Arsenal v Bayern and United v Olympiacos are being played on different nights. I will be able to watch all of them!

Although, I prefer when it reaches the QF and all the games are played on different nights. You get to watch each one live.


----------



## renegade disaster

nice save from storari last night to keep juve in the game.










klose had another header on goal shortly after which went straight to the keeper. nothing could get past him! another chance,ball hit the post,rebounded and fell straight into his arms.


----------



## gunner21

hhnnnngggghhhhhh


----------



## starsfreak

Liverpool is amazing this season! :boogieSuarez and Sturridge on fire!


----------



## Tiago89

Is there FC Porto fans here?


----------



## Nathan18

I await Arsenal's demise that tends to happen in a 1/2 week period. I would prefer them to win, but some of the fans make it difficult. Arrogant, even though they haven't won anything in years.

They're still doing much better this year. Playing badly, but fighting back to get a result. Something that they've been missing for quite a long time.


----------



## Elad

seems like a lot of activity this window, nice to see berbatov off to monaco to make some fast $$$, should be playing for a bigger team than fulham.

speaking of which, looks like fulham have done some good business. kind of surprised they got mitroglou for 12m.. might have been a nice buy for arsenal.


----------



## Mochyn

mark101 said:


> There are no set of supporters more arrogant with a bigger sense of entitlement that manchester utd supporters.


 I'll second that. Having worked opposite Old Trafford for 4+ years I developed an intense dislike for football supporters thanks to them....
...leaving now I've offended everyone :duck


----------



## Nathan18

mark101 said:


> There are no set of supporters more arrogant with a bigger sense of entitlement that manchester utd supporters.


I can't really say if that's true, but I think it makes sense. If you're used to your team winning, you're going to believe that it will continue to win. That's pretty logical. I see too many Arsenal fans that think they have the best team ever. The trophy cabinet does not back up this claim. They seem to believe that they have won something, even though they are only in 1st place at the end of December. When the inevitable collapse happens, they tend to go away again until the beginning of August. I'm very pessimistic of my own teams chances at the best of times, so I don't understand the arrogance.

I guess this explains it better than I ever could:










It has probably changed a little over the last couple of seasons, but it's still pretty relevant.

This season, I have witnessed supporters of other clubs seemingly feeling far more joy seeing Man United fail than their own team win. I don't know why that surprised me, but it did.


----------



## gunner21

Nathan18 said:


> This season, I have witnessed supporters of other clubs seemingly feeling far more joy seeing Man United fail than their own team win. I don't know why that surprised me, but it did.


Blame Alex Ferguson. His douchiness has made many people hate Manu forever.


----------



## Nathan18

mark101 said:


> ^ Who seems to believe they have won something even tho they are only in 1st place at the end of December? Who are you talking to exactly and what do they think they have won?
> No Arsenal fans could have claimed we had the best team ever in recent years so not sure where you are getting that from. There were times when not just fans but critics unanimously claimed we played the most exciting/entertaining football in not just England but Europe too and at times we came pretty close.
> 
> Your graph is outdated and inaccurate tho there's no shame at all in our journey under the guidance of Arsene Wenger. He didn't spend money because under his reign we got a new state of the art training complex, the Emirates Stadium while again 'without' spending big money he delivered a top 4 finish/Champions League football nigh on every year. That is a massively impressive achievement and a fitting legacy for Arsene to leave our great club.
> 
> Nobody get's more joy seeing another team lose than seeing their team win, it's just funny seeing man utd struggle, surely you understand that?


I see it on different football forums. The Arsenal fans seem to be quite a bit more arrogant than other fans I come across and see posting. I don't really understand why. They think that they're going to win the title, because they're ahead at an early point in the season. Years of collapses should have taught them better. The thing is, at the beginning of each season, I see Arsenal fans compare their team to Man United and they somehow believe that they're better position by position. Then at the end of the season, 20+ points divide the teams. Liverpool fans also do this.

In fairness, there was a lot of pessimism at the beginning of this season, but it quickly reached new highs when Ozil was signed. It has been high until around the last couple of weeks. Things seem to be quietening back down again. The loss of Ramsey and Walcott are big and Wenger failed to buy a striker again. I agree that Arsenal have played exciting football for years. In fact, they have played much better football than Man United. Apart from between 05-09, Man United were playing very good football. It declined when Ronaldo and Queiroz left.

I did say that the graph is a little old. I think it was created in 2008 and it was spot on at that time. Since the arrival of City and Wenger bringing in some more experienced players, it's not as accurate as it used to be. The overall cycle is still quite accurate, though. Wenger has done a fantastic job. He is one of the best managers in world football. I still think he allowed some of the older players to leave too early and he needed to bring in some more experienced players earlier than he did. It may have cost Arsenal a title or two, but they always stayed in the top 4. They're in much better shape financially and fair play to Wenger for keeping them there throughout the difficult years.

Yeah, It's just what I've been reading. I will be watching a Man United game and other clubs fans continue to comment on the United match, rather than watching their own? I just found this strange. When Man United are playing, I have never decided to watch another teams match and laugh while they ship goals and lose matches.



gunner21 said:


> Blame Alex Ferguson. His douchiness has made many people hate Manu forever.


He is the best manager ever. I wouldn't call him a douche. He just knew how to troll and get a reaction from everybody. He saw off every challenge that he ever faced. Mourinho is now the biggest troll in football. He's fantastic to watch.


----------



## Elad

kallestrom injured?

also

Gary Lineker ********@GaryLineker

So windy at Stoke there's a real fear that should Ashley Young dive he could be be lifted clean out of the stadium.


----------



## gunner21

Me after reading the Manu result:


----------



## Paper Samurai

Regarding how arrogant and entitled most Utd fans are:

It's not even been one whole season yet without them winning something (although looking that way) and they're all throwing hissy fits, angrily calling in football shows, calling for their manager to be sacked and all the other nonsense. How much of a bubble have they been living in over the last 20 years :um ?


----------



## Nathan18

Other fans are not even watching our games. It's pretty much the same as how Liverpool fans were complaining when Hodgson was in charge. We're the champions and are the current laughing stock of football. We're playing horrible football. The fans are annoyed for that reason. We don't even look like winning. Moyes made more excuses this evening. Tired of hearing it.

He has hundreds of millions worth of talent on the field. Get it right or get out.


----------



## nml

pretty pathetic display from the toon yesterday. And selling off Cabaye, one of our top scorers and possibly top play makers. Facepalm.


----------



## Elad

Chelsea unlucky not to be 2 - 3 up. Glad to see mourinho playing for the win istead of going ultra defensive, having to say they are look great.

Hoping salah gets some time, think his pace late in the game would be useful; kid is lightening fast.

also dzeko is so wasteful, even in the last match he missed so many opportunities. guy is just shooting whenever he gets the ball.. aguero is _so _much more economical, its a damn shame he wont make the barca first leg .


----------



## Nathan18

Chelsea played a good game. Aguero and Fernandinho being out is a huge loss for City. I wonder how much this will cost them in the CL. Chelsea should have scored more, but kept hitting the bar. I thought the luck was going for City and they'd end up getting an equaliser. I'm glad they won, because people have been acting like City are invincible.

Matic also looks like a good buy. I can't believe Fellaini was more expensive than him. Damn shame.


----------



## Donnie in the Dark

Here's hoping for a wonderful weekend in which Everton beat Tottenham and Arsenal beat Liverpool......


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Glad my boys in the darker blue won yesterday, City have been a bogey team for us in recent years


----------



## nml

mark101 said:


> ^ That made no sense selling Cabaye in January, they could have made him wait till summer.


Ikr, another idiotic transfer decision. I'm guessing the thinking is that we're probably safe, and top 4 or Europe isn't a real prospect anyway, so put the finances first. Still, dumb.


----------



## Nathan18

He may have just wanted to leave and Newcastle thought it'd be best to take the money while his reputation was at its highest. I've always thought that keeping a player that doesn't want to be at the club isn't the best idea. Just because of how it could potentially effect the dressing room atmosphere. He already kicked up a fuss when Arsenal's bid was rejected in the summer. I wouldn't be shocked if Newcastle told him that he could leave as soon as they received an offer that met their valuation of him.


----------



## Elad




----------



## SPC

i might not be able to go 45 minutes without punching out my computer screen. liverpool might be 7-0 up by halftime...


----------



## Elad

And the crumble of arsenal begins.


----------



## SPC

Elad said:


> And the crumble of arsenal begins.


well when arsenal only took 2 points out of 9 against everton chelsea and city in december, most logical people could tell arsenal arent going to win the league this year already. that was when my arsenal dreams crumbled. but still, this is a shambles...


----------



## SPC

jack wilshire hip checking gerrard just now was arsenals best play of the half.


----------



## Elad

SPC said:


> well when arsenal only took 2 points out of 9 against everton chelsea and city in december, most logical people could tell arsenal arent going to win the league this year already. that was when my arsenal dreams crumbled. but still, this is a shambles...


regardless of those results they still sit top of the league, I guess this shouldn't be called a crumble, its an epic meltdown. on the bright side at least its not 5.. which it could have easily been. :lol


----------



## Elad

I think its pretty much a foregone conclusion that arsenal will lose today, it'll be interesting to see if they can pick themselves up for the bayern match; hopefully it'll put some fire under their asses and they can really push the bavarians.


----------



## starsfreak

Simply amazing :boogie


































I don't hate Arsenal tho. Hope they won't fall in a to deep hole and get themselves together the next matches.


----------



## Elad

Hazard is pure dynamite right now. Every time he gets the ball you know something good is going to happen, so fun to watch him in full flight gliding past players. hnnnng.


----------



## gunner21

I think lpool have the best attack in the league, only behind city. (more consistent)
The frontline of Suarez, Sturridge, Sterling, Coutinho, Henderson backed by Gerrard can absolutely wreak havoc. 

Still think their defense isn't good enough for a title challenge. Do you guys think this win was more impressive or the 6-0 rout of Tottenham?


----------



## starsfreak

mark101 said:


> ^ Liverpool have as good a chance as any for the title now


Yeah but I don't think that Liverpool can keep it up 'til the end f the season. I'd be happy with a Champions League spot


----------



## Elad

starting to really feel for united fans.


----------



## Joe

gunner21 said:


> I think lpool have the best attack in the league, only behind city. (more consistent)
> The frontline of Suarez, Sturridge, Sterling, Coutinho, Henderson backed by Gerrard can absolutely wreak havoc.
> 
> Still think their defense isn't good enough for a title challenge. Do you guys think this win was more impressive or the 6-0 rout of Tottenham?


Surely this win. Spurs used a high defensive line with slow defenders.

I wish AVB didn't get sacked


----------



## Joe

mark101 said:


> ^ Liverpool have as good a chance as any for the title now


I'd be more than surprised. Table will most likely be:

1 Chelski
2 City (a week ago I'd of said City as definates for the title lol) 
3 Arsenal
4 Liverpool
5 Spurs
6 United (Would of put them 5th but their display against Fulham left questions).
7 Everton

I think if Liverpool finish any higher up it will be due to Arsenal capsizing, but saying that we still have City/Chelski/Spurs to play at home and if we don't **** up our away games we will have a decent chance.


----------



## Joe

****nal took 22 points out of 24 after losing to City (or something like that), hopefully they don't repeat that feat.


----------



## Loveless

Hello I'm a Bayern Munich fan


----------



## PHD in Ebonics

Man might as well rename it the EPL thread...

For La Liga followers, anyone think Atletico still has a chance at regaining the lead?

And man Aintoine Griezmann has is really making a name for himself this year.


----------



## cataclysm

@BBQ_Chicken - Why would you put Utd on fifth ahead of Spurs? I'd rather say and hope Spurs might catch up with ****nal and beat them to fourth spot, would love it as a Tottenham fan.
Haha it's funny how they censored ****nal lol.


----------



## Nathan18

Censoring **** is just stupid. Can't even write ****nal without it being picked up. They should change it back.

I do wonder if Liverpool are going to give ****nal another spanking today. Too bad it's on BT Sports. Don't have it.


----------



## Paper Samurai

Weird, can't say ****nal on here.


----------



## Elad

Not long until Barca/City now.. still not sure who'll take it. I think the first goal will be massively important though, definitely will be interesting watching them try and defend Dzeko on set pieces. Fingers crossed for fireworks. 


inb4 0-0 with 2 shots on target.


----------



## forex

Barcelona playing like F(A)GS again ..... Falling and crying.


----------



## forex

English soccer is very different , is nice to watch it. Very little stoppage during play, with barcelona its every 5min a stop ... Thank god ...neymar isnt playing .. That guy needs a oscar.


----------



## LeeMann

Demec. totally ruined the game for City. As for today's match, it would be very interesting to see how ****nal can stop this extraterrestrial team Bayern.


----------



## Elad

Ozil penalty....


----------



## starsfreak

Well Alaba blew it too haha. But ****nal now down to 10..


----------



## Elad

DanielFromGER said:


> Well Alaba blew it too haha. But ****nal now down to 10..


yep.

At least this is better than city/barca; fingers crossed ****nal can hold out for a draw.


----------



## Paper Samurai

There's no shame losing to this Bayern side with 10 men - chin up guys.


----------



## Jaxosix

In a Lonely Place said:


>


Thanks man.


----------



## Paper Samurai

In a Lonely Place said:


> True but it could have been so different :|
> 
> I'm not getting on Ozils back yet, players rarely hit the ground running and he's not been awful. Next season he will step up to the plate, I'm sure of it.


It gives us more of a chance to focus on the league & FA cup. (I hope !)


----------



## LeeMann

Ozil played well before the sending off. Afterwards he wasn't much of any use.
Possession: 73% - 27%
Kroos and Neuer are beasts.
Even though the red was a right decision, Scezny was unlucky.


----------



## Elad

^yeah that stat is pretty useless when considering a red card, wouldn't say it was fifas fault, you have to put the blame on the ****nal back line for letting that run happen and to a lesser extent Szczesny for making the decision to go for a ball in air that robben had under control.

both the city and ****nal games got ruined, man city in particular as it seemed they were creating the better chances and nullifying barcas attack pretty damn easily. even with 10 men they were managing good attacks right until the final whistle, shame they conceded again though.

cant wait for the return leg where city will have no choice but all out attack, hopefully with a fit aguero this time and a "nothing to lose" sort of mentality, I think its pretty naive to call the tie done (which I've seen a lot of barca fans do).

in summation, ****nal gon ****nal and barcelona weren't all that impressive. bayern still best.

edit; also wtf at **** being being on the swear filter, seems a little ridiculous.


----------



## starsfreak

Hell yeah smacked Dortmund 3:0 today! Haha :boogie


----------



## Joe

cataclysm said:


> @BBQ_Chicken - Why would you put Utd on fifth ahead of Spurs? I'd rather say and hope Spurs might catch up with ****nal and beat them to fourth spot, would love it as a Tottenham fan.
> Haha it's funny how they censored ****nal lol.


I thought Mata would give them a huge boost, apparently not though.


----------



## danny790

great matches today


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Glad Chelsea managed the 3 points, it's gonna go down to the wire again this season


----------



## Elad

DanielFromGER said:


> Hell yeah smacked Dortmund 3:0 today! Haha :boogie
> 
> http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af49/hsvfreak/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_403375701060090_zps06e95f83.jpeg[IMG][/QUOTE]
> 
> that freekick was amazing.
> 
> [img]http://fat.gfycat.com/ZealousFatEmeraldtreeskink.gif


----------



## Elad

In a Lonely Place said:


> http://giant.gfycat.com/PopularFlusteredEstuarinecrocodile.gif[IMG]
> 
> ROSICKY
> 
> TEAM
> 
> :eek::clap:clap:boogie[/QUOTE]
> 
> dat bale shot too.
> 
> [img]http://s3.amazonaws.com/br-cdn/temp_images/2014/02/22/fbd5a3a6a6d1fa30d56b4990fe27d83c.gif?1393087154
> 
> although he didn't really do anything else good in the match, whether hes a flop in madristas eyes probably hinges on how far they go in champions league.


----------



## TrippyKaz

Heracles Almelo (local team where I live)
Start Otwock (Warszawa)


----------



## starsfreak

Another incredible match! Very important 3 points on our way to Champions League thanks to Sturridge! 










But we really gotta work at our defense man. I won't survive such thrillers every weekend lol.


----------



## nml

De Gea, Smalling, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Cleverley, Carrick, Valencia, Rooney, Young, van Persie. Subs: Lindegaard, Giggs, Hernandez, Welbeck, Kagawa, Buttner, Fellaini.

I hope they lose. You'd think schadenfreude would get old but it really doesn't in this case aha.


----------



## starsfreak

What the hell happened to Man United :no


----------



## Nathan18

So pissed off. It's been over two hours since the end of the game, but still pissed. One shot on target all game. Awful defending and passing. Too many players were so ****. Moyes is out of his depth. I hope for his sacking everyday.


----------



## starsfreak

Moyes definitely has to go. He's just not the right man. I mean I'm impressed: How is it even possible to be so bad with a squad like that? How can you struggle while having great players like van Persie, Rooney, Vidic etc on the team? That's just unacceptable.


----------



## Elad

I know united want longevity and all that, but really Moyes isn't the man for the job. If they keep him and give a huge budget to overhaul the squad it'll probably just be money wasted.


----------



## gunner21

This is me:










I'm enjoying Manu's downfall.


----------



## Elad

GG united

















































































i cri evri tiem


----------



## london101

In a Lonely Place said:


> I want Moyes to stay for a long time, he's awesome


Ha, you obviously aren't a Man Utd. fan


----------



## gunner21

The annual ****nal slip up:


----------



## gunner21

Hnnnngggghhhhh. Liverpool have been the most entertaining team this season.


----------



## london101

If Liverpool win the league, would be the biggest joke of a season ever


----------



## EminemFan

london101 said:


> If Liverpool win the league, would be the biggest joke of a season ever


What makes you say that? LFC fan here btw


----------



## Elad

should be interdasting. I'm backing chelsea to win it due to their fixture list, unless they go full potato against the smaller teams.

with ****nal upcoming matches its a real possibility they could drop out of top 4 behind spurs, although spurs haven't been convincing their away record is solid and adebayor going ham.

here the big games left for the top 5

****nal: *everton (fa), swansea, bayern, tottenham, chelsea, city, everton* (these are in a row. pepper thy angus ****nal fans)

chelsea: *tottenham, gala, ****nal, swansea, liverpool* (probably the only PL club going deep into CL though)

city: *barca, united, ****nal, liverpool, everton* (probably shouldnt put moyes boys in there but with the players they have, surely they'll beat one top team)

liverpool: *united, tottenham, city, chelsea*

inb4 spurs make top 4 and wenger gets fired.


----------



## Nathan18

****nal will not fall out of the top 4. Still, losing Walcott and Ramsey was big for them. If Ramsey comes back quickly, they will be in much better shape. Well, as long as he comes back firing. I don't know how long it will take him to get back up to speed.

Spurs are not that great. They also have some really tough games in a row. I can see them picking up very few points. Saying that, ****nal also have a tough fixture list coming up. I still think they will do enough to stay in the top 4.

I don't think Liverpool will win the league. Just because of the defence. City and Chelsea are both stronger at the back. They can very easily outscore their opponents, but an off day for their strikers could see them drop points. 

I think City will win it. They have the most strength in depth. They have the best balance between attack and defence. With Aguero back, they're far more dangerous upfront. I would prefer Chelsea to win, but I think they will come up short. They're overly reliant on Hazard. I can see them having trouble to score in some games, which City will not have the same problem.

It will be interesting to watch all the same. Even though Man United isn't competitive this season, I have enjoyed watching the other teams play. This season is one of the best for the neutrals in quite a while.


----------



## CubeGlow

AC milan swaped out like 4 coaches and they still suck. Coach isnt the problem most of the time. Maybe moyes isnt the problem. ManchesterU is burned out.


----------



## Nathan18

CubeGlow said:


> AC milan swaped out like 4 coaches and they still suck. Coach isnt the problem most of the time. Maybe moyes isnt the problem. ManchesterU is burned out.


Moyes is a big problem. The squad has issues, but he is making it look far worse than it really is. When Van Persie, Rooney, Mata, Januzaj, & Carrick are on the field and we still look like ****, something is wrong.

AC Milan does not have as much quality in their squad as the United squad does.



In a Lonely Place said:


> Jack Wilshere is out for six ****ing weeks after picking up a hairline fracture in a pointless ****ing friendly against Denmark, **** international football, I ****ing hate it.
> 
> We will be lucky to finish top 4 at this rate, he'll miss games against everton, bayern, spurs, chelsea, man city and everton again. ffs!


That's another big blow. Whilshere is very injury prone. He could have gone down in any match. His legs are made of glass. It's a shame, because the tackle he made that injured his foot was a great one. He was unlucky that it caused him his injury.

The FA Cup is Arsenal's best chance of winning a trophy in years. They need to beat Everton tomorrow. If you get through this, City should be the only team that can stop you. They're a really tough hurdle to pass, though.


----------



## Nathan18

In a Lonely Place said:


> I wouldn't say made of glass, the ankle fracture was the major injury that kept him out of action for 14 months, a few years back but yeah I do cringe when he goes steaming into tackles.
> 
> "Roy Hodgson has warned Wilshere he may not make the England squad now unless he proves 100% match fitness by May 13th".
> 
> It's safe to say Wilshere's season is finished along with his dreams of going to the World Cup.
> 
> We won't beat Man City, without Walcott, Ramsey and now Wilshere, any team would struggle, it's going to be really tough going now.


He goes into tackles like that too often. It's not really wise, but that's his playing style.

That's a shame, because he's one of our midfielders that can create and brings something a little different to other players. I guess Barkley will take his place, but he doesn't play as deep as Whilshere does.

Yeah, it'll be a really tough task. You never know, though. They may suffer their own injuries or have a major off day. You just have to hope for the best.


----------



## LeeMann

The Gunners are now the favorites for the FA cup. Looks like it is time.


----------



## Nathan18

Arsenal have no excuses. It will be a huge failure if they don't win the competition. Wenger should walk if that happens. Another injury, though. Ozil now out for a few weeks. 

City also knocked out last night. I seriously felt like the ref had no idea what he was doing. That's the worst performance I've seen from a ref in a long time. He got so much wrong for both sides. Aguero went off with another hamstring injury. Third one this season? That's a big blow for them. I'd feel more comfortable putting money on Chelsea to win the league.


----------



## Nathan18

In a Lonely Place said:


> He won't walk if we don't win the Cup, we don't have a god given right to win. Everybody loves this running count of years,weeks and days since our last trophy, strange how it doesn't apply to other clubs.
> I love my club, love how we didn't go out and try to buy silverware, have a manager who has rebuilt us from the ground up and all within tough financial constraints while we repaid debts for our world class stadium.
> 
> We aren't in the same league as Chelsea or Man city/Utd with their philosophy of paying any price and higher wages than anyone else. Man City with their ridiculous sponsorship deals that strangely enough come from companies owned by the owners :yes Man Utd have been carrying around £500 million of debt for how long?
> Financial fair play was supposed to put everyone on a level playing field but City have already found how to get around it, UEFA/FIFA are impotent.
> 
> The league would look pretty different with a FFP ststem that had some balls, paying out more in transfers and wages than you generate as a business can't be right or can it?


He won't, but he should. Arsenal are a big club and should be winning trophies. If Arsenal can't put out their best team and beat Wigan and likely Hull, I don't know what to say. The goal should be to win trophies.

I have no problem with Chelsea's and City's way of doing business. No club would have caught up to Man United if that didn't happen. FFP will only stop other smaller clubs from improving. What smaller team will be able to break into the top 4 if significant investment is not made?

I understand the positives of it, but I think the negatives are worse. The gap between the big and small clubs will stay the same.


----------



## Nathan18

In a Lonely Place said:


> How come Man City couldn't beat them then? :con
> We can't put out our best team tho, no walcott, ramsey, wilshere, ozil.
> 
> Arsenal won't be winning trophies if you have man city/chelsea buying the best players, having the biggest squads and paying the highest wages along with utd. We can't compete with that because our club is structured to live within it's means and I'm happy with that business model
> Having more money going out than coming in is no way to run a club for us, it's only the fickle people who can't see the bigger picture, most Gooners are pretty satisfied with the revolution that's been under way these past two decades.


They didn't put out their best team. Players were not motivated. Had way more attention on the Barcelona game. They were playing Wigan and had far bigger fish to fry. Arsenal don't have any excuses. This is your chance to win a trophy. Your players and manager should be fully motivated to win it. If I were an Arsenal fan and we didn't win it, I'd be so pissed off. You can put out whatever best team there is to put out.

Arsenal could have still won an FA Cup or a League Cup. Much smaller teams have done so during the last 8 years. I don't expect them to be winning the league every season, but they should be able to compete in the cup competitions.

There is nothing fickle about it. Football is about winning. If you're playing any competitive sport, it's about winning. I doubt most Arsenal fans have been happy to see their team finish 4th every year and won no trophies. I must disagree with you here. Especially since in the early 00's, they were competing with United.


----------



## Nathan18

In a Lonely Place said:


> Don't make excuses for City, they're entitled to win every competition with the money they pay, they have two great teams ffs lol .
> 
> It is all fickle bs nowadays, been watching the game for over 30yrs now and 'fans' nowadays are fickle. Of course it's all about winning but without a level playing field you have little chance, people can buy the trophies nowadays like chelsea and City have proved, where's the joy in that. The fickle world of instant gratification is upon us, it wasn't always so I'm glad to say.


I agree. I'm not making excuses for them. They're just the reasons why I believe that this result occurred. City still should never be losing to Wigan. With their resources, they should be winning almost very match.

Football has moved on and will never be the same. Money is important and you won't win consistent trophies without it. The teams at the bottom of the league will never compete with the top. Especially if FPP is taken seriously. I'm sure the fans of Chelsea and City are very happy to see their teams now competing.

I don't see the point in having the attitude that the clubs that spend a lot of money are all bad. My club is superior, because we do things the right way. That's great, but when you have no trophies to look back at, your moral superiority means nothing.


----------



## SPC

wow what an implosion by chelsea


----------



## starsfreak

ManU 0 - Liverpool 3 :clap


----------



## moloko

Man Utd players looked completely lost the entire game. Lack of ideas and no coherent movements from them... Moyes should really go.


----------



## gunner21

^ 1 shot on target says it all. 

3rd penalty was a dive, which pissed me off. No need to do that Sturridge. First penalty was kind of weak, but I guess referee had no choice.


----------



## Donnie in the Dark

Sturridge was falling around all over the place, but come on Man U defenders..... when you just throw out a leg and get nowhere near the ball, over and over again, what do you expect??! United were so impotent that it wasn't even funny.


----------



## Nathan18

It's sad that Moyes still won't get sacked, even after that. I don't know why our fans were clapping the players and Moyes off at the end. They do not deserve that after a terrible performance.

Everything about this team is now bad. Apart from De Gea. That lad is good and is not to blame for the **** on show.


----------



## moloko

Nathan18 said:


> Everything about this team is now bad. Apart from De Gea. That lad is good and is not to blame for the **** on show.


You can't blame van Persie. That guy's amazing, but if the team's unable to serve him, he can't score. The ball must get to the front. They simply can't do it.


----------



## gunner21

moloko said:


> You can't blame van Persie. That guy's amazing, but if the team's unable to serve him, he can't score. The ball must get to the front. They simply can't do it.


I disagree, rvp was terrible today even when he had the ball. Amazing how much can change within a year. It's like he has forgotten how to football. Rooney looked like the only manu player interested in playing.


----------



## moloko

gunner21 said:


> I disagree, rvp was terrible today even when he had the ball. Amazing how much can change within a year. It's like he has forgotten how to football. Rooney looked like the only manu player interested in playing.


That is very common when teams are under-performing. All the players, good or bad, start missing basic movements and techniques. I wouldn't blame the players if I were a Man Utd supporter.


----------



## Nathan18

moloko said:


> You can't blame van Persie. That guy's amazing, but if the team's unable to serve him, he can't score. The ball must get to the front. They simply can't do it.


I'm sorry, but Van Persie had 3/4 volleys today and put them all way off target. I'm a huge fan of his and think he's our best player, but he has been very disappointing over the last few weeks. He's missing chances that he would have scored last season. He is a world class player and I expect way more from him.

I don't think any player played well, though. Most of my blame is still on Moyes. There is no excuse when we have that front 4 on the field. Seeing as what we're doing isn't working, Moyes also hasn't been changing anything. We needed changes at HT and he did nothing. It took him until 70 minutes to make a sub. Sir Alex was similar in that regard. He always made really late subs when we needed them earlier.


----------



## moloko

Yeah of course, I understand the frustration. But his inability to score this year has its reasons that, in my opinion, come from the incompetence of Moyes in putting that team playing good football. They're just out of shape.


----------



## Nathan18

I do partly agree with that. Moyes is the main problem. We would look much better with a top level manager.


----------



## moloko

Well you just won everything there was to win thanks to an absolutely amazing coach for 30 or so years. Now it's your time to suffer.


----------



## gunner21




----------



## Nathan18

That banner says it all. When opposing fans are taking the piss, nothing more needs to be said.


----------



## SPC

hahhahahah @ the banner


----------



## gunner21

Van Persie you sly devil.


----------



## Elad

Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid
Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund
Paris Saint-Germain vs Chelsea
Manchester United vs Bayern Munich

No Lewandowski for first leg, Zlatan in england, and the footballing genius of moyes to be proven.

~in 50 failed crosses in one match we trust~
~postmatch interview: we were just unlucky~
~we dem boys boys~










being serious though the tasty tie is PSG/Chelsea.


----------



## SPC

i cant even watch this. this arsenal team have proven time and time again they dont have a winner mentality. gg.


----------



## Elad

wow. arsenal i dont even...










goodnight sweet title hopes.

wengers 1000th game really could be memorable, for all the wrong reasons.


----------



## SPC

useless *** arsenal team of mental midgets, when are they going to realize when you play teams that are actually good you cant use 25 touches to pass the ball into the net like you can with the scrubbier teams.... sigh.


----------



## SPC

In a Lonely Place said:


> meh it's not so bad when you consider who's missing for us. What Oxlade did is unforgiveable tho.


i guess this being away i was expecting a loss, but its so depressing, besides beating liverpool 2-0 last year, city liverpool and now chelsea just taking turns whupping arsenal, and its been the same problem two years running... lack of options up front while too much pretty passing in the midfield without reward. wilshires never going to be the next gerrard/lampard, arteta is not a good enough CDM or captain.

i was talking about this with another SAS forum member on facebook before... i get so jealous watching chelsea sometimes. every time guys like hazard and oscar and schurrle touch the ball it looks like somethings gona happen, even when chelsea lose the team looks dangerous and electric every time they break forward. with arsenal, usually they gotta touch the ball 20 times before anything happens, and today they cant even string 3 passes together.. and that was before gibbs got "sent off" looool. the difference in quality is hard to take.

edit: aaaaaand thats 4. im going to sleep. :*(


----------



## Elad

In a Lonely Place said:


> It's a big ask to get something at Chelsea with 11 men, 74 unbeaten under Mourinho at Stamford Bridge I think.
> Wilshere, Ramsey, Walcott and Ozil are a huge miss and any team would struggle with players of that calibre missing.
> On that basis I'm not gonna get too upset about today's result, still proud of the club for not going out and buying the league


arsenal simply aren't good enough to win the league no matter how you slice it. they've been just making up the numbers in the champions league recently too, which is sad to see. somethings gotta change.


----------



## Elad

In a Lonely Place said:


> Well we have had our hands tied in the transfer market in recent years, paying for our state of the art training complex and world class stadium. You're right we haven't been good enough compared to clubs that are happy to run at a loss but the Arsenal business model doesn't allow for that.
> That said it's difficult to compare us to those clubs that will spend beyond their means, impossible actually, and if FFP had been applied already they would be in trouble.


6 - 0.

even with the lack of money, the mental collapse in big games is hard to watch. even with the money in/out they shouldn't be losing like this to their title rivals. I feel bad for you arsenal bros right now, tough times indeed but hopefully you'll finally see some more spending in the coming seasons..


----------



## hughjames95

Hahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahahhahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahhahahhahahahhahhahahahahhahahaahahahahahahhahahahaahahhahahahahahhahahahahahahhaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 6-0 what a bunch of pathetic looosers!


----------



## gunner21

HERE COMES LIVERPOOL! 

Amazing how much can change in a season.


----------



## starsfreak

gunner21 said:


> HERE COMES LIVERPOOL!
> 
> Amazing how much can change in a season.


This offensive side is simply amazing. SAS about to be one of the best PL duo's EVER










They still struggle defensively though. I'd say they manage to get a Champions League spot but thats it.


----------



## boas

Wenger is indisputably a great coach with an eye for talent, but his inability to stop his teams imploding every single season is a pretty terminal flaw.


----------



## moloko

I ****ing hate how Barça players start rolling on the floor after being hit (or not). Hate it.


----------



## Elad

and el clásico.. amazing first half, second was full potato. benezma should have ended the game in the first half with the way di maria was carving the barca defense and setting him up. ronaldo completely anonymous, probably one of the worst on the team aside from getting the sketchy pen. the difference between messi/ronaldo was really on showcase too, the fact messi can turn playmaker while ronnie is reduced to taking long shots which he would have been better off passing.

as always though barcelona fans acting like they destroyed madrid and totally outclassed them.. which is always the case even though untrue.. look forward to bayern hopefully bringing them back to earth again.


----------



## Elad

In a Lonely Place said:


> *English Premier League Squad Values 2013/14*
> .
> 
> Chelsea ~ £370,300,000
> 
> Man City ~ £361,600,000
> 
> Man United ~ £312,200,000
> 
> Spurs ~ £206,200,000
> 
> Liverpool ~ £188,550,000
> 
> *Arsenal ~ £182,425,000*
> 
> Aston Villa ~ £93,450,000
> 
> Newcastle ~ £83,170,000
> 
> Sunderland ~ £81,080,000
> 
> Southampton ~ £72,950,000
> 
> Stoke City ~ £71,325,000
> 
> Everton ~ £70,750,000
> 
> 
> *English Premier League Transfer Spending from Season 2003/04 to 2013/14*
> .
> 
> 
> Chelsea ~ £814,159,000
> Manchester City ~ £738,420,000
> Liverpool ~ £491,180,000
> Spurs ~ £473,600,000
> Manchester United ~ £447,950,000
> *Arsenal ~ £311,075,000	*
> Aston Villa ~ £239,350,000
> Sunderland ~ £216,010,000
> Newcastle ~ £188,000,000
> Everton ~ £154,550,500
> West Ham ~ £148,080,000
> Fulham ~ £118,260,000


honestly all i see is excuses. the money is there, its just not spent. turned into a business before a football club. thats on arsenal and its reflected in their inability to win anything. wouldnt be surprised if wigan beat them to the fa cup. they are a 4th place team and thats about it.. which is expected of them.

http://www.sincearsenallastwonatrophy.co.uk/

"#SinceArsenalLastWonATrophy Guardiola retired as player for barca,joined as coach,won 16 trophies, took a year off"

^lold at this one


----------



## Elad

In a Lonely Place said:


> ^ sorry you can't handle perspective, we were building a stadium as well as maintaining a top four finish every year. By the way a football team is a business for 99% of clubs, can't all be be living in la la land to please the glory hunters. We have indeed been a 4th place team at best and punching above our weight as the stats show. Man City and Chelski are doing what they absolutely should be after spending stupid money year on year, no achievement involved just spend spend spend lol
> 
> *"#SinceArsenalLastWonATrophy Guardiola retired as player for barca,joined as coach,won 16 trophies, took a year off"*
> 
> OMG I mean how did he do that, joining a little club like Barca, :lol
> that is funny actually


yes this is football and money talks, but not to the extent you lose 5 - 1, 6 -0 and 6 -3 to your closest rivals in a single season. clubs like spurs and liverpool have spent more but on complete flops (this season 30m lamela, even soldado to a lesser extend, that 60mil right there) and looking a little further back for liverpool signings like carroll and downing who made little to no impact at all.

I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a little jimmy rustling to see arsenal fans always fall back onto "well we haven't spent money we can't win", which is simply not true as shown by other teams on smaller budgets.. it will be very interesting to see if anything changes even with some new signings, I hope it does because I think arsenal is a club that makes "english football" (what a joke) and the premier league more respectable and *should* be closer to the best clubs.

Its a long shot, but I'm still hoping arsenal fall to 5th place. not because I dislike arsenal or want to see them fail, but because I want something to finally change instead of being content as the 4th placers, they are a better club than accepting mediocrity.

unfortunately even with some more money its not going to get any easier, looking at chelseas youth roster especially is just frightening.

I guess they just frustrate me so much because I love watching them as a fan of good football, but not seeing them do better (particularly in the big games) when they could.. because I so desperately want them to.


----------



## gunner21

^ I don't understand why you care so much about their money, unless taxpayer money goes into local football clubs. I almost seems like a consolation. 

"Oh, we didn't win any silverware again, but that's OK, they didn't go stupid with their money." 

I couldn't care less how much the owner loses, as long as they're winning. It's not my money.


----------



## Elad

cleverly in the lineup against city.










well played moyes. well played.


----------



## Nathan18

Elad said:


> yes this is football and money talks, but not to the extent you lose 5 - 1, 6 -0 and 6 -3 to your closest rivals in a single season.


This. Wenger and his very attacking tactics against the big boys never works. He stills keeps doing it. The losses against Liverpool and Chelsea came in the exact same way. High pressing all over the field. Quick counters down the wings. Arsenal have way too many players ahead of the ball. One of the midfielders loses it and the other team easily breaks into the empty space. I don't understand why Wenger continues to play like this against good teams.

Arsenal are far better than that and should not be getting beaten by 4/5 goals by any team. Even with their injuries, they can still compete with Chelsea and Liverpool. Arsenal have also had the continuity of Wenger at the club. All of the other clubs have changed the manager around. This was their best chance of winning the league.

The FA Cup is still there, but I wouldn't be happy if I was an Arsenal fan. Watching the same thing happen every season must be tough.



Elad said:


> Its a long shot, but I'm still hoping arsenal fall to 5th place. not because I dislike arsenal or want to see them fail, but because I want something to finally change instead of being content as the 4th placers, they are a better club than accepting mediocrity.


This would be the best thing for them. Wenger is not reacting and it's because he wins the 4th place trophy every year. They have to miss out on the CL for him to make serious changes. The fans deserve better than that. The same will happen at United this summer.

He spent money last summer, but I don't think they needed Ozil. They just strengthened an area that was already strong. They desperately needed a new striker and didn't buy one. Arteta will need replacing now. Not sure what will happen in midfield, because they have too many CM's. Wenger seems to want to turn AOC into a CM as well. :blank



In a Lonely Place said:


> ^ You miss the point so I won't bother.
> 
> I care about how my club is run and that it doesn't go bust, you just care about trophies and that's fine. Arsenal will come again, instant gratification doesn't interest me, I like stuff to be built, earn't through hard work, that pleases me more.


No, you won't. Arsenal won't come anywhere near a title if they don't spend any money. Wenger is not spending and it's hurting the team. I seriously believe that you need fresh blood in. Wenger has done a great job, but he makes the same mistakes every season and doesn't seem to learn from them. I'm worried that he will retire and you will bring in Klopp. I really want United to sack Moyes and get him.

Winning through hard work is not possible in this league any more. You have Chelsea and City who will buy new players every year. It's the exact reason why United are falling now. We refused to strengthen in the right positions and hired the wrong manager. You have to consistently improve or you will fall way behind. Liverpool have done a good job this year, but they have only been playing league matches for weeks. They will have Europe to play in again next season. I don't think they will be as consistent.



Elad said:


> cleverly in the lineup against city.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> well played moyes. well played.


Cleverley was fine tonight. It's annoying that he got injured, because he was better than Fellaini and Carrick. It's crazy how we start with 3v2 in midfield and still get dominated. I know Toure and Fernandinho are very good players, but still. Our mismatch of players is concerning. Moyes buys Fellaini and Mata for around £65m. Fellaini is not good enough. Mata wants to play #10 and we already have 2/3 players that play there. He gets asked to play on the wing and can't do it properly. Cleverley had to do a job out there, because Mata wasn't doing his defensive work.

This team has so many problems in midfield. Carrick was great last year, but he's been so average this season. I guess he's getting on now. We're going to need 2 CM's this summer. We need a replacement for Evra and a winger that is quick and can actually make something happen.

I'm surprised that they didn't score more goals. This team doesn't seem to have a game plan. We can barely make chances. The play is so slow and predictable. Then Moyes buys players that aren't good enough and don't fit the system. I'm extremely concerned with what is going to happen. Moyes is going to stay and turn us into a mid-table team. I don't even want to watch the Bayern game. They will score at least 4.


----------



## gunner21

In a Lonely Place said:


> ^ You miss the point so I won't bother.
> 
> I care about how my club is run and that it doesn't go bust, you just care about trophies and that's fine. Arsenal will come again, instant gratification doesn't interest me, I like stuff to be built, earn't through hard work, that pleases me more.


Don't see the likes of Madrid, Mancity, Chelsea, barca going bust anytime soon, so not sure what you're worried about.

You're saying other teams don't do hard work? They just automatically win the league?

A little bit of a downtime for a club is fine, but how can you be content with almost a decade of no trophies? I just don't get it.


----------



## Nathan18

Scholes telling it like it is. Too bad he won't do the same at our club.


----------



## Nathan18

In a Lonely Place said:


> oh yes we will


Other than blind faith, why? I see no reason to believe that Arsenal will be a challenger any time soon. Unless Wenger completely changes his ways or a new manager is brought in.


----------



## Nathan18

In a Lonely Place said:


> As I said, Arsenal will come again and so they will, I didn't say when. Instant gratification doesn't interest us or we have let our spending spiral out of control already.
> Man City and Chelski are in a league of their own when it comes to spend, spend, spend and they are welcome to it but that won't be our way.
> 
> We've been punching above our weight for years, everyone willing us to finish outside the top 4 every season, love it :clap
> 
> *Pep Guardiola has insisted Arsene Wenger is not a failure despite his nine-year trophy drought.
> Guardiola, who has won 13 major trophies in six years as a manager, backed Wenger, claiming silverware isn't the only measure of success.
> 
> 'This life is not just about winning trophies, Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Arsenal compete with huge teams. Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City - they are important teams. But Arsenal remains a good team and good club'.
> 
> 'I have huge respect for my colleague Arsene: he always likes the good, good players, the good style of football.'*
> 
> Well said Pep.


I don't understand that mindset, but fair enough. Winning is important to me and I hate to lose at anything I compete in. In my mind, it sounds like excuses. Instead of looking at your own failings, you look at other teams and say they spend more. That means that you can't compete. You have a world class manager and a good squad. You can compete.

Silverware isn't the only measure of success, but a club as big as Arsenal's should be winning trophies. If you were a mid-table team, a lack of trophies would be more acceptable. Moyes was praised for his work at Everton and they didn't win anything. Maybe you can't compete for the league every year, but you can in the cup competitions.

You're a top team and the goal should be to win trophies. If it isn't, I don't know why you're bothering to compete.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I've been reading the back & forth about Arsenal here & I think Wenger/the club need to spend some money next season & win himself the EPL or make a real go at the UCL before he steps down otherwise despite what he's done for the club he'll be remembered more for this long barren spell. He doesn't have to spend stupid but I don't see how a bit of a splash once in how many years as a way to go out with a crown like Sir Alex is a bad thing.

Every businessman knows that at some point you gotta spend to get a good return & seeing world class players move on so they can have a chance at trophies every season can't exactly be all that positive for fans regardless of whatever new young talent he can start to mold. It'll be sad if Wenger retires & whoever succeeds him comes in, spends a bit, & wins something from the off as a result.

It's a WC year so the best players from everywhere will be on show this summer & I have no doubt he could find great deals to give him a rounded, dominant side as opposed a functional one that meets the same quota each year


----------



## SPC

7 and a half minutes and arsenal havent embarrassed themselves yet. so far so good!

edit: 17 minutes - never mind. sigh.


----------



## SPC

In a Lonely Place said:


> Enjoyed that match for once lol, good performance in the 2nd half.


oh yeah, at least they showed some fight this time haha~ point well earned. titles out of the question now though... or perhaps its always been :flush


----------



## minimized

It would be lovely if someone prevents $ity from claiming the title... *coughLiverpoolcough*


----------



## gunner21

Hold me brahs. I'm on cloud 9. Perfect weekend for Liverpool. Could it really happen? Can they win it all? I'm starting to believe now.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Wild season! I wonder if it'll go down to the last day again


----------



## gunner21




----------



## Nathan18

In a Lonely Place said:


> Well sorry to tell you this but if one sports team spends three times as much on their squad as another, it's a legitimate reason why that team does not compete at that level.
> 
> Your other point lol, well why don't the other 16 teams in the league just throw the towel in and not bother to compete? lol
> 
> We chose not to get in debt, so what? Aren't you a man u fan? why u care so much about Arsenal?


The other teams aren't big clubs. Their first job is not entirely to win trophies. It's either to stay in the league or move a bit further up the table. Arsenal's should be.

I don't care that much about Arsenal. I'm a United fan and my teams success is all I'm really concerned about. I just don't understand why Wenger doesn't seem to be trying to improve his squad that much. I enjoy seeing good football in this league. The more teams challenging for the title, the better. It keeps it more competitive. I would also prefer Arsenal to win if United can't. They're the lesser of a few evils. 

Liverpool are currently playing like champions. This is the first time I've believed that they can win the title. Liverpool v City will be a fascinating game. Whoever wins that will probably win the title. Chelsea losing this weekend was a huge blow. I don't think they're out of it, but their chances have diminished a lot. I would still prefer it if they could come back, but their lack of a decent striker hurts them.



GoonerN5 said:


> Arsenal HA. Every time we look like going somewhere there is an inevitable collapse. Ramsey, Ozil, Walcott, Diaby (forever), Wilshere being long term injuries doesn't help though. Seems like that happens every season, 3+ vital players getting long term injuries.
> 
> Still can be a successful season though, 4th and the FA Cup would be our most successful season since 2005. Hope we can do it.


Whilshere's is kind of expected now, but the rest isn't. Well, Diaby is, too, but he's a perma-crock. The injury issues do happen often. Maybe there is an on going issue with the club doctors?

Everton are very close behind Arsenal now. This weekends match will be good. You still have an easier run in than they do. If you get a couple players back, it should help a lot.


----------



## boas

Have they really managed to spin this into a positive result for United? Moyes is such a fraud.


----------



## googleamiable

clicked that sincewengerlastwonatrophy link, which lead me to this

http://www.howmanypremierleaguemedalshasstevengerrardwon.com/

hilarious and im a liverpool fan. THIS SEASON THO.


----------



## Elad

torres gonna torres

psg's offense looks scary doe


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^Wow, that's harsh! lol

I don't think PSG played all that well against us though, Cavani in particular was terrible & Ibra wasn't especially visible during his minutes either, they just had a couple individual moments of brilliance(ala Hazard for us at times) to go along with our complacency & bad tactics by Mourinho this time out. 

It sucks to see my boys in blue get shaky at this point in the season but we came back from 3-1 down once & won it all, we'll see if we can do it again. Gotta make sure we win in the league this weekend now however, at least try to keep pace there


----------



## SPC




----------



## SPC

In a Lonely Place said:


> meh I was fully expecting this but so good to see Rambo back.


a few hours ago a friend invited me to watch this game in a bar with a group and i said no, joking that if arsenal get embarrassed i would be in a piss poor mood.

now im sitting alone at home eating cereal watching the game on the computer.... and i am in a piss poor mood. embarrassing sad arsenal.


----------



## gunner21

^ yea, but injuries happen. Especially in such a physical league. Wenger should know that and have proper back up. Liverpool's back 4 have been bothered by injuries all season long, yet they've held it together somehow.


----------



## SPC

In a Lonely Place said:


> ^ Any team would struggle with the injuries we've had to key players except maybe Chelsea and Man City, plus Everton are a tough match for anyone at the best of times.
> 
> We have been piss poor today tho lol.


no, i cant even accept injuries as an excuse anymore. its been the same underperformers for the past two seasons, and arsenal had a chance to add depth and chose not to do so because of penny pinching even after the stadium was paid for last summer. vermealen, arteta, and giroud were garbage last season and are garbage now. szczesny is a mental midget who is 5 years short of experience to win anything major. every year guys like wilshire and walcott get injured, they never ever last a full season, how much more obvious is it that they cant be relied on? 4th place this year would be an undeserved gift.

the only solace i can take is that at least its an admirable forward-thinking team like everton breathing down arsenals neck this year and not spurs.


----------



## gunner21

In a Lonely Place said:


> yeah whatever, Liverpool only played once a week all season


And, and arsenal have gotten very far in every competition, right? I don't understand how you accept mediocrity from such a great club.


----------



## SPC

In a Lonely Place said:


> The stadium hasn't been paid off and we operate within FFP


that is semantics though and has no real effect on transfer policy. arsenal choose not to play it off and stick with the installment plans, and in spite of that the renegotiated sponsorship deals from summer 2013 have already covered every stadium installment thats still due til 2031 when the last installment is over with. arsenal has turned a large enough profit each of the last 5 years to exist comfortably under FFP and that number is only rising, so i dont feel either of those excuses are valid...


----------



## Paper Samurai

Too many extra games, too many injuries and Wenger's continued fetish for only one proper striker at the club. :no

I'm not going to knee jerk and call for his head, but my god there has to be a drive in the summer to get some more depth to this team.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

If Everton steal the final Champion's League spot from Arsenal & they don't manage the FA Cup then I'm sorry but there's little left to say for Wenger or the club administration. 

It's not dire when you think of Utd this season by comparison but the point that every critic of Arsenal is right on is that in the last 10 years what can you say for the progress of the team? That they paid for a stadium...and bread some brilliant players to win silverware elsewhere... 

With regard to the title race, I'll be so delightfully amused if by some stroke of luck my "strikerless" boys in Chelsea blue become Champions, lol


----------



## Canadian Brotha

You're a staunch defender of your crest(as you should be), I'll give you that but all I'm saying is if at seasons end Arsenal are without the FA Cup & have finally lost out on a UCL spot as well then all the arguments about being financially responsible won't be worth much.

My point isn't that the organization should break the bank, just that they can no longer be afraid to spend & by spend I don't mean putting all your eggs in one basket for an Ozil so the media has something to report, I mean building a squad with depth that can be rotated by choice not by injuries & keep challenging on multiple fronts when crunch time in the season comes round


----------



## gunner21

lol


----------



## TheMachine

I'd rather have Liverpool winning the EPL than Chelsea because of that **** Mourinho who likes to have a dig at everyone. While he may be a great manager, he's a **** of a person and I'd love to see them lose.

As for the UCL games later, I see Bayern winning against the rags and Cheslea winning by a one goal margin which won't be enough to progress. 

And I really hope Atletico knock Uefalona out but I'd put money on an Atleti player getting a red for something soft. It's always been like that at this stage of the season in the past 6 years with Farca. 

Can't wait for Liverpool - City match. I think that will be a true test of character for us and it's not like Liverpool have been walking all over teams recently as they have won a few games by penalties.

Anyway looking forward to this weeks games.

CTID!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^Love him or hate him Mourinho is great for the EPL & Europe, he's never dull.

That's about as anxious as I've been watching a must win football match for my boys in Chelsea Blue!

It's amazing Demba Ba scored, that's a true goal poacher, rarely played this season yet the few times he's got time he's scrapped goals in for us & none more important than todays


----------



## Evasion

What a sad day. Ba scoring at the end, sending Chelsea to the semi-finals. 

Next year Liverpool will be there though, so it's alright. YNWA.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Evasion said:


> What a sad day. Ba scoring at the end, sending Chelsea to the semi-finals.
> 
> Next year Liverpool will be there though, so it's alright. YNWA.


Are you a PSG fan or just so devoted to Liverpool that anything good for Chelsea pisses you off? lol

I'll say this, those chances Cavani missed Ibra would have scored without question. I don't imagine he's finding it hard in France given the level of opposition but his move there is quite telling in his performances against Chelsea over both legs


----------



## minimized

The results sucked today. Chelsea advances, Madrid advances. Boo, boring, money, boo.

Bayern better wake up against United tomorrow or I'll be raging.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

minimized said:


> The results sucked today. Chelsea advances, Madrid advances. Boo, boring, money, boo.
> 
> Bayern better wake up against United tomorrow or I'll be raging.


You say that as if Bayern don't pay their players well, lol. They just aren't in the media for billionaire owners & big transfer splashes. At least Chelsea made a full on effort for what they got, we tried everything to win. I saw the Madrid highlights & they didn't show anything at all away to Dortmund, they got really lucky they did their work in the first game, coming back in the second game is much harder regardless of the home factor.

That said I get your point, surprise teams can be nice but it's pretty rare in recent seasons for them to go the distance. I think Atletico making a real push would be awesome. Barca aren't the same anymore & as much as I hate to say it a Utd win would be nice for a shock as Bayern don't need to prove anything to anyone over the last 2 seasons. Pep inherited success, the German giants were a smart choice on his part


----------



## TheMachine

I swear if Chelsea win the CL than I'll never watch soccer again. It's BS how a boring anti-football team can win! The game should be played properly IMO.


----------



## minimized

Canadian Brotha said:


> You say that as if Bayern don't pay their players well, lol. They just aren't in the media for billionaire owners & big transfer splashes. At least Chelsea made a full on effort for what they got, we tried everything to win. I saw the Madrid highlights & they didn't show anything at all away to Dortmund, they got really lucky they did their work in the first game, coming back in the second game is much harder regardless of the home factor.
> 
> That said I get your point, surprise teams can be nice but it's pretty rare in recent seasons for them to go the distance. I think Atletico making a real push would be awesome. Barca aren't the same anymore & as much as I hate to say it a Utd win would be nice for a shock as Bayern don't need to prove anything to anyone over the last 2 seasons. Pep inherited success, the German giants were a smart choice on his part


I like surprise teams. And watching Ibra. Chelsea's ok. I don't have as much of a problem, just a little frustrated watching that kind of showing (and my stream cut out right before the goal). Madrid's worse because I never could stand them and Dortmund's interesting and they blew it.

As for Bayern I like seeing German teams and certainly not United even if they would be the surprise. I like the way they build, even though Pep is riding the success of his predecessors, and because all most people talk about is the English and Spanish leagues. Bayern better represent and someone better keep away Madrid.

Atletico will be entertaining for sure, both here and in the league. Maybe someone can break this top 2, finally. Maybe one of the league winners can be less than routine since I presume City will win. Bleh.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

TheMachine said:


> I swear if Chelsea win the CL than I'll never watch soccer again. It's BS how a boring anti-football team can win! The game should be played properly IMO.


It's not anti football to know you can't out play every team you face when you're trying to win a tournament & nobody knows that better than Mourinho. It's funny how nobody says it's anti-football when the Italian national team wins a tournament doing the same thing thing...just wait till you see it at the World Cup. Anyway, PSG weren't brilliant over the 2 legs, they took their chances in an ok(at best) performance at home & didn't take them away from home. It's not like they were gloriously unlucky. Dortmund were gloriously unlucky not to get extra time at the very least


----------



## Canadian Brotha

minimized said:


> I like surprise teams. And watching Ibra. Chelsea's ok. I don't have as much of a problem, just a little frustrated watching that kind of showing (and my stream cut out right before the goal). Madrid's worse because I never could stand them and Dortmund's interesting and they blew it.
> 
> As for Bayern I like seeing German teams and certainly not United even if they would be the surprise. I like the way they build, even though Pep is riding the success of his predecessors, and because all most people talk about is the English and Spanish leagues. Bayern better represent and someone better keep away Madrid.
> 
> Atletico will be entertaining for sure, both here and in the league. Maybe someone can break this top 2, finally. Maybe one of the league winners can be less than routine since I presume City will win. Bleh.


As a Chelsea fan I know Mourinho's tactics can be frustrating in some games so I am partially with you there but nobody stepped up for PSG away from home without Ibra & it was theirs for the taking because everyone knows Chelsea can be shaky even in the best of seasons. We haven't always been a consistent team over recent seasons & this one is no different.

I followed the Bundesliga last season & Dortmund are great to watch so them over Madrid would have been nice no doubt. Bayern are great to watch too but it would be nice to see someone actually give them a proper challenge to overcome as it's a rarity these days. In any case the UCl is a competition won by small margins


----------



## J220

Please Bayern, finish the job tonight.


----------



## gunner21

So glad those Barcelona whiners got knocked out.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

It took a sucker punch for Bayern to reach full flow but there was little doubt really. Atletico going through is awesome


----------



## Evasion

Canadian Brotha said:


> Are you a PSG fan or just so devoted to Liverpool that anything good for Chelsea pisses you off? lol


I kinda like PSG, and was at Parc des Princes back in 2010.  Not a proper supporter or anything, I just think it's cool when they win/do alright (even if it's not as fun now that they have as much money as they want).

And yes, as a Liverpool supporter I really don't like it when Chelsea win.


----------



## SupaDupaFly




----------



## Canadian Brotha

SupaDupaFly said:


>


My word, that's awesome, lol


----------



## Evasion

^ lol!


----------



## TheMachine

Canadian Brotha said:


> It's not anti football to know you can't out play every team you face when you're trying to win a tournament & nobody knows that better than Mourinho. It's funny how nobody says it's anti-football when the Italian national team wins a tournament doing the same thing thing...just wait till you see it at the World Cup. Anyway, PSG weren't brilliant over the 2 legs, they took their chances in an ok(at best) performance at home & didn't take them away from home. It's not like they were gloriously unlucky. Dortmund were gloriously unlucky not to get extra time at the very least


I know, it was a subjective opinion because of my extreme dislike for Mourinho. Simeone has Atletico playing a similar style and I like it because it's effective and has the team playing to its strength. I was happy for Chelsea back in 2012 because the team fought tooth and nail to achieve the trophy against all odds and RDM was a respectable guy unlike the current manager who is bitter fool when things don't go his way.


----------



## moloko

SupaDupaFly said:


>


I'm starting to pity the man. We're bordering character assassination. :\


----------



## Evasion

In a Lonely Place said:


> I'd love to see Atletico win it being massive underdogs.


I agree. Would be awesome if Atletico won, preferably after beating Real in the final.


----------



## minimized

In a Lonely Place said:


> I'd love to see Atletico win it being massive underdogs.


Indeed. I'll take anyone but Madrid, but the surprise pick is usually nice.


----------



## moloko

I don't think any of the other 3 have a chance against Bayern. My money's on the germans.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I could take any of the teams left to win the UCL in truth. Chelsea because they are my main club team, Atletico because I didn't see them coming this season, Madrid because I like Ancelotti from his Chelsea days & Bayern because they are the most complete club side in the world at the moment


----------



## Elad

get in everton.

oh and CL should be interesting.. I think real madrid is the one team with the pace of attack to push bayern so I'm glad they drew together. anticipating some rough stuff between atletico/chelsea but I back to chelsea to edge through again since I don't think atletico can maintain the overachieving level they're at.. would love to be wrong though.

and the courtois thing could have been some real drama but looks like he can play? I've read conflicting things so I'm not sure, something about atletico having to pay chelsea a set amount in the contract but uefa saying hes free to play. fingers crossed he can, because hes an enormous part of the team.


----------



## moloko

Elad said:


> and the courtois thing could have been some real drama but looks like he can play? I've read conflicting things so I'm not sure, something about atletico having to pay chelsea a set amount in the contract but uefa saying hes free to play. fingers crossed he can, because hes an enormous part of the team.


Over 5 millions euros. As much as I dislike these kind of clauses in contracts that prevent a loaned player to play against his original team, I think the fact that UEFA has intervened in favour of Atlético is ridiculous. They signed the contract, they knew what they were in for. This is a matter between the two parties and UEFA intervening is already influencing the round. I don't think it's right and Chelsea has every right to dispute this decision by UEFA.


----------



## Elad

moloko said:


> Over 5 millions euros. As much as I dislike these kind of clauses in contracts that prevent a loaned player to play against his original team, I think the fact that UEFA has intervened in favour of Atlético is ridiculous. They signed the contract, they knew what they were in for. This is a matter between the two parties and UEFA intervening is already influencing the round. I don't think it's right and Chelsea has every right to dispute this decision by UEFA.


Yeah if that really is the situation and they went into the CL knowing they can't/won't pay, it seems like bull**** for uefa to get involved. I can see chelsea going to court if its true. Also wonder if it'll complicate a further loan to atletico..

edit; not the mention chelsea bidding for costa. probably in their best interests to jut let it slide... however if courtois is the decider in the tie it'll be a bitter pill to swallow.


----------



## SPC




----------



## Elad

wigan goal..










come on arsenal.. I want to see you win something.


----------



## SPC

THANK YOU YEEZUSSSSSSSSSSS ...my lord... theres still hope


----------



## gunner21

GAME OF THE SEASON TOMORROW!

PEPPER YOUR ANGUS BROS!


----------



## Joe

This game is absolutely ****ing huge. 

-Win and it's a 50/50 on the title depending on the Chelsea result.
-Lose and the seasons over.

If Liverpool finish 1st and Everton 4th then this season will be unbelievable. 

P.s. I think the FA Cup is bigger than CL's spot for Arsenal, just because they've went for so long without a trophy.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I'm looking forward to this game


----------



## minimized

Pleeeeeeeeeese Liverpool


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Great game! Immense crowd & good energy about the play by both sides. Liverpool's philosophy of "offense is the best defense" may well win them the title this season but I don't think it'll fly in Europe next season


----------



## gunner21

What a ****ing game. This is what Premier league is about. Great strike by Coutinho.


----------



## starsfreak

What a game! This might be the season for Liverpool


----------



## Callum96

What a joke. Dives, handballs, shirt pulling, blatent penalties. Might as well give Liverpool the title now and be done with it.


----------



## SPC

10 wins in a row, cant argue with results~~ the stars seem to be truly aligning for liverpool this season


----------



## Elad

EPL baby.

das it mane.

I don't necessarily support liverpool but I think they would be deserving champions this season, from their style of play to heart, they have it all.

leggo chelsea! lets keep this race interesting! looking forward to seeing salah get a start especially.


----------



## gunner21

Callum96 said:


> What a joke. Dives, handballs, shirt pulling, blatent penalties. Might as well give Liverpool the title now and be done with it.


If you'd taken your biased glasses off, you would have noticed that none of the dives were awarded, there were no "blatant" penalties (except for the skrtel handball which not even the man city players seemed to notice). The reffing was pretty fair for the most part.


----------



## Callum96

gunner21 said:


> If you'd taken your biased glasses off, you would have noticed that none of the dives were awarded, there were no "blatant" penalties (except for the skrtel handball which not even the man city players seemed to notice). The reffing was pretty fair for the most part.


Suarez threw himself to ground while doing that sickening wince and leg-hold of his about 4 or 5 times while on a booking. One of them being incredibly obvious, and him not being given a second yellow is nothing short of a disgrace. Time and time again referees bottle these big decisions, while condoning cheating. It's ruining football.

Oh, so there were no blatent penalties... apart from the blatent penalty? Thanks for that.


----------



## gunner21

Callum96 said:


> Suarez threw himself to ground while doing that sickening wince and leg-hold of his about 4 or 5 times while on a booking. One of them being incredibly obvious, and him not being given a second yellow is nothing short of a disgrace. Time and time again referees bottle these big decisions, while condoning cheating. It's ruining football.
> 
> Oh, so there were no blatent penalties... apart from the blatent penalty? Thanks for that.


Booking for diving is still not the norm, and it is very very rare to give someone a red for diving. You said penalties, which implies there were more than one instances and I recall only one. (skrtel handball)

A Manu fan complaining about reffing is pretty damn rich. Seems like you're forgetting about "Fergie time".

Oh and it's blatant, not blatent.


----------



## Callum96

gunner21 said:


> Booking for diving is still not the norm, and it is very very rare to give someone a red for diving. You said penalties, which implies there were more than one instances and I recall only one. (skrtel handball)
> 
> A Manu fan complaining about reffing is pretty damn rich. Seems like you're forgetting about "Fergie time".
> 
> Oh and it's blatant, not blatent.


A booking for diving is most definitely the norm - and more importantly the law - especially when it's so blindingly obvious. Yaya Toure was booked last week for diving. And from a moral point of view, whatever the punishment for diving is, defending it as a football fan is very strange.
The Skrtel handball and the foul on Silva - both stone wall penalties. The foul on Dzeko - arguably a penalty.

Not entirely sure what relevance that has to anything previously mentioned. And in case you haven't realised, Fergie isn't our manager anymore.

Damn, such a blatent error, eh.


----------



## gunner21

Callum96 said:


> A booking for diving is most definitely the norm - and more importantly the law - especially when it's so blindingly obvious. Yaya Toure was booked last week for diving. And from a moral point of view, whatever the punishment for diving is, defending it as a football fan is very strange.
> The Skrtel handball and the foul on Silva - both stone wall penalties. The foul on Dzeko - arguably a penalty.
> 
> Not entirely sure what relevance that has to anything previously mentioned. And in case you haven't realised, Fergie isn't our manager anymore.
> 
> Damn, such a blatent error, eh.


Firstly, its blatant, with an a.

Secondly, what I meant was that giving a second yellow for diving is very rare. I want players to be booked, but also want there to be consistency. I can guarantee he would have been given a yellow had he not been booked already.

Thirdly, fergie is relevant because he used to pressure the refs big time and they used favour manu (read fergie time) I'm pretty sure you were fine with the Reffing when manu was winning.


----------



## Callum96

gunner21 said:


> Firstly, its blatant, with an a.
> 
> Secondly, what I meant was that giving a second yellow for diving is very rare. I want players to be booked, but also want there to be consistency. I can guarantee he would have been given a yellow had he not been booked already.
> 
> Thirdly, fergie is relevant because he used to pressure the refs big time and they used favour manu (read fergie time) I'm pretty sure you were fine with the Reffing when manu was winning.


I was trying to inject a bit of humour into this. Maybe not then. And seeing as you're a fan of corrections, it's United 'were' winning, not 'was', 'were'.

Giving a second yellow for diving is rare because there aren't many opportunities to do so. Clearly, you want the exact opposite of consistency, because consistency would be to give a yellow card regardless of whether he's on a booking or not. The ref bottled it, and impacted the outcome of the game, deal with it.

I can't help but chuckle at how bitter you are, even with United languishing in 7th place. Hated, adored, never ignored.


----------



## gunner21

Callum96 said:


> I was trying to inject a bit of humour into this. Maybe not then. And seeing as you're a fan of corrections, it's United 'were' winning, not 'was', 'were'.
> 
> Giving a second yellow for diving is rare because there aren't many opportunities to do so. Clearly, you want the exact opposite of consistency, because consistency would be to give a yellow card regardless of whether he's on a booking or not. The ref bottled it, and impacted the outcome of the game, deal with it.
> 
> I can't help but chuckle at how bitter you are, even with United languishing in 7th place. Hated, adored, never ignored.


I was on the phone, went potato with the grammar.

No, I want consistency in the sense that every team be treated the same. I can guarantee more often not that another player from another team would not be sent off for diving, so why should it be different this team around?

The bitterness is coming from your side, especially with your OP. Seems like seeing liverpool on top rustles your jimmies. Let the butthurt flow through you.


----------



## Callum96

gunner21 said:


> I was on the phone, went potato with the grammar.
> 
> No, I want consistency in the sense that every team be treated the same. I can guarantee more often not that another player from another team would not be sent off for diving, so why should it be different this team around?
> 
> The bitterness is coming from your side, especially with your OP. Seems like seeing liverpool on top rustles your jimmies. Let the butthurt flow through you.


That's such a flawed argument. You want consistency, but you don't want the right decision to be made. I want to see any player who cheats in the manner that Suarez does to be punished, especially Man United players. It's embarrassing and shameful and is one of the reasons I enjoy going to watch FC United of Manchester (look them up) more than I enjoy going to watch Man United.

Oh indeed, I'm extremely bitter, and can you blame me? The thought of Steven Gerrard lifting the Premier League trophy is sickening. I'll emigrate if them scumbags win it.


----------



## starsfreak

Callum96 said:


> Oh indeed, I'm extremely bitter, and can you blame me? The thought of Steven Gerrard lifting the Premier League trophy is sickening. I'll emigrate if them scumbags win it.


Jesus Christ I hope that was just sarcasm. Otherwise you really need calm down. It's just football lol.


----------



## Callum96

DanielFromGER said:


> Jesus Christ I hope that was just sarcasm. Otherwise you really need calm down. It's just football lol.


Nope, applied for a US visa - and if they win the league, I'm off. :teeth


----------



## dal user

Callum96 said:


> Nope, applied for a US visa - and if they win the league, I'm off. :teeth


you do know its quite hard to get a visa for the states mate?


----------



## Callum96

Rich91 said:


> you do know its quite hard to get a visa for the states mate?


I was joking pal


----------



## dal user

Callum96 said:


> I was joking pal


So was I mate

Just winding you up

Fellow Manc I see...


----------



## Callum96

Rich91 said:


> So was I mate
> 
> Just winding you up
> 
> Fellow Manc I see...


Had a feeling you were, but then remembered how humourless a lot of people are on here..

Yep, and proud. Think we've spoken briefly before, quite a while back. Wherebouts in Manchester you from?


----------



## dal user

Callum96 said:


> Had a feeling you were, but then remembered how humourless a lot of people are on here..
> 
> Yep, and proud. Think we've spoken briefly before, quite a while back. Wherebouts in Manchester you from?


Chorlton.

what about yourself


----------



## Callum96

Rich91 said:


> Chorlton.
> 
> what about yourself


Ah nice one, I'm in Bury so more Greater Manchester really


----------



## dal user

Callum96 said:


> Ah nice one, I'm in Bury so more Greater Manchester really


Oh right, been bury a few times myself. Its not really near me though.

A lot of people say Bury is not manc because you guys speak with the country accent. Its kind of strange how many different accents there are in and around all these close by places in Greater Manchester. Oldham, Thameside, Bury, Bolton & Wigan all speak with the Lancashire country accents and then you've got the city area which people speak with the actual Mancunian accent. Stockport is in the hills too but they speak with a more softer accent I've noticed

I don't mean that in an offensive way or anything.


----------



## Callum96

Rich91 said:


> Oh right, been bury a few times myself. Its not really near me though.
> 
> A lot of people say Bury is not manc because you guys speak with the country accent. Its kind of strange how many different accents there are in and around all these close by places in Greater Manchester. Oldham, Thameside, Bury, Bolton & Wigan all speak with the Lancashire country accents and then you've got the city area which people speak with the actual Mancunian accent. Stockport is in the hills too but they speak with a more softer accent I've noticed
> 
> I don't mean that in an offensive way or anything.


I agree, it's weird how different two people who live 15 miles apart can sound. Thankfully I don't have much of a Bury accent cos I've been to school and college in proper Manchester all my life. I've got more of a general North Manchester accent, can't really pinpoint it to any place. Bury accent is nowhere near as bad as Bolton though, Jesus Christ if I sounded like them I'd get myself a voice coach


----------



## dal user

Callum96 said:


> I agree, it's weird how different two people who live 15 miles apart can sound. Thankfully I don't have much of a Bury accent cos I've been to school and college in proper Manchester all my life. I've got more of a general North Manchester accent, can't really pinpoint it to any place. Bury accent is nowhere near as bad as Bolton though, Jesus Christ if I sounded like them I'd get myself a voice coach


Yeah even the north and south manchester accents are a bit different

I don't really have much of an accent tbh, I use some of the slang words obviously growing up in south Manchester but that it I haven't really got a strong manc accent.

Never really been many places in north Manchester before, been cheetham hill, moston and newton heath, thats it.

Whats it like over that way?


----------



## lad

Good performance from Liverpool today.
More importantly the mighty bha gave Charlton a seeing to yesterday.


----------



## Callum96

Rich91 said:


> Yeah even the north and south manchester accents are a bit different
> 
> I don't really have much of an accent tbh, I use some of the slang words obviously growing up in south Manchester but that it I haven't really got a strong manc accent.
> 
> Never really been many places in north Manchester before, been cheetham hill, moston and newton heath, thats it.
> 
> Whats it like over that way?


Can't beat any Northern/Lancashire accent in my eyes

Varies really, like anywhere. Rochdale is a ****hole, Bury is alright, Prestwich is quite nice, but then anywhere south of Prestwich towards town, like Cheetham Hill, is pretty rough. Honestly, never seen more drug dealers on one street than when I'm going through Cheetham Hill


----------



## dal user

Callum96 said:


> Can't beat any Northern/Lancashire accent in my eyes
> 
> Varies really, like anywhere. Rochdale is a ****hole, Bury is alright, Prestwich is quite nice, but then anywhere south of Prestwich towards town, like Cheetham Hill, is pretty rough. Honestly, never seen more drug dealers on one street than when I'm going through Cheetham Hill


yeah i've been bury new road before and **** me, its so grim round there. My bus passes through moss side and goes near rusholme too and goes down oxford road, so many unsavoury characters on oxford road though.

anyway this is way off topic, so lets just end this conversation about manchester lol.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Scruffy win for Chelsea today but a win is a win a title challenge


----------



## gunner21

DAT FINISH!


----------



## SPC

gunner21 said:


> DAT FINISH!


for a world class center back kompany sure has the worst luck sometimes... first that bizarre own goal earlier in the year and now this inch-perfect assist lol


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Arsenal needed a punch in the face to wake up in this one


----------



## TheMachine

I'm still not over that game with Liverpool. We were really on the front foot in the second half until that Kompany f*** up. I mean how the f*** can a team this talented and expensive do stupid rookie mistakes like that in a game like this? (referring to Clichy's back-header and Kompany's miss-kick)

And how the f*** did the team all of the sudden lose confidence and b****ed out because of that goal. Yes we were outplayed mostly in the first half but this victory wasn't from the fact that we were outplayed, it was a stupid gift/miracle goal. 

We had more opportunities (That f**kn Silva miss) and couldn't capitalize on it. 

The title race is over for City. They don't have the mentality to cope from a loss like this. Now I know why Pellegrini was never successful prior to joining City.

I think Chelsea will go to Pool and get a win all because of the so-called genius Mourinho and then win the title.

GG


----------



## boas

City would have the title in the bag by now if they had signed a decent centre back instead of spending big on a striker they didn't need in Jovetic. And you could probably say the same about Chelsea if they had a top striker and United if they had hired anyone other than Moyes. The result of all this poor planning is a team with Henderson, Flanagan and Sterling as regular starters winning the title.


----------



## minimized

There's no way it's over for City. They ought to still be the favorites, with games in hand and Liverpool having to play Chelsea given the circumstances.


----------



## Elad

the next el clasico not far away now..










looking forward, especially since ronaldo wont be playing. really hoping bale steps up (he hasn't at all yet, but this is his chance) and the team shows they can perform in big games without him.. makes it more interesting imo.

impossible to predict. maybe 3-1 to madrid given barcelonas last few games.


----------



## moloko

What a ****ing lol at that gif... Only your posts can make me laugh that hard by myself.

I'll say **** "El Clássico" and go for "O Clássico", in the country next door. Two great games in the Iberian Peninsula tonight.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Oh the premier league this season, twists & turns galore! Anyone can have their day. Man City have learned the same lesson Chelsea have this season, a team that on paper you should destroy due to money/prestige can be a true pain in the ***. Sunderland deserved the 3 points, how unlucky they only got 1. And high flying Everton taking a bit of a reality check. A Chelsea win at Liverpool this weekend would be glorious to open it up even more


----------



## starsfreak

Real leading 2:1 after an amazing run by Gareth Bale


----------



## Elad

not a bad game, ref did an awesome job this time around.

also holy **** at the speed from bale after getting pushed off on that last goal, simply breathtaking. deserved win.. barca had a couple of chances but got torn apart far too easily throughout.

barca fans around the world be like










feel for you bros. what the hell was messi doing? seemed so disinterested, probably the worst performer on the pitch today..


----------



## gunner21




----------



## Canadian Brotha

gunner21 said:


>


That's unbelievable, the kind of image super heros are born of. I remember him schooling Maicon like that when Maicon was in his prime at Inter


----------



## gunner21




----------



## TheMachine

gunner21 said:


>


:O No wonder why he's playing crap


----------



## TheMachine

gunner21 said:


>


Apparently Barca filed a complaint to FIFA to enforce a speed limit on players. :clap


----------



## TheMachine

RandomNobody said:


> some good news for barça: neymar won't play for a month


Season's over for Barca.

Everyone used to go on about how great the Barca's youth system is but then they got too trigger happy and started splashing cash.

Now with their transfer ban, lets see if they can live up to the hype and recruit some of their youth players and develop them to world class material.


----------



## googleamiable

TheMachine said:


> I'm still not over that game with Liverpool. We were really on the front foot in the second half until that Kompany f*** up. I mean how the f*** can a team this talented and expensive do stupid rookie mistakes like that in a game like this? (referring to Clichy's back-header and Kompany's miss-kick)
> 
> And how the f*** did the team all of the sudden lose confidence and b****ed out because of that goal. Yes we were outplayed mostly in the first half but this victory wasn't from the fact that we were outplayed, it was a stupid gift/miracle goal.
> 
> We had more opportunities (That f**kn Silva miss) and couldn't capitalize on it.
> 
> The title race is over for City. They don't have the mentality to cope from a loss like this. Now I know why Pellegrini was never successful prior to joining City.
> 
> I think Chelsea will go to Pool and get a win all because of the so-called genius Mourinho and then win the title.
> 
> GG


you must remember city's winning goal in the home fixture






football is perpetual swings and roundabouts


----------



## Elad

TheMachine said:


> Season's over for Barca.
> 
> Everyone used to go on about how great the Barca's youth system is but then they got too trigger happy and started splashing cash.
> 
> Now with their transfer ban, lets see if they can live up to the hype and recruit some of their youth players and develop them to world class material.


Yeah they've pretty much crashed out of all three comps in a week. yikes.

Also wouldn't be all that surprising to see them appeal and be allowed to use the next window, but if any team can manage its them. Deulofeu coming back should be useful for sure. Biggest issue they have right now is wtf Messi is doing.. something is clearly up whether it be with the manager or board, and without him as the centerpiece they get found out. So toothless.

Also feel bad for Barta. He was one of their best players easily, only one taking some initiative (along with neymar) and the Bale goal.. well I don't think any of them could have kept pace with him.










lol'd at him not having pants on. reliving the pace rape he received.


----------



## boas

Hilarious that average English players like Shaw, Sterling and Barkley get young player of the year nominations over Eriksen, Oscar and de Gea. Epic fail.


----------



## twitchy666

*The reason why I'm not allowed to work*

because I don't watch any sport. I don't giggle and clap hands together


----------



## Elad

Chelsea.....


Liverpool fans rejoice.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Crappy day to be a blues fan. Too bad Norwich can't/won't pull off an upset tomorrow


----------



## minimized

Sundy major spoilers, taking points from both City and Chelsea...

Ironic, that Borini goal.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

In a Lonely Place said:


> Ahahaha another team who can't buy the title, Jose throwing his toys out the pram and blaming the ref.
> 
> :rofl


Honestly, I don't feel it was a penalty as it was more momentum than anything & a Sunderland team in need of luck got the call. Altidore is a strong guy & he would have run out of room with Caesar coming across even if they both stayed up.

As for us, we need more scruffy goals like the ones Demba has got for us recently as opposed to trying to play it through pretty all the time. That game plan doesn't work when you need to grind out a result & the opposition is dug in deep. I think we missed David Luiz(and of course Hazard) today.

Anyway the media has laid us more claim to the title than the team ever has publicly & the way this season is going there may yet be more upsets on the cards before it's decided. That said, if Liverpool take it well played to them!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

In a Lonely Place said:


> I don't think it was either but those are the kind of decisions that are hard to call. Although Ramires should have been sent off, he'll probably get a retrospective ban anyways as the ref didn't see it.
> 
> I don't get the part about the media, nobody was buying Jose's ridiculous story about Chelsea being a baby horse that still needed milk and to learn how to run.
> You put yourself in the title race by your performances alone and to be fair they could still win it.


I agree about Ramires.

As for Jose's nonsense, I wasn't referring to that, more how if you go top for a day after a win the media say you've won it until the next week despite games in hand, & competing on multiple fronts, etc. I just felt from the beginning our team isn't quite settled & needs some rounding out for consistency. I don't think anyone saw Liverpool coming & though we're up there challenging I really thought it was City's title this season. Now it's anyone's guess what will happen from week to week


----------



## SupaDupaFly

2-0 Everton vs Manchester United Halftime


----------



## minimized

It's all set up for the clash at Anfield now. This is what we live for.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I'm only half blaming David Moyes for the Utd predicament because the players just haven't been up to scratch this season(Rooney excluded). Fergie knew when to leave & Moyes got the mess but Moyes also needed this harsh lesson in tactics for a major club if he really wants to try to be an elite manager.

As for Liverpool, their outscore everyone they play approach makes for really entertaining games but I still feel they'll need a defensive tune up next season with Europe a consideration as well


----------



## Fooza

I'm noticing a lot of Moyes hate from majority of utd fans across many ManUtd boards, I won't bother questioning whether Moyes management/tactics is to blame for such a shambles of a season (for not getting top 4 at least).

However, one thing clearly lacking is desire and hunger from the players. Two seasons ago when Mancity won the title, the response was needed and Fergie got that out of the players which made them win the title a year later. Getting that same hunger/desire after a title winning season was always going to be tough plus adding a new manager and staff made it even harder, so it isn't surprising at all. 

Looks likely Liverpool will win the title this year, I'll be shocked if this doesn't bring a bigger hunger to the team again to make sure they're up there competing again, which I'm positive it will; moyes or not.


----------



## Callum96

All the big journalists in England are saying Moyes' sacking is imminent. Hallelujah...


----------



## SPC

hopefully theyll get van gaal to replace him. id love for a manager switch to become a yearly tradition at old trafford~


----------



## Callum96

SPC said:


> hopefully theyll get van gaal to replace him. id love for a manager switch to become a yearly tradition at old trafford~


You don't rate Van Gaal? Him and Klopp are top of most United fans' lists


----------



## TheMachine

Looking forward to the epic bus war between Atletico and Chelsea. As we've seen of late, Mourinho doesn't do well when he does battles with another bus.


----------



## TheMachine

Callum96 said:


> All the big journalists in England are saying Moyes' sacking is imminent. Hallelujah...


Noo!  Keep Moyes in for our #SaveOurDave campaign


----------



## SPC

Callum96 said:


> You don't rate Van Gaal? Him and Klopp are top of most United fans' lists


i dont really rate van gaal even though obviously hes had success. and in spite of winning trophies hes always been let go of his high profile club jobs quickly because he publicly trashes and feuds with players who cant play in his system (rivaldo, toni, klose, etc). if united are aiming for longevity after this moyes saga then van gaal shouldn't be considered. i cant imagine him trying to massage rooney or rvps ego with any success.

klopp i do rate very highly, and i wish he would take over arsenal when wenger calls it a day!


----------



## Donnie in the Dark




----------



## Donnie in the Dark

In a Lonely Place said:


> Everton played well but man u were awful :-/


 Mark! they had lots of the ball! All very neat and tidy, even though Everton's tactics were to let them have it... it still counts for a moral victory! Just because they had barely any shots, and their players didn't look like they could be bothered :b


----------



## Callum96

SPC said:


> i dont really rate van gaal even though obviously hes had success. and in spite of winning trophies hes always been let go of his high profile club jobs quickly because he publicly trashes and feuds with players who cant play in his system (rivaldo, toni, klose, etc). if united are aiming for longevity after this moyes saga then van gaal shouldn't be considered. i cant imagine him trying to massage rooney or rvps ego with any success.
> 
> klopp i do rate very highly, and i wish he would take over arsenal when wenger calls it a day!


You make a good point about his sometimes dodgy relationships with players. However I don't think United would appoint him for longevity - rather they'd appoint him as a stop-gap for 2-3 years to get things back on track while either someone like Klopp becomes available or someone like Giggs or Scholes is ready to have a go in charge.



TheMachine said:


> Noo!  Keep Moyes in for our #SaveOurDave campaign


Haha! '#SaveMoyes' has trended in Liverpool today. Says it all really...


----------



## Canadian Brotha

The West Brom counter attack goal vs City was brilliant, pure gold!


----------



## moloko

Moyes just got sacked! Ah.

Klopp or Simeone?


----------



## SPC

In a Lonely Place said:


> Apparently Simeone doesn't speak English so I'd rule him out.
> 
> Sorry to hear about Moyes tho.


from an impartial point of view, simeone would have been perfect for them if he could get over the language barrier. great tactician, great man motivator, and someone whos already proven he can do more with less against clubs with endless resources.

from an arsenal fans point of view, i think the next manager of united should be david moyes. he was once handpicked by SAF to be the next SAF, you know.


----------



## TheMachine

In a Lonely Place said:


> As good as it's been watching their decline this season it's pretty shabby to sack him after 9 months of a six year contract. Nobody gets time to build something at big clubs anymore, this worries me about the day Arsene's time is up. It's not just Moyes to blame imo.


Times have changed and it will be a struggle for clubs to have the amount of patience United had with Moyes. Any club will change managers at will if they don't fulfill expectations. The competitiveness of this sport have skyrocketed in the last decade with all the money involved.


----------



## TheMachine

SPC said:


> from an impartial point of view, simeone would have been perfect for them if he could get over the language barrier. great tactician, great man motivator, and someone whos already proven he can do more with less against clubs with endless resources.
> 
> from an arsenal fans point of view, i think the next manager of united should be david moyes. he was once handpicked by SAF to be the next SAF, you know.


If there's a big club Simeone will go to it will be Inter Milan. Even if they're not in the Champions League he said it will be his destiny to coach them and bring them back to the top among the elites.


----------



## SPC

TheMachine said:


> If there's a big club Simeone will go to it will be Inter Milan. Even if they're not in the Champions League he said it will be his destiny to coach them and bring them back to the top among the elites.


well he did become a star in italy so i guess the heart wants what the heart wants~ but what, no love for lazio? haha



In a Lonely Place said:


> As good as it's been watching their decline this season it's pretty shabby to sack him after 9 months of a six year contract. Nobody gets time to build something at big clubs anymore, this worries me about the day Arsene's time is up. It's not just Moyes to blame imo.


im not as worried about when arsene quits because the attacking, technique heavy one-touch-and-go style he prefers and arsenal are built for will lend itself to a very attacking-minded manager taking over (ie klopp, martinez, garcia etc). the problem we've seen with british managers making the step up to bigger premiership clubs post-2000 (moyes, allardyce, hodgson, etc) is that they dont seem to know how to utilize players whos skill set is more based on technique instead of physical gifts. i think arsenal will avoid this trap.


----------



## minimized

The sacrificial lamb has been killed. Now to find someone to immediately build upon what was always going to be a messy, difficult season.


----------



## Farideh

Fifa is coming this summer. I'm not really into soccer but I would root for Manchester.


----------



## gunner21

^ Lol! I don't think you would after this season.


----------



## Farideh

And why are you assuming they are going to lose?? Are you like some freakin fortune teller wannabe or something.


----------



## TheMachine

Cant wait for the game after. It will be an interesting tactical battle of two teams with similar styles. I like to call it a bus battle because both teams prioritize defense.


----------



## moloko

Paloma M said:


> And why are you assuming they are going to lose?? Are you like some freakin fortune teller wannabe or something.


Season is ending, Manchester United can't win anything anymore. FIFA World Cup is for countries, not clubs.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I stand by what I said about Moyes above. You would have thought there would have been more planning for the guy who inherits a 26 year dynasty than a tired team with no new blood/reinforcements. Yes, he needed a lesson in tactics & player motivation/management for a higher calibre team but still, he should have had way more support with the initial preparations/rebuilding process.

As for today, I hope Mourinho gets his tactics right & we get a decent result to give ourselves a chance


----------



## gunner21

Paloma M said:


> And why are you assuming they are going to lose?? Are you like some freakin fortune teller wannabe or something.


What the hell is up with your rudeness? So bitter for no damn reason lol.

Anyways, their roster isn't that great, and with no champions league next season, it's going to be hard to improve it immediately.

Fergie was a great manager and had a system in place for a long long time. The new manager coming in will take at least one season (possibly 2) to set up his system and buy players that fit his system. Took Liverpool about 3-4 years to go from mid table to title contenders. Don't need to be a fortune teller to figure this out.


----------



## Farideh

gunner21 said:


> What the hell is up with your rudeness? So bitter for no damn reason lol.
> 
> Anyways, their roster isn't that great, and with no champions league next season, it's going to be hard to improve it immediately.
> 
> Fergie was a great manager and had a system in place for a long long time. The new manager coming in will take at least one season (possibly 2) to set up his system and buy players that fit his system. Took Liverpool about 3-4 years to go from mid table to title contenders. Don't need to be a fortune teller to figure this out.


You may call me a bitter A hole but you accused me on the other post for something I don't even do. That is why I am a d&ck towards you.


----------



## apx24

Hehe Moyes has gone, as an Arsenal fan who had to deal with arrogant United fans at school United's misfortune has made me happy.

Still though, Moyes should have been given longer, it took Fergie years to consolidate a team at United.



Paloma M said:


> Fifa is coming this summer. I'm not really into soccer but I would root for Manchester.


Support Arsenal instead  they're a better team trust me.


----------



## gunner21

Paloma M said:


> You may call me a bitter A hole but you accused me on the other post for something I don't even do. That is why I am a d&ck towards you.


Which was?


----------



## lad

**** me just lost an hour and half of my life watching that Chelsea game. 
In other news, c'mon the albion and lol at man u.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Chelsea parked the bus & Atletico couldn't play through it. It was expected & it came to pass. That late free kick should have been taken by Willian or Lampard though. Luiz has scored some beauties in the past but this hasn't been his season for scoring, it's been a season of discipline for him. I also, hope those injuries aren't too serious. Terry has had one of, if not his best, season for Chelsea & I just love Cech, such an awesome keeper


----------



## gunner21

^ One of the most boring games I've seen in a while.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

gunner21 said:


> ^ One of the most boring games I've seen in a while.


It was a dull one. Sometimes I wish teams in the Champions League would throw caution to the wind & play games of who can score the most like Liverpool have been doing in the Premier League. They haven't worried at all about conceding because they know they can score lots as well. If Atletico & Chelsea really went at it with both teams ability to counter we would have had an awesome 3-2 game


----------



## Farideh

apx24 said:


> Hehe Moyes has gone, as an Arsenal fan who had to deal with arrogant United fans at school United's misfortune has made me happy.
> 
> Still though, Moyes should have been given longer, it took Fergie years to consolidate a team at United.
> 
> Support Arsenal instead  they're a better team trust me.


I don't even know where they are from.


----------



## Farideh

gunner21 said:


> Which was?


You made a big deal about me shaming on buff guys like it's offensive. You forget that we all have our own opinions of EVERYTHING. Also, you think I do care when fat people get made fun of which in fact, I have never mentioned that anywhere. People of different body types will get insulted in general. You need to understand that.


----------



## gunner21

Paloma M said:


> You made a big deal about me shaming on buff guys like it's offensive. You forget that we all have our own opinions of EVERYTHING. Also, you think I do care when fat people get made fun of which in fact, I have never mentioned that anywhere. People of different body types will get insulted in general. You need to understand that.


Oh man, and here I thought you didn't care about what I thought.

Anyways, my point was going to be that there is no need to call anyone gross. Just say you don't like them and move on. No need for unnecessary rudeness. Everyone has the right to an opinion, but then everyone else has the right to criticize that opinion.


----------



## Paper Samurai

Paloma M said:


> I don't even know where they are from.


Arsenal are located in London btw. And yeah you should definitely support them :clap


----------



## apx24

Paloma M said:


> I don't even know where they are from.


From North London. John Mayer is an Arsenal fan I think


----------



## TheMachine

Good thing that the Real - Bayern game was more entertaining than the abysmal match we saw yesterday, although still somewhat boring compared to the way it was hyped up to be. 

I fancy a Madrid derby for the finals. Wouldn't it be great to have two Spanish teams going to Portugal to play it out for the biggest prize in club football? I wonder how the Portuguese feel about it. It'd be great for Ronaldo to return to his former home and win.


----------



## SPC

Paloma M said:


> You made a big deal about me shaming on buff guys like it's offensive. You forget that we all have our own opinions of EVERYTHING. Also, you think I do care when fat people get made fun of which in fact, I have never mentioned that anywhere. People of different body types will get insulted in general. You need to understand that.


why is this post in the football thread? :|


----------



## SPC

TheMachine said:


> Good thing that the Real - Bayern game was more entertaining than the abysmal match we saw yesterday, although still somewhat boring compared to the way it was hyped up to be.
> 
> I fancy a Madrid derby for the finals. Wouldn't it be great to have two Spanish teams going to Portugal to play it out for the biggest prize in club football? I wonder how the Portuguese feel about it. It'd be great for Ronaldo to return to his former home and win.


they would be mostly rooting for real, no doubt about it~

bayern were very disappointing yesterday though. i dont understand why pep would put lahm in the midfield when goetze and muller were both available.


----------



## TheMachine

SPC said:


> they would be mostly rooting for real, no doubt about it~
> 
> bayern were very disappointing yesterday though. i dont understand why pep would put lahm in the midfield when goetze and muller were both available.


I don't understand either. But this tiki-taka style doesn't work against defensively sound teams. The only trouble Bayern created was when Robben started running at Coentrao and Ramos and dribble his way through.

I think pep played Lahm in midfield because he has good vision and passing ability for a defensively sound player and also to incorporate Rafinha, who did poorly leading up to that goal.

I think Thiago would've been useful in this match but the danger of Real's counter-attacks meant it was probably better to play with two DMs and that's probably what prompted Pep to put Lahm and Schweini there. We'll see what changes he makes next week.


----------



## SPC

TheMachine said:


> I don't understand either. But this tiki-taka style doesn't work against defensively sound teams. The only trouble Bayern created was when Robben started running at Coentrao and Ramos and dribble his way through.
> 
> I think pep played Lahm in midfield because he has good vision and passing ability for a defensively sound player and also to incorporate Rafinha, who did poorly leading up to that goal.
> 
> I think Thiago would've been useful in this match but the danger of Real's counter-attacks meant it was probably better to play with two DMs and that's probably what prompted Pep to put Lahm and Schweini there. We'll see what changes he makes next week.


If it was that kind of gamble it failed, rafinha was the obvious weak link on that side of the pitch. I wasnt paying close close attention to the game because i was sleepy but it just struck me as wierd that pep would be so concerned with the madrid counter that he would take lahm and put him in the middle. Bayern are the best at outlet passing anyway, so why not just pair muller with schweinie and try to out-possess real? Or pair martinez with schwein with martinez as anchor? I suppose pep might have overthought the matchup


----------



## Elad

Well that Atletico/Chelsea match up was like watching paint dry. I love the individual players chelsea have but hate their style under Mourinho. I understand being defensive but that was next level, especially considering chelsea are one of the biggest clubs in the world. I mean its somewhat understandable with the injuries and having the play liverpool.. but still.. that was not a good advertisement for football, never mind a semi final in the champions league.

Madrid/Bayern was better (anything would have been) but not by a lot. Its frustrating watching bayern turn into barca 2.0 minus messi to dribble into those tight spaces and finish, its really evident now that their style last year was better/more dangerous against big teams.. whether its a motivation thing or not who knows. Think 1 goal at the Allianz will be the tie done.. then again madrid are prone to going full potato with missing chances and a ramos/pepe red, so I wont hold my breath, especially after dortmund.


----------



## googleamiable

Elad said:


> Well that Atletico/Chelsea match up was like watching paint dry. I love the individual players chelsea have but hate their style under Mourinho. I understand being defensive but that was next level, especially considering chelsea are one of the biggest clubs in the world. I mean its somewhat understandable with the injuries and having the play liverpool.. but still.. that was not a good advertisement for football, never mind a semi final in the champions league.
> 
> Madrid/Bayern was better (anything would have been) but not by a lot. Its frustrating watching bayern turn into barca 2.0 minus messi to dribble into those tight spaces and finish, its really evident now that their style last year was better/more dangerous against big teams.. whether its a motivation thing or not who knows. Think 1 goal at the Allianz will be the tie done.. then again madrid are prone to going full potato with missing chances and a ramos/pepe red, so I wont hold my breath, especially after dortmund.


Mourinho's always been about results, he bored Chelsea fans and hierarchy in his first, successful stint there, the same happened at Madrid even though he also did pretty well there. I didn't see much of his Inter side, but they played the same boring way in Europe as well, and won the damn thing. So what can you say? He won't change.

I'm a Liverpool fan but I have to say, another reason for neutrals to root for us to win the league this year and otherwise be successful is that in doing so, we may help usher in a shift to all the great things Rodgers and Liverpool are implementing and demonstrating. Attacking, attractive football, technical proficiency, work ethic, trusting young players. 6 of Liverpool's starters are English.

Flanagan (albeit due to Enrique's injury, but he's played most of the season and for the most part done very well)
Johnson
Gerrard
Henderson
Sterling
Sturridge

Compare to other sides (particularly at the top) which may have 1, 2 or even no english players. It's a myth that they aren't good enough.


----------



## TheMachine

SPC said:


> If it was that kind of gamble it failed, rafinha was the obvious weak link on that side of the pitch. I wasnt paying close close attention to the game because i was sleepy but it just struck me as wierd that pep would be so concerned with the madrid counter that he would take lahm and put him in the middle. Bayern are the best at outlet passing anyway, so why not just pair muller with schweinie and try to out-possess real? Or pair martinez with schwein with martinez as anchor? I suppose pep might have overthought the matchup


If a poor Man United side can counter-attack Bayern, imagine what Real with BBC and Di Maria could do. He had to at least be a bit cautious by putting Lahm there. Plus Real got out-possessed badly and still managed to create more dangerous chances. I think it was 28%-72% in Bayern's favor. Could have been a lot worse.


----------



## minimized

Chelsea vs. Madrid, I'm guessing, with Madrid finally getting the trophy.


----------



## moloko

Tito Vilanova died... :\ 45 years old only.


----------



## gunner21

I'm getting all giddy ahead of tomorrow's game. Kinda scared though. Chelsea will be playing their B team, and the players are always looking to impress, so you know they'll give it their all. Happens all the time in basketball. (weak teams beating strong teams late in the season.)


----------



## Canadian Brotha

This whole weaker team thing seems a classic Mourinho press play to me. If the game doesn't go our way he can use the priorities spin afterwards but we have players who are suspended for the UCL game so they will likely play this Liverpool game & we have injuries like all teams do toward the end of the season. We'll see tomorrow but I just see it as squad rotation which is normal for any team fighting on multiple fronts. I don't think Mourinho has found a best starting 11 this season at all, we've been inconsistent


----------



## Callum96

come on Chelsea come on Chelsea come on Chelsea come on Chelsea come on Chelsea come on Chelsea come on Chelsea come on Chelsea come on Chelsea


----------



## gunner21

Title race is over. Congrats to oil city on buying another title.


----------



## Callum96

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Brilliant, just brilliant.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I thought Liverpool pressed us well when we were looking for an outlet ball & but for that mistake by Gerrard I think they would have found their way through eventually. Good on Demba for a cool finish though & Kalas had a truly solid performance as well for a debut.

I have to say though, teams know how we are going to defend so it's a bit surprising that tactics aren't adapted for that. In the UCL Atletico kept putting in high crosses that Terry & Cahill could eat up & Liverpool tried to play their way through but neither team tried for low hard crosses from wide positions that might bobble off a defender into the path of a forward/midfielder


----------



## starsfreak

Unlucky. But 2 Games to go and still on top! All we have to do is win!


----------



## gunner21

Callum96 said:


> Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Brilliant, just brilliant.


You know what's brilliant? 7th place!



DanielFromGER said:


> Unlucky. But 2 Games to go and still on top! All we have to do is win!


Not really. Oil city has better Goal Difference and I don't see them losing, therefore they win the league if they win all their games.


----------



## starsfreak

gunner21 said:


> You know what's brilliant? 7th place!
> 
> Not really. Oil city has better Goal Difference and I don't see them losing.


Oh damn didn't see that they got 3 games left.

Well I guess Everton seems like the only opponent who could rob some points off them.

Even if Liverpool won't win the league they played a fantastic season. That winning streak at the end was just impressive.
I'm also happy to see them back in the CL after so many years


----------



## googleamiable

chelsea winning with 1-9-1, jesus that was a sad sight. but it works. mourinho has won the same way vs barca in their prime...city, us winning 11 on the trot. now we have to play vs a pulis side next week who do the same as chelsea just with less expensive players.


----------



## Callum96

gunner21 said:


> You know what's brilliant? 7th place!


I know right!

I think no trophies in 9 years tops that though. Truly momentous


----------



## Callum96

In a Lonely Place said:


> I'm a Gooner :|, he's a Liverpool fan despite username.


Oh... then I take it back!

You'll win the FA cup anyway, maybe..


----------



## gunner21

Callum96 said:


> I know right!
> 
> I think no trophies in 9 years tops that though. Truly momentous


You know what's even better? Going from title winners to 7th place.


----------



## Elad

I only caught the first half... that mistake from gerrard was heartbreaking especially after his speech and all the emotion hes showed, if he ends up being the reason liverpool don't win the club should put him on suicide watch.

Seeing the scoreline I'm guessing chelsea just sat deep and defended their lead only to snatch a goal in the last minute? Haven't even looked at the stats yet, but did they make anymore chances?


----------



## minimized

I hate that City is going to win. Not that I expected anything less all season but still, it sucks.


----------



## Paper Samurai

minimized said:


> I hate that City is going to win. Not that I expected anything less all season but still, it sucks.


Not entirely keen on City winning it either, but you have to admit they play some of the best attacking football in the league. Liverpool or them winning it (for said reason) would be better than Chelsea.


----------



## Elad

dani alves like a boss.






or like a hobo..

also










rip stevie


----------



## googleamiable

love his comments, their display doesn't merit respect and he's spot on as well, pulis and mourinho are the same

at this point we have to hope that city drop points next saturday vs everton, their final 2 games should be easy


----------



## Callum96

Although Mourinho is a prick, his tactics don't deserve the criticism they're getting. Chelsea played the way every other club in the league (maybe except City) tried to play at Anfield this season, and they were the only ones who could pull it off. It was a defensive masterclass and he deserves a huge amount of credit for their performance. Rodgers is just bitter about losing, as anyone would be.


----------



## googleamiable

no other team played even remotely like that. they sat with 9 players across the box in 2 lines and ba upfront. and their so called tactic only worked because gerrard gifted them a goal. without that, bearing in mind chelsea needed 3 points whereas we needed only a draw, they would have had to do something other than sit inside their penalty area in the 2nd half. which makes the timing of the mistake so awful.

nevertheless what happened happened and they won the game, on to the next one.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Whenever a possession based team doesn't win a match it's always said they were the "unlucky better side" but really they were the "dominant team without efficiency" & that is not the same thing at all. 

Possession is a poor tactic if it doesn't get you the optimum result & likewise defense is brilliant if it does. It may be an ugly statement/viewing but at the end of the day it's true.

Liverpool don't defend like Chelsea because they couldn't pull it off & likewise Chelsea don't attack like Liverpool because we've shown ourselves to be inefficient at it this season. That is acknowledgment & utilization of your strengths by both sides


----------



## googleamiable

that's nonsense, he uses the same tactics as promoted sides, just with a far more expensive set of players. if you were anything other than a chelsea fan you'd notice that because it's very very obvious. 

to remind you, chelsea themselves, well abramovich, got sick of his boring style his first stint in charge and the same will happen again. 

and possession wasn't our tactic. our having possession was a result of how chelsea set out to play. They sat in their area with all but demba ba, they had no interest in pressing to score or having possession at all. The manner in which we tried to press and win was our tactic, and we tried a few different approaches to break through the wall of 10 players. in the first half we had more numbers across the middle (lucas, allen and gerrard) with the 2 foils out wide (coutinho/sterling) in order to spread play quickly and create space, and have more angles for through balls. 

Rodgers was proactive as usual and with that not working, brought on sturridge, another striker and we started to put in alot of crosses, which also didn't work. 

The thing to take away from this game is that mourinho's chelsea play like pulis' stoke side which was the mockery of the league. Gamesmanship, defending in numbers and trying to score from set pieces is all he can muster with players worth hundreds of millions. chelsea's "B" team was worth more than liverpool's first team, and Mourinho plays the same scared way vs good teams with his first team aswell (remember vs united with zero strikers on the pitch?). 

To sum it up, schurrle and salah, two forwards, played the 95 mins as full backs. No other good team in european football would accept that. How long till Abramovich doesn't accept it for a 2nd time? 

All of which is irrelevant, they can do what they like. Our and city's away games next weekend will likely decide things.


----------



## Donnie in the Dark

Rodgers wasn't very gracious, was he?!!

I don't much care for Steven Gerrard anyway.


----------



## Elad




----------



## googleamiable

damit elad


----------



## TheMachine

Great weekend for us City fans. I usually hate on Chelsea because of Mourinho but I'm glad they were able to win at Anfield. I must admit it was a gift from Gerrard with his slip up.

It's really hard to breakdown Chlesea's bus. People think it's negative and an easy way to play but it's not. The players need to perform their duties at a high level while maintaining discipline because hardly any midfielders or strikers want to defend deeply. Chelsea had to maintain their shape, watch out for off-ball runs and deny space for the strikers and close down them down when they got close to the goal without leaving gaps behind. That's what Mikel and Matic did for the enitre game. They let Liverpool go wide because they would just cross and it was easy for the big Chelsea guys to clear it.

It was a tactic well executed and even without Ramires, Hazard, Eto'o, Cahill and Terry they were still able to beat the Reds. Hate him or love him but Mourinho is a genius. 

I know of some Everton fans that want City to beat them next week if Arsenal wins tomorrow. Who knows maybe they'll tank it.


----------



## TheMachine

CTID, YNWA, COYG, GGMU. Does cheslea have a motto like these? I think of BITC but don't hear or read cheslea fans saying it.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

michael1 said:


> that's nonsense, he uses the same tactics as promoted sides, just with a far more expensive set of players. if you were anything other than a chelsea fan you'd notice that because it's very very obvious.
> 
> to remind you, chelsea themselves, well abramovich, got sick of his boring style his first stint in charge and the same will happen again.
> 
> and possession wasn't our tactic. our having possession was a result of how chelsea set out to play. They sat in their area with all but demba ba, they had no interest in pressing to score or having possession at all. The manner in which we tried to press and win was our tactic, and we tried a few different approaches to break through the wall of 10 players. in the first half we had more numbers across the middle (lucas, allen and gerrard) with the 2 foils out wide (coutinho/sterling) in order to spread play quickly and create space, and have more angles for through balls.
> 
> Rodgers was proactive as usual and with that not working, brought on sturridge, another striker and we started to put in alot of crosses, which also didn't work.
> 
> The thing to take away from this game is that mourinho's chelsea play like pulis' stoke side which was the mockery of the league. Gamesmanship, defending in numbers and trying to score from set pieces is all he can muster with players worth hundreds of millions. chelsea's "B" team was worth more than liverpool's first team, and Mourinho plays the same scared way vs good teams with his first team aswell (remember vs united with zero strikers on the pitch?).
> 
> To sum it up, schurrle and salah, two forwards, played the 95 mins as full backs. No other good team in european football would accept that. How long till Abramovich doesn't accept it for a 2nd time?
> 
> All of which is irrelevant, they can do what they like. Our and city's away games next weekend will likely decide things.


As a Chelsea fan it's not my preference to see defensive performances but the lack of respect for the hard work it takes to execute them does annoy me. Other teams that try it eventually become weary & lose their shape/discipline, Chelsea don't. It's not cheating, it's not pathetic, & money spent isn't as important as everyone says nor does it guarantee that attackers in particular will be efficient with chances. Man City may well not win the title & they've spent the most, Tottenham shelled out & aren't getting UCL football while Everton might well sneak it from Arsenal, and your own team Liverpool is challenging for the title & nobody saw that coming.

Say what you will but Liverpool had chances & didn't take them. No matter how your opponent plays you have to score when you get you chances & they didn't. Ba still had to score after Gerrard slipped & he did.

With regard to Pulis' Stoke compared to Mourinho's Chelsea, which manager has always been challenging titles even though both are known to be defensive first in their approaches?And how Abramovich feels doesn't concern me because I know how he works. When he gets bored or annoyed he brings in someone new.


----------



## TheMachine

I feel bad for Liverpool. They're always the victims, as the media likes to put it.


----------



## googleamiable

Canadian Brotha said:


> As a Chelsea fan it's not my preference to see defensive performances but the lack of respect for the hard work it takes to execute them does annoy me. Other teams that try it eventually become weary & lose their shape/discipline, Chelsea don't. It's not cheating, it's not pathetic, & money spent isn't as important as everyone says nor does it guarantee that attackers in particular will be efficient with chances. Man City may well not win the title & they've spent the most, Tottenham shelled out & aren't getting UCL football while Everton might well sneak it from Arsenal, and your own team Liverpool is challenging for the title & nobody saw that coming.
> 
> Say what you will but Liverpool had chances & didn't take them. No matter how your opponent plays you have to score when you get you chances & they didn't. Ba still had to score after Gerrard slipped & he did.
> 
> With regard to Pulis' Stoke compared to Mourinho's Chelsea, which manager has always been challenging titles even though both are known to be defensive first in their approaches?And how Abramovich feels doesn't concern me because I know how he works. When he gets bored or annoyed he brings in someone new.


the money (well, cost of the 'B' side) is relevant because it was mourinho's excuse / pending distraction had they lost the game.

good analysis from neville and caraggher






i don't even mind how we played 2nd half with the crosses and long shots, it was obvious that there was next to no space at all, and we'd created absolutely nothing playing to feet in the first half. we tried something unsuited but new and it just didn't work

they did get a couple things wrong, like i mentioned mourinho will play this way against any good team, regardless of who he has injured or available.

I also agree with neville, now i think about city's 3 games coming in 8 days, this is still on a knife edge.


----------



## gunner21

I don't like Mourinho or his style, but you can't deny that he's an effective coach who can win. Who cares about style when you're putting out wins.

I also think he's the best coach when going up against big teams, because of his defend and counter-attack strategy. That strategy doesn't work so well against weaker teams though, because they're usually playing for a draw, and Mou would have to be proactive against them and actually attack, which I'm not sure he's the best at.

Anyways, defending isn't easy, and needs a huge amount of discipline, especially when going against the best offensive team in the league.


----------



## Elad

speaks for itself really. I understand people being sour after their team loses, but to deny his coaching ability is just dumb.


----------



## TheMachine

No doubt he's one of the greatest coaches of all time. But even with his incredible resume, it would be weird if he ended up trophy-less again this season.


----------



## Elad

In a Lonely Place said:


> I'd be more impressed if he could manage a club with a budget or that wasn't winning before he arrived. To see him build something, develop players would define him as a great manager.


Porto.


----------



## TheMachine

Elad said:


> Porto.


Porto was already a top 2 club in Portugal. And the CL was weak that season. They played Monaco in the finals.


----------



## Elad

TheMachine said:


> Porto was already a top 2 club in Portugal. And the CL was weak that season. They played Monaco in the finals.


Lmao, top 2 in the portugese leauge... look at the team he had winning in europe.

Look, I'm no fan of mourinho's tactics, because its boring as **** to watch most of the time, but the trying to discredit his incredible stats and consistency (at the age of 51, has 20 more years if he wants) is hilarious.

"but but he didn't take a mid table team to the championship"

"but but the champions league was weak that year"

come on now guys. I know you're upset about being beaten, but come on.

hes managing big boy clubs and competing for the biggest prizes, often winning.

the levels of sodium from arsenal/liverpool fans is too damn high right now.



In a Lonely Place said:


> This Porto?
> 
> 1998-99, *2002-03, 2003-04*


yes, *this porto*.


----------



## Elad

In a Lonely Place said:


> ^ lol












hopefully the drought ends with the FA, but I still wouldn't put money on it.


----------



## googleamiable

ok, to people who say winning is everything: maybe sometimes that is true, but i don't believe it. 

the best example i can think of is that peter ebdon vs ronnie o'sullivan match years ago where ebdon was taking minutes every shot to wind ronnie up, and he ended up crying in the post match interview when the interviewer mentioned it...must have realised how ridiculous he was to do that.

i don't even remember who won, but that's pathetic. what if every player did that vs ronnie? it's not "cheating" it's gamesmanship, right? ronnie likes to play quickly, if you waste 2 minutes every shot you'll hurt his concentration

sure, you could try and win like that, but it would be sad. mourinho is that. he wins alot, no arguing that.


----------



## TheMachine

Cmon Madrid! I can't keep my eye off ronaldo


----------



## Elad

Hopefully a good one.  Kind of want an early madrid goal, just so bayern have no choice but to throw the kitchen sink.


----------



## TheMachine

RAMOS x 2 now!!!!! I believe this is Madrid's year to win La Decima


----------



## Elad

lights out.

no way back from here you'd think.


----------



## moloko

In a Lonely Place said:


> I'd be more impressed if he could manage a club with a budget or that wasn't winning before he arrived. To see him build something, develop players would define him as a great manager.


Before joining Porto, he took Leiria, a club that historically fought for not being relegated, to 5th place, its best place ever. They are now in amateur leagues after financial difficulties. Taking some players that were with him in Leiria to Porto he won UEFA Cup and then Champions League consecutively. That team formed the backbone of the Portuguese national team, which reached the finals of Euro 2004. I don't like the guy, but he definitely can create teams with low budgets.


----------



## TheMachine

Now that is some proper counter-attacking football!!


----------



## moloko

In a Lonely Place said:


> They finished 7th in the one season he spent there, 5th the year before he joined and 5th the season after he left so :con
> I doubt he did anything substantial in terms of creating or building in 1 year.
> 
> Unless I'm reading from the wrong league results.


Nop, you probably aren't. I didn't check, was going by memory. But still disregarding Leiria, he created the team that won two European titles consecutively. That has to have its value. Even though Champions League that year was a joke, it was quite the job doing that with a Portuguese team.


----------



## TheMachine

Whats happened to Ribery? He seems to have lost his touch big time


----------



## Callum96

Just went to watch FC United of Manchester in a play off semi final, we lost 2-1. The other team equalised in the 90th minute, and got the winner in the 120th minute. Heartbreaking.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

It's funny how a manager only deserves respect if he built a poor team to something better than expected and/or plays nothing but attacking football. I've never seen this level of resentment towards an Italian national team that is highly cautious but effective at the end of the day.

I still remember when Mourinho's Inter side did to Chelsea what we did to Liverpool. I was pissed at the time but not because I felt it was anti-football or an approach unworthy of victory. I was mad because his team was both efficient & disciplined. When the players buy into that game plan & execute it for their manager it commands respect even if you dislike it as a opposition fan. 

I loved how in that commentary Carrahger pointed out how he had played the same way with Liverpool at times & how other managers have done it as well on many an on occasion. The only difference is for Mourinho it's a primary tactic & it pisses people off more because he wins not only games but championships with it regularly.

Anyway, about Madrid schooling Bayern, that's quite impressive. Pep was definitely brought back down to earth after inheriting success for the most part.


----------



## minimized

Mou is the master, and probably best skipper now that Sir Alex is gone.

I don't complain about the tactics. I do value solid defense and it's up to the other team to figure out how to crack it. Yeah, I'd rather watch Blackpool-like games, but that didn't work out for them.

I'm still sticking with Madrid vs. Chelsea and Madrid winning. Sure they'd like the storyline and it seems like Madrid's year. Ronaldo's year.


----------



## Elad

Today Bayern resembled the Barca team they beat 7 - 0 last year, with more aggression and chances, but still ultimately toothless with too many passes that lead to nothing but burning the they were running out of. R

Its a shame, they really looked dialed in all round last year.. and then they decide to bring in Pep.. who they know is going to make major changes towards possession football. If he wins the double I guess you could say he hasn't failed, because no one has ever defended the CL so it was always unlikely .. but its more the way they lost, quite demoralizing.


----------



## TheMachine

'The Great Bus War part 2' is coming soon in just a few hours


----------



## Callum96

In a Lonely Place said:


> Different culture in the UK, not many Brits I know, enjoy Italian football and there is always groans when Italy go far and win tournaments.
> People here want open attacking play, 100mph, blood, guts and passion, horses for courses really, if you enjoy defensive football thats fine but it's seen as pretty dull and anti football by a lot of fans over here.
> .


Which explains why the English national football team is the single most dull, defensive, 'anti-football' (disagree with that term, personally) team in the world's top 20, and did nothing but play for a 0-0 draw in the Euros when we came up against.. oh... Italy.


----------



## TheMachine

In a Lonely Place said:


> Well I never said English players were solely responsible for the game people wish to watch, foreign players bought the technical skills and blended into the pace and passion of our game.
> 
> International football is a whole different argument.


I remember reading about how England lacks coaches coming through their ranks compared to their continental counterparts. I think they only had 2k while Spain, Italy and Germany had over 30k each. And that affects how the English players are developed.

Does sound like a logical reason why the England team has been substandard for awhile now.


----------



## Callum96

In a Lonely Place said:


> Well I never said English players were solely responsible for the game people wish to watch, foreign players bought the technical skills and blended into the pace and passion of our game.
> 
> International football is a whole different argument.


The point I was making is that as a country we aren't that bothered at all by so called 'anti football' (that is - apparently anything which doesn't constitute free flowing attacking football), otherwise we wouldn't put up with the shower of ****e (from an 'anti football' point of view) that is our national team. We're more bothered about - as you said - guts and passion, amongst other things. Obviously everyone wants their team to play like City or this season's Liverpool but the vast majority of football fans in England can appreciate and enjoy a good defensive away performance like Chelsea's at Anfield - an absolute masterclass - in which their 'parked bus' went up the other end and scored twice. They understand that it's naive to go somewhere like Anfield and try to play expansive attacking football without getting hammered 3-0, like Arsenal did.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

In a Lonely Place said:


> Different culture in the UK, not many Brits I know, enjoy Italian football and there is always groans when Italy go far and win tournaments.
> People here want open attacking play, 100mph, blood, guts and passion, horses for courses really, if you enjoy defensive football thats fine but it's seen as pretty dull and anti football by a lot of fans over here.


I've said it a number of times, defensive football is not my preference at all(I love high tempo open games) but I respect what it takes for a team to pull it off & I feel like the majority of the people complaining don't give it the respect it deserves. Hate the lack of a viewing spectacle it is but respect the effort/tactic because it is a team playing as a unit just the same as a quick passing attacking/possession team does. It's how I view it and feel more should as well, but everyone has a right to their opinion.

With regard to the Italian national team, here in Canada the Italians come out in droves for the major tournaments their team plays in so you don't find a lot of critics of how that team plays at times. I'd imagine in England the feeling toward their national team would be in stark contrast for sure.

With regard to Serie A, I've seen many a brilliant open game in that league but I've never really followed it so I can't speak to how defensive it is on average. After watching Bundesliga games over the last couple seasons however, that's definitely my second league to watch after the EPL without question


----------



## gunner21

TheMachine said:


> 'The Great Bus War part 2' is coming soon in just a few hours


Chelbus vs Bustletico Busdrid (stolen from Elad)


----------



## minimized

I do hope Atletico wins at least one piece of hardware for their wonder season. Break some of the predictability before they're picked over by the vultures.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Liverpool fans rejoice, justice has been served. 

This match has shown what Mourinho has known all along this season, this Chelsea side isn't up to out playing opponents & it's why he hasn't tried to more often than not. 

Fair play to Atletico, they've surprised everyone domestically & in Europe as well. They deserve to be in the final


----------



## gunner21

^ As I said, Mourinho is a defensive and counter-attacking genius, but when it comes to attacking, not so much.


----------



## moloko

He doesn't have any decent striker either, a true goal scorer. Hard to pull an attacking playstyle if you don't have the man the put the balls inside the goal.


----------



## gunner21

^ Shouldn't have blown 50 million on shevchenko 2.0


----------



## moloko

gunner21 said:


> ^ Shouldn't have blown 50 million on shevchenko 2.0


Who? Torres? If so, it isn't really his fault. He plays with what he has. Let's see which striker he'll get next season.


----------



## Callum96

John Terry crying - what a wonderful sight.


----------



## Paper Samurai

Callum96 said:


> John Terry crying - what a wonderful sight.


I don't want to feel any kind of happiness at a grown man crying - but John Terry is really making this difficult for me!


----------



## Callum96

Paper Samurai said:


> I don't want to feel any kind of happiness at a grown man crying - but John Terry is really making this difficult for me!


Haha! It reminds me of Moscow '08, in that instant (I think) I had some sympathy for him, but now... I feel nothing but joy - he's vile.


----------



## googleamiable

moloko said:


> He doesn't have any decent striker either, a true goal scorer. Hard to pull an attacking playstyle if you don't have the man the put the balls inside the goal.


has anyone considered that chelsea's approach stifles strikers instead of all of their strikers being bad?


----------



## Elad

Was a much better game than expected, better team over both ties won imo. Chelsea really do have a problem in striker and I don't think its just their approach.^

Hoping RM win and finally get la decima, Cristiano crying in lisbon. no ****.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

michael1 said:


> has anyone considered that chelsea's approach stifles strikers instead of all of their strikers being bad?


Chelsea's approach can stifle certain types of strikers in that Drogba could score free kicks, he hold up the ball & turn past players quite quickly for a big guy & he had good feet/power/pace running directly at defenders. He was very versatile & could do it all himself if he had to whereas Torres in particular, and Eto and Ba, aren't that type of striker at all. They all for the most part require the perfect final pass into their feet to really take chances & score. Torres also had the unfortunate initial phase of being overshadowed by Drogba & losing all confidence due to it. Still, that hasn't account for the innumerable glaring chances he has missed in a Chelsea shirt.

Lukaku may not have been a Drogba replacement but he still has more versatility than the 3 strikers we have & shouldn't have been sent on loan again this season. Mourinho bows to no player though regardless of status or potential & his arrogance has cost him in that regard this season. Also, Ba should have gotten way more playing time this season as even in his few appearances he has proven that he can score both big & scruffy goals if given a chance. He simply wasn't as big a name as Torres or Eto so he was left on the bench.

Finally, I agree with Gunner21 that Mourinho playing straight attacking football isn't his strong suit. He's never been one who can pick(or put together) a team that can out score opposition if they are able to take one or 2 chances themselves. He's knows it & today it showed in the game too, whatever your thoughts on the striker situation

ETA: It's also occurred to me that a few years back the playing style/formation was a bit different as well. We had Anelka & Kalou alongside Drogba & the 3 would interchange upfront in a 4-3-3 or the team also played 4-4-2 if all three weren't used as well. The midfield was solid with players such as Lampard, Ballack, & others but it wasn't the focal point behind a lone striker. I've actually not been too fond of the lone striker approach many teams have adopted in recent seasons


----------



## gunner21

http://www.espnfc.com/news/story/_/...cking-football-atletico-madrid-defeat?cc=5901


----------



## kev91dLDN

Well me being a South Londoner, I support Crystal Palace, most passionate set of fans in the BPL..

Chelsea - Pride of London ? Ye F*uck off


----------



## DreamAcrobatics

Arsenal fan since birth, grew up in highbury earlier in my life. Live 25 mins from emirates. Arsenal till i die, in wenger we trust all that shazam...


----------



## SPC

heres a question for you guys: if your club of choice was found guilty of violating FFP, would you rather take a point deduction (like say 6-10) or a transfer embargo for one year ie two windows?


----------



## Winds

Found this interesting: http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27258633

Some may despise it, but I like Mourinho's management style. He's one of the few that can effectively take attention away from the short comings of his squad and especially individual players. Everyone, no matter how good or bad they play are protected by him for the most part, unless they come out and state something negative or his private thoughts somehow gets leaked lol. I don't think many would be discussing Hazard if he himself didn't come out and comment on Mourinho's tactics. Now that he did, he's pretty much been given to the wolves in the media.



SPC said:


> heres a question for you guys: if your club of choice was found guilty of violating FFP, would you rather take a point deduction (like say 6-10) or a transfer embargo for one year ie two windows?


All depends on the circumstances. If I have a big gap over the league like Bayern Munich or just sitting in the mid table, I'd take the point deduction. But if you're in the middle of a relegation battle and have just enough to survive or are chasing for the title and it's a tight race like Atletico or Man City are in, you might very well just take the transfer embargo.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

EastWinds said:


> Found this interesting: http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27258633
> 
> Some may despise it, but I like Mourinho's management style. He's one of the few that can effectively take attention away from the short comings of his squad and especially individual players. Everyone, no matter how good or bad they play are protected by him for the most part, unless they come out and state something negative or his private thoughts somehow gets leaked lol. I don't think many would be discussing Hazard if he himself didn't come out and comment on Mourinho's tactics. Now that he did, he's pretty much been given to the wolves in the media.


I think one of Mourinho's greatest weaknesses is his inability to be more patient with players whose natural instinct/ability is to attack as opposed to sacrifice/defend for the team. That said if you publicly critic your manager you are asking for trouble.

I do agree though that he, like Fergie, is brilliant at media deflection of negativity surrounding the clubs he has managed.

With regard to FFP I too think it depends on circumstances but in general I feel bigger clubs are more equipped to deal with a transfer embargo so I'd say that over a point reduction


----------



## Elad

Just saw the everton/city score..










this is gonna be joocy.


----------



## googleamiable

aguero off, come on everton. need to man mark toure, all city's play goes through him.


----------



## googleamiable

god damnit

CMON VILLA, freak win on wednesday plz. they could do it, they play terrible all season then win vs good teams.


----------



## TheMachine

Hahaha CMON CITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! don't let the bin dippers take the title and whine on about how they deserve it! Always claiming to be victims.

Gerrard must be looking down now with that depressed look he always gives. Always crying out the victim!

Oh yeah Chavski don't deserve it, they can win the best bus parking award from the Ministry of Public Transport.


----------



## SPC

In a Lonely Place said:


>


hes probably crying because he knows he wont ever get a weekly paycheck as good as the one hes got right now. POS ca$hley.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Our draw just confirmed that we are officially out of the title race but I have to say that as a team that's been so inconsistent & heavily outscored by the final 2 challengers being right up there on points come the final weekend is pretty impressive.

I hope both Liverpool & City win, lose, or draw so the final day is pure drama as when City last won it


----------



## gunner21

Well, it's decided. Title is City's. What an implosion at the end.


----------



## starsfreak

Wow is it even possible to choke even more than that?..

Congrats City...


----------



## googleamiable

****. 

still a villa win will be good enough for us to take it (lol), gotta hope.


----------



## gunner21

In a Lonely Place said:


> Shouldn't laugh but
> 
> How the fuzz did that happen?
> 
> Gotta take my hat off to Tony Pulis and Crystal Palace tho.


I know exactly how it happened. There were too many men forward even with a 3-0 lead because they were trying to erase the goal difference.

Stupid decision imo. Aston Villa or West Ham drawing against City is more likely to happen than you erasing a 9 goal difference over 2 games. Oh well, what's done is done, onto next season.


----------



## starsfreak

God damn has it been frustrating for me supporting sports teams lately


----------



## googleamiable

gunner21 said:


> I know exactly how it happened. There were too many men forward even with a 3-0 lead because they were trying to erase the goal difference.
> 
> Stupid decision imo. Aston Villa or West Ham drawing against City is more likely to happen than you erasing a 9 goal difference over 2 games. Oh well, what's done is done, onto next season.


don't know, newcastle are terrible, that was a perfect home game to end on if we could have scored 5 or 6 vs palace.

we need to invest in a better centre back for next season, we've missed a steady experienced influence there since carragher retired. agger and skrtl have their moments but they're not reliable, sakho just isn't good enough.


----------



## gunner21

In a Lonely Place said:


> Oh really? I didn't get to see it, kept checking live updates on my phone, could not believe it when I saw final score flash up.
> They won't win it next season, I think your best chance has come and gone.


They will in title contention as much as Arsenal will be.


----------



## gunner21

It's amazing how one slip can change things. Had Gerrard not slipped, they probably would have drew Chelski, and probably wouldn't have pushed so much against Palace to erase the goal difference and gotten the win.

One moment to let it slip.


----------



## googleamiable

indeed gunner but it's not pertinent to dwell on such things. the season is a long event and if we do finish 2nd (i'll still wait and see if villa can pull off a win in 2 days time) we'll have done extremely well, and next season will be very exciting. 

a shame to lose to a team, if we don't win it, which has broken FFP in spending £1billion+, but such is the nature of the capitalist society we live in.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I've not seen the highlights but I just saw the score & it doesn't surprise me as I've been mentioning Liverpool's defensive issues for a while now. They will definitely need to sort that for next season. To give up a 3 goal lead to the joint lowest scorers in the league though, that's gotta hurt just as much as the title slipping away


----------



## TheMachine

PMSL I don't know how they stuffed that up. They were trying to score to catch up on GD but that was just delusional. Typical arrogance.

Anyway we need to keep our composure and coast our way to victories through Villa and WHU and the title is ours!

The look of Gerrard and Suarez crying is priceless haha!

And btw the FFP is a scam and City won't get done over for it.


----------



## gunner21

TheMachine said:


> PMSL I don't know how they stuffed that up. They were trying to score to catch up on GD but that was just delusional. Typical arrogance.
> 
> Anyway we need to keep our composure and coast our way to victories through Villa and WHU and the title is ours!
> 
> The look of Gerrard and Suarez crying is priceless haha!


Suarez I understand, but why the hate for Gerrard?


----------



## TheMachine

gunner21 said:


> Suarez I understand, but why the hate for Gerrard?


I don't hate Gerrard but that huddle he gave after they beat us was a bit premature.

Plus I like to give it to the arrogant scouse fans who thought they won it already


----------



## googleamiable

probably something to do with being a city fan.

anyway i can't see city, psg and co. being punished in any real way. uefa is really spineless as they prove every time a racism incident flares up.


----------



## TheMachine

In a Lonely Place said:


> How have you arrived at that?


It has way too many loopholes and stipulations. Plus it restricts the lesser clubs in Europe from growing rather than restricting the bigger ones.


----------



## Elad

I was rooting for you liverpool. 

https://vine.co/v/M6MtJ3gTePl


----------



## Fooza

:lol:lol:lol Liverpool 

No kiss at the camera this time Gerrard? ...Coudn't happen to anyone nicer.

Edit: Just realized nor Liverpool or Everton has won since Moyes sacking as of now, should have sacked him earlier. :b


----------



## googleamiable

appreciate the sympathy, the palace game was a trauma from which i may never recover


----------



## TheMachine

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) We'll outscore man city


----------



## googleamiable

Over to you downingdinho and carroldinho...


----------



## minimized

At least Atletico still has a chance...


----------



## Canadian Brotha

They were favorites at the beginning of the season & if you forget the money factor players like, Toure, Zabaleta, Silva, & Kompany really have been brilliant all the way through & deserve to win it. 

Chelsea were inconsistent all season long & for all the goals they score Liverpool have conceded too many, a few of which were at the most inopportune moments. 

I'm glad it wasn't decided until late on again this season though, it's great when everyone is on their toes till the end


----------



## Donnie in the Dark

Of course, the big news of today is.....

James McCarthy's goal!!   









:b

Unlucky Stevie G- haha


----------



## DreamAcrobatics

Ramsey's Goal was a peach.


----------



## minimized

Ben-terriblepenalties-a


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I started watching the game but fell asleep because it didn't matter to me & I was tired after work. I saw the result later


----------



## Canadian Brotha

The underdogs scoring early was good to set the game ablaze from the off but 2 in 10, gotta say if Arsenal lose it'll be a guilty pleasure. If they can come back good on them to finally end their trophy drought.


----------



## gunner21

LMAO at Arsenal.


----------



## Elad

arsenal pls.


----------



## googleamiable

missed the first 10 or so mins, i switch it on and 2 nil to hull, what on earth?


----------



## starsfreak

Arsenal's gonna turn that around anyway.

I hope Atletico beats Barca for the championship!


----------



## googleamiable

atletico barca game is fantastic


----------



## starsfreak

Btw the German cup final is on. 

(of course it's Bayern vs. Dortmund  )


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Well I didn't get my guilty pleasure gunners loss but I'm glad Hull made them fight for it, at the very least that's what you want in a cup final


----------



## googleamiable

well in the gooners, doing it the hard way. liverpool would have done the same thing.


----------



## iatetoomuch

paulyD said:


> i'm a lifelong evertonian.


Liverpool fan here. Would love to snatch Barkley off you 

He really does remind me of a young Gerrard.


----------



## googleamiable

screw PSG, chelsea getting 50 mill for a mistake prone defender (who can't defend), worth about 10 mill at best. 

tottenham also won the lottery getting 85mill for bale. worth 20-25mill if you ask me.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

michael1 said:


> screw PSG, chelsea getting 50 mill for a mistake prone defender (who can't defend), worth about 10 mill at best.
> 
> tottenham also won the lottery getting 85mill for bale. worth 20-25mill if you ask me.


David Luiz has always looked to be a defensive midfielder & has shown that to be true over the last season & a half so anyone still considers him a defender is beyond me. Not sure what I think he's worth but I doubt the majority of players in France will take advantage of his mistakes should he continue to make them as they the have in England & the rest of Europe.

Bale wasn't worth what he got at all, I quite agree with that


----------



## googleamiable

talent won over endeavour, then, on this occasion. only just though, 93rd min header...

di maria MOTM.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I think I have to eat my words about Bale right now , 2 cup winning goals for his new team(Marcelo's & Ronaldo's were icing on the cake)...that's earning your bread even if the fee was too much beforehand.

Too bad for Atletico, it would have been well deserved but they won the league, made the UCL final & made Madrid sweat until the 90th minute


----------



## Elad

In the end it turned into a good final. Would have been disappointing without the late drama equalizer, but after that it always looked like Real would be the ones to clinch it. Atletico just looked too tired in the end to keep pressuring like they had, really bad decision to play Costa and lose a sub inside 15mins.

Also people saying "Bale isn't worth that much money!" have a look a the market. You have prices like Marquinhos going for 35mil+, Illarramendi for the same and Luis for 40mil, when you consider that its just inflation right now. 100mil isn't what it used to be, its chips to some of these clubs. The only way Bale could have been deemed worth it was bringing in la decima, and hes done it, along with the copa.

Personally that makes me happy, to see a "british" player make it in another league, despite being overpriced. So many people saying "bales so overrated! hes worth like 30!" (which is delusional in this market), to the point people underrated just how good he is because the price tag was so crazy. World class player.

Also... that Ronaldo celebration annoyed the **** out of me. He was completely anonymous all game, like barely saw him on the ball, you could say Bale missed some chances but he was at least creating them along with Di maria.. the game is done, its the last seconds and its a ****ing penalty, yet he runs off shirtless flexing like "i'm the maaaan oh yeah" as if hes just pulled it out of the flames for them. Just left a sour taste in my mouth. Guy has to make himself the center of attention it seems.



michael1 said:


> screw PSG, chelsea getting 50 mill for a mistake prone defender (who can't defend), worth about 10 mill at best.
> 
> tottenham also won the lottery getting 85mill for bale.* worth 20-25mill if you ask me*.












you been sippin that wenger juice son.


----------



## googleamiable

he had a good season here, with spurs scoring 25 odd goals and helping them to finish 4th, which sets him out as a promising young player who just had a great season, 25mill seems legit. 85 is insane and inflation like you said (and it's true in a capitalist economy, worth is determined by what someone will pay, but still)

quick comparison, sturridge just scored 25 in less games, helping us finish 2nd. 

how would i value him? maybe 30 mill.


----------



## The Original Recipe

Bale has been better than Neymar this season.
But I'd take Reus over either of them. It always surprises me how he is still kinda underrated


----------



## Donnie in the Dark

Ronaldo's dive at the end of the final was a bit pathetic.


----------



## Fooza

Donnie in the Dark said:


> Ronaldo's dive at the end of the final was a bit pathetic.


----------



## googleamiable

i have to say, it will restore some of my faith in humanity if qatar 2022 is rescinded, whole thing is ludicrous


----------



## Fooza

Came across this Gif regarding the Fabregas situation. Game of Thrones fans will get this :b


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Fooza said:


> Came across this Gif regarding the Fabregas situation. Game of Thrones fans will get this :b


I wasn't expecting that when I clicked to see the latest post in this thread, lol

I'm not sure what I think of the Fabregas speculation as yet. I think it makes sense if Mourinho plans to be more expansive next season & play a few formations as opposed to the one he played almost exclusively last season. But we'll see, he is a top class player Fabregras


----------



## DJLSF

Huge Saints fan here. Club about to be decimated again by the looks of it - Imagine a team of Shaw, Oxlade Chamberlain, Bale, Walcott, Lallana etc. Such a shame


----------



## Canadian Brotha




----------



## Elad

in for england to win the world cup.

not fukcin serious. LOL.










will still be shouting hard till the end, hoping for a little magic from barkley, who to me is englands best young player. imo currently bark > sterling. and for the love of god hodgson you inbred penguin, stop putting welbeck in the first XI.

aaand a littler reminder for pool fans










nevar forget~


----------



## Fooza

I think England will do well this year since the pressure is not on them to even qualify from the group stages. Time to see how good this team is from the get go.

Edit: they were pretty poor on the warm up games, oh well

Bring it on!


----------



## Phanatic26

Would anyone out there be willing to help me get some FIFA 14 PS3 trophies? I pretty much have them all except the ones involving friends :bah


----------



## Shadow2009

Neymar is incredible pressure. First World Cup, playing for Brazil (very high expectations as they've won the most in the past) IN Brazil (massive country) and he's pretty much the poster child of the entire thing. He will either be absolutely incredible and elevate himself and prove to be one of the upcoming great legends in the sport or will burn under pressure and be a huge let down. 

Think it's a Brazil vs Argentina final, with Brazil edging it.


----------



## Ckg2011

Could Croatia be the spoiler of the World Cup?


----------



## googleamiable

do one elad


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Finally, my footy withdrawal can end for another few weeks


----------



## Fooza

So Fabregas does officially sign for Chelsea, I'm a bit gutted as he would've been ideal for Man Utd.


----------



## gunner21

Chelski got Cesc, Lukaku, and Costa incoming. They will be the team to beat next season.


----------



## Fooza

Yepp, I can't see any weaknesses in the Chelsea team with those players in them. They certainly don't mess around in the transfer market. They've let a legend go, replaced him in a couple weeks. They've also sold an average David Luiz for a crazy amount of money which gives them a small net loss so far.

I'm getting a little worried about United's business this market.


----------



## Elad

chelsea doing some incredible business lately.










if arsenal really were now serious about building to fight for titles they would have taken him.


----------



## googleamiable

cesc is overrated. in his 8 years at arsenal he won one FA cup, that's it. in his 4 years at barca he won 1 la liga. he's an ineffective player, and its pretty good news chelsea have wasted money on him. 

costa however just came off a great season, but there are doubts about his fitness. think falcao and the season he just had at monaco. but chelsea aren't the team to beat, not with a bad manager and a first team comprising 70% attacking midfielders, eh oh el. 

man city/liverpool/arsenal the teams to beat. united need to replace too many in defence/midfield and for their new team to gel to get back up there, i think.


----------



## googleamiable

gunner21 said:


> Chelski got Cesc, Lukaku, and Costa incoming. They will be the team to beat next season.


it's pretty unlikely chelsea will play lukaku, expect him to be sold to everton or something equally daft


----------



## Canadian Brotha

As a Chelsea fan I don't think we will be the team to beat next seasons but I do think we will challenge to the end like we did this season. 

Fabregas is a good option to have but I've never been intensely impressed with him & Costa is coming to us after an injury which always makes me weary regardless of the season he just had. 

The money we got for David Luiz was great but I loved him in our midfield & wish Mounrinho would have just completed his conversion because that's his most natural area. Anyway, it's way too early to speculate & I never pay too much attention to transfer news that occurs before the world cup is done


----------



## Fooza

michael1 said:


> cesc is overrated. in his 8 years at arsenal he won one FA cup, that's it. in his 4 years at barca he won 1 la liga. he's an ineffective player, and its pretty good news chelsea have wasted money on him.


Far from overrated, infact Fabregas came joint second with Koke in mosts assists in La liga for the 2013/2014 season. I don't really understand the logic about winning trophies and a player's quality, does that mean Gerrard and Suarez are overrated cause they never won a cup for many years?

Chelsea should easily have won the premier league, they beat the top 4 teams last season but failed to beat the average teams that they should have beaten. With the players they've bought, it's improved them, espeicially with a top striker, I see Chelsea and Mancity being favourites.


----------



## googleamiable

Fooza said:


> Far from overrated, infact Fabregas came joint second with Koke in mosts assists in La liga for the 2013/2014 season. I don't really understand the logic about winning trophies and a player's quality, does that mean Gerrard and Suarez are overrated cause they never won a cup for many years?
> 
> Chelsea should easily have won the premier league, they beat the top 4 teams last season but failed to beat the average teams that they should have beaten. With the players they've bought, it's improved them, espeicially with a top striker, I see Chelsea and Mancity being favourites.


ozil is also overrated (but better than cesc), and also came with an "infinite number of assists" reputation. the thing is they were at teams with ronaldo, and messi respectively, so these dubious assist stats mean next to nothing. the amount of goals those 2 score is comical.

and gerrard has won lots of cups, i was aware someone might turn that point around like that but with cesc it's a legit point. he was at arsenal, a team who were champions/challengers prior to his arrival and prominence in the team, and barcelona was barcelona. if you inject an ineffective player into an incredibly classy, direct and successful attacking unit like barca had with iniesta, pedro, villa, messi, xavi, it hurts them.

they tried to play cesc in 2nd striker role but he doesnt have the skills for it, he is a central midfielder with a decent passing range, and chelsea do not need any of them. could have been a decent fit at united though.

about lukaku, chelski play a one striker system and they currently have: torres, ba, eto'o, lukaku, costa.

plus just to say, i made a point of saying this now long before he arrives and plays.


----------



## googleamiable

quick illustration of the ozil/cesc assist point, ozil's last full season for madrid was 12/13, playing 52 games. 

ronaldo scored:

12/13: 55 in 55
13/14: 51 in 47


----------



## Fooza

Fabregas spent 3 seasons at Barcelona, even with 1 la liga title win, last season they just had to beat Athletico Madrid in the last game which would have given a second la liga win. During that time they also won a spanish cup and two spanish Supercups, the only failure was not winning champions league. 

Again for a player to have most assists in a league filled with talented players, or even a team with the likes of xavi, iniesta, messi, neymar just shows that his far from overrated if he's assisted more than them. 

I woudn't compare Ozil to Fabregas, signing Fabregas is far less risky as he is already PL proven at Arsenal unlike Ozil. Since Lampard has left Chelsea, I can see Fabregas experience and ability being useful in the middle of the midfield. Players like Oscar have talent but are not quite there yet in consistency

For the price of £30m you have to say it's worth it for Fabregas as well, when the likes of Fellaini were bought £27.5million, now that is what I call overrated


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Such fuss over the Premier League when the World Cup just began...isn't anyone interested in the cheap penalty Brazil got vs Croatia?


----------



## Fooza

As much as I'd like to enjoy world cup, I can't help but also worry about the transfers that's going on at the moment. For Manutd it's vital we strengthen and not leave it towards the end scraping for last choices.

I do agree though the penalty just spoilt the game.


----------



## moloko

gunner21 said:


> Chelski got Cesc, Lukaku, and Costa incoming. They will be the team to beat next season.


Plus Courtois.


Canadian Brotha said:


> Such fuss over the Premier League when the World Cup just began...isn't anyone interested in the cheap penalty Brazil got vs Croatia?


We're discussing it here:
http://www.socialanxietysupport.com/forum/f22/unofficial-world-cup-2014-thread-1047169/


----------



## SupaDupaFly

Dat header from Van Persie


----------



## londonguy202

Just watched England loss to Italy again, But the young players were good and we had plenty of chances but that mario balotelli lead Italy to a 2-1 win. 

I just like footy and worldcup, Best summer ever 4 yrs


----------



## Royals

The Dutch league should be on the list I think. While it's not the best league we do have some good teams: Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord, FC Twente, AZ, FC Utrecht... and Ajax especially used to be Champions League winners (against Milan). But today we play ****ty in these tournament. but you know our competition has twice as less money to spend as the others. So we cannot afford all these big players. We just sell them, and since for ever Dutch players been playing with foreign clubs. I believe no team should only buy and spend money they don't have (Madrid) and only use their players of their own nationality, not foreigners, because otherwise it would be too easy to win. Winning with an all-star team is easy.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^It'll be nice to see him in England week in & week out


----------



## apx24

In a Lonely Place said:


> ​
> *Arsenal have completed the signing of Chile star Alexis Sanchez on a long-term deal from Barcelona.
> Having rejected a switch to Liverpool, the 25-year-old has joined the Gunners for an undisclosed fee - believed to be worth in the region of £30million.*


Yes! :yay

What a great signing for us!

Sanchez played really well in the World Cup for Chile!


----------



## googleamiable

In a Lonely Place said:


> Our young men look very fetching in their new attire that was revealed tonight


Should I be concerned about you?


----------



## gunner21

As a Liverpool fan, this window has been depressing as hell. I think the future of the team is consistently finishing 6-10 while making a little lucky run at the title every 3-4 years. 

Liverpool just don't have the allure or financial prowess the likes of Manu, Chelsea, Madrid, and Barca have. Even Arsenal is a notch above because their debt is paid off and they get MASSIVE revenues from Emirates. 

Even if one of the young players they sign becomes big, he'll be grabbed by Barca, PSG or Real when they hit their prime and it's just not ****ing fair. It's just unfair how these clubs can just come in and nab the biggest stars on the market. For once, I want Liverpool to be in the conversation for a James or a Pogba, but it's not gonna happen. Here's to mid-table obscurity in the coming future.


----------



## Paper Samurai

In a Lonely Place said:


> *Mathieu Debuchy signs for Arsenal for £10m as Gunners replace full-back Bacary Sagna.
> 
> 'I'm very proud to be joining a great club like Arsenal and to wear its colours, it's one of the biggest clubs in the whole world,' the full back told Arsenal.com.
> 
> 'I'm looking forward to working with Arsène Wenger and to helping the team build on last season's FA Cup success.
> 'Playing again in the Champions League is a big excitement for me and I will do my best to help Arsenal compete for trophies.'*
> 
> Good signing :yes


I'm really pleased with this signing. We're getting a player who was picked ahead of Sagna for the national team and who offers more in attack. According to some Newcastle fans Debuchy was told to be more defensive by Pardew most of the time - at Arsenal he's going to have a lot more freedom. Because of that, I think we'll see a big improvement in his overall play.


----------



## Elad

good signings by arsenal so far, will be interesting to see who else liverpool gets and if united can lure a big name.

also uniteds strip looks horrible










next season is shaping up to be even better than last . worldcup was a nice in between but kind of petered out towards the end.


----------



## googleamiable

by all accounts markovic is an insane talent. still, we BADLY need a centre back and a left back. 

rumours about moreno from sevilla being on the verge for 20 odd mill. I think on top of it all we need a new big money striker too, unless we'll be playing a 4-5-1 for most of the season. was a breathe of fresh air us playing with 2 strikers last year.


----------



## Dre12

gunner21 said:


> Here's to mid-table obscurity in the coming future.


WOW. You are really not doing the Liverpool fan thing right. You guys are going to win the title this season, it is nailed on. That is what they are singing on Merseyside!


----------



## starsfreak

It's crazy how much money Southampton made this transfer window so far :0


----------



## Paper Samurai

DanielTheFreak said:


> It's crazy how much money Southampton made this transfer window so far :0


 ^ That's only a good thing if they reinvest it though !


----------



## googleamiable

Have to feel bad for soton, dictionary definition of being victims of your own success.


----------



## Paper Samurai

michael1 said:


> Have to feel bad for soton, dictionary definition of being victims of your own success.


 This is probably more along the lines of full scale asset stripping tbh, West Brom and Swansea have had decent success in recent seasons too (and are very similar in stature) but they weren't pillaged like this :-o


----------



## googleamiable

Lampard to man city, talk about a mercenary. Spent his whole career at chelsea, how can he join the title favourites?


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I haven't been following transfer news really but as a Chelsea fan Lampard in the wrong blue jersey will be weird/sad to see. I honestly thought he'd retire at Chelsea slowly transitioning into a player coach role like Giggs at Utd.

It's funny that Lampard is gone & Drogba is back...different positions I know but still have to point it out given that they are the same age


----------



## Eazi

michael1 said:


> Lampard to man city, talk about a mercenary. Spent his whole career at chelsea, how can he join the title favourites?


Chelsea's winning it bro


----------



## vanishingpt

Anyone watch that MLS All-star vs. Bayern Munich match? It was more exciting than I thought it'd be! But disappointed in how Pep acted towards the end.


----------



## PGVan

I think Pep went a bit overboard, but I don't blame him at all for being pissed. His team is in pre-season form and he just got his World Cup players back last night and this morning. Although there were only two bad tackles from Alonso and Johnson, those were two bad tackles too many. Shaqiri is lucky he was able to continue and we don't know how bad Schweinsteiger is hurt. 

All Porter did was sit there and do nothing. At least get up off your chair and try to send a message to your players on the pitch that this is not just a friendly, but an all-star event for them too. They should be taking zero risks themselves, nevermind hacking down their opponent playing a pre-season friendly. 

The whole event gave me a bad taste from the start. I'm no die-hard, but I support the Vancouver Whitecaps. That's relevant because along with Vancouver, there are two more Canadian teams in MLS. Their league was playing against a German club and before the match, only one national anthem was played. Personally, I think national anthems should only ever be played at sporting events where countries are represented rather than teams/clubs, but if you're going to have anthems, have them for all involved!


----------



## gunner21

Coutinho has looked really good this preseason. Apparently Brendao is molding him to be our midfield general. I expect him to break out this season.

dat pass:


----------



## In a Lonely Place

*http://www.sincearsenallastwonatrophy.co.uk/*


----------



## googleamiable

^ lol


----------



## gunner21

Meh....meaningless trophy.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

The Premier League finally returns next weekend! 

I've not been following pre-season or transfers at all but I'm expecting another glorious 10 months. Van Gaal brings much needed top managerial experience to Utd & he doesn't have worry about Europe so they should be able to make a press like Liverpool last season. Brendan Rodgers has to prove he can have 2 amazing seasons in a row, & do it without Suarez, & prove himself in Europe too. Mourinho has to win a major trophy this season without question. Arsenal are just Arsenal, we know we'll get some brilliant games/performances from them during the season but the real question is will they have less horrendous performances throughout the season than is typical. And of course the oil kings Man City will be looking to put forth a brilliant title defending season & make a better showing in Europe as well.

I can't wait for all the drama!


----------



## googleamiable

Too right, last season was one of the best I can remember, but this season is shaping up to be ridiculously tight at the top. 

I have a good feeling about liverpool this year, we lost the 3rd best player in the world in suarez, but we've strengthened so much overall. I expect moreno at left back and one more striker to sign too. Defence was our problem last year, that's addressed now with lovren and new full backs, midfield has increased depth and quality with markovic who has a fantastic reputation, as well as llallana who should slot into our system well, an improving and already excellent coutinho, ditto sterling and henderson. 

Just need another top striker and we're set.

And just to say, I have no doubts at all about rodgers.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I have no doubts about Rodgers myself but you know how the media is, they'll be on him like wolves if he's not at least equaling last seasons success. Personally I think he could be a Fergie in the making for Liverpool the way he's been building things over these past few years, it's a been a slow but steady crescendo that has great momentum at the moment


----------



## Dre12

I don't really think that Rodgers is a Fergie type figure, the parallels are just not apparent. For one Fergie achieved incredible things at Aberdeen before joining United. Their characters are quite different and Rodgers is more tactically sophisticated. Rodgers is one of the top up and coming managers and his David Brentisms are hilarious but I would be stunned if he reigned at Liverpool like Fergie did at United.

I think that the managerial wizardry of Louis Van Gaal is such that he could play Juan Mata in goal and still win the league at a canter!

It is going to be good!!!


----------



## cryptoboy

My favorite football league is Italian seria A when I support S.S. Lazio 1900


----------



## gunner21

Serie A has been so **** the last few seasons.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I haven't watched the Serie A for a few seasons now but I did watch a bit of the Bundesliga a couple seasons ago & quite enjoyed it. I'm debating following it a bit again this season. The Premier & Champions league are more than enough to cover my fill of English & European footy however


----------



## gunner21

Canadian Brotha said:


> I haven't watched the Serie A for a few seasons now but I did watch a bit of the Bundesliga a couple seasons ago & quite enjoyed it. I'm debating following it a bit again this season. The Premier & Champions league are more than enough to cover my fill of English & European footy however


Dortmund are a really fun team to watch. Pep has made Bayern boring. As good as a manager he is, his teams are boring as hell to me.


----------



## Elad

finally the leagues are starting, preseason stuff is nice but always completely pointless. even the worst players can have a seemingly good preseason and turn to **** once season starts.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Elad said:


> finally the leagues are starting, preseason stuff is nice but always completely pointless. even the worst players can have a seemingly good preseason and turn to **** once season starts.


I totally agree with this. Plus preseason line ups vary too much because the coaches are just seeing what they've got to work with. The real grind is what it's all about!


----------



## Nathan18

One more day. Happy for the league to be back!

Does SAS have a fantasy league going?


----------



## Elad

also, predictions? 

I'm torn on chelsea/city to win the league. I'm leaning more towards chelsea so long as costa stays fit but .. could use the same train of thought if aguero/silva/toure are fit and on form. 

1. city
2. chelsea
3. arsenal
4. united
5. liverpool

Its virtually impossible to predict but I have a feeling united will scrape back in to top 4. despite finishing 7th last season the core class players of their squad (mata, rooney, rvp) are better than what liverpool have along with having to deal with champions league, united results last season were not respective of them as a squad imo. dat moyes effect.

who knows though, maybe liverpool will have a couple of players with great seasons making up the goals/assists suarez brought, but if sturridge gets a knock (which will most likely happen) its going to be rough.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I'm wary of our dependence on a fit Costa throughout the season, he's aggressive & defenders will see that & reply in kind. I'm also not quite sure on our main 11 despite having a solid squad overall. I think we'll challenge & have a near miss if we don't win it this season though.

City have proven themselves contenders for each season the past few years so I won't count them out.

I do think Utd will/have to bounce back to top 4 this season, especially not having to worry about Europe.

Liverpool & Arsenal can duke it out for who keeps momentum from last season


----------



## Callum96

ohhhhh Old Trafford, how I've missed you.

All set up to be a fascinating season!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Interesting that Van Gaal is going with a back 3...


----------



## googleamiable

oh dear. utd are going to get relegated.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I love the magic spray! The refs are all so boss with it, haha

I'm a bit surprised Van Gaal hasn't done any real business for Utd, doesn't look like they have much squad depth & when does the window close? End of the month?


----------



## gunner21

[email protected] Van Gaal. LOL!


----------



## googleamiable

lol arsenal


----------



## gunner21

Inalonelyplace: How are you going to **** on citeh and chel$ki now for buying the league? Arsenal have had two 40 mill signings in two years.


----------



## gunner21

In a Lonely Place said:


> Alexis £30 million
> Ozil £42 million
> 
> paid for by clubs resources, no debt incurred, no breaking ffp and no being bankrolled by oil men.
> I'll still give em plenty of **** don't worry
> 
> When we go spending hundreds of millions in a couple of seasons you might have a point


Doesn't matter how it's paid. You can't get on a high horse now.


----------



## gunner21

Different season, same nervous finishes.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I'm so glad the Premier League back. World Cups & Euros are nice but this is where it's at! I've watched 6 games this weekend & it's been great to hear the banter of some of the regular commentators again. Too bad I won't be getting the Chelsea game tomorrow. I'd prefer to watch their season opener live as opposed to highlights


----------



## Nefury

#MoyesIn


----------



## Fooza

It's frustrating being a Manutd supporter, was afraid we won't get the amount of quality players we need in this window, and my fears have been confirmed.

Same story, different season. Down the rabbit hole we go.


----------



## googleamiable

they'll do well in the championship next season, not to worry


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Some pretty sweet goals in the Burnley/Chelsea game, just watched the highlights. First the volley & then nice approach play with Fabregas' half volley assist, good stuff


----------



## gunner21

Fooza said:


> It's frustrating being a Manutd supporter, was afraid we won't get the amount of quality players we need in this window, and my fears have been confirmed.
> 
> Same story, different season. Down the rabbit hole we go.


Pfft, it's only been a season since you lot won the league. Try being a pool fan and no league for almost 23 years.


----------



## Fooza

gunner21 said:


> Pfft, it's only been a season since you lot won the league. Try being a pool fan and no league for almost 23 years.


That's the worry we'll turn in to if we don't get our act together. As a squad we're simply not good enough for top 4 again this season, and being 2 seasons out of CL will be disastrous.

We're praying LvG does miracles this year, and it shouldn't have come to that.


----------



## Owlfeatures

Still a couple of weeks left of the transfer window, I'm sure united will get a few signings in before then. 

I'm fairly new on here so hello to all the football fans.


----------



## Fooza

Well Marcos Rojo seems all but done, it doesn't fill me with confidence but I'd take the extra bodies for the thin defence we have. I do hope we get a couple of quality players before the window shuts, though I doubt we will. 

Welcome to the site by the way.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

If Utd find whatever cover they can in the short time remaining in the transfer window, the youngsters buy into Van Gaal's systems, they get a big home win to bring the fans back onside, & can maintain at least draws away from home then they should be able to finish top 4 or 5 this season without being great. 

That said, this whole transition mess is down to Fergie who didn't start it going when he should have & left the mess for Moyes & now Van Gaal to deal with.

Anyway, I'm not a Utd fan(though I like some players) & I'm enjoying rubbing this down spell in my bro's face as he is a fan


----------



## Elad

i hope united by some miracle united manage to get him, would be great to watch him in the pl every week, such an exciting player


----------



## SouthernTom

Hi all. Please vote in the poll I have just created:

http://www.socialanxietysupport.com/forum/f22/english-premier-league-winner-your-prediction-1151946/


----------



## starsfreak

Finally Bundesliga starts!

And we already have someone who won't sleep well tonight lol






Could've been the equaliser but Bayern won 2:1...


----------



## Fooza

Think I'm dreaming, someone pinch me. Di Maria imminent.  Still worried about CM and CB positions, make it happen woody.


----------



## SouthernTom

Fooza said:


> Di Maria imminent.


Talk of £75 million for Di Maria though. That's waaaaaaay too much!


----------



## Fooza

Every hour the fee seems to be raising, started off at £58m, then it was £63.5m and now it's £75m. I'll wait till I hear a final official price, but if it's really £75m, that would insane.


----------



## gunner21

Is Di maria going to solve their problems? You need someone better than ****ing Fletcher or Cleverly in the central position.


----------



## Dre12

gunner21 said:


> Is Di maria going to solve their problems? You need someone better than ****ing Fletcher or Cleverly in the central position.


That is true but there is also a total lack of pace and adventure in the team. Di Maria is one of the best in the world at that.

Let's hope that Vidal is next.


----------



## boas

The way I see it there are three possibilities with Di Maria. Either you play him as a CM (which is silly; if you're going to spend £60m on a CM get a natural one, i.e. Vidal), a wing back (a position for which he is too talented; wing back is a donkey role for donkeys like Valencia) or an attacking midfielder (this makes the most sense but it involves benching one of Mata, Rooney and RVP). All said, the signing makes no sense, especially not at the quoted price. If you look at United's last seven signings (Zaha, Fellaini, Mata, Shaw, Herrera, Rojo and now Di Maria, pending medical etc) they have all been overpriced and none have particularly fit into their team. Strange that such a huge, financial giant should be run so poorly.


----------



## Fooza

gunner21 said:


> Is Di maria going to solve their problems? You need someone better than ****ing Fletcher or Cleverly in the central position.


I agree, we need to strengthen our central midfield positions. I hope we get one in before the window closes.


----------



## Dre12

boas said:


> The way I see it there are three possibilities with Di Maria. Either you play him as a CM (which is silly; if you're going to spend £60m on a CM get a natural one, i.e. Vidal), a wing back (a position for which he is too talented; wing back is a donkey role for donkeys like Valencia) or an attacking midfielder (this makes the most sense but it involves benching one of Mata, Rooney and RVP). All said, the signing makes no sense, especially not at the quoted price. If you look at United's last seven signings (Zaha, Fellaini, Mata, Shaw, Herrera, Rojo and now Di Maria, pending medical etc) they have all been overpriced and none have particularly fit into their team. Strange that such a huge, financial giant should be run so poorly.


Di Maria had the best season of his career last year playing mostly in midfield in a 4-3-3 which is Van Gaal's preferred formation.

http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/738771/Live

http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/821983/Live

He took the official MOM awards in both of those games

I am not sure how you can declare that Shaw, Herrera and Rojo do not fit into the team when they have 60 minutes of game time between them! It is frankly an absurd statement! Fellani and Zaha were terrible signings, that is without question. Mata was a desperation signing from Moyes and doesn't really fit into the team if all players are fit.

You have to remember though that Van Persie is an injury prone player and Rooney always misses about 6 weeks a season. The chances of all three of those being fit for a long period of time is slim.

The midfield situation really needs to be addressed though.


----------



## boas

Dre12 said:


> Di Maria had the best season of his career last year playing mostly in midfield in a 4-3-3 which is Van Gaal's preferred formation.
> 
> http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/738771/Live
> 
> http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/821983/Live
> 
> He took the official MOM awards in both of those games
> 
> I am not sure how you can declare that Shaw, Herrera and Rojo do not fit into the team when they have 60 minutes of game time between them! It is frankly an absurd statement! Fellani and Zaha were terrible signings, that is without question. Mata was a desperation signing from Moyes and doesn't really fit into the team if all players are fit.
> 
> You have to remember though that Van Persie is an injury prone player and Rooney always misses about 6 weeks a season. The chances of all three of those being fit for a long period of time is slim.
> 
> The midfield situation really needs to be addressed though.


I don't dispute that he can play in a 4-3-3 but I am going on the assumption that LVG will persist with the 3-4-1-2. I don't see Di Maria playing in a two-man midfield with Mata in front.

Shaw doesn't fit because, as LVG has already discovered, he can't cope with the physical demands of the wing back role. Rojo was played as a left wing back for Argentina, and from what I understand that is his preferred position, i.e. the same position they already earmarked for Shaw. Herrera, in fairness, is a player they desperately needed, I should have mentioned that. They still paid over the odds though.


----------



## Dre12

boas said:


> I don't dispute that he can play in a 4-3-3 but I am going on the assumption that LVG will persist with the 3-4-1-2. I don't see Di Maria playing in a two-man midfield with Mata in front.
> 
> Shaw doesn't fit because, as LVG has already discovered, he can't cope with the physical demands of the wing back role. Rojo was played as a left wing back for Argentina, and from what I understand that is his preferred position, i.e. the same position they already earmarked for Shaw. Herrera, in fairness, is a player they desperately needed, I should have mentioned that. They still paid over the odds though.


Rojo is actually primarily a centre back. He was bought as cover for the two positions but all those spots are up for grabs at the moment. It is frankly ridiculous to say that Shaw can't keep up with the physical demands of playing wing back, he needs more than a few pre season games before any conclusions can be drawn!

Van Gaal has always said that he will be working on the 4-3-3 in training too. He said that he chose the 5-3-2, or whatever you want to call it, because 'we don't have world class wingers like Ronaldo or Di Maria to play 4-3-3'.

Van Gaal also has a reputation for dropping big names for the sake of his philosophy. Don't be surprised to see Rooney, Mata or Van Persie on the sidelines this season.


----------



## gunner21

****ing lol at United. This is too much fun.


----------



## Dre12

gunner21 said:


> ****ing lol at United. This is too much fun.


It isn't funny for me. I live in Manchester, support United and work with a load of City fans!

Van Gaal should have played a stronger team. Three goals came from mistakes by rookie defenders. When they have Jonny Evans bottling it as captain alongside them it doesn't help.

I hope that Hernandez and Anderson never play for the club again.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Moyes must be sipping champagne watching Utd continue to struggle early on into this season, lol.

*Fergie was like* "the wheels are gonna fall off this bus soon, I think I'll get off here..."

_*Passes the keys to Moyes with a sly grin*_

*Moyes is like* "****, the wheels are starting to fall off this bus & nobody has any duct tape..."

_*Gets clubbed off the bus by Utd fans before he can hire a true mechanic*_

*Van Gaal is like* "I'm Dutch, I can fix the wheels on a bus..."

_*Runs it around the block & thinks*_ ~ 'geez, I thought this duct tape would work...'

....to be continued...lol


----------



## Dre12

It will come good. I am sure of it. We have an obscene injury list and important additions will be made in the next week. We have only seen one new signing play 60 competitive minutes so far.


----------



## apx24

gunner21 said:


> ****ing lol at United. This is too much fun.


True that man :haha

What a ****ing embarrassment for them!


----------



## Fooza

gunner21 said:


> ****ing lol at United. This is too much fun.





apx24 said:


> True that man :haha
> 
> What a ****ing embarrassment for them!


It was laughable to be fair, man of the match were our travelling away supporters, immense.


----------



## Elad

it was a humiliating loss for sure, but i'm not ready to read too much into it

a lot of youth players and the nameable ones werent first team, plus with the arrival of dimaria and potentially vidal the first team looks a lot stronger

also the priority of united has to be CL football, so dropping out of a cup so early is probably a blessing


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^I agree, whatever else Utd simply need to finish 4th come the end of the season whether it be a pretty journey or not.

On today's vibe, can Besiktas upset Arsenal's great Champions League qualification run?


----------



## Canadian Brotha

He picked as good a time to score as there is


----------



## Canadian Brotha

So I go to check a bit of footy news & what's the first headline that catches my eye but that Diego Costa may be out for up to 6 weeks with a hamstring injury. I ****ing knew it too. Everyone kept saying we'll get Costa & he's class(which is true) but I'm always weary of transfers of players that ended their last season with an injury & now my fear seems to have been proven true. I love Drogba but is he fit enough & does he still have enough left to sustain us, I don't think so. Torres is likely out the door to Milan, not that it would matter too much if he stayed as honestly his best performances in a Chelsea shirt to me where those few games last season when Mourinho had him & Ba together as a 4-4-2 formation. I can't recall if he scored or not but in those short 20 minute spells he had chances & just looked more likely to because the extra striker gave hime avenues that playing up front by himself simply didn't offer. It's a short amount of time to bring someone else in too & the price will be inflated as such even if we do because of that. Everton will be our first proper test this season too I feel. Talk about timing. Rant ended.

City look the most complete team once again. They've got good cover in all positions & the core of the team has been together a while now so there's not much tinkering to be done or to be learned between players


----------



## apx24

In a Lonely Place said:


> 17th consecutive season in CL not bad going.
> Ref was an utter ****.


To be fair, he could have given them a penalty in the 41st minute. But yeah sending off Debuchy 15 minutes before the end of the game was ****ed up. And why did he give Szczesny a yellow?

Though I've seen the replays and I'm sure Wilshere just slipped and didn't touch him.


----------



## apx24

Fooza said:


> It was laughable to be fair, man of the match were our *travelling away supporters*, immense.


Well it doesn't take that long to travel from London to Milton Keynes :teeth

It's not like there are any United fans in Manchester itself lol.


----------



## gunner21

Some joocy mathcups in the CL

Real vs Liverpool
City v Bayern
Arsenal v Dortmund

Ajax are ****ed again...lol


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^I agree, should be a grand ole time!

Utd are up first today...I wonder if Van Gaal is gonna go 3 at the back again


----------



## Elad

interested to see how united line up, also lukaku facing chelsea for the first time should be fun


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Elad said:


> also lukaku facing chelsea for the first time should be fun


I have a feeling he'll bite us in the ***. He was supposed to be our next Drogba & honestly he's been pretty decent in his loans spells without getting a proper chance with us so he'll be hungry for a big FU, lol


----------



## gunner21

I'll say this again: ****ing Lol at united.


----------



## SouthernTom

This Everton - Chelsea game is nuts!!!!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

The day began with a goalless draw(can't believe I got up for that) & ended with a mad goalfest. 

Everton/Chelsea was unreal, an early season classic without question. Props to Everton for constantly coming back into the game, brilliant spirit there. I really like them under Martinez...they just need results that show on the table too. Gotta work on their defense.

Now to check the rest of the days highlights...

ETA: Looking at that final Costa goal it's notable how no one mentioned Mikel's back heel assist to him whether that goal was born of an Everton mistake or not. If it was Fabregas or Hazard or Matic who did that they' be hailed for it along with Costa taking his chance brilliantly. Mikel has been a workhorse for us for years upon years, he really ought to get his due on the odd occasion


----------



## gunner21

Arseanl


----------



## Dre12

Le Arse are the team that United will be looking to dislodge from The Champions League spots.


----------



## gunner21

Dre12 said:


> Le Arse are the team that United will be looking to dislodge from The Champions League spots.


Manu couldn't dislodge Aston Villa from mid-table spot in their current form.


----------



## Dre12

gunner21 said:


> Manu couldn't dislodge Aston Villa from mid-table spot in their current form.


It is early days. We have a new manager who had to start late due to the World Cup, a new system to learn, a terrible injury list and major transfer changes. The mitigating factors are abundant. Van Gaal has been a slow starter in the past due to the time taken for his philosophy to sink in with the players. Man City were in something like 7th place last season after about 7 games whilst they acclimatised to their new manager.

Add to that Man Utd traditionally being slow starters and the fact that we have gone on to win the title in a recent season after the exact same points total against similar quality sides.

That is why, despite all the giddy excitement coming from rival fans and the press, I am positive about our prospects this season.


----------



## Elad

falcao to united, really did not see that one coming.


----------



## Dre12

Elad said:


> falcao to united, really did not see that one coming.


Woody had to keep him out of Arsenal's clutches and he just wanted to give City a slap in the face.


----------



## gunner21

Lol Arsenal don't have a striker still.


----------



## Dre12

gunner21 said:


> Lol Arsenal don't have a striker still.


You have Danny Welbeck now!

United fans are up in arms about this. He is a Manchester lad and has been at the club for years. I say good luck to him. He has seen Sturridge succeed at Pool and probably fancies that he can do the same. I see a major difference between the two though. Sturridge gets the ball out of his feet and gets shots off in an instant, he is unpredictable. Welbeck takes too long to get himself set and seems to have valance problems. I think this is why Van Gaal didn't fancy him or Hernandez as they both want too much time on the ball.


----------



## gunner21

Dre12 said:


> You have Danny Welbeck now!
> 
> United fans are up in arms about this. He is a Manchester lad and has been at the club for years. I say good luck to him. He has seen Sturridge succeed at Pool and probably fancies that he can do the same. I see a major difference between the two though. Sturridge gets the ball out of his feet and gets shots off in an instant, he is unpredictable. Welbeck takes too long to get himself set and seems to have valance problems. I think this is why Van Gaal didn't fancy him or Hernandez as they both want too much time on the ball.


Forgot the biggest thing. Welbeck can't finish for ****.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I was wondering who we were going to bring in as a final cover striker & it's Remy which I think is not bad, gives us a younger option than Drogba if Costa gets injured



Elad said:


> falcao to united, really did not see that one coming.


Neither did I. I still don't know what Utd's best starting 11 would be even when all their players are fit though. Seems to me they may have a few too many big name attacking players to choose from for a season without European football for frequent rotation.



Dre12 said:


> You have Danny Welbeck now!
> 
> United fans are up in arms about this. He is a Manchester lad and has been at the club for years. I say good luck to him. He has seen Sturridge succeed at Pool and probably fancies that he can do the same.





In a Lonely Place said:


> I'm not too disappointed with Welbeck if it goes through, he's still only 23yrs old, a change could be just what he needs.


I agree a move & fresh start could be pretty good for Welbeck in the same way Sturridge's move was beneficial to him. I think Wenger will give him a good shot at proving himself. It's up to him to do that though


----------



## Dre12

Di Maria destroys the world champions single handedly. He is the most expensive player in the Premier League because he is the best player in the Premier League. Simple logic. Panic!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Dre12 said:


> Di Maria destroys the world champions single handedly. He is the most expensive player in the Premier League because he is the best player in the Premier League. Simple logic. Panic!


For me he can't lay claim to being the "best player" in the league until he's actually proved himself in the league whatever he's done elsewhere


----------



## Dre12

Canadian Brotha said:


> For me he can't lay claim to being the "best player" in the league until he's actually proved himself in the league whatever he's done elsewhere


I have no time for logic, just giddiness!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Dre12 said:


> I have no time for logic, just giddiness!


Can't argue with that, feeling good about your new boy as you should. I'm content with what I've seen of Costa & Fabregas at Chelsea early on this season so I know how it goes


----------



## Canadian Brotha

In a Lonely Place said:


> God I hate these international breaks , roll on 13th


I hear ya! I really do not care about international footy until a tournament is on & even then in the back of my mind I'm still thinking EPL & UCL is where it's at


----------



## gunner21




----------



## Dre12

Internationals are important but this break is just too soon in the season.


----------



## moloko

gunner21 said:


>


That central defence coordination... :roll






Reminded me of this for some reason.


----------



## gunner21

In a Lonely Place said:


> [/IMG]http://giant.gfycat.com/CelebratedAbsoluteHound.gif[/IMG]
> 
> [/IMG]http://giant.gfycat.com/AmbitiousLawfulHound.gif[/IMG]
> 
> The lad done ok last night.

















2 goals does not a great striker make. I can put together some gifs of Robinho and make him look like Messi.


----------



## Dre12

In a Lonely Place said:


> Yeah I guess you know best, what the hell do Fergie and Wenger know anyway lol


Fergie liked Welbeck's versatility and work rate over his finishing prowess. Hence why he signed Hernandez and RVP whilst Welbeck was breaking through.

Fergie often deployed Welbeck as a defensive winger or even sometimes as defensive forward! He took particular delight in Welbeck doing a man marking job on Alonso in the CL.

Welbeck and Hernadez were allowed to leave United as they both took too long on the ball for Van Gaal and because James Wilson is seen as a better prospect than both of them.


----------



## Fooza

Absolutely gutted Welbeck's left. I've always rated him, he may not be a top finisher but I've always rated his general and link up play.

I'm still shocked that he's gone to Arsenal, out of all teams, sickening really. All the best Welbeck, hope the goal scoring drought continues for many years.


----------



## Dre12

Fooza said:


> Absolutely gutted Welbeck's left. I've always rated him, he may not be a top finisher but I've always rated his general and link up play.
> 
> I'm still shocked that he's gone to Arsenal, out of all teams, sickening really. All the best Welbeck, hope the goal scoring drought continues for many years.


I always thought that he can do well if given a run as a forward. It is just that I don't think that he will be a top player in that position. Welbeck needs to be fed, he is best at latching onto through balls and only taking one or two touches to score.

I think that Wilson can go on to be a world class player. He is the complete striker. He can poach; he can go past five players and score; he can put one in the top corner from thirty yards and unlike Welbeck he can travel at high speeds with the ball over long distances and still be totally in control.






He is the reason why Hernandez and Welbeck were allowed to leave.


----------



## Dre12

In a Lonely Place said:


> That's why Welbeck left.


That is why Welbeck wanted to leave but what it doesn't tell you is why the club were happy to let him go. Being 'fair' does not come into it. Butt works for the club and wants to paint the club in as positive light as he can. You can't seriously think that is the whole story?


----------



## Dre12

In a Lonely Place said:


> It's a big part of the story, Welbeck is 23 and Wilson 18 so he doesn't need to be playing every week.
> Being fair does come into it when you are talking about a classy club which man u are, no way would they have sold him to a rival if they weren't.


The rumours that are supposedly being leaked by Welbeck's people are less flattering for United. Van Gaal apparently told Welbeck that he was third choice at the start of the season but later reneged on that promise telling him that he couldn't guarantee him game time over Januzaj and Wilson.

Regardless. I feel that it is the best move for all concerned.


----------



## gunner21

In a Lonely Place said:


> Yeah I guess you know best, what the hell do Fergie and Wenger know anyway lol
> 
> I know armchair pundits on the internet are renowned for their insight but I still like to hear managers and ex professionals opinions just for the lols


This:


Dre12 said:


> Fergie liked Welbeck's versatility and work rate over his finishing prowess. Hence why he signed Hernandez and RVP whilst Welbeck was breaking through.
> 
> Fergie often deployed Welbeck as a defensive winger or even sometimes as defensive forward! He took particular delight in Welbeck doing a man marking job on Alonso in the CL.
> 
> Welbeck and Hernadez were allowed to leave United as they both took too long on the ball for Van Gaal and because James Wilson is seen as a better prospect than both of them.


Apparently we're not allowed to criticize any players or managers or we all are "armchair pundits" then. Someone's panties are up in a bunch.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Arsenal/City should be pretty good this weekend, can't wait for that one!


----------



## scott83

I think the Welbeck to Arsenal debate will only become clearer with time, if he scores goals then it will be seen as a bad move by Man Utd but if he flops then everyone will say it was a canny move. 

Personally I believe he will do alright, I don't expect him to be prolific for them as he never has been but that said Arsenal have plenty of goal scorers in the rest of the team to make up for it. 

On a different subject, I'm hoping Mike Ashley sells Newcastle to an oil tycoon and we get rid of Pardew, he seems to be falling out with players left right and bloody centre!


----------



## Elad

in for arsenal/city

welbeck starting.. i think hes a horrible finisher but i really hope that changes and he flourishes under wenger like sturridge has under rodgers

i think 3-1 city, hoping arsenal can pull out a win somehow and not get completely molested by aguero/silva

footy fans unite!
@scott83 @Canadian Brotha @In a Lonely Place @gunner21 @Dre12 @Fooza @Jaxosix @moloko @SouthernTom


----------



## Elad

feel bad for welbeck, working hard and looking a good fit in arsenal though


----------



## Elad

knew it was going to happen. arsenal coming out strong for the first 20minutes like they often have and then just having a lapse and dropping in intensity

watching the tekkers from alexis though, hnnnnghg


----------



## Elad

where the hell has ozil gone


----------



## Dre12

Elad said:


> in for arsenal/city
> 
> welbeck starting.. i think hes a horrible finisher


Yup. What's the difference between Welbeck and Aguero?


----------



## Dre12

In a Lonely Place said:


> The post.


The aim is to get it in between the posts.


----------



## Dre12

In a Lonely Place said:


> shiet, really?


----------



## Elad

Dre12 said:


> The aim is to get it in between the posts.












you know english football is in a state when welbeck is getting in the team


----------



## Dre12

Goalkeeping mistake. If Hart stays on his feet at that impossible to score from angle then it doesn't go in.


----------



## moloko

Let's go Arsenal!


----------



## Elad

sanchezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


you ****ing beauty


----------



## Fooza

Dre12 said:


> The aim is to get it in between the posts.


:lol

It was a cracking game, good result for us.


----------



## Dre12

It was vintage Welb$ - miss some chances; make some tackles and then get injured. I will miss him.


----------



## Elad

wow

costa is a killer


----------



## gunner21

fooking Costa m8.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

The old TV finally crapped out so I had to wait for the highlights to be posted but man oh man is Costa a golden buy for us, he's blazing a trail & it's great Remy scored on his debut for us as well.

Wilshire's goal was great but I agree that for such an acute angle Hart should be making that save. Sanchez goal was a rocket, great power & precision


----------



## Dre12

Canadian Brotha said:


> Wilshire's goal was great but I agree that for such an acute angle Hart should be making that save. Sanchez goal was a rocket, great power & precision


It was appalling goalkeeping. He did exactly the wrong thing. The more you watch it the worse it looks. I think City will look to replace him at the end of the season. He has cost them too many times in the past few seasons. The word was that Mancini was going to sell him if he hadn't been sacked.

Sadly for us though he is the best English keeper by far.


----------



## Reckoner7

^ I agree, his form has been poor and he's still our best national keeper. I reckon Fraser Forster has a good chance of being England's no. 1 next season.


----------



## googleamiable

gunner21 said:


> fooking Costa m8.


this


----------



## gunner21

Well, we definitely didn't deserve that 2-1 win. Typical Liverpool. Dramatic as ****. Madrid is going to a challenge.


----------



## Dre12

gunner21 said:


> Well, we definitely didn't deserve that 2-1 win. Typical Liverpool. Dramatic as ****. Madrid is going to a challenge.


Laundrette away will be a challenge. Basel will be a challenge. You will be OK once Suarez comes back from his ban........oh wait.


----------



## gunner21

Dre12 said:


> Laundrette away will be a challenge. Basel will be a challenge. You will be OK once Suarez comes back from his ban........oh wait.


Yea, manu's group looks tough to.....wait.

Edit: We also have out best striker to come back from injury. So, there


----------



## SD92

My team (Preston North End) blow a three goal lead at home to Chesterfield. It doesn't look like this season is going to go well.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Bale's goal was great, Dortmund looked ruthless against Arsenal & Liverpool deserved a draw not a win. Nice to see Balo get off the mark for them though


----------



## gunner21

BTW In a lonely place, this is what I meant by Welbeck can't finish for ****. This is why he used to play on the wing.


----------



## Dre12

Welbeck's strike rate is an Heskey-eque one in four so he should score in the next two games. #silverlining


----------



## Dre12

In a Lonely Place said:


> Not too bad for a winger then.


Ronaldo disagrees with this.


----------



## Dre12

In a Lonely Place said:


> 99% of wingers do not


He never played as an orthodox winger anyway. He played more as a wide forward. The same as Ronaldo does mostly and Henry. How many crosses did Welbeck get in at United?

He poor scoring record is partly due to positional considerations but also bevcause he didn't get in the box enough when he was outwide, contrasting starkly to Ronaldo; he too often played without a sense of adventure; he is a generally a poorish finisher and he needs too many touches on the ball to get set to shoot.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

First time I checked the score of the Utd game it was 2-1 for them over Leceister, the next time I checked it was 5-3 for Leceister over Utd. Van Gaal is gonna have a fun post game conference & Moyes is likely sipping the finest Scotch having a grande ole time seeing that it wasn't just him


----------



## SouthernTom

Blackett, Evans, Smalling, Jones. There's your problem van Gaal.

Blackett's positional sense :doh


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I hope Costa is fit & that we top Man City now


----------



## Dre12

The game was in the bag at 3-1. Then Leicester got the worst penalty decision that I have ever seen. A blatant foul on Rafael and then the Rafa gets back in the play, the Leicester player shoulder charges into him and dives. I just can't believe that. The ball was out of play for the first goal and there was a foul on Blackett in the lead up to the fifth goal. De Laat should of been off too. If not for pushing Di Maria into the running track then for bringing him down on the edge of the box when he was bombing into the area.

That will be the end of Blackett's adventure with the first team. I wasn't convinced by him before hand. Rojo was awful too. At least now Shaw will get a run in the team. The collapse was concerning to say the least. Unacceptable. I don't think Rooney helped shouting them all down when he was poor himself. It is just a good job that Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal all look flawed as well. 

I am still confident going forward (for a top four spot). Just hope that City get dicked so I don't have to deal with gloating City fans tomorrow.


----------



## Elad

LOL 

i left the united game at 2-3

come back at 5-3

what the actual **** rofl


----------



## minimized

And there will be no Moyes hate on this day.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

A draw was a fair result on the day but damn, Lampard to get the equalizer against us. Had it written in the stars I guess


----------



## Fooza

Pathetic all round, starts off from the ref with that shocking decision to get them back into the game and then how Utd capitulated after the penalty. Gutless.


----------



## Dre12

Fooza said:


> Pathetic all round, starts off from the ref with that shocking decision to get them back into the game and then how Utd capitulated after the penalty. Gutless.


It was the worst penalty decision that I have ever seen. Utterly bizarre. But yes, the collapse was simply pathetic.


----------



## Fooza

I'm still not over it. I can't wait for West Ham.


----------



## Dre12

Fooza said:


> I'm still not over it. I can't wait for West Ham.


I have not been as troubled by a defeat ever. It has been doing my head in today and I usually get over these things quickly. I am annoyed with the narrative of the game in the English press

If Ashley Young had of got the decision that Varney did, he would have been crucified by all and sundry. Yet Varney is being tipped for an England call up?! It was a totally absurd decision. A blatant foul and then a dive for the penalty. There is no mention of the first goal being out of play in the press either, nor that De Laat should have been sent off twice over. Leicester got a massive leg up in that game. If the officials would have done their jobs then it would have been an easy victory for United.


----------



## Fooza

Dre12 said:


> I have not been as troubled by a defeat ever. It has been doing my head in today and I usually get over these things quickly. I am annoyed with the narrative of the game in the English press
> 
> If Ashley Young had of got the decision that Varney did, he would have been crucified by all and sundry. Yet Varney is being tipped for an England call up?! It was a totally absurd decision. A blatant foul and then a dive for the penalty. There is no mention of the first goal being out of play in the press either, nor that De Laat should have been sent off twice over. Leicester got a massive leg up in that game. If the officials would have done their jobs then it would have been an easy victory for United.


Couldn't agree more. One incident springs to mind; if it were us that had received those decisions, I bet you'd get worldwide trends of Mark Clattenburg in a Utd shirt :b

I don't care if it were against us or not, referees need to be held accountable for such ridiculous amateurish decisions. No surprises Mark Clattenburg loved all that attention though.


----------



## Fooza

Arsenal next to follow Manutd out of the cup, oh well, mickey mouse cup right? :b


----------



## Dre12

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 10 goals in 5 games so far this season!!!!! The man is unreal. Bring him home Woody, for the love of God bring him home!!!!!

Liverpool are into the trenches with Middlesbrough and with a strong side out at home. That is what we want to see. A long, hard and embarrassing game.


----------



## Fooza

[spoiler=Balotelli lol]







[/spoiler]
Tekkers


----------



## Paper Samurai

Fooza said:


> Arsenal next to follow Manutd out of the cup, oh well, mickey mouse cup right? :b


It's a little annoying, but I think in all honesty we needed to sacrifice one of the cups. We don't have cover at the back right now to be playing 4 competitions.


----------



## gunner21

Dre12 said:


> I have not been as troubled by a defeat ever. It has been doing my head in today and I usually get over these things quickly. I am annoyed with the narrative of the game in the English press
> 
> If Ashley Young had of got the decision that Varney did, he would have been crucified by all and sundry. Yet Varney is being tipped for an England call up?! It was a totally absurd decision. A blatant foul and then a dive for the penalty. There is no mention of the first goal being out of play in the press either, nor that De Laat should have been sent off twice over. Leicester got a massive leg up in that game. If the officials would have done their jobs then it would have been an easy victory for United.


Every season at least 2-3 teams get screwed over by horrible ref decisions. Get over it. The ref's decision didn't make them concede 3 goals in 20 mins.


----------



## Dre12

gunner21 said:


> Every season at least 2-3 teams get screwed over by horrible ref decisions. Get over it. The ref's decision didn't make them concede 3 goals in 20 mins.


Well at least you concede that we were screwed over. And yes, you are right, the collapse was unacceptable. At least Liverpool are competing with us in the comedy stakes this season.


----------



## Fooza

gunner21 said:


> Every season at least 2-3 teams get screwed over by horrible ref decisions. Get over it. The ref's decision didn't make them concede 3 goals in 20 mins.


I had a feeling a comment like this would eventually pop up. But I honestly did not expect it from you.

I think as football fans I'd like to think we can have a good debate, not just about the teams and players but also referee performances/bad decisions especially the horrendous one on Sunday which completely changed the game. A decision which referees in the conference league would've got it right.

What's the point in saying 'every team gets screwed over, get over it' 
We're all human, so we'd expect and in a way accept horrible decisions at times, but then they're also pathetic decisions. Mark Clattenburg's decision can only be described as pathetic, at first glance I thought he'd actually had a bet on Leicester to win, that's how bad that was. Premier league referees should get rightly criticised by the media (which was little to none) so that a. They learn from it or b. Get demoted if they're not up to Premier League standard.

Having said that, yes overall we deserved that loss for the capitulation alone.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Has no one any commentary on yesterday's games? The derby draws? The goals of the weekend? Utd's loss of Rooney for a spell? Costa increasing his tally? Arsenal's injury list? Anything else comment worthy?


----------



## Dre12

Canadian Brotha said:


> Has no one any commentary on yesterday's games? The derby draws? The goals of the weekend? Utd's loss of Rooney for a spell? Costa increasing his tally? Arsenal's injury list? Anything else comment worthy?


Costa's form doesn't surprise me at all. He was always perfect for the Premier League and he is the perfect Mourinho striker. I think that he is in the perfect football situation for him.

Rooney was an idiot to do what he did. We played some awesome attacking football yesterday but we seem to gas in the second half. Di Maria was sketchy too, some poor finishing and decision making. Rojo looks a lot better as a CB and Shaw needs to play every game IMO. He is an exceptional one on one defender, has a great first touch and has pace and strength to burn. I just feel that he needs to be more confident in attacking positions. The defenders did well to dig in and keep the three points in the last half hour.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Dre12 said:


> Costa's form doesn't surprise me at all. He was always perfect for the Premier League and he is the perfect Mourinho striker. I think that he is in the perfect football situation for him.
> 
> Rooney was an idiot to do what he did. We played some awesome attacking football yesterday


I hadn't seen much of Costa before now really, only a couple of matches in Europe last season, & I tend not to buy into hype about players coming over to England because it's often 50/50 whether they will settle in & sometimes it takes a season before they show what they may have shown in other leagues. That said, Costa does remind me a bit of Drogba in his prime in that he's a real presence upfront, tactically they are a bit different though with Costa showing to be a bit more of a poacher thus far.

I agree about Rooney, there's a way to make a professional foul & both his timing & execution were terrible, lol. Utd's goals were both swift & nice though


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Galatasaray haven't been up to scratch but Welbeck has a hat trick & Sanchez looks good too, they are a pair that we(Chelsea) will have to beware of at the weekend. Tougher match naturally but still, Gunners have some momentum to take into the weekend now


----------



## Dre12

Welbeck did well but Gala at home is not the acid test for him. I would be amazed if he can put in a match winning performance against Chelsea.


----------



## googleamiable

welbeck the new messi


----------



## Canadian Brotha

michael1 said:


> welbeck the new messi


Indeed, he's gonna take England to the Euro 2016 Final, lol.

I just think his hat trick could spur him to do well overall in his Arsenal career, takes a bit of the monkey off his back but now he needs to maintain some sort of consistency.

In other Champion's League thoughts Man City in Europe, they really should be showing way more, the whole team is international players, never mind their wages


----------



## villadb

Canadian Brotha said:


> Indeed, he's gonna take England to the Euro 2016 Final, lol.
> 
> I just think his hat trick could spur him to do well overall in his Arsenal career, takes a bit of the monkey off his back but now he needs to maintain some sort of consistency.
> 
> In other Champion's League thoughts Man City in Europe, they really should be showing way more, the whole team is international players, never mind their wages


City didn't sell out their ground I don't think, and they're expanding it as well. Seems like they've got a bit complacent about it all there. Strange because I've always felt they had one of the best fanbases in the country from when they fell down all the divisions.

I think it was a great move for Welbeck, a bit like Sturridge who found his home at Liverpool. It just seems right somehow.


----------



## Elad

only saw the first half of manu/ever, good to see falcao back scoring

any gunners fans predictions for the match? if you're a regular football watcher its nigh on impossible to see how they could win, but you never know


----------



## gunner21

Fuk u De Gea.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Utd look better in attack without Rooney but still need work in defense, good thing De Gea was on form for them. Who captained the side in the game?

Chelsea/Arsenal wasn't particularly lively, nor has it been a total collapse by the Gunners but an individual mistake let us in with an opening goal & we never really looked troubled after that. Wenger pushing Mourinho was priceless, lol. I hope Courtois is alright but I'm glad Cech got such a rousing reception when he came in. What I love about Costa is that he wasn't even that much of a presence today & the whole while the commentator was on about it & then he knicks a goal. Ozil was again invisible in this game. It's weird given how awesome he used to be for both Germany & Madrid but in England he just seems sluggish & somewhat disinterested


----------



## Dre12

Canadian Brotha said:


> Utd look better in attack without Rooney but still need work in defense, good thing De Gea was on form for them. Who captained the side in the game?


Can't agree with that. I thought it was our least dynamic attacking performance of the season and mostly that was down to the absence of Rooney. Mata was bang average today. RVP captained the side and was terrible, as he has been all season.

Everton were mostly toothless until the last ten minutes. We have looked better defensively and De Gea put in a world class display. We need to kill off games. We finished the game with McNair, Blackett and Wilson on the pitch. Van Gaal has given a lot of debuts this season to the academy lads!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Dre12 said:


> Can't agree with that. I thought it was our least dynamic attacking performance of the season and mostly that was down to the absence of Rooney. Mata was bang average today. RVP captained the side and was terrible, as he has been all season.
> 
> Everton were mostly toothless until the last ten minutes. We have looked better defensively and De Gea put in a world class display. We need to kill off games. We finished the game with McNair, Blackett and Wilson on the pitch. Van Gaal has given a lot of debuts this season to the academy lads!


I only saw highlights during the half time show of the Chelsea game & the pundits played up his absence plus the new boys scoring bode well in my eyes but the lack of closing off games is definitely obvious


----------



## gunner21

Jesus christ Ronaldo slow down.


----------



## Dre12

Canadian Brotha said:


> I only saw highlights during the half time show of the Chelsea game & the pundits played up his absence plus the new boys scoring bode well in my eyes but the lack of closing off games is definitely obvious


We Miss too many chances. Falcao was most guilty yesterday and RVP has been poor too.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I hate internationals breaks


----------



## Dre12

Canadian Brotha said:


> I hate internationals breaks


You and me both Brotha! San Marino and Estonia for England. Give me strength!


----------



## Reckoner7

Canadian Brotha said:


> I hate internationals breaks


Ditto, I can't watch England play as it's just so mind numbingly boring and banal, endless talk about who best fits what postion blah blah, Adrian Chiles lol and hearing that stupid band in the crowd play the same Great Escape song over and over.


----------



## Alexander0

Any opinons on Martin Odegaard? Overhyped or not? Over here we`re already calling him the new messi :lol


----------



## Dre12

Alexander0 said:


> Any opinons on Martin Odegaard? Overhyped or not? Over here we`re already calling him the new messi :lol


I saw some of his Youtube videos and wasn't _that_ impressed, just considering the level of hype surrounding him. It is a great achievement to be playing international football at 15 though.

It is hard to say. He has the ability but to be as great as Messi or Ronaldo it is as much about temperament as it is ability. When he joins a big European club the pressure will be on him every week to be brilliant and the press will be slicing and dicing his every move. That will be when we find out.


----------



## Dre12

Alexander0 said:


> Well he loves football and what seperates him from the rest of our young talents is the effort he puts into it, he usually plays football by himself for ages after his friends have left the pitch just because of how much he loves it. He is kinda being overhyped but almost every expert says he`s better than Messi and Ronaldo were at the age of 15 but we`ll have to see, i hope he goes to Ajax first and develops there.


I reading about a player who grew up in La Masia with Messi just the other day, he said that he never thought for a moment that Messi would go on to be one of the greatest players of all time when they were younger. I think it was one of the De Boer brothers too that said that Messi wouldn't make Barca's first team at all after seeing him Barca's academy a few times.

It is pretty much irrelevant if he is better than they were at 15. Does he have an all consuming desire to be seen as the greatest player ever like Cristiano Ronaldo? That is what made Ronaldo as good as he is, he never stopped working and his hunger is the same now as it has always been. That is a much rarely quality than technical ability on the ball.

Look at Juan Riquelme. He was technically exemplary but he was happy to cruise along earning a good living. Ronaldo doesn't have that level of what you would call natural ability but he is so much more hungry than Riquelme ever was.

Adriano the Brazilian striker is another good example. What an incredible player he was at his brief peak. He had technical ability, flair and physicality but he was haunted by demons and faded into nothing quickly.

Our Wayne Rooney was the best 16 year old that I have ever seen. Remember he was lighting up the Premier League at only 16, quite different to the Norwegian league. As his career progressed he just wasn't able to maintain the consistency that Messi and Ronaldo have displayed. He was always suspected of enjoying himself too much away from the pitch.

Messi comparisons are very dangerous and lazy. Don't put that crazy pressure on the lad. You might not see another player of that level or even Ronaldo's for another 25 years. I am 32 and I haven't seen any other players in my lifetime as consistently brilliant as those two. I have lived through Maradona, Ronaldinho and Zidane too.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Poor penalty decisions in the Man City/Spurs game but also a couple of poorly taken penalties by either side in the match too. 

Props to Aguero though, stepped up again for his hat trick despite his previous miss & then adds a 4th.

I still feel City should be more convincing in their performances given their squad but results are what count


----------



## Dalglish7

ya City havnt been convincing but with Aguero they dont have to be he's a goalscoring freak hope to God we can get a result against QPR with Real coming up midweek!


----------



## gunner21

That was the best worst game.


----------



## Reckoner7

Missed the Liverpool game (asleep) and was a cracker! always the way it seems. Least we won.


----------



## SouthernTom

Holy s**t! 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/29689747


----------



## Reckoner7

^ Such a shame.


----------



## Reckoner7

Thought the Liverpool vs Real Madrid game was on Tuesday but its on Wed and i'm at my evening course  Hopefully watch the 2nd half on the train home via a stream if the wifi is good. 

/1st world problems


----------



## gunner21

So nervous right now. Very likely that we'll get twatted in front of the kop.

calling all footy fans: @Elad, @Canadian Brotha, @In a Lonely Place

legggo


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I think Liverpool have a good shot at a draw in general & if they score first then possibly a win with they way the fans will erupt. Madrid is a stern test for any team though.

@In a Lonely Place ~ I should think even a weakened Arsenal can take Anderlecht, no? Perhaps not easily but it should be manageable

Any commentary on Man City in Europe? Mancini & Pellegrini have been getting the same showing from an experienced group of players when they tour the continent


----------



## Elad

IN


time for a shock, real madrids top heaviness exposed by the revival of balotellis form and a 40m screamer from stevie g to wind back the clock

come on you scousey ****s


----------



## Canadian Brotha

The first two Madrid goals were perfectly placed, the 3rd was Liverpool shambles


----------



## apx24

In a Lonely Place said:


> The smash and grab to end all smash and grabs
> 
> God we were ****ing awful :no





In a Lonely Place said:


> The smash and grab to end all smash and grabs
> 
> God we were ****ing awful :no


Still though, nice way to celebrate Wenger's birthday with a win over Anderlecht

I missed the game today, I don't have Sky Sports at home and I felt too tired to go to the pub to watch it (plus if I go to the pub, I will inevitably start drinking alcohol)


----------



## Canadian Brotha

It's funny listening to all the Liverpool fans rip on Balotelli on footy podcasts. The fact of the matter is Liverpool's defense has not been great for a few seasons now & last season they had Suarez & Sturridge to cover for that. Now they don't have that cover & their manager brings in the wildest card in game who is well known not to be a workhorse, can't/won't carry the team on his own & who prefers playing with a strike partner(which he's not had). There should be a bit of commentary on that managerial choice as well as tactics/formation/selection but all you hear is "Balo this, Balo that"



In a Lonely Place said:


> The smash and grab to end all smash and grabs
> 
> God we were ****ing awful :no


Accurate commentary, lol


----------



## gunner21

Canadian Brotha said:


> It's funny listening to all the Liverpool fans rip on Balotelli on footy podcasts. The fact of the matter is Liverpool's defense has not been great for a few seasons now & last season they had Suarez & Sturridge to cover for that. Now they don't have that cover & their manager brings in the wildest card in game who is well known not to be a workhorse, can't/won't carry the team on his own & who prefers playing with a strike partner(which he's not had). There should be a bit of commentary on that managerial choice as well as tactics/formation/selection but all you hear is "Balo this, Balo that"
> 
> Accurate commentary, lol


I'm starting to feel sorry for Balotelli. He's being made a scapegoat for all things wrong.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I'll watch the highlights later but I just saw today's scores & City lost to the high flying Hammers so a win tomorrow for us at Old Trafford will be quite great in terms of the table. Plus beating Utd is always nice, lol


----------



## Canadian Brotha

In a Lonely Place said:


> Sanchez is awesome tho. :-D


I like that he's come into the league & is doing well, it's good to see him more regularly


----------



## googleamiable

Balotelli is close to surpassing the great Emile Heskey in the pantheon of Liverpool's inept strikers. The way he manages to fail in every aspect of the game with such consistency, all the while displaying the sort of arrogant hue licensed to the Ronaldos and Messis of the world, makes for a staggering combination. He may be the worst footballer I have ever seen. 

And no at people saying he is being made a scapegoat, attacks break down when he is involved in them, players like coutinho, sterling and to an extent henderson are unable to link up with him as they are quick and play one two's, while Balotelli has zero movement, is slow on the ball and never plays good passes anyway (usually just gives it away).

At this point I would rather give some 19yr old attacker from the reserve team an opportunity than Balo or Borini/Lambert, who would likely be almost as bad. And Coutinho needs to be starting every game, he and Sterling are our only creative outlets until Sturridge is back. 

At the end of the day though, we just can't replace Suarez, who was ridiculously, obscenely good.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

michael1 said:


> Balotelli is close to surpassing the great Emile Heskey in the pantheon of Liverpool's inept strikers. The way he manages to fail in every aspect of the game with such consistency, all the while displaying the sort of arrogant hue licensed to the Ronaldos and Messis of the world, makes for a staggering combination. He may be the worst footballer I have ever seen.
> 
> And no at people saying he is being made a scapegoat, attacks break down when he is involved in them, players like coutinho, sterling and to an extent henderson are unable to link up with him as they are quick and play one two's, while Balotelli has zero movement, is slow on the ball and never plays good passes anyway (usually just gives it away).
> 
> At this point I would rather give some 19yr old attacker from the reserve team an opportunity than Balo or Borini/Lambert, who would likely be almost as bad. And Coutinho needs to be starting every game, he and Sterling are our only creative outlets until Sturridge is back.
> 
> At the end of the day though, we just can't replace Suarez, who was ridiculously, obscenely good.


Balo isn't the worst footballer his attitude/body language/approach just makes him easy fodder for any mistakes he makes & likewise on occasion when he's brilliant his attitude gives him the headlines that a Ronaldo would get. He's gold for the media either way.

I think Soldado has been worse for Spurs for example but he's not blamed for all their issues.

Ultimately it comes down to management bringing in a player that everyone knew doesn't adapt to the team he's in & isn't a workhorse which is what all the fans at the club expect at the very least. Not to mention there's no real replacement for what Suarez did for the club last season & Sturridge not being around to take some of the pressure off too.

Does he need to score, without a doubt, but Rodgers needs some serious looking at I feel because there are greater team issues beneath a striker out of form/ill suited to the team he's in


----------



## Canadian Brotha

On another note, there's something about Manchester for us so far this season, stealing a point off us late on again. No matter though, the old man got his goal & we're still top


----------



## googleamiable

Canadian Brotha said:


> Balo isn't the worst footballer his attitude/body language/approach just makes him easy fodder for any mistakes he makes & likewise on occasion when he's brilliant his attitude gives him the headlines that a Ronaldo would get. He's gold for the media either way.
> 
> I think Soldado has been worse for Spurs for example but he's not blamed for all their issues.
> 
> Ultimately it comes down to management bringing in a player that everyone knew doesn't adapt to the team he's in & isn't a workhorse which is what all the fans at the club expect at the very least. Not to mention there's no real replacement for what Suarez did for the club last season & Sturridge not being around to take some of the pressure off too.
> 
> Does he need to score, without a doubt, but Rodgers needs some serious looking at I feel because there are greater team issues beneath a striker out of form/ill suited to the team he's in


I'm not sure about rodgers criticism and deeper issues. To me it's simple, our team flourished with a world class striker, and is now struggling without him. Every team which is successful has a world class striker at the helm (arsenal is a good example, you can come up with any theory you want for their decline but they declined when henry left).

If you took messi out of barcelona, ignore the fact with their status and money they could buy another top 3 striker, assuming they couldn't bring one in, even their team would be MUCH less effective, ditto madrid with ronaldo (also assume you dont bring in someone similar). That's all that has happened to us, and balotelli being completely awful just exxagerates it. Sturridge is very good but we need 2 good attacking players, not one, and he currently isn't even playing.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

michael1 said:


> I'm not sure about rodgers criticism and deeper issues. To me it's simple, our team flourished with a world class striker, and is now struggling without him. Every team which is successful has a world class striker at the helm (arsenal is a good example, you can come up with any theory you want for their decline but they declined when henry left).
> 
> If you took messi out of barcelona, ignore the fact with their status and money they could buy another top 3 striker, assuming they couldn't bring one in, even their team would be MUCH less effective, ditto madrid with ronaldo (also assume you dont bring in someone similar). That's all that has happened to us, and balotelli being completely awful just exxagerates it. Sturridge is very good but we need 2 good attacking players, not one, and he currently isn't even playing.


The significance of the loss of Suarez is noted but bringing in Balo is about as much as a risk on one can take on a player so nobody is gonna fault me for calling out Rodgers on that because the style & skills of the two players is drastically different. He could have gone for someone more pacey & in line with play making footballers behind him. If Balo sails it's all good but we all knew what would happen around him in a goal drought. Balo hasn't played well & that's the truth but Liverpool's woes aren't solely down to him & I think he will have a better showing alongside Sturridge.

I also wasn't totally sold by Liverpool last season anyway. They were entertaining but they never seemed to me like a team that had it in them to grind out results if their "blow the opposition out of the water in 10-15 minutes" approach went south & the lack of European outings was huge in what they achieved too. I'm just saying that when one player isn't on par you need others to step up, cover for him, & take the pressure off to give him a chance to regain form. At best the rest of the squad have "ok". For me this season is a real learning curve for Rodgers between balance of competitions, squad management/rotation, & adaptability of tactics


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Does anyone know why players get booked for taking off their jersey to celebrate? I mean unless they've got something offensive written on their under shirt I don't get it


----------



## SouthernTom

Canadian Brotha said:


> Does anyone know why players get booked for taking off their jersey to celebrate? I mean unless they've got something offensive written on their under shirt I don't get it


It is all to do (as far as i'm aware) with the sponsor on the front of the shirt. For obvious reasons, the most exciting and most watched element of any football game is almost always the goals, and these moments garner the most attention and media coverage. Now all these shirt sponsors have paid 10's if not 100's of millions of pounds to have their names in pride of place on the front of the shirt, so if a goal is scored, and a player then removes his shirt, that sponsor is basically missing out on a significant amount of the media coverage it would otherwise have received had the player kept his shirt on with the sponsors logo there for everyone to see.

So it's basically for commercial purposes as far as i'm aware.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

SouthernTom said:


> It is all to do (as far as i'm aware) with the sponsor on the front of the shirt. For obvious reasons, the most exciting and most watched element of any football game is almost always the goals, and these moments garner the most attention and media coverage. Now all these shirt sponsors have paid 10's if not 100's of millions of pounds to have their names in pride of place on the front of the shirt, so if a goal is scored, and a player then removes his shirt, that sponsor is basically missing out on a significant amount of the media coverage it would otherwise have received had the player kept his shirt on with the sponsors logo there for everyone to see.
> 
> So it's basically for commercial purposes as far as i'm aware.


Thanks for that. Still a stupid reason to give a booking though, I mean it's raw passion for the club, player, & fans. I've always loved it as a celebration of great and/or important goals


----------



## DanTheOutlaw

I don't watch football but my local team is Middlesbrough... I voted English premier league... no idea if that includes Boro or not.


----------



## gunner21

We're gonna get murdered by Madrid tomorrow


----------



## gunner21

Lol arsenal


----------



## twisty

This football season is depressing me, I miss the World Cup.


----------



## gunner21

twisty said:


> This football season is depressing me, I miss the World Cup.


I do not. Club football > International football.


----------



## twisty

gunner21 said:


> I do not. Club football > International football.


I'd normally agree, but with all my favorite teams failing it's hard to keep myself interested.


----------



## starsfreak

Neuer just being Neuer


----------



## SouthernTom

DanielTheFreak said:


> Neuer just being Neuer


Joe Hart just being Joe Hart


----------



## SupaDupaFly

Not related to any games today,but this is one of the best counter attacks i've ever seen.


----------



## twisty

DanielTheFreak said:


> Neuer just being Neuer


Everything he does is basically perfect.

/fangirling


----------



## Joe

twisty said:


> I'd normally agree, but with all my favorite teams failing it's hard to keep myself interested.


Liverpool? :rain


----------



## twisty

BBQ_Chicken said:


> Liverpool? :rain


ManU  and Barcelona


----------



## Canadian Brotha

The Gunners & City drop points, Blue tops Red to increase the point gap...I'm content with the weekends results


----------



## gunner21

What a ****ing piece of **** season so far.


----------



## Joe

twisty said:


> ManU  and Barcelona


At least United are buying world class players instead of random ones who done kinda decent last year :cry they should get top 3-4.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Jaxosix said:


> Wenger Out please.
> 
> Yeah right, We're stuck with him for at least a couple of years.


He's gonna have to be replaced eventually. I'm curious to know who Gunner's fans think would be a good fit when the time comes?


----------



## twisty

BBQ_Chicken said:


> At least United are buying world class players instead of random ones who done kinda decent last year :cry they should get top 3-4.


It's even worse when you buy world class players and still play like **** :lol It's so embarrassing. Oh and Van Gaal is a joke.


----------



## twisty

btw, just a question for you guys: do any of you read football press? I don't, I think sports "journalists" are a bunch of liars and clickbaiters. I get all my transfer news from Instagram (that is, from the clubs/players themselves).


----------



## Canadian Brotha

twisty said:


> btw, just a question for you guys: do any of you read football press? I don't, I think sports "journalists" are a bunch of liars and clickbaiters. I get all my transfer news from Instagram (that is, from the clubs/players themselves).


I'll check out quick quotes from managers or players here or there but I rarely read full news articles. With regard to transfers, I don't get too sucked into that drama because so much of it is speculation. I take a wait & see approach with it for the most part. I do follow a few footy podcasts though


----------



## Joe

twisty said:


> It's even worse when you buy world class players and still play like **** :lol It's so embarrassing. Oh and Van Gaal is a joke.


It's really early to say that, United are beginning to look good as a team (even the back line is improving). There's no way they won't get top 4 with Liverpool falling off so hard, unless Southampton manage it.


----------



## googleamiable

Liverpool are garbage currently, agreed ^ but nothing to suggest utd are ahead of soton or everton this season. Anyway watched the lpool chelsea game and was fixated on how ridiculous courtois being there is. They loaned the mf'er out for what 4 seasons straight, and after he won la liga and got to a champions league final decided he was good enough for their first team. 

And goes without saying but why is balotelli still in the first team. He is so bad it hurts my soul. I thought it couldn't get worse than heksey, and I was right, it cant. But he's pushing it.


----------



## googleamiable

twisty said:


> btw, just a question for you guys: do any of you read football press? I don't, I think sports "journalists" are a bunch of liars and clickbaiters. I get all my transfer news from Instagram (that is, from the clubs/players themselves).


there are good journalists out there http://newsthump.com/category/sports/


----------



## Eazi

michael1 said:


> Liverpool are garbage currently, agreed ^ but nothing to suggest utd are ahead of soton or everton this season. Anyway watched the lpool chelsea game and was fixated on how ridiculous courtois being there is. They loaned the mf'er out for what 4 seasons straight, and after he won la liga and got to a champions league final decided he was good enough for their first team.
> 
> And goes without saying but why is balotelli still in the first team. He is so bad it hurts my soul. I thought it couldn't get worse than heksey, and I was right, it cant. But he's pushing it.


Balotelli is one of the best strikers in football. Petr cech was too good for Courtois to be recalled earlier, now that he's getting older its the perfect time for Courtois to take his shot. A master stroke by Chelsea Fc.


----------



## Reckoner7

twisty said:


> btw, just a question for you guys: do any of you read football press? I don't, I think sports "journalists" are a bunch of liars and clickbaiters. I get all my transfer news from Instagram (that is, from the clubs/players themselves).


I don't read any, in the UK the press is utter rubbish and can't believe a word they say. I don't bother with transfer speculation anyway as it feels like 'place random footballer with random team based on random connection' lol



Eazi said:


> Balotelli is one of the best strikers in football.


I disagree, this is not due to me being a Liverpool fan and judging him based on this season. I dont see why he gets all the hype he does with constant praise that hes one of the best in the world.
He's not rubbish but he's not in the world class category as other strikers such as Benzema, Muller & Aguero, his game is very one dimensional hence is poor recent form as the team is not playing to how he prefer the style to be. A world class striker would have the skill to adapt their game accordingly e.g Rooney for Utd when he was playing in the no. 9 position for a season and was banging in the goals.


----------



## Deathstars

Jaxosix said:


> Wenger Out please.
> 
> Yeah right, We're stuck with him for at least a couple of years.


If Arsenal are planning to become a genuine title candidate, then yeah, he should leave. He has made tons of mistakes last and this season, like his predictable and simplistic tactics in all league big games this season which resulted in large losses (Chelsea 6-0, Liverpool 5-1, Everton 3-0), the fact that supers signing Özil does not play in his actual position, how he refused to buy Cesc (who is now probably the best attacking midfielder in the league atm) And I can go on.


----------



## Reckoner7

Good win for England today, top of the group. I normally detest watching them on T.V but was at Wembley today, good atmosphere and got some goals too!


----------



## Eazi

Reckoner7 said:


> I don't read any, in the UK the press is utter rubbish and can't believe a word they say. I don't bother with transfer speculation anyway as it feels like 'place random footballer with random team based on random connection' lol
> 
> I disagree, this is not due to me being a Liverpool fan and judging him based on this season. I dont see why he gets all the hype he does with constant praise that hes one of the best in the world.
> He's not rubbish but he's not in the world class category as other strikers such as Benzema, Muller & Aguero, his game is very one dimensional hence is poor recent form as the team is not playing to how he prefer the style to be. A world class striker would have the skill to adapt their game accordingly e.g Rooney for Utd when he was playing in the no. 9 position for a season and was banging in the goals.


If you're not judging him on this season I don't know how you can think that. I think with him its a disciplinary issue more than anything, if he had the right manager he can easily be the best right now. He's still pretty young as well and I don't get the big deal with a world class striker having to adapt themselves to play in a number 9 position which is for strikers anyway.

He's very versatile, there's not much he can't do tbh and he has natural talent that the likes of names you mentioned don't have imo. I'd say on his day hes miles better than Benzema and Mueller too.


----------



## googleamiable

cocaine is a helluva drug


----------



## Elad

liverpool pulling a spurs

nothing unexpected though



twisty said:


> It's even worse when you buy world class players and still play like **** :lol It's so embarrassing. Oh and Van Gaal is a joke.


not sure if srs

the whole team was aging and they were long overdue for an overhaul, hes bringing academy players into the first team and while leaking goals, there is a lot more creativity than under moyes which was like watching paint dry (and cross) and more importantly they are improving game to game

really should be getting falcao in striker position ahead of persie imo


----------



## Reckoner7

Eazi said:


> If you're not judging him on this season I don't know how you can think that. I think with him its a disciplinary issue more than anything, if he had the right manager he can easily be the best right now. He's still pretty young as well and I don't get the big deal with a world class striker having to adapt themselves to play in a number 9 position which is for strikers anyway.


Thats the thing with him, it always seems to be 'he could be one of the best if....' I'm sorry but I will judge a player on what they are doing now rather than 'if's'

The no. 9 was just a example, I was refering to the criticism he has faced this season that he can't play as the lone striker, if he's that good then it wouldn't matter that much as he'd have the ability to change his game effectively when the team changes.


----------



## twisty

^ I think we're all past the "aww he's been through a lot and he gets so much racism" phase, right? he's had plenty of chances to prove he's "one of the best strikers in the world"



Elad said:


> the whole team was aging and they were long overdue for an overhaul, hes bringing academy players into the first team and while leaking goals, there is a lot more creativity than under moyes which was like watching paint dry (and cross) and more importantly they are improving game to game
> 
> really should be getting falcao in striker position ahead of persie imo


that's the thing, I don't know if this improvement will be enough in the end.

van Persie more like van Off-Side, right? :lol


----------



## Reckoner7

^ Yeah exactly, he's had plenty of chances to prove how good he is.


----------



## bulletinabible

roma.


----------



## Joe

michael1 said:


> I thought it couldn't get worse than heksey, and I was right, it cant. But he's pushing it.


Woah there Heskey in his prime would of at least had a few goals by now!


----------



## googleamiable

Heskey had a prime? :lol:


----------



## bulletinabible

Balotelli is a mediocre football player. I would say below average. A very common graziano pellè is 10 x better.


----------



## Joe

michael1 said:


> Heskey had a prime? :lol:


He had a 22 goal season for us and 14 in the league (I was 6 then though so not like I can remember), he was a similar player to Welbeck at United.


----------



## Joe

bulletinabible said:


> Balotelli is a mediocre football player. I would say below average. A very common graziano pellè is 10 x better.


He used to show glimpses of his quality all the time, but doesn't seem to have matured whatsoever. Pelle is doing great though, he is on course to finish with 20 goals (It remains to be seen if his form keeps up).


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Balotelli has a decent goal scoring record in Italy but he's not been able to replicate that in England & part of that is because his rough patches are amplified threefold by the press because of his reputation as a rude boy in general. No one would convince me that Liverpool would be that much better off is Sturridge was fit. I still think they'd be conceding a decent number of goals & drawing games with him around. Plus the demand of football on multiple fronts is a different ball game than what they went through last season in which a single player covered for all their deficiencies. Anyway, if he's still not showing anything when Sturridge returns & can pair with him then I think he should perhaps try his hand in Spain, France, or Germany & get away from the British hounds for his sanity & his career.

Now...to look at this weekend's fixture list...


----------



## googleamiable

Canadian Brotha said:


> Balotelli has a decent goal scoring record in Italy but he's not been able to replicate that in England & part of that is because his rough patches are amplified threefold by the press because of his reputation as a rude boy in general. No one would convince me that Liverpool would be that much better off is Sturridge was fit. I still think they'd be conceding a decent number of goals & drawing games with him around. Plus the demand of football on multiple fronts is a different ball game than what they went through last season in which a single player covered for all their deficiencies. Anyway, if he's still not showing anything when Sturridge returns & can pair with him then I think he should perhaps try his hand in Spain, France, or Germany & get away from the British hounds for his sanity & his career.
> 
> Now...to look at this weekend's fixture list...


on the contrary, a high class striker in the team improves things massively. if you compare us to last season, the new signings have not made us weaker, the main changes are that 1-suarez left (world class striker), 2-sturridge has been injured, and we have plummeted enourmously.

Our only fit strikers are all either average or below average, while last year we had world class + very good. So in that sense sturridge's return will only leave us with very good, as well as likely 1 striker formations (also as opposed to last year), which i personally think are far inferior to 2 striker formations.

In fact try and name dominant at top level teams which have NOT had a world class striker in there. There are barely any. You can come up with any theories you like for arsenal but their decline coincided with henry leaving. Chelski have replaced torres with a world class striker and gone from solid and efficient to looking unstoppable.


----------



## Elad

injurridge gonna injurridge 

poor pool bros, pulling a spurs

hoping you can get some of that quick free flowing attacking football of last season going again but it doesnt look likely


----------



## Canadian Brotha

michael1 said:


> on the contrary, a high class striker in the team improves things massively. if you compare us to last season, the new signings have not made us weaker, the main changes are that 1-suarez left (world class striker), 2-sturridge has been injured, and we have plummeted enourmously.
> 
> Our only fit strikers are all either average or below average, while last year we had world class + very good. So in that sense sturridge's return will only leave us with very good, as well as likely 1 striker formations (also as opposed to last year), which i personally think are far inferior to 2 striker formations.
> 
> In fact try and name dominant at top level teams which have NOT had a world class striker in there. There are barely any. You can come up with any theories you like for arsenal but their decline coincided with henry leaving. Chelski have replaced torres with a world class striker and gone from solid and efficient to looking unstoppable.


I'm not disputing that a high class striker improves things for a team & that they can bring out the best in other players. What I am saying is that I don't think that Liverpool as a team these past few seasons has had that type of core strength that allows for grinding out results when you can't just "blaze" over your opponent. Dominant teams have that ability & now that Suarez is gone it's glaringly obvious that they don't.

Secondly everyone can complain about Balo, whether he's world class or not, but the fact of the matter is Rodgers looked around & chose one of the world's most high maintenance footballers who is pure drama even when he is scoring goals to bring into his team knowing full well that's he's always been a mixed bag in England. No one is gonna stop me holding his feet to the fire about that decision especially considering the magnitude this season for them with Champion's League football & the importance of at least challenging in the title race again


----------



## gunner21

Balo's a scrub. Even with Milan, he had something like 7-8 goals from open play in like 50 games.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Arsenal come flying out the gates lose 2-1 & lose 2 players...talk about a rough day. Giroud's goal was great however, really smashed it. Big result for Utd.

Costa nets again which is lovely! We really should have scored a few more in that game though. 

I wouldn't have minded a City draw but it's nice that Toure scored the winner for them, that'll settle the hounds on him for a spell


----------



## twisty

lol thanks Arsenal


----------



## Loveless

CSKA Moscow lost. I cried for about an hour.


----------



## Dre12

twisty said:


> btw, just a question for you guys: do any of you read football press? I don't, I think sports "journalists" are a bunch of liars and clickbaiters. I get all my transfer news from Instagram (that is, from the clubs/players themselves).


There are some good football journalists that cover United in the UK. Mark Ogden at The Telegraph is probably the most reliable at the moment, he appears on MUTV. Steve Bates at The Mirror is decent too and also appears on MUTV. Daniel Taylor at The Guardian was the best but he left the Manchester beat this year to become their chief football writer, unfortunately he has been replaced by a plant pot called Jamie Jackson. I think that Barney Ronay is the most colourful writer in the game and his articles are alway worth a read.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2013/apr/05/bayern-munich-thomas-muller


----------



## Canadian Brotha

"Damn that Balotelli...if he wasn't lazing about nursing a groin injury us Liverpool fans could be blaming him for another loss & all our woes this season"


----------



## Elad

time to face facts liverpool fans, you're just above tottenham, maybe even worse this season

brendinho the master coach getting found out now he doesnt have a world class striker making him look good

on the bright side at least you're not milan


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that whenever a free kick is given in & around the box players tend to try for a rockstar free kick over a decent cross to give teammates a chance at a decent header? I love a good strike but it's quite annoying seeing so many ballooned so often & a bit of direct play isn't the worst thing from time to time


----------



## googleamiable

championship here we come


----------



## googleamiable

i still think rodgers is the right man to bring us back up next season


----------



## twisty

Dre12 said:


> There are some good football journalists that cover United in the UK. Mark Ogden at The Telegraph is probably the most reliable at the moment, he appears on MUTV. Steve Bates at The Mirror is decent too and also appears on MUTV. Daniel Taylor at The Guardian was the best but he left the Manchester beat this year to become their chief football writer, unfortunately he has been replaced by a plant pot called Jamie Jackson. I think that Barney Ronay is the most colourful writer in the game and his articles are alway worth a read.
> 
> http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2013/apr/05/bayern-munich-thomas-muller


looks good, thanks for the recs man!


----------



## goku23

michael1 said:


> i still think rodgers is the right man to bring us back up next season


no chance! his recruitment has always been poor.
Sturridge and Coutinho were signed by the transfer committee, Rodgers just gave the go-ahead.

he was given a new contract in the summer after last seasons success and a condition he wanted was more control over transfers.

FSG gave him authority to sign players for the first team and the committee to sign players for the future.
50 million for Lovren, Lallana and Lambert??
thats a joke. 
we were offered Lovren for 8 million last summer and the transfer committee rejected, because he's mediocre at best. 
a decent 6 months (because of Wanayama and Schneiderlein protecting him) and Rodgers spunks 20 million on him!

also tactically, Rodgers was hugely reliant on Suarez and Sturridge last season.

if this continues, he'll be gone before new years.
Jurgen Klopp or Simeone please!


----------



## googleamiable

it was a joke, bring us back up from the championship. 

it's too early to write off lovren, llallana, markovic. remember how bad lucas looked early on? and henderson. they both improved hugely after a season. i would call the signings upfront mistakes, tho. we needed to buy someone of benzema calibre, as well as another good striker for cover. instead the 2 we signed just arent good enough, but hopefully they will put that right sooner rather than later.


----------



## goku23

michael1 said:


> it was a joke, bring us back up from the championship.
> 
> it's too early to write off lovren, llallana, markovic. remember how bad lucas looked early on? and henderson. they both improved hugely after a season. i would call the signings upfront mistakes, tho. we needed to buy someone of benzema calibre, as well as another good striker for cover. instead the 2 we signed just arent good enough, but hopefully they will put that right sooner rather than later.


lallana has had one decent season in the top flight his entire career mate (not a kid either, he's 26), even then he didn't score or assist more than Sterling who's a teen and only really got into the team last christmas.
he's a good player, would be a good squad player but he can never be a marquee signing for a club trying to challenge for the league.
have to ask yourself why we were the only club in for him.

lovren couldn't get into a struggling lyon team when he was there, and they were shocking! in the end they were flogging him around the whole of europe trying to get rid of him.
for a club of southampton's stature, he was a decent signing.
have to remember he's 25, this isn't bad form or him trying to settle in, this is him failing the basic fundamentals. 
the man who was the leader at southampton was Fonte, Lovren got credit he didn't deserve. when Fonte and Wanayama were injured, Lovren struggled badly. 
nigh on every goal we've conceded Lovren has played a key part in.

Markovic I completely agree with you about. he has a ton of talent and potential and can be a world class player. but problem is that he was signed by transfer committee who know his game, not Rodgers. Rodgers i think doesn't know enough about him or his history, he's playing him in the wrong position for starters and is playing him in patches, kid's confidence is shot right now.

Henderson improved but he was a young player who had the potential and raw attributes to do so.
Lucas had one good season but since his injury problems he's lost almost all mobility, he relied massively on that and unfortunately he doesnt have much else to fall back on because his positional sense is too poor for him to be a holding midfielder - he goes ball chasing. without his legs, he offer very little.

Lallana and Lovren aren't young players, they've developed habits that will remain and while Lallana has quality, imo he's reached his ceiling.
we payed 25 million for a player who's had one decent season in a top flight league who is nearing 30 and didn't outscore or out-assist our youngest player last season.

our recruitment this summer was mixed, signed awesome young players who with the right management will be world beaters, but we also signed mediocre middle of the road players for the present.
bottom line is we need a manager to get the best out of these youngsters and get rid of the deadwood like Johnson and Enrique instead of offering them new deals.

Simeone would be absolutely perfect but I doubt hed leave Atletico


----------



## Joe

In a Lonely Place said:


> Liverpool
> 
> :lol


If we had Sanchez and told Roy to **** off you wouldn't be laughing!

:cry


----------



## moloko

goku23 said:


> Markovic I completely agree with you about. he has a ton of talent and potential and can be a world class player. but problem is that he was signed by transfer committee who know his game, not Rodgers. Rodgers i think doesn't know enough about him or his history, he's playing him in the wrong position for starters and is playing him in patches, kid's confidence is shot right now.


Where is he playing in the field?


----------



## SD92

Liverpool just can't defend, and never have been able to under Rodgers. Last season, they had Suarez and a fully fit Sturridge to bail them out, this year they don't have that luxury.

In other news, Burnley are looking much better now they've got Ings back from injury, maybe they aren't as bad as people thought they were?


----------



## Canadian Brotha

What drama between City & Bayern! Aguero is carrying city this season the way Suarez did Liverpool last season


----------



## Dre12

Canadian Brotha said:


> What drama between City & Bayern! Aguero is carrying city this season the way Suarez did Liverpool last season


Not to that extent I don't think. City have better players throughout. Having said that he needed a Bayern player to gift him those chances.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Dre12 said:


> Not to that extent I don't think. City have better players throughout. Having said that he needed a Bayern player to gift him those chances.


Suarez took mistakes for goals all night long too at Liverpool. I agree that it's not to the same extent(City have a stronger & more rounded squad) but there have been a few games this season where he has carried them on his back


----------



## SD92

Man City should have kept Negredo. Now, they've only got three strikers and one of them (Jovetic) is always getting injured.


----------



## Elad

good to see some premier league teams beating bundesliga boys, not going to read too much into though since bvb/bayern were already qualified and wolfsberg dominated everton, just unlucky

*actual football related question:* what boots do you guys wear if you play, and how do you stretch/break them in?

i recently bought some hypervenoms when i've previously always got addidas, got them the size i usually do and they fit great aside from the heel where it keeps ripping the skin clean off (wtf) thinking have to cut into it and take the hard heel pad out or buy new, kind of frustrating because i was trying to save money with them

dun goofed. should have gotten magistas


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Elad said:


> good to see some premier league teams beating bundesliga boys, not going to read too much into though since bvb/bayern were already qualified and wolfsberg dominated everton, just unlucky


It'll be interesting if all the Premier League teams progress to the round of 16 given their overall showings in the group stages.

Speaking of Bundesliga I'm going to watch the Freiburg/Stuggart match this afternoon. It can be a quite enjoyable league


----------



## Dre12

Canadian Brotha said:


> It'll be interesting if all the Premier League teams progress to the round of 16 given their overall showings in the group stages.
> 
> Speaking of Bundesliga I'm going to watch the Freiburg/Stuggart match this afternoon. It can be a quite enjoyable league


I think the Premier League will be on the rise again in the coming seasons. The new BT television deal starts next season and will see all Premier League teams with an extra £35-40m in their back pockets - per season! United's new kit deal kicks in too which will put a minimum extra £50m in their back pockets - per season! I think the summer transfer window will be an interesting one.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Dre12 said:


> I think the Premier League will be on the rise again in the coming seasons. The new BT television deal starts next season and will see all Premier League teams with an extra £35-40m in their back pockets - per season! United's new kit deal kicks in too which will put a minimum extra £50m in their back pockets - per season! I think the summer transfer window will be an interesting one.


I didn't realize there's another TV deal set to come to fruition. I think the summer transfer window will be interesting solely based on how this season has been so far, many a team are in need of supplementation


----------



## Joe

Canadian Brotha said:


> It'll be interesting if all the Premier League teams progress to the round of 16 given their overall showings in the group stages.
> 
> Speaking of Bundesliga I'm going to watch the Freiburg/Stuggart match this afternoon. It can be a quite enjoyable league


Its only lpool who done bad and hull ofc


----------



## Batcat

Rodgers's tactics are so questionable. Hendo is way too slow to play on the overlap off the wing, we need Markovic in that position. Allen and Lucas provide no forward drive and if we play Lambert we need to play Lallana for their link up and understanding


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Disappointing result today but Sunderland were tactically sound, no surprising results elsewhere. Hopefully City & Saints draw tomorrow


----------



## goku23

Anduin said:


> Rodgers's tactics are so questionable. Hendo is way too slow to play on the overlap off the wing, we need Markovic in that position. Allen and Lucas provide no forward drive and if we play Lambert we need to play Lallana for their link up and understanding


i think everything fell into place last season for rodgers and was handed his tactical set up on a plate because of suarez.
suarez presses and moves relentlessly and he had hendo with his engine plus sterling to follow through with him behind the first line.

just a perfect storm. this season we've got nobody capable of pressing from the front or work the channels like SAS and rodgers doesn't seem to know how to train them to do so.
the whole fcking team have dropped back 10 yards at least, all sitting deeper and the tempo has completely gone because SAS arent dragging defenders out of position and creating space to create a quick passing game.
everyones in a static position. sterling on the flank, lambert/mario up top, hando alongside gerrard or lucas.

suarez last season sorted rodgers tactical set up for him, this season he's being found out.

we were fcking lucky to win today, would have been interesting to see what fsg would have done had we lost.


----------



## goku23

lfc need a complete overhaul of recruitment and management.
rodgers refuses to bring in a decent defensive coach despite not addressing our defensive issues for 3 seasons now.

plus he left out manquillo, moreno, can, markovic - all committee signings.
also dumped Sakho another committee signing, for his big money buy lovren.

think hes sending out a message. rodgers recruitment though is shocking - 50mil for 3 mid table players from southampton.

we cant have a manager whos so bad in the transfer market yet cant work with a director of football/transfer committee.

transfer committee have signed some quality young players for the future - markovic, can, manquillo, origi can all be world beaters.
but rodgers was given say over signings for the present and he flopped.
southampton were laughing.

plus his tactics and coaching have come into question big time.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Saldado finally scores for Spurs & how about Frank Lampard as a super sub for Man City? It's weird saying that as a Chelsea fan, lol.



Watched the Frankfurt/Dortmund game today & their decline in the Bundesliga is truly unbelievable...Utd & Liverpool in the Premier League don't even compare to this. 



Anyway, I love how when someone scores from the home team in the Bundesliga the announcer comes on & does a call/response of the players name with the crowd to amp them up, it's so awesome


----------



## goku23

Canadian Brotha said:


> Saldado finally scores for Spurs & how about Frank Lampard as a super sub for Man City? It's weird saying that as a Chelsea fan, lol.
> 
> Watched the Frankfurt/Dortmund game today & their decline in the Bundesliga is truly unbelievable...Utd & Liverpool in the Premier League don't even compare to this.
> 
> Anyway, I love how when someone scores from the home team in the Bundesliga the announcer comes on & does a call/response of the players name with the crowd to amp them up, it's so awesome


how did dortmund play?
seen em a few times this season but while results were bad their performances deserved better.

missing lewandowski though, but aubemeyang (spelling? lol) has come on this season.


----------



## SD92

Why are Dortmund so bad this year? I notice they are bottom of the Bundesliga.

It's getting to the stage were they can't just write it off as a bad start.


----------



## jsmith92

What about how the next FIFA world cup is in Qatar? This was seen as semi controversial when it was announced.


----------



## goku23

jsmith92 said:


> What about how the next FIFA world cup is in Qatar? This was seen as semi controversial when it was announced.


next world cups in Russia dude, 2022 is in Qatar.
both being investigated - bribes, corruption.

who in their right minds would agree to a world cup in a country where it reaches over 40 degrees Celcius that time of year?
unless those people were given hefty gifts lol


----------



## Canadian Brotha

goku23 said:


> how did dortmund play?
> seen em a few times this season but while results were bad their performances deserved better.
> 
> missing lewandowski though, but aubemeyang (spelling? lol) has come on this season.





SD92 said:


> Why are Dortmund so bad this year? I notice they are bottom of the Bundesliga.
> 
> It's getting to the stage were they can't just write it off as a bad start.


Today Dortmund reminded me of Arsenal again Utd, they came out the blocks flying but 5 minutes in a ball got nicked in midfield & the opposition scored with a through ball. In the second half the ball got nicked again in midfield & the following ball over the top wasn't dealt with by the defender properly, he headed out out of the reach of the keeper who had come far out of is area & into the path of the on runner striker instead. Total lack of communication between the two of them. Aubemeyang(I'm not sure of the spelling either, lol) was lively but he either shot when he should have passed or passed when he should have had a strike. The team just doesn't look anything like the powerhouse we've seen over recent seasons at all. Klopp is a great manager but he'll be out before he knows it if this continues. They do have a number of injuries too though so that's at least a partial factor.


----------



## jsmith92

goku23 said:


> next world cups in Russia dude, 2022 is in Qatar.
> both being investigated - bribes, corruption.
> 
> who in their right minds would agree to a world cup in a country where it reaches over 40 degrees Celcius that time of year?
> unless those people were given hefty gifts lol


Oh okay. I see. They were both controversial, that's probably why I confused Qatar with Russia.


----------



## gunner21

Canadian Brotha said:


> Today Dortmund reminded me of Arsenal again Utd, they came out the blocks flying but 5 minutes in a ball got nicked in midfield & the opposition scored with a through ball. In the second half the ball got nicked again in midfield & the following ball over the top wasn't dealt with by the defender properly, he headed out out of the reach of the keeper who had come far out of is area & into the path of the on runner striker instead. Total lack of communication between the two of them. Aubemeyang(I'm not sure of the spelling either, lol) was lively but he either shot when he should have passed or passed when he should have had a strike. The team just doesn't look anything like the powerhouse we've seen over recent seasons at all. Klopp is a great manager but he'll be out before he knows it if this continues. They do have a number of injuries too though so that's at least a partial factor.


Just call him immabangurmum....like elad does.


----------



## Elad

gunner21 said:


> Just call him immabangurmum....like elad does.


immmabangurmom is in pretty good form tbh despite the table, which itsself is a little deceiving since they're 11 points off top 4 with plenty to play


----------



## Canadian Brotha

gunner21 said:


> Just call him immabangurmum....like elad does.


Priceless, haha



Elad said:


> immmabangurmom is in pretty good form tbh despite the table, which itsself is a little deceiving since they're 11 points off top 4 with plenty to play


He is a solid player, too bad the team is in decline at the moment. I agree a tight table does give them a chance to recover but they've gotta start grinding out results if they can no longer pull off their high press game. They've been a fairly universal club in Europe in recent years, I don't know anyone that didn't enjoy them doing well(excluding Bayern fans of course, lol)


----------



## Dre12

United game had a crazy finish last night. Stoke had only had one shot up to the 90th minute, the buggers had scored from it too! Then in injury time De Gea pulled off two great saves and Ashley Young did one of craziest goal line clearances I can remember. 

We are starting to really control games but there is a lack of cutting edge up front. Granted that Di Maria and Rooney were out last night but we still have enough to score more goals. Van Persie really does look like a lost sheep out there these days. I don't think he had a proper attempt on goal last night yet Van Gaal will not drop him. It is starting to annoy me a bit.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Spurs come out the blocks hot, Chelsea ride their luck & the old man assists before netting & it's a done deal. Nice Remi scores in his short cameo too.

No real surprise results in these midweek games


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Dortmund won convincingly today even though they only scored once, we'll see if it sets them on a good run...


----------



## SD92

And Watford beat Fulham convincingly too, 0-5. Fulham had a player sent off in the first half.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I'm not happy we lost but now at least the media can get over this unbeaten non-sense & Chelsea being the best team ever. We're fairly well rounded but we've road our luck in parts of games so far & it's a long season anyway. We've actually started the season on fire numerous times in the past yet the last time we won it was 2010. Now to watch City/Everton & see if they close the gap to 3 points


----------



## Dre12

Canadian Brotha said:


> I'm not happy we lost but now at least the media can get over this unbeaten non-sense & Chelsea being the best team ever. We're fairly well rounded but we've road our luck in parts of games so far & it's a long season anyway. We've actually started the season on fire numerous times in the past yet the last time we won it was 2010. Now to watch City/Everton & see if they close the gap to 3 points


It is on. United for the title! Classic Van Gaal. Start slow and pick up speed until you become unstoppable. Steam train style!

I always love the English media in these situations. Just this week I was reading a comparison in The Telegraph between Chelsea's current side and Mourinho's 2005 team, rating player by player out of 10. The current teams players were getting like 8-10 out of 10 in every position. Matic a 9/10 player?! I just knew then that the bubble was going to burst. The press is run in London in the UK and you just know that they disappear up their own arse when it comes to London sides. In Manchester we always feel that the press is at great pain to concede that we are the powerhouse. I think that the title will end up back in our city for the fifth season in a row.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Dre12 said:


> It is on. United for the title! Classic Van Gaal. Start slow and pick up speed until you become unstoppable. Steam train style!
> 
> I always love the English media in these situations. Just this week I was reading a comparison in The Telegraph between Chelsea's current side and Mourinho's 2005 team, rating player by player out of 10. The current teams players were getting like 8-10 out of 10 in every position. Matic a 9/10 player?! I just knew then that the bubble was going to burst. The press is run in London in the UK and you just know that they disappear up their own arse when it comes to London sides. In Manchester we always feel that the press is at great pain to concede that we are the powerhouse. I think that the title will end up back in our city for the fifth season in a row.


Utd may well have a solid run of form & change things in terms of the title race, time will tell.

As for the media, another thing I hate is when they say "3-6 points clear at the top of the table", as far as I'm concerned unless you're 12 points up on the nearest challenging team changes in runs of form between you & them can be swift & definitive


----------



## Dre12

Canadian Brotha said:


> Utd may well have a solid run of form & change things in terms of the title race, time will tell.
> 
> As for the media, another thing I hate is when they say "3-6 points clear at the top of the table", as far as I'm concerned unless you're 12 points up on the nearest challenging team changes in runs of form between you & them can be swift & definitive


Yeah, two years ago United blew an eight point lead within five games or something to hand City the title.

Having said all that, I bet that we lose on Monday against Southampton!


----------



## apx24

Just saw this video of Arsene Wenger being abused by some Arsenal fans. I feel ashamed to be a Gooner. These scum who booed and swore at him deserve to be eradicated.


----------



## Dre12

^^^^

I saw that United were using a train to Arsenal the other week. What happened to the good old team bus?


----------



## Canadian Brotha

apx24 said:


> Just saw this video of Arsene Wenger being abused by some Arsenal fans. I feel ashamed to be a Gooner. These scum who booed and swore at him deserve to be eradicated.


It's a bit much to harass him on a train platform but they do have reasons to be upset with him. I'm of the mind their protest should remain in the stadiums...booing, banners, etc but leave him be in casual public scenarios


----------



## apx24

Dre12 said:


> ^^^^
> 
> I saw that United were using a train to Arsenal the other week. What happened to the good old team bus?


Yeah I was surprised that the team used the train as well. I guess trains are more comfortable than coaches, plus trains have first class, but I bet the lower league teams still have to make do with coaches.


----------



## boas

I don't know if I'd call it "disgusting" as some have suggested. Boorish and stupid, certainly, but impersonal in nature. Brighton get homophobic abuse directed at them every game without fail and it receives very little coverage. A significant section of match-going fans are knuckle draggers.

At any rate, Wenger definitely needs to go and I say this as a neutral. Can no longer hide behind the long-term building rhetoric when he's spending £80M on Ozil and Sanchez.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Van Gaal seems to have reinstilled the old Fergie trait of grinding out results when as a team they aren't performing great. De Gea is a big part of it too, he's literally winning Utd games when the back line disintegrates


----------



## Dre12

Canadian Brotha said:


> Van Gaal seems to have reinstilled the old Fergie trait of grinding out results when as a team they aren't performing great. De Gea is a big part of it too, he's literally winning Utd games when the back line disintegrates


It is that 3-5-2 formation. We are absolute garbage every time we play it but he won't drop it, as an away formation of all things!

Frankly we were lucky to beat Arsenal and Southampton and the luck will run out at some point. We only had three shots last night which is the lowest ever since Opta starting recording stats!


----------



## SD92

Liverpool need a win to stay in the CL tonight. They'll probably concede a last minute equaliser with how their season has gone so far.


----------



## Joe

****ing hell im depressed


----------



## Canadian Brotha

This dub is for all the Liverpool Fans...


----------



## Joe

Canadian Brotha said:


> This dub is for all the Liverpool Fans...


If we won it after Gerrards goal it would of been a typical European night  I think Ramseys was better but Gerarrd's goals are more special .


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Joe said:


> If we won it after Gerrards goal it would of been a typical European night  I think Ramseys was better but Gerarrd's goals are more special .


I honestly felt like they were going to make it a classic win but it wasn't to be. I agree about the goals, there was so much more on Gerrard's but Ramsey's...everyone loves a rocket volley from miles away


----------



## Canadian Brotha

He's been a loyal & unsung work horse for us over the years so it always makes me smile when Mikel knicks one of his oh so rare goals, lol.

City within 3 points of us in the league & secure their place in the next round of the UCL, for the moment Pellegrini has steadied the ship.

~ 4 Germans
~ 3 Spaniards
~ 3 Brits
~ 2 Frenchmen
~ 1 Ukrainian
~ 1 Swiss
~ 1 Italian
~ 1 Portuguese

Come Monday we place our bets...


----------



## Joe

Glad to see the other English clubs doing well, wouldn't mind seeing City win it tbh (Arsenal are too close to us and Chelski made us lose the title)


----------



## gunner21

In a Lonely Place said:


> That Aaron Ramsey goal :clap
> 
> Oh and [email protected]


Can it, you've been equally ****e in the league.


----------



## goku23

In a Lonely Place said:


> I wasn't talking about the league :con


lol @ never getting past the last 16!
its a nice feeling to have that CL trophy for keeps in our trophy cabinet (symbolising 5 wins!)
but getting 4th in the league and past the CL group stages every season is success according to Wenger so its all good eh? lol

tbf fair though, while I do think you lot are in massive need of a change (staler than a plate of hardened rice under Arsene!) I do agree that the abuse he's getting is pathetic.
reminds me of some of the abuse Stevie is getting now (even though he shouldn't be starting every week!)...fans have short memories.


----------



## goku23

Canadian Brotha said:


> *He's been a loyal & unsung work horse for us* over the years so it always makes me smile when Mikel knicks one of his oh so rare goals, lol.
> 
> City within 3 points of us in the league & secure their place in the next round of the UCL, for the moment Pellegrini has steadied the ship.
> 
> ~ 4 Germans
> ~ 3 Spaniards
> ~ 3 Brits
> ~ 2 Frenchmen
> ~ 1 Ukrainian
> ~ 1 Swiss
> ~ 1 Italian
> ~ 1 Portuguese
> 
> Come Monday we place our bets...


loyal? LOL

you honestly think Mikel has had offers of a better deal elsewhere?
he's had offers - but lesser money from a lesser team.
unsung workhorse? Mikel is about as mediocre a player (at the top level) as you can get!

he's your version of our Lucas!
constantly losing runners due to ball watching, average positional sense at best and now his legs seem to be going too.

i would much rather give Nathan Ake or Lewis Baker a chance over Mikel!
Mourinho said if he didn't give your promising youth players a chance against Sporting then they may as well close the academy.....he gave Ruben Loftus-Cheek 9 mins.....


----------



## Canadian Brotha

goku23 said:


> loyal? LOL
> 
> you honestly think Mikel has had offers of a better deal elsewhere?
> he's had offers - but lesser money from a lesser team.
> unsung workhorse? Mikel is about as mediocre a player (at the top level) as you can get!
> 
> he's your version of our Lucas!
> constantly losing runners due to ball watching, average positional sense at best and now his legs seem to be going too.
> 
> i would much rather give Nathan Ake or Lewis Baker a chance over Mikel!
> Mourinho said if he didn't give your promising youth players a chance against Sporting then they may as well close the academy.....he gave Ruben Loftus-Cheek 9 mins.....


Everyone has an opinion.

I don't think Mikel is brilliant I simply think that he's been with the team for years & knows/does his job without complaint whether he's starting or is a sub. Not many players would stay at a team to simply help "hold what we have" regardless of whether they'd have to take less money to play more regularly. He's also had plenty of competition in the team going back to when Essien was playing regularly in midfield & he's rode it all no matter who was next coming into that part of team. Finally, the role he does play has been huge in a number big games over the years that lead the team to titles so I'm not going to discount him because he's not a major talent, entertainer, or name when compared with the rest of our squad. I like him for what he is, represents, & does so when he gets a rare goal that puts his name up there as someone who has been with the team through highs & lows of nearly a decade I think it's great. He'll probably be moved on next summer anyway so I hope he heads out with some silverware to cap off his stay.

I'm not close enough to English Football to get caught up in the local debates of youth team players moving into the first team so that arguement doesn't mean much to me


----------



## Dre12

I remember when Mikel signed for us and he was all beaming smiles with United kit in hand, then a couple of days later he was saying that he been tricked into signing and that he had already signed for Chelsea. In the end Chelsea bought him off us for 14m and he never even pulled on a United shirt. 'Mourinho declared 'we have gold' and United fans were downbeat.

Nine years later and Mikel failed to get anywhere near what his early potential as a player promised. I don't think that he has ever been worth more than 10m in his career. He has to go down as one of the least interesting players of the Premier League era.

Loftus-Cheek and Izzy Brown have looked cracking players when I have seen them in an England shirt.


----------



## Batcat

There's never been a better time to face Man United  

I'm sorry but Rickie Lambert is just not suited to our style of play. Yes he's a good outlet for long balls and flick ons, however we have no wingers who can cross a ball properly and Mignolet loves kicking the ball out for throw ins and playing it short.

Bring back Nando on a free  At least Origi is doing well at Lille...


----------



## Dre12

Anduin said:


> There's never been a better time to face Man United
> 
> I'm sorry but Rickie Lambert is just not suited to our style of play. Yes he's a good outlet for long balls and flick ons, however we have no wingers who can cross a ball properly and Mignolet loves kicking the ball out for throw ins and playing it short.
> 
> Bring back Nando on a free  At least Origi is doing well at Lille...


David Moyes disagree with your first statement for one.

Origi is on an eleven game goal scoring drought. I mean I know that is acceptable at Liverpool but doing 'well' is pushing it a bit.


----------



## Batcat

Dre12 said:


> David Moyes disagree with your first statement for one.
> 
> Origi is on an eleven game goal scoring drought. I mean I know that is acceptable at Liverpool but doing 'well' is pushing it a bit.


Origi's just trying to outdo Balotelli because he feels bad for him. It's called Operation make Mario feel good.


----------



## Batcat

Davey Moyes has spotted a star of the future in Charlie Adam. To be fair he might actually suit Spanish football and he'll be reunited with his best mate Gareth Bale


----------



## goku23

Canadian Brotha said:


> Everyone has an opinion.
> 
> I don't think Mikel is brilliant I simply think that he's been with the team for years & knows/does his job without complaint whether he's starting or is a sub. Not many players would stay at a team to simply help "hold what we have" regardless of whether they'd have to take less money to play more regularly. He's also had plenty of competition in the team going back to when Essien was playing regularly in midfield & he's rode it all no matter who was next coming into that part of team. Finally, the role he does play has been huge in a number big games over the years that lead the team to titles so I'm not going to discount him because he's not a major talent, entertainer, or name when compared with the rest of our squad. I like him for what he is, represents, & does so when he gets a rare goal that puts his name up there as someone who has been with the team through highs & lows of nearly a decade I think it's great. He'll probably be moved on next summer anyway so I hope he heads out with some silverware to cap off his stay.
> 
> I'm not close enough to English Football to get caught up in the local debates of youth team players moving into the first team so that arguement doesn't mean much to me


yep he's never complained - just happy to get his 75k a week and suffer in silence!

he's never played a "huge" role in any of chelsea's title runs. 
chelsea's last title was under Ancelotti in 2009/10 and the preferred CM partnership was Essien/Ballack or Lamps.
you have any examples of the "huge" role he played??

id much rather have a player like Matic who asked to leave Chelsea in 2011 to get games and prove his worth as a footballer rather than someone like Mikel who's happy to sit on the bench and collect 75k every week.

to you he's riding out the competition (lol) to me he's happy with mediocrity.
Chelsea would have long got rid but no takers because no other team is stupid enough to pay him those amounts.

tbf fair though bro, i can see you're a part time fan so im not gonna rip you a new one!
mikel loyal? hard working? simple answer - NO!


----------



## Dre12

goku23 said:


> to you he's riding out the competition (lol) to me he's happy with mediocrity.


This is pretty much the impression that I have of him. He has always looked like he doesn't care and that he isn't bothered about playing so long as he gets his £75k a week. He seems to lack any sort of personality too.


----------



## goku23

In a Lonely Place said:


> Three Premier League titles and Five FA Cups is none too shabby for the old boy while consistently keeping us in the top four on smaller budgets than those around us.


You have a higher wage bill than chelsea!
3 premier leagues? his last one was 2003/4...you dont find it worrying that all of his success came in his first 5-6 years in charge - when his method of coaching, scouting networks, tactical preferences were relatively new and unaccustomed to the league at the time?

teams have since caught up and surpassed in most of those aspects - they have more sophisticated scouting networks (when was the last time arsenal signed a Vieira, Toure, Petit, Lauren, Ljunberg a player no other team had much knowledge about? )
and teams have tactically evolved over the years massively too.

teams around Arsene have adapted...imo he has failed to do the same.

Fergie made an interesting point in his autobiography - said Arsenal were the toughest team he managed against when Arsene first took over.
but towards the end, they became the easiest. because once he figured out how to set up his team to beat Arsenal, Wenger never adapted or changed to suit the opposition.


----------



## goku23

In a Lonely Place said:


> when was your last one?


same time as your last champions league?


----------



## Canadian Brotha

goku23 said:


> yep he's never complained - just happy to get his 75k a week and suffer in silence!
> 
> he's never played a "huge" role in any of chelsea's title runs.
> chelsea's last title was under Ancelotti in 2009/10 and the preferred CM partnership was Essien/Ballack or Lamps.
> you have any examples of the "huge" role he played??
> 
> id much rather have a player like Matic who asked to leave Chelsea in 2011 to get games and prove his worth as a footballer rather than someone like Mikel who's happy to sit on the bench and collect 75k every week.
> 
> to you he's riding out the competition (lol) to me he's happy with mediocrity.
> Chelsea would have long got rid but no takers because no other team is stupid enough to pay him those amounts.
> 
> tbf fair though bro, i can see you're a part time fan so im not gonna rip you a new one!
> mikel loyal? hard working? simple answer - NO!


His job has been to come into games & sit in front of the back 4 & make sure we don't lose games that we have the lead in & that's what he's done. He was instrumental doing that in some games in our road to the UCL for example(and it's been noted by the guys in the Chels podcast who are equally praising & harsh with any player of the Chelsea squad in every game they review). He's not a stand out player or one you trade off to reinvest but he's done what he's been asked to to his ability when he plays & I give him credit for that. I'm well aware we've had better sitting midfielders with Matic being the latest & I didn't mean hard working in that traditional English sense of a player that never stops running everywhere on the pitch for 90 minutes.

If you take issue with his wages that's fine I'm not going to argue with that but there are plenty of players who are recognized for more skill making more than him that aren't showing when they play & they deserve the harsh criticism you're throwing at Mikel here.

And I don't consider myself a part time fan(I've been following the league religiously since 06) but I'll never have the depth of view/perspective with regard to the EPL & youth acedemies, etc because I'm not a local & I'm not exposed to generations upon generations football folklore. As popular as it's become in North America now other sports are still way more dominate in pop culture


----------



## Dre12

@Canadian Brotha

Angel Gomes. Remember the name! Future England superstar!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Dre12 said:


> Angel Gomes. Remember the name! Future England superstar!


I'll watch out for him, thanks


----------



## gunner21

goku23 said:


> same time as your last champions league?


Top bantz m8.


----------



## gunner21

@Canadian Brotha : Where do you live m8?


----------



## connor91

I fell in love with Everton when I was younger, don't hate on me. We're not as bad as Liverpool.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

@gunner21 ~ I'm in E-Town, AB bro

Anyone have any comments on diving? In one of my footy podcasts they were suggesting a weekly review panel that hands out 1 match bans + fines for diving to help discourage it, I agree with that or some such similar deterant


----------



## typemismatch

Boy, I've never seen so much debate on Mikel before. He is one of those players I usually forget still plays for a club until I see him on the touch line getting ready to come on for some injured player. Then of course he comes on the pitch and you completely forget about him again.


----------



## typemismatch

Arsene's timing taking over arsenal was perfect . Inheriting a team styled by George Graham - good at the things Arsene is weak at as a manager - defensive discipline and strong character. Add to that it was the time when France was producing lots of great young players, and Arsene knew this better than any other PL manager.


----------



## goku23

Canadian Brotha said:


> @gunner21 ~ I'm in E-Town, AB bro
> 
> Anyone have any comments on diving? In one of my footy podcasts they were suggesting a weekly review panel that hands out 1 match bans + fines for diving to help discourage it, I agree with that or some such similar deterant


diving isn't so black and white.

a lot of what players do is exaggerating a foul more so than diving or trying to deceive.
a player doesn't have to hit the ground for it to be a foul - referees seem to neglect this.

so if a player is fouled but doesn't go down, likely he wont get the decision.
so next time, he exaggerates the foul by going down so the ref does what he should have done in the first instance - call for a foul!

also a fleet-footed attacker who's been kicked and fouled all game sees a challenge coming his way and tries to ride it, jumps out the way in anticipation of being fouled. opponent pulls out in the last second and attacker looks like he's dived. reality is different.

they should have a panel but the panel needs to be made of well versed ex pros who have been trained to fully know the laws of the game and senior referees who reach a joint decision on each individual case.

diving is very subjective and not often black and white. its easy for journos to suggest a player was diving.


----------



## goku23

typemismatch said:


> Arsene's timing taking over arsenal was perfect . Inheriting a team styled by George Graham - good at the things Arsene is weak at as a manager - defensive discipline and strong character. Add to that it was the time when France was producing lots of great young players, and Arsene knew this better than any other PL manager.


to be fair, Arsene ushered in a new defence after the Adams/Keown generation had gone and that defence was also top class - 
Lauren, S.Campbell, Kolo, A.Cole

i said the same thing about Arsene's success coming in his early days because of perfect timing - he tapped into a network of players which the rest of the league had little knowledge about and his ideas were new at the time. something opponents didn't know how to handle or play against.

rest of the league has caught up and many even surpassed Arsenal with their scouting networks and intelligent player recruitment.

also tactically the league has evolved hugely from a few years ago. the league has adapted but Arsene hasn't.

he's still a world class coach but he's hit his ceiling. if Arsenal want to be an elite team again they need a tactically adaptable manager and a new recruitment policy.
Arsenal have taken nothing but side steps for over 5 years. every season is ground hog day for them.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

goku23 said:


> diving isn't so black and white.
> 
> a lot of what players do is exaggerating a foul more so than diving or trying to deceive.
> 
> a player doesn't have to hit the ground for it to be a foul - referees seem to neglect this.
> 
> so if a player is fouled but doesn't go down, likely he wont get the decision.
> 
> so next time, he exaggerates the foul by going down so the ref does what he should have done in the first instance - call for a foul!
> 
> also a fleet-footed attacker who's been kicked and fouled all game sees a challenge coming his way and tries to ride it, jumps out the way in anticipation of being fouled. opponent pulls out in the last second and attacker looks like he's dived. reality is different.
> 
> they should have a panel but the panel needs to be made of well versed ex pros who have been trained to fully know the laws of the game and senior referees who reach a joint decision on each individual case.
> 
> diving is very subjective and not often black and white. its easy for journos to suggest a player was diving.


I've never thought diving is black & white(sometimes there's contact but it's minimal) but I hate seeing 6ft, 200lbs guys throwing themselves through the air and/or rolling around like they've been shot without any punishment if the ref can't tell what has happened in real time. Likewise I hate that some players make a habit of playing for free kicks or penalties. A panel of ex-players & managers with a weekly review to help deter exaggeration of fouls & habitual seekers would be awesome


----------



## Elad

hopefully this has been posted multiple times already

https://vine.co/v/O1Mm33gwjd5

...


----------



## Dre12

So it looks like Terry Henry is coming back to the English game. Angling for a job with Arsenal and signing up to work with Sky. Maybe he can join Viera at Man City as a rent-a-legend if Arsenal do not accommodate him.


----------



## googleamiable

Elad said:


> hopefully this has been posted multiple times already
> 
> https://vine.co/v/O1Mm33gwjd5
> 
> ...


oh you

about diving: tbh, if you notice how often _defenders_ dive and cheat in often subtle ways, it's more understandable how attacking players dive. they do it to us, so why should we not do it to them? ideally they'll all stop doing it, but yea, that isn't gonna happen .


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> diving isn't so black and white.
> 
> a lot of what players do is exaggerating a foul more so than diving or trying to deceive.
> a player doesn't have to hit the ground for it to be a foul - referees seem to neglect this.
> 
> diving is very subjective and not often black and white. its easy for journos to suggest a player was diving.


Damned if you do, damned if you don't. I remember Gary Lineker saying that after a United game on MOTD.


----------



## monotonous

Joe said:


> Damned if you do, damned if you don't. I remember Gary Lineker saying that after a United game on MOTD.


i guess the real question is if there has to be physical contact in order for a person to fall, not sure what's on fifa's handbook, if the answer is no then it's like gl said


----------



## Joe

monotonous said:


> i guess the real question is if there has to be physical contact in order for a person to fall, not sure what's on fifa's handbook, if the answer is no then it's like gl said


Too hard to regulate on the spot, if they used something like Rugby but had a couple of people on teh sidelines to judge (not the crowd) it could work but would slow the pace down a lot.


----------



## Batcat

27 shots on goal, 10 on target and 64% possession against Arsenal today, still need to find a cutting edge. They were clinical with took the few chances they got, Coutinho was impressive at least.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

It took until this weekend to hear all the critical points I've made about Brendan Rodgers & Liverpool to be aired on a few of the footy podcasts I follow. I feel like I got the pundits stamp of approval on my assessment, lol.

That said Liverpool/Arsenal was good and entertaining. A bandaged Skrtel heading in the equalizing last thing is classic. Now hopefully Chelsea wins tomorrow to put us back top


----------



## Joe

James Milner is hilarious.


----------



## Dre12

Joe said:


> James Milner is hilarious.


The 'I thought that only Yorkshire Tea made tea' made me laugh. If there was ever a man who's head was made from testosterone it is James Milner. I think that the player is a great example of how application and dedication can make up for a lack of flair or talent, in the mould of the Neville brothers.

Man City's PR department and website is by far the best in the league.


----------



## Joe

Dre12 said:


> The 'I thought that only Yorkshire Tea made tea' made me laugh. If there was ever a man who's head was made from testosterone it is James Milner. I think that the player is a great example of how application and dedication can make up for a lack of flair or talent, in the mould of the Neville brothers.
> 
> Man City's PR department and website is by far the best in the league.


Yeah no one can come close in terms of PR. Liverpool are a laughing stock in the social media department compared to most clubs (look at lfcxtra).

I think Milner certainly has the talent to some degree as he stood out so much in his Villa/Leeds days but yeah, the reason he plays so consistently at a high level with City is because his work rate and flexibility. I think he is improving this season, Liverpool used to get linked with him all the time but it doesn't look like he'll come any time soon. Credit to Pellegrini for using his versatility so well.


----------



## Elad

the banter


__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/548433084584980481









in for 3-1

either a header from carroll or a worldie from valencia


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Good energy about Chelsea today against West Ham today & it's lovely that Costa keeps pressing toward the golden boot too.

City are already up 2 on West Brom though so we're still only 3 points up


----------



## Canadian Brotha

The top 3 all draw, what do you know...


----------



## Dre12

Canadian Brotha said:


> The top 3 all draw, what do you know...


Hectic Christmas schedule. Van Gaal quite rightly pointed out that it is against FIFA rules for teams to play two matches in 48hrs, yet United played two in 45 hours. I think the foreign bodies like to see us self sabotage.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Dre12 said:


> Hectic Christmas schedule. Van Gaal quite rightly pointed out that it is against FIFA rules for teams to play two matches in 48hrs, yet United played two in 45 hours. I think the foreign bodies like to see us self sabotage.


I get his point but how long have you guys been doing this holiday football madness over there while everyone else in Europe is on holidays? Every year there are complaints & every year I love it all the same as do most fans I think


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> Yeah no one can come close in terms of PR. Liverpool are a laughing stock in the social media department compared to most clubs (look at lfcxtra).
> 
> I think Milner certainly has the talent to some degree as he stood out so much in his Villa/Leeds days but yeah, the reason he plays so consistently at a high level with City is because his work rate and flexibility. I think he is improving this season, Liverpool used to get linked with him all the time but it doesn't look like he'll come any time soon. Credit to Pellegrini for using his versatility so well.


credit to Pellegrini?
Milner started out his career at Leeds as forward before being moved out wide,
Martin O'Neil moved him into central midfield at Villa and he's been shift out again on the flanks at City.

only playing as a striker because City have lost all their strikers. not sure what you're giving Pellegrini credit for lol

also, i find it a shame that Milner gets the nod up front instead of Bersant Celina who is a talent and a half.

also im a LFC fan, not sure what Milner offers us that we dont already have?
Henderson, Can both superior centrally and Markovic by far the more talented out wide.

would much rather go after Dybala for our attacking problems and Luis Gustavo (we desperately need a top DM)
and for goodness sake...a competent right-sided CB to partner Sakho!

Lovren...wow! 
Skrtel...been saying wow for years with him! both chuckle brothers of football.

Rodgers is one of the worst defensive coaches i think ive ever seen.
his eye for talent is shocking also.

lallana for 25 mil??


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> credit to Pellegrini?
> Milner started out his career at Leeds as forward before being moved out wide,
> Martin O'Neil moved him into central midfield at Villa and he's been shift out again on the flanks at City.
> 
> only playing as a striker because City have lost all their strikers. not sure what you're giving Pellegrini credit for lol
> 
> also, i find it a shame that Milner gets the nod up front instead of Bersant Celina who is a talent and a half.
> 
> also im a LFC fan, not sure what Milner offers us that we dont already have?
> Henderson, Can both superior centrally and Markovic by far the more talented out wide.
> 
> would much rather go after Dybala for our attacking problems and Luis Gustavo (we desperately need a top DM)
> and for goodness sake...a competent right-sided CB to partner Sakho!
> 
> Lovren...wow!
> Skrtel...been saying wow for years with him! both chuckle brothers of football.
> 
> Rodgers is one of the worst defensive coaches i think ive ever seen.
> his eye for talent is shocking also.
> 
> lallana for 25 mil??


It just seems like Milner has been consistently improving at City, it might be my imagination simply because he has been playing more often though. I think Milner is like a better Henderson at the moment, nothing we desperately need but he would be a decent addition to the team, he is a lot more consistent than Markovic too but I wouldn't want him out wide, probably is the same with Celina but I don't know much about him.

Rodgers is awful with transfers, I think the only reason he used so many young players was because of injuries and them being literally the only options we had at the time. Gustavo would be amazing but I'd prefer someone more proven to go alongside Sturridge (tho we probably can't attract those types of players), someone like Martinez but he would probably be overpriced.

I think almost all our transfers are at least 5m overpriced, I wouldn't call Lallana for 20m terrible but 25m is a joke even if his wages are lower than most 25m players, even tho he missed out on his major targets (Sanchez) he only has two successful transfers in his whole liverpool career.

Skrtel seems bad but when we had Skrtel/Agger with Dalglish the only positive about Liverpool was the good defence, dunno how we lost it or why we sold Agger, but him and Lovren have no coordination. I hope Rodgers can learn and improve his defensive work.


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> It just seems like Milner has been consistently improving at City, it might be my imagination simply because he has been playing more often though. I think Milner is like a better Henderson at the moment, nothing we desperately need but he would be a decent addition to the team, he is a lot more consistent than Markovic too but I wouldn't want him out wide, probably is the same with Celina but I don't know much about him.
> 
> Rodgers is awful with transfers, I think the only reason he used so many young players was because of injuries and them being literally the only options we had at the time. Gustavo would be amazing but I'd prefer someone more proven to go alongside Sturridge (tho we probably can't attract those types of players), someone like Martinez but he would probably be overpriced.
> 
> I think almost all our transfers are at least 5m overpriced, I wouldn't call Lallana for 20m terrible but 25m is a joke even if his wages are lower than most 25m players, even tho he missed out on his major targets (Sanchez) he only has two successful transfers in his whole liverpool career.
> 
> Skrtel seems bad but when we had Skrtel/Agger with Dalglish the only positive about Liverpool was the good defence, dunno how we lost it or why we sold Agger, but him and Lovren have no coordination. I hope Rodgers can learn and improve his defensive work.


Markovic is only 19! and hasn't been given a run of games to prove his consistency lol! has been terribly managed and played out of position.
he's also a completely different type of player.
really isnt a comparison between the two in terms of attacking ability and sheer technical talent, but Milner is more versatile and offers more stability as you said in a defensive sense.

Markovic (if managed right and not shoved out of position) has the potential to be a world beater. up there with Sterling in terms of potential, was awesome for Benfica last ssn.

Jackson Martinez is 28! and imo is overrated, his record in Europe is average tbh. as you said represents little value for the money they'd want for him.
another Lisandro Lopez!

theres a divide at LFC with transfers, Rodgers v the transfer committee.
dont know if you remember but when Rodgers was being interviewed he made it clear he would not work under a director of football.
we sounded out Van Gaal and it was all but agreed for him to take the role.
...but the owners had to reach a compromise with Rodgers and instead put in place a transfer committee (which Rodgers was a part of)

the other members (former man city head scouts) would identify targets and Rodgers would choose which targets he wanted.

but Rodgers was given a new contract this summer and after last years success he demanded more control over transfers as part of his new deal.
owners gave the committee leeway to sign players for the future (21 or under) and Rodgers allowed to identify and sign his own players for the present.

committee's signings - Sakho, Coutinho, Sturridge (also signed him for City as a schoolboy from Coventry), Markovic, Manquillo, Moreno, Can these are potential world beaters.

Rodgers signings - Lallana, a player who's had 1 decent season in the top flight his entire career (26 y/o!) and even then couldnt outscore or out-assist a 19 y/o Sterling who only really got a consistent run of games midway through last season.

Lovren, a player who couldn't get in a struggling Lyon team, was advertised across the whole of Europe for 7 mil and only takers were Southampton.
had a decent 4 months and only because Wanyama and Schneiderlein were there to babysit infront of him.

Lambert...whats the point!

there is too much dissarray at the club, owners wont get rid now because of the media reaction (had Rodgers been foreign nobody would have fluttered any eyelid, most xenophobic media around!)
but he's gone in the summer imo

FRANK DE BOER!


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> Markovic is only 19! and hasn't been given a run of games to prove his consistency lol! has been terribly managed and played out of position.
> he's also a completely different type of player.
> really isnt a comparison between the two in terms of attacking ability and sheer technical talent, but Milner is more versatile and offers more stability as you said in a defensive sense.
> 
> Markovic (if managed right and not shoved out of position) has the potential to be a world beater. up there with Sterling in terms of potential, was awesome for Benfica last ssn.
> 
> Jackson Martinez is 28! and imo is overrated, his record in Europe is average tbh. as you said represents little value for the money they'd want for him.
> another Lisandro Lopez!
> 
> theres a divide at LFC with transfers, Rodgers v the transfer committee.
> dont know if you remember but when Rodgers was being interviewed he made it clear he would not work under a director of football.
> we sounded out Van Gaal and it was all but agreed for him to take the role.
> ...but the owners had to reach a compromise with Rodgers and instead put in place a transfer committee (which Rodgers was a part of)
> 
> the other members (former man city head scouts) would identify targets and Rodgers would choose which targets he wanted.
> 
> but Rodgers was given a new contract this summer and after last years success he demanded more control over transfers as part of his new deal.
> owners gave the committee leeway to sign players for the future (21 or under) and Rodgers allowed to identify and sign his own players for the present.
> 
> committee's signings - Sakho, Coutinho, Sturridge (also signed him for City as a schoolboy from Coventry), Markovic, Manquillo, Moreno, Can these are potential world beaters.
> 
> Rodgers signings - Lallana, a player who's had 1 decent season in the top flight his entire career (26 y/o!) and even then couldnt outscore or out-assist a 19 y/o Sterling who only really got a consistent run of games midway through last season.
> 
> Lovren, a player who couldn't get in a struggling Lyon team, was advertised across the whole of Europe for 7 mil and only takers were Southampton.
> had a decent 4 months and only because Wanyama and Schneiderlein were there to babysit infront of him.
> 
> Lambert...whats the point!
> 
> there is too much dissarray at the club, owners wont get rid now because of the media reaction (had Rodgers been foreign nobody would have fluttered any eyelid, most xenophobic media around!)
> but he's gone in the summer imo
> 
> FRANK DE BOER!


I think Markovic might be inconsistent because he is young, altho Sterling is young and hasn't dropped in form much (i think only reason he has done worse is because Sturridge/Suarez arent there to take pressure from him and the rest of the team).

Those committee signings are all good, in 5 yrs (or less) time it will be good to see them, altho if we don't improve I don't think we will hold onto them (bayern even wanted can back, but they had too many midfielders). Lallana is good for a squad player but not really an improvement on Coutinho, and we should of just bought Schneiderline (or Luis Gustavo) instead of Lovren altho he was good last season one decent year shouldn't make him worth 20m. Even Alderwiereld would of been safer (and cheaper).

ye if we dont improve he'll be off, he got his time from doing so well last year (4th would of been a huge achievement never mind 3pts off title). De Boer seems like he would be perfect imo

On Paper Lambert was decent, last season:

13th highest goalscorer (tied with Gerrard)
4th highest in assists
Created 54 chances (more than Sterling/Oscar, almost as much as hendo) 
Will expect to be backup when coming to Liverpool, and being scouse will probably bring in shirt sales ect.

Altho his wages are 40k /w (4.5m transfer converts to 76k /w over 1 year or 38k /w over 2 years for a player who will likely decline with age). So we are looking at paying 76k /w for a declining player, but will still be useful. Wouldn't say it was an awful transfer, but he has been under more pressure because the whole team has been failing and he was brought in as a different option.

I think De Boer would be better than Rodgers but I always like seeing British managers do well, look at Italy where almost all their top managers are Italian, probably one of the few things I like about Serie A lol


----------



## Joe

feels good


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> feels good


forgot what it felt like!
but its only papering over the cracks, Swansea were abysmal if we're honest.
allowed us heaps of space,

but with Sturridge coming back and with two/three top signings in the window (DM, RCB and FWD) - we've reason to be hopeful!

only hope Rodger's man love for Johnson, Lovren and Gerrard doesn't overcome his common sense.
Sakho, Can, Manquillo, Hendo (central mid, not wingback) and Moreno have to be starters.

also about Lambert, he only scored 3 goals from open play last season, rest from penalties and set pieces.
but you're right mate, for 4mil you cant really go wrong.
I would much rather have promoted Jerome Sinclair and Sheyi Ojo though, immense talent both of them.

Dybala, Cassano both Suarez-esque especially Dybala. gem waiting to be unearthed.
would allow us to continue a high press.
Suarez dictated Rodgers' tactics last season.


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> forgot what it felt like!
> but its only papering over the cracks, Swansea were abysmal if we're honest.
> allowed us heaps of space,
> 
> but with Sturridge coming back and with two/three top signings in the window (DM, RCB and FWD) - we've reason to be hopeful!
> 
> only hope Rodger's man love for Johnson, Lovren and Gerrard doesn't overcome his common sense.
> Sakho, Can, Manquillo, Hendo (central mid, not wingback) and Moreno have to be starters.
> 
> also about Lambert, he only scored 3 goals from open play last season, rest from penalties and set pieces.
> but you're right mate, for 4mil you cant really go wrong.
> I would much rather have promoted Jerome Sinclair and Sheyi Ojo though, immense talent both of them.
> 
> Dybala, Cassano both Suarez-esque especially Dybala. gem waiting to be unearthed.
> would allow us to continue a high press.
> Suarez dictated Rodgers' tactics last season.


Yeah, two of the goals were very fortunate for us, but the finishing seemed to be better. I think Lallana should be in with a shout at being first team too. Hendo-Coutinho-Can with Lallana-Sturridge-Sterling (or we drop Lallana and play two strikers).

I think Lamberts ability at set pieces gives us a decent alternate option, look at Chelsea when we couldn't break through last year. I didn't realise his record from open play was so low tho, bit riskier to try out young players but I would like to see Suso get a chance as well if he is available or even Teixtera. Not sure if both those have had enough chances though, would be good getting Ojo/Sinclair the occasional game even as a sub (but we aren't convincingly winning games so Brendan doesn't want to take risks)

Not been optimistic with transfers since probably Rafa if I'm being honest but if Dybala can bring half the pressure of Suarez and make us scary on the break he would be brilliant, 30m is pricy but wouldn't be the worst transfer we've made this season if we can get him.


----------



## apx24

So looks like Pardew has left Newcastle to go to Crystal Palace, that's an odd move and one that is quite surprising.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

apx24 said:


> So looks like Pardew has left Newcastle to go to Crystal Palace, that's an odd move and one that is quite surprising.


Is this official now? If so, seems weird to me too. I wonder who will slot in at Newcastle to replace him


----------



## Dre12

Canadian Brotha said:


> I get his point but how long have you guys been doing this holiday football madness over there while everyone else in Europe is on holidays? Every year there are complaints & every year I love it all the same as do most fans I think


I loved the festive football period but playing two games in 45hrs is just stupid. The second half was absolutely dire from both teams.



Canadian Brotha said:


> Is this official now? If so, seems weird to me too. I wonder who will slot in at Newcastle to replace him


The Newcastle fans generally loathe Pardew and Mike Ashley is a very tricky customer. I think that Pardew felt unsupported there and no doubt Palace will be giving him a pay rise. Ashley had Pardew on some contract that just didn't make sense ostensibly. Pardew also played for Palace for four years.


----------



## goku23

Pulis to West Brom it seems, sensible appointment. decent squad they've got, will help them into a top half team.

not sure who Newcastle will go for, can't see Ashley paying out compensation for anyone the tight ******* lol
McLaren would be a good appointment


----------



## goku23

season's as good as a write-off for Liverpool.
Rodgers has been here 3 seasons and still hasn't learnt that a midfield two of Gerrard-Lucas is as bad as anything in the league.
no mobility, no covering, lose runners and ball watch.

Henderson moved out of position to accommodate Gerrard, who apart from scoring penalties offers nothing and should have been phased out of the team by now.
would be perfect as a sub for the last 20 mins playing in an advanced role when teams are tired leaving gaps for him to exploit,
position he excelled at when playing off Torres to average 20 goals a season circa 2007-2009.

Rodgers' solution no doubt will be to re-introduce Lovren and Johnson, two of the worst defenders in the league.
yea they've done a bang up job so far this season Brendan.

he's a goner come the seasons' end.

great win for Southampton though, would love to see them get 4th.


----------



## goku23

some top players available on a free in the summer, can start negotiations with a lot of them now and agree a pre-contract.

http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/statistik/endendevertraege

Luiz Adriano of Shakhtar, Fabian Schar of Basel, Stephane M'bia of Sevilla and even Pato who's recaptured his best form are all realistic targets for LFC
M'bia has been awesome for Sevilla, one of the best CM's in la liga he's been that good.


----------



## Dre12

Amazing that City can be so poor in two home bankers and come up smelling of roses. As for United, well everyone is going on about terrible defending, yet only one more goal conceded than City and Chelsea! I think the problem now is not creating enough away from home and not taking enough of those chances we do create.


----------



## goku23

Dre12 said:


> Amazing that City can be so poor in two home bankers and come up smelling of roses. As for United, well everyone is going on about terrible defending, yet only one more goal conceded than City and Chelsea! I think the problem now is not creating enough away from home and not taking enough of those chances we do create.


you're starting 11 today cost 200 mil, not including Falcao's loan fee!
with 29 mil Herrera on the bench,
plus missing 16 mil Valencia, 16 mil Rojo, 65 mil + add ons Di Maria
oh and 14 mil Blind!

full squad around 350 mil....im not even gonna get into the wage bill! makes the transfer outlay look half sane !!

but according to "experts", City and Chelsea are ruining the game....


----------



## Dre12

goku23 said:


> you're starting 11 today cost 200 mil, not including Falcao's loan fee!
> with 29 mil Herrera on the bench,
> plus missing 16 mil Valencia, 16 mil Rojo, 65 mil + add ons Di Maria
> oh and 14 mil Blind!
> 
> full squad around 350 mil....im not even gonna get into the wage bill! makes the transfer outlay look half sane !!
> 
> but according to "experts", City and Chelsea are ruining the game....


Yes. And with the new Adidas deal, worth a minimum £75m, with scope to go up to £150m a _season_, kicking in this summer, we are going to be embarking on Real Madrid style spending every summer. Woody's plan is to grow the club to new heights by bringing in superstar players, as their value off the pitch to sponsors and the brand is just as great as it is to the team on the pitch. Woody wants to break the world transfer record partly for spectacle and the exposure it brings. He tried to do it with Bale and Ronaldo in 2013.

Personally, I think that the Glazer heirs want to maximise the value of the club by getting us to the top of the game again, with superstar names (all affordable with money that the club earns) and then they will re-float the club when the value is seen at peak. I don't think that there is anyone in the world who will see the value in buying the club outright if it hits £2.5bn-£3bn (current value around £2bn with the current debt). Not bad when they paid about £200m of their own money for it!

It seems that the Falcao deal will be completed in the next couple of weeks at a reported £23m plus the loan fee. At that price it doesn't even matter if he can't regain his best form, his superstar name is enough, even if he does sit on the bench.

There are many distasteful elements to modern football, rampant commercialism being one of them. Plenty of those elements can be found at Stamford Bridge, however, including the guy sat in the directors box, but hey-ho.


----------



## goku23

Dre12 said:


> Yes. And with the new Adidas deal, worth a minimum £75m, with scope to go up to £150m a _season_, kicking in this summer, we are going to be embarking on Real Madrid style spending every summer. Woody's plan is to grow the club to new heights by bringing in superstar players, as their value off the pitch to sponsors and the brand is just as great as it is to the team on the pitch. Woody wants to break the world transfer record partly for spectacle and the exposure it brings. He tried to do it with Bale and Ronaldo in 2013.
> 
> Personally, I think that the Glazer heirs want to maximise the value of the club by getting us to the top of the game again, with superstar names (all affordable with money that the club earns) and then they will re-float the club when the value is seen at peak. I don't think that there is anyone in the world who will see the value in buying the club outright if it hits £2.5bn-£3bn (current value around £2bn with the current debt). Not bad when they paid about £200m of their own money for it!
> 
> It seems that the Falcao deal will be completed in the next couple of weeks at a reported £23m plus the loan fee. At that price it doesn't even matter if he can't regain his best form, his superstar name is enough, even if he does sit on the bench.
> 
> There are many distasteful elements to modern football, rampant commercialism being one of them. Plenty of those elements can be found at Stamford Bridge, however, including the guy sat in the directors box, but hey-ho.


the Adidas payments will be reduced by 30% though if Utd fail to qualify for the champions league two seasons in a row.
the payments are heavily performance-based.

plans to update FFP regulations also to come into play next financial year and plan is to punish clubs with accumulation of debt, not just annual losses. 
with Utd's 350 mil debt, that could see them sanctioned heavily - likely sanctions on transfers and wages.

i'll be shocked if Utd buy Falcao on a permanent deal - 30 mil+ (inc. loan fee) and another 300k+ wages every week for a player who's suffered two career threatening ACL injuries in the past 6 years....the loan was a risk but money for that would be offset if you qualify for the champs league.
an outright transfer is silly money.
but Utd have made their share of silly transfers of late tbf!
Shaw, Herrera, Fellaini, Blind (average)

looks like your best player is off to Real in the summer too, De Gea still not any closer to signing an extension.
Jese in part exchange would be clever


----------



## Dre12

goku23 said:


> the Adidas payments will be reduced by 30% though if Utd fail to qualify for the champions league two seasons in a row.
> the payments are heavily performance-based.
> 
> plans to update FFP regulations also to come into play next financial year and plan is to punish clubs with accumulation of debt, not just annual losses.
> with Utd's 350 mil debt, that could see them sanctioned heavily - likely sanctions on transfers and wages.
> 
> i'll be shocked if Utd buy Falcao on a permanent deal - 30 mil+ (inc. loan fee) and another 300k+ wages every week for a player who's suffered two career threatening ACL injuries in the past 6 years....the loan was a risk but money for that would be offset if you qualify for the champs league.
> an outright transfer is silly money.
> but Utd have made their share of silly transfers of late tbf!
> Shaw, Herrera, Fellaini, Blind (average)


1. Adidas payments are reduced if United fail to qualify for the CL for two years from the start of the deal, so from 2017-18, if we do not qualify between then and now.

2. Accumulation of debt? I don't think that you actually understand what that means and how it could relate to Manchester United. United's debt has be massively reduced in recent years and is more than manageable. Manchester United have no reason to accumulate anymore debt when the debt is serviceable by a fraction of revenue. Care to enlighten?

Personally, I think that Shaw will be top class, Herrera is a classy and useful player and Blind was well worth 14m. Regardless, United can afford these players even if they fail. I don't think that rival fans understand the economics here.


----------



## goku23

Dre12 said:


> 1. Adidas payments are reduced if United fail to qualify for the CL for two years from the start of the deal, so from 2017-18, if we do not qualify between then and now.
> 
> 2. Accumulation of debt? I don't think that you actually understand what that means and how it could relate to Manchester United. United's debt has be massively reduced in recent years and is more than manageable. Manchester United have no reason to accumulate anymore debt when the debt is serviceable by a fraction of revenue. Care to enlighten?
> 
> Personally, I think that Shaw will be top class, Herrera is a classy and useful player and Blind was well worth 14m. Regardless, United can afford these players even if they fail. I don't think that rival fans understand the economics here.


Utd broadcast revenue was down 13% and
matchday revenue down 21.8% in First-Quarter figures for the financial year released this Nov. 
Overall revenue is down 10% at £88.7m 
gross debt increased £1.2m to £362.2m

if you think 362mil debt is nothing to be concerned about, then care to explain the green and gold movement? 
manageable by revenue???? not according the first-quarterly.

a left back will never justify a 32mil price tag and 100k+ wages weekly. 
a forward yes, a left-back? lol

Herrera justified 30mil???
yea sure, we'll see how many Spain call ups he gets. how many so far? 
tidy player, but if you're happy to spend 30 mil for a player who cost over 3 times that of Coutinho and over double that of Eriksen while not nearly as talented then more power to ya.
scary thought - cost the same as Fabregas lol

Blind, put it this way. there was hardly a fluttering of an eyelid from Ajax fans when he left. 14 mil....thats a gift.

LFC have made some horrendous signings too, but to absolve Utd of the same tag is laughable.

350 mil squad - challenging for 4th and even then it could be a struggle.

well done. put down the glue mate, time to give your nostrils a break me thinks!


----------



## Dre12

goku23 said:


> well done. put down the glue mate, time to give your nostrils a break me thinks!


OK. It's gonner be fun!


----------



## goku23

Dre12 said:


> OK. It's gonner be fun!


aggressively googling articles and publications to shut me up! LOL

you character you!

i'll save you the effort, im done with this forum.

of the so many people ive interacted with here, only 3 were genuinely good people...and one of them has been banned!

enjoy your SA


----------



## Dre12

goku23 said:


> aggressively googling articles and publications to shut me up! LOL
> 
> you character you!
> 
> i'll save you the effort, im done with this forum.
> 
> of the so many people ive interacted with here, only 3 were genuinely good people...and one of them has been banned!
> 
> enjoy your SA


OK, the world according to whoever, I'm sold!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

If Frank Lampard is the reason City edge us for the title I'm gonna be pissed, he's great but he's supposed be doing an American thing not notching important goals for our main rival in the League.

And Spurs fans must have had glorious new years day parties.


----------



## Joe

bye stevie ynwa


----------



## gunner21

A true legend stevie was. Gonna be sad to not see him in red anymore


----------



## goku23

Legend
misused past few years though, overplayed in the wrong position.
sad to think the younger generation of fans will remember Gerrard for his form past few seasons instead of the powerhouse he was for a decade til 2010
will never see a player single handedly carry a team like Gerrard did

rejected Chelsea, Real, Bayern and virtually every top European club to stay loyal to his hometown club.

YNWA SG8


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> *overplayed in the wrong position*.


He was brilliant last year, having Suarez and Sturridge to take advantage of his passing and remove pressure off him defensively by being so good going forward was a mutually beneficial relationship between Gerrard and those two. He was never a true cdm but that style of play suited him perfectly when Brendan moved him, it's just now his flaws are exposed and we don't have players who can make the most of his service (which admittedly is worsening).


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> He was brilliant last year, having Suarez and Sturridge to take advantage of his passing and remove pressure off him defensively by being so good going forward was a mutually beneficial relationship between Gerrard and those two. He was never a true cdm but that style of play suited him perfectly when Brendan moved him, it's just now his flaws are exposed and we don't have players who can make the most of his service (which admittedly is worsening).


he really wasn't mate, take away his penalties and free kicks and he offered very little.

his performances last season were BADLY exaggerated and the form of SAS, plus cameos from Sterling and Coutinho glossed over what was a very average Gerrard and even poorer defence.

his form this season is not much worse than last actually, only key difference is his set pieces have suffered this season. that's all.

his average pass completion last season was 86% same as this season and he makes a similar no. of passes per game.
in fact, this season he's created an average of 2.16 chances per game
compared to 1.9 last season.
made 1.5 key passes per game last ssn compared to 2.11 this.

its a complete misnomer to suggest he had a good season. the team did, not Gerrard.
his set pieces and penalties aside, he was very average and actually misplaced the most long passes out of anyone in the top 10.

not to mention his non existent tracking of runners.
this is just one example of how he loses runners in key areas which leads to chances or goals for the opposition.
happened again vs Leicester yesterday.


----------



## goku23

but I don't blame Gerrard for this. Rodgers has been here 3 seasons and still can't see that a midfield two of Gerrard and Lucas is suicide.
Cambiasso taught both of them a lesson yesterday.

there's a reason why Rafa didn't trust him in central midfield, the best LFC midfield in recent times imo was 

Mascherano-Alonso

Gerrard

Gerrard is so lethal in the final third, but some fans and pundits like Robbie Savage (lol) orgasm over some of his hollywood passes and immediately say deep-lying playmaker is his best position, making the comparison with Pirlo.

but they fail to notice Pirlo's positional sense and closing off of spaces is something that Gerrard doesn't have.
what Gerrard does have that Pirlo and Alonso don't though is the ability to exploit space and intelligent runs in the final third. plus he really is a lethal finisher - 2008/09

really is a shame Gerrard didn't have a top manager after Rafa to use him properly 
ala Guardiola with Iniesta


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> he really wasn't mate, take away his penalties and free kicks and he offered very little.
> 
> his performances last season were BADLY exaggerated and the form of SAS, plus cameos from Sterling and Coutinho glossed over what was a very average Gerrard and even poorer defence.
> 
> his form this season is not much worse than last actually, only key difference is his set pieces have suffered this season. that's all.
> 
> his average pass completion last season was 86% same as this season and he makes a similar no. of passes per game.
> in fact, this season he's created an average of 2.16 chances per game
> compared to 1.9 last season.
> made 1.5 key passes per game last ssn compared to 2.11 this.
> 
> its a complete misnomer to suggest he had a good season. the team did, not Gerrard.
> his set pieces and penalties aside, he was very average and actually misplaced the most long passes out of anyone in the top 10.
> 
> not to mention his non existent tracking of runners.
> this is just one example of how he loses runners in key areas which leads to chances or goals for the opposition.
> happened again vs Leicester yesterday.


His skillset worked really well because of the team, he added enough for his defensive incapability not to be overly detrimental. Who else could we of used in his place? Lucas wouldn't be as good going forward but obviously much better defensively and Gerrard got lots more time on the ball because of opposition teams setting up differently.


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> His skillset worked really well because of the team, he added enough for his defensive incapability not to be overly detrimental. Who else could we of used in his place? Lucas wouldn't be as good going forward but obviously much better defensively and Gerrard got lots more time on the ball because of opposition teams setting up differently.


what skillset is that?

nigh on all the assists he got last season were from set pieces
and only goals he score were from penaties and free kicks

he barely got an assist from open play and averaged less than 2 chances per game. 1.5 key passes per game and 86% pass completion
won 72% of tackles last season, compared to Allen's 84%

to put it into context, Xavi had a 95% pass completion and averaged 60 forward passes a game compared to Gerrard's 44

less said about Lucas the better, but a top DM should have been top priority. 
who would I have played?
i sure as hell wouldn't have wasted 25 mil on Lallana and 20 on Lovren
for the 50 mil we gifted Southampton we could have easily signed Kovacic for less than 20 mil and Luis Gustavo for less than 15
Imbula of Marseille too

a midfield two of Kovacic and Can/Gustavo/Imbula would be incredible.

has the time when Gerrard was playing off Torres from 2007-2009 been completely erased from people's memories???

do people not realise that playing the holding role requires two primary attributes that Gerrard either no longer has or has never had - 
mobility and positional awareness????

idk mate, i want the best for LFC
if you're happy with "not overly detrimental" then boy...dont know what to say really


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> idk mate, i want the best for LFC
> if you're happy with "not overly detrimental" then boy...dont know what to say really


Not talking about this season, we don't have the quality to add enough pressure to ignore Gerrard having poor defensive ability. I think it speaks for itself when Gerrard was in the team of the year last season.


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> Not talking about this season, we don't have the quality to add enough pressure to ignore Gerrard having poor defensive ability. I think it speaks for itself when Gerrard was in the team of the year last season.


who's team was that then?

wasn't Scott Parker voted player of the year a few years ago? Lol

i remember James Beattie making team of the year once too!
would take it with a pinch of salt mate!
stats don't lie, biased experts do.


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> who's team was that then?
> 
> wasn't Scott Parker voted player of the year a few years ago? Lol
> 
> i remember James Beattie making team of the year once too!
> would take it with a pinch of salt mate!
> stats don't lie


That was the season where Spurs got 4th and a number of their players were playing fantastic wasn't it? I know Scott Parker fell off quickly but he was good for a couple of seasons with Spurs. Beattie didn't get in the PFA team though in 02-03 he managed to get 23 goals, 3rd highest in the league.

Might be a few questionable entries here and there but none of the players in the team perform poorly, even if it's due to people not knowing how to play against them.


----------



## gunner21

I agree with Gerrard not being in the best form last season. He was the beneficiary of an unreal season by studge and suarez. 

The midfield trio of masch-alonso and gerrard was the perfect trio. Don't know why they broke up that team. It was such a good team. Add in reliable back up striker for torres and a speedy winger and that team would have gone places.


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> That was the season where Spurs got 4th and a number of their players were playing fantastic wasn't it? I know Scott Parker fell off quickly but he was good for a couple of seasons with Spurs. Beattie didn't get in the PFA team though in 02-03 he managed to get 23 goals, 3rd highest in the league.
> 
> Might be a few questionable entries here and there but none of the players in the team perform poorly, even if it's due to people not knowing how to play against them.


no mate, was in 2010/11 season when he was with West Ham, beat us 3-1 at Upton Park and he scored a couple.

you say he was in the team of the year but to be fair mate you should really mention who decides that team to paint the whole picture - the PFA who have the likes of Phil Neville and Jason Roberts on the panel.

its nothing more than a popularity contest, there is no way any top manager would have Gerrard in the DM role ahead of Matic, Schneiderlin or Wanyama.

Gerrard had a lot of assists and goals for a player in that role, but they all came from set pieces and penalties.
his contribution in open play was average as stats show - misplaced more long passes than any midfielder in the top 6.
had a lesser tackle success rate than Joe Allen and out of all DM's - Wanyama, Schneiderlin, Matic, Fernandinho, Gerrard had over 5 defensive errors which led to either chances or goals.
the rest had two between them.

i think Rodgers was trying to emulate Juventus midfield trio of Piro, Pogba and Vidal.
Pogba and Vidal pressed ahead of Pirlo and did his running for him while he played the regista role.
but when Henderson-Allen were bypassed, Gerrard was overrun.
a better DM - Matic etc wouldn't lose runners and ball watch.
Gerrard did that a lot but to be fair to him, its a position that's pretty new to him and i dont think Rodgers is the best defensive coach around either.
he's been here 3 seasons and hasn't remotely improved our defence, in fact its got worse each season under him.
..Gerrard worked when he had Allen and Hendo doing his running, but even then he wasn't outstanding. lost runners on the counter and ball watched often - Villa at home, Swansea, Arsenal away, Newcastle, Palace, Cardiff away etc. 
in a midfield two with someone like Lucas, its suicide. no mobility and both positionally poor imo (defensively)

i remember Rafa saying Gerrard is one of the best and most intelligent attackers he's seen because of his movement and lethal finishing.
said he expected him to end his career as almost a false 9.

but Rodgers and the rest of the British experts (Merson, Redknapp, Savage etc) all have the opposite view!
Rodgers even said he expected Gerrard to end his career as a CB potentially!!
they love a good long ball these guys!

Gerrard is no Alonso or Pirlo, but he could have been a Litmanen or a Bergkamp imho
misused.


----------



## goku23

role of a DM has grown massively in importance over the past decade, just look at the difference Matic made to Chelsea,
Song to West Ham. the addition of Matic alone in Jan changed Chelsea's performances hugely.

its a position where you can't afford a passenger and mediocrity. not if you want to challenge for honours and especially if you have a suspect defence, which we do...massively!


----------



## Dre12

The PFA team of the year and player of the year is voted for by the players in the Premier League. Scott Parker once won the young player of the year award when he was 24! You have to be 23 at the start of the season to qualify for it.

Stevie G was a great player in his prime. Never like him as England captain though, such a downbeat character. The slip last season was gold, pure gold. I am a little surprised that he is leaving. I thought that Liverpool would want to keep him around for the legend factor.


----------



## goku23

Zidane: "The summer of 2004 I was having a conversation with Perez & I told him I wanted Gerrard to partner me in midfield for Madrid."
"I've said in the past that at Gerrard's peak he was the best in the world. I know Real tried twice but he wouldn't leave LFC."


----------



## goku23

Bony to Man City for 25 mil - could rise to 30 potentially. 100k + a week
excessive! but Valencia have an obligation to buy Negredo for similar price and that should pay off most of Bony's fee.

Aguero, Dzeko and Bony is an incredible strike force! not sure how long he'll be at the African cup of nations though.

should hopefully clear the way for LFC to go for Palermo's Dybala. need to move quick though, potentially the new Suarez.


----------



## jsmith92

So what do we think about the rumors of Ronaldo moving to Man Utd, and Messi moving to Chelsea? I think Ronaldo should move being that he was paced on the bench for the game against Atletico, Man Utd would definitely benefit from this move, and it would make the league a bit more interesting than it currently is IMO. It would also benefit Chelsea if Messi went with them.


----------



## minimized

Gerrard to LA Galaxy.

I do wish they'd end up somewhere other than LA and New Pork, but at least I get a chance to see them. Never did get to see Beckham. Thanks Beckham. And LA.


----------



## monotonous

i'm heart broken because gerrard and liverpool broke up :<


----------



## goku23

jsmith92 said:


> So what do we think about the rumors of Ronaldo moving to Man Utd, and Messi moving to Chelsea? I think Ronaldo should move being that he was paced on the bench for the game against Atletico, Man Utd would definitely benefit from this move, and it would make the league a bit more interesting than it currently is IMO. It would also benefit Chelsea if Messi went with them.


- 26 goals in 15 league games - 11 goals ahead of Messi and 15 ahead of Neymar
- 9th on the all-time la liga goalscorers list with 203 goals in 180 games despite only moving their in 2009
- total of 285 goals in 272 games - over a goal a game
- last seasons ballon d'or winner (best player in the world) and nailed on to win it this season too. leaks already saying he's won
- Real Madrid's highest shirt sales - Ronaldo 
- Real Madrid's highest commercial revenue earner - Ronaldo

...he gets RESTED for one game - the copa del rey...a competition which is 3rd on the list of Real Madrid's priorities (Champions league and league take priority, hence him being rested) 
so he should move to Utd who finished 7th last season and aren't title contenders in their own league - not in the champions league either!
while Real Madrid just went on a 22 match winning run which is the 3rd highest in history and widely considered the best team in the world.

c'mon dude lol


----------



## Joe

monotonous said:


> i'm heart broken because gerrard and liverpool broke up :<


im sad that he retired


----------



## Dre12

Valdes signs for United. Half decent bench warmer.


----------



## goku23

Dre12 said:


> Valdes signs for United. Half decent bench warmer.


you think De Gea will sign a new deal? he's been stalling, only 18 months left.
holding out for the Bernabeau and imo think they'll make an interesting offer in the summer.
might have to cash in.

between him and Courtois for best keeper outside of Neur

LFC should have been all over Valdes! decent until Scuffet from Udinese or Perin in the summer.
having said that i think most keepers would struggle behind a Rodgers defence.
Mignolet not alone there!


----------



## Dre12

goku23 said:


> you think De Gea will sign a new deal? he's been stalling, only 18 months left.
> holding out for the Bernabeau and imo think they'll make an interesting offer in the summer.
> might have to cash in.
> 
> between him and Courtois for best keeper outside of Neur
> 
> LFC should have been all over Valdes! decent until Scuffet from Udinese in the summer.
> having said that i think most keepers would struggle behind a Rodgers defence.
> Mignolet not alone there!


I think De Gea will stay. The Daily Mail reckon that his family (they all moved here) have told them that they are happy in Manchester and they don't want him to go and replace Casillas as the press over there would be insane, there are two newspapers alone dedicated to Madrid! You get a lot of foreign players that don't like the crap weather here but you also hear quite a few that like living here as they are able to live relatively normal lives in Manchester, by way of not getting harassed by the press and public. De Gea is A Madrid too so that is another factor against it.

I think that Valdes is a 'just in case' option. Van Gaal gave him his debut at Barca so I think that is how we got him, plus he is excellent with the ball at his feet, something that is important to LVG. All that said, I have never been a great fan of his, thought that he was flattered by a great team.

Apparently Liverpool are interested in that Ter Stergen? At Barca. He was really highly rated but can't get in the first team. Still only 22 though.


----------



## goku23

Dre12 said:


> I think De Gea will stay. The Daily Mail reckon that his family (they all moved here) have told them that they are happy in Manchester and they don't want him to go and replace Casillas as the press over there would be insane, there are two newspapers alone dedicated to Madrid! You get a lot of foreign players that don't like the crap weather here but you also hear quite a few that like living here as they are able to live relatively normal lives in Manchester, by way of not getting harassed by the press and public. De Gea is A Madrid too so that is another factor against it.
> 
> I think that Valdes is a 'just in case' option. Van Gaal gave him his debut at Barca so I think that is how we got him, plus he is excellent with the ball at his feet, something that is important to LVG. All that said, I have never been a great fan of his, thought that he was flattered by a great team.
> 
> Apparently Liverpool are interested in that Ter Stergen? At Barca. He was really highly rated but can't get in the first team. Still only 22 though.


even as an LFC fan, i wouldn't want to see the premier league lose De Gea. i always felt he was unfairly written off when he first joined. one of the best keepers around, just needed to establish his authority and accustom to the style of the league.

Marca are pretty much bank rolled by Real you're right! 
but i think the opportunity to return to the capital, albeit for Real but still arguably the best club in the world, will be hard for him to turn down. 
plus Real Madrid's no.1 means Spain's no.1

we'll see but if you guys get champs league and invest in the likes of Vidal and possibly Hummels (could leave if Klopp goes, not if he doesnt though) then i think theres a good chance De Gea will stay.

Ter Stegen was quality for Monchengladbach, i remember thinking Barce pulled off a coup by signing him but he's barely had an opportunity there.
upgrade on Mignolet for sure but for me Kevin Trapp is the best outside of Neur in the bundesliga.

Scuffet will be a star imo, Buffon's heir but still only 18.
ideal situation would be to nab Cech on a free and have Scuffet learning from him for the next few years before he takes over.
pipe dream though! especially with Rodgers in charge!
he wanted Vorm lol


----------



## jsmith92

goku23 said:


> - 26 goals in 15 league games - 11 goals ahead of Messi and 15 ahead of Neymar
> - 9th on the all-time la liga goalscorers list with 203 goals in 180 games despite only moving their in 2009
> - total of 285 goals in 272 games - over a goal a game
> - last seasons ballon d'or winner (best player in the world) and nailed on to win it this season too. leaks already saying he's won
> - Real Madrid's highest shirt sales - Ronaldo
> - Real Madrid's highest commercial revenue earner - Ronaldo
> 
> ...he gets RESTED for one game - the copa del rey...a competition which is 3rd on the list of Real Madrid's priorities (Champions league and league take priority, hence him being rested)
> so he should move to Utd who finished 7th last season and aren't title contenders in their own league - not in the champions league either!
> while Real Madrid just went on a 22 match winning run which is the 3rd highest in history and widely considered the best team in the world.
> 
> c'mon dude lol


Ronaldo started with Man Utd, if he went back he would probably benefit the team a lot. And also, I think Neuer should win the ballon d'or. Neither Ronaldo or Messi deserve it this time in my opinion.


----------



## goku23

jsmith92 said:


> Ronaldo started with Man Utd, if he went back he would probably benefit the team a lot. And also, I think Neuer should win the ballon d'or. Neither Ronaldo or Messi deserve it this time in my opinion.


Ronaldo
2013-14 season: 
- 51 goals in 47 games. *highest in Europe for all competitions*
- 31 goals in 30 league games. *joint highest in Europe for league goals*
- 17 goals in 11 Champions league games.* highest of all time in a single campaign, breaking Messi's previous record of 14*
- fastest player in history to score 200 Spanish league goals
- first player in football history to score 50+ league goals in four consecutive seasons
- champions league winner: head to head with Neur, scored 2 past him to help Real Madrid win 5-0 on aggregate.

so far this season he has 26 goals in 15 league games.
if he deserved to win it before, then he deserves it even more so now because his goals to game ratio has improved each season:
2012/13 - 1.1 goals per game
2013/14 - 1.2 goals per game
2014/15 - (so far) 1.8 goals per game.

at this rate, he's on course to break Messi's record for 73 goals in a calender year.

please don't say Ronaldo doesn't deserve to win it lad! 
Jesus wept!


----------



## gunner21

Manu looked pretty **** today. Liverpool only 5 points off 4th. We out there fam.

Btw, that odegaard kid better be the dog's bollocks considering the hype he's getting.


----------



## goku23

gunner21 said:


> Manu looked pretty **** today. Liverpool only 5 points off 4th. We out there fam.
> 
> Btw, that odegaard kid better be the dog's bollocks considering the hype he's getting.


latest is he's close to Real Madrid! 
die hard lfc fan too, was invited to melwood to train, ajax, real, barce pretty much every top club in europe! all offered him a contract and were fighting for him
kid is a HUGE talent!
be silly to choose Real imo

Soton gave Utd a lesson yesterday
Wanyama + Schneiderlin = Beast Mode! lol

would love to see a midfield pairing of Emre Can and Wanyama for us. been a huge fan of his since Celtic, reminds of Desailly in his early days when he played as a DM.
Lucas did well but it was against Sunderland tbf
having said that he's always looked better when he has mid destroyers ahead of him.
when he's with Gerrard its midfield suicide! no mobility and Lucas has to do the chasing, aint got the legs or positioning for it.
leaves Gerrard exposed too

- Lucas
Can - Hendo
- Coutinho/Markovic 
would work well imo. but having Wanyama at the base would be immense! Lucas is mediocre.

N'koulou from Marseille to partner Sakho, Wisdom back at RB and Moreno other side could be awesome.
think Manquillo could be great.


----------



## monotonous

i <3 liverpool ^_^


----------



## goku23

good win for us today, first time we've kept 3 consecutive clean sheets away in the league since 08.
but played poorly, lucky that Villa are toothless because a better side would have punished us.
Sturridge to come back too, need a Wanyama to shield back 3 and a big upgrade on Skrtel!

Chelsea showing doubters why they're the best team in the league, cant wait for City Arsenal tomorrow - Kompany, Aguero and Dzeko all back = defeat for gunners!

gutted for Southampton, Wanyama and Schneiderlin both out for a while. those two are immense, reason why they're doing so well and why they have the best defence in English football.
without them little chance of champions league unfortunately.
hopefully Reed and Davis can deputise well, Tadic, Pelle and Elia (when hes in the mood!) are always a threat too.


----------



## gunner21

Mignolet actually looked solid on Saturday! Definitely need Sturridge back. None of the current strikers are clinical enough.


----------



## goku23

gunner21 said:


> Mignolet actually looked solid on Saturday! Definitely need Sturridge back. None of the current strikers are clinical enough.












surprising aint it?!

but for me, this guy is a big reason for the above...

https://mtc.cdn.vine.co/r/videos/36CF2F05BB1168319743112151040_2fcfa94fc8b.5.1.1068321234533241738.mp4?versionId=aP6KWajC3FTUIKykcO3pHIUl5F4O7cLZ

Sakho and Can in the back 3 and having Hendo beside Lucas to add mobility in the centre. makes Lucas actually do his job rather than ball chase all game and get nowhere near.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I think the Gunners & their fans for doing us a favour at City this weekend, wasn't expecting that


----------



## goku23

outro said:


> There's one small mistake in this statement...


lol great win for you guys! City were poor but it was good to see Arsene change his methods when needed.
great performance from our boys against Chelsea last night too.


----------



## gunner21

goku23 said:


> lol great win for you guys! City were poor but it was good to see Arsene change his methods when needed.
> great performance from our boys against Chelsea last night too.


Yea, but Mourinho got his desired result.


----------



## goku23

gunner21 said:


> Yea, but Mourinho got his desired result.


true mate, thats why i said great performance and not result! its why mourinho is mourinho, getting something despite being outplayed. its these games in the league that makes champs - getting a result when they had no right to, not the 5-0's per se.
we couldnt do it last season, city could.

the cup though, its a one-off tie. still all to be played for and we've come into a bit form, unbeaten in last 9. Sakho and Can coming into a back 3 has been massive, plus Henderson moved to the centre to do Lucas' running and closing down so he can stay back and shield the back 3.

think Oscar will come in for Mikel with Fabregas moved back with Matic. we'll likely contain and counter with the pace from Sterling, Markovic and Moreno.
be interesting.


----------



## goku23

Chelsea in talks to sign Cuadrado too, will be an immense signing! one of the best wingers in world football for me. 
Schurrle strongly linked to Wolfsburg, if not this window then the summer.
Salah and Schurrle sales will pay for Cuadrado fee and wages,

Chelsea's recruitment and use of the market has been incredible over the last two seasons.
Luiz, Lukaku, De Bruyne, Mata all sold for a huge profit. almost double what they paid for.
net spend almost broke even this summer, considering they bought Costa, Fabregas and Felipe Luis thats saying something!
Courtois signed for next to nothing, loaned for 3 seasons and now top 3 keepers in the world.
similar can happen with Lucas Piazon and Thorgan Hazard


----------



## monotonous

i'm so sick of these klopp fans like they know what they are talking about


----------



## grendon

Suarez should come back to Liverpool. PLEAASE. But, seriously his start at Barcelona wasn't the best. Watched him against Atletico, and he was woeful, missed clearcut chance etc...

Its just not the same Suarez we know from Liverpool, since in that team Liverpool revolved around him, and he had more free role, now he's just another pawn in mighty Barcelona...


----------



## SupaDupaFly




----------



## boas

Is Mourinho capable of losing without saying something utterly cringe inducing in his post match interview? The man is borderline intolerable, yet somehow commands a following of obsequious sycophants in the English press.

Still, have to laugh at the scoreline today.


----------



## jsmith92

SupaDupaFly said:


>


Lol


----------



## Stactix

grendon said:


> Suarez should come back to Liverpool. PLEAASE. But, seriously his start at Barcelona wasn't the best. Watched him against Atletico, and he was woeful, missed clearcut chance etc...
> 
> Its just not the same Suarez we know from Liverpool, since in that team Liverpool revolved around him, and he had more free role, now he's just another pawn in mighty Barcelona...


Thing about Suarez is, hes used to being 'good' against the Premier league defence.. big physical defenders. 
Spanish defenders are more skilful, quicker etc but not as physical. 
So its a big change for him,

Anyways I'm a big United fan have been most of my life. 
Currently were playing some of the worst football in England Period. Despite being 4th in the prem. 
We may have 70-80% possession in some games, but Mr Van gaals philosophy is basically possession over risks, conceed less goals over score more goal. And its starting to show, theres a reason Herrara our only 'REAL CM' is benched so often & thats because hes a risk taker & 2 forward thinking for Van gaals philosophy, 
We have wingers that are to scared to take on there oppisition.. we send lob balls to our forwards when falcao is a up against someone a foot taller..

United are playing dreadful football.. and honestly its this 'possession football' just isn't working. 
Takes years to make a successful tika taka team & In todays football age, possession football isn't the strongest style of play.


----------



## jsmith92

In a Lonely Place said:


> Great performance from the boys and so good to see Ozil and Walcott back :clap


What happened to Ozil, where has he been since the world cup?


----------



## Dre12

It is a weird season for United. Most fans are quite disappointed with the way things are going but if you discount the first three games of the season then only Chelsea have accumulated more points than us, just three more points too.

It isn't fun watching United at the moment, that is the problem.


----------



## gunner21

Messi gon Messi










Suarez looked awful.


----------



## Lizard king

I love Italian football for me it's the most passionate. I'm a big fan of juventus and I would like to go to Italy just to see them play. Anyways good to hear there's some football fans with anxiety out there, I hope everybody is doing okay!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

We looked sluggish, like we were missing main players, & rode our luck this weekend against City. I'm glad Remy continues to score when he gets the nod though. I'm sad to see Schurrle go too, I really liked him & was hoping he'd get a proper run but it's good he'll get regular football back in Germany where they love him & I'm curious if Cuadrado will be a good addition for us. I don't really know much about him so I'm not sure how he'll slot in. Now to listen to some footy podcasts to get an overall assement of this transfer window


----------



## PGVan

Quite enjoying PSV laying the hammer down on the Eredivisie so far. 9 points ahead of Ajax.. 52 points after 20 matches, compared to 29 points and 7th place at this point last season. Here's hoping we keep doing what we're doing and get that Champions League group stage spot. If we do it, perhaps players like Memphis, Maher, Wijnaldum, Narsingh and Locadia will put off going to bigger clubs knowing they will be on Europe's biggest stage at PSV. 

I'll never forget PSV's run to the CL Semi Final in 2005 only to go out on Away Goals against AC Milan when they were the world's top club. Win the Eredivisie, get that group stage spot and we could attract some players to the club as well. This and next season could be some successful times at PSV!


----------



## goku23

Canadian Brotha said:


> We looked sluggish, like we were missing main players, & rode our luck this weekend against City. I'm glad Remy continues to score when he gets the nod though. I'm sad to see Schurrle go too, I really liked him & was hoping he'd get a proper run but it's good he'll get regular football back in Germany where they love him & I'm curious if Cuadrado will be a good addition for us. I don't really know much about him so I'm not sure how he'll slot in. Now to listen to some footy podcasts to get an overall assement of this transfer window


you will love Cuadrado mate! he is one of my favourites, electric and one of the most dangerous wide men in world football imo.
doesn't get in behind defences as much Schurrle so will get less goals but his wing play is awesome.
extremely skilful and a hammer of a shot! plus he's was used as a wingback for Fiorentina so offers good defensive protection too, high work rate!

you guys have set the example in the market over the past few years - 
signed David Luiz for 26mil sold for 48mil
Mata for 22mil sold for 37mil
Lukaku for 18mil, allowed to develop on loan and sold for 28mil
De Bruyne for 7mil, same as above on loan and sold for 18mil
Schurrle for 18mil sold for 24-26mil

all this in the past 18 months and all them players were upgraded with profits!
Oscar > Mata profit of 12mil
Matic + Zouma > Luiz profit of 12-15mil
Cuadrado > Schurrle broke even

also Bertrand sold for 10mil! 
all these profits paid for Willian, Fabregas and Costa so bank balance is still healthy!
plus getting the big earners like Lampard and Cole off the wage bill.

the sporting director Michael Enemalo, chief scout Piet De Visser doing an awesome job identifying targets for both the first team and youngsters with resale value for profit.
chief exec Marina Granovskaia deserves a freakin medal for the fee negotiations and player sales!

incredible work by Chelsea.


----------



## goku23

PGVan said:


> Quite enjoying PSV laying the hammer down on the Eredivisie so far. 9 points ahead of Ajax.. 52 points after 20 matches, compared to 29 points and 7th place at this point last season. Here's hoping we keep doing what we're doing and get that Champions League group stage spot. If we do it, perhaps players like Memphis, Maher, Wijnaldum, Narsingh and Locadia will put off going to bigger clubs knowing they will be on Europe's biggest stage at PSV.
> 
> I'll never forget PSV's run to the CL Semi Final in 2005 only to go out on Away Goals against AC Milan when they were the world's top club. Win the Eredivisie, get that group stage spot and we could attract some players to the club as well. This and next season could be some successful times at PSV!


Im a HUGE fan of Depay and Maher!
two of the very brightest talents in their position in Europe for me.
im a LFC fan, how Rodgers went for Lallana ahead of Maher is beyond me! fraction of the price as well in all likelihood.

what do you think of Bakkali mate? massive talent but career badly stalled. not sure why though.

Mink Peeters formerly of Ajax the brightest Dutch talent though?
have heard great things about him but haven't seen him yet.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

goku23 said:


> you will love Cuadrado mate! he is one of my favourites, electric and one of the most dangerous wide men in world football imo.
> doesn't get in behind defences as much Schurrle so will get less goals but his wing play is awesome.
> extremely skilful and a hammer of a shot! plus he's was used as a wingback for Fiorentina so offers good defensive protection too, high work rate!
> 
> you guys have set the example in the market over the past few years -
> signed David Luiz for 26mil sold for 48mil
> Mata for 22mil sold for 37mil
> Lukaku for 18mil, allowed to develop on loan and sold for 28mil
> De Bruyne for 7mil, same as above on loan and sold for 18mil
> Schurrle for 18mil sold for 24-26mil
> 
> all this in the past 18 months and all them players were upgraded with profits!
> Oscar > Mata profit of 12mil
> Matic + Zouma > Luiz profit of 12-15mil
> Cuadrado > Schurrle broke even
> 
> also Bertrand sold for 10mil!
> all these profits paid for Willian, Fabregas and Costa so bank balance is still healthy!
> plus getting the big earners like Lampard and Cole off the wage bill.
> 
> the sporting director Michael Enemalo, chief scout Piet De Visser doing an awesome job identifying targets for both the first team and youngsters with resale value for profit.
> chief exec Marina Granovskaia deserves a freakin medal for the fee negotiations and player sales!
> 
> incredible work by Chelsea.


I've gotta agree, Chelsea have done some stellar business in the transfer windows in recent times


----------



## PGVan

goku23 said:


> Im a HUGE fan of Depay and Maher!
> two of the very brightest talents in their position in Europe for me.
> im a LFC fan, how Rodgers went for Lallana ahead of Maher is beyond me! fraction of the price as well in all likelihood.
> 
> what do you think of Bakkali mate? massive talent but career badly stalled. not sure why though.
> 
> Mink Peeters formerly of Ajax the brightest Dutch talent though?
> have heard great things about him but haven't seen him yet.


 I get the sense that Cocu and PSV's brass were asking a lot for our key players. If we hang onto our growing Eredivisie lead, prices in the summer window will be massive unless players want to leave. My hopes are that we hang onto our core (Depay, Maher, Wijnaldum) and if the CL Group Stage doesn't go well if we make it there, then we can sell next winter.

Bakkali did well when we first signed him but from what I hear from afar (paying attention from Northwestern Canada is challenging at times), he had some attitude issues not being in the first team all the time last season. He's been with Jong PSV all season so far.

I haven't heard much about Peeters. I know he went from PSV Youth to Ajax Youth, but that's about it. Being at Real Madrid's academy now, he obviously has a bright future if he works for it.


----------



## Dre12

I was never that hot on Cuadrado. He is is one of those players that has you tearing your hair out sometimes. He doesn't strike me as a Mourinho type player really.

It will be interesting to see if Van Gaal will go for Depay in the summer. He is the kind of player that Spurs buy for 10m and then sell for 50m!


----------



## goku23

Dre12 said:


> I was never that hot on Cuadrado. He is is one of those players that has you tearing your hair out sometimes. *He doesn't strike me as a Mourinho type player really.*
> 
> It will be interesting to see if Van Gaal will go for Depay in the summer. He is the kind of player that Spurs buy for 10m and then sell for 50m!


i think because he played as a wing back and his work rate is really good too so that appeal to Mourinho, that along with his exceptional pace and dribbling makes him the complete winger.
he is awesome though. 2013 he was one of the best widemen in Europe for me.
had the highest dribble success rate and take on's in Serie A.
i think only Pogba was the better all round performer in 2013/14.

this season though you're right he;s been hot and cold but i think thats because he knew he was leaving and his mind was already at Chelsea.

no doubt, he's going to be a star imho.


----------



## PGVan

Dre12 said:


> It will be interesting to see if Van Gaal will go for Depay in the summer. He is the kind of player that Spurs buy for 10m and then sell for 50m!


 There should be a bidding war for Depay in the summer. He is definitely a special player. As a PSV supporter, I hope Cocu holds out until the winter if not all the way until summer 2016. PSV hasn't been this good in years and he will be crucial to Champions League success next fall if we hold onto first place in the Eredivisie this season.


----------



## wolf32

I'm from Brazil, but I voted Serie A. After Seedorf came to Botafogo, during a TV Show, he made an important remark to any brazilian player that ends up in the serie A... in Italy, you don't pass by deffenders like you do here in Brazil, like cutting butter with a knife, that easy. He had just watched Ganso from Santos, one of Neymars best friends, humiliating many defenders with his dribbling. I like to see Brazilian players having to get used to badass defenders. This is the only way football evolves. Our national team forgot about being humble and thinking it would be cookie cutter against Germany. Then took 7-1 and 3-0 from Holland. 
I used to like the English Championship in from the 90s. I miss Gazza and Cantona.
Lol, no one voted French Ligue 1. I can't get it. I watched a few matches of Lyon, PSG and Marseille and it was actually good.


----------



## Hayman

I only really follow the English leagues – from the Premier League down to the Conference (or whatever it's called this week!). I can’t say I have much interest in other leagues in Europe or elsewhere. I don’t even really follow international football any more – I haven't for around ten/twelve years. Not only because of the lack of success from England's point of view, but I don't really admire any of the players in the team any more. There's only two or three that I actually rate. 

I'm a Sunderland supporter. Why do I support them when I'm in Cheshire you may ask. A good question! My father’s side of the family (well, my grandfather on his side actually), come from Sunderland. His family was enormous and still has several surviving brothers/sisters. So as you can expect, I do have quite a lot of relatives there. I'd say about 70% of the relatives I know are up there or thereabouts – so Sunderland is my 'home team' as such, even though I've never personally lived there myself. I've had numerous holidays/breaks as a child and countless visits there as you can imagine, though!

I've seen some highs and lows with the club over the years – with numerous promotions and relegations. I'm hardened to the latter, now! The highlights for me would probably at the back end of the 90's where we were promoted from Division One (now The Championship) with a record points tally and then finished twice in the Premier League back-to-back. I've also seen two finals in my lifetime but typically lost both of them – the 1992 FA Cup Final and last year's League Cup Final. My father witnessed the 1973 FA Cup win and my grandfather would have witnessed that and the previous 1937 FA Cup win as a teenager. I'd rather not mention the lows as they seem to be 'the norm' at Sunderland.

As for this season? Pretty much what I feared last summer to be honest. Another struggle. We simply don’t have the quality up front in order to create and score from chances. Jozy Altidore only scored one goals in 40-odd games for us. As much as he’s a decent player for the USA, he just can’t cut it in the Premier League. His record at Hull was also similarly dire. He's now left for Toronto FC. Danny Graham has been a misfit right from the start and I don't think he’s ever scored for us yet (in the league at least). How he’s still at the club is a mystery. Steven Fletcher was decent when he first joined us but quickly ran out of steam after a few promising months. He’s been injured a lot of the time and whilst he puts in a fair shift, he struggles for goals after his injuries. He’ll get the odd one now and again but that’s about it. Connor Wickham only really shown skill towards the end of last season and without doubt his goals helped us survive the drop. Other than that though, he’s done practically nothing. I was quite optimistic when we first signed him as he looked promising, but has largely been a disappointment. I no longer rate him, sorry. As for Jermain Defoe – it’s still too early to tell. He’s only scored once for us in three(?) appearances. There’s no doubt he was a quality striker in his day and we’ve been trying to sign him for years. However, I think he’s now past it and he's not the sort of striker we need. He's a great 'point and shooter', but not so much a creator which is what we really need. He doesn't quite have the quality serving him to deliver. I sincerely hope he does well for us, but I can't see him being the sole answer to our scoring problems. I'll be amazed if he scores five for us between now and the end of the season.

Most of our goals actually come from midfield…

I've seen enough seasons of us 'circling the plughole' to know another relegation will come sooner or later. We were fortunate to escape last season and as things stand, we’ll be amongst the thick of it once again. I wouldn't like to predict survival or relegation but it wouldn't be a shock to me if this was the season we were to go back down… I know under Gus Poyet we've seen a cup final, a great escape and four back-to-back derby victories against Newcastle. I should be feeling positive. If we were more towards mid table (10th-12th) I’d be pretty happy with the team. I feel that’s where we ought to be. However, always just hovering above relegation really is frustrating when I know the quality we have should be of a solid, mid-table team! It's getting them to perform and show some passion which is the problem! 

Ironically, given all my negativity, this is our longest spell in the top flight in several decades...

I just wish we could go back to the Peter Reid era… Given Gus's recent comments, he appears to want to airbrush that successful era from history. Perhaps because we had strikers who could actually score - and regularly...?!


----------



## Joe

couts goal was fantastic, surprised he didn't drag it massively wide

if he can nail on his shooting then surely he'll be pushing towards being a brazil starter, if not more


----------



## Joe

grendon said:


> Suarez should come back to Liverpool. PLEAASE. But, seriously his start at Barcelona wasn't the best. Watched him against Atletico, and he was woeful, missed clearcut chance etc...
> 
> Its just not the same Suarez we know from Liverpool, since in that team Liverpool revolved around him, and he had more free role, now he's just another pawn in mighty Barcelona...


Suarez is doing well in assists, but obviously he is vastly more suited to playing in Messi's role. It might raise the question just why they paid so much for Suarez and let Sanchez leave, though I think if Messi ever did get injued Suarez would be a slight downgrade if any if he moves into a central role.


----------



## Dre12

@Hayman

What are your thoughts on Roy Keane tenure at Sunderland?

@Goku

I find Cuadrado a little erratic. It is not something that I usually associate with a Mourinho player. He has even functionalised Hazard somewhat. I think Hazard could be a much more devastating and crucial player under a different manager, maybe hitting the top five players in the world.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Ghana vs. Cote D'Ivoire in the ANC Final, battle of West Africa's best teams in the past decade or so, should be good. Hope we come out on top but I'm a fan of both teams so doesn't really matter who wins in the end.

Liverpool & Utd fans here...you guys have high hopes for soild FA Cup runs? Or are you still more focused on top 4 in the league?


----------



## Dre12

Canadian Brotha said:


> Liverpool & Utd fans here...you guys have high hopes for soild FA Cup runs? Or are you still more focused on top 4 in the league?


Admittedly the Champions League take priority over the FA Cup these days but it is always great to win the FA Cup. I really want to see Rooney win it as it is pretty much the only thing that he hasn't won in a United shirt. It is also ten years since we last won it which is a really long time for United, even in the bad times.

I would take top 4 over the FA Cup, however, it is much more important for the short to medium term future of the club.


----------



## Elad

Arsenal utterly dominated by spurs lol

I'm glad pochettino has been given time to implement his tactics because they're working. pressing so hard today and controlled possession. always good too see more competition in the league. spurs in for a real shot at FA, EL and top 4 this season.

even if they finish 5th but manage to win EL, they bump off whoever finishes 4th, no? unless they'll allow 5 PL teams.

in arsenal fans nightmares tonight:


----------



## Dre12

Elad said:


> Arsenal utterly dominated by spurs lol
> 
> I'm glad pochettino has been given time to implement his tactics because they're working. pressing so hard today and controlled possession. always good too see more competition in the league. spurs in for a real shot at FA, EL and top 4 this season.
> 
> even if they finish 5th but manage to win EL, they bump off whoever finishes 4th, no? unless they'll allow 5 PL teams.
> 
> in arsenal fans nightmares tonight:


I think that there is a strong chance of an English club winning the EL this year, possibly Spurs. I am sure that if they did finish 4th then UEFA would not award an extra place. When Chelsea won the CL and finished 7th in the league Spurs lost their CL spot for finishing 4th which was well out of order IMO.


----------



## goku23

Dre12 said:


> @Hayman
> 
> What are your thoughts on Roy Keane tenure at Sunderland?
> 
> @Goku
> 
> I find Cuadrado a little erratic. It is not something that I usually associate with a Mourinho player. He has even functionalised Hazard somewhat. I think Hazard could be a much more devastating and crucial player under a different manager, maybe hitting the top five players in the world.


you're right mate, as good as he is, he isn't a typical Jose player. wasn't overly enthusiastic in his conference when speaking about him but he was grumpy with all questions tbf!

Michael Enemalo and De Visset both heading the identifying of players so maybe its something they pushed to the CFC board and Jose was bypassed on this occasion?

agreed about Hazard, funny thing is people think the opposite and seem to credit Jose with his rise in performance level!
he would be even better under Ancelotti, Pep and Wenger even!
Di Maria under Jose vs Di Maria under Ancelotti
Hazard was close to Arsenal when he broke through but Wenger's a tight arse lol


----------



## goku23

Canadian Brotha said:


> Liverpool & Utd fans here...you guys have high hopes for soild FA Cup runs? Or are you still more focused on top 4 in the league?


top 4 100%
more money to spend, ability to attract higher calibre of players, increased revenue..tv money etc
its a snowball effect. sacrificing cup runs for champions league football could mean a more competitive club going forward.

if LFC don't get champions league, Rodgers is gone (we wont get 4th imo)

same happened with Kenny, won the league cup and made the FA cup final barely losing to CFC..still got sacked because no champions league place.


----------



## goku23

Elad said:


> Arsenal utterly dominated by spurs lol
> 
> I'm glad pochettino has been given time to implement his tactics because they're working. pressing so hard today and controlled possession. always good too see more competition in the league. spurs in for a real shot at FA, EL and top 4 this season.
> 
> even if they finish 5th but manage to win EL, they bump off whoever finishes 4th, no? unless they'll allow 5 PL teams.
> 
> in arsenal fans nightmares tonight:


Kane has been awesome but English media comparing him to Shearer and Klinsmann after half a season of good performances is crazy.

Keown and Savage compared him to a mix of Shearer, Henry, Klinsmann and Sheringham after 1 good game on MOTD!

from barely able to score for a promotion bound Leicester last ssn to the re-incarnation of England's best striker in less than 12 months!

great talent but people need to make sure he ain't the new James Beattie or Andy Johnson.
Zakie, Roque Santa Cruz, Benni Mccarthy all looked world beaters for that 1 season.
Kane better than all the above but still.


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> top 4 100%
> more money to spend, ability to attract higher calibre of players, increased revenue..tv money etc
> its a snowball effect. sacrificing cup runs for champions league football could mean a more competitive club going forward.
> 
> if LFC don't get champions league, Rodgers is gone (we wont get 4th imo)
> 
> same happened with Kenny, won the league cup and made the FA cup final barely losing to CFC..still got sacked because no champions league place.


I'd take top 4 in a heartbeat if it meant going out in the next round of EL and FA cup. I'd prefer to win the EL and finish 5th than 4th though.

I don't think Brendan will be gone if we don't finish 4th (I think Chelsea/City/United/Arsenal are more likely, Spurs/Liverpool are my likely 5/6th choices). We've been playing much, much better lately both at the back (massively surprised Rodgers improved in that way) and up front though our finish is still poor. It looks like the team is progressing after bad times than being all out attack almost like last season (even tho we played on the counter). With Kenny we were playing bad football, but had good cup runs, his last 6 months were dire.

If we finish 5th I wouldn't consider it a dreadful season, but disappointing since our money wasn't spent that well. I think the recent clean sheets we've got are good signs that Rodgers is becoming more rounded, though I hope we get better at signing big players.


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> I'd take top 4 in a heartbeat if it meant going out in the next round of EL and FA cup. I'd prefer to win the EL and finish 5th than 4th though.
> 
> I don't think Brendan will be gone if we don't finish 4th (I think Chelsea/City/United/Arsenal are more likely, Spurs/Liverpool are my likely 5/6th choices). We've been playing much, much better lately both at the back (massively surprised Rodgers improved in that way) and up front though our finish is still poor. It looks like the team is progressing after bad times than being all out attack almost like last season (even tho we played on the counter). With Kenny we were playing bad football, but had good cup runs, his last 6 months were dire.
> 
> If we finish 5th I wouldn't consider it a dreadful season, but disappointing since our money wasn't spent that well. I think the recent clean sheets we've got are good signs that Rodgers is becoming more rounded, though I hope we get better at signing big players.


agreed mate, but if we maintain our current form then we will finish 4th or damn close. they won't sack him after that but its a big ask to maintain this.

we've still got some massive games coming up, they'll give us a better indication of what will happen to BR i think.

but changes have to be made in the summer with the structure regardless. 
his big signings have all been poor - Southampton trio and Allen+Borini too

Sakho, Can and Markovic only came into the team cos of injuries to Lovren, Johnson and others. they were all identified by the transfer committee and seemed Rodgers didn't favour them at the start tbh
had those injuries never happened would they have made the team?

if he stays then we need to give total control of recruitment to the committee or a top Dof, imo anyway.
BR's record in the transfer market is pretty awful tbh
Danny Graham for Swans - record signing.
Scott Sinclair, Borini were players he knew from Chelsea youth
Sigurdsson he knew from Reading
Allen and Borini for us, again players he knew...and now Lallana, Lovren and Lambert.
top attacking coach though BR and a great man manager, would love him to do well and be there for the next decade.
but De Boer, Klopp, Simeone all title winning managers and taken to CL finals with nothing budgets.

top manager will always attract better players than unknown managers too.


----------



## sad vlad

Go, Avantu' Prabusirea, go!


----------



## Hayman

Dre12 said:


> @*Hayman*
> 
> What are your thoughts on Roy Keane tenure at Sunderland?


I have to be honest, I don't really like the guy. I didn't like his attitude towards others whilst he was playing, I didn't like him as our manager and I still don't like him now.

I respect him for the fact that he did turn us around, shot us up to the top of the Championship table and got us promoted. I'll certainly give him that and it's obvious he done something right that season. I believe he's also been quite complimentary towards us in his book also from what I've been told.

I know many Sunderland fans still like him and have a lot of respect for him and I have to accept that I'm in a minority with my own views...


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> we've still got some massive games coming up, they'll give us a better indication of what will happen to BR i think.
> 
> but changes have to be made in the summer with the structure regardless.
> his big signings have all been poor - Southampton trio and Allen+Borini too
> 
> Sakho, Can and Markovic only came into the team cos of injuries to Lovren, Johnson and others. they were all identified by the transfer committee and seemed Rodgers didn't favour them at the start tbh
> had those injuries never happened would they have made the team?
> 
> if he stays then we need to give total control of recruitment to the committee or a top Dof, imo anyway.
> BR's record in the transfer market is pretty awful tbh
> Danny Graham for Swans - record signing.
> Scott Sinclair, Borini were players he knew from Chelsea youth
> Sigurdsson he knew from Reading
> Allen and Borini for us, again players he knew...and now Lallana, Lovren and Lambert.
> top attacking coach though BR and a great man manager, would love him to do well and be there for the next decade.
> but De Boer, Klopp, Simeone all title winning managers and taken to CL finals with nothing budgets.
> 
> top manager will always attract better players than unknown managers too.


I agree the Southampton trio haven't impressed for their fee, but Lallana has been decent and is welcome in the team. His wage is about 70k /w apparently, which is probably more reflective of his worth than a 25m fee, hopefully we'll stay good enough not to lose any young talent by the time they hit their peak. I agree Rodgers does seem to benefit a little from injuries, I still feel Agger would of been decent (might just be me liking him though).

With poorer homegrown talent (and the best picked by the top clubs) and almost requiring champions league to bring in players of top 4 quality unless you are a very wealthy club it's harder to match the success that managers get abroad. The 6 rich clubs (and 3 super rich) can just buy the best players of any team that breaks into the fold. It will be interesting to see if Dortmund can improve and get back to the CL in the near future, before winning 3-0 today they were bottom. The fact no one knows Brendan is a huge issue unless we get consistent CL


----------



## Joe

not too happy about the draw


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> not too happy about the draw


yea we should have won, was shocked Phil went off for Sturridge. wasn't his best game but all our openings came from Coutinho's play and he would have benefited most from Sturridge's movement.
Phil-Sterling-Sturridge is our best trio.

wasn't brave enough to take Stevie off. offered very little in truth and he should have went off for Studge, not Coutinho imo.


----------



## boas

Well, if Man City went out today with the intention of ****ing up my accumulator, then mission accomplished.


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> yea we should have won, was shocked Phil went off for Sturridge. wasn't his best game but all our openings came from Coutinho's play and he would have benefited most from Sturridge's movement.
> Phil-Sterling-Sturridge is our best trio.
> 
> wasn't brave enough to take Stevie off. offered very little in truth and he should have went off for Studge, not Coutinho imo.


yeah i wasn't too fond of lambert coming on either, keep expecting sturridge to score every time he comes on


----------



## goku23

boas said:


> Well, if Man City went out today with the intention of ****ing up my accumulator, then mission accomplished.


lol done us both mate!
made Silva captain of my fantasy team too...bollox!

Simeone in the summer?

Atletico ran riot today too, lot of clubs kicking themselves for not trying for Griezmann when they had the chance.


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> yeah i wasn't too fond of lambert coming on either, keep expecting sturridge to score every time he comes on


Sturridge's touch and movement was awesome again, on a different level but needed Coutinho.
Sterling doesn't have the ability to pick a pass like Phil and Gerrard showed why he isn't a top level player anymore unfortunately.

spot on about Lambs mate, just got in the way of Sturridge!

sentiment ruling sense again with Rodgers i think, Gerrard and Lambert shouldnt have been on imo.

you think RCB is Can's long term position?
would rather him and Hendo in the middle but his distribution from the back is a big plus.
maybe a sweeper? Guardiola been doing that with Alonso at Bayern, Benatia and Boateng either side freeing Alonso to link play from deep.
adds another body in midfield too untracked when in possession.

need a good RCB though! Skrtel is always an accident away! distribution poor too.


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> yeah i wasn't too fond of lambert coming on either, keep expecting sturridge to score every time he comes on


Sturridge's touch and movement was awesome again, on a different level but needed Coutinho.
Sterling doesn't have the ability to pick a pass like Phil and Gerrard showed why he isn't a top level player anymore unfortunately.

spot on about Lambs mate, just got in the way of Sturridge!

sentiment ruling sense again with Rodgers i think, Gerrard and Lambert shouldnt have been on imo.

you think RCB is Can's long term position?
would rather him and Hendo in the middle but his distribution from the back is a big plus.
maybe a sweeper? Guardiola been doing that with Alonso at Bayern, Benatia and Boateng/Alaba either side freeing Alonso to link play from deep.
adds another body in midfield too untracked when in possession.

need a good RCB though! Skrtel is always an accident away! distribution poor too.


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> Sturridge's touch and movement was awesome again, on a different level but needed Coutinho.
> Sterling doesn't have the ability to pick a pass like Phil and Gerrard showed why he isn't a top level player anymore unfortunately.
> 
> spot on about Lambs mate, just got in the way of Sturridge!
> 
> sentiment ruling sense again with Rodgers i think, Gerrard and Lambert shouldnt have been on imo.
> 
> you think RCB is Can's long term position?
> would rather him and Hendo in the middle but his distribution from the back is a big plus.
> maybe a sweeper? Guardiola been doing that with Alonso at Bayern, Benatia and Boateng either side freeing Alonso to link play from deep.
> adds another body in midfield too untracked when in possession.
> 
> need a good RCB though! Skrtel is always an accident away! distribution poor too.


yeah, i think it'll be a huge benefit when Gerrard leaves so the team isn't just Gerrard and friends, even tho he is playing less i think he made the right decision for both us and him

I think Can will move towards the middle, I heard Bayern wanted to buy him but they either had too many midfielders or had to wait a year due to a clause. He got caught out a few times today (so did Sakho) but Skrtel done fantastic, him or Ibe as man of the match. Probably Skrtels best individual performance in a while, but like you said he can suddenly stop playing and cause us to concede a few, think it was just on the day that Sakho/Can were slightly shaky compared to Skrtel though. We missed Lallana in the game too, he is capable of pulling off a matchwinner or adding a new direction to the attack.

Though back to Can I think he'll swap frequently between midfield and defence as we need him, he could end up box to box or something as a permanent position, would prefer to buy a DM (don't like Allen as our backup for Lucas, though he always performs against City so there's that) to add depth to the position than use Can there too. But yeah, I imagine he'll stay as CB for the majority of our games this season, barring the miracle of Lovren doing well (we've been better as a team, maybe he'll show some more promising, if not value for money performances).


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> yeah, i think it'll be a huge benefit when Gerrard leaves so the team isn't just Gerrard and friends, even tho he is playing less i think he made the right decision for both us and him
> 
> I think Can will move towards the middle, I heard Bayern wanted to buy him but they either had too many midfielders or had to wait a year due to a clause. He got caught out a few times today (so did Sakho) but Skrtel done fantastic, him or Ibe as man of the match. Probably Skrtels best individual performance in a while, but like you said he can suddenly stop playing and cause us to concede a few, think it was just on the day that Sakho/Can were slightly shaky compared to Skrtel though. We missed Lallana in the game too, he is capable of pulling off a matchwinner or adding a new direction to the attack.
> 
> Though back to Can I think he'll swap frequently between midfield and defence as we need him, he could end up box to box or something as a permanent position, would prefer to buy a DM (don't like Allen as our backup for Lucas, though he always performs against City so there's that) to add depth to the position than use Can there too. But yeah, I imagine he'll stay as CB for the majority of our games this season, barring the miracle of Lovren doing well (we've been better as a team, maybe he'll show some more promising, if not value for money performances).


Skrtel was good today, he needs a big a top player beside him to cover him like Agger in 2010/11 
does well when he has that and now has Sakho-Can with him. 
him and Lovren together is suicide though! lol

heard Ilori is doing well at Bordeaux, be interesting to see how he develops. saw him at Granada last ssn a few times and he looked good.
fastest at the club apparently, broke C.Ronaldo's sprint record at Sporting...which probably means fck all in reality lol
but him and Wisdom could be options maybe, 
N'Koulou from Marseille would be a great signing, relatively cheap too.
him-Can-Sakho just beastly!

agreed on Allen, player we should have signed from Southampton was Wanyama!
having said that though Lallana was exactly what we needed for this game you're right
Coutinho played a lot of football recently, 3 games this week alone. looked jaded and Lallana would have been good.
interesting to see how him and Studge do together.
hopefully Stevie will be shown the bench


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> Skrtel was good today, he needs a big a top player beside him to cover him like Agger in 2010/11
> does well when he has that and now has Sakho-Can with him.
> him and Lovren together is suicide though! lol
> 
> heard Ilori is doing well at Bordeaux, be interesting to see how he develops. saw him at Granada last ssn a few times and he looked good.
> fastest at the club apparently, broke C.Ronaldo's sprint record at Sporting...which probably means fck all in reality lol
> but him and Wisdom could be options maybe,
> N'Koulou from Marseille would be a great signing, relatively cheap too.
> him-Can-Sakho just beastly!
> 
> agreed on Allen, player we should have signed from Southampton was Wanyama!
> having said that though Lallana was exactly what we needed for this game you're right
> Coutinho played a lot of football recently, 3 games this week alone. looked jaded and Lallana would have been good.
> interesting to see how him and Studge do together.
> hopefully Stevie will be shown the bench


yeah Skrtel gets bullied a lot by physical players (I remember the Hull game last season as a good example), not watched any of Ilori this season but hopefully he can get into the fold or at least improve the squad, disappointed with how Coates turned out too (after winning young player of tournament at copa america a few years ago) think he'll always be remembered for his goal against QPR though. Not sure if any of those (Wisdom included) are ready for Liverpool, though Wisdom should be able to compete with Manq and Flanno (unless we buy a more proven RB). Rodgers isn't the best with subs in a lot of games I noticed, not sure if that's his fault entirely or just our lack of alternatives on the bench but he should get less sentimental over time I hope.


----------



## PGVan

Another 2 goals for Memphis Depay against Utrecht yesterday. He's now leading the Eredivisie with 15 goals and also missed 4 matches while injured early in the season.

Stay away big clubs, stay away.... come calling next winter if we don't progress though the Champions League group stage!! (Yes, I'm confident PSV will hold their 12-point Eredivisie lead to take the title!)


----------



## goku23

PGVan said:


> Another 2 goals for Memphis Depay against Utrecht yesterday. He's now leading the Eredivisie with 15 goals and also missed 4 matches while injured early in the season.
> 
> Stay away big clubs, stay away.... come calling next winter if we don't progress though the Champions League group stage!! (Yes, I'm confident PSV will hold their 12-point Eredivisie lead to take the title!)


he's off in the summer!

Hendo-Can/Wanyama

Coutinho

Sterling-Sturridge-Depay

that would be pretty freakin special!
Al Ghazi of Ajax looks a top prospect too.
can honestly see Man City going for Depay. him and Lacezette of Lyon are going to be the one's.
Depay will be upward of 16, 17mil i think.


----------



## googleamiable

goku23 said:


> he's off in the summer!
> 
> Hendo-Can/Wanyama
> 
> Coutinho
> 
> Sterling-Sturridge-Depay
> 
> that would be pretty freakin special!
> Al Ghazi of Ajax looks a top prospect too.
> can honestly see Man City going for Depay. him and Lacezette of Lyon are going to be the one's.
> Depay will be upward of 16, 17mil i think.


beefcake!

liverpool need another class striker for next season, with origi as backup. and someone to replace gerrard, as well as probably a new keeper, and maybe a new CB if lovren stays poor/average. Sakho is a mistake waiting to happen. Not waiting long.

but overall, getting better, much better


----------



## goku23

michael1 said:


> beefcake!
> 
> liverpool need another class striker for next season, with origi as backup. and someone to replace gerrard, as well as probably a new keeper, and maybe a new CB if lovren stays poor/average. Sakho is a mistake waiting to happen. Not waiting long.
> 
> but overall, getting better, much better


Sakho is our best defender! look at the difference he's made since him and Can came in at the back.

before Sakho came back, we lost 5 of our 12 games and conceded 15, 2 clean sheets.
since he returned we're unbeaten in 13 and 6 clean sheets.
he has one of the highest tackle success rates in the league - wins 60% compared to Kompany's 44%

also 89% pass completion, people have this misconception about him being sloppy in possession...was against Everton but has been awesome last couple months.

he does appear sloppy though, just his playing style! but last season he made zero errors which led to goals - Johnson, Skrtel and Agger all made errors leading to goals. he didn't though

we definitely need another CB to replace Skrtel - now he is a mistake waiting to happen! needs Sakho and Can beside him to perform.
Lovren will always be average, had a very good few months at Soton but that was it.
was poor after that and even worse at Lyon. think Carragher recommended him to Rodgers, probably based on those few months. poor buy tbh.

anther striker too you're right mate, Origi still raw and Sturridge will always pick up knocks.
Doumbia would have been great but Roma signed him, they're recruitment is top notch.
Luiz Adriano of Shakhtar available on a free in the summer, clever signing i think.


----------



## Joe

ah lucas is out


----------



## PGVan

goku23 said:


> he's off in the summer!
> 
> Hendo-Can/Wanyama
> 
> Coutinho
> 
> Sterling-Sturridge-Depay
> 
> that would be pretty freakin special!
> Al Ghazi of Ajax looks a top prospect too.
> can honestly see Man City going for Depay. him and Lacezette of Lyon are going to be the one's.
> Depay will be upward of 16, 17mil i think.


I'm not so sure Depay is a guarantee to leave in the summer if PSV win and get into the CL group stage. Him and Wijnaldum refused all offers in this winter window because they want to win the Eredivisie this year. That said, I expect pressure from Louis van Gaal to buy Depay in the summer.


----------



## goku23

PGVan said:


> I'm not so sure Depay is a guarantee to leave in the summer if PSV win and get into the CL group stage. Him and Wijnaldum refused all offers in this winter window because they want to win the Eredivisie this year. That said, I expect pressure from Louis van Gaal to buy Depay in the summer.


im surprised LVG didn't sign him last summer, knows him better than most. Di Maria always more appeasing to fans i guess!
but i think they'll make room for him in the summer - Januzaj and Mata i think will be gone, loan or permanently.

i cant see Depay staying beyond the summer, respect to him for his loyalty to PSV and wanting to win the title with them...but its reminiscent of Suarez and Costa - all signed contract extensions the season before they left. promised the clubs one more year, clubs get higher transfer fees because of the longer contracts and players higher wages, agents higher fees, clubs agree to let players leave next summer.

he's too good for the league, has to move.

have you seen much of Daley Sinkgraven mate? saw clips of him at Heerenveen looks a talent.
Milik looks really good too, clever signing there i think.


----------



## Dre12

goku23 said:


> ihave you seen much of Daley Sinkgraven mate? saw clips of him at Heerenveen looks a talent.


We tried to sign him but he chose to go to Ajax. Better decision for the player in my opinion. Young talent gets lost too often at the bigger clubs.

As for Depay, the rumour was that Van Gaal told him to stay in Holland for another season to develop, if that is true or not is anyone's guess.

The figures for the new Premier League rights are completely insane! £5.1bn FFS! It now costs more for the rights to two Premier League games than it does for the whole season of the Scottish league!!

It will make the Premier League stronger anyway.


----------



## PGVan

Louis van Gaal absolutely did tell Memphis to stay in the Eredivisie for another season. I'm hoping that the lure of being on Europe's biggest stage in the Champions League would entice him (and Wijnaldum) to stay for a least another half season. If not, making the CL group stage should give PSV enough money to sign a proven replacement for the competition.


----------



## goku23

great win for us last night, super Mario! 
hope Sterling is back for next week, Gerrard was a passenger again though.

huge few weeks for us - just beat Spurs,
Palace in the cup on Sat
Besiktas first leg in the Europa league on Thurs
Southampton away the weekend after, another 6 pointer
Besiktas return leg following Thurs
Man City at home that weekend.....

this is make or break for our season!

needed Lucas fit for this, but at least Sturridge is back which is massive.


----------



## boas

It's kind of laughable that LVG appears so incompatible with his squad even though he chose (or at least gave his blessing to the signing of) six of them -- half a starting XI. Have to admit, it's kind of funny that they've presided over a monstrous transfer outlay and wage bill over the past 18 months and have gone through the their least successful period in recent history. 

It's also weird that Spurs, ostensibly performing at least up to par (6th in the table is more or less where their budget is, and a cup final to boot), only really have three attacking players reaching their ceiling in Kane, Eriksen and Chadli. This leaves Lamela, Soldado, Adebayor, Paulinho and Dembele (the latter of whom is beginning to improve, tbf) underperforming. 

On the whole, only Chelsea and Southampton are making the most of their resources. It would be interesting to see what a La Liga style management and coaching strategy (I'm thinking Atletico) could do with one of these top Premier League budgets.


----------



## gunner21

Can is looking like a future star. How did we get him for so cheap?


----------



## goku23

gunner21 said:


> Can is looking like a future star. How did we get him for so cheap?


Bundesliga is full of quality talent for reasonable money, if Can was English he'd have likely commanded double his fee.
look at Shaw, Carroll, Lallana, Milner etc
likes of Barkley, Delph and Berahino all touted for silly money too

i thought you were a CFC fan??


----------



## gunner21

goku23 said:


> Bundesliga is full of quality talent for reasonable money, if Can was English he'd have likely commanded double his fee.
> look at Shaw, Carroll, Lallana, Milner etc
> likes of Barkley, Delph and Berahino all touted for silly money too
> 
> i thought you were a CFC fan??


Me and a chelsea fan?! YUCK! I despise Chelsea.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Chelsea these past few games have reminded me of Utd of old under Fergie, we've not been great but we've been grinding out the results we need. Glad we'll have Costa back with Fabregas now as we'll need them with City having Aguero on form again & Toure & Bony to come


----------



## goku23

gunner21 said:


> Me and a chelsea fan?! YUCK! I despise Chelsea.


sorry mate, had you confused with the other canadian fella!


----------



## goku23

can there really be any doubt that Messi is the best player in the world?
and most probably will be until he decides otherwise?!


----------



## Dre12

Messi is the most talented player in the history of the game for me. He doesn't capture the imagination like Maradona did though. And Pele has a key part in three World Cup victories to his name. 

I love Ronaldo greatly, loved seeing him play at Old Trafford and his era was my best as a United fan, but he is second to Messi in my eyes.


----------



## boas

Top three of all time are Ronaldo, Messi and Pele and they are more or less inseparable I'd say. The consensus is the 4th member of that group is Maradona but his numbers are nowhere near comparable, what about Gerd Muller? I guess, being a pure 9, he was less ostentatious than the others but his record was ridiculous.


----------



## goku23

Dre12 said:


> Messi is the most talented player in the history of the game for me. He doesn't capture the imagination like Maradona did though. And Pele has a key part in three World Cup victories to his name.
> 
> I love Ronaldo greatly, loved seeing him play at Old Trafford and his era was my best as a United fan, but he is second to Messi in my eyes.


agree, although id have to say the original Ronaldo is the most talented player ive ever seen.
Messi will be greater though, Ronaldo without the injuries would have been the best ever imho
have never seen a more complete player, dribbling is up there messi and finishing, movement, power, touch was from another planet.


----------



## goku23

boas said:


> Top three of all time are Ronaldo, Messi and Pele and they are more or less inseparable I'd say. The consensus is the 4th member of that group is Maradona but his numbers are nowhere near comparable, what about Gerd Muller? I guess, being a pure 9, he was less ostentatious than the others but his record was ridiculous.


Cristiano? not for me
also todays defences aren't nearly as frightening as the 90's or previous.

original Ronaldo was scoring and creating for fun in 90's Serie A, arguably the hardest ever league to score in at that time because of the likes of Maldini, Cannavaro, Nesta, Thuram etc and tactically the best defensive teams around too.
the Barce team he played in were average, still scored almost a goal a game. think it was almost 50 for that season


----------



## boas

goku23 said:


> Cristiano? not for me
> also todays defences aren't nearly as frightening as the 90's or previous.
> 
> original Ronaldo was scoring and creating for fun in 90's Serie A, arguably the hardest ever league to score in at that time because of the likes of Maldini, Cannavaro, Nesta, Thuram etc and tactically the best defensive teams around too.
> the Barce team he played in were average, still scored almost a goal a game. think it was almost 50 for that season


You could certainly make the argument that the very best defenders of the 90s (Maldini, Thuram and co.) were better than the very best defenders of today (Ramos, Silva) but are you really saying there's been a marked shift in the standard of defenders at the Zaragozas and Sunderlands of the world? I mean, that's the standard of opposition you're playing most weeks.

It's also worth pointing out that, in the top leagues, only Ronaldo and Messi are hitting these crazy numbers. If it were down to poor opposition I think more would be up there (Suarez had impressive stats last season but needs to do it regularly to join that elite club).


----------



## goku23

boas said:


> You could certainly make the argument that the very best defenders of the 90s (Maldini, Thuram and co.) were better than the very best defenders of today (Ramos, Silva) but are you really saying there's been a marked shift in the standard of defenders at the Zaragozas and Sunderlands of the world? I mean, that's the standard of opposition you're playing most weeks.
> 
> It's also worth pointing out that, in the top leagues, only Ronaldo and Messi are hitting these crazy numbers. If it were down to poor opposition I think more would be up there (Suarez had impressive stats last season but needs to do it regularly to join that elite club).


to be fair mate, Serie A in the 90's had the lowest goals conceded for any major EU league for most of that decade. 
its the league that built that brand of football, well known for its tactical prowess and teams basing their game on defensive shape.

every league has poor teams, but across the board at the time Serie A was more than a two/three team league - Roma, Lazio, Fiorentina, Parma, Udinese were all top teams too and most did well in the UEFA cup if not the Champions league. it had more good teams than bad!

Ronaldo and Messi play for the two best teams in the world, their teams are built around them and to feed them. same thing seems to be happening with Suarez as happened with Sanchez - Messi always the main outlet, first player ball is played to in attack.
likewise Ronaldo even if others might be in better positions.
(maybe changing at Barca though with Suarez, Messi switches to the right now for balance and more space for him and others)

outside of Barca, Real, Atletico, Valencia, Sevilla the rest are very average (compared to the aforementioned anyway)
you just have to look at the TV revenue difference between the top 2 and the rest - 
Barca and Real both get 140 mil Euros
the next highest is Valencia at 48mil!

Barcelona and Real's revenue and all round income compared to the rest of the league is stupidly lopsided.
the premier league isn't near that bad, so the rest of the league can at least invest in their squads to make it more competitive.

what CR and Messi are doing is nothing short of incredible, but looking at the variables is why i consider original Ronaldo the better.
Ronaldo's record against the bigger teams in la liga isn't great.


----------



## monotonous

liverpool rules, fact


----------



## Canadian Brotha

PSG/Chelsea wasn't that great to watch today, the result is fine since we're returning home next week but still...Ivanovic has been scoring important goals for us from day one though so I'm glad to see him doing that again in recent times


----------



## goku23

Super Mario again! was awesome when he came on...again!
looking the player he promised to be


----------



## gunner21

Thoughts on the racist Chelsea fans?


----------



## goku23

,


gunner21 said:


> Thoughts on the racist Chelsea fans?


pathetic, should be locked up and extradited to France as thats where the crime was committed.
they need to show zero tolerance to this, a banning order and a fine isn't anywhere near enough.

Chelsea shouldn't be judged by the actions of a minority but I live not a million miles from Chelsea and this is not a one-off incident unfortunately:


----------



## goku23

every club has a section of moronic fans though. Chelsea rank high in this regard from what i've seen.

but credit to Chelsea as a club for taking the strongest possible action against these morons.

i think the leniency shown to John Terry in the past was hard to take also. he's the captain of the club and at the time was the captain of the country.


----------



## Elad

really enjoying tottenhams current form and play, pochettino might just get them into top 4 (lol)

then again if that happens arsenal will win the champions league and come 5th

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


----------



## boas

Elad said:


> really enjoying tottenhams current form and play, pochettino might just get them into top 4 (lol)
> 
> then again if that happens arsenal will win the champions league and come 5th
> 
> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


Arsenal will never win the Champions League under Wenger, I'd be willing to put my life savings on that.


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> can there really be any doubt that Messi is the best player in the world?
> and most probably will be until he decides otherwise?!


He needs to get more Key Passes than Downing before he pips Stew to number 1.

Fantastic goal by Gomis today, good assist from Jonjo. I thought Jonjo always shown glimpses of talent but wasn't sure if he could do it consistently, not saying he isn't still like this but it'll be interesting to see if he can smooth out his game.

Hope United don't get CL this season, in fact I hope they permanently fall just short of it. Maybe have one good year and get hammered in the final 6-0 by us.


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> He needs to get more Key Passes than Downing before he pips Stew to number 1.
> 
> Fantastic goal by Gomis today, good assist from Jonjo. I thought Jonjo always shown glimpses of talent but wasn't sure if he could do it consistently, not saying he isn't still like this but it'll be interesting to see if he can smooth out his game.
> 
> Hope United don't get CL this season, in fact I hope they permanently fall just short of it. Maybe have one good year and get hammered in the final 6-0 by us.


imagine how that makes Cristiano feel...not even on the list!

Utd getting found out, couldn't keep performing the way they have been and expect to keep grinding out wins.
lucky against Burnley, West Ham, QPR. luck was bound to run out.
record spend in a calender year ever, highest wage bill and most expensive squad in the league with City...not sure why they're exempt of criticism from the media. 
another year out the champions league and they'll struggle to attract the top players. slippery slope! especially with sponsors reducing payments the longer they're out the CL.

big game tomorrow, Soton Liverpool. 6 pointer
Mario deserves a start. 
Balotelli-Sterling-Sturridge is lethal!
add Origi in the middle of that next season and you have...B.O.S.S!


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> imagine how that makes Cristiano feel...not even on the list!
> 
> Utd getting found out, couldn't keep performing the way they have been and expect to keep grinding out wins.
> lucky against Burnley, West Ham, QPR. luck was bound to run out.
> record spend in a calender year ever, highest wage bill and most expensive squad in the league with City...not sure why they're exempt of criticism from the media.
> another year out the champions league and they'll struggle to attract the top players. slippery slope! especially with sponsors reducing payments the longer they're out the CL.
> 
> big game tomorrow, Soton Liverpool. 6 pointer
> Mario deserves a start.
> Balotelli-Sterling-Sturridge is lethal!
> add Origi in the middle of that next season and you have...B.O.S.S!


United always seemed to have a way of grinding out results under Fergie for being lethal, I remember when they beat spurs 3-0 after being dominated most of the game. This was probably around the time we kept hitting the post with lots of shots, one of the most impressive things about Fergie was pulling wins out of nothing. Though the quality of players helps with any moments of magic. Talking about Burnley the Matic incident was big, thought he was out of line at first but the replays he could've been injured a lot worse than any ban he'll be given, not advocating it but can see why he was angry. Barton on the other hand is just an idiot.

Think the media are lax on United since they've got their money from success rather than a cash injection. It's the only reliable method to become a quality team these days in England, too little spots in the CL for too many rich clubs keeping out anyone becoming the next Dortmund or Atletico.

Not sure if Origi will fit into the team right away, Ibe might have a good shout in keeping him out or being a serious contender for his position. Great seeing Balotelli happy, penalty incident was a little messy (miscommunication i guess, stevie said he thought balo should've followed the rules on itv but brendan said balo was the first choice, though he wasn't on the pitch at the start) but he is the most accomplished outside of Gerrard. Lambert in 3rd maybe? Don't know much about Hendo and I just remember Sturridge blasting it wide at Everton.

We've got a number of great dribblers this season, think Markovic is my favourite to watch since his runs are powerful when he makes them. Hopefully we'll see him back in Europe this season, looks very tough on paper.

Honestly I wanted Ronaldo to keep up his form, he is still fantastic but he was incredible at the start of this season. He has his heading ability over Messi, but Messi is on another level to everyone when it comes to dribbling. Suarez when Sturridge was out was at the same level, though together they impacted the team more than Suarez by himself.


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> United always seemed to have a way of grinding out results under Fergie for being lethal, I remember when they beat spurs 3-0 after being dominated most of the game. This was probably around the time we kept hitting the post with lots of shots, one of the most impressive things about Fergie was pulling wins out of nothing. Though the quality of players helps with any moments of magic. Talking about Burnley the Matic incident was big, thought he was out of line at first but the replays he could've been injured a lot worse than any ban he'll be given, not advocating it but can see why he was angry. Barton on the other hand is just an idiot.
> 
> Think the media are lax on United since they've got their money from success rather than a cash injection. It's the only reliable method to become a quality team these days in England, too little spots in the CL for too many rich clubs keeping out anyone becoming the next Dortmund or Atletico.
> 
> Not sure if Origi will fit into the team right away, Ibe might have a good shout in keeping him out or being a serious contender for his position. Great seeing Balotelli happy, penalty incident was a little messy (miscommunication i guess, stevie said he thought balo should've followed the rules on itv but brendan said balo was the first choice, though he wasn't on the pitch at the start) but he is the most accomplished outside of Gerrard. Lambert in 3rd maybe? Don't know much about Hendo and I just remember Sturridge blasting it wide at Everton.
> 
> We've got a number of great dribblers this season, think Markovic is my favourite to watch since his runs are powerful when he makes them. Hopefully we'll see him back in Europe this season, looks very tough on paper.
> 
> Honestly I wanted Ronaldo to keep up his form, he is still fantastic but he was incredible at the start of this season. He has his heading ability over Messi, but Messi is on another level to everyone when it comes to dribbling. Suarez when Sturridge was out was at the same level, though together they impacted the team more than Suarez by himself.


Utd ground out results under Fergie but did it playing good football for majority of the season, 
this season Utd have recorded lowest attempts on target for over a decade and are 3rd highest for long balls in all of Europe's major leagues!
they created their luck under Fergie it must be said, they've ridden their luck this season....and doing it with a ridiculously more expensive squad!

there's definitely an unbalanced approach by the media - Spurs were blasted last ssn for spending 100mil and struggling even though most of their spend came from the Bale sale and their net spend was minimal.
Utd have the highest net spend ever in the history of football for the calender year and 2nd highest summer spend ever yet haven't had anywhere near the criticism Spurs had.
their points tally is completely disproportionate to their expenditure on fees and not mention wage bill which is highest in the league - 215 mil annually.
,,,money coming from success?
i think they've been clever exploiting the asian and middle eastern markets for commercial revenue - image icons Beckham and Ronaldo played no small part in that over the years!
their sponsorship deals are incredible but longer they go without success the worse it will get.

also Ozil last ssn was slaughtered by the media for his drop off in form mid-season....Di Maria hasn't performed nearly as well as Ozil yet barely a word mentioned - despite costing over 20mil more and on much higher wages! 
media slaughter Arsene Wenger too. he's had his best players sold nearly every season - Henry, Adebayor, Nasri, Fabregas, Van Persie but still top 4 every season he's been manager and qualify from the group stages of CL every season despite working with a restricted budget and wage cap until the stadium was paid off.
...Utd know how to use the media mate no doubt.

...Origi is a striker mate, plays at times wide in a front 3 for Lille but there manager is a bit of a moron! his best position has always been as a 9.
for Belgium and Lille.
Ibe surely made the RWB position his own.
i only really mentioned his name for the acronym B.O.S.S lol but likely Balo will be sold in the summer imho (if Rodgers is still manager)
Origi has a ton of potential though, great understudy to Sturridge.
his goal record for Lille isn't great but thats because they're a poor side and his head is already at LFC tbh
his goal record for Belgium youth and senior sides is impressive.

...you wanted Ronaldo to keep his form????
the same guy who threw a mega birthday bash the same night right after him and his team were embarrassed 4-0 by Atletico?? 
...you sure you're a LFC fan? lol

nobody appreciates Suarez like we do but he has never been on the same level of dribbling as Messi! lol
Messi is one the best dribblers ever along with Don Diego, original Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.
Suarez is pure class and a tenacious dribbler but Messi's quickness of feet and balance is something you can't teach.


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> Utd ground out results under Fergie but did it playing good football for majority of the season,
> this season Utd have recorded lowest attempts on target for over a decade and are 3rd highest for long balls in all of Europe's major leagues!
> 
> also Ozil last ssn was slaughtered by the media for his drop off in form mid-season....Di Maria hasn't performed nearly as well as Ozil yet barely a word mentioned - despite costing over 20mil more and on much higher wages!
> 
> ...Origi is a striker mate, plays at times wide in a front 3 for Lille but there manager is a bit of a moron! his best position has always been as a 9.
> for Belgium and Lille.
> Ibe surely made the RWB position his own.
> i only really mentioned his name for the acronym B.O.S.S lol but likely Balo will be sold in the summer imho (if Rodgers is still manager)
> Origi has a ton of potential though, great understudy to Sturridge.
> his goal record for Lille isn't great but thats because they're a poor side and his head is already at LFC tbh
> his goal record for Belgium youth and senior sides is impressive.
> 
> ...you wanted Ronaldo to keep his form????
> the same guy who threw a mega birthday bash the same night right after him and his team were embarrassed 4-0 by Atletico??
> ...you sure you're a LFC fan? lol
> 
> nobody appreciates Suarez like we do but he has never been on the same level of dribbling as Messi! lol
> Messi is one the best dribblers ever along with Don Diego, original Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.
> Suarez is pure class and a tenacious dribbler but Messi's quickness of feet and balance is something you can't teach.


Yeah that's true, they were great at winning out of nothing but generally under Fergie they were just great. Unbelivable how well he done with his budget, don't think any manager can compare with his success. Guardiola's Barca was magnificent but he done it with the best team in the world, not sure how Guardiola would perform in a poorer team, though he'd still be great obviously. Di Maria probably avoided it a little with the whole of United playing bad, on MOTD last night they only gave him a short mention of his drop in form. Ramsey was outshining Ozil completely last year but yeah there's more empthasis on Wenger anyway, probably since Arsenal haven't moved in years. Didn't realise UTD were that bad, thought they foudn their feet under Van Gaal and were dead set for 3rd place, if results stay the same it'll be 4 points between 3rd-7th with us and Arsenal the form teams (spurs too?).

I wasn't sure where Origi played, just knew he was across the front 3. Hopefully he improves as much as Sturrdige did when he was moved centrally, not sure why Chelsea didn't give him a chance, he done well under AVB and at Bolton don't think they had much major competition bar Drogba so more surprising they didn't take a risk.

I don't mind anyone doing well outside of the PL, or if they don't affect Liverpool. Always good to see new records broken imo great to see the level of class, I think Ronaldo will keep going for years as a testament to his fitness. He comes off as arrogant but he does put in the work.


----------



## Joe

Coutinho


----------



## gunner21

Joe said:


> Coutinho


I think you mean GOATinho


----------



## Canadian Brotha

gunner21 said:


> Thoughts on the racist Chelsea fans?


I was quite dissappointed by it. I'm glad the club took the measures they can with regard to those fans but it's sad that it's still a regular issue in England & across Europe


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> Coutinho


nothing else needs to be said.


----------



## goku23

...maybe Sterling...but thats it!


----------



## goku23

...oh and Ibe


----------



## Dre12

goku23 said:


> Utd getting found out, couldn't keep performing the way they have been and expect to keep grinding out wins.
> lucky against Burnley, West Ham, QPR. luck was bound to run out.
> record spend in a calender year ever, highest wage bill and most expensive squad in the league with City...not sure why they're exempt of criticism from the media.
> another year out the champions league and they'll struggle to attract the top players. slippery slope! especially with sponsors reducing payments the longer they're out the CL.


Whilst I agree that Van Gaal's luck has run out and I think that CL qualification is looking rocky if things don't improve; it will take a good few years without CL for our competitiveness in the transfer market to wane; assuming that FFP remains in its current form.

Money talks at the end of day, it is why Champions League football and nearly winning the league still saw Liverpool as the poor man at the top end of the transfer market last summer. Remember that we beat PSG and City to superstar players after finishing 7th. Our financials are still great and we get the Adidas kit deal £75m at the start of next season. Another £150m spend is expected this summer.

Funnily enough the second half against Swansea was one of our best performances of the season, less the goals, then John Jo Shelvey hit a poor shot that deflected off Gomes's head into the net.

I feel our main problem has been the ineptitude of Falcao and Van Persie and Van Gaal's insistence of trying to shoe horn both them and Rooney into the team. There is no need to panic just yet, we are still 4th and things change very quickly in football.

A lot of United fans have gone into meltdown but I feel more relaxed.


----------



## goku23

Dre12 said:


> Whilst I agree that Van Gaal's luck has run out and I think that CL qualification is looking rocky if things don't improve; it will take a good few years without CL for our competitiveness in the transfer market to wane; assuming that FFP remains in its current form.
> 
> Money talks at the end of day, it is why Champions League football and nearly winning the league still saw Liverpool as the poor man at the top end of the transfer market last summer. Remember that we beat PSG and City to superstar players after finishing 7th. Our financials are still great and we get the Adidas kit deal £75m at the start of next season. Another £150m spend is expected this summer.
> 
> Funnily enough the second half against Swansea was one of our best performances of the season, less the goals, then John Jo Shelvey hit a poor shot that deflected off Gomes's head into the net.
> 
> I feel our main problem has been the ineptitude of Falcao and Van Persie and Van Gaal's insistence of trying to shoe horn both them and Rooney into the team. There is no need to panic just yet, we are still 4th and things change very quickly in football.
> 
> A lot of United fans have gone into meltdown but I feel more relaxed.


thats true, would take two consecutive seasons without CL and that only comes in effect i think from next season.
the adidas deal is unreal, even with a 30% reduced annual payment you're still getting more than many top sides but its the accumulation of that plus the money missing from broadcast revenues and ticket sales from champions league, not to mention qualification and prize money that comes with it.
it's a slippery slope though because they're viable to reduce payments further for every year you're out the CL.
im not sure if the reduced sponsor payments applies to other sponsors like Chevrolet though.

also Fifa are considering making changes to FFP violations to now include debt rather than annual losses.
if that happens then you're in trouble but i don't think it will for some time.

im not sure Utd will be able to pull off another Di Maria in the market should you fail to qualify again tbh.
Di Maria and Falcao have both struggled badly and i have a feeling this may put off the likes of Vidal, Hummels etc but who knows.
I wouldn't put money on them choosing Utd if there are other teams interested.

i wouldn't be as relaxed personally having still to go to Anfield and Stamford Bridge and with City's record at Old Trafford in recent times!


----------



## Dre12

goku23 said:


> thats true, would take two consecutive seasons without CL and that only comes in effect i think from next season.
> the adidas deal is unreal, even with a 30% reduced annual payment you're still getting more than many top sides but its the accumulation of that plus the money missing from broadcast revenues and ticket sales from champions league, not to mention qualification and prize money that comes with it.
> it's a slippery slope though because they're viable to reduce payments further for every year you're out the CL.
> im not sure if the reduced sponsor payments applies to other sponsors like Chevrolet though.
> 
> also Fifa are considering making changes to FFP violations to now include debt rather than annual losses.
> if that happens then you're in trouble but i don't think it will for some time.
> 
> im not sure Utd will be able to pull off another Di Maria in the market should you fail to qualify again tbh.
> Di Maria and Falcao have both struggled badly and i have a feeling this may put off the likes of Vidal, Hummels etc but who knows.
> I wouldn't put money on them choosing Utd if there are other teams interested.
> 
> i wouldn't be as relaxed personally having still to go to Anfield and Stamford Bridge and with City's record at Old Trafford in recent times!


Panic is not a good look!

I think it is that I more at an age where I take it less seriously now. In my early twenties I would have been in meltdown mode. I just want to see more games so I wouldn't be too upset in the Euro Cup. I like seeing the younger players getting a shot which is more likely in that competition too.

Di Maria started sensationally but has tapered off badly. He is really frustrating to watch too as he always tries a Hollywood ball or a shot at goal, invariably those don't come off at the moment. Van Gaal moving him all over the pitch doesn't help either. Louis has really failed in getting the best out of this team. Some of the selections have been absurd in terms of where players have been positioned. We played one game with only one actual midfielder and two centre backs playing as wing backs?!

Falcao is finished. Thank God it is only a loan! Send him to Serie A.

You have to take it on the chin too after all the success we have had over the past twenty years. I actually took a kind of perverse amusement over the David Moyes debacle. It was such a bad appointment that it was comical.


----------



## goku23

Dre12 said:


> Panic is not a good look!
> 
> I think it is that I more at an age where I take it less seriously now. In my early twenties I would have been in meltdown mode. I just want to see more games so I wouldn't be too upset in the Euro Cup. I like seeing the younger players getting a shot which is more likely in that competition too.
> 
> Di Maria started sensationally but has tapered off badly. He is really frustrating to watch too as he always tries a Hollywood ball or a shot at goal, invariably those don't come off at the moment. Van Gaal moving him all over the pitch doesn't help either. Louis has really failed in getting the best out of this team. Some of the selections have been absurd in terms of where players have been positioned. We played one game with only one actual midfielder and two centre backs playing as wing backs?!
> 
> Falcao is finished. Thank God it is only a loan! Send him to Serie A.
> 
> You have to take it on the chin too after all the success we have had over the past twenty years. I actually took a kind of perverse amusement over the David Moyes debacle. It was such a bad appointment that it was comical.


think Falcao would do well in Serie A, slower tempo. 
two ACL ruptures is brutal. one is hard enough to come back from, he's lost his acceleration and mobility but his movement and finishing is still top quality.
i'd have him at LFC in a heartbeat but wages and fee are ridiculous!

Ravel Morrison moving to Serie A in the summer too with Lazio. you see much of him when he was at Utd mate?
imho he's the most gifted English youngster. the ability that kid has is frightening, just a bloody shame about his attitude! i remember watching the LFC v Utd U18 semi final where he completely tore our team up!
this was a team containing Sterling, Suso, Wisdom and Flanagan! 
he was by far the best player on the pitch and has been every youth game i've seen him in.

Belgian kid Pereira looks good, surprised he hasn't had a chance but is very similar to Januzaj...just not as good!


----------



## Dre12

goku23 said:


> think Falcao would do well in Serie A, slower tempo.
> two ACL ruptures is brutal. one is hard enough to come back from, he's lost his acceleration and mobility but his movement and finishing is still top quality.
> i'd have him at LFC in a heartbeat but wages and fee are ridiculous!
> 
> Ravel Morrison moving to Serie A in the summer too with Lazio. you see much of him when he was at Utd mate?
> imho he's the most gifted English youngster. the ability that kid has is frightening, just a bloody shame about his attitude! i remember watching the LFC v Utd U18 semi final where he completely tore our team up!
> this was a team containing Sterling, Suso, Wisdom and Flanagan!
> he was by far the best player on the pitch and has been every youth game i've seen him in.
> 
> Belgian kid Pereira looks good, surprised he hasn't had a chance but is very similar to Januzaj...just not as good!


I was aware of Ravel since he was about 12. He was vaunted as the most talented kid in any age group in any academy in the country, and that was by the head of Man City's academy!

I remember that game against Liverpool. It didn't surprise me that he left though. The ITK journalists around United like Andy Mitten had long reported that he was well off the rails and impossible to control. He had no respect for rules or authority to the point of it being a personality disorder.

It will be interesting to see how it pans out in Italy for him but I think it will end in tears as usual. It is difficult because he was given a £20k a week contract before he had played a full senior game. He will be earning more than that in Italy too. I don't think there is the motivation there from him to progress.

Pereira is good. He is less of a dribbler than Januzaj but more of a dead ball specialist. He is a little bit cocky too which is good to see. His contract is up this summer so I wouldn't be surprised to see him leave. We have a £30m player sat on the bench that he is competing with!

The next big hope, or little hope, is a lad called Angel Gomes, he is the son of a former Portuguese U21 player but was raised in Manchester and plays for England at youth level. He recently won player of the tournament in a five a-side competition featuring Barca and Ajax. He has been playing well above his age group for a number of years and is seen at this point as being extra special. Long way to go yet though.

What happened to Suso? Always thought he was really talented. Ibe is stepping up well too.


----------



## goku23

Dre12 said:


> I was aware of Ravel since he was about 12. He was vaunted as the most talented kid in any age group in any academy in the country, and that was by the head of Man City's academy!
> 
> I remember that game against Liverpool. It didn't surprise me that he left though. The ITK journalists around United like Andy Mitten had long reported that he was well off the rails and impossible to control. He had no respect for rules or authority to the point of it being a personality disorder.
> 
> It will be interesting to see how it pans out in Italy for him but I think it will end in tears as usual. It is difficult because he was given a £20k a week contract before he had played a full senior game. He will be earning more than that in Italy too. I don't think there is the motivation there from him to progress.
> 
> Pereira is good. He is less of a dribbler than Januzaj but more of a dead ball specialist. He is a little bit cocky too which is good to see. His contract is up this summer so I wouldn't be surprised to see him leave. We have a £30m player sat on the bench that he is competing with!
> 
> The next big hope, or little hope, is a lad called Angel Gomes, he is the son of a former Portuguese U21 player but was raised in Manchester and plays for England at youth level. He recently won player of the tournament in a five a-side competition featuring Barca and Ajax. He has been playing well above his age group for a number of years and is seen at this point as being extra special. Long way to go yet though.
> 
> What happened to Suso? Always thought he was really talented. Ibe is stepping up well too.


he needed the right manager at that age, Fergie was coming to his end and i think they mishandled him by just throwing a big contract at him without giving any guidance or man managing him like he needed.
he's an idiot to be fair though, done a lot of stupid things.
but i think Pogba was mishandled also, with him and Ravel you could have had a world class central mid set for the next decade!

ending up as another John Bostock it seems unfortunately, Bostock is actually doing well now in Belgium at last!

...Suso wanted 1st team football which we couldn't guarantee so decided to go to AC Milan. talented player but lacks substance to go with his style. 
i would have preferred to keep and develop him rather than flush 25 mil down the toilet on Lallana!
but we have better players in our academy, potentially.

Ibe is a beast, been tearing up defences since he made his 1st team debut at Wycombe aged 15!
can be up there with Sterling but a player who i think has the ability to surpass both of them is young Sheyi Ojo, different kind of player but has a Pogba element to his game.
just went on loan to Wigan and already their best player according to their fan forums.

for me though, Chelsea and City have the most talented academies right now.
Jeremie Boga is just on another level. Solanke, Izzy Brown and Loftus-Cheek are all top level players potentially.
just a shame they wont get a look in while Mourinho is there!


----------



## Dre12

goku23 said:


> he needed the right manager at that age, Fergie was coming to his end and i think they mishandled him by just throwing a big contract at him without giving any guidance or man managing him like he needed.
> he's an idiot to be fair though, done a lot of stupid things.
> but i think Pogba was mishandled also, with him and Ravel you could have had a world class central mid set for the next decade!
> 
> for me though, Chelsea and City have the most talented academies right now.
> Jeremie Boga is just on another level. Solanke, Izzy Brown and Loftus-Cheek are all top level players potentially.
> just a shame they wont get a look in while Mourinho is there!


He cocked up with Pogba for sure by not trusting him to play. The agent wanted to move him as well though. We don't pay renegotiating fees on contracts and Raiola earned £1m from moving him. But yeah Pogba was unhappy and the agent saw that.

Don't agree with Ravel, however, Fergie can't be expected to bring up all the kids. Ravel was crazy and refused help from everyone. Rio even offered to let him move in with him but he refused. He comes from a really poor part of Manchester and liked running with all the young thugs. Fergie's character witness statement in court was said to have saved him from prison but he still dicked around after that.

We are top of the U21s ATM, though a few sides, including Pool, can overtake us if they win their games in hand. City aren't doing to well. Our U18s dicked City 5-2 a couple of weeks ago too. City are winning at the levels below that but have been criticised for coaching the players to win games when most believe kids that age should be encouraged to express themselves on the pitch, that is how United do it up to u16 level.

Brown and Loftus-Cheek are quality, my only reservation is that they are both highly physically developed in that age group, we might see them level out in the seniors. Brown is the best English player in his age group for me though.

Looks like you guys are going to poach a lad called Callum Gribbin from us at the end of the season. A lot of youth football watchers on the United forums rate him very highly. I wasn't as high on him. He is a tall, silky two footed playmaker.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Oh man, BBC 5Live's Monday Night podcast is so awesome this week, it's all arguing, so entertaining, the Matic incident, Man-U, good stuff. 

City/Barca should be interesting tomorrow


----------



## goku23

Dre12 said:


> He cocked up with Pogba for sure by not trusting him to play. The agent wanted to move him as well though. We don't pay renegotiating fees on contracts and Raiola earned £1m from moving him. But yeah Pogba was unhappy and the agent saw that.
> 
> Don't agree with Ravel, however, Fergie can't be expected to bring up all the kids. Ravel was crazy and refused help from everyone. Rio even offered to let him move in with him but he refused. He comes from a really poor part of Manchester and liked running with all the young thugs. Fergie's character witness statement in court was said to have saved him from prison but he still dicked around after that.
> 
> We are top of the U21s ATM, though a few sides, including Pool, can overtake us if they win their games in hand. City aren't doing to well. Our U18s dicked City 5-2 a couple of weeks ago too. City are winning at the levels below that but have been criticised for coaching the players to win games when most believe kids that age should be encouraged to express themselves on the pitch, that is how United do it up to u16 level.
> 
> Brown and Loftus-Cheek are quality, my only reservation is that they are both highly physically developed in that age group, we might see them level out in the seniors. Brown is the best English player in his age group for me though.
> 
> Looks like you guys are going to poach a lad called Callum Gribbin from us at the end of the season. A lot of youth football watchers on the United forums rate him very highly. I wasn't as high on him. He is a tall, silky two footed playmaker.


i dont really look too seriously into points won in the u21 league, your last game against us you had Anderson, Rafael, Valdes and even Carrick made a few appearances. average age difference between the sides was big, you're going to win more points the more senior players you play and a lot of sides do that for them to gain fitness etc

in terms of individual talent though, City are up there although their best players in that age group are out on loan - Rony Lopes is insanely good and Denayer is one of the best young cb's ive seen at that age. will almost certainly be with the 1st team next ssn.
probably saw Kelechi Iheanacho in pre-season for them, him and Boga for Chelsea are the two best young players in England for me in that age group

shame Guidetti wont make it there but he's available on a free in the summer and would be a really clever signing for a prem team.

great point about CFC's youngsters, lot of them are physically superior for that age and a few have made the point that it won't translate to senior football because its a level playing field. 
but the likes of Boga and Solanke are technically superior moreso than physically. Brown and Loftus-Cheek though dominate in large part due to their strength and physical traits, having said that Loftus-Cheek has a made a couple 1st team appearances for them and did extremely well.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

30 minutes back in England & Suarez is as potent as ever...I wonder what the odds were before kickoff on him getting a hat trick


----------



## goku23

would love to see Juve cause a surprise and win the whole thing!
my favourite Italian team growing up - Buffon, Cannavaro, Thuram, Davids, Nedved, Del Piero, Trezeguet...what a team! Lippi as manager too!

best central midfield in the world for me now too: Pirlo-Pogba-Vidal
Tevez perfect for them, kid Coman looks freakin class as well


----------



## Dre12

Horror show defensive performance from City. Work should get fun tomorrow with all the giddy City fans.


----------



## goku23

reckon Pellegrini's future is already decided tbh
no league, no future at City.
Simeone maybe although Guardiola's the owners dream manager.
maybe wait another year and poach Pep - Txiki and Soriano already there. Rodolfo Borrell too, a mini Barcelona they've got behind the scenes...only Guardiola missing


----------



## Dre12

goku23 said:


> reckon Pellegrini's future is already decided tbh
> no league, no future at City.
> Simeone maybe although Guardiola's the owners dream manager.
> maybe wait another year and poach Pep - Txiki and Soriano already there. Rodolfo Borrell too, a mini Barcelona they've got behind the scenes...only Guardiola missing


I don't think that they have bought well in recent seasons. Since they brought in Toure, Silva and Aguerro I don't think any of their signings have been unqualified successes. That is actually on Txiki and Soriano. I mean Mangala is the most expensive defender in history!

We often go on about managers but you have to get the right players through the door too and there is an element of luck in that too.


----------



## goku23

Dre12 said:


> I don't think that they have bought well in recent seasons. Since they brought in Toure, Silva and Aguerro I don't think any of their signings have been unqualified successes. That is actually on Txiki and Soriano. I mean Mangala is the most expensive defender in history!
> 
> We often go on about managers but you have to get the right players through the door too and there is an element of luck in that too.


they've bought really poorly mate, Txiki has never been a great DoF imo! Barce's recruitment has been shady at best over the past decade since he's been there, their best players were of course homegrown from la masia, covered up for many poor buys - Caceras, Chygrynsky, Henrique, that brazilian kid Kerrison, even going back to Hleb and Milito
Ronaldinho i remember was personally signed by the president, same with Eto'o. Zlatan was just the wrong player at the wrong club for a very wrong price!

Navas and Negredo were big money buys too, they'll get their money back for Negredo but Navas hasn't come close to justifying the price tag.
lol spot on about Mangala! i think people forget he's the most expensive defender in premier league history! 
Fernandinho and Fernando just criminal buys too. has a lot to make up for Txiki! 
think Soriano is just the chief exec so handles fee/wage negotiations...can argue he's even worse than Txiki considering what they paid for Mangala and Fernandinho!

not sure how they'll overcome FFP in the summer window, need some quality for sure. Yaya ageing and two Brazilians not cutting it. Kompany been poor since last Jan.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

It must be unbelievably frustrating being Arsene Wenger, his team are either brilliant or horrid & now he's just got a booted in the face by his former club at home


----------



## goku23

Monsieur Wenger...your boys took one HELL of a beating!
must suck being an Arsenal fan, the sulky ba$tard didn't even shake the Monaco manager's hand afterwards!
hope he gets mooned by him next time!


----------



## gunner21

^ The best part about Arsenal losing is the reaction from Piers Morgan.


----------



## Joe

**** can't complain disappointing from sturr and well everyone else, if only lambert had some pace to go along with his heading, not sure why we didn't bring on lallana earlier 

i was surrpised at penalty order, didnt think allen would be 4th or lovren 5th, had little faith in either, was expecvting sterling or toure to take one, lovren simply isnt good enough will probably ship him out and bring in wisdom

maybe the ref from basel cost us by banning markovic


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> **** can't complain disappointing from sturr and well everyone else, if only lambert had some pace to go along with his heading, not sure why we didn't bring on lallana earlier
> 
> i was surrpised at penalty order, didnt think allen would be 4th or lovren 5th, had little faith in either, was expecvting sterling or toure to take one, lovren simply isnt good enough will probably ship him out and bring in wisdom
> 
> maybe the ref from basel cost us by banning markovic


not the ref from Basel who cost us mate (although it was a shocking decision!) Rodgers can't play for a draw.

tactically he got it wrong. players were poor especially Sturridge and Sterling (but Sterling is a kid who has been badly overplayed, have to expect a dip somewhere down the line)
but all Rodgers had to do was set us up to draw. he did the exact same against Chelsea last season when Stevie had the slip.

we didn't need Sterling, Sturridge and Balo on the pitch for the counter attack yesterday.
a fresh Borini and one of them was enough. Allen and Can needed someone with them - Jordan Williams even would have been good.
Can showed last night that he isn't a DM, left Allen on his own on multiple occasions.
even though they're young, Pedro Chirivela and Jordan Williams are good DM's who solely play to shield the defence and break up play. Pedro especially is really good at this and being eyed by Real Madrid, he really should be involved in the 1st team by now. not regularly starting but drip fed for occasions like this.
Valencia tried to sue us for poaching him, rated as the best young talent in their ranks since Isco.

its a bit annoying, last season Mourinho offered Rodgers a draw on a plate. just look at the team he selected and how they set up - Mourinho had zero intention to win, obviously couldnt set up to lose but basically almost said to Rodgers - here...take the draw and the title is yours!! we wont lose but neither will you, draw here and all you need is a win at Palace for the title.
Rodgers set up all out attack - high line, everyone forward where one slip would cost us....and it did.

to be a top manager you cant be tactically naive, Rodgers has been at crucial times.
as much as i respect him for the turnaround and as much as i want him to succeed because he seems like an honest fella - i just cant ignore the fact that the changes he made which led to our recent run were forced on him because of injury:
Lovren injured so Sakho had to come in, didnt get a look in before that despite being without a doubt our best defender.
G.Johnson and Gerrard injured, didn't trust Manquillo so switched to 3 at the back with Can coming in defence and Markovic as wingback as we didn't have another rightback or centre half (Toure away at ACoN)
before that how many games did Can start? was our best player against Chelsea at home where he scored but dropped for the next game when Gerrard returned.
Gerrard shouldn't be anywhere near the starting 11 but he was time and time again?


----------



## goku23

also you know yourself Rodgers is pretty shocking in the transfer market - Lovren, Lallana and Lambert were all his buys. 25mil combined for Allen and Borini before that. 
Can, Markovic, Sakho, Coutinho, Sturridge were all players identified by the committee but to be fair Rodgers did give the green light to so credit for that.

with a Klopp or a De Boer or a Simeone (wishful thinking i know!) in charge we also have to think that they will be able to attract a higher calibre of player. they're big names who top players will appreciate. Rodgers isn't outside of England.
plus just look at what they've achieved - Klopp won the double for the first time in club's history and back to back titles as well as a champions league final despite having a smaller budget than the top 6 of the PL
De Boer won 3 titles in a row despite Ajax having not won it for 7 years!
Simeone won the title over Real and Barca, made the champions league final - all with a wagebill smaller than QPR's!

not saying i want Rodgers sacked, but if we dont get 4th this season despite us spending over 100mil? ......what was he saying about Spurs last season and them spending over 100mil? might come back to haunt him, especially if one of the three above are available.


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> not saying i want Rodgers sacked, but if we dont get 4th this season despite us spending over 100mil? ......what was he saying about Spurs last season and them spending over 100mil? might come back to haunt him, especially if one of the three above are available.


It's the nature of the league. City/Chelsea/Arsenal/United all have expensive squads, if that's the expected top 4. Liverpool and Spurs do too so that makes 6 rich teams competing for 4 spots to attract the highest quality players. If you aren't at City or Chelsea (United should keep throwing money and sort it out eventually) you aren't guaranteed CL football, Arsenal is a likelihood but still their form is crazy.

Klopp/Simone had the benefits of teams not driving prices up and good prospects coming through the squad. The leagues aren't as competitive for CL spots as the PL either so after they became more solid they were attractive to players for Europe. Also in Dortmunds case they only have Bayern as a rich club so they can compete better with other teams and only rely on Bayern to slip up (instead of 2-3 rich teams from the PL) to win it. Simone is unbelievable but I highly doubt they'd come close to the title if they managed Spurs or even us. If they came now though they'd have the reptuation to bring in quality players, I could imagine Simone at Chelsea if Mourinho ever decides to leave again.

But yeah you are spot on about the tactics, we didn't shift much when Besiktas looked dangerous. Rodgers seems to take a while but he does adjust the team eventually, think if we are considering him long term this season is a good indicator since he sorted out his defensive issues. Only two major problems which are him taking forever to change things (or waiting for injuries) and the lack of reputation when bringing in new players. We still need another proper DM when Lucas is out, someone better than Delph hopefully.

Don't think Fenway want Rodgers out but if those incredible exceptions are available then I could understand. Think we could definitely get De Boer, though I'd prefer to give Rodgers time since I like British managers getting a chance. Imo we'd have a couple 'top' British Managers (Rodgers or Moyes have the highest reputation currently, that is very telling) if the league was more like Bundesliga or La Liga since more managers get chances to work their way up to the CL or European spots.

Rodgers talks too much sometimes, think he should keep quiet lol


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> It's the nature of the league. City/Chelsea/Arsenal/United all have expensive squads, if that's the expected top 4. Liverpool and Spurs do too so that makes 6 rich teams competing for 4 spots to attract the highest quality players. If you aren't at City or Chelsea (United should keep throwing money and sort it out eventually) you aren't guaranteed CL football, Arsenal is a likelihood but still their form is crazy.
> 
> Klopp/Simone had the benefits of teams not driving prices up and good prospects coming through the squad. The leagues aren't as competitive for CL spots as the PL either so after they became more solid they were attractive to players for Europe. Also in Dortmunds case they only have Bayern as a rich club so they can compete better with other teams and only rely on Bayern to slip up (instead of 2-3 rich teams from the PL) to win it. Simone is unbelievable but I highly doubt they'd come close to the title if they managed Spurs or even us. If they came now though they'd have the reptuation to bring in quality players, I could imagine Simone at Chelsea if Mourinho ever decides to leave again.
> 
> But yeah you are spot on about the tactics, we didn't shift much when Besiktas looked dangerous. Rodgers seems to take a while but he does adjust the team eventually, think if we are considering him long term this season is a good indicator since he sorted out his defensive issues. Only two major problems which are him taking forever to change things (or waiting for injuries) and the lack of reputation when bringing in new players. We still need another proper DM when Lucas is out, someone better than Delph hopefully.
> 
> Don't think Fenway want Rodgers out but if those incredible exceptions are available then I could understand. Think we could definitely get De Boer, though I'd prefer to give Rodgers time since I like British managers getting a chance. Imo we'd have a couple 'top' British Managers (Rodgers or Moyes have the highest reputation currently, that is very telling) if the league was more like Bundesliga or La Liga since more managers get chances to work their way up to the CL or European spots.
> 
> Rodgers talks too much sometimes, think he should keep quiet lol


he does talk a lot sometimes! lol can tell he's a blagger! 
im not a fan of the fake tan and new knashers he got either! lol

cant say i agree with your first point mate, mainly because Dortmund and Atletico weren't vying for champions league spots but winning the freakin title in their respective leagues! the same leagues which contain the 3 best teams in world football who also have squads which cost over double and in some cases treble theirs!
Dortmund won the league with a first choice 11 costing just over 40mil euros - ahead of Bayern, with Ribery and Neur alone costing more than Dortmunds entire team.

they had champions league football before that and were known as one of the top clubs in Germany so you can't say selling clubs didn't put their prices up for them. likewise Atletico - won the europa league and were in the champions league so of course selling clubs would have increased their prices for players - moreso than we faced because we finished out the top 6 for consecutive seasons.
its just that they bought smartly - we signed Carroll for 35mil, Downing for 20mil and the likes of Adam, Enrique who were nowhere near the required quality and now 50mil for the Soton trio.
while they signed Lewandowski, Gundogan, Bender, Hummels, Subotic all for under 5mil euros each.

only youth prospects Dortmund had come through was Gotze and Atletico was only Koke.

the disparity between Dortmund and Bayern and Atletico with Barca/Real is FAR bigger than us and City, Chelsea.
Valencia, Sevilla, Villareal are extremely competitive!! likewise Wolfsburg who had Dzeko, Mandzukic and Misimovic and Schalke, Leverkusen also (They were only crap under Hyypia!).
just look at what Bilbao (considered mid-tier in la liga) did to a Fergie managed Man Utd!

Fiorentina are 5th in Serie A widely considered an average league, Monaco 4th in Ligue 1 again though of as far inferior to the PL
Besiktas....just forget it lol
yet they beat our teams and in the other cases - easily.
Man City elite team in the PL, completely brushed aside by Barca.
Chelsea were lucky not to lose against PSG.

PL is the most entertaining league in the world but it definitely isn't the best when it comes to quality and tactics imho

if Rodgers won the league last season it wouldn't have been as impressive as Dortmund and especially Atletico doing it - the gap between them and the top teams in their leagues was far bigger.


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> cant say i agree with your first point mate, mainly because Dortmund and Atletico weren't vying for champions league spots but winning the freakin title in their respective leagues! the same leagues which contain the 3 best teams in world football who also have squads which cost over double and in some cases treble theirs!
> Dortmund won the league with a first choice 11 costing just over 40mil euros - ahead of Bayern, with Ribery and Neur alone costing more than Dortmunds entire team.
> 
> the disparity between Dortmund and Bayern and Atletico with Barca/Real is FAR bigger than us and City, Chelsea.
> Valencia, Sevilla, Villareal are extremely competitive!! likewise Wolfsburg who had Dzeko, Mandzukic and Misimovic and Schalke, Leverkusen also (They were only crap under Hyypia!).
> just look at what Bilbao (considered mid-tier in la liga) did to a Fergie managed Man Utd!
> 
> PL is the most entertaining league in the world but it definitely isn't the best when it comes to quality and tactics imho
> 
> if Rodgers won the league last season it wouldn't have been as impressive as Dortmund and especially Atletico doing it - the gap between them and the top teams in their leagues was far bigger.


Bayern upped themselves to the top after Henyckes last season, not saying they weren't fantastic when Dortmund won it but they weren't on the level of Madrid/Barca. Hyppia done well in his first season (I think) but he suddenly dropped. Not sure I agree about Bilbao and United, since Fergie done well in Europe against much better teams.

Don't think it's be as impressive as Atletico winning it but I think it would have been just as impressive if not more than Dortmund, since we get inflated fees over here (maybe we should be scouting Germany more often) and if any clubs fail to get CL they are at risk of losing their best players to top clubs and will have trouble picking targets (but again, no reason why we can't scout foreign countries).


----------



## Joe

wonder goals today


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> wonder goals today


Coutinho's extra work on finishing after training is paying off! 
not easy to outdo Silva as an AM, kid is only 22 as well most people forget.
dreading the day Real Madrid come calling for him in a few years!

we were perfect in the 2nd half, City were abysmal though. Pellegrini's gone for sure, his face said it all in the post match interview, knows whats coming.

credit to Rodgers for bigging up Allen at the end, he was immense today with Hendo. ran the midfield in the 2nd half. lallana had a great game too, just missed that clinical edge to go with his good work.
Sturridge added that though when he came on - opened em up so many times, difference of Lallana being a good player and a top one. 
needs to keep it up though because he was poor against Soton and Besiktas.

4th place here we come!


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> Bayern upped themselves to the top after Henyckes last season, not saying they weren't fantastic when Dortmund won it but they weren't on the level of Madrid/Barca. Hyppia done well in his first season (I think) but he suddenly dropped. Not sure I agree about Bilbao and United, since Fergie done well in Europe against much better teams.
> 
> Don't think it's be as impressive as Atletico winning it but I think it would have been just as impressive if not more than Dortmund, since we get inflated fees over here (maybe we should be scouting Germany more often) and if any clubs fail to get CL they are at risk of losing their best players to top clubs and will have trouble picking targets (but again, no reason why we can't scout foreign countries).


neither were Dortmund though, Bayern weren't on that elite level at the time but Dortmund were even further behind back then - just look at their squads and where Dortmund finished for the previous seasons compared to Bayern:

10th, 9th, 13th - 
Klopp took over after they finished 13th - then 6th, 5th, 1st, 
1st again including a double, 2nd including a champions league final, 2nd.

Bayern, the lowest they've finished since 1994/95 was 4th...in 1 season only. since the turn of teh century they've won 8 titles!
and i was probably a bit harsh on saying they werent an elite team because since 2009 they've been champions league runners up twice, winners once and were semi-finalists last year.
when dortmund won the league look at the squad difference in key areas:
Ribery v Kagawa (new to the league, no european experience)
Robben v Barrios
Van Bommel v Bender
Schweinsteiger v Kehl
Klose/Muller v Lewandowski (new to the league)
Kroos v Sahin

on paper Dortmund shouldnt have been close to winning the league, let alone for 2 consecutive seasons and win the double and make the champions league final in amidst of doing all that!

Chelsea were in transition last season, Torres and Eto'o up front...and Ba!
Man Utd all over the place, Arsenal they're usual inconsistent selves,
Man City under a manager who's probably proved beyond doubt now that he's tactically inept to be considered elite level.
we had Suarez, Sturridge, no European football, no domestic comps because were knocked out of all of them...only competition was a premier league where the big clubs struggled.
how can that be as impressive as what Dortmund did??
inflated prices? nobody put a gun to Rodgers head to spunk 50 mil on Lallana and Lovren - or 25mil on Allen and Borini when Dortmund bought superior players for less than a fraction of the price - whole freakin team for under 50mil euros!

what Atletico and Dortmund did and are doing (Dortmund will finish top 6) is more impressive than anything we've done. not even a contest imho
plus it wasn't just Bilbao brushing aside a good Utd team under Fergie, 
they didn't make it out of a champions league group containing Basel, Romanian side Galati and Benfica.
season before that they made the final but look who they faced getting there - Marseille (well less than average team back then), a Chelsea team who fell to pieces when they spunked 50mil on Torres and 25 on Luiz (Ancelotti's last season before he was sacked), then Schalke in the semi's who had a fraction of Utd's budget.
season before that they were knocked out by Bayern Munich ironically!
point being is that the Premier League is overhyped in terms of its quality. looking at the English clubs' records in Europe compared to Spain and Germany's helps demonstrate that.

...so us coming close to winning a league in which we played one game a week (as we had no other competitions) is not as impressive as Dortmund and Atletico winning their leagues which imo are better quality while having European campaigns and domestic cup comps which both were successful in...all on a much lower budget and wage bill than ours...even if we won last ssn its still not as impressive as what they did imo!
you will never convince me otherwise mate!
a top manager will make a HUGE difference to a squad that shouldnt be competing at that level.
what Simeone and Klopp did was immense imo


----------



## Dre12

Diego Costa trolling the League Cup final.


----------



## goku23

Dre12 said:


> Diego Costa trolling the League Cup final.


lol kane v costa 
will be interesting to see who does it, kane i think has a better goals to minute ratio which i found surprising!
costa's done it for 3 seasons on the trot though


----------



## Dre12

goku23 said:


> lol kane v costa
> will be interesting to see who does it, kane i think has a better goals to minute ratio which i found surprising!
> costa's done it for 3 seasons on the trot though


UGH, big brave John scores.

I like Kane. I hope that he spoils Mou's afternoon.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I thank Liverpool for doing us a favour while we were busy winning Mourinho's first trophy since his return to England, great strikes by Henderson & Coutinho! Seems the engineer has gummed up the works ths week...


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Anyone got thoughts of Martinez at Everton & how much time he has left there?


----------



## goku23

Canadian Brotha said:


> Anyone got thoughts of Martinez at Everton & how much time he has left there?


the parallels are there with his last ssn with wigan when they were relegated - had 30 points from 30 games and were relegated.
everton have 28 points from 28 games!

was surprised to see some of their stats this season - in the bottom two for lowest shots on target, attempts at goal, whole bunch of other stats i cant remember too!
have only won two league games since December....they're in trouble!
but looking at Villa, Burnley, QPR and Hull I think Everton will have enough quality to stay up.
being knocked out the Europa league imo would be a blessing in disguise...or they might go the way of wigan - win a cup but getting relegated.

if they do go down, there will be a huge queue for Coleman, McCarthy, Barkley, Jagielka and Baines!
with their squad, no way should they be where they are. 
poor coaching??
think they've struggled juggling Europe and PL - Thursday Sunday fixtures took their toll and resulting losses has screwed their confidence in the league.
look a different team in Europe. might be worth them hiring good ole Dr Steve Peeters for a bit of psychiatry!
was great for the GB athletics team at the olympics and with us for our title charge last season.
think he's with England now....thats asking a bit much though! he's not a miracle worker!


----------



## Elad

harsh harsh red for ibra, his luck/form vs. mourinho continues

feel like this could still be on for psg though, just one screamer from someone


----------



## Canadian Brotha

This is by far our worst performance of the season. All season long we've road our luck in a number of games despite some fluid goals when we have scored along the way. For so much of this season pundits & everyone who's not a Chelsea fan have been raving about the team but I've been paying close attention to the underlying faults. We've reached the point where the players are clearly tired & figured out by opposition players & Mourinho is going for his usual pragmatic grind it out approach(which doesn't always work). The red for Ibra was definitely harsh, should have been yellows for him & Oscar. Costa also should have received a second yellow & been sent off. Bullet header from Luiz who I think we could have actually kept as a midfielder...though that's another discussion. Talk about a raunchy game but full credit to PSG for fighting to the bitter death. Well played, well deserved. I kinda hope we play PSG again next season & keep this rivalry going...


----------



## goku23

Canadian Brotha said:


> This is by far our worst performance of the season. All season long we've road our luck in a number of games despite some fluid goals when we have scored along the way. For so much of this season pundits & everyone who's not a Chelsea fan have been raving about the team but I've been paying close attention to the underlying faults. We've reached the point where the players are clearly tired & figured out by opposition players & Mourinho is going for his usual pragmatic grind it out approach(which doesn't always work). The red for Ibra was definitely harsh, should have been yellows for him & Oscar. Costa also should have received a second yellow & been sent off. Bullet header from Luiz who I think we could have actually kept as a midfielder...though that's another discussion. Talk about a raunchy game but full credit to PSG for fighting to the bitter death. Well played, well deserved. I kinda hope we play PSG again next season & keep this rivalry going...


gotta take it in context - CFC been praised all season but who was the opposition? PL teams
ive been having this debate with Joe in this thread for a while - premier league is badly overrated in terms of quality!
its inferior to the bundesliga and la liga and seemingly ligue 1 too! 
Chelsea dominant in the league, look unbeatable (apart from that freak spurs result!)
were outplayed against Atletico last season and PSG this.
PSG were also unlucky last season against you too, almost won.

i dont think tiredness has much to do with it, last season Atletico used the same eleven more than anyone in the champions league and their domestic league yet won the league and reached the final.
they have a winter break but you guys have a much bigger squad so that compensates.
i just think its the fact that our league is tactically lacking and lacking in quality.

Chelsea play mediocre opposition weekly so imo don't have the capacity to raise their game to the required level in Europe despite the fact that they have just as good if not better players than the European teams.
player v player individually there wasn't a lot to choose from between you and PSG:
Silva > Terry...but the rest?
Matic > Motta
Fabregas > Verratti
Hazard > Pastore
Ivanovic > Marquinhos
Azpi > Maxwell
Oscar = Cavani
Costa = Ibra

just look at the difference between teams outside of the title challengers in each league (imo):
Valencia, Sevilla, Villareal > Liverpool, Arsenal, Man Utd
Bayer Leverkusen, Wolfsburg, Schalke > Liverpool, Arsenal, Man Utd

...people are judging by the results from a few years ago but things have changed massively since then - Wolfsburg, Leverkusen, Schalke, Villareal, Sevillla and others are all bearing the fruits of investing in youth development and having better transfer policies and scouting networks.
not to mention better coaches:
Unai Emery, Nuno, Marcelinho, Klopp, Schmidt > Rodgers, Wenger (has stagnated in recent times, tactically un-adaptable), Van Gaal and Pellegrini (as above- Pellegrini sacked from Real and mediocre with Malaga)

Koeman with Soton and Tottenham with Pochettino though are going in the right direction imo
they have excellent modern coaches and rapidly improving transfer/scouting policies (Spurs trying to model after Roma but got the wrong director of football - its Sabatini not Baldini who was the brains behind Roma's recruitment!) 
and also both have very good academies after prioritising their youth development in recent times - Southampton more so.

but rest of the league is stuck in pre-dated methods regarding recruitment/scouting, coaching and youth development which makes for a mediocre league which Chelsea face on a weekly basis.


----------



## gunner21

always a pleasure to see mourinho and costa lose.


----------



## PGVan

I generally do think Ibrahimovic is a classless piece of s***, but I loved and agreed with his comments after his red card... Looked like there were 11 Chelsea babies around him.

I love the game, I follow PSV Eindhoven and Oranje religiously.... but this garbage tactic of surrounding referees (in any situation) has to stop. I think Kuipers just plain got it wrong with the red card. It happens. Referees are just like players and have bad games too, but it was also Chelsea who were all over him before he took out the card, and Kuipers had the card out real f***ing quick. He had made a decision in their favour, albeit a poor one, and their players were still all over him! The general attitude towards referees and officials in every sport is downright criminal, and it's embarrassing to everyone involved.


----------



## Elad

Damn that chelsea loss seems to have brought the haters out of the woodwork, at least online anyway.

It was a very poor game from chelsea who should have went on the front foot to kill the game off, instead we get the usual mourinho tactics of playing not to lose.

On the ref decisions, yeah, the Ibra card was bad but lets not pretend any other team wouldn't react the same to a tackle like that. The clear pen not being called leveled that out somewhat; but its still piss poor refereeing.

Then you have the elbow on Costa that wasn't noticed and everyone wants to overlook, instead saying the push should have been a red, when if you look at it, it wasn't much of a shove at all vs. a damn elbow in the face.

It seems everyone wants a villain and Chelsea are the perfect target, the way people talk you'd think every decision went for them.

PSG are a team full of world class players so this result isn't too shocking.. well deserved win too.

The real embarrassment for the underachieving premier league teams is Arsenals 3-1 loss at home to Monaco. It'll be fun watching them go full attack to make up those goals but jesus thats the kind of score that gets managers fired at elite level clubs.

One I'm looking forward to the most is Barca/City, I feel like city have a chance but only if Dzeko is absolutely clinical with the set piece/crosses he gets. Too wasteful with his head in the first leg. Then again I wouldn't put money on City.


----------



## typemismatch

Is Mourinho under-performing at Chelsea? Something doesn't quite feel right there. Perhaps just his aura has worn off. The best teams to me are the ones where the players wholeheartedly believe in the manager's philosophy and are an embodiment on the manager on the pitch. Man Utd had this with Fergie, even with average players. His successor was always doomed to fail because of that. Chelsea had it the first time around with Mourinho, but it doesn't feel quite right so far this time. Maybe just some summer tweaking required. This is the best premier league squad since Man Utd 2008-10. They should be doing better than this. I sometimes think Mourinho's negativity is translating to his players too much.

I like that David Luis scored. It annoyed me people in this country criticizing him for being a poor defender because he doesn't defend in the British way. He is top class. Great defensively. A big game player (with the ..erm... one exception), and great on the ball. As a Man Utd fan it is embarrassing how poor our defenders are on the ball.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I'm glad City lost today, gives us more of an advantage if we win tomorrow vs Saints. Also makes things interesting cause Arsenal are right on their tails now as well. It'll be interesting if the Gunners finish second and retain the FA Cup, then despite all his hardship Wenger could retire on top


----------



## Dre12

If United and Liverpool win this weekend then it opens up positions 2,3 and 4 for a serious 'rat race' in the run in.

Rumours are that United have already agreed deals for three players. I think that Clyne and Depay are nailed on. The third could be Berahino as he was at Old Trafford with his agent for the Arsenal game but I am not sure.


----------



## Paper Samurai

Dre12 said:


> If United and Liverpool win this weekend then it opens up positions 2,3 and 4 for a serious 'rat race' in the run in.
> 
> Rumours are that United have already agreed deals for three players. I think that Clyne and Depay are nailed on. The third could be Berahino as he was at Old Trafford with his agent for the Arsenal game but I am not sure.


You'd think they'd learn a lesson buying an overrated English fullback from Southampton :sus


----------



## Reckoner7

Elad said:


> Damn that chelsea loss seems to have brought the haters out of the woodwork, at least online anyway.


Aren't all the haters out already, seems everyone is pretty clear on where they stand with Chelsea lately.


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> gotta take it in context - CFC been praised all season but who was the opposition? PL teams
> ive been having this debate with Joe in this thread for a while - premier league is badly overrated in terms of quality!
> its inferior to the bundesliga and la liga and seemingly ligue 1 too!
> Chelsea dominant in the league, look unbeatable (apart from that freak spurs result!)
> were outplayed against Atletico last season and PSG this.
> PSG were also unlucky last season against you too, almost won.
> 
> i dont think tiredness has much to do with it, last season Atletico used the same eleven more than anyone in the champions league and their domestic league yet won the league and reached the final.
> they have a winter break but you guys have a much bigger squad so that compensates.
> i just think its the fact that our league is tactically lacking and lacking in quality.
> 
> Chelsea play mediocre opposition weekly so imo don't have the capacity to raise their game to the required level in Europe despite the fact that they have just as good if not better players than the European teams.
> player v player individually there wasn't a lot to choose from between you and PSG:
> Silva > Terry...but the rest?
> Matic > Motta
> Fabregas > Verratti
> Hazard > Pastore
> Ivanovic > Marquinhos
> Azpi > Maxwell
> Oscar = Cavani
> Costa = Ibra


I think Chelsea aren't the team they were at the start of the season, any Mourinho team has a chance in the big games though since he isn't afraid to grind out results, even though they lost they are a top European team, tier below Real/Bayern/Barca/Atletico is Chelsea/PSG and maybe Dortmund (not in any specific order).

It feels like there are less massive teams with Liverpool/United/AC/Inter/Juve and even Arsenal on the decline, Dortmund/Atletico replaced them (not sure about Dortmund now) and PSG are there now too. I don't get why English clubs aren't doing well, especially City. It's of their own doing but City/Arsenal in recent years have been against the very best in the round of 16 (not including Monaco).


----------



## spurs13

Reckoner7 said:


> Aren't all the haters out already, seems everyone is pretty clear on where they stand with Chelsea lately.


http://i.guim.co.uk/static/w--/h--/.../28/1398677713764/Diego-Costa-gallery-004.jpg


----------



## spurs13

Paper Samurai said:


> You'd think they'd learn a lesson buying an overrated English fullback from Southampton :sus


I hope they do and stay away from him cause Clyne is one of the few English players who's actually good :yes


----------



## Elad

Too many missed chances in that first half, 70 minute mark and the tie is slipping away.


----------



## villadb

Ooh I think they might do this. Monaco have screwed up a few fairly simple counter attacks and may pay for it. Good finish by Ramsey that.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

At least Arsenal made a proper go of it despite crashing out, a win still keeps their momentum going with their top 4 & FA Cup runs


----------



## apx24

****ing out again, I really thought we were going to win it after Ramsey netted in the second, especially after we had a chance where the goalie stopped the ball on the line a couple of minuted afterwards.

Oh well, FA Cup for us this year is fine by me.


----------



## goku23

apx24 said:


> ****ing out again, I really thought we were going to win it after Ramsey netted in the second, especially after we had a chance where the goalie stopped the ball on the line a couple of minuted afterwards.
> 
> Oh well, FA Cup for us this year is fine by me.


not sure why he didnt start with Ramsey?
was clear they needed someone who could make runs from deep, his direct style is something they needed i think.
already had Cazorla and Ozil to stay between the lines, they didn't need them both. 
got too congested, Welbeck and Sanchez working the channels and Ramsey running in behind would have given Giroud more space too i feel.
Ramsey made a big difference when he came on, but too late.

you're happy with the FA cup and top 4??
damn, i remember when Arsenal were the top team! everyone feared them, guess you guys are happy with mediocrity now!

but just a couple of clever additions and Arsene bucking his ideas up in the big games, you guys have potential to be something special.
i dont think it will happen though - Wenger proved to be tactically naive too many times in big games and refuses to buy a quality DM and CB.
Gabriel is a prospect though.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I find it absurd that there's all this chiming about the winter fixture list in England cause all the teams are out of Europe now. Nobody was saying anything between say 2004-2010 when English teams were dominant in the UCL. Now it's come down to poor tactics/management over 2 legs plus the ebb & flow of which countries dominate in those competitions


----------



## goku23

^ exactly.


----------



## Notgoingout

Canadian Brotha said:


> I find it absurd that there's all this chiming about the winter fixture list in England cause all the teams are out of Europe now. Nobody was saying anything between say 2004-2010 when English teams were dominant in the UCL. Now it's come down to poor tactics/management over 2 legs plus the ebb & flow of which countries dominate in those competitions


 It's cyclical. 05,06,07,08,09,11 there was an English team in the final. Italy a while back were always there. These things go in cycles.

Anyway today is Liverpool v Manchester United and then the El Clasico. I really hope the scousers don't do for us. God I hate the wait. Be surprised if Barca didn't beat Madrid. Messi was astonishing against City midweek.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

So forum Brits, what are your thoughts on Harry Kane? Do you think he'll be able to continue as a star in coming seasons & do it for the English national team as well?


----------



## goku23

two of the biggest games in European football today - LFC v Utd, Barca v Real Madrid.
awesome!

Harry Kane...Francis Jeffers for Everton, James Beattie for Soton, Andy Johnson for Palace, Carroll for Newcastle all players who had amazing seasons and were tipped to be stars for England.
did nothing after or before those seasons, nothing special anyway.

Benni McCarthy, Roque Santa Cruz, Amr Zaki, Jelavic, Papiss Cisse all one-season wonders in the premier league.
the season Kane is having has happened before, players who showed no sign of being top class players suddenly having incredible seasons.
too early to say on Kane, he could well develop into something special but can never judge from one season- 
not when that player has showed little sign of anything before that.

players who have an incredible season and who can be judged early are players who have showed signs of class and top potential throughout their career - Sterling was a star as a youth player for QPR and Liverpool
Rooney was tipped for greatness when he was 14 for Everton.
so when they break through at first team level and take the league by storm, its an indication of things to come because its something thats been seen before with them - not just an incredible purple patch where everything goes your way.
Kane was a good youth player, nothing special. did nothing on his loan spell at Leicester who were flying high in the championship.
but who knows?
he's definitely doing well and should start for England imo based on current form.
next season will be interesting to see with him.


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> two of the biggest games in European football today - LFC v Utd, Barca v Real Madrid.
> awesome!
> 
> Harry Kane...Francis Jeffers for Everton, James Beattie for Soton, Andy Johnson for Palace, Carroll for Newcastle all players who had amazing seasons and were tipped to be stars for England.
> did nothing after or before those seasons, nothing special anyway.


Not saying Carroll is a top class player, but without injury I reckon he could get into the England fold. Definitely one of the better English forwards when on form and gives an alternative option when fit. His heading is fantastic.

Derby is one of the biggest for years, missing out on the spot would be a huge loss for either club. Arsenal are looking good (can end up faltering anytime tho) and City seem more likely to slip out of the top 4 than them (but conversely, I could see them picking up their form).

I think it was harsh sacking Mancini, but with the quality they bring in they should be doing a hell of a lot better in Europe. Would rate them behind 6-7 clubs in europe (big3/atletico/chelski/psg/juve) at the very most, but they should still be competitive. Easy to say PL quality is declining, but for City they don't have many players who haven't done well in Europe in the past, they just fall apart.


----------



## gunner21

Not sure what I just witnessed today.


----------



## typemismatch

:evil:evil:evil


----------



## Fooza

So the Scousers were right, Gerrard really is a legend. Thank you Stevie.

Enjoy America. You will be missed! :lol


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Today's game was a clear example of our defensive frailties, we're lacking in pace & as good a young keeper as he is we keep less clean sheets with Courtois than with Cech in goal. That said having Remi knick the winner for us is great, he's deserved way more of a chance than he's been given this season I feel. I still feel it's gonna be a shaky road to the title for us.

Mata's scissor kick goal was pretty damn amazing for Utd. Though I hate the jersey he wears I still love him as a player


----------



## goku23

Rodgers outwitted by LVG...again.
played better when Sterling was allowed to play in attack...couldn't do that beforehand mind because he had to start Lallana to justify him spunking 25mil on him.
Markovic not even in the squad. 
didn't address Utd's obvious game plan of working everything through Fellaini.

Lallana too slow to press effectively for prolonged time, Sturridge always been too lazy to press, that only left Coutinho. midfield dropped off, back 3 stayed up, left too much space for them to exploit.
Moreno didn't know whether to press or drop deep.
shambles but its been coming - were outplayed by Southampton and Swansea. only a matter of time before a better team took advantage of us...even Besiktas did.
City have been poor most of the season, think fans made too much of our victory over them.
dreading Arsenal away.
4th place looking grim - Arsenal and Chelsea away to come.
LVG sussed the 3-4-3, so did Koeman and Monk but LVG has the players to take advantage.
Rodgers couldn't adapt while they did.

surely he has to move Sterling up top and bring Markovic back in until Ibe is fit. with Sterling we can play a high press because him and Coutinho can do it well and continuously, his pace a nightmare for defenders when they have ball. pushes them back - Henderson steps up to fill in and Can steps up to fill in midfield...always keeping the opposition penned back and pressured to make mistakes.
cant do that with Lallana, not against half decent opposition. not intense or frequent enough, defence bypass him, Henderson has to stay back to cover, our way of playing gets lost.


----------



## Umpalumpa

So... Madrid/Barca?


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Ray Hudson is one of the most amusing commentators ever, love his turns of phrase, lol

Great combination play on the Ronaldo goal for Madrid


----------



## Notgoingout

hahaha Steven Gerrard... what an exit! Almost died laughing, Mata's second goal! I really hope Skrtel gets banned for his cowardly stamp on DDG.

El clasico... why can the rest not do things the way Messi does? He gets kicked and just gets up. Suarez and Mascherano rolling around, feigning injury, Mascherano got a finger prod to the head and rolled around holding his face... drives me crazy all that crap.


----------



## goku23

JwriteD said:


> hahaha Steven Gerrard... what an exit! Almost died laughing, Mata's second goal! I really hope Skrtel gets banned for his cowardly stamp on DDG.
> 
> El clasico... why can the rest not do things the way Messi does? He gets kicked and just gets up. Suarez and Mascherano rolling around, feigning injury, Mascherano got a finger prod to the head and rolled around holding his face... drives me crazy all that crap.


Skrtel should definitely be banned for that stamp, that was silly from him.
Gerrard has had a bad fall from grace in the last 3 years!
first Chelsea slip, England world cup failure and now this. in his prime the best attacking midfielder in the league bar none. long way past his prime though!

Pepe, Masch, Suarez, Carvajal, Alves all just pathetic displays from them. freaking rule of ref having to stop play if he suspects a head injury has made these guys go diving to ground holding their face/head any time the opposition or on a break.

the Spanish FA and UEFA need to look at them with a panel including medical experts just to get confirmation from the right avenue (to appease the doubters) that those little brushes them players feel aren't enough to cause them to fall down and roll over!
then ban them for unsportsman-like conduct!
play acting is pathetic and getting out of control, surprised they're not embarrassed doing it!
Ref had a decent game though.


----------



## Notgoingout

goku23 said:


> Skrtel should definitely be banned for that stamp, that was silly from him.
> Gerrard has had a bad fall from grace in the last 3 years!
> first Chelsea slip, England world cup failure and now this. in his prime the best attacking midfielder in the league bar none. long way past his prime though!
> 
> Pepe, Masch, Suarez, Carvajal, Alves all just pathetic displays from them. freaking rule of ref having to stop play if he suspects a head injury has made these guys go diving to ground holding their face/head any time the opposition or on a break.
> 
> the Spanish FA and UEFA need to look at them with a panel including medical experts just to get confirmation from the right avenue (to appease the doubters) that those little brushes them players feel aren't enough to cause them to fall down and roll over!
> then ban them for unsportsman-like conduct!
> play acting is pathetic and getting out of control, surprised they're not embarrassed doing it!
> Ref had a decent game though.


Totally agree, in American football they have a challenge system. It would work in football, so for instance, when Suarez gets nudged in the back and rolls around clutching his calf and then limping, they could go to a replay and then he should be removed for half an hour. Alves and Mascherano rolled around clutching their heads... god it's pathetic. Really ruins the game.


----------



## Batcat

I'll just leave this here


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Thank god that international business is done, now we can get back to the good stuff


----------



## Canadian Brotha

There were a number of sublime goals throughout today's games & I don't know what it is about Arsenal & this time of year, they always just cruise along to top form & a top 4 position no matter what has happened previously in the season


----------



## goku23

Zamora's goal was unreal, Adam rightly getting headlines but i preferred Zamora's.
Sanchez too, great goal.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

What a time for City to go out of form, great news for us blues though, especially if they lose to Utd next weekend


----------



## goku23

only relegation places left to decide in reality, Utd have some tough fixtures but should have champs league place nailed on.
only thing left to decide is what order Arsenal, Utd and City finish.

LFC in truth where we belong all things considered - 5th
badly overachieved last season.
lost Suarez, lost Sturridge for most of this season - thats 52 league goals gone, over 50% of last seasons' goals out of the team without being properly replaced - thanks in no small part to Rodgers:
20mil on Lovren, a LCB when we already have France vice captain Sakho there
25mil on Lallana, AM same position as our best player this season Coutinho
relied on Sturridge as the no.1 striker despite his injury record - big injuries every season he's been a pro = poor planning.

is what it is, another season of mediocrity but FSG have to act strongly if they want it to change.
Conte wants out of Italy national job - record setting manager with Juve,
Unai Emery performing wonders with Sevilla on a shoe-string budget in the top 2 league in world football,
Klopp worked miracles with Dortmund overthrowing Bayern despite a fraction of the budget, won consecutive leagues and took them to CL final with one of the smallest budgets in the tournament - beating Real Madrid 4-1 en route,
De Boer could be tempted out of Ajax, won 4 consecutive league titles there after 7 years without one preceding his appointment.

i live in hope!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Anyone got any odds on Villa/QPR today?


----------



## gunner21

goku23 said:


> only relegation places left to decide in reality, Utd have some tough fixtures but should have champs league place nailed on.
> only thing left to decide is what order Arsenal, Utd and City finish.
> 
> LFC in truth where we belong all things considered - 5th
> badly overachieved last season.
> lost Suarez, lost Sturridge for most of this season - thats 52 league goals gone, over 50% of last seasons' goals out of the team without being properly replaced - thanks in no small part to Rodgers:
> 20mil on Lovren, a LCB when we already have France vice captain Sakho there
> 25mil on Lallana, AM same position as our best player this season Coutinho
> relied on Sturridge as the no.1 striker despite his injury record - big injuries every season he's been a pro = poor planning.
> 
> is what it is, another season of mediocrity but FSG have to act strongly if they want it to change.
> Conte wants out of Italy national job - record setting manager with Juve,
> Unai Emery performing wonders with Sevilla on a shoe-string budget in the top 2 league in world football,
> Klopp worked miracles with Dortmund overthrowing Bayern despite a fraction of the budget, won consecutive leagues and took them to CL final with one of the smallest budgets in the tournament - beating Real Madrid 4-1 en route,
> De Boer could be tempted out of Ajax, won 4 consecutive league titles there after 7 years without one preceding his appointment.
> 
> i live in hope!


I could be wrong, but we have a terrible record in big games and Europe under Rodgers, which is a complete contrast to our time under Benitez. Need a striker badly. Just Origi isn't going to cut it.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Great energy in this Villa/QPR contest


----------



## goku23

gunner21 said:


> I could be wrong, but we have a terrible record in big games and Europe under Rodgers, which is a complete contrast to our time under Benitez. Need a striker badly. Just Origi isn't going to cut it.


league has dropped in quality since Benitez' time.
Everton, Utd, Chelsea (minus this season), Tottenham etc have all dropped standards significantly imo since that time.
not to mention he juggled the league with the knockout stages of the champions league most seasons.

no coincidence English teams have progressively struggled in Europe last 4 or 5 seasons.
have only managed 2 teams in the semi's of the champions league since 2010 til now compared to 11 teams from 04-09.
la liga 8 teams in the semi's from 2010 til now and bundesliga 5 teams.
so Rodgers managing in a poorer league than Benitez and still amassed a lesser win %

plus Rodgers didn't have champions league or Europe last season - could concentrate solely on the league.
Suarez and Sturridge meant a perfect storm, a freak partnership which in truth papered over the cracks if we're being honest.

Utd were in shambles so beating them wasn't too difficult - West Brom, Everton, Newcastle and others won at Old Trafford last season.
5-1 win against Arsenal was great but they returned from a champions league tie that week and it was an early kick off on a Saturday at Anfield so we had a lot in our favour to be fair.
they still outplayed us at the Emirates.
great 1st half vs City but they ran us ragged 2nd half last season and one cock up from Kompany allowed Coutinho to get the winner.
a mediocre (by their standards) Chelsea did the double over us.

we conceded 3 goals each to Cardiff, Swansea, Hull, Everton, Stoke - luckily had Suarez and Sturridge to make up for it.

even during our unbeaten run just recently - outplayed by Southampton, Swansea, Besiktas.
only a matter of time before we faced a team with enough quality to take advantage. even Besiktas did to be fair.

as i said, we're probably where we should be - 5th.
didn't replace Suarez goals' or compensate with a better defence (all season, not just a purple patch mid-season)
relied on a very injury-prone Sturridge to be our main striker, his injury record is there for all to see preceding this season.
bought players we didn't need who are not of the quality to progress our team - Lallana, Lovren, Lambert.
didn't get the balance between players for the future and players for the present.
Markovic, Can, Manquillo all stars in the future but not ready yet to match our expectations of where we want to be.
Lallana, Lambert and Lovren were signed for the present but none of them good enough.
Balotelli a mystery.

just poor all round. but silver lining is the players for the future - Markovic, Can, Manquillo, Ibe, Origi all will be immense with the right management.
this summer ahead is vital for our future imo.
i wouldn't trust Rodgers with any money at all, but then again I wouldn't trust him to properly use players signed for him by the committee either - just look at his treatment of Sakho until recently and Manquillo.
Sakho easily our best defender, yet shunned aside to make room for his big money pointless signing of Lovren.
Markovic one of Europe's brightest young attackers for the past few seasons played at wingback...when he did eventually play!

FSG sacked Kenny despite him winning the league cup and reaching the FA cup final (barely losing to Chelsea)
Rodgers hasn't won anything and this season arguably is more of a failure than Kenny's if it stays the same.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Derby time, place your bet!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

First blood is blue!

Second blood is red!

Third blood is red!

Could this end up as a blow for blow battle? Hope so!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Celebrations *****es! haha


----------



## PGVan

PSV IS KAMPIOEN!!!!!

:drunk:clap:boogie:drunk:yay:drunk:yay


----------



## Dre12

PGVan said:


> PSV IS KAMPIOEN!!!!!
> 
> :drunk:clap:boogie:drunk:yay:drunk:yay


Now it is time for Depay to come to United.


----------



## minimized

Liverpool should be embarrassed.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

No joy for Rodgers for yet another season, assessment Liverpool fans?


----------



## goku23

been through this countless times about Rodgers lol
hopefully fellow reds will see the re-occurring theme now.

Suarez-Sturridge papered over too many cracks last season, conceded 3 goals respectively against Everton, Swansea, Cardiff, Newcastle, Hull, Stoke and Palace...but Suarez and Sturridge bailed us out on almost all occasions.

in the summer he signed new terms on a contract that allowed him more autonomy on transfers - spunked 50mil on Lallana, Lovren and Lambert
Brahimi was available for 6mil euros, Doumbia for 12mil euros, Firmino for 18mil euros.

and knowing Sturridge's injury record (suffered major injury almost every season as a pro) he still went into the season relying on him as the main no.9 
deciding to play a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 with him alone.


was inevitable he would pick up injuries, his record paints that picture clearly but thought Lambert was a good enough back-up.
Balotelli has never been a lone no.9
take the Suarez and Sturridge goals out the team and we're fcked!

Sakho our best defender by a mile dropped for his big money buy Lovren.
Markovic played out of position.
Lallana has had one decent season in the top flight his entire career yet became our 2nd most expensive signing ever.

only bought Sakho and Can into the side when Lovren and Johnson picked up big injuries...no sign of him doing that before then.

can't see him keeping his job. 
Kenny won a cup and made the FA cup final and still got the sack.

been here for 3 seasons and can be argued the net progress doesn't come close to our transfer outlay....what did Rodgers say about Tottenham last season "if you spend over 100mil in the summer, the least you'd expect is to be challenging for the league"

...probably should have kept quiet about that Brendan! 
200mil spent since he's here and can't beat a relegation threatened Villa in a cup semi-final or an average Besiktas in Europe.


----------



## Dre12

I hear that it is something like the first time in a long time that Liverpool have gone three seasons without a trophy, which is quite incredible from Liverpool considering how long it is since their last title.

Apparently the most reliable Dutch football journalist says that he believes Depay is all but a United player. He scored a fantastic free kick this weekend too.


----------



## PGVan

Dre12 said:


> Now it is time for Depay to come to United.


Now that we're in the Champions League group stage next season, I'm hoping Cocu can convince him, Wijnaldum and Luuk de Jong to stay at least until next winter's window. If we don't get through the group stage, sell them then. With the players we have now, we have a chance to mirror what we did in 2005, but even then, Robben left the summer before that run to the CL semis.

If not, if Cocu sells Memphis for under €30M, I'll be pissed. Lots of major clubs are going to want Memphis. If he wants to go and the offers are large enough, it should be an auction!


----------



## PGVan

Dre12 said:


> Apparently the most reliable Dutch football journalist says that he believes Depay is all but a United player. He scored a fantastic free kick this weekend too.


LVG wants him bad and from what I hear, he's the only one who has actually contacted PSV. That said, I've also read that PSG might get in on him with an offer. I still say try to use the CL to convince him to stay, if not then sell to the highest bidder.


----------



## goku23

Dre12 said:


> I hear that it is something like the first time in a long time that Liverpool have gone three seasons without a trophy, which is quite incredible from Liverpool considering how long it is since their last title.
> 
> Apparently the most reliable Dutch football journalist says that he believes Depay is all but a United player. He scored a fantastic free kick this weekend too.


hopefully for you guys it will actually be LVG identifying the transfers now.
he's always had a good transfer record, he almost became our DoF before Rodgers came in but Brendan felt he was in a position to decline to work with a DoF even one of LVG's calibre!

can't imagine it was LVG who had the brainwave to spend 65mil on Di Maria and bring in a broken Falcao for a season with a 20mil outlay on him!
probably only got Blind as his own, came in late in the window.

Depay and probably Hummels in the summer for you i think. maybe Otamendi but would be silly money.
imo Depay > Sterling
would much rather we sell Sterling for 30-40mil and bring in Depay and Vietto with that money


----------



## Dre12

goku23 said:


> hopefully for you guys it will actually be LVG identifying the transfers now.
> he's always had a good transfer record, he almost became our DoF before Rodgers came in but Brendan felt he was in a position to decline to work with a DoF even one of LVG's calibre!
> 
> can't imagine it was LVG who had the brainwave to spend 65mil on Di Maria and bring in a broken Falcao for a season with a 20mil outlay on him!
> probably only got Blind as his own, came in late in the window.
> 
> Depay and probably Hummels in the summer for you i think. maybe Otamendi but would be silly money.
> imo Depay > Sterling
> would much rather we sell Sterling for 30-40mil and bring in Depay and Vietto with that money


Rojo was Van Gaal's too. Only left sided centre back available. Not a fan personally but you get next to nothing for £14m these days.

I think Rogers needs another season. I think the Can, Markovic and Coutinho can kick on next year. You guys need to keep Henderson. Sterling is going off the rails a bit, it has gone sour and the money would be more use to you now I think. Honestly though, I would take Sterling over Depay at United but he will end up at City I think.


----------



## goku23

Dre12 said:


> Rojo was Van Gaal's too. Only left sided centre back available. Not a fan personally but you get next to nothing for £14m these days.
> 
> I think Rogers needs another season. I think the Can, Markovic and Coutinho can kick on next year. You guys need to keep Henderson. Sterling is going off the rails a bit, it has gone sour and the money would be more use to you now I think. Honestly though, I would take Sterling over Depay at United but he will end up at City I think.


i think Sterling has the potential to surpass Depay but just looking at it financially - we'd get 30mil+ for Sterling, Depay i think will go for around 18mil
for the price of Sterling we could get either Depay or Douglas Costa (who i think is better than Sterling and has more scope to grow also) and Vietto who has a 14mil GBP release fee

i think in all likelihood Rodgers will get another season, but i don't think he should. Suarez can make any manager look world class, did the same with Martin Jol at Ajax!

Rodgers has been awful with Markovic, he was one of the best young forwards in european football while at Benfica, Rodgers sticks him at wing-back and subs him at half-time despite him not doing anything wrong.
Gerrard worst player on the pitch by some distance but gets called excellent by Rodgers.

he doesn't have the ability to attract top talent outside the UK, has no proven track record and this season Gary Monk has had a better win% than Rodgers' season at Swansea.
compare that to Klopp who i think would jump at the chance of becoming manager because he's spoken very highly of the club before and expressed how much of a privilege it would be for him to manage us - with less than a third of our spending and a fraction of our wage bill he won the title in his third season overtaking a top Bayern team who's squad cost over 5 times theirs and won the double the following season, took Dortmund to the CL final after that.
can attract top talent, everyone knows and respects him and has the perfect philosophy for us and is available!!

its just too good an opportunity to turn down. i def think managers should be given time and shown faith but thats a double-edged sword because if you give the wrong manager too much time you'll set your club back years and years which will be hard to recover from.
just look at us after Rafa and Chelsea after Ancelotti.

with Rodgers in charge, our targets will be the likes of Danny Ings and James Milner while offering Glen Johnson an extension and persisting with average Adam (Lallana) and less than average Lovren!
this is the same Rodgers who wanted Ashley Williams and Leon Britton signed a couple seasons ago.

the likes of Douglas Costa, Depay, Mkhtaryan, Vietto etc are a pipedream with Rodgers at the helm


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I loved him in a blue shirt despite his antics but after he scored against us for PSG I'm quite enjoying watching David Luiz be made to look a fool so many times by Barcelona


----------



## SupaDupaFly

Porto getting wrecked by Bayern. 4-0 already and its not even halftime.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

SupaDupaFly said:


> Porto getting wrecked by Bayern. 4-0 already and its not even halftime.


I just saw the highlights...Porto have been pounded into dust in one half of the game, unreal


----------



## goku23

semi finals potentially Barca, Bayern, Real and Juve - the absolute four powerhouses and most historic teams in European football.
glad to see the Champions league back to where it belongs - the very elite.

likes of Chelsea, PSG, City, Arsenal, Porto, Schalke all levels below

Barca Bayern final would be incredible but I want Juve to win the whole thing. my favourite Italian team growing up
Trezeguet, Del Piero, Thuram, Buffon, Davids, Nedved, Conte...what a team that was!
Capello top manager too


----------



## Joe

I missed the games  don't anger Bayern is the moral of the story?



goku23 said:


> semi finals potentially Barca, Bayern, Real and Juve - the absolute four powerhouses and most historic teams in European football.


Not sure I agree with you about Juve being the 4th best in Europe though, I wouldn't rate them higher than the likes of PSG/Chelsea and at par on best due to their recent European history. Arsenal would have given them a run for their money with the form they are in too, though I could see them flopping again in Europe. Nothing to say about the other 3 semi-finalists, best of the best.


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> I missed the games  don't anger Bayern is the moral of the story?
> 
> Not sure I agree with you about Juve being the 4th best in Europe though, I wouldn't rate them higher than the likes of PSG/Chelsea and at par on best due to their recent European history. Arsenal would have given them a run for their money with the form they are in too, though I could see them flopping again in Europe. Nothing to say about the other 3 semi-finalists, best of the best.


i didn't mean 4th best team in Europe currently, i meant historically. that's why i mentioned the likes of Nedved, Del Piero, Thuram etc
they were awesome in the 90's and early 2000's.

even though they only won two CL's they were always in the semi's or final. 
plus serie A in the 80's and 90's was by far the best league in Europe (i wasn't born in the 80's to see it though lol) and Juve have won most titles - 30

and i wouldn't say Arsenal, Chelsea or PSG are superior at all. far from it - Juve schooled Monaco who ran through Arsenal (who were going through their purple patch at the time), drummed Dortmund and have lost only 2 league games all season - smashed Fiorentina who embarrassed Tottenham in the europa league.

imo they have the best central midfielder in the world in Pogba and one of the best midfield trio's in Pirlo-Pogba-Vidal

and all this after they lost one of the best managers around in Conte.

i would have them top 6 in Europe easily

Bayern, Barca, Real, Atletico, Juve, Chelsea or Valencia for me.

Premier league is badly overhyped. Arsenal can win 15 on the bounce then come up against Monaco or Juve and get schooled tactically. we've seen it before so many times.

i think its because the top clubs here are playing mediocre opposition week in week out. tempo is so quick spaces open without much effort and with the quality top clubs have they just pick them off.

la liga and Bundesliga, all teams are well developed tactically. you see teams like Malaga, Celta Vigo, Monchengladbach, Mainz all play quality football and barely spoken about here.

top clubs in la liga, bundesliga and last few years serie A all play tactically and technically well developed teams week in week out.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Boring matches today





I think the Premier League is overhyped but I also think the teams could have competed better and gone farther this season if they had managers that employed better tactics in the their respective matches. I don't think they went out because the players couldn't challenge, they went out because the managers were either stubborn/naïve tactically and/or didn't do their homework well enough on their opponents. Mourinho tried to grind it out as he does, Pellegrini thought he could run a train and outscore/outplay with 2 up top & Wenger's men were asleep on game day cause they thought it'd be a cakewalk


----------



## Joe

It's a tough one, I was having a look at statistics and surprised to see them only winning 2 out of 7 finals. But dominating domestically. As a European force Milan would have to be 3rd (above Barca), but 30 titles is a testament to Juve lasting the distance so I can't say I disagree. 

I wasn't saying they are superior, but on the same level. I'm bias since Juve have been poor in Europe despite their recent Serie A success (so have most Italian clubs since Inter/AC fell off) but I wouldn't call them clear cut. I'd rate Atletico just above them too. But I was getting at the gap between the 'big 3' and the rest (though I do think Atletico especially can give all of those a run for their money). Juve have yet to do it against any big sides. I'm surprised how well they are doing, different league but it was a surprising appointment. 

Serie A probably has the same issues as the premier league, looking past Juve they don't have any real big clubs. I think Arsenal are far and above Monaco but are wildly inconsistent. Juve is a different matter though, will be interesting to see them in the semis. 

Top 6 in Europe for me would be:

Barca, Real, Bayern, Atletico, Juve then Chelsea or PSG. I don't think the quality of the top 3 will get overtaken anytime soon, they'll more likely decline before that happens. The other four all have the resources to improve (I thought Atletico would get raided, but instead they just made themselves look very stable), though if Juve lose Pogba that will be massive. I don't think they will lose him yet, but being world class still leaves him at risk. 

I think Arsenal have an off chance of joining those clubs now Wenger is buying and not losing players as well, it is a big statement to make but they aren't far off having a complete team. City/United I'd assume will spend to get up there too, but after seeing how my assumptions over City turned out (it would help if they weren't always against Barca, though they flop against poorer teams) I'm not so sure. I still think City have a squad good enough to get past lesser clubs and challenge those outside the 'big 3' but it remains to be seen whether or not they can actually win those clubs without some fortune.

Liverpool will be 5th or 6th every year unless they hit huge form or a club screws up  with them all having better resources to improve I somehow doubt that will happen unless Bolasie is the next Ronaldo, Delph is Matic and Berahino is Suarez (just saying most likely targets, Delph on a free the other two for a combine 45m will be typical Liverpool).

Will be interesting to see next seasons CL now League Winners get in Pot 1 (top 7 european leagues, 8 if the CL winner wins their league).


----------



## goku23

^ think you're spot on in all your points mate, 
i really like Wenger and think he gets unfairly demonized when things don't go well but i still wonder about him tactically. he's just failed to progress his ideals and adapt to the changes in the game.
game is ever changing and Pep and Mourinho are masters at recycling methods for the better, 
Bayern constantly changing and adapting during the same game let alone different teams, see Pep go from a conventional 4-3-3 to a 3-4-3 and now he often has a 2 man defence boxed by Alonso and Lahm with everyone else freed to run riot in attack, Thiago linking.
against Dortmund they sat back because of Dortmund's high press and used Javi Martinez as a 10 and used him as a target man and Robben as the man in behind to target their high line.
i don't think Wenger has that capacity.

Wenger got lots of credit for the City win but we've seen how freakin crap City have been this season so how impressive was it really tactically?
doing it against Pellegrini and Rodgers is one thing, against Mourinho, Pep, Ancelotti, Simeone or even Allegri, Emery, Favre, Schmidt etc is another.

he was outdone by Jardim.


----------



## Joe

I was a bit young to remember the Invincibles season properly but Arsenal seems to have a poor record in big games. Their squad was always 3rd/4th best in the league but they still seemed to under perform in big games more than expected, now they arguably have the 2nd best in the league but without injuries he has no excuses any more for the big games. 

It's only really Sturridge and maybe Sakho who would get in Arsenals squad (in form Sturr and I might be bias towards Sakho when he plays for France). Sanchez/Cazorla would keep out Sterling and Ramsey keeps out Couts.

I'm not sure what to think of Rodgers, we've seen what he can do with a good squad and player, but he is bad with transfers and managers know better what to expect. Think he has shown he can mix things up but he takes a while to do so. And bit too sentimental leaving on Gerrard.


----------



## Dre12

Looks like Gundogan is in the bag for United. Reliable German journalists are adamant that the deal is done and will be announced this weekend.

If he can get back to his best he will be a great signing for United.


----------



## goku23

Dre12 said:


> Looks like Gundogan is in the bag for United. Reliable German journalists are adamant that the deal is done and will be announced this weekend.
> 
> If he can get back to his best he will be a great signing for United.


fantastic signing if thats true, Depay looks inevitable too.
you think Di Maria will be around next ssn?
cash + swap deal for Lucas Moura would be pretty special! 
get 20mil and Moura in for him and have those ridiculous wages off the book.
Fergie was hell-bent on signing Moura wasn't he?
im a big fan of his, just needs games and he'll be one of the elite imo. used to outshine Neymar in the u-20's

Depay-Rooney-Moura with Carrick-Gundagon and Fellaini or Mata ahead of them would be special!

ive got a funny feeling that Kondogbia could be coming in! i hope not because i'd love to see an Emre Can-Kondogbia partnership for us...managed by Klopp!


----------



## goku23

Rodgers has officially lost the plot,
that 90mins against WBA was probably the worst 90mins of football that has ever been played....but....

“Okay we didn’t get the win, but our overall game was outstanding. We just couldn’t get the final pass to get the goal or that little bit of luck you need sometimes.”

Rodgers noted the difficulties breaking down Tony Pulis’ side, noting that “Tony’s side don’t concede many goals.”

West Brom conceded four against QPR and three against Leicester City in their two home games prior to playing Liverpool.

5 attempts on target all game...

ranks up there with his assessment of Gerrard's performance in the cup semi-final last week, calling him "outstanding".

signs of a desperate man, fighting an uphill battle to keep his job.


----------



## goku23

Utd and LVG taken down a peg or two!

tbf, add Depay and Gundogan to that team...with Carrick back and you're title contenders.

people drooling over Rooney and Fellaini recent weeks but in truth Carrick has been the key to your turnaround.

also Phil Jones finally starting to realise his potential. missed them badly today.


----------



## Dre12

goku23 said:


> Utd and LVG taken down a peg or two!
> 
> tbf, add Depay and Gundogan to that team...with Carrick back and you're title contenders.
> 
> people drooling over Rooney and Fellaini recent weeks but in truth Carrick has been the key to your turnaround.
> 
> also Phil Jones finally starting to realise his potential. missed them badly today.


You are absolutely right on Carrick. Blind just doesn't cut it in that position, our record without Carrick is bad.

Terrible result for us. The first half didn't tell the story but we were garbage in the second half. The third goal was criminal defending and why we need a new right back.

I am a fan of Jones but many United fans can't stand him.

Do Liverpool fans feel they can get 4th? I can't relax until it is done.


----------



## goku23

Dre12 said:


> You are absolutely right on Carrick. Blind just doesn't cut it in that position, our record without Carrick is bad.
> 
> Terrible result for us. The first half didn't tell the story but we were garbage in the second half. The third goal was criminal defending and why we need a new right back.
> 
> I am a fan of Jones but many United fans can't stand him.
> 
> Do Liverpool fans feel they can get 4th? I can't relax until it is done.


tbf to Jones he's been played in so many different positions more regularly than his best one! 
he was immense for Rovers and i think a run of games at CB will see him come good. he's been impressive the past few months since he's had more of a run there.

i think fans forget it can be difficult for a young CB to move to RCB or LCB if they've played in one of them most of their career, let alone RB, DM, CM and all across a back 3! 
for me Jones > Smalling.

no mate, 4th is out of our reach. guess it just shows how weak the league has been this season that Chelsea who've been average since Christmas are easily run-away champs and the top 4 will be made up of a crap City and Utd.

LVG and Utd as you said before will come good next season, City need a complete revamp, Arsenal as usual remains to be seen and hopefully Liverpool under a new boss with clever investment can be up there.

but premier league as a whole imo is quite far behind the top two leagues and Serie A are catching up...if Serie A amass more points and higher rankings in European comps than EPL again next season then they regain a 4th spot in the Champions League for 2017/18 at our expense.

worst part is, i can see it happening again next season!


----------



## monotonous




----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^That's pretty good, lol



I like Brendan Rodgers as a person but even going back to last season I've felt that there were question marks about him. He had Suarez & Sturridge glossing over their defense which was conceding a lot and they didn't have Europe to worry about. Now we've gotten a good look at him on transfers, tactics, squad management/rotation with regard to multiple fronts and injuries and his CV looks less sturdy to put it nicely. Still, with a few better transfers and less injuries I'm curious if he'd make a better of things next season.



Glad we at least didn't lose to the Gunners today and also sort of glad I slept through the match given the highlights I just watched. On to Leceister now who may well give us a proper go they way they've suddenly found a belief for potentially pulling a rabbit out of a hat


----------



## goku23

Canadian Brotha said:


> ^^^That's pretty good, lol
> 
> *I like Brendan Rodgers as a person* but even going back to last season I've felt that there were question marks about him. He had Suarez & Sturridge glossing over their defense which was conceding a lot and they didn't have Europe to worry about. Now we've gotten a good look at him on transfers, tactics, squad management/rotation with regard to multiple fronts and injuries and his CV looks less sturdy to put it nicely. Still, with a few better transfers and less injuries I'm curious if he'd make a better of things next season.
> 
> Glad we at least didn't lose to the Gunners today and also sort of glad I slept through the match given the highlights I just watched. On to Leceister now who may well give us a proper go they way they've suddenly found a belief for potentially pulling a rabbit out of a hat


...na mate, i haven't mentioned it before because i hate commenting on people's personal lives but he's a blagger. charmed his way to a good career.

public knowledge he dropped his wife for a scouse secretary soon as he got his golden ticket as LFC manager - not to mention dropped about 50lbs by the way of lipo and had a brand new set of knashers put in! lol
...oh yea, the "made in chelsea" fake tan to go with it.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2556762/Liverpool-boss-Brendan-Rodgers-left-wife.html

has left Balotelli hung to dry - used him as a scapegoat to mask his own failings because this country's media are fair like that....not xenophobic at all! lol

found it funny how Rodgers deflected attention away from himself for our 0-3 thrashing by Real Madrid by virtually spending the entire conference talking about Balotelli swapping shirts with Pepe at half-time...when it was Pepe who asked him and not the other way round!

...can guess what the papers had to say the following day, not a mention of Rodgers or his abyssal tactics.

_"It is not something I stand for,"_ Rodgers said.
_"If you want to do that, do it at the end of the game. It's something that doesn't happen here and shouldn't happen here."_

whats more funny is that he said this after Ancelotti said _"It is nothing new. Sometimes the players change their shirt at half-time with the opponent. I don't see a problem."
_
this is surely bound to inspire confidence and belief in the fella - 
Rodgers:
_"I think there were very few who are top-class who were available and Mario Balotelli was a calculated gamble that we had to try and work with.
We'd had attempts for other strikers that didn't materialise for one reason or another so it left us right at the end of the window with a decision of whether just to go with what we had, which experience told us we were well too light, or to take a calculated risk on a player._

_I felt it was a risk we needed to take with Mario because, as a group, we couldn't afford not to at that time. It was obviously late on and we needed to have someone in. It's something that we can't regret now."_

also, this just goes to show Rodgers unmatched knowledge of his own player's qualities and strengths...lol 
_"He admitted himself it was probably a struggle for him in terms of how he plays, because he is more of a box player."_

...and in later press conferences said this:
_"I just feel he needs to be in the box more. Because of his link-up play, he drops in."_

when Mario did something positive he said:
_"He has contributed against Besiktas, he has got the penalty and scored the goal but that is what he is paid to do."_

...yet his personal big money buy Lallana escapes criticism for his lacklustre performances and is lavished with praise! by lacklustre i mean 1 chance created the entire game with zero shots on target and no positive contribution to our attack....this from our second ever most expensive signing
_"Adam Lallana came on and was tireless in his work rate. That is the minimum here at Liverpool - you need to press, you need to work. Young Adam came on and did that very well."
_
(young Adam? he's 26 lol)

oh and Balotelli isn't the only one:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...l-lost-respect-Brendan-Rodgers-Liverpool.html


----------



## goku23

this is what a Reading season ticket holder had to say of Rodgers' time as their manager before he was sacked:

_"I had a season ticket that year, every time I turned up to a game whatever randomly selected team he'd picked that day gave the impression they'd been introduced to each other about 20 minutes before kick-off.

No-one understood what to do, the football was sleep-inducing tedious and utterly ineffective.

The tactics seemed to be tippy-tappying the ball around, losing it, letting the opposition score, then repeating the process until finally having your first shot in the 87th minute.

It was awful.

Rodgers revolutionary tactics were lost on an admittedly limited group of players.

But I ask you, if you are eating a meal, and you realise it's disgusting, do you just blindly carry on eating it in the hope it gets better, or do you eat something else completely different?

Rodgers ploughed on and on, performances got worse and worse and the nonsense he was talking after games just got sillier and sillier."_

....rings a bell!


----------



## Dre12

@goku23

The decline of the league is alarming. This year has been pretty awful as a competition too. Chelsea are impossible to like under Mourinho. Sure they beat us last week but they played like relegation fodder play when they come to Old Trafford and on their own patch! Really uninspiring.

Rodgers comes across to me as a bit of an egomaniac, not uncommon in top level managers, but Rodgers has this David Brent like quality about him.


----------



## goku23

Dre12 said:


> @goku23
> 
> The decline of the league is alarming. This year has been pretty awful as a competition too. Chelsea are impossible to like under Mourinho. Sure they beat us last week but they played like relegation fodder play when they come to Old Trafford and on their own patch! Really uninspiring.
> 
> Rodgers comes across to me as a bit of an egomaniac, not uncommon in top level managers, but Rodgers has this David Brent like quality about him.


lol you're spot on with that comparison mate!

agree, Chelsea are horrid to watch. 
its a bit like great player comparisons - Batistuta actually had a better goals to game ratio at Int. level than Brazilian Ronaldo but its the latter everyone remembers because he was simply more than just a goalscorer. likewise him over Gerd Muller and Messi over CR7
- same applies to Chelsea imo
they'll never be remembered in the same mystique and reverence as the Invincibles under Wenger or the Utd golden era under Fergie because their football doesn't warrant it - not even close to those great teams imo.

even the Madrid faithful look back at Mourinho's time with dejection because they value good football at all costs! he was virtually booed out of Madrid!

just hope they face more competition next season...from anyone!
crucial summer for the big clubs, City down to Liverpool.


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> Rodgers noted the difficulties breaking down Tony Pulis' side, noting that "Tony's side don't concede many goals."
> 
> West Brom conceded four against QPR and three against Leicester City in their two home games prior to playing Liverpool.
> 
> 5 attempts on target all game...
> 
> ranks up there with his assessment of Gerrard's performance in the cup semi-final last week, calling him "outstanding".
> 
> signs of a desperate man, fighting an uphill battle to keep his job.


We've had a few managers who are bad in press conferences lately, Rodgers should probably talk less, though I doubt it affects our performances much, but it does make him look clueless.

I reckon he is a bit smug in real life lol


----------



## Milco

Absolutely crazy penalty shootout between Bayern Munich and Dortmund tonight.
Don't think I've ever seen anything like it.
Video link:
http://cdn2.streamable.com/video/a43355d0edec11e49561f3e8e90f490f.webm


----------



## Canadian Brotha

LFC fans, has Rodgers lost the plot? Do you want him replaced at this point?



Milco said:


> Absolutely crazy penalty shootout between Bayern Munich and Dortmund tonight.
> 
> Don't think I've ever seen anything like it.
> 
> Video link:
> 
> http://cdn2.streamable.com/video/a43355d0edec11e49561f3e8e90f490f.webm


That was brilliant! lol. I mean I didn't know what he was saying but I did, plus the slips and the misses by Bayern, quick something, and that save too was nice


----------



## Canadian Brotha

The old man gave the ball away all first half and then scores in a minute in the second half, another old man puts us up 2-1 and then for icing on the cake as the fans are chanting "boring, boring, Chelsea" Fabregas sets up Ramires who puts a bullet into the top corner, while Mourinho's not even paying attention cleaning his shoes with water, Priceless! Haha


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Utd dominate and lose again, so much for Van Gaal's progress...


----------



## goku23

game of the season tonight....Guardiola's come home!
Barca vs Bayern

cant..freakin..wait!

2-1 Barca, Suarez both goals


----------



## goku23

no Robben, Ribery, Alaba for Bayern
...still a STRONG side!

Rafinha - Benatia - Boateng - Bernat

-Xabi Alonso-

Lahm- -Schweinsteiger

-Thiago-

Muller - Lewandowski


----------



## goku23

Iniesta

Messi - Suarez - Neymar


...nothing else needs to be said! incredible attack.


----------



## millenniumman75

goku23 said:


> ...na mate, i haven't mentioned it before because i hate commenting on people's personal lives but he's a blagger. charmed his way to a good career.
> 
> public knowledge he dropped his wife for a scouse secretary soon as he got his golden ticket as LFC manager - not to mention dropped about 50lbs by the way of lipo and had a brand new set of knashers put in! lol
> ...oh yea, the "made in chelsea" fake tan to go with it.
> 
> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2556762/Liverpool-boss-Brendan-Rodgers-left-wife.html
> 
> has left Balotelli hung to dry - used him as a scapegoat to mask his own failings because this country's media are fair like that....not xenophobic at all! lol
> 
> found it funny how Rodgers deflected attention away from himself for our 0-3 thrashing by Real Madrid by virtually spending the entire conference talking about Balotelli swapping shirts with Pepe at half-time...when it was Pepe who asked him and not the other way round!
> 
> ...can guess what the papers had to say the following day, not a mention of Rodgers or his abyssal tactics.
> 
> _"It is not something I stand for,"_ Rodgers said.
> _"If you want to do that, do it at the end of the game. It's something that doesn't happen here and shouldn't happen here."_
> 
> whats more funny is that he said this after Ancelotti said _"It is nothing new. Sometimes the players change their shirt at half-time with the opponent. I don't see a problem."_
> 
> this is surely bound to inspire confidence and belief in the fella -
> Rodgers:
> _"I think there were very few who are top-class who were available and Mario Balotelli was a calculated gamble that we had to try and work with._
> _We'd had attempts for other strikers that didn't materialise for one reason or another so it left us right at the end of the window with a decision of whether just to go with what we had, which experience told us we were well too light, or to take a calculated risk on a player._
> 
> _I felt it was a risk we needed to take with Mario because, as a group, we couldn't afford not to at that time. It was obviously late on and we needed to have someone in. It's something that we can't regret now."_
> 
> also, this just goes to show Rodgers unmatched knowledge of his own player's qualities and strengths...lol
> _"He admitted himself it was probably a struggle for him in terms of how he plays, because he is more of a box player."_
> 
> ...and in later press conferences said this:
> _"I just feel he needs to be in the box more. Because of his link-up play, he drops in."_
> 
> when Mario did something positive he said:
> _"He has contributed against Besiktas, he has got the penalty and scored the goal but that is what he is paid to do."_
> 
> ...yet his personal big money buy Lallana escapes criticism for his lacklustre performances and is lavished with praise! by lacklustre i mean 1 chance created the entire game with zero shots on target and no positive contribution to our attack....this from our second ever most expensive signing
> _"Adam Lallana came on and was tireless in his work rate. That is the minimum here at Liverpool - you need to press, you need to work. Young Adam came on and did that very well."_
> 
> (young Adam? he's 26 lol)
> 
> oh and Balotelli isn't the only one:
> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...l-lost-respect-Brendan-Rodgers-Liverpool.html


Oy - I need a dictionary. :help

scouse secretary

knashers - is that contagious? Watch yo' mouth! :lol.

lipo - the fat will come back.

I would fake bake, but I have SA so I do the real thing - go out in the sun.

And I take it that we should not be blaggers. If we blag, we are not right.


----------



## gunner21

My god Messi just completely humiliated Boateng and Neuer. This man is an alien.


----------



## typemismatch

Excellent news. We've signed a forward under the age of 29 :banana


----------



## goku23

millenniumman75 said:


> Oy - I need a dictionary. :help
> 
> scouse secretary
> 
> knashers - is that contagious? Watch yo' mouth! :lol.
> 
> lipo - the fat will come back.
> 
> I would fake bake, but I have SA so I do the real thing - go out in the sun.
> 
> And I take it that we should not be blaggers. If we blag, we are not right.


next time you tell a joke please do remind when to laugh mate.

39 y/o?....well done! 
just....well done! 
moderator on a forum!! thats a win!

....you can ban me now and delete my post....im sure the satisfaction from that is bliss mate lol!


----------



## millenniumman75

goku23 said:


> next time you tell a joke please do remind when to laugh mate.
> 
> 39 y/o?....well done!
> just....well done!
> moderator on a forum!! thats a win!
> 
> ....you can ban me now and delete my post....im sure the satisfaction from that is bliss mate lol!


We don't delight in banning people.

The point I was making is that I don't know what knashers are, a blagger is, or what scouse means. I'm an American. I have never heard those words before. :stu


----------



## goku23

millenniumman75 said:


> We don't delight in banning people.
> 
> The point I was making is that I don't know what knashers are, a blagger is, or what scouse means. I'm an American. I have never heard those words before. :stu


im an idiot, i somehow didn't even notice your location is Ohio! i thought you were being sarcastic and i have a short fuse so i took it the wrong way and that was my mistake. sorry.


----------



## millenniumman75

goku23 said:


> im an idiot, i somehow didn't even notice your location is Ohio! i thought you were being sarcastic and i have a short fuse so i took it the wrong way and that was my mistake. sorry.


Nah - I'm not all that sarcastic on here,

No problem. It's hard to tell when it's all text and nothing but emoticons.

I stay out of chat because I often misread stuff and then take it the wrong way.

It's easier to talk to people in real life in that respect.


----------



## Elad

guy trying to convince me sanchez is better than hazard and when I ask why "he has more goals and assists"










I need to stop talking to people about football who dont watch often, its just too jimmy rustling. same guy telling me all about players based on their fifa 15 stats and there is no way to say fifa is full of sh*t without coming across like a know it all knobjockey.

In other news looking forward to barca scoring another 3 against bayern


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Lewandowski's feet for his goal = brilliance, loved that one!

Also love how ego isn't a factor between Suarez, Neymar, & Messi, they all play for the cause depsite their skills which is great to see


----------



## Elad

Great game, it seems bayern really could have turned the tie around but for a world class performance from ter stegen. Barca started cruising a little too early but you have to admire that bayern team fighting and believing until the end. feels.


----------



## goku23

Juve!
my Italian team! idolised them as a kid.
would love to see Buffon lift the trophy, only one he hasn't lifted - best goalkeeper of all time for me.

Berlin...same stadium as the 2006 world cup final...which Italy won when they were written off....written in the stars for Juve?!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I'm glad to see Juve through to the final, I hope they win it and keep the trophy cycling around the continent


----------



## Sean07

To be a Newcastle fan right now... Hopefully Man United do us a solid and beat Hull next week or we're properly screwed. Not a chance we'll beat West Ham at home. The best coach in the world somehow forgot how to set up a team to defend set pieces/counter attacks. Just a weak squad that needs serious investment.


----------



## goku23

Sean07 said:


> To be a Newcastle fan right now... Hopefully Man United do us a solid and beat Hull next week or we're properly screwed. Not a chance we'll beat West Ham at home. The best coach in the world somehow forgot how to set up a team to defend set pieces/counter attacks. Just a weak squad that needs serious investment.


i would honestly be surprised if you guys dont organize a boycott of games next season. can't do it now, team needs support in this mess but hopefully is your survive then next season surely you gotta take more action to get rid of Ashley.
guy's a poison in the club, NFC is just another money spinner for him...one of the great English clubs.

im an LFC fan but i hate seeing other clubs worn down like this. the fat prick will have no choice but to sell for a REALISTIC price if you gatecrash his stadium revenue income.

McLaren already turned you down to stay at Derby, can't realistically see which manager in his right mind would want to work under Ashley and his restraints, especially with Graham Carr buying random cheap talent just to sell on for a profit without any thought to the team's requirements or squad balance. 
no balance or care in that squad, they all know they were bought in just to be sold for a profit.

sold Carroll for 35mil and fck knows where any of that money went!
Cabaye, Ba, Debuchy, before that it was Nolan, Fraser Forster etc
next will be Janmaat and Sissoko.
constant recycling with profits being made and not invested.


----------



## Sean07

goku23 said:


> i would honestly be surprised if you guys dont organize a boycott of games next season. can't do it now, team needs support in this mess but hopefully is your survive then next season surely you gotta take more action to get rid of Ashley.
> guy's a poison in the club, NFC is just another money spinner for him...one of the great English clubs.
> 
> im an LFC fan but i hate seeing other clubs worn down like this. the fat prick will have no choice but to sell for a REALISTIC price if you gatecrash his stadium revenue income.
> 
> McLaren already turned you down to stay at Derby, can't realistically see which manager in his right mind would want to work under Ashley and his restraints, especially with Graham Carr buying random cheap talent just to sell on for a profit without any thought to the team's requirements or squad balance.
> no balance or care in that squad, they all know they were bought in just to be sold for a profit.
> 
> sold Carroll for 35mil and fck knows where any of that money went!
> Cabaye, Ba, Debuchy, before that it was Nolan, Fraser Forster etc
> next will be Janmaat and Sissoko.
> constant recycling with profits being made and not invested.


Yeah he needs to go badly, the problem is that it's just another profitable enterprise for him and selling now would only lose him money in the long run unless the fans actually act. The 30 million or so kitty (not holding out for any more) we have for selling Ba, Cabaye, Carrol and Debuchy has to be spent this transfer window or we'll go down next season.

Graham Carr has done us a solid considering the decent-avaerage players brought in for next to nothing. We need another Cabaye now, someone who actually wants the ball, can control the tempo of the game and actually give our forwards a chance. Thing is, he was a one off for 4.3 million or whatever so we'll have to spend proper. We also need more British players who know the premier league. Charlie Austin would be a killer signing though I can't imagine why he'd come our way right now.

We need to offload the players who honestly don't know their arse from their elbows: Anita, Williamson, Gouffran, Gutierrez, Ryan Taylor, Rivierre and Cabella. Would be tempted to put Tiote in the list as well because despite being injured all season he hasn't played well in a Newcastle shirt since the season we finished 5th. They are all dead weight and not good enough for this league. Moose looks like he's on his way and I can't imagine Daryl will stay without some sort of assurances from the club. Carver has to go, it honestly feels like he wrote in to Jim'll fix it or something. We have to hold onto Ayoze Perez too because he's going to be a proper player. Shining light this season.

Mike doesn't care about silverware to be honest, he needs getting shot of ASAP or we'll be destined for mid table-relegation zone mediocrity for years to come and it'll mean less and less to play for club like NUFC.


----------



## PGVan

Canadian Brotha said:


> Utd dominate and lose again, so much for Van Gaal's progress...


 I know this post is almost a few weeks old, but I thought I'd chime in...

1. Man United is going to be in Champions League qualifying. They didn't get a European place at all last season.

2. Do you realize who he had put through a medical today, in order to sign him the minute the transfer window opens? Memphis Depay is going to be a star.

They are progressing and getting back to the top from where they were takes time.


----------



## goku23

PGVan said:


> I know this post is almost a few weeks old, but I thought I'd chime in...
> 
> *1. Man United is going to be in Champions League qualifying. They didn't get a European place at all last season.*
> 
> 2. Do you realize who he had put through a medical today, in order to sign him the minute the transfer window opens? Memphis Depay is going to be a star.
> 
> They are progressing and getting back to the top from where they were takes time.


is that enought to justify the second highest summer spend in history and the highest calender year net spend?
nigh on 200mil.

but definitely agree with you about the 2nd point, Depay is an incredible talent.
for me Depay > Sterling

if you can recoup 40mil for Di Maria (maybe PSG) and sell the likes of Rafael etc and with the Adidas money in effect, you'll be in a very healthy position to be fair.

just have to wait and see how your recruitment goes - i think you'll sign the right players which is worrying for me as an LFC fan! lol

im expecting Hummels, Clyne and maybe Gundogan or Khedira to come in.
if you pull off Icardi too the whole league is in trouble!


----------



## Dre12

@goku23

Yeah, our season was at the minimum level of acceptability. Given that Van Gaal started so late, the early season defensive injuries and all the players ins and out that we have had he gets a pass this time.

With the money we will spend this summer he has to put in a title challenge and win, or come very to winning a cup next season.

Sterling at City worries me though. I think he will be fantastic alongside Aguero and Silva. A definite upgrade on Navas!

I think that Liverpool really need to go all out for Benteke, he is the realistic transfer for Liverpool that could really make a difference straight away IMO.


----------



## goku23

Dre12 said:


> @goku23
> 
> Yeah, our season was at the minimum level of acceptability. Given that Van Gaal started so late, the early season defensive injuries and all the players ins and out that we have had he gets a pass this time.
> 
> With the money we will spend this summer he has to put in a title challenge and win, or come very to winning a cup next season.
> 
> Sterling at City worries me though. I think he will be fantastic alongside Aguero and Silva. A definite upgrade on Navas!
> 
> I think that Liverpool really need to go all out for Benteke, he is the realistic transfer for Liverpool that could really make a difference straight away IMO.


even the signings, mostly Ed Woodward and the chief scout with no real thinking behind them and ending up with an unbalanaced squad, LVG didn't have much if any time to put down his own marker on player in's, so considering that too, agreed he's done well.
he's got a good track record in recruitment as well, Depay all LVG and a great signing. i'm sure there's more of that ilk to follow...damn! lol

yep, Sterling is perfect for City. i dont know where people are getting this misconception that he'll be a bench warmer there! he's got the RW/LW berth nailed alongside Silva.
Bony looks to be bedding in well too. if they do somehow pull of a Pogba-esque CM/DM (won't be Pogba!) but Kovacic as part of the Jovetic to Inter deal and Casemiro (beast) from Real/Porto then they'll be immensely strong next season. 
bound to free up funds with sales of Nasri, Yaya wages off the book, Dzeko and Jovetic.

- De Bruyne, Casemiro, Kovacic, Sterling, Otamendi or Jimenez from Atletico and the bas.tards are set!

Sevilla's Krychowiak is an extremely underrated DM too imo.

Benteke? square peg in a round hole i think mate. Villa are built around him and it's all direct play, plenty of width with crosses galore.
he'd be an Andy Carroll v.2 signing! (Even though he's better than Carroll!)

he needs a team to suit his strengths and vice versa, Belgium play more akin to us and he's got 7 in over 21 and all of them against weak opposition. 
whether its a quick transition counter based team or a possession based team, he'd struggle imho.
plus if Bony went for 30mil Villa will want at least the same if not more.
Bony is a much more complete striker, we could have had him for 19mil last summer (but to be fair he doesn't press well at all, only downside).

Michy of Marseille is a brilliant young talent and already more complete than Benteke imo, Vietto has 12 league goals in his first la liga season, great pressing off the ball and technically brilliant too - 16mil release fee but i think he's already been courted by Atletico and Valencia,
Carlos Bacca, proven goalscorer, 20 league goals in 36 this season which is a regular thing for him now - extremely adaptable (different ilk to the likes of Soldado who are restricted in what set-up they can play in) great work ethic and pressing. deserves a big move now (not too dissimilar to Suarez in his play but more of a poacher).
Icardi would be just perfect! one of the best strikers in world football but unrealistic with Rodgers in charge.

problem lays with Rodgers.
Suarez, Sturridge and Sterling papered over a lot of cracks last season. he hasn't addressed any of those defensive issues and in fact they've worsened.
he can't attract top name players so the names mentioned above are pipe dreams with him in charge.

he's tactically been all over the place this season, last season was easy - teams drop deep means space for Suarez between the lines to reek havoc...teams push up means space for Sturridge and Sterling to counter.
Suarez was for us what Messi is for Barca - they dictate the tactics.
Rodgers been left to his own devices this season and we're back to his first season in charge - tiki taka pointless possession and with no penetration and defensive shambles.
Klopp availabe means Rodgers getting his p45.


----------



## goku23

don't let the door hit you on the way out Brendan...


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> don't let the door hit you on the way out Brendan...


this game sealed my opinion, i'll get the train over and bring klopp to anfield personally


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> this game sealed my opinion, i'll get the train over and bring klopp to anfield personally


should be pretty straight forward for FSG after that mate.
FSG to do list for tomorrow:

- meet with Mr Klopp
- hand Klopp blank piece of paper for him to write any number he so wishes along with his signature
- sign piece of paper
- Klopp = new LFC manager


----------



## goku23

3 seasons under Rodgers: 
- 215 mil spent
- 117 mil last summer alone (our highest ever summer spend)....
Rodgers ""Look at Tottenham. If you spend more than ?100 million, you expect to be challenging for the league."
...we spent 117 mil....we finish 6th...
- more goals conceded average per game than any other LFC manager in our history:










- reliant on two players to score over 50% of our goals in the one good season under him
- No Trophies Won
- No Finals

= P45 for mr Brendan...the guy who said "my biggest mentor is myself"...you weren't wrong mate!


----------



## goku23

congrats to Chelsea, well deserved (although it's the crappiest the league has been for years!)

congrats to Newcastle for surviving - top fans and great to see Gutierrez get the goal which ensured safety after his battle with caner.

congrats to Southampton, Swansea and Stoke for fantastic seasons - 3 manager of the season contenders (Although it should by merit go to Mourinho imo, shocking he's never won even a manager of the month in the premier league let alone manager of the season!)


----------



## Canadian Brotha

goku23 said:


> congrats to Chelsea, well deserved (although it's the crappiest the league has been for years!)


I'm glad we won it but I agree that the standard this time out throughout the league was not that great at all.

I can't believe Liverpool lost 6-1 to Stoke of all teams, unreal, Rodgers just took one hell of a final knock out blow


----------



## Dre12

Wilshere's volley was one of the best I have seen. Hope him and Theo can kick on for England's sake.

Great moment for Guttierez as well.


----------



## goku23

Gerrard, Lampard and Drogba all played their last PL game too.
end of an era, 3 absolute legends and best players of their generation.
Lamps probably the most underrated midfielder in PL history along with Matt Le Tissier imo
class player who never got the credit he deserved from fans everywhere.


----------



## xxDark Horse

I don't even watch soccer but Tim Howard is the best goalkeeper of all time.

How can people even like a sport where they hardly score? It's just failure back and forth the whole game.

If soccer was the most popular sport in the USA and american football and basketball didn't exist, America would wreck you all in the world cup. Most of our star athletes go into either basketball, american football, or baseball so we don't have as large of a pool to choose from for soccer. And some of those dudes in the NFL have insane speed, imagine if they grew up playing soccer instead. They would outrun everyone.

And soccer is seen as a middle class white sport in the USA. Soccer is usually not seen as a ghetto sport; most people in the hood don't play soccer. They're usually out playing basketball or american football. Imagine if all the great black athletes in America played soccer growing up instead of bball or american football.


----------



## Alexander0

Shame that Falcao didn`t work out for us, cant remember ever feeling this sorry for a player before. He gave it all on the pitch, but he just isn`t the same striker as he was in his Atletico days anymore.  Hope he goes off to some Italian/Spanish team and bangs in a ****load of goals, as long as its not against us obviously :lol


----------



## Sean07

xxDark Horse said:


> I don't even watch soccer but Tim Howard is the best goalkeeper of all time.
> 
> How can people even like a sport where they hardly score? It's just failure back and forth the whole game.
> 
> If soccer was the most popular sport in the USA and american football and basketball didn't exist, America would wreck you all in the world cup. Most of our star athletes go into either basketball, american football, or baseball so we don't have as large of a pool to choose from for soccer. And some of those dudes in the NFL have insane speed, imagine if they grew up playing soccer instead. They would outrun everyone.
> 
> And soccer is seen as a middle class white sport in the USA. Soccer is usually not seen as a ghetto sport; most people in the hood don't play soccer. They're usually out playing basketball or american football. Imagine if all the great black athletes in America played soccer growing up instead of bball or american football.


Tim Howard isn't in the top 100 keepers of all time, he's actually been pathetic this season to be honest.

Why would you want to watch a game where people score constantly like basketball? Sounds boring and pointless to me.

It's true that if the US pumped a **** tonne of money into football and it became the national sport then you'd more likely then not have a great team to challenge Europe and South Americas best. Lets be honest though, that's never going to happen and it would take years and years to develop.

Athletes in the US are just as good and bad as they are anywhere else. Players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale are probably as fit if not fitter then most American Footballers and they're white dudes, speed isn't the most important factor in football anyway. Football is the worlds most popular and profitable sport so the top teams have trainers, dieticians and facillities that are just as good as you have in top US sport, you don't have any physical advantage over the rest of the world in that respect.

You will not be 'wrecking' anyone any time soon, that's for sure.


----------



## Drunky

My team Norwich back in the Premier League, very happy with that


----------



## Dre12

xxDark Horse said:


> I don't even watch soccer but Tim Howard is the best goalkeeper of all time.
> 
> How can people even like a sport where they hardly score? It's just failure back and forth the whole game.
> 
> If soccer was the most popular sport in the USA and american football and basketball didn't exist, America would wreck you all in the world cup. Most of our star athletes go into either basketball, american football, or baseball so we don't have as large of a pool to choose from for soccer. And some of those dudes in the NFL have insane speed, imagine if they grew up playing soccer instead. They would outrun everyone.
> 
> And soccer is seen as a middle class white sport in the USA. Soccer is usually not seen as a ghetto sport; most people in the hood don't play soccer. They're usually out playing basketball or american football. Imagine if all the great black athletes in America played soccer growing up instead of bball or american football.


If football was as popular in America as it is everywhere else in the world then you would be one of the top nations no doubt but it would be to do with population size and financial resources rather than any inherent superiority.

The point on African American players dominating, well it doesn't really work like that in football. Take for example Yaya Toure and Xavi Hernandez. Toure is a 6ft 2in beast of a man whilst Xavi Hernandez is 5ft 7in and slightly built. Both play in the same area of the pitch and whilst Toure is one of the best of this generation Xavi is one of the best of all time. Athleticism only gets you so far in football, technical ability gets you further. I can only think of Ibrahimovic who is 6ft 5in that combines physical size and technical ability so well. Larger players are usually less dynamic and end up playing in defence.

Leo Messi is the best of all time for me, again only 5ft 7in and he doesn't even look like an athlete but his low centre of gravity, close control of the ball and spacial awareness is almost non human.






There has been a debate as to why there has never been any great African play makers in the mould of Xavi Hernandez. I think that it is partly to do with poor infrastructure and coaching in Africa and probably an over reliance on athleticism by African players in youth football leads to under developed technical ability.

Tim Howard is not even a top level keeper in this generation. He isn't even tier two level, he is probably tier three level. He had a chance at the very top level with Manchester United and couldn't hack it. The pressure of having to win every week and having the press take you apart if you don't cracks some players. Howard was in that mould for me at United. He started flapping far too often. He was sold to Everton, a mid table club with no great expectations or pressure and has found a home there.



Alexander0 said:


> Shame that Falcao didn`t work out for us, cant remember ever feeling this sorry for a player before. He gave it all on the pitch, but he just isn`t the same striker as he was in his Atletico days anymore.  Hope he goes off to some Italian/Spanish team and bangs in a ****load of goals, as long as its not against us obviously :lol


I really like Falcao. My heart really went out to him when he got that standing ovation at OT. You could tell that he tried his best but just couldn't make it work. Hopefully he can find some form elsewhere.


----------



## typemismatch

goku23 said:


> 3 seasons under Rodgers:
> - 215 mil spent
> - 117 mil last summer alone (our highest ever summer spend)....
> Rodgers ""Look at Tottenham. If you spend more than ?100 million, you expect to be challenging for the league."
> ...we spent 117 mil....we finish 6th...
> - more goals conceded average per game than any other LFC manager in our history:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> - reliant on two players to score over 50% of our goals in the one good season under him
> - No Trophies Won
> - No Finals
> 
> = P45 for mr Brendan...the guy who said "my biggest mentor is myself"...you weren't wrong mate!


That's a very selective set of stats. You missed the one that shows Rogers has the most goals scored per game of any manager. I suppose you would want to go back to the glory days of 1-0s under Benitez. I don't get Liverpool fans, how they seem to expect their team to compete season after season with the big four when they don't have anything like their resources.


----------



## goku23

typemismatch said:


> That's a very selective set of stats. You missed the one that shows Rogers has the most goals scored per game of any manager. I suppose you would want to go back to the glory days of 1-0s under Benitez. I don't get Liverpool fans, how they seem to expect their team to compete season after season with the big four when they don't have anything like their resources.


Rafa Benitez at LFC:
- 1 Champions league win, 1 champions league final, 1 semi-final
- 1 UEFA super cup
- 1 FA cup
- 5 out of 6 seasons qualified for the champions league
- 5 out of 6 seasons qualified to the latter stages of the champions league
- first 3 seasons money spent: 112 mil
- total money spent in 6 seasons in charge: 214mil
- in 2008/09 amassed highest premier league points in LFC history - 86 points (which still stands)
with fewest league defeats in one season for 105 years - 2 defeats (which still stands)
- more LFC European wins than any other manager in clubs' history (which still stands)
- reached 100 league wins quicker than any other LFC manager in history - 181 (which still stands)

Brendan Rodgers:
- ???????

- total money spent (3 seasons): 240mil vs Rafa Benitez money spent (first 3 seasons): 112mil or Rafa Benitez total money spent in 6 seasons: 214mil

trophies won = 0
finals reached = 0

how about those stats mate?

the past five seasons we've spent 352 mil
Utd spent 356 mil
Arsenal 258 mil

our net spend 130 mil compared to Arsenal's 95mil
or compared to Dortmund's 20mil euro net spend spanning over the 4 season period where they won 2 leagues, 1 cup and reached 1 champions league final.
Atletico with less than a 20mil euro net spend excluding this season since Simeone took charge (3 seasons) 1 cup win, 1 Europa league win and 1 la liga title.

Juventus, Marseille, Sevilla, Valencia also all examples of teams who've achieved more domestically and in Europe with FAR less expenditure than LFC's.

you don't get LFC fans?
you don't get being annoyed with spending over 350mil over 5 seasons and having 1 league cup and 1 top 4 finish in that time to show for it?


----------



## googleamiable

why are people still taking football seriously? it's long gone. it's a dead, corrupt remnant of sport. rich, fat men siphon off bribe money from it. rich fat men pay for world cup hosting rights, then work slaves to death to build the infrastructure. rich fat men exploit "brand loyalty" for extortionate subscription fees. the sport itself is diminished by the fact it is structured as a pay to win game. the clubs are either toys or expansion opportunity for billionaires. i can't imagine why people still take it seriously.


----------



## Dre12

michael1 said:


> why are people still taking football seriously? it's long gone. it's a dead, corrupt remnant of sport. rich, fat men siphon off bribe money from it. rich fat men pay for world cup hosting rights, then work slaves to death to build the infrastructure. rich fat men exploit "brand loyalty" for extortionate subscription fees. the sport itself is diminished by the fact it is structured as a pay to win game. the clubs are either toys or expansion opportunity for billionaires. i can't imagine why people still take it seriously.


When was it different exactly, when Franco controlled Real Madrid in the 50s perhaps or when Mussolini was bribing Italy to World Cup success in the 1930s? Or maybe you hark back to the glory days of the 1980s when hooliganism was rife and hundreds of supporters died in various stadium disasters.


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## googleamiable

uh huh, yea, none of that decades to centuries old stuff mitigates anything i referred to so stfu and stop polluting what i wrote by association


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## goku23

michael1 said:


> uh huh, yea, none of that decades to centuries old stuff mitigates anything i referred to so stfu and stop polluting what i wrote by association


fantastic reply... 
oh and i think what you wrote was plenty polluted anyway...i doubt Dre added to the pollution of your post!


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## Micronian

michael1 said:


> why are people still taking football seriously? it's long gone. it's a dead, corrupt remnant of sport. rich, fat men siphon off bribe money from it. rich fat men pay for world cup hosting rights, then work slaves to death to build the infrastructure. rich fat men exploit "brand loyalty" for extortionate subscription fees. the sport itself is diminished by the fact it is structured as a pay to win game. the clubs are either toys or expansion opportunity for billionaires. i can't imagine why people still take it seriously.


Every major pro sport is like that. Heck, every major industry in the developed world is like that.
No reason to single out soccer, when the fault is within humanity and its tendency for selfish greed.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Not gonna lie, it'll be a guilty pleasure of mine if Villa take the FA Cup today


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Yeeessssssss :clap


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^Congrats! The Sanchez goal was great


----------



## Notgoingout

Messi is magic. Dani Alves has possibly the worst haircut anyone has ever had. That first goal by Messi was incredible!


----------



## AbandondedWolf

Anyone looking forward to the Champions League Final?


----------



## goku23

definitely! 
hoping for a Juve win, same stadium as the 06 WC final when Italy won after being written off (same as Juve!) so i'm hoping thats a good omen!

Suarez vs Chiellini again
also vs Evra again!

but keeping Messi quiet is one thing, keeping Suarez quiet is another thing but how can anyone keep all 3 of them quiet with Neymar having an incredible season too!
already scored most goals of any attack in league history between them.


----------



## PGVan

Finally! Sepp is gone!:clap


----------



## typemismatch

Dammit, why did Sepp have to go. He was entertaining. Now we are going to get someone boring. Down with all these boring people!


----------



## Esperanzado

I'm а Atletico de Madrid fan


----------



## Stactix

If the South African World cup was corrupt. 


There is no way in hell the qatar one isn't. 

Considering the conditions, that qatar is unknown in the footballing world & America were up against them.

Id be willing to bet on it. 

If it isn't ill suck off blatter. Rofl 

How many migrants have died, they don't deserve to host the world cup. Fifa need to do a revote. Shove your money up ya *** you qatar oil wankers. 




Anyways, I'm looking forward to USA vs Holland tommorow, get to see Uniteds new signing in action hopefully COME ON DEPAY! then England vs Ireland on Sunday. 
Hodgson & his medieval tactics!


----------



## PGVan

Fear not if you think Sepp is entertaining. The snake is sticking around until the next election. It can't happen for 4 months (why is can't happen tomorrow is stupid), and from what I've heard, it might not happen until next March! 


Both Russia and Qatar need to have their World Cups taken away. That said, with 2018 qualifying starting soon, I think it's too late to take it away from Russia.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Hoping Buffon & crew are on form to take the cup today!


----------



## aliso

I watch every game of Liverpool and USWNT.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Not sure why we are signing Falcao but based on how quick it's happening I suspect it's been in the works behind the scenes for a while. Perhaps Mou thinks he can get him going via the South American contingent in the team. That said, as defending champions I would have thought we'd be going for a striker that doesn't have an injury history/lack of form to be concerned with


----------



## goku23

Canadian Brotha said:


> Not sure why we are signing Falcao but based on how quick it's happening I suspect it's been in the works behind the scenes for a while. Perhaps Mou thinks he can get him going via the South American contingent in the team. That said, as defending champions I would have thought we'd be going for a striker that doesn't have an injury history/lack of form to be concerned with


same agent as Mourinho and Costa, taken bit of a wage-cut to join and loan fee less than what Utd paid (value dropped).

Falcao pre-injury was one of the best strikers around but didn't have any sort of pre-season last summer, had just returned from a bad ACL rupture (worst injury a footballer can get ), horribly used by Utd...all these things played a big part in him struggling.

think Mouinho is perfect for him and his situation is different to last summer.
Falcao was the main man at Atletico, Costa played off him and only took over as main striker when he left.
they had a really good partnership there though but i think Mourinho will stick with 1 up top and Falcao will be backup.

massive upgrade on Drogba and Remy who'll be sold now.
i wonder what will happen to Salah though? was immense for Fiorentina on loan


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^You ought to be a pundit with all your footy knowledge, lol


----------



## Joe

Barely following the transfers at the moment, Milner/Ings look to be decent deals. Milner especially will be able to deal with being played in different positions every game like Rodgers does to people. Clyne not too sure of sounds like a decent deal for a relatively solid player, would be surprised if we got him without Southampton bumping the price up a bit. I think Liverpool can easily become more of a solid team, but if we have the 5th best squad in the league being solid might not be enough and that's judging Sturridge isn't done for after his injuries. 

Really not seeing us catch to the top 4 any time soon. City are City, Chelsea are Chelsea, United have a bunch of cash, Wenger is buying players now the stadium is done. Could see any of those (probably not United though) pushing for the title, Chelsea will be favourites again obviously. I think the premier league is too competitive almost, since there never seems to be a focus on Europe as much as beating out other teams in the league. Alternatively and more likely it's just the league is worse and the teams flat out can't compete in Europe (though I think Chelsea are still a top european club, around 7-8th place?). Arsenal will probably have one good win against a top team then get out because they lost the first leg 5-0, they are brilliant if they are in form but never get there.


----------



## Dre12

United youngster Andreas Pereira scored a tasty goal for Brazil in the U20 World Cup final today. He put his team mate Malcom through for a winner near the end but Malcom missed and Serbia nicked a late goal in a smash and grab display.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...a-scores-top-solo-goal-in-u20-world-cup-final

@*goku23*

Liverpool sign Joe Gomez, an outstanding prospect. He has size and is good on the ball. He was a part of the England U17 side that won the European Championship last year and is one of the best in an outstanding crop of English centre backs. Carter-Vickers is a very very highly rated centre back at Spurs and is currently playing for the U.S. youth teams as he can't get a look in for England.


----------



## goku23

Dre12 said:


> United youngster Andreas Pereira scored a tasty goal for Brazil in the U20 World Cup final today. He put his team mate Malcom through for a winner near the end but Malcom missed and Serbia nicked a late goal in a smash and grab display.
> 
> http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...a-scores-top-solo-goal-in-u20-world-cup-final
> 
> @*goku23*
> 
> Liverpool sign Joe Gomez, an outstanding prospect. He has size and is good on the ball. He was a part of the England U17 side that won the European Championship last year and is one of the best in an outstanding crop of English centre backs. Carter-Vickers is a very very highly rated centre back at Spurs and is currently playing for the U.S. youth teams as he can't get a look in for England.


saw a couple Brazil u20 games mate and Perreira genuinely looked the best player on the pitch, didn't even realise he chose Brazil!! this whole time i thought Belgium had yet another gem in their ranks!

but apparently been promised first team football next season, be good to see him get a loan to Bournemouth or Swansea if he'd get some minutes there.
not good for Januzaj i'd assume!

but im grinning ear to ear! FIRMINO!! our biggest and potentially best signing since Suarez, ive been pleading for us to sign him since 2013! brilliant player and actually surprised we pulled it off!

looks like Carlos Bacca is next, Coutinho and Firmino off Sturridge and Bacca could be something beautiful!
Can and Henderson in the engine room.

after the end of season meeting FSG apparently told Rodgers he's in the last chance saloon and gave the transfer committee full autonomy over transfers (after the calamity Rodgers had last year by flushing 50mil down the toilet on the Southampton trio!) 
was surprised Rodgers stood by quietly while his no.2 and first team coach were sacked...a bit snide and spineless on his part imo.

looks like Pako Ayestarán is set to return as assist. manager which would be a dream!
would have loved Rene Meulensteen as the 1st team coach too! dont think it will happen though.

cautiously optimistic for the season ahead!
Milner on a free, Ings virtually a free, young Gomez for a nominal fee and Firmino...brilliant so far.
add Bacca and Clyne for a sensible fee (asking for Kovacic would be too greedy!) and its been a very productive window.
oh and Pako + Pepijn to the coaching staff, happy days!


----------



## goku23

Cech to Arsenal also, HUGE signing for them! 
really should have tried for Khedira, even with his recent injury record a free transfer for max of 100k/week wages really should have been a no-brainer (took a pay-cut to join Juve)

Juve pulled off a coup with that one. maybe Arsenal have someone else in mind? Krychowiak.
he'd be a fantastic signing but Sevilla would want big money for him.

a defensive mid and they're set, wouldn't rely on Coquelin entire season at all.


----------



## Sean07

goku23 said:


> Cech to Arsenal also, HUGE signing for them!
> really should have tried for Khedira, even with his recent injury record a free transfer for max of 100k/week wages really should have been a no-brainer (took a pay-cut to join Juve)
> 
> Juve pulled off a coup with that one. maybe Arsenal have someone else in mind? Krychowiak.
> he'd be a fantastic signing but Sevilla would want big money for him.
> 
> a defensive mid and they're set, wouldn't rely on Coquelin entire season at all.


Krychowiak had a fantastic season last year and would be a great coup for Arsenal if they could get him. However, he wouldn't be playing every week and he's entering the prime of his career. Might put him off but then again he could be up for the challenge. Schneiderlin would be another decent signing but again, he probably wouldn't be playing week in week out.

-------

Seems Newcastle have been snubbed by everyone we're supposedly in for, I'm not at all surprised. Bas Dost had a great year last season and could probably sign for a less tumultuous club on the same level. The Austin deal looks less likely as time goes on. Williamson has come out saying how he wishes to be an important part of the side next season... just not good.

I'd take Patrick Bamford on loan if that's what it came to, he's shown last season he's more than a prospect. I hope McClaren can breath some life into a squad full of seemingly dead wood.


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## typemismatch

Funniest thing I've seen on a football field since the last day of the season at the Britannia.


----------



## goku23

Sean07 said:


> Krychowiak had a fantastic season last year and would be a great coup for Arsenal if they could get him. However, he wouldn't be playing every week and he's entering the prime of his career. Might put him off but then again he could be up for the challenge. Schneiderlin would be another decent signing but again, he probably wouldn't be playing week in week out.
> 
> -------
> 
> Seems Newcastle have been snubbed by everyone we're supposedly in for, I'm not at all surprised. Bas Dost had a great year last season and could probably sign for a less tumultuous club on the same level. The Austin deal looks less likely as time goes on. Williamson has come out saying how he wishes to be an important part of the side next season... just not good.
> 
> I'd take Patrick Bamford on loan if that's what it came to, he's shown last season he's more than a prospect. I hope McClaren can breath some life into a squad full of seemingly dead wood.


you guys pulled off a coup i think getting Ian Cathro in as assistant manager from Valencia, all the Spanish experts rate him highly and Nuno was gutted to lose him.
think Cathro sees this as a chance to jump into management. only 28 so likely thinks a PL club would take a chance on him should he do well.

Bamford on loan would be a clever move mate, could have a Harry Kane-esque impact (i actually think he's better than Kane! just needs a chance)

would be surprised if Bas Dost left Wolfsburg, not sure if Graham Carr is still doing the recruitment or if Ashley has given McLaren some input. 
personally i'd try for Kevin Gameiro from Sevilla, might be tempted to leave if guaranteed 1st team football and premier league always a big attraction.

Ayew would have been a good signing, were unlucky to miss out on him but he has same agent as Gomis so was always likely to go to Swansea.

Luiz Adriano from Shakhtar would be fantastic! final year of his contract and for sale for a sensible price, but reckon bigger clubs will be interested.

would do well in holding on to Sissoko, surprised nobody has shown an interest in Tiote. with his recent injuries his price would have dropped and reckon he'd be a good signing for a top 4 contender.
cheaper than Sissoko for sure!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Cech in an Arsenal jersey is slightly strange for the moment but I'm happy for him & that the club respected him enough to work out a way for him to stay in London as he wished


----------



## Kevin001

Congrats US Women Soccer!


----------



## Wirt

Kevin001 said:


> Congrats US Women Soccer!


the england game was a REALLY underwhelming ending lol. But i think the US is more likely to win it all now. England was better than japan

i missed the last US game since it was in the middle of the f-ing day. But at least the final game is sunday.


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## Kevin001

VipFuj said:


> the england game was a REALLY underwhelming ending lol. But i think the US is more likely to win it all now. England was better than japan
> 
> i missed the last US game since it was in the middle of the f-ing day. But at least the final game is sunday.


Yup, rematch time. This is what we wanted. Bring it.


----------



## goku23

cruel way to lose though, Laura Bassett was distraught but she's been excellent all tournament. England would likely not have progressed to the stage they did without her and her leadership.

good turnouts in Canada, hopefully the sport will grow there and more women will take interest also.


----------



## goku23

congrats to Sweden u-21's also, Portugal have some fantastic youngsters too.
William Carvalho has likely rubber stamped a big money move to one of Europe's elite with his performances.
beast of a midfielder.
hopefully Guidetti of Sweden gets given a chance at premier league level, he's been fantastic everywhere he's been on loan and deserves a chance. would have signed him rather than Ings as LFC 3rd choice striker but Ings also a good young talent.


----------



## identificationunknown

Fifa world cup is a personal favourite.


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> congrats to Sweden u-21's also, Portugal have some fantastic youngsters too.
> William Carvalho has likely rubber stamped a big money move to one of Europe's elite with his performances.
> beast of a midfielder.
> hopefully Guidetti of Sweden gets given a chance at premier league level, he's been fantastic everywhere he's been on loan and deserves a chance. would have signed him rather than Ings as LFC 3rd choice striker but Ings also a good young talent.


15 in 35 (8 in 24 league) for Celtic is hardly impressive, it's a terrible league outside of Celtic (who have been steadily declining in stature every year for at least a decade). If he wasn't the main striker then fair enough, but needs to work his way up again (the euro 21 went some way to helping). Ings is definitely the safer option and currently more proven despite not being as good as Guidetti was peaking, though Guidetti seems on his way up again so wouldn't be a bad punt, just wouldn't expect him to get enough playing time at a club like Liverpool.


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> 15 in 35 (8 in 24 league) for Celtic is hardly impressive, it's a terrible league outside of Celtic (who have been steadily declining in stature every year for at least a decade). If he wasn't the main striker then fair enough, but needs to work his way up again (the euro 21 went some way to helping). Ings is definitely the safer option and currently more proven despite not being as good as Guidetti was peaking, though Guidetti seems on his way up again so wouldn't be a bad punt, just wouldn't expect him to get enough playing time at a club like Liverpool.


23 of those 35 were starts, 12 were off the bench.
he scored 11 goals in his first 12 games before injury struck and he failed to recapture that form upon return because he was coming off the bench as much as he started.

he also scored 20 in 23 for Feyenoord in the Dutch league which is far superior to the SPL and arguably the Eng. championship where Ings scored 21 in 40 for a high-flying Burnley and prior to that 7 in 44.
4 in 13 for the u21's compared to Guidetti's 12 in 23 yet Ings is supposedly the better/safer signing?

premier league proven is a complete myth. Lallana, Lambert are PL proven and how well did they do?
Downing, Bentley, Robbie Keane, Pennant, A.Johnson, Joe Cole, James Beattie, Carroll just a few examples of supposed PL proven talent who flopped after moves.
Suarez, Sanchez, Benteke, Torres, Drogba, Pelle, God knows how many others who hit the ground running after arriving from foreign leagues while showing no signs of slowing.

the premier league last season showed how it's regressed, worst it's been for years and defensive stats help prove that. Ings scoring 11 goals means little to me considering Andy Johnson scored 21 in the PL for a relegated Crystal Palace in 04/05 when the premier league was arguably near it's peak.

Guidetti has a higher dribble completion rate, assist rate, goals to game ratio and shot conversion rate than Ings.

i like Ings but if you see both play then it's hard not to like Guidetti better.

if we were living in a ideal world i wouldn't sign either of them, i'd have signed Michy Batshuayi to back up Sturridge and another (the other ideally being Lacazette or Gameiro and not Benteke!)


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> 15 in 35 (8 in 24 league) for Celtic is hardly impressive, it's a terrible league outside of Celtic (who have been steadily declining in stature every year for at least a decade). If he wasn't the main striker then fair enough, but needs to work his way up again (the euro 21 went some way to helping). Ings is definitely the safer option and currently more proven despite not being as good as Guidetti was peaking, though Guidetti seems on his way up again so wouldn't be a bad punt, just wouldn't expect him to get enough playing time at a club like Liverpool.


what do you make of Sean O'Driscoll as the new assistant mate?
i thought FSG were ridding Rodgers of Pascoe and Mike Marsh to bring in experience and a higher calibre of coach.
was thinking Pako would return and maybe Rene Meulensteen or even Henk Ten Cate but then we get someone sacked as manager from Doncaster, Nottingham Forest and Bristol City!
doesn't mean he's a bad coach, maybe just a bad manager. im hoping that's the case but i'm not optimistic!

not sure what FSG are doing. Benteke is apparently close and he's definitely the man Rodgers pinpointed as the main target, not the transfer committee.
at least the committee were allowed to recruit Firmino. they wanted to sign him last summer but were overruled and Rodgers was allowed to sign Lallana instead! shocking to say the least.

not sure if FSG are handing Rodgers enough rope to climb on or to hang himself with. 
i think they're maintaining appearances. the Sterling sale will cover much of the Firmino and Benteke money.
sales of Coates, Borini, Enrique, Lambert and releasing Johnson+Gerrard will cover the rest.

we've made our most expensive ever signings under them but they're net spend is actually low.
Torres, Suarez and now Sterling sales would have covered much of the expenditure on signings.
they're also increasing stadium capacity but doing it via a one-stand expansion saving them money on a new stadium (which they did promise when they arrived)
think they're putting in only enough to make the club more attractive to investors.
increased stadium capacity and club still have on-field assets in Coutinho, Firmino and possibly Benteke.
all with minimal spend in the grand scheme of things.

rumours of John Henry attending meetings in Dubai. wouldn't surprise me at all if this season ends up another dud and club is sold next season. with Rodgers still in charge to save on compensation.


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> 23 of those 35 were starts, 12 were off the bench.
> he scored 11 goals in his first 12 games before injury struck and he failed to recapture that form upon return because he was coming off the bench as much as he started.
> 
> he also scored 20 in 23 for Feyenoord in the Dutch league which is far superior to the SPL and arguably the Eng. championship where Ings scored 21 in 40 for a high-flying Burnley and prior to that 7 in 44.
> 4 in 13 for the u21's compared to Guidetti's 12 in 23 yet Ings is supposedly the better/safer signing?
> 
> premier league proven is a complete myth. Lallana, Lambert are PL proven and how well did they do?
> Downing, Bentley, Robbie Keane, Pennant, A.Johnson, Joe Cole, James Beattie, Carroll just a few examples of supposed PL proven talent who flopped after moves.
> Suarez, Sanchez, Benteke, Torres, Drogba, Pelle, God knows how many others who hit the ground running after arriving from foreign leagues while showing no signs of slowing.
> 
> the premier league last season showed how it's regressed, worst it's been for years and defensive stats help prove that. Ings scoring 11 goals means little to me considering Andy Johnson scored 21 in the PL for a relegated Crystal Palace in 04/05 when the premier league was arguably near it's peak.
> 
> Guidetti has a higher dribble completion rate, assist rate, goals to game ratio and shot conversion rate than Ings.
> 
> i like Ings but if you see both play then it's hard not to like Guidetti better.
> 
> if we were living in a ideal world i wouldn't sign either of them, i'd have signed Michy Batshuayi to back up Sturridge and another (the other ideally being Lacazette or Gameiro and not Benteke!)


Guidetti was fantastic in the Dutch league but the virus he had stalled his progress enough to warrant a 'wait-and-see' attitude by any clubs interested in taking him who are in the premier league. Clubs at the top of Dutch league will be better than championship, probably a similar standard to them, but with a far higher spend in the championship because that's the way England works.

Ings has done less than Guidetti but the stall on Guidetti's career I'd imagine would make clubs a bit nervy. Can't imagine the wages to be too different though, Guidetti said he'd prefer 25k at Celtic than 40k in the PL (easy to say when he is at the club) while Ings was on about 15k /w. Can't find his current salary. They should both count as homegrown right?

One thing that makes me a bit wary though is when we sign the 'main man' of a club, not entirely sure how Burnley worked but to use Benteke as an example, Villa played **** football until Sherwood came but being the center of the attack would surely boost his strike rate. I didn't realise Johnson stayed a season after he hit 21 either, thought he left right away to Everton (I remember my brother paying to watch the derby and he scored a hattrick). Batshuayi would cost ab it more than Ings/Guidetti, doubt Rodgers would want to spend the bit extra when he is looking for an expensive striking option.

Guidetti seems decent at free kicks though, which would be a nice factor in signing him.


----------



## Depressed94

I'll just leave this here lol
http://sinceliverpoollastwonatrophy.co.uk/league-title/


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> what do you make of Sean O'Driscoll as the new assistant mate?
> i thought FSG were ridding Rodgers of Pascoe and Mike Marsh to bring in experience and a higher calibre of coach.
> was thinking Pako would return and maybe Rene Meulensteen or even Henk Ten Cate but then we get someone sacked as manager from Doncaster, Nottingham Forest and Bristol City!
> doesn't mean he's a bad coach, maybe just a bad manager. im hoping that's the case but i'm not optimistic!
> 
> not sure what FSG are doing. Benteke is apparently close and he's definitely the man Rodgers pinpointed as the main target, not the transfer committee.
> at least the committee were allowed to recruit Firmino. they wanted to sign him last summer but were overruled and Rodgers was allowed to sign Lallana instead! shocking to say the least.
> 
> not sure if FSG are handing Rodgers enough rope to climb on or to hang himself with.
> i think they're maintaining appearances. the Sterling sale will cover much of the Firmino and Benteke money.
> sales of Coates, Borini, Enrique, Lambert and releasing Johnson+Gerrard will cover the rest.
> 
> we've made our most expensive ever signings under them but they're net spend is actually low.
> Torres, Suarez and now Sterling sales would have covered much of the expenditure on signings.
> they're also increasing stadium capacity but doing it via a one-stand expansion saving them money on a new stadium (which they did promise when they arrived)
> think they're putting in only enough to make the club more attractive to investors.
> increased stadium capacity and club still have on-field assets in Coutinho, Firmino and possibly Benteke.
> all with minimal spend in the grand scheme of things.
> 
> rumours of John Henry attending meetings in Dubai. wouldn't surprise me at all if this season ends up another dud and club is sold next season. with Rodgers still in charge to save on compensation.


He played some nice football, had a tight budget and done a decent job overall I reckon, just had bad patches of form (like Rodgers). Can't really judge the U19 games, but he was 6-0-1. Rene Meulensteen didn't do the best either yet was fantastic for United (to be honest, I don't think it was overly important who was assisting SAF). Pako has been out of the game for a while at top clubs, might've been a good option if he was as defensively minded as Benetiz (I don't understand why Madrid signed him either, they sacked Capello for winning the league with boring football, not saying 08/09 was close to boring though for Rafa).

Firmino should be fantastic, I'd be happy with Benteke for under 25m, not ecstatic or anything though he has had his moments in a boring Villa side, though being the main man must have increased his goals a bit. Not going to say he is proven in the PL or anything, I think a better term should be 'proven at the top of the PL' than anything, more than a target man for sure (though same can be said for Lallana, not worth 25m but decent for the squad). More optimistic than I was at signing Lallana for £25m. I read that 22m + Enrique/Lambert could be the deal, might be able to get 4-5m for the both of them but not sure who would be in for Enrique.

I think Rodgers won't do as bad as last season, we have better players, he is a bit better defensively. If we had Sturridge up all year we'd probably have came within touching distance, if not scraped into top 4.

I can't fault FSG, they've put a hell of a lot of money in the club, if they manage to sell it for a profit I'll be happy for them and thankful for saving the club, maybe a bit relieved by all the constant flops they paid out for. I wouldn't want to end up like City though, barely feel anything for them. A few CL semi-finals or a Manc to lead them would certainly make them feel more like a Manchester club! Chelsea having Terry/Lampard/Joe Cole probably went a long way to making me think of them as more than a money club. Easier to look up to players when I was still a kid though, I loved Arsenal for Henry (second after Liverpool of course) though he was basically a part of the team for my entire childhood so might as well have been local.


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> Guidetti was fantastic in the Dutch league but the virus he had stalled his progress enough to warrant a 'wait-and-see' attitude by any clubs interested in taking him who are in the premier league. Clubs at the top of Dutch league will be better than championship, probably a similar standard to them, but with a far higher spend in the championship because that's the way England works.
> 
> Ings has done less than Guidetti but the stall on Guidetti's career I'd imagine would make clubs a bit nervy. Can't imagine the wages to be too different though, Guidetti said he'd prefer 25k at Celtic than 40k in the PL (easy to say when he is at the club) while Ings was on about 15k /w. Can't find his current salary. They should both count as homegrown right?
> 
> One thing that makes me a bit wary though is when we sign the 'main man' of a club, not entirely sure how Burnley worked but to use Benteke as an example, Villa played **** football until Sherwood came but being the center of the attack would surely boost his strike rate. I didn't realise Johnson stayed a season after he hit 21 either, thought he left right away to Everton (I remember my brother paying to watch the derby and he scored a hattrick). Batshuayi would cost ab it more than Ings/Guidetti, doubt Rodgers would want to spend the bit extra when he is looking for an expensive striking option.
> 
> Guidetti seems decent at free kicks though, which would be a nice factor in signing him.


Johnson signed for Everton in the summer of 06 but wasn't great, managed less than 20 goals in two seasons there and was there main man starting most games alongside Yakubu.

Michy cost Marseille 7mil but has been isolated by coach Bielsa (the crazy old *******!) who did similar to the awesome CB Doria. Doria was and my imo still is top 3 young centre backs in Brazil, he cost Marseille a fee which could have risen to 10mil but literally barely got a look in under Bielsa (he has a history of this, odd sentiments towards players) and was loaned to Sao Paulo with an option to buy for half of what Marseille paid only a year ago.

it's very likely Bielsa would urge them to accept a similar fee they paid for Michy although he does like him more than Doria but has other targets apparently.
so imo a fee of under 10mil would force their hand.
Ings is costing us between 5-8 mil in compensation to be decided by a tribunal, likely to be around 6mil as he's now been called up by England seniors.
Real Socidedad reportedly offered to quadruple the 15k/week wages he was on at Burnley and so did Tottenham so likely we're paying him 30-40k/week
Michy was on barely 7k/week at Standard and apparently Marseille put him on double figures. 
likely he would be on less than Ings should he come here - Salah is on 40k/week at Chelsea despite being an experienced international and champions league player.
players from the lesser leagues i.e. Switzerland and Belgium tend to be on meagre wages compared to our own players 
and there's little dispute in who's the more talented with the highest ceiling when comparing Michy, Guidetti and Ings.
imo Michy will be superior to all of the Belgium strike talent (Benteke, Lukaku, Origi)
but Rodgers has a domestic fetish!


----------



## goku23

Joe said:


> He played some nice football, had a tight budget and done a decent job overall I reckon, just had bad patches of form (like Rodgers). Can't really judge the U19 games, but he was 6-0-1. Rene Meulensteen didn't do the best either yet was fantastic for United (to be honest, I don't think it was overly important who was assisting SAF). Pako has been out of the game for a while at top clubs, might've been a good option if he was as defensively minded as Benetiz (I don't understand why Madrid signed him either, they sacked Capello for winning the league with boring football, not saying 08/09 was close to boring though for Rafa).
> 
> Firmino should be fantastic, I'd be happy with Benteke for under 25m, not ecstatic or anything though he has had his moments in a boring Villa side, though being the main man must have increased his goals a bit. Not going to say he is proven in the PL or anything, I think a better term should be 'proven at the top of the PL' than anything, more than a target man for sure (though same can be said for Lallana, not worth 25m but decent for the squad). More optimistic than I was at signing Lallana for £25m. I read that 22m + Enrique/Lambert could be the deal, might be able to get 4-5m for the both of them but not sure who would be in for Enrique.
> 
> I think Rodgers won't do as bad as last season, we have better players, he is a bit better defensively. If we had Sturridge up all year we'd probably have came within touching distance, if not scraped into top 4.
> 
> I can't fault FSG, they've put a hell of a lot of money in the club, if they manage to sell it for a profit I'll be happy for them and thankful for saving the club, maybe a bit relieved by all the constant flops they paid out for. I wouldn't want to end up like City though, barely feel anything for them. A few CL semi-finals or a Manc to lead them would certainly make them feel more like a Manchester club! Chelsea having Terry/Lampard/Joe Cole probably went a long way to making me think of them as more than a money club. Easier to look up to players when I was still a kid though, I loved Arsenal for Henry (second after Liverpool of course) though he was basically a part of the team for my entire childhood so might as well have been local.


he has a higher loss % than win % as manager and barely averaged over a point per game but it is hard to judge his coaching abilities on those facts for the reasons you said (although he was manager at Notts Forest after the Kuwaiti takeover and first array of transfer spending began, his squad there was very decent but wasn't given long enough).

It's not so much his mangerial stats that bother me, it's the fact that he's almost a carbon copy of Rodgers in football philosophy and he shares the same burden in that all his teams have woeful defensive records.
you want an assistant with skills which complement the manager's, not just sharing the same strengths and weaknesses. 
this turns into a situation where you have another "yes man".
we go into the season with a manager and assistant who have little to no experience in winning trophies or juggling both European and domestic games.

Fergie may not be the best coach there was but certainly one of the best managers, he delegated roles and lead the club incredibly well. didn't just appoint Meulensteen off the bat, he worked as a youth coach honing his skills before being promoted to work as technical skills development coach (fancy way of saying assistant to the assistant!) under one of the best coaches in the game Carlos Quieroz while he was first team coach and then assistant.
Mike Phelan took over when he left and Meulensteen took over as 1st team coach.
they had the perfect triad of people - Fergie, Phelan and Rene.

we could have done something similar. Phelan and Rene are two different coaches with different methods of coaching, this is according to Fergie himself who rates Rene as the best coach he's had during his time at Utd.
they both complemented each other well and helped balance both attacking and defending methods which Fergie oversaw.

Pako is a very talented but importantly experienced coach, experience at the top level with us, Valencia etc.
he took over as head coach of Maccabi and they won their first ever treble in his first season. he also had successful stints coaching at Benfica and Valencia.

oh and it wasn't Florentino Perez who sacked Capello at Real, it was Ramon Calderon.
plus Benitez has a long history with Real Madrid being a former reserve player and youth coach there. 
he isn't a defensive coach but a balanced coach imo and will be interesting to see how he does. 
he's still held in high regard in Spain because of his success at Valencia and the brand of football he had them playing (think Aimar, Baraja, Vicente, Mista, Albelda, Ayala etc)

all i know is FSG are doing a fantastic job keeping their net spend (wages+fees) from burning their wallets while splashing out on seemingly expensive transfer fees and building an expansion of a stand which will see them get much of their money back in double quick time due to the gates and revenue thanks to the size of our club.
John Henry failed to attend a game of ours before Feb for over a year - even during our title push.
250-300mil for a club the size of ours isn't excessive. add to that our record breaking shirt sponsorship deal (done before they came) and our vast revenue streams then it becomes even more questionable.

the main thing however is what's happening with the apple of their eye, the Red Sox.
here's an extract from the Boston Globe on the Red Sox crisis

_"How bad does it have to get before someone in a position of authority or influence on 4 Yawkey Way decides to act, whether that's changing the manager, recalibrating the roster or altering philosophical course?
"The Sox appear stuck in a state of organisational inertia, preaching patience, spouting platitudes, clinging to hope, and losing games. Rinse and repeat." _

maybe Broughton made the wrong choice as did Moores with Gillet and Hicks? the same Dubai Consortium who we turned down for the allure of the Red Sox franchise are now apparently being approached for investment.


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> Johnson signed for Everton in the summer of 06 but wasn't great, managed less than 20 goals in two seasons there and was there main man starting most games alongside Yakubu.
> 
> Michy cost Marseille 7mil but has been isolated by coach Bielsa (the crazy old *******!) who did similar to the awesome CB Doria. Doria was and my imo still is top 3 young centre backs in Brazil, he cost Marseille a fee which could have risen to 10mil but literally barely got a look in under Bielsa (he has a history of this, odd sentiments towards players) and was loaned to Sao Paulo with an option to buy for half of what Marseille paid only a year ago.
> 
> it's very likely Bielsa would urge them to accept a similar fee they paid for Michy although he does like him more than Doria but has other targets apparently.
> so imo a fee of under 10mil would force their hand.
> Ings is costing us between 5-8 mil in compensation to be decided by a tribunal, likely to be around 6mil as he's now been called up by England seniors.


Never knew about that situation, looks like he would be a steal for a mid-lower end club from the PL and decent for a 3rd choice at a higher placed club.

Would've liked to see Salah here but we are crowded with wingers even though I reckon he'd start. Don't blame him for wanting a chance at Chelsea though, and would expect him to get a slight wage rise if he went to Roma or Inter and they are probably better clubs for him to go to to improve.


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> he has a higher loss % than win % as manager and barely averaged over a point per game but it is hard to judge his coaching abilities on those facts for the reasons you said (although he was manager at Notts Forest after the Kuwaiti takeover and first array of transfer spending began, his squad there was very decent but wasn't given long enough).
> 
> It's not so much his mangerial stats that bother me, it's the fact that he's almost a carbon copy of Rodgers in football philosophy and he shares the same burden in that all his teams have woeful defensive records.
> you want an assistant with skills which complement the manager's, not just sharing the same strengths and weaknesses.
> this turns into a situation where you have another "yes man".
> we go into the season with a manager and assistant who have little to no experience in winning trophies or juggling both European and domestic games.
> 
> Fergie may not be the best coach there was but certainly one of the best managers, he delegated roles and lead the club incredibly well. didn't just appoint Meulensteen off the bat, he worked as a youth coach honing his skills before being promoted to work as technical skills development coach (fancy way of saying assistant to the assistant!) under one of the best coaches in the game Carlos Quieroz while he was first team coach and then assistant.
> Mike Phelan took over when he left and Meulensteen took over as 1st team coach.
> they had the perfect triad of people - Fergie, Phelan and Rene.
> 
> we could have done something similar. Phelan and Rene are two different coaches with different methods of coaching, this is according to Fergie himself who rates Rene as the best coach he's had during his time at Utd.
> they both complemented each other well and helped balance both attacking and defending methods which Fergie oversaw.
> 
> Pako is a very talented but importantly experienced coach, experience at the top level with us, Valencia etc.
> he took over as head coach of Maccabi and they won their first ever treble in his first season. he also had successful stints coaching at Benfica and Valencia.
> 
> oh and it wasn't Florentino Perez who sacked Capello at Real, it was Ramon Calderon.
> plus Benitez has a long history with Real Madrid being a former reserve player and youth coach there.
> he isn't a defensive coach but a balanced coach imo and will be interesting to see how he does.
> he's still held in high regard in Spain because of his success at Valencia and the brand of football he had them playing (think Aimar, Baraja, Vicente, Mista, Albelda, Ayala etc)
> 
> all i know is FSG are doing a fantastic job keeping their net spend (wages+fees) from burning their wallets while splashing out on seemingly expensive transfer fees and building an expansion of a stand which will see them get much of their money back in double quick time due to the gates and revenue thanks to the size of our club.
> John Henry failed to attend a game of ours before Feb for over a year - even during our title push.
> 250-300mil for a club the size of ours isn't excessive. add to that our record breaking shirt sponsorship deal (done before they came) and our vast revenue streams then it becomes even more questionable.
> 
> the main thing however is what's happening with the apple of their eye, the Red Sox.
> here's an extract from the Boston Globe on the Red Sox crisis
> 
> _"How bad does it have to get before someone in a position of authority or influence on 4 Yawkey Way decides to act, whether that's changing the manager, recalibrating the roster or altering philosophical course?
> "The Sox appear stuck in a state of organisational inertia, preaching patience, spouting platitudes, clinging to hope, and losing games. Rinse and repeat." _
> 
> maybe Broughton made the wrong choice as did Moores with Gillet and Hicks? the same Dubai Consortium who we turned down for the allure of the Red Sox franchise are now apparently being approached for investment.


Yeah completely right, all the videos showing is qualities are just passing, quick football, don't have to look far to see the same style of play excelling under Rodgers. Pako or Rene (not sure if managers would care as much about joining rivals?) would be better signings from the looks of things. Hope Rafa does take the chance, imagine if we had FSG and added players like Silva, Villa, Alves instead of selling to buy (bit like Inter are now). Rafa's rotation policy could work well too considering they are just replacing world class with world class.

Was 250-300m just the purchase or taking into consideration the debts too (like 200m+?) I know they paid them off. I think it's more fortune with us getting high profile sales with Suarez becoming arguably the 3rd best player in the world and a past-his-best Torres still holding the eye of Abramovic. I think the FSG model, as long as they are aiming for something like Arsenal (and won't sell our best players if we ever do become a top European club under them) in making a profit while keeping a fantastic squad then I'll be more than happy to have them for however long.

With the way franchises work in the US it's a completely different system which gives them the time for patience. Sounds like sustained success is harder to come by in MLB because of the fairness of the league. They must have relegated a few club owners to look like fools when Fenway caused their upturn in form, but keeping in mind I know nothing about baseball and purely looking at world series appearances almost no club has sustained success apart from the Yankees http://gyazo.com/5c7483d76ed6f173f4f2385fe25ffa4e even they had a 15 year gap between 81 and 96, modern era of baseball (2000+) has 9 different winners, Red Sox/Giants have 3, St.Louis/Yankees have 2.

But before I end up posting regional statistics (which would be better, but also would take another 10-20mins to do) I don't need to check to realise Blackburn is the only exception out of the PL winners. Leeds 92, Villa 81, Everton 85 are the other clubs who won the title before a more varied period lasting till Forest in 78, excluding wins by Liverpool/Arsenal/Chelsea/United/City as big clubs. City/Chelsea wouldn't have a look in without the money (same with Blackburn), though Leeds/Villa/Everton/Forest were all big clubs back then, point is showing how much easier it is for clubs to sustain in football than baseball, no point mentioning the names but every league has historical clubs who have almost never been out of favor from the time they became a huge club.

But what I'm getting at is the differences are incomparable between sports. Unless Villa have 5 world class players coming through and Tim Sherwood turns out to be world class and they win the CL in their first season of trying to ensure players are willing to stay rather than go to established clubs, they are never going to come close to being decent without oil money. Even outsider teams like Liverpool/Spurs will need instant success in Europe or at least stay top 4 for consecutive years against clubs with more resources to grow into serious teams (Liverpool have this a bit easier thanks to the the 70s/80s bringing in a huge fanbase, but past reputation doesn't seem to beat out Spurs in the market too often!).

Also I reckon post 90s football especially will be on another level to break into the top teams since the money, if Fergie didn't have the class of 92 coming in giving him time to patch the squad on the reputation built by them, I wonder how far his talents would have carried United.

Post-Abramovic is likely on an even further level than that, though honestly thinking through it's more an issue with England having 6 clubs who can snap up any player from the lesser ones. At least leagues like Serie A/LaLiga/Bundesliga don't lock out poorer clubs from the CL by virtue of taking their players if they ever do well (Southampton/Martin O'Neils Villa probably the best examples). Spurs took a punt in some more expensive signings who paid off (Van Der Vaart/Modric), had Bale and a few other decent players coming through AND had Liverpool going crap to set them up to be an outsider club for top 4. A lot of variables just to break into the top 4! Even worse now City forced its way in and Arsenal having paid off their stadium. Now they are just more like a lesser wall alongside Liverpool. Liverpool themselves had a perfect combination of Rodgers being reckless in attack, Suarez being arguably the worlds best player that year, Sturridge being on the brink of world class and the rest of the squad bolstered by the attention those two got, most likely the reason Gerrard was our third best player that year, no one had the chance to expose his poor defensive ability (or figured it out by then, which can be added to the series of fortunate events required to break the fold).

The only club who gets slightly better each year without getting their best players torn apart (now they sign expensive players themselves) are Arsenal. Though they are just getting back to standard.


----------



## Joe

Also, if we got Pako or Rene maybe we wouldn't be targetting the PL so much. Clyne was a decent deal though anything above 20m in the PL is usually naff.


----------



## Joe

Looks like we might get Jovetic instead of Benteke, saving 12m and probably wages. 

Downside is I fear he may just give Sturridge some company on the injury table than play, though more likely we'll end up with Benteke as no good papers have linked us. Same goes with Pedro, signing new contract and we still get the yearly link, as do Arsenal.


----------



## In a Lonely Place

*Alexis Sanchez*


----------



## minimized

Carli Lloyd is a beast


----------



## Kevin001

Congrats US Women. Looks like the US is in good hands.


----------



## Paperback Writer

What a match. Well done USA.


----------



## minimized

I'm so, so happy for them.


----------



## Winds




----------



## Milco

Kevin001 said:


> Congrats US Women. Looks like the US is in good hands.


To be honest, I really hoped just about any other team would win.
Nothing personal, but the way management has reacted to Hope Solo's domestic violence case, with the coach even saying that she didn't care about it, that they had moved on and the only thing that mattered was what happened on the pitch.
Not a particularly sympathetic stance for a team to take on violence.


----------



## goku23

@Joe you seen our new away kit mate?
so good to have a decent kit after years of dross! lol
not official yet though, was leaked online but will definitely be getting that when it comes out!










...now, just need to make sure Lacazette and Willam Carvalho are wearing it next season!


----------



## goku23

Winds said:


>


was amazed when that came off for her!
fantastic player she is, well deserved USA and a great team...shame about the men though! lol


----------



## Winds

goku23 said:


> was amazed when that came off for her!
> fantastic player she is, well deserved USA and a great team...shame about the men though! lol


That will definitely be one of them goals and performances that you'll always remember.

Ask the World Champs and the Dutch about them. Men on the rise!

*Friendlies are still victories*


----------



## goku23

Winds said:


> That will definitely be one of them goals and performances that you'll always remember.
> 
> Ask the World Champs and the Dutch about them. Men on the rise!
> 
> *Friendlies are still victories*


men are definitely on the rise mate...but friendlies are still just friendlies and the Dutch have been in rapid decline in recent times hence the resignation of Guus Hiddink! 
and Germany have been playing in their slippers since the world cup win, even Scotland almost beat them on their own patch!
so maybe not the best gauge!

but i was just joking though mate, i'm a fan of the US team and i think they do get badly underestimated - DeAndre Yedlin, Rubio Rubin and Cameron Carter-Vickers all moved to major European leagues recently. my team LFC just signed a young kid Brooks Lennon too (i've seen him a couple times last year while on trial and he looks fantastic, if all goes well he'll be a major player in the coming years)

two stand out players though for me are Julian Green of Bayern Munich and Zelalem of Arsenal. both German born but to American parents and they've chosen to represent the US, seriously big talents! getting best the best coaching possible to at their clubs.

your future is definitely looking bright and with vets like Dempsey and Bradley there guiding the younger generation, i honestly predict the US to break into the top 10-15 in the next 5 years (currently outside of top 25 which i thought was a bit unfair)


----------



## goku23

wow, Arda Turan to Barca!
perfect signing for them...34mil Euros though! but they don't need to worry about re-sale value and they're getting a player bang in his prime who'll add intensity and quality to the squad right away.

but won't be able to play til January cos of the transfer ban...probably stay at Atletico until then.
Pedro likely to be sold in January that means, would love to test Barca's resolve now and put in a bid. exactly what we need at Liverpool, not Benteke for our style of play!


----------



## Winds

goku23 said:


> men are definitely on the rise mate...but friendlies are still just friendlies and the Dutch have been in rapid decline in recent times hence the resignation of Guus Hiddink!
> and Germany have been playing in their slippers since the world cup win, even Scotland almost beat them on their own patch!
> so maybe not the best gauge!
> 
> but i was just joking though mate, i'm a fan of the US team and i think they do get badly underestimated - DeAndre Yedlin, Rubio Rubin and Cameron Carter-Vickers all moved to major European leagues recently. my team LFC just signed a young kid Brooks Lennon too (i've seen him a couple times last year while on trial and he looks fantastic, if all goes well he'll be a major player in the coming years)
> 
> two stand out players though for me are Julian Green of Bayern Munich and Zelalem of Arsenal. both German born but to American parents and they've chosen to represent the US, seriously big talents! getting best the best coaching possible to at their clubs.
> 
> your future is definitely looking bright and with vets like Dempsey and Bradley there guiding the younger generation, i honestly predict the US to break into the top 10-15 in the next 5 years (currently outside of top 25 which i thought was a bit unfair)


That's a fair point. The talent pool is much better than it was just a few years ago, due in part to the players you mentioning choosing the US, when in the past they wouldn't have. Player development and overall competitiveness has also improved in the MLS which has helped the quality of the league. Still some ways to go there, but it's moving in the right direction.


----------



## Joe

goku23 said:


> @*Joe* you seen our new away kit mate?
> so good to have a decent kit after years of dross! lol
> not official yet though, was leaked online but will definitely be getting that when it comes out!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ...now, just need to make sure Lacazette and Willam Carvalho are wearing it next season!


I actually liked the black, purple and white one but can see why everyone hated those. Kit looks really nice, but they'll need a few trophies for me to compete with the old Carlsberg ones. So many memories attached to those shirts.

I think Rodgers hates DMs seeing how he only played Lucas when forced to, but would love Carvalho. I reckon he'd be just as important as a quality striker (more important to be honest), doubt we'll come close to Lacazette unless he rejects about 4 CL clubs interested. Looks like Arsenal are in for both, don't care who but we definately need a CDM to cover Lucas or preferably a big signing to play ahead of him since he is getting on a bit.

Arsenal linked with Higuain, if literally everything goes our way maybe we can snatch Lacazette, probably will cost less than Benteke  I reckon it'll be so tight next year, Chelsea are quality, Arsenal getting in more and more top class players, City getting Pogba. Any of the 3 will have a huge chance of winning it, United might just go ahead and spend £200m and surprise everyone, though I reckon they'll finish about 12th.

Never know though, could be our year.










Can't say I'm a fan of the colours on the home kit, but I'll warm to it. Not bought a shirt in years since they are always £30+


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## WhatsTheCraic

Celtic FC supporter here, Best Team in Scotland  Enjoy English, Spanish and German football also!


----------



## Entrensik

JR217 said:


> Surely the English Premier League is the best. Been a Tottenham fan all my life, Optimistic about next season, new manager and new signings , shame about Ledley King though, he would have been amazing for club and country without all the injuries


La liga is the most competitive. Back to back euro and champions league winners


----------



## goku23

MiserableLife99 said:


> La liga is the most competitive. Back to back euro and champions league winners


Premier League is third on the list after La Liga and the Bundesliga, Serie A now catching up and could overtake PL - another flop season in the champions league and Europa league means Serie A get the 4th champion leagues place in 2017 leaving the PL with only three.

PL been on the decline for a few years now, Serie A starting to worry me - Inter have just signed Kondogbia from Monaco, Miranda from Atletico, Montoya from Barca and Jovetic is close too plus look like holding on to Icardi, Kovacic and Handanovic,.
AC Milan just signed Bacca, Luiz Adriano and Mauri with Ibrahimovic reportedly close to a return.
Roma close to Dzeko and Juve already signing Mandzukic, Khedira and look like holding on to Pogba.

bringing some serious quality into that league.

remains to be seen what the premier league brings in because outside of Chelsea and Arsenal the quality is waning.

Utd signing an almost washed up Schweinsteiger, City targeting domestic players like Delph, Sterling and Barkley to meet quotas and LFC very mixed too.
i don't expect PL clubs to pull up any trees in Europe next season which means trouble for future seeding and places.


----------



## Entrensik

goku23 said:


> Premier League is third on the list after La Liga and the Bundesliga, Serie A now catching up and could overtake PL - another flop season in the champions league and Europa league means Serie A get the 4th champion leagues place in 2017 leaving the PL with only three.
> 
> PL been on the decline for a few years now, Serie A starting to worry me - Inter have just signed Kondogbia from Monaco, Miranda from Atletico, Montoya from Barca and Jovetic is close too plus look like holding on to Icardi, Kovacic and Handanovic,.
> AC Milan just signed Bacca, Luiz Adriano and Mauri with Ibrahimovic reportedly close to a return.
> Roma close to Dzeko and Juve already signing Mandzukic, Khedira and look like holding on to Pogba.
> 
> bringing some serious quality into that league.
> 
> remains to be seen what the premier league brings in because outside of Chelsea and Arsenal the quality is waning.
> 
> Utd signing an almost washed up Schweinsteiger, City targeting domestic players like Delph, Sterling and Barkley to meet quotas and LFC very mixed too.
> i don't expect PL clubs to pull up any trees in Europe next season which means trouble for future seeding and places.


Serie A looking strong. The BPL is nothing but a league full of big NAME teams. Not competitive at all. BTW I dont understand why Liverpool keep buying no name promising players, I cant remember the last time they bought a superstar. Also, what exactly did Rafa Benitez do to earn that Real Madrid job? Fail to qualify for champions league with Napoli 3 years in a row? Smh.


----------



## goku23

MiserableLife99 said:


> Serie A looking strong. The BPL is nothing but a league full of big NAME teams. Not competitive at all. BTW I dont understand why Liverpool keep buying no name promising players, I cant remember the last time they bought a superstar. Also, what exactly did Rafa Benitez do to earn that Real Madrid job? Fail to qualify for champions league with Napoli 3 years in a row? Smh.


bought Suarez in 2011, Sakho is France's vice captain and one of the best defenders in the league, got him in 2013.
signed Firmino one of the best attackers in Bundesliga this summer for fee rising to 29mil.

we also tried to sign Alexis Sanchez last summer but couldn't offer him what Arsenal could - a world class manager and potentially a world class team
we activated Diego Costa's buyout clause in 2013 but he rejected.
we were also in for Willan and Mkhytryan that year but they both rejected for Chelsea and Dortmund respectively - two more competitive teams than Liverpool who could offer more silverware in a quicker time so i don't blame them for choosing them.

so we did try but being out of the champions league for so many years and our lack of silverware over the past 7-8 years makes it much harder to attract the bigger names, not to mention we don't have the finances to consistently go for them but you're right in saying that our recruitment has been poor in general for a very long time now.
Lallana, Lovren, Lambert, Borini, Downing, Carroll etc

but those no-name players you're criticising? well we just sold one of them for 49mil to Man City, 2nd most expensive British player in history.
Coutinho was virtually a no-name when we signed him and so was Ibe, Emre Can etc
our recruitment policy has been poor because it lacks a clear direction - Rodgers has some autonomy which leads to overpriced domestic buys like Lallana, Lovren, Borini, Allen
and we have a transfer committee who aren't given enough autonomy. they signed the likes of Coutinho, Sturridge, Markovic, Sakho, Emre Can.
so there is a big clash in philosophy.

clubs don't always need big name players to succeed. look at Dortmund - Lewandowski cost them 2.5mil
Kagawa was virtually free and another no-name
Reus was less than 15mil
Hummels was circa 6mil
Aubameyang another no-name
Bender another no-name for peanuts

Sevilla do this every season, sign unheralded players and develop them into stars while benefiting in the process by staying competitive - champions league qualifications and Europa league trophies - 
- Rakitic was signed for 2.5 mil Euros; sold for 18 mil Euros 3 years later
- Kondogbia was signed for 3 mil Euros; sold for 20 mil Euros 1 year later
- Negredo was signed for 15 mil Euros; sold for 25 mil Euros 3 years later
- Dani Alves was signed on a free; sold for 29mil Euros 5 years later
- Julio Baptista was signed for 4 mil Euros; sold for 23 mil Euros 2 years later

So it's definitely possible to be competitive while not signing big name players.
Atletico won the league doing such and so did Dortmund.


----------



## goku23

MiserableLife99 said:


> Also, what exactly did Rafa Benitez do to earn that Real Madrid job? Fail to qualify for champions league with Napoli 3 years in a row? Smh.


he also won La Liga twice in 3 years and the UEFA cup as Valencia manager overthrowing Barca and Real.
won the Champions league with Liverpool in his first season, the UEFA Super cup and FA cup in his 2nd season and was in the Champions league final again in his 3rd season.
he qualified for the champions league in 4 out of his 5 seasons at LFC and finished 2nd with the highest amount of points LFC have had in Premier league history with the least amount of defeats in LFC's PL history during arguably the Premier league's peak era.
he also won the Europa league in his one season as Chelsea manager and qualified them for the champions league.

while he did guide Napoli to 3rd so technically qualified for the champions league eliminators they barely lost to a very good Bilbao side and he also won the Coppa Italia in his first season at Napoli.
also won the UEFA Super cup in his short time at Inter so to be fair to him he's won at least one trophy at every club he's managed in the top flight.
he also has a history with Real Madrid being a former Castilla player and youth coach.

he's a good manager to be fair! but i wouldn't have sacked Ancelotti at all.


----------



## goku23

great business by Utd - Depay, Schweinsteiger and Schneiderlin.

i actually think Morgan is the better signing ahead of Bastian! (fck using their last names lol)
Basti has looked very average for the past 2 seasons but did raise his game for the world cup win (although i think this is more due to the slower pace of International football. Bundesliga and PL very fast paced!)

possible that he's passed his peak as has been shown with his performances for Bayern but Morgan very much right in his peak!
him and Carrick in midfield will be a great partnership and one to rival Matic-Fabregas (if Carrick stays fit)

Depay is just absolute class. not seen much of Darmian to be honest but Depay, Rooney, Di Maria and Young could be class.
Di Maria needs to be played in his best position though, absolutely ran the show from a central position for Real. was allowed to make runs untracked from deep and just tore midfields and defences that way but restricted on the wing he fades out of games.

interesting season ahead! City needed Pogba ahead of Sterling!
doubt they can afford both - over 100mi on 2 players! 
could have used their youth talent like Rony and maybe Denayer as homegrown (if he qualified)
Clyne at RB could have helped with the quota too and imo would be an upgrade on an ageing Sagna.
i think Scheiderlin qualifies as homegrown actually, really should have been signed ahead of Fernando last summer!

Txiki doing a fcking terrible job! lol


----------



## AbandondedWolf

They need Sterling to fill the quota of English players. The reason we're doing so badly in Europe is due to the lack of a winter break, and the league becoming very competitive... The top teams in La Liga/Bundesliga have no fight in their domestic leagues, so they perform better in Europe.


----------



## Dre12

One of the most talented players ever from the United academy showing off his skills, which is saying a lot. He became the youngest ever player to appear for the United U18s last season at 14 years old.






You can see some of his outrageous ability in action spoilered on the fifth post on the linked thread. Action came from an elite five a side tournament where he won player of the tournament. Barcelona and Ajax were two of the other teams competing.

He plays for England youth currently, raised in Manchester. He is eligible to play for Portugal too, he is Nani's cousin and his dad(long term employee of Man Utd) played for Portugal U21. Hopefully he sticks with England!

http://www.redcafe.net/threads/angel-gomes.389594/page-2

Patrick Roberts just signed for City at £15m. He is as talented as they come but also as small as they come in professional football, only 5ft 5 and very slightly built @Goku what do you make of that transfer?


----------



## SupaDupaFly

Dre12 said:


> One of the most talented players ever from the United academy showing off his skills, which is saying a lot. He became the youngest ever player to appear for the United U18s last season at 14 years old.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> You can see some of his outrageous ability in action spoilered on the fifth post on the linked thread. Action came from an elite five a side tournament where he won player of the tournament. Barcelona and Ajax were two of the other teams competing.
> 
> He plays for England youth currently, raised in Manchester. He is eligible to play for Portugal too, he is Nani's cousin and his dad(long term employee of Man Utd) played for Portugal U21. Hopefully he sticks with England!
> 
> http://www.redcafe.net/threads/angel-gomes.389594/page-2
> 
> Patrick Roberts just signed for City at £15m. He is as talented as they come but also as small as they come in professional football, only 5ft 5 and very slightly built @Goku what do you make of that transfer?


Yeah but can he score


----------



## Dre12

SupaDupaFly said:


> Yeah but can he score


Watch the Gifs in the second link and that will tell you. But yes Gomes scores and assists a lot. That is his job.


----------



## boas

I coached Patrick Roberts as manager of Fulham on FM 2015, and he got mad because I demoted him to the reserves and left on a free transfer at the end of the season to join Celtic. He's a little ****.


----------



## Hayman

Well, it's been a pretty bleak summer for my own team, Sunderland, this summer so far. Unfortunately, I predicted it. We've not had any decent transfer window for about five, maybe six years now. 

Lee Cattermole signed a new five year contract – big deal. A thoroughly decent player when he keeps his head cool, but obviously always walking on thin ice with referees thanks to his reputation. You may as well play with ten men on the pitch from the start. 

Sebastian Coates signs permanently from Liverpool after being on loan with us last season. Again – big deal. Whilst he did prove his worth in the last half a dozen or so games at the end of the season, he was more or less forgettable before then. I only hope Advocaat can develop him. If he can repeat the same form he shown at the end of the season into the new season, I'll be reasonably happy. 

We've signed Jeremain Lens from Dynamo Kyiv. I had never heard of him until he had his medical. Apparently, he's meant to be a very versatile player – something we have lacked in recent years. He's meant to be both a winger and a striker. He looks promising but typically of Sunderland, we're signing players with pretty much zero previous Premier League experience. I suspect Advocaat will play him out wide in a 4-3-3 formation. 

We've also signed Younes Kaboul from Spurs. Sorry, but I don't rate him at all. Painfully slow and usually injured. We have enough players like this already… Not only that, his agent was positively derogatory towards the club back in 2008. I'm very surprised we even considered signing him, never mind signing him. :?

What we really need, which has been clear for the last two or three seasons, are strikers who can create chances. Defoe is probably past-it and merely an out and out striker who doesn't create. I've lost patience with Wickham and Fletcher is almost permanently injured. His only decent spell was when he first signed for us when he had ten good games. Other than that, he either doesn't do much or stays in the medical room… Maybe this is why we've signed Jeremain Lens?! To try and add some creativity for them?!

I don't know, but as things stand, I fully expect another season of struggle. No manager we have seems to want to look at the problems we have in the final third. Instead, all they're interested in is patching up our midfield and defence time and time again. Barring the Darren Bent signing, I can go back to Steve Bruce as where this problem with our attack first started to be ignored. :doh


----------



## Dre12

@Hayman

How did you end up a Mackem?


----------



## Hayman

Dre12 said:


> @Hayman
> 
> How did you end up a Mackem?


It's a long story! I see you've seen my location! My father's side of the family (well - his father, actually - my late grandfather), originates from Sunderland. He come from a large family and of course as the decades have gone by, the family up there has swelled further, so I have many relatives from Sunderland.

As a child, I spent most of my summer holidays up there - so in a way it's my 'home' team if that makes sense. I don't have many relatives here in Cheshire in comparison.

The reason why my grandfather ended up down here was because of the war, where he was transferred to Hooton airbase - which of course become Vauxhall Motors where he ended up working at rather than returning home to Sunderland...

The rest, as they say, is history!


----------



## Joe

AbandondedWolf said:


> They need Sterling to fill the quota of English players. The reason we're doing so badly in Europe is due to the lack of a winter break, and the league becoming very competitive... The top teams in La Liga/Bundesliga have no fight in their domestic leagues, so they perform better in Europe.


I reckon it's only true since they are so much better than the other clubs. Even lesser la liga/bundesliga clubs out perform the English clubs nowadays in the EL. We have the big name signings but not the performances, look at players from la liga coming for barely anything and being successful for PL clubs for probably half the fee or less. Shane Long 12m, Borini almost 14m shows the absurd nature of the league. Do you reckon they'd be starting above a mid table spanish club?

The PL is too competitive for it's own good I agree with though, 4 super rich clubs, 2 rich clubs and all vying to get in the CL to the point people suggest they put too much of their resources towards the league. If it's true they'll only end up hindering themselves when the pl gets 3 cl spots. It means for Southampton to break into the top 4, they'll need three clubs with much more resources to mess up (United/Liverpool/Spurs most likely) while they exceed expectations.

In Germany there is one club with huge resources, while Spain there is two. I think it almost forces PL clubs to pay extra for their players, or risk losing them once a big club comes in, then to sign any replacements of the same quality they'll have to get lucky or beat off competition for more established CL/EL clubs in other leagues with higher wages.


----------



## In a Lonely Place

:lol


----------



## Canadian Brotha

It's been a surprisingly quiet transfer window CFC given other teams will be far more of a threat to us this time round, hope Mourinho knows what he's doing. The new season can't start soon enough!


----------



## Joe

It's nice to see Arsenal doing well.


----------



## Reckoner7

^ Lol, All I heard from Arsenal supporters is Cech is the missing link and that this season they will win the league.


----------



## Paper Samurai

Reckoner7 said:


> ^ Lol, All I heard from Arsenal supporters is Cech is the missing link and that this season they will win the league.


Today was like opening up presents on Christmas and finding dog turds in each and every one of them. Not even half the effort that was done during the pre-season matches.


----------



## Reckoner7

^ Still only 1st game I suppose, I do think Arsenal will get 2nd place behind Chelsea. They just need to strengthen their backline.


----------



## gunner21

Lol at Arsenal. Absolutely piss poor defending. 

I feel like this will be the season where Coutinho cements himself as a star.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Well seems the Begovic signing was shrewd, we need him after the first day, lol.

All the raving about Arsenal's preseason & voila, lol. We'll see though, it's one game.


----------



## AbandondedWolf

Arsenal need a good centre forward, like Benzema. They have the money and hopefully Wenger will acknowledge the need to bring him in now....

Anyway, my Swansea should have won that 2-2 draw against Chelsea, but that might just be me being biased


----------



## Hayman

It looks as if worries about my own team, Sunderland, have so far been correct. I said on this thread three weeks ago I expected another season of struggle and judging from our shambolic performance against Leicester, it looks like once again lessons haven't been learnt. Just like the season before and the one before that… There's no effort made from the side we have and hasn't been for the last three or four seasons. Lens and Defoe were the only two players on the pitch which I think reached the heady-heights of being 'mediocre' on the day. I never expected a win, not with much of last season's squad still scraping along, but I did expect a draw at the King Power Stadium. 

Advocaat really has his work cut out to keep us up again this season and again, I've been disappointed with not only the lack of transfer activity but the complete lack of seeing how useless we are at pressing forward. It has been since Steve Bruce was sacked. If we don't get in a proven striker who can create chances (Defoe doesn't really create), then I think the writing is on the wall already. 

If we don't get three points at home to Norwich at the weekend, then sorry, alarm bells will be ringing for me already. 

I watched the Arsenal game yesterday. Dear me… they looked almost as poor as we did and that’s saying something. I had West Ham nailed on for one team to really struggle this season but if anything from yesterday is to go by, I'm likely to be wrong. It's only the first game though… New players, some new managers….anything can happen during the first game of a new season, really. I'm just hoping that was the case when it come to Sunderland, but given near enough the same team that barely survived last season was still on the pitch on Saturday, I doubt it.


----------



## SilkyJay

Reckoner7 said:


> ^ Lol, All I heard from Arsenal supporters is Cech is the missing link and that this season they will win the league.


He looked like he's missing a step in his debut. and that helmet :grin2: Does he really still need it?

I just love when the BPL rolls back around each year, the weekend mornings of watching games come on early here.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Can't wait to watch rhe UEFA Super Cup highlights, looks like it was a wild one


----------



## Joe

Yajyklis10 said:


> He looked like he's missing a step in his debut. and that helmet :grin2: Does he really still need it?
> 
> I just love when the BPL rolls back around each year, the weekend mornings of watching games come on early here.


Cech was still fantastic but not as good as pre-head injury if I remember rightly. Same reason people wear a helmet on a bike, doesn't happen often but if you need it it'll help a hell of a lot.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

In a Lonely Place said:


> The chelsea kitman must be hoping they don't drop points next week as it's most likely gonna be his fault and he'll be joining the doctors and john terry on the naughty step..


I knew with the lack of transfers this summer the season wouldn't begin well & when Mou is moody it filters down through everyone like a lightning bolt.

Plenty of time to turn it round though & plenty of time for other teams to lose form throughout the season too


----------



## Blue2015

Of course it's the Premier League and I'm a West Ham fan.


----------



## goku23

Otamendi to City and one of De Bruyne or Pedro to follow
this could be the turning point and see them race away from everyone else (maybe even champions league progression)

Otamendi is a brilliant defender, upgrade on Mangala (who is really good on his day despite the bad press he gets, just inconsistent)
and De Bruyne has developed into one of the best attackers in Europe, was unreal last season and for me better than Hazard.

Pedro apparently a fallback option to De Bruyne, Utd must be praying City land De Bruyne so leave the path clear for them to snap up Pedro who'd be great for them too.
but no chance he chooses Utd over City if thats what it comes down too,
Txiki and Soriano doing the recruitment at City, huge Barca link.
not to mention Pellegrini highly regarded in Spain, Silva there and Yaya former Barca too.

he might not join Utd either way, mistreatment of Valdes who he is close to.

Utd had a brilliant start to the window but faltering away, badly need a CB and another forward.
shouldn't have wasted time chasing Ramos who only used Utd to get a new deal at Real, Otamendi was available at the right price and should have been wrapped up months ago.
Pedro too, they knew Di Maria was going so why not prioritize Pedro earlier on?

also tough ask keeping De Gea, if he goes no time to get a replacement or at least one near his level.
need to keep him at all costs now, should have sold him at the start if they were ever going to.


----------



## goku23

i can't stand Jose but i agree with his message (cryptic messages at that) that Chelsea didn't need quantity recruitment but quality recruitment.
only needed 1 or 2
Pogba imo should have been absolute stone-wall target and should have went all out for him, Stones could have waited because Zouma is there and could have kept Christensen who's a brilliant young CB rather than loan him.

Pogba and Matic as double pivot with Cesc pushed on would have been immense.

i think if Chelsea acted early (before Bayern had a chance to snap up Vidal) they may have got Pogba,
absolutely no chance once Vidal had left would Juve lose both.

and even still, Witsel or Nainggolan would have been brilliant too,
beastly partners for Matic and that engine room wouldn't have been matched.

Cesc and Matic as shown today can be got at.
plug the gap that Cesc leaves and use his creativity further forward and would have been title favourites and even Champions league.
Cahill needs to be fazed out too for Zouma.

i think Mourinho desperately wanted Pogba, Roman apparently didn't think he was needed.


----------



## goku23

make or break time for Utd, CB and forward needed.
get the right two and they're right up there, if not then no chance imho.

Otamendi gone and Pedro unlikely, 
but Benatia can be sneaked away from Bayern i think and Laporte from Bilbao is unreal for his age. huge talent for any age and will be one of the elite in the world after this season i think.
both would be brilliant.

absolutely no idea why Lacazette wasn't targeted. signed a new deal at Lyon now and looks PSG bound next season, contract extension only to get Lyon a better price.
scarily good.

if they fancy breaking the bank then Greizmann should have been target no.1

Depay, Rooney, Lacazette/Greizmann
Mata behind
Carrick/Schweinsteiger and Schneiderlin holding
Rojo and Laporte or Benatia at the back, Darmian and Shaw either side

would have been definite title contenders imo

big couple of weeks for both Manchester clubs.
Arsenal and Chelsea probably done unless Stones is signed.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

goku23 said:


> i can't stand Jose but i agree with his message (cryptic messages at that) that Chelsea didn't need quantity recruitment but quality recruitment.
> only needed 1 or 2
> Pogba imo should have been absolute stone-wall target and should have went all out for him, Stones could have waited because Zouma is there and could have kept Christensen who's a brilliant young CB rather than loan him.
> 
> Pogba and Matic as double pivot with Cesc pushed on would have been immense.
> 
> i think if Chelsea acted early (before Bayern had a chance to snap up Vidal) they may have got Pogba,
> absolutely no chance once Vidal had left would Juve lose both.
> 
> and even still, Witsel or Nainggolan would have been brilliant too,
> beastly partners for Matic and that engine room wouldn't have been matched.
> 
> Cesc and Matic as shown today can be got at.
> plug the gap that Cesc leaves and use his creativity further forward and would have been title favourites and even Champions league.
> Cahill needs to be fazed out too for Zouma.
> 
> i think Mourinho desperately wanted Pogba, Roman apparently didn't think he was needed.


I agree we didn't need a major overhaul but I am surprised we didn't bring in a least one major signing like a Pogba. I know the score but will watch the match later anyway to analyze the performance. We'll see if someone is brought in before the window closes.


----------



## goku23

Canadian Brotha said:


> I agree we didn't need a major overhaul but I am surprised we didn't bring in a least one major signing like a Pogba. I know the score but will watch the match later anyway to analyze the performance. We'll see if someone is brought in before the window closes.


could be why he took Terry off at half-time to bring on Zouma, message to Roman that he needs a quality CB. a few have said the same too.

could have easily taken off Cahill who imo was worse than Terry but didn't, Cahill taken off and nobody bats an eye but Terry taken off and it makes the headlines and Roman notices.

as much as i rate Stones i don't think he's better than Zouma, but a partnership of those two and you'd be set for the next decade virtually.
the two best young CBs in the league and Europe.

i reckon Mou knows that Terry and Cahill together will be found out and maybe plans to faze Cahill out this season and Terry the next.
Zouma also a solid partner for Matic in midfield but can't do that with a paceless partnership behind them in the big games.

both torn apart today by Aguero, Silva and Sterling.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

City do look quite sharp, pacey, but the second 2 goals were so soft on our part. Ivanovic was right with Kompany and still let him win he challenge and it was a soft pass when we just needed to clear for the third goal.

An inform Kompany is huge for city though, will be key this season


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Well City look the part so far this season. We'll see if they can do anything in Europe or if that will influence their league play down the road.

At CFC we need a defensive shuffle with the newboy Rahman in, Caesar switching sides, Zouma in regularly, & Ivanovic benched as he's been terrible so far. We also need a midfielder that's actually keen to be a recipient in the box rather than everyone trying to play their way through all the time. It's if it works but tedious if not. Willian also needs to find his shooting boots. We'd have lost today if we were playing another team.

Gunners & Reds fans, time for your predictions....


----------



## Paper Samurai

Canadian Brotha said:


> Gunners & Reds fans, time for your predictions....


 I'll stick my neck out here. 2-1 to Arsenal, we seem to do well against Pool at home and they also have to gel together after making so many signings.


----------



## Reckoner7

Canadian Brotha said:


> At CFC we need a defensive shuffle with the newboy Rahman in, Caesar switching sides, Zouma in regularly, & Ivanovic benched as he's been terrible so far. .


Last season everything with Chelsea's defence seemed fine as it was the best in the league. I dont see why its turned out the way it has this season with Terry being subbed and Cahill on the bench today. I think something has gone in behind the scenes.


----------



## Reckoner7

Paper Samurai said:


> I'll stick my neck out here. 2-1 to Arsenal, we seem to do well against Pool at home and they also have to gel together after making so many signings.


I think it will be a draw. Both teams will cancel each other out with both defences on top. Although as a Liverpool fan im hoping for a narrow win.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Reckoner7 said:


> Last season everything with Chelsea's defence seemed fine as it was the best in the league. I dont see why its turned out the way it has this season with Terry being subbed and Cahill on the bench today. I think something has gone in behind the scenes.


Terry is still solid but if we get hit on the counter he can be exposed by pace and with Ivanovic out of form that's been telling so far this season. That halftime subbing was harsh though. Plus a transition to get Zouma in regularly is required anyway


----------



## Reckoner7

Dissapointed with a 0-0. Liverpool were on top 1st half yet after the break we seemed to be playing for the draw and were time wasting and just sat deep. I've never seen a team be on top without scoring and then sit back and play for a draw (apart from when in Europe).


----------



## minimized

Liverpool :doh


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I suppose we should just concede the title to City now...what a terrible start to the season. Will watch the highlights later but I guess it was a blessing that my dad leaked me the result while at work. Nothing worse than coming home to watch a recording of your team losing


----------



## Hayman

I know it's still early days and the season is barely a month old, but I think it's Man City's title to lose. They're looking sharp so far, from what I've seen. I think Man Utd are about the only team that I think will possibly get close to them - and I've not been overly impressed from what I've seen of them so far&#8230;

As for my own team, Sunderland, a predictable terrible start. My words over the last page of two of this thread have merely been proven accurate so far. I know I should be happy with the Borini signing, but given he said only a year ago he had no intentions of playing for us after his loan, I'm reluctant to accept him back into the team. Dick Advocaat said he wants players who actually want to play for the team be in our first 11. So, if that the case, why have we signed Borini and why did he come back?! Maybe he's realised he's not as good as he thought he was and given a year sitting on Liverpool's bench, it's dawned on him that he's not better than us. Sorry, but I'm still sour over his words last year, regardless of what he's said after signing for us a few days ago. He still hasn't explained his words. Lens and M'Vila look potentially decent and played really well together against Villa last weekend, but that's about the only positive I can see from this transfer window.

As usual with Sunderland in transfer windows, we seem to 'wade through treacle' with our potential signings. You hear of other teams simply signing players. Job done. With us&#8230;?! It never happens. We're always in 'talks' with our targets. Talks which usually last days or weeks and often turn to nothing. Has anyone else noticed this?! Watching Sky Sports News, you always hear/see 'x' sign so and so, 'y' sign so and so, Sunderland are&#8230;._in talks_&#8230;with so and so.

Sorry, but from what I've seen from us, there isn't going to be enough there to keep us up this year. Again, we have too many loan signings, too many players with little or no previous premier league experience, too many 'squad fillers' rather than true quality and now players who have stated they don't want to play for us...! I'll be happy to just not finish 20th this year. If we survive, we've continued 'dancing with the devil' and survived for what, the third or fourth year running?! I can't see it happening this time around. There's been too many years of mis-management and poor signings in the club.


----------



## PGVan

Sorry to disturb the EPL conversation, but I need to vent...

Well the Oranje nightmare continues. I can usually see a general positive light after a match like this, but not tonight. While there were some bright spots against Iceland from a few young guys trying to make things happen, there can't be any good feeling after this loss.

I'll give a good mention to Iceland. They are in their golden generation and they might be a cinderella story in France. Not taking away from them getting 3 points. 

That said, Oranje are a team with enough talent even in a generational transition and a few past their prime, that they should have been able to win this group. Now we have to hang onto a playoff spot, and not many in the ArenA have no reason to feel shame tonight. 

I'll start with the obvious. Bruno Martins Indi. He is selfish, reckless and I hope he doesn't get another callup anytime soon, and maybe never again. He is the only national team player in our history to have two straight red cards to his name. It's not just the sending off that should have the KNVB question whether or not he should ever play for them again, but the fact that he got it for a karate chop to an opponent's neck while his team is fighting for its qualification life during his new coach's first match!! He set his team back and may have just cost them a trip to Euro 2016! :mum

The other part that bothered me was how most of the players whined like babies at the referee following the final whistle. Obviously they were complaining about the penalty. Media outlets call it a controversial penalty to get website hits, but lets be honest. It wasn't a controversial penalty. Van der Wiel may have gotten a toenail to the ball, but it had no effect on his challenge being quite late. He took the player down. Clear penalty and there's no arguing that. The other half of this, is that when you don't score yourself, you have nothing to complain about, even if the penalty wasn't legit. We cannot use the referee as a scapegoat after losing a home European Qualifier for the first time.

Robben's injury is devastating, obviously. I think he's a worthy captain and to see him go off like that gave me a sick feeling. He's also taking some criticism after calling what Martins Indi did what it is: stupid. Sorry, but I want that from my captain. Defend your players when necessary and also be honest when such stupidity and selfishness happens. He won't be in Turkey, but I hope he heals quickly. We need him in October and hopefully November.

Danny Blind... I feel for him for having to use a sub early for Robben, and especially after Martins Indi made him throw his entire gameplan out the f***ing window. I also support him 100% calling Martins Indi's actions unprofessional. However, I can't begin to understand his last sub. You have Robin van Persie on the bench. Klaassen wasn't doing much. An easy change to make is to sub RVP for Klaassen to play as a central striker, move Sneijder up more and you have the two veterans with Memphis and Narsingh working the flanks. Bringing on Quincy Promes for Wijnaldum just made no sense. At that point, you had to take a huge risk even being down to ten men, and push further forward. I would rather have gone down 2-0 to a counterattack goal late than not make that extra push to equalize.

The only thing that went our way tonight was Latvia scoring in stoppage time to keep Turkey from taking third place. We have a huge job in Istanbul Sunday. We've already called up Virgil van Dijk to replace the clown who wore #4 tonight. Not sure if Blind will bother to replace Robben. It seems pointless when the obvious answer is to start Narsingh, who will play 90 minutes. I would imagine Huntelaar probably starts over RVP again. Thanks to Martins Indi, Huntelaar only got to play 40 minutes tonight. Memphis and Narsingh are still young and inexperienced on this stage, but there's no more choice in the matter. They have to step up and do something this weekend and next month to get us to the playoffs!

Time for a drink.


----------



## Elad

and oranje ... there are no words.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^No words for the Oranje...no words for Chelsea. Our title race is over, all we have to hope for now are decent cup runs


----------



## minimized

Get rekt Manchester


----------



## PGVan

BOEREN! BOEREN! BOEREN!!!!

Big win in Eindhoven!! Massive 3 points to get us to the goal of the Round of 16! :clap

Also best wishes to Luke Shaw. Fair but hard challenge from Moreno. Hope he's back sooner than the later part of recovery for a double fracture.


----------



## Joe

decent result kind of boring to watch though


----------



## PGVan

No such thing as a boring win, especially in the Champions League.


----------



## Joe

PGVan said:


> No such thing as a boring win, especially in the Champions League.


bore draw for Liverpool

step below a win and step below the cl for us

bournemouth game was a pretty boring game for the most part and should've ended in a draw, good example of a bore draw but i'll take it if we win


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Seems to me that Gabriel was sent off for no reason & that Costa will be reprimanded after the fact. I like him but that was much ado about nothing & Koscielny was totally sporting about his aggression


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Well we won but still have work to do


----------



## Paper Samurai

Canadian Brotha said:


> Seems to me that Gabriel was sent off for no reason & that Costa will be reprimanded after the fact. I like him but that was much ado about nothing & Koscielny was totally sporting about his aggression


 Koscielny had the patience of a saint throughout that game lol. Not sure how he pulled it off.


----------



## Joe

Chelsea just 4 points above the relegation zone, not sure if they can stay up.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Joe said:


> Chelsea just 4 points above the relegation zone, not sure if they can stay up.


Only thing we have to look forward to this season is a decent cup, in the league 4th is about it if we get things in order sooner than later


----------



## SilkyJay

I wish other sports would adopt the relegation/promotion system that's in place with most soccer leagues throughout the world and over in Europe. I love how it promotes great games at both the top and bottom of the leagues throughout the course of the season and also gives reason for teams to not throw in the towel. (not that these teams and players should anyway)

Baseball for example is a sport that is could be decent possibility for in my mind. Won't happen though.


----------



## Joe

Yajyklis10 said:


> I wish other sports would adopt the relegation/promotion system that's in place with most soccer leagues throughout the world and over in Europe. I love how it promotes great games at both the top and bottom of the leagues throughout the course of the season and also gives reason for teams to not throw in the towel. (not that these teams and players should anyone)
> 
> Baseball for example is a sport that is could be decent possibility for in my mind. Won't happen though.


Thing is it destroys teams, look at Portsmouth, Blackpool, Wimbledon ect.



Canadian Brotha said:


> Only thing we have to look forward to this season is a decent cup, in the league 4th is about it if we get things in order sooner than later


Can't see you finishing below 4th unless Spurs pick it up. City/United look decent enough Arsenal is a bit ****ty but will likely have a run of form sometime. Liverpool are barely worth mentioning.


----------



## SilkyJay

Joe said:


> Thing is it destroys teams, look at Portsmouth, Blackpool, Wimbledon ect.


But doesn't it also create teams? Swansea is a nice story from what I've seen. I was really just thinking out loud, as every year in either the nba, mlb, nfl, there is talks of teams throwing the towel in, and really in the end having NOTHING to play for and this mindset bleeds into the team whether we all want believe it or not.

I think watching teams claw tooth and nail to stay in a league is quite interesting and dramatic making the bottom of the table play just as important for teams, players, and fans. You probably understand more about the BPL than I do, but the teams in the U.S. pay their players enough and their pride alone should be more than enough motivation to play years out... and its frustrating watching the contrary in some sports. Probably why I honestly watching quite sparingly anymore, and basically just follow a few of my teams and catch up here and there. I kind of miss being as interested in sports. It was a great escape.

In some cases, finishing worse in most sports actually rewards you rather than being a middle of the table team and continuing to compete. Kind of fueling the the opposite of what I'd like teams to be acting upon and being rewarded for. Guess teams gotta do what they gtta do, even though In the end many of the owners running these leagues probably never played more than a few minutes, and only know success through money and manipulation rather than fair play.

all just foood for thought really..


----------



## Joe

Yajyklis10 said:


> But doesn't it also create teams? Swansea is a nice story from what I've seen. I was really just thinking out loud, as every year in either the nba, mlb, nfl, there is talks of teams throwing the towel in, and really in the end having NOTHING to play for and this mindset bleeds into the team whether we all want believe it or not.
> 
> I think watching teams claw tooth and nail to stay in a league is quite interesting and dramatic making the bottom of the table play just as important for teams, players, and fans.


It sure does, Swansea, Wigan, Blackpool (even though they have been screwed by the owners) all had huge reputation spikes in the past decade because of quick promotions. Bournemouth will likely be another.

Average attendance list http://www.soccerstats.com/attendance.asp?league=england not sure of its accuracy though.

I think until recently most clubs were running at a loss too, I thought they still did but FFP has helped with that. I still think FFP is incredibly unfair to smaller teams though and I'd be surprised if there was any teams that became big for an extended period of time now FFP is here.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

What an abysmal season we're having, terrible time to be a blues fan. I'm hard pressed to recall a Chelsea team defending so poorly & conceding so many goals in so many games in succession in the last decade, unreal


----------



## Canadian Brotha

'So what's up with the goalkeepers Arsene?'

*Sanchez, Ozil...gun that mother****er down*


----------



## minimized

Hmm... Rodgers really thought he was secure?


----------



## Milco

In a Lonely Place said:


> .


Will be interesting to see if they get Jurgen Klopp as rumoured.

10 days ago:
_BREAKING: Sky sources: Jurgen Klopp interested in working in premierleague and would cut short sabbatical for the right job._

And now just an hour ago:
_BREAKING: LFC interested in appointing Jurgen Klopp or Carlo Ancelotti but no potential candidates have been contacted (Sky Sources)_

That would be a very interesting match and would help rekindle my interest in Liverpool.


----------



## Hayman

Well, today saw my own team, Sunderland, wave goodbye to Dick Advocaat. It wasn't surprising really. There's been very strong rumours for more than a week that he was leaving after the West Ham game - and that's exactly what happened. The press (who only think four teams exist in the Premier League ) only really picked up on it from around Thursday. Dick actually flew back to Holland yesterday evening after the match! It was pretty much safe to say he'd left even before this afternoon's announcement.

My thoughts and feelings? I'm saddened really. I quite liked him. A very likeable guy and I wish him all the very best in his retirement. I thought (and still think) he's the right man for the job, but given he wanted to retire at the end of last season and only signed a one year deal, it was clear he was a short term solution and it seems the players never really reacted to him at all since he come back in the summer. Some of his tactics were questionable but barring that, I think he's been strangled not only financially, but by our useless Sporting Director - Lee Congerton, who is now also set to leave the club from my understanding.

With Lee Congerton going and no sign of a replacement, this leaves the door wide open for the likes of Sam Allardyce to come in as manager. Someone who has already said he wouldn't work under the existing (and now seemingly outgoing) model the club has. I think he's the most likely and most obvious choice and the one I'd persue the most. Second on the list would be Nigel Pearson. Much like Di Canio - but British! If our players didn't like Di Canio's authority, they *certainly* won't like Pearsons...:lol That's actually a good thing, by the way. As I've said before, I actually blame our players for most of the club's woes. There's too much player power going on and Pearson certainly wouldn't stand for it. If Allardyce turns us down again, I certainly wouldn't be upset to see Pearson take the job... We'd probably go down, but he'd have the deadwood cleared out from that place, once and for all, inside a year. Third choice would probably by Dyche. I do admire what he's done at Burnley and I do actually rate him. However, I don't think he's quite good enough for a relegation battle. Di Matteo has also been mentioned on Sky Sports earlier, but I think he'd be looking more at Liverpool than ourselves... We'd be nothing more than a 'stepping stone' for him.

My two top 'dream' candidates would be David Moyes or, as of this evening, Brendan Rodgers. I highly doubt Moyes would come back from Spain to Sunderland and no doubt Rodgers will probably have some clause in his contract stopping him going straight to another club. Besides, he's rather big-headed and no doubt will think he's nothing less than Champions League material. He already had that attitude towards the end of his time at Swansea.

I'm not interested in any other candidate and would be disappointed to see anyone else take the job. What we need is someone with proven experience in the Premier League. Especially another 'rookie' manager - someone who we really don't need in our position. I'm half expecting this to happen actually... If Allardyce turns us down, I can see Ellis Short contacting someone obscure, unheard of, or like Dyche, someone in the lower leagues. I bet it would be someone like Slaviša Jokanović who left Watford at the end of last season...

I saw the Arsenal v Man Utd game earlier. The first twenty minutes or so was a total demolition job... :um Arsenal were virtually unplayable and it was clear that shell-shocked Man Utd for the rest of the game.

With regards to Chelsea, I think they'll be doing well to get into the top seven, never mind the top four with the way they're playing at the moment. There's clearly something seriously wrong in the dressing room, there... I wouldn't call it a 'crisis' yet (the same so-called 'big' clubs think they're in 'crisis' when they've had four or five bad results - try 15/20 like those at the bottom...now *that's* a real crisis...) but if Chelsea are still in a similar position now, or certainly below 10th come Christmas, then I'll start believing it's a crisis!


----------



## gunner21

Kloppo baby please come to us


----------



## Paperback Writer

Hayman said:


> Well, today saw my own team, Sunderland, wave goodbye to Dick Advocaat. It wasn't surprising really. There's been very strong rumours for more than a week that he was leaving after the West Ham game - and that's exactly what happened. The press (who only think four teams exist in the Premier League ) only really picked up on it from around Thursday. Dick actually flew back to Holland yesterday evening after the match! It was pretty much safe to say he'd left even before this afternoon's announcement.
> 
> My thoughts and feelings? I'm saddened really. I quite liked him. A very likeable guy and I wish him all the very best in his retirement. I thought (and still think) he's the right man for the job, but given he wanted to retire at the end of last season and only signed a one year deal, it was clear he was a short term solution and it seems the players never really reacted to him at all since he come back in the summer. Some of his tactics were questionable but barring that, I think he's been strangled not only financially, but by our useless Sporting Director - Lee Congerton, who is now also set to leave the club from my understanding.
> 
> With Lee Congerton going and no sign of a replacement, this leaves the door wide open for the likes of Sam Allardyce to come in as manager. Someone who has already said he wouldn't work under the existing (and now seemingly outgoing) model the club has. I think he's the most likely and most obvious choice and the one I'd persue the most. Second on the list would be Nigel Pearson. Much like Di Canio - but British! If our players didn't like Di Canio's authority, they *certainly* won't like Pearsons...:lol That's actually a good thing, by the way. As I've said before, I actually blame our players for most of the club's woes. There's too much player power going on and Pearson certainly wouldn't stand for it. If Allardyce turns us down again, I certainly wouldn't be upset to see Pearson take the job... We'd probably go down, but he'd have the deadwood cleared out from that place, once and for all, inside a year. Third choice would probably by Dyche. I do admire what he's done at Burnley and I do actually rate him. However, I don't think he's quite good enough for a relegation battle. Di Matteo has also been mentioned on Sky Sports earlier, but I think he'd be looking more at Liverpool than ourselves... We'd be nothing more than a 'stepping stone' for him.
> 
> My two top 'dream' candidates would be David Moyes or, as of this evening, Brendan Rodgers. I highly doubt Moyes would come back from Spain to Sunderland and no doubt Rodgers will probably have some clause in his contract stopping him going straight to another club. Besides, he's rather big-headed and no doubt will think he's nothing less than Champions League material. He already had that attitude towards the end of his time at Swansea.
> 
> I'm not interested in any other candidate and would be disappointed to see anyone else take the job. What we need is someone with proven experience in the Premier League. Especially another 'rookie' manager - someone who we really don't need in our position. I'm half expecting this to happen actually... If Allardyce turns us down, I can see Ellis Short contacting someone obscure, unheard of, or like Dyche, someone in the lower leagues. I bet it would be someone like Slaviša Jokanović who left Watford at the end of last season...
> 
> I saw the Arsenal v Man Utd game earlier. The first twenty minutes or so was a total demolition job... :um Arsenal were virtually unplayable and it was clear that shell-shocked Man Utd for the rest of the game.
> 
> With regards to Chelsea, I think they'll be doing well to get into the top seven, never mind the top four with the way they're playing at the moment. There's clearly something seriously wrong in the dressing room, there... I wouldn't call it a 'crisis' yet (the same so-called 'big' clubs think they're in 'crisis' when they've had four or five bad results - try 15/20 like those at the bottom...now *that's* a real crisis...) but if Chelsea are still in a similar position now, or certainly below 10th come Christmas, then I'll start believing it's a crisis!


I'm sad to see Dick go as well. I liked him a lot too, and he clearly cared a lot more than some of the players. Shame that they only raised their game on Saturday after he'd already decided he was going.

Allardyce seems like the best realistic option available, so I hope we go for him. But then, I feel pretty apathetic about it, as I imagine that the same cycle we've been stuck in for the past few years will continue, regardless of who we get. We'll (hopefully) scrape survival due to "new manager bounce", then the players will revert to type, and the new manager will be gone this time next year. Just like MON, Di Canio, Gus, and now Dick.

At least it looks like we'll be keeping up the tradition of the new manager having Newcastle in their second game in charge...


----------



## Hayman

Paperback Writer said:


> I'm sad to see Dick go as well. I liked him a lot too, and he clearly cared a lot more than some of the players. Shame that they only raised their game on Saturday after he'd already decided he was going.
> 
> Allardyce seems like the best realistic option available, so I hope we go for him. But then, I feel pretty apathetic about it, as I imagine that the same cycle we've been stuck in for the past few years will continue, regardless of who we get. We'll (hopefully) scrape survival due to "new manager bounce", then the players will revert to type, and the new manager will be gone this time next year. Just like MON, Di Canio, Gus, and now Dick.
> 
> At least it looks like we'll be keeping up the tradition of the new manager having Newcastle in their second game in charge...


According to today's reports, Dick wasn't up for a relegation dog-fight. Whether his words have been twisted or not, it seems a bit odd considering I think we all knew we'd be struggling again this season. We keep on signing totally unproven players, 'sick notes' (those who are always injured or have a reputation for injury) or barely adequate dross which would struggle to shine at Championship Level. Anyway, regardless of what has been said or what hasn't, I appreciate he's left now rather than wait until Christmas when we could be well and truly adrift. Indeed. I will miss him as, barring Di Canio who spoke the truth about our players, he's been by far and away the most honest manager we've had since Roy Keane.

Allardyce is indeed the most realistic option for us, but I think he'll make it hard work for us to get him. I can honestly see Ellis Short going left-field again if he gets bored and getting someone with no premier league experience or totally out of their depth. At least with Big Sam, we'd stand a small chance of surviving. Anyone else? I think it would be a car crash waiting to happen... Again though, I wouldn't say "no" to Nigel Pearson.

Indeed, whoever we get in will probably only last a year, eighteen months tops anyway. No doubt this has seriously damaged or chances of attracting another proven manager. I knew things were seriously wrong 'higher up' in the club when MON was shown the door... I still haven't got over that...


----------



## Paperback Writer

Hayman said:


> According to today's reports, Dick wasn't up for a relegation dog-fight. Whether his words have been twisted or not, it seems a bit odd considering I think we all knew we'd be struggling again this season. We keep on signing totally unproven players, 'sick notes' (those who are always injured or have a reputation for injury) or barely adequate dross which would struggle to shine at Championship Level. Anyway, regardless of what has been said or what hasn't, I appreciate he's left now rather than wait until Christmas when we could be well and truly adrift. Indeed. I will miss him as, barring Di Canio who spoke the truth about our players, he's been by far and away the most honest manager we've had since Roy Keane.
> 
> Allardyce is indeed the most realistic option for us, but I think he'll make it hard work for us to get him. I can honestly see Ellis Short going left-field again if he gets bored and getting someone with no premier league experience or totally out of their depth. At least with Big Sam, we'd stand a small chance of surviving. Anyone else? I think it would be a car crash waiting to happen... Again though, I wouldn't say "no" to Nigel Pearson.
> 
> Indeed, whoever we get in will probably only last a year, eighteen months tops anyway. No doubt this has seriously damaged or chances of attracting another proven manager. I knew things were seriously wrong 'higher up' in the club when MON was shown the door... I still haven't got over that...


I agree about Dick walking away now. At least he didn't stick around waiting for a payoff, and can leave with the respect of the fans.

I'd like to think that the job might appeal to Big Sam partly out of him wanting to prove Newcastle wrong for sacking him, but that's probably just wishful thinking.

I was gutted the way things worked out with MON. I really thought that he'd be our best manager since Peter Reid, and for the first few months, it looked like he would be, too. When a manager as proven as him failed, and the next ones all followed the same pattern of a promising start followed by disaster, it's been clear that there's something deeply wrong.

Sometimes I wonder if we're missing having someone like Niall Quinn higher up.


----------



## Joe

Dick was great, he'll leave with a lot of respect. I'm not sure if Sunderland can escape the drop this time round though. 

Klopp should be fun to watch though


----------



## Paperback Writer

I have my doubts too, to be honest. The past few years we've been fortunate that there have been enough teams worse than us. This season I'm not so sure if there are. But then, I inevitably write us off at some point every year, so what do I know? :lol

I imagine it'll be exciting times for Liverpool under Klopp. I'll definitely be glad to have him in the Premier League.


----------



## minimized

It is a shame about Advocaat.

I am gleefully rubbing my hands like a little fly for Klopp and the Kop though.


----------



## Notgoingout

minimized said:


> It is a shame about Advocaat.
> 
> I am gleefully rubbing my hands like a little fly for Klopp and the Kop though.


Don't blame you, sady I think Liverpool could fly under him.:frown2:


----------



## Hayman

@Paperback Writer - I'm glad Dick has walked away now, because it would be a shame for the dreadful start to the season continuing and his reputation with us shattered. Obviously he come to his senses to stop before it went too far and I do feel genuinely sorry for the guy. Especially given he has clearly shown emotion towards us.

Yes, MON failing is probably one of the biggest disappointments for me as a Sunderland supporter. Even more so than that 15 point season. I honestly thought we were going to more or less guarantee mid table finishes with him when he was announced as manager. He was (and still is&#8230 a proven manager with a great track record. How he never made a success with us is something I'll never know. Again, I suspect our hierarchy had a lot to do with it. Also, he never managed to bring in his number two either&#8230; I still have respect for him and like Dick, I do feel sorry that it never worked out for him with us.

We're clearly missing Quinny in the club, but I think he's probably relieved to be out of the situation. I honestly think the only way the club can get over this is to take relegation this season, have one heck of a clearout, accept Championship football for four or five years before trying to come back with a hungry squad. Much like what 'Boro has done - or trying to do, rather. It'll hurt, but I can't see any other way out of this as all we've been doing for the last three or four years is 'firefighting'. It's going to bite us sooner or later and I really think this is the season it'll happen - regardless of who comes in. I usually wait until Christmas before making predictions for us as we're never consistent! However, I've pretty much made up my mind that it's going to be too much for us this year&#8230; I hope I'm wrong, but I think the club is in a mess at the moment.

Rumour has it that Allardyce has been in talks with Ellis Short today and only wants the job short term&#8230; :? Meh&#8230; :doh If that's the case, we may as well go for Nigel Pearson. I've had enough of short-terminism at the club. Allardyce in my opinion is about the best man currently available to take the job to give us the best chance of survival. However if rumours are true and he only wants to be there until the end of the season, the players won't respect him and no one of any real quality will want to come. We may as well stick with Robbie Stockdale until the end of the season if that's the case&#8230;

I appreciate Ellis Short has put a lot of money into the club. However, he clearly has little knowledge of how to actually run a football club with success.


----------



## Joe

HHgot232 said:


> Don't blame you, sady I think Liverpool could fly under him.:frown2:


Thought you meant Advocatt at first, I doubt he would be too bad really. Won a UEFA cup with Zenit. Hope he has a happy retirement. Rangers played in that final. Celtic played in the 2003 UEFA cup final. Shame the Scottish league is poor outside of those two, they are always good to support in Europe (not sure if Scots feel the same way about England).

Rangers might just end up finishing 2nd this year, I remember them pulling a lad from Hearts soon after he scored against Liverpool in the Europa League when they were in the Scottish Third Division. They need to be in the SPL for the sake of the other clubs competitiveness.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Glad Klopp has come to England, should be interesting to see who becomes his regulars until the transfer window opens in January


----------



## PGVan

Nothing short of embarrassing for my Oranje. There's nothing to analyze in-depth at the entire campaign. It was doomed when Guus Hiddink took over after from Louis van Gaal after the World Cup last year, and the first thing he did was revert to the old 4-3-3 formation. LVG knew we didn't have the CB quality to play with only two of them, so he put three of them on for a 5-3-2. The KNVB didn't like it, but that only took us to 3rd place at the World Cup! 

The KNVB has not realized that along with our current lack of CB quality, the rest of the football world has caught up a lot in recent years. This EURO is a perfect example. Yeah they watered it down to 24 teams from 16, but teams like Iceland and Wales showed better quality than just earning a freebie spot and Northern Ireland won their group! For Holland, qualifying games were gimmies for years. Even qualifying for the 2014 World Cup was a walk in the park. That's no longer the case. The KNVB has to look at itself in the mirror and begin accepting that if you want results today, you have to play for a result, not just to look good. Had we played 4-3-3 at the World Cup, Spain would have beaten us 5-1 rather than the other way around. 

Other teams would rather win ugly than lose, and the KNVB is the opposite. They would rather lose looking good than win ugly. Until that mentality changes, this is where we now stand in world football... 4th place in a group, trailing the Czechs, Iceland and Turkey. No disrespect to those teams, but that's not good enough for us. So far, signs from the KNVB are not good. Blind won't quit, the KNVB won't clean house either. 

I don't know what to think tonight. The same old s*** doesn't work anymore. Louis van Gaal knew it and got us a decent result at the World Cup last year. Then the KNVB killed how he got the result. The stubbornness from the KNVB is inexplicable.:mum


----------



## SD92

PNE out of the relegation zone with a thumping 0-3 win over lacklustre Charlton.

http://www.lep.co.uk/sport/match-report-charlton-0-preston-north-end-3-1-7526636

Birghton away at the weekend, though, which is a certain loss.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

As sad as it is to say I sort of wish Mou was sacked & Klopp was snapped up before he went to the Reds. He won us the title but this has been an abysmal season with his moodiness infecting the team...there are no more excuses, we neef inspiration.

That said, All Hail The Giant Killers, West Ham!


----------



## SD92

A proud 0-0 draw with league leaders Brighton for North End, as they continue their surge up the table.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34557206


----------



## Hayman

Yesterday we beat our fierce rivals in the Wear-Tyne derby, to secure our first victory of the season:

http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/...land-after-sixth-derby-win-in-a-row-1-7535081



Naturally, I'm delighted to secure six straight wins over Newcastle, but on the downside it really frustrates me we can't put in a performance like that against anyone else. It gives the impression to 'outsiders' that the team (and even the fans) are only ever up for playing them, which is unfair&#8230;

We were dreadful in the first half and I have to admit that Newcastle dominated much of it. However, they never scored and our defence seemed reasonably solid considering how it has been during this season, so far&#8230; Coloccini shouldn't have been red-carded, but I believe it was a penalty. There was no way he was going for the ball. Sadly, the media, who have proven themselves over many years to show clear bias against us (see this for one of the latest examples: http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/sunderland-last-match-day-more-8539727), clearly disagreed and are outraged that we managed to score against them. How dare the bottom side in the Premier League have their first 'rub of the green' in ten matches :roll. Even if it wasn't a penalty, it just made up for last week's goal West Brom had against us, which was a clear infringement on our keeper - that the press very quickly glossed over.

During the second half, it was a much more even and we really improved. Newcastle couldn't take their chances. We did - and scored twice more.

Local media in Sunderland is celebrating our victory, whilst national media and television pundits are in mourning...for the six derby game in a row.


----------



## Paperback Writer

I don’t think anyone can have any complaints about the penalty. At the time I thought it was a red card, but in hindsight it was probably a bit harsh, as the ball looked like it was going through to Elliott. Still, Coloccini shouldn’t have fouled Fletcher in the first place and forced the referee into a decision. I think it’s clutching at straws to suggest that there was anything in the penalty appeals against Cattermole as well. 

Newcastle were indeed the better side in the first half, but as you rightly say, they couldn’t take their chances, and we could. I can think of plenty of times over the years when we’ve dominated a game and haven't made the most of it, or have been let down by a dodgy refereeing decision. Funny how much outrage there is when it’s the other way around for a change. 

But I’m not going to complain too much. Six in a row, off the bottom, and no longer looking so adrift. There’s a long way to go, but for the first time this season I actually feel something loosely resembling optimism.


----------



## goku23

Canadian Brotha said:


> As sad as it is to say I sort of wish Mou was sacked & Klopp was snapped up before he went to the Reds. He won us the title but this has been an abysmal season with his moodiness infecting the team...there are no more excuses, we neef inspiration.
> 
> That said, All Hail The Giant Killers, West Ham!


think you might do one better now rather than Klopp, Simeone apparently waiting in the wings! 
would be an incredible appointment.

Roman big on PR and club image, Mou badly damaging all that with each passing week. not just the results that will get him the boot I think, looks he's lost the dressing room too.

prediction for a halloween nightmare for him! lose at home to Klopp, gets the boot straight after.
probably Christmas come early rather, with the 10mil compensation he'll receive!
likely get the PSG job not long after too.
doubt all this bothers him much!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

goku23 said:


> think you might do one better now rather than Klopp, Simeone apparently waiting in the wings!
> would be an incredible appointment.
> 
> Roman big on PR and club image, Mou badly damaging all that with each passing week. not just the results that will get him the boot I think, looks he's lost the dressing room too.
> 
> prediction for a halloween nightmare for him! lose at home to Klopp, gets the boot straight after.
> probably Christmas come early rather, with the 10mil compensation he'll receive!
> likely get the PSG job not long after too.
> doubt all this bothers him much!


I hadn't heard that Simeone could potentially be in the running, that's very interesting!


----------



## scott83

Paperback Writer said:


> I don't think anyone can have any complaints about the penalty. At the time I thought it was a red card, but in hindsight it was probably a bit harsh, as the ball looked like it was going through to Elliott. Still, Coloccini shouldn't have fouled Fletcher in the first place and forced the referee into a decision. I think it's clutching at straws to suggest that there was anything in the penalty appeals against Cattermole as well.
> 
> Newcastle were indeed the better side in the first half, but as you rightly say, they couldn't take their chances, and we could. I can think of plenty of times over the years when we've dominated a game and haven't made the most of it, or have been let down by a dodgy refereeing decision. Funny how much outrage there is when it's the other way around for a change.
> 
> But I'm not going to complain too much. Six in a row, off the bottom, and no longer looking so adrift. There's a long way to go, but for the first time this season I actually feel something loosely resembling optimism.


As a Newcastle fan I have to say it was a bitter loss. We were the better side in the first half but like you say we didn't take our chances. It was always going to go Sunderland's way in the second half with us down to ten and chasing the game so the second and third goals were no major surprise.

Personally I still think both clubs still have a long way to go and a lot to prove. I don't think it showed that Sunderland have turned a corner because its misleading, not only are local derbies a bit of a cup final but they won't get such luck in most games and you can't afford to be outplayed every week because better teams than Newcastle will punish you. From Newcastle's point of view it was a massive blow to confidence after the belief had crept back in following the Norwich game. Our defence is really poor, regardless of the rights and wrongs of the penalty decision, if you commit those kinds of challenges in the penalty area then you leave yourself open to the referee's decision. Put simply, Coloccini needs to go, and why we didn't sign an emergency keeper following Krul's injury I will never know, because Elliot isn't good enough.

I think it could be another tense relegation fight this season, probably between Newcastle, Sunderland, Villa, Norwich and Bournemouth.


----------



## millenniumman75

I am in the minority on this one. Major League Soccer for me.
It's harder to see games outside of the United States.

I have been watching my local team, the Columbus Crew. Federico Higuain is probably the most recognizable name to anyone in this thread. Other than that, I am not sure.


----------



## goku23

millenniumman75 said:


> I am in the minority on this one. Major League Soccer for me.
> It's harder to see games outside of the United States.
> 
> I have been watching my local team, the Columbus Crew. Federico Higuain is probably the most recognizable name to anyone in this thread. Other than that, I am not sure.


Have always been a big fan of Seb Gionvinco. Massive coup for MLS to have him in the league, along with Gerrard, Pirlo, Villa and Lampard of course.

Federico comes from a good family though! younger bro Gonzalo I'm sure you know is a top player.
Kei Kamara for you guys looked good, haven't seen much of him because it didn't work out for him in England but seems to be scoring for fun Stateside.
Showed glimpses while he was here though, probably needed time to settle.


----------



## millenniumman75

goku23 said:


> Have always been a big fan of Seb Gionvinco. Massive coup for MLS to have him in the league, along with Gerrard, Pirlo, Villa and Lampard of course.
> 
> Federico comes from a good family though! younger bro Gonzalo I'm sure you know is a top player.
> Kei Kamara for you guys looked good, haven't seen much of him because it didn't work out for him in England but seems to be scoring for fun Stateside.
> Showed glimpses while he was here though, probably needed time to settle.


Yep, the Higuains are pretty good players.

Kei Kamara has a wicked forehead. That man has no fear - headballs all over the place! He has been in trouble with yellow cards as of late, but the post-season is starting, so I think he is clear of all that.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Another loss would suck tomorrow but I'd rather lose to Klopp's Reds than Rodgers


----------



## MylesB93




----------



## Paperback Writer

scott83 said:


> As a Newcastle fan I have to say it was a bitter loss. We were the better side in the first half but like you say we didn't take our chances. It was always going to go Sunderland's way in the second half with us down to ten and chasing the game so the second and third goals were no major surprise.
> 
> Personally I still think both clubs still have a long way to go and a lot to prove. *I don't think it showed that Sunderland have turned a corner because its misleading, not only are local derbies a bit of a cup final but they won't get such luck in most games and you can't afford to be outplayed every week because better teams than Newcastle will punish you. *From Newcastle's point of view it was a massive blow to confidence after the belief had crept back in following the Norwich game. Our defence is really poor, regardless of the rights and wrongs of the penalty decision, if you commit those kinds of challenges in the penalty area then you leave yourself open to the referee's decision. Put simply, Coloccini needs to go, and why we didn't sign an emergency keeper following Krul's injury I will never know, because Elliot isn't good enough.
> 
> I think it could be another tense relegation fight this season, probably between Newcastle, Sunderland, Villa, Norwich and Bournemouth.


If today was anything to go by then you may have a point there. :um


----------



## SD92

North End draw 0-0 to Bolton in a borefest on live TV (Sky Sports). We won't win many neutrals over this season with our style of play.

http://www.lep.co.uk/sport/match-report-pne-0-bolton-0-1-7546324


----------



## boas

The best thing about Mourinho's meltdown is that previously, when he would lose infrequently and blame the ref and/or media, people would insist he was being suave and calculating, deflecting attention away from his players. But I always thought he was just an impulsive, petulant douchebag. And now he is doing it every week I think I have been vindicated. Wenger might be a loser but at least he has a semblance of self-awareness and dignity. Mourinho is just a tit, and not a firm and perky tit either, but a saggy and misshapen one.

I also think Van Gaal sucks balls. Honestly, there are at least three of the big PL teams that could be improved dramatically with a simple change of coach in United, Chelsea and Arsenal (and perhaps City, though Pellegrini is just an eminently nice man who I can't bring myself to speak badly of).


----------



## DJLSF

Big Southampton fan here and first post on the Sports forum. Ronald Koeman has done an unbelievable job down here given players we have lost over the last 2 seasons. How long before the top clubs take an interest in him? Any fans of the big 4/5 that would be happy to have him ? 

Man U fans, how is Morgan getting on?


----------



## SD92

North End got their first home win of the season, 1-0 over Two Time European Champions Nottingham Forest.

http://www.lep.co.uk/sport/national-football/match-report-pne-1-nottingham-forest-0-1-7551141

And Bolton, Rotherham and Charlton all lost putting us six points above the relegation zone


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I feel a bit sorry Willian, he finally adds some goals to his repertoire but in a poor season for us so far. That said, long may it continue!


----------



## goku23




----------



## Jake93

goku23 said:


>


:lol :lol :lol :lol


----------



## Canadian Brotha

We played better today but there is absolutely nothing going for us at all this season. It's like watching my life played out on a football pitch, how depressing...


----------



## SD92

Another 0-0 draw for North End, this time at last season's relegated Premier League club QPR.

http://www.lep.co.uk/sport/match-report-qpr-0-pne-0-1-7558735


----------



## Paperback Writer

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34798929

Can't believe that Marton Fulop has died at just 32.

He did a good job when he was here at Sunderland on the pitch, and by all accounts it seems that he was a nice man off it as well.

RIP.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Liverpool trouncing City away from home, I didn't see that coming.

Chelsea played well today, the drive & tempo was much better. Just need Costa to stay central now to build on that. Glad he got a goal though.


----------



## Paperback Writer

Great win for Sunderland last night at Palace. We looked more like a typical Big Sam team; defensively solid and dangerous on the break. Hopefully things continue like this for us.


----------



## SD92

North End lost the Lancashire derby to Blackburn in Paul Lambert's first game in charge of Rovers. We went 0-2 down, got one back but it wasn't enough.

http://www.lep.co.uk/sport/national-football/match-report-pne-1-rovers-2-1-7583469


----------



## Fedorov91

It gets boring watching Barcelona and Real Madrid and Bayern Munich beating up everyone. There needs to be a Salary Cap like American Sports or something. At least in the EPL you got Leicester city and Crystal Palace hanging up there.


----------



## SD92

North End drew 1-1 with Fulham at Craven Cottage last weekend. We scored first but again lost a lead.

http://www.lep.co.uk/sport/national-football/match-report-fulham-1-pne-1-1-7596725

Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday, a almost certain loss.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Nice to see City get outclassed by Stoke but sucked to see Chelsea lose yet again today


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Oobe said:


> I watched the game (Chelsea vs Bournemouth) and they just look shot of confidence, lacking some cohesion. I wonder if Mourinho will survive this result. I can imagine Abramovich pacing around on his yacht debating with himself :lol
> 
> Great for Leicester, so refreshing to see them at the summit - I wonder if they can hang on for at least a European spot.
> 
> My club Arsenal did OK today - but it was against a team we really should be beating. Good that Walcott has returned (and Ramsey) but the squad is still riddled with injuries. Sanchez from the last game is a huuuuge loss.


I don't think we played that bad today. I do think that after those initial saves in the first half we were feeling that sense of "here we go again" & Bournemouth were up for a game in that period. In the second half were let down by the final ball...so many were hit too long or with too much pace, that if played right would be goals, no doubt. I mean compared the drabness of Utd at moment we're showing some industry given how bad a season it's been but they are getting needed results without being brilliant or scoring much. We're always conceding late goals...read a stat today that said we've let in the most goals in the final 15 minutes of matches to date on the season.

I think Leceister represents the absolute best of team spirit and solidarity right now, every man works for the man next to him for 90 minutes in every match this season.


----------



## PGVan

BOEREN!!!! BOEREN!!!! BOEREN!!!!

So happy for PSV and their perseverance! This smelled like match fixing in the second half. I'm the last one to rip on officials having a hockey officiating background for 20 years, but this was very, very suspect. CSKA player on a yellow card throws his hands out to block a cross, and it's not called, period. Doumbia kicks the ball out for a PSV goal kick, but CSKA gets a corner. It was not close to being deflected by Bruma. Off that very corner, Guardado goes for a loose ball, does not touch Tosic, who takes a dive. He gets the penalty for CSKA's goal. Europa League money is important to a Russian League team. That sequence just doesn't pass my smell test.

PSV deserves a ton of praise for not folding like a cheap tent, but rather taking the game back two minutes later, then getting a winner after getting word Man United had equalized in Wolfsburg. Very proud Boeren tonight!!!

:boogie:drunk


----------



## SD92

PNE surprsingly beat promotion candidates and local rivals, Burnley 0-2, with goals from Will Keane and Daniel Johnson.

http://www.lep.co.uk/sport/match-report-burnley-0-pne-2-1-7608917


----------



## 3r10n

PGVan said:


> BOEREN!!!! BOEREN!!!! BOEREN!!!!
> 
> So happy for PSV and their perseverance! This smelled like match fixing in the second half. I'm the last one to rip on officials having a hockey officiating background for 20 years, but this was very, very suspect. CSKA player on a yellow card throws his hands out to block a cross, and it's not called, period. Doumbia kicks the ball out for a PSV goal kick, but CSKA gets a corner. It was not close to being deflected by Bruma. Off that very corner, Guardado goes for a loose ball, does not touch Tosic, who takes a dive. He gets the penalty for CSKA's goal. Europa League money is important to a Russian League team. That sequence just doesn't pass my smell test.
> 
> PSV deserves a ton of praise for not folding like a cheap tent, but rather taking the game back two minutes later, then getting a winner after getting word Man United had equalized in Wolfsburg. Very proud Boeren tonight!!!
> 
> :boogie:drunk


Yeah, too bad wolfsburg didn't tie the game against man united though. PSV would've been first in their group if wolfsburg tied. Now they came second and have to face the number 1 of another group :/
Gonna cry if psv - bayern.


----------



## PGVan

3r10n said:


> Yeah, too bad wolfsburg didn't tie the game against man united though. PSV would've been first in their group if wolfsburg tied. Now they came second and have to face the number 1 of another group :/
> Gonna cry if psv - bayern.


It would have been nice, but you can't dwell on it. We're in the Top 16 clubs in Europe and going into the Group Stage, nobody picked us to get through. Even if we win the group, there would still be a chance to draw Juventus or PSG. If I had to pick though, I'd take Zenit, Atlético or Chelsea.

It'll be interesting to see what the club does now going into the winter transfer window. It's worth it, in my opinion, to make a run now that we're there. Even if we don't win the next round, a solid new player or two can help us win the Eredivisie again to get right back into next year's group stage.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Glad Chelsea are through though I expected more of a battle from Porto. Now we can chill for a bit and try to turn things right in the league in the hectic holiday schedule.
@PGVan ~ Two questions. Are you dutch in heritage or born there? And do you follow the Eredivisie?


----------



## PGVan

Canadian Brotha said:


> @PGVan ~ Two questions. Are you dutch in heritage or born there? And do you follow the Eredivisie?


My dad was born there. I've been there a few times to see family. Most of my family is in Brabant, so PSV has always been where my club allegiance lies. I've been to one match at Philips Stadion and need to save to go back to see more.

To answer your question, I'll just say that I send regular hate mail to Fox Sports Eredivisie because I cannot subscribe to watch live matches in Canada! I can't even watch highlights on their site. (I refuse to stream anything illegally. Been there, done that with viruses.)


----------



## PGVan

PGVan said:


> If I had to pick though, I'd take Zenit, Atlético or Chelsea.


I'll take Atlético! Not gonna be easy, but it's not Real Madrid, Bayern or Barcelona either. Definitely playing for more than pride against these guys!


----------



## Kevin001

Farewell Abby opcorn.


----------



## SD92

Two games in a week for North End this time. First we beat Reading on Saturday 1-0 with a Garner penalty. http://www.lep.co.uk/sport/preston-north-end-news/pne-latest/match-report-pne-1-reading-0-1-7620874

And then we drew 1-1 with Birmingham on Tuesday after leading early on. http://www.lep.co.uk/sport/preston-...est/match-report-pne-1-birmingham-1-1-7626684

And in other news, Mourinho's inevitably been sacked.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34670192


----------



## Joe

fun draw


----------



## NuthinSimple

I'm ethnically Sicilian but support AS Roma..

SHHHH.. don't tell nobody.


----------



## AbandondedWolf

Any thoughts on the sacking of mourinho ?


----------



## Paperback Writer

AbandondedWolf said:


> Any thoughts on the sacking of mourinho ?


As a Sunderland fan, my only thought is that I wish they'd waited until after Saturday. :sigh


----------



## Canadian Brotha

AbandondedWolf said:


> Any thoughts on the sacking of mourinho ?


I think everyone who hates him, his style of play, & his personality feels justified in their thoughts despite his record in terms of success. But I've always thought it takes just as much team unity/solidarity to be a rock & say to your opponent "break us if you can" as it does to be free flowing & straight attacking with the mentality that you'll always outscore your opponent. That said, it's clear he's not a manager that can manage in times of crisis because his mood & ego supercedes any message/plan of action he has for is players.

I knew from the lack of action in the summer that this season was gonna be tough despite all the pundits saying we were favorites to win it again. There wasn't much squad rotation last season so tiredness & lack of fresh blood was always gonna be a factor. Mou could have disregarded winning the league again and settled for top 4 plus a cup while blooding some of the academy kids(given the lack of signings) & then going for it again next season but it's not in him to do that. I didn't expect it to be this bad, but just like winning becomes a habit so too does losing and now every team in the league thinks/knows they can win against us because of the total disharmony from top to bottom.

I still like Mourinho, he came back and won us the league again in 2 years, I hope he bounces back. We'll see who they bring in & how the players respond...


----------



## rdrr

AbandondedWolf said:


> Any thoughts on the sacking of mourinho ?


Specialist in failure


----------



## AbandondedWolf

rdrr said:


> Specialist in failure


----------



## rdrr

Ha Wenger can only smile when its photoshopped.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Just heard a comment that nobody has compared Mou's fall at Chelsea to Klopp's at Dortmund...wonder why I never thought of that, must be cause everyone likes Klopp whatever and hates Mourinho whatever


----------



## AbandondedWolf

Canadian Brotha said:


> Just heard a comment that nobody has compared Mou's fall at Chelsea to Klopp's at Dortmund...wonder why I never thought of that, must be cause everyone likes Klopp whatever and hates Mourinho whatever


And Klopp managed to turn it around after xmas, mourinho would've done the same i think


----------



## PGVan

According to the BBC, Chelsea is talking to Guus Hiddink. If they hire him, can UEFA re-do the Champions League draw so we play them instead of Atlético? Anything to gain an advantage, right?


----------



## Canadian Brotha

PGVan said:


> According to the BBC, Chelsea is talking to Guus Hiddink. If they hire him, can UEFA re-do the Champions League draw so we play them instead of Atlético? Anything to gain an advantage, right?


I get that he's well respected amongst fans but this isn't what he took over the first time, this is a cesspool that needs fire for cleansing/regeneration, not sure he's the one but as a fan I'd like to hope he can have a decent second run...


----------



## monotonous

as a life long chelsea fan, i'm gutted when i learned that mourinho was sacked and **** like febregas and hazard won


----------



## Canadian Brotha

monotonous said:


> as a life long chelsea fan, i'm gutted when i learned that mourinho was sacked and **** like febregas and hazard won


You live in Tottenham & are a Chelsea fan? priceless, lol

That said, part of me knows how you feel, they've been my team in England since I started following the league & Mou has been our King manager like Drogba was our King striker that won us the biggest prize


----------



## monotonous

Canadian Brotha said:


> You live in Tottenham & are a Chelsea fan? priceless, lol
> 
> That said, part of me knows how you feel, they've been my team in England since I started following the league & Mou has been our King manager like Drogba was our King striker that won us the biggest prize


yeah man, drogba, essien, lamp, two coles, robben, terry, cavalho, ferreira, cech, unbeaten home record, crazy 5 strikers, essien's last minute equalizer as RB, good old days


----------



## Canadian Brotha

monotonous said:


> yeah man, drogba, essien, lamp, joe cole, robben, terry, cavalho, ferreira, cech, unbeaten home record, crazy 5 strikers, essien's last minute equalizer as RB, good old days


I missed the early days of Mou but I still watch the classic matches when they show them here & I followed his teams at Inter & Real. My parents are from Ghana so Essien is the reason I became a Chelsea fan in 06 cause I saw him with the national team at the WC(that's when football became my sport of sports as a fan).

I miss the good ole days too(I loved many of those players, I still remember a free kick Alex scored under Scholari I think, hit it with the outside of his boot, split the wall and swerved away from the keeper, was a bullet... and Ballack, loved him too) but I'm glad Mou got 2 trophies in 2 years in his return, whatever people think about him, he always leaves clubs well crowned


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Part of me hates to say it but I hope Van Gaal is sacked, Mou goes there, sorts things, and helps them mount a title challenge. Pretty amazing to hear so many Utd fans call into Football daily and say they want Mou. Even my bro who is a Utd fan is saying the same.

As for Chelsea, it's nice we won but I still hate that they wouldn't show this kind of attacking intent for the guy who made them champs last season. Also still signs of our shakiness after that Sunderland goal.

Leceister winning the league this season would be quite refreshing, total wake up call for the usual top 4-6


----------



## monotonous

i'm still sad and depressed over mourinho's sacking, the only thing can cheer me up is if he get the mu job and kick the **** out of fabregas and hazard


----------



## BlazingLazer

Very lazy of Arsenal to give up that late goal, but aside from that, almost no complaints.


----------



## BlazingLazer

Also, it seemed like Mourinho was handling things a tad less maturely, according to my news updates over the past month or so. Aside from Chelsea's "disappointing" record, maybe his behavior wasn't helping either.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I wonder if Mou will be at the head of Utd for the Chelsea match


----------



## unemployment simulator

highlights of boxing day football











I think the benteke one was the most hilarious as you can see oscar slipped a bit whereas benteke just royally ****ed it up lol.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Part of me hopes Leicester wins the league & Arsenal finish second having crashed out of all other cups...it'd be a guilty pleasure. 

As for Chelsea, it's nice that Kenedy scored but barring a decent FA or UCL cup run there's nothing to look forward to


----------



## Hayman

A great result for Sunderland last night against Swansea. I'm made up. At least it gives us a small chance of survival, especially after the tough win against Villa previously. I thought we'd win one of those two 'must win' games for us, but I never expected both.

Swansea should never have had that penalty and Defoe's third goal was definitely offside - so as far as I'm concerned, one injustice against us was paid for by another against them. Other than that, I don't really see what else the referee done wrong from the highlights I've seen&#8230; :? Many are moaning that Kyle Naughton shouldn't have been sent off, but I've seen red cards given for players who haven't even done anything wrong, nor touched the opposing player (see here: http://metro.co.uk/2013/11/23/worst...wn-sent-off-for-fair-tackle-at-stoke-4198949/ )

However, in typical Sunderland fashion, we get ourselves into a position where we can have a really good 'go' at pushing upwards, but now egos will grow in the team and we'll play like absolute garbage for the next three, maybe four games and go back to square one.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Well our season may suck but it's always nice to beat Arsenal!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I was hoping Stoke would make the League Cup Final, I'd like to see Mark Hughes get a trophy


----------



## NuthinSimple

I need a site that streams/records Serie A/B fixtures 

They usually come on early in the morning for me and I can't watch them live.


----------



## thehouseholdcat

Canadian Brotha said:


> I hadn't heard that Simeone could potentially be in the running, that's very interesting!


Thank God he wasn't the one... All these rumours keep upsetting me.


----------



## Paperback Writer

Great win for Sunderland on Saturday. We really needed the three points with it being two weeks till our next match, and it was the best possible response to a difficult week off the pitch.

I've been impressed with our business in January, and the way we've handled some tough recent fixtures. I really hope this isn't one year too many for us to scrape survival, as I'm very optimistic that Big Sam is the man to take us forward.

Watch us go and get thrashed in our next match now...


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^If Big Sam keeps you guys up I'm sure next season won't be so rough for you guys, there will be a big turn over & he'll get some players he can trust.

It was nice to see Chelsea get a big win but Newcastle were so pathetic...I'm still trying to decide if they or Villa were worse but Townsend at least showed something for himself with his goal, very well taken.

Not sure what to think of the PSG tie tomorrow, seems 50/50 to me given then have no actual competition in League 1.

Who's everyone's money on for the EPL Title? I'm thinking I'll stay with Leicester but if not better be Spurs or City, I need the Gunners to fail again for my own guilty pleasure in such a poor season for us, lol


----------



## unemployment simulator

^ leicester, can anyone stop them? it seems like they are on this winning streak, like when you go down the bookies and win over and over and over. objectively you think this trains gotta slow down at some point. i'd like to see them take the title, just to see a complete outsider (from the start of this season) win it. plus to see the grin on linekers face. oh and this would be slightly amusing if unlikely;
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/leicester-win-title-gary-lineker-7339310


----------



## Elad

NuthinSimple said:


> I need a site that streams/records Serie A/B fixtures
> 
> They usually come on early in the morning for me and I can't watch them live.


https://www.reddit.com/r/footballdownload

can usually find matches here soon after airing, if its not I'm sure someone will post if you request.


----------



## Elad

Canadian Brotha said:


> Not sure what to think of the PSG tie tomorrow, seems 50/50 to me given then have no actual competition in League 1.


Was surprised to see so much life in the chelsea attack, at least in the first half. I really think PSG are right there with bayern/barca right now, the way they dominated Real despite losing was really impressive.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

If this season ends with Leceister as champs & Arsenal finishing 2nd, 3rd, or 4th and losing to us(Chelsea) in the FA Cup final that would satisfy me given the way this season has gone, lol


----------



## unemployment simulator

:clap

great goals and excellent overall performance! shame alli couldn't get the 3rd, he deserved a goal as he played so well. the kane and vardy goals were absolutely top class.


----------



## Hikin

****ing Liverpool, oh my!

Now that's football !


----------



## unemployment simulator

^ yea, what a comeback!


----------



## Samurai1

That was awesome. It reminded me great CL final against Milan.


----------



## Hikin

I was so ready to go listen to some music when Dortmund made it 3-1, but Liverpool had so many great comebacks this season that I had a small amount of belief left.

Picture says it all:


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Absolute classic at Anfield last night! The pace of the game was awesome. What it must have been like there when that stoppage time goal goes in...


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Could we lose or draw all the rest of our games this season? ...My God


----------



## Hayman

So, Aston Villa have been relegated. No surprise there, really... They've been woeful all season. I knew I said they'd struggle at the start of the season, but even I never thought they'd be as bad as they've proven to be :shock. Half their squad would struggle in the Championship in my opinion and unless they can secure a decent manager with Championship experience, I expect them to be somewhere in the lower-half of the second tier this time next year... I wouldn't hold out for bounce-back.... It'll take some major changes.

Well, there might be some light at the end of the tunnel for my own team – Sunderland. We beat Norwich 3-0 at Carrow Road on Saturday. A result that I never expected (it's one of our 'bogey grounds') and a result that takes us to within a point of safety with a game in hand… I feel a little more optimistic about our situation now than I did last week. 

For about an hour after the result I was like this...! > :banana

However, I never take things for granted. For the last three or four years we've scrapped for survival and got away with it. There's only so many times you can 'dance with the devil' before it'll bite you and I still feel this will be our year to drop… Infact, I'd rather us drop for a few seasons and rebuild like what Middlesbrough has done. I'd rather face a few years of pain and rebuild with genuinely hungry players wanting to push on, rather than 'patch up' with has-beens or unproven players from one year to the next. This has been our problem for several seasons and this is why we've become perennial strugglers. As long as we could keep Sam Allardyce as manager, I honestly wouldn't mind relegation :blank… I've seen it numerous times before!

If we're to survive we need to at very least match both Norwich and Newcastle in terms of results (unlikely). We also need to get at least a point from our game in hand to climb above Norwich. We'd be level on points if that was the case but as things stand, we have a better goal difference. 

What do I think will happen? Norwich and us to battle for 18th/19th place and Newcastle going on a run to leapfrog us both. I've just got a horrible sickly feeling this'll happen. I think we'll pick up a few more points between now and the end of the season. Get to about 33/34 ish in terms of points, Norwich about 34/35 and Newcastle on 36/37 or something like that. I know Newcastle have tough games but Rafa Benitez seems to have got them organised, now. I loathe to say this as a Sunderland supporter but I really can see us dropping because of them this season… :bah


----------



## Paperback Writer

Hayman said:


> So, Aston Villa have been relegated. No surprise there, really... They've been woeful all season. I knew I said they'd struggle at the start of the season, but even I never thought they'd be as bad as they've proven to be :shock. Half their squad would struggle in the Championship in my opinion and unless they can secure a decent manager with Championship experience, I expect them to be somewhere in the lower-half of the second tier this time next year... I wouldn't hold out for bounce-back.... It'll take some major changes.
> 
> Well, there might be some light at the end of the tunnel for my own team - Sunderland. We beat Norwich 3-0 at Carrow Road on Saturday. A result that I never expected (it's one of our 'bogey grounds') and a result that takes us to within a point of safety with a game in hand&#8230; I feel a little more optimistic about our situation now than I did last week.
> 
> For about an hour after the result I was like this...! > :banana
> 
> However, I never take things for granted. For the last three or four years we've scrapped for survival and got away with it. There's only so many times you can 'dance with the devil' before it'll bite you and I still feel this will be our year to drop&#8230; Infact, I'd rather us drop for a few seasons and rebuild like what Middlesbrough has done. I'd rather face a few years of pain and rebuild with genuinely hungry players wanting to push on, rather than 'patch up' with has-beens or unproven players from one year to the next. This has been our problem for several seasons and this is why we've become perennial strugglers. As long as we could keep Sam Allardyce as manager, I honestly wouldn't mind relegation :blank&#8230; I've seen it numerous times before!
> 
> If we're to survive we need to at very least match both Norwich and Newcastle in terms of results (unlikely). We also need to get at least a point from our game in hand to climb above Norwich. We'd be level on points if that was the case but as things stand, we have a better goal difference.
> 
> What do I think will happen? Norwich and us to battle for 18th/19th place and Newcastle going on a run to leapfrog us both. I've just got a horrible sickly feeling this'll happen. I think we'll pick up a few more points between now and the end of the season. Get to about 33/34 ish in terms of points, Norwich about 34/35 and Newcastle on 36/37 or something like that. I know Newcastle have tough games but Rafa Benitez seems to have got them organised, now. I loathe to say this as a Sunderland supporter but I really can see us dropping because of them this season&#8230; :bah


 Yeah, it was a great win for us.

I think Norwich will go, but I'm worried about Newcastle too. Looking at their fixtures, I think they should at least beat Villa and Palace, which would put them on 34 points. I think we can just about scrape more than that, but if they win one of their tougher fixtures, one that they're not really expected to win, then we could be in trouble.

For me, relegation would have been easier to take if it had happened sometime in the previous three seasons. There were times when we were genuinely awful and looked resigned to going down until our new manager bounce got us over the line. Back then I would have been more accepting of the idea of getting relegation over with and then rebuilding.

This year though, I think I would be gutted. I know similar things are said at some point every year, but I really do think that we've turned a corner this time and are not far off from being a half-decent team under Big Sam. We've looked very settled since the transfer window, and although we haven't won as many games as I'd have liked, I think we've been competitive in most of our matches, even against the bigger teams. It would be typical Sunderland to go and get relegated and have this team broken up just when it looks like we're finally getting things right (well, more so than usual, anyway).

Either way, I just want this season to be over with. :afr


----------



## Hayman

Paperback Writer said:


> Yeah, it was a great win for us.
> 
> I think Norwich will go, but I'm worried about Newcastle too. Looking at their fixtures, I think they should at least beat Villa and Palace, which would put them on 34 points. I think we can just about scrape more than that, but if they win one of their tougher fixtures, one that they're not really expected to win, then we could be in trouble.
> 
> For me, relegation would have been easier to take if it had happened sometime in the previous three seasons. There were times when we were genuinely awful and looked resigned to going down until our new manager bounce got us over the line. Back then I would have been more accepting of the idea of getting relegation over with and then rebuilding.
> 
> This year though, I think I would be gutted. I know similar things are said at some point every year, but I really do think that we've turned a corner this time and are not far off from being a half-decent team under Big Sam. We've looked very settled since the transfer window, and although we haven't won as many games as I'd have liked, I think we've been competitive in most of our matches, even against the bigger teams. It would be typical Sunderland to go and get relegated and have this team broken up just when it looks like we're finally getting things right (well, more so than usual, anyway).
> 
> Either way, I just want this season to be over with. :afr


I've been impressed with what Big Sam has done. I know a lot of people don't like him or his style of football, but I do think he's ideal for us. He suits the club. I said it before we managed to get him, I said it a few games into his tenure and I still say it now even though we're still scrapping for survival. I'll still say it regardless of our fate at the end of the season. If we're to remain in the Premier League or we drop back to the Championship, I want him to remain in charge. If we stay up, I'll eat my own shoes if we're in the same position this time next year (I suspect lower/mid table 11/12th ish). If we go down and we can retain a good chunk of our squad, we should be in at least in the play-offs. I do have faith in him. If he is to go if we're relegated, I will be very worried. I suspect we'll disappear into Championship mediocrity for several seasons.

Yes, I think we've played better under Big Sam and I think we've actually been unlucky not to come away with at least a point from some of our games we've lost. We've looked pretty solid in some of them and haven't taken any real batterings. Not in my opinion, at least...

As much as I respect Dick Advocaat and what he did last season, he shouldn't have come back. I was delighted when he did but in hindsight, I accept that my heart ruled over my head.

Indeed, Newcastle is the biggest concern to me. I do suspect it'll be us or them, along with Norwich. I do feel Norwich has a few points left in them but that'll be about it. I'll be surprised if they survive. Us? You never know&#8230;! We have a habit of gaining a decent win, player's head's swell and then we go on a bad run again&#8230;:bash Newcastle? I suspect they'll get at least four points from the Villa and Palace games. Probably win them both knowing our luck&#8230; I cannot see them going down. If you remember back in 08/09 when both Boro' and Newcastle went down and we stayed up? I actually said to my father that one day karma will be delivered for that&#8230; Boro' are likely to come up and Newcastle could possibly stay up at our expense&#8230; I can see it happening&#8230;  I hope I'm wrong, but that's what I predict.


----------



## unemployment simulator

unemploymentsimulator2016 said:


> ^ leicester, can anyone stop them?


spurs possibly.


----------



## Paperback Writer

Hayman said:


> I've been impressed with what Big Sam has done. I know a lot of people don't like him or his style of football, but I do think he's ideal for us. He suits the club. I said it before we managed to get him, I said it a few games into his tenure and I still say it now even though we're still scrapping for survival. I'll still say it regardless of our fate at the end of the season. If we're to remain in the Premier League or we drop back to the Championship, I want him to remain in charge. If we stay up, I'll eat my own shoes if we're in the same position this time next year (I suspect lower/mid table 11/12th ish). If we go down and we can retain a good chunk of our squad, we should be in at least in the play-offs. I do have faith in him. If he is to go if we're relegated, I will be very worried. I suspect we'll disappear into Championship mediocrity for several seasons.
> 
> Yes, I think we've played better under Big Sam and I think we've actually been unlucky not to come away with at least a point from some of our games we've lost. We've looked pretty solid in some of them and haven't taken any real batterings. Not in my opinion, at least...
> 
> As much as I respect Dick Advocaat and what he did last season, he shouldn't have come back. I was delighted when he did but in hindsight, I accept that my heart ruled over my head.
> 
> Indeed, Newcastle is the biggest concern to me. I do suspect it'll be us or them, along with Norwich. I do feel Norwich has a few points left in them but that'll be about it. I'll be surprised if they survive. Us? You never know&#8230;! We have a habit of gaining a decent win, player's head's swell and then we go on a bad run again&#8230;:bash Newcastle? I suspect they'll get at least four points from the Villa and Palace games. Probably win them both knowing our luck&#8230; I cannot see them going down. If you remember back in 08/09 when both Boro' and Newcastle went down and we stayed up? I actually said to my father that one day karma will be delivered for that&#8230; Boro' are likely to come up and Newcastle could possibly stay up at our expense&#8230; I can see it happening&#8230;  I hope I'm wrong, but that's what I predict.


 I hope you're wrong too, although I have to admit, I could see it happening. We've never had it so good against Newcastle than with the six in a row, so it would be typical if they went on to have the last laugh by surviving at our expense.

Their point against City has done little to ease my concerns... :afr On the plus side though, they've now played one more game than us and are still below us. If they're still below us after they've played Liverpool then it would feel like a massive boost for us going into our match against Arsenal.

As much as I liked Dick, I'll be looking at our bad start under him with some regret if the worst happens. That and the run of draws last month that we should really have taken more points from. That Southampton equaliser in particular felt like one of those moments that could come back to haunt us.

I agree with you about Big Sam. He really is a good fit for us, and I feel very assured with him in charge. The Championship can be a tricky league to get out of (the right way, at least...), but I would fancy our chances with him in charge, and assuming we don't lose too many players. Otherwise, it could be a very unpredictable season...

Hopefully this is all moot though and we'll soon be celebrating the Great Escape Part Four. :um


----------



## Hayman

I was watching a DVD last night. I couldn't bear to watch the Man City game as I knew I'd jinx it if I did&#8230; I turned over to Sky Sports News just before I went to bed and saw it was a draw&#8230; Gutted. Okay, at least Newcastle didn't win, but them getting a draw is also a bad result for us as now all it'll take is one victory over us to leapfrog us. At least if there was a three point gap, we'd still have our superior goal difference to keep us above them&#8230; We need to get at least a point from the Arsenal game, I think.

I actually work with a Man City supporter. He was convinced yesterday afternoon (before the game, of course) that they were going to scrape a victory. 1-0 or 2-1, he said. I just smiled and shook my head as I knew Newcastle would be up for it&#8230; I think last night's result was possibly their turning point. If they can pick up a draw against a top four team, then I can see them kicking on from here&#8230;

The problem with Dick is that he walked and then come back again. I think that probably unsettled some of the players and I think that possibly some of them lost some of the respect for him they had&#8230; I could be wrong, but they just didn't perform for him at the start of the season at all. I think if he said from the outset he was staying, things may have been different but then again, we don't know what he was promised by the likes of Ellis Short in terms of transfer funds e.t.c&#8230;

Yeah, the Southampton equaliser _really_ upset me as I felt we'd done enough in that to go on to secure all three points. Typical Sunderland though - always having to do things the hard way. I've grown very tired of this in recent seasons and that's why I feel it's probably better if we do drop and rid ourselves of the deadwood. However indeed, a heck of a risk if Big Sam walks&#8230; Either way, again, I want him to stay. We will certainly improve (at least defensively), the longer he stays.

The next few weeks are going to be very uncomfortable for us, for sure...!


----------



## Tether

I support Juventus (Italy), i would like to thank you Toront Fc to sign Giovinco one of the worst player in the last 10 years


----------



## Tether

just won our 34 title, five in a row:evil


----------



## Batcat

holy ****


----------



## Sharikov

Batcat said:


> holy ****


Here in Italy everyone support Claudio Ranieri and Leicester


----------



## Batcat

Sharikov said:


> Here in Italy everyone support Claudio Ranieri and Leicester


Everyone I know who isn't a Tottenham supporter wants Leicester to win haha
As a Liverpool fan I'd love it if Leicester won the title at Old Trafford on Sunday


----------



## Sharikov

Batcat said:


> Everyone I know who isn't a Tottenham supporter wants Leicester to win haha
> As a Liverpool fan I'd love it if Leicester won the title at Old Trafford on Sunday


Yeah, probably because it's like an "happy-ending fable" so inspires sympathy 

Anyway i'm happy for Ranieri, he has had a long carreer and unfortunately he has never won almost anything, so people have given him the reputation of "eternal second"


----------



## Tether

Batcat said:


> Everyone I know who isn't a Tottenham supporter wants Leicester to win haha
> As a Liverpool fan I'd love it if Leicester won the title at Old Trafford on Sunday


Thank you for Milan-Liverpool 3-3 :grin2: it was a blast that night :grin2:


----------



## Batcat

Sharikov said:


> Yeah, probably because it's like an "happy-ending fable" so inspires sympathy
> 
> Anyway i'm happy for Ranieri, he has had a long carreer and unfortunately he has never won almost anything, so people have given him the reputation of "eternal second"


No doubt we'll talk about Leicester season as one of the greatest sporting achievements if they manage to win it. A real underdog story. Ranieri deserves it, he's a really humble guy. When he cried after beating Sunderland I knew it was going to be their year.



Tether said:


> Thank you for Milan-Liverpool 3-3 :grin2: it was a blast that night :grin2:


Strange to think that was more than 10 years ago. Good memories though


----------



## Sharikov

Can Newcatle United make the miracle to save itself from an imminent relegation in Championship ?


----------



## TranquilityLane

For me, Liverpool will always be the most damn awesome team in the Premier League.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Our crown may be disgraced but at least we've been given the honour of a chance at being king maker tomorrow, lol


----------



## minimized

The dream is real!

Too many emotions for a team that I've never even followed, but heh... true underdogs.


----------



## Hikin

Chat ****, get banged!

Leicester ****ing won it. Unbelievable!


----------



## Winds

One of the greatest sports stories that could ever be told.


----------



## Paperback Writer

The magic is still alive. Well done Leicester. 

I'm really pleased for Ranieri, too. He always comes across as a genuinely nice person.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Liverpool makes a title bid, Mou parks the bus and says no...Spurs make a title bid, Hazard comes out of his coma and says no, lol

So glad for Ranieri & Leicester!


----------



## Hikin

Any Liverpool fans around here?


----------



## Hikin

Liverpool in the final !


----------



## Junny

I made a bet with my friend before Liverpool's 3-0 game when they were 1-0 down that if they win the europa league I'll buy a liverpool top and wear it for 2 months. I'm a blues fan.


----------



## jonjagger

Safe to say Liverpool toyed with Villarreal's Areola.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^I'm glad they made it through to the final, I'd like to see Klopp win it and really get the ball rolling with his revival of the team


----------



## Paperback Writer

Days like these are the reason why I love Sunderland. :clap


----------



## Hikin

Junny said:


> I made a bet with my friend before Liverpool's 3-0 game when they were 1-0 down that if they win the europa league I'll buy a liverpool top and wear it for 2 months. I'm a blues fan.


You better wear that beautiful thing with pride !


----------



## PGVan

That moment a few minutes after your win, that you find out De Graafschap held Ajax to a 1-1 draw, thus giving you this...










:boogie:drunk:yay:drunk:yay:clap


----------



## Hayman

Well, tonight is 'do or die' for Sunderland, in my opinion. An excellent result last weekend as @Paperback Writer has pointed out already. I honestly never expected three points from Chelsea. I expected a decent performance from us, but I thought it would have been a narrow defeat. 0-1 or 1-2. To come back and win 3-2 though - I was over the moon :clap. Judging from the forum I regularly look at for Sunderland, it's certainly boosted the hope amongst many of the fans.

However, it's certainly not over yet. We need to win this evening against Everton to guarantee our survival. That's it - one more victory. It's as simple as that. However, experience tells me that Sunderland never do anything the 'easy way' (well, apart from a couple of years under Peter Reid). We've only won back to back games once this season, I think :?. Believe me, a victory tonight is no way guaranteed and I believe we'll have a heck of a job to break Everton down despite their recent poor form. I think too many fans are now in the heavens by thinking we've done it and it's usually at times like this, things come crashing back down again. Players heads are no doubt swollen after one victory and will go out there tonight thinking all they'll need to do is turn up (I've seen it happen too many times). All too often we've gone out onto the pitch after one win and then played poorly for several games. :bah

My opinion? I think it'll be a draw. I simply can't see us winning tonight, I'm sorry to say. I really hope I'm wrong... I haven't seen enough of Norwich or Watford recently to judge how that'll go but I wouldn't be surprised if Norwich get at least a point from that game&#8230;

If we don't win tonight, I still greatly fear for our survival and I can see Karma being delivered to our newly optimistic fans. Players heads will drop and we'll bottle it at the weekend - praying both Newcastle and Norwich lose. Not only that, few people in the national press have openly said they want us to win tonight - so I'd imagine they'd have a field day with us if we were leap-frogged in the table now... :mum If our club was a 'media darling' like Wigan or Blackpool were in the top flight, they'd all be rooting for us...


----------



## apx24

A bit late to the party, but well done Leicester! But the title will finally come back to Arsenal next year :yes

Newcastle are down tonight though, another big Premier League club to get relegated.


----------



## apx24

Hayman said:


> Well, tonight is 'do or die' for Sunderland, in my opinion. An excellent result last weekend as @Paperback Writer has pointed out already. I honestly never expected three points from Chelsea. I expected a decent performance from us, but I thought it would have been a narrow defeat. 0-1 or 1-2. To come back and win 3-2 though - I was over the moon :clap. Judging from the forum I regularly look at for Sunderland, it's certainly boosted the hope amongst many of the fans.
> 
> However, it's certainly not over yet. We need to win this evening against Everton to guarantee our survival. That's it - one more victory. It's as simple as that. However, experience tells me that Sunderland never do anything the 'easy way' (well, apart from a couple of years under Peter Reid). We've only won back to back games once this season, I think :?. Believe me, a victory tonight is no way guaranteed and I believe we'll have a heck of a job to break Everton down despite their recent poor form. I think too many fans are now in the heavens by thinking we've done it and it's usually at times like this, things come crashing back down again. Players heads are no doubt swollen after one victory and will go out there tonight thinking all they'll need to do is turn up (I've seen it happen too many times). All too often we've gone out onto the pitch after one win and then played poorly for several games. :bah
> 
> My opinion? I think it'll be a draw. I simply can't see us winning tonight, I'm sorry to say. I really hope I'm wrong... I haven't seen enough of Norwich or Watford recently to judge how that'll go but I wouldn't be surprised if Norwich get at least a point from that game&#8230;
> 
> If we don't win tonight, I still greatly fear for our survival and I can see Karma being delivered to our newly optimistic fans. Players heads will drop and we'll bottle it at the weekend - praying both Newcastle and Norwich lose. Not only that, few people in the national press have openly said they want us to win tonight - so I'd imagine they'd have a field day with us if we were leap-frogged in the table now... :mum If our club was a 'media darling' like Wigan or Blackpool were in the top flight, they'd all be rooting for us...


Everton have been pretty poor this season, so I think Sunderland will win.


----------



## Paperback Writer

Hayman said:


> Well, tonight is 'do or die' for Sunderland, in my opinion. An excellent result last weekend as @*Paperback Writer* has pointed out already. I honestly never expected three points from Chelsea. I expected a decent performance from us, but I thought it would have been a narrow defeat. 0-1 or 1-2. To come back and win 3-2 though - I was over the moon :clap. Judging from the forum I regularly look at for Sunderland, it's certainly boosted the hope amongst many of the fans.
> 
> However, it's certainly not over yet. We need to win this evening against Everton to guarantee our survival. That's it - one more victory. It's as simple as that. However, experience tells me that Sunderland never do anything the 'easy way' (well, apart from a couple of years under Peter Reid). We've only won back to back games once this season, I think :?. Believe me, a victory tonight is no way guaranteed and I believe we'll have a heck of a job to break Everton down despite their recent poor form. I think too many fans are now in the heavens by thinking we've done it and it's usually at times like this, things come crashing back down again. Players heads are no doubt swollen after one victory and will go out there tonight thinking all they'll need to do is turn up (I've seen it happen too many times). All too often we've gone out onto the pitch after one win and then played poorly for several games. :bah
> 
> My opinion? I think it'll be a draw. I simply can't see us winning tonight, I'm sorry to say. I really hope I'm wrong... I haven't seen enough of Norwich or Watford recently to judge how that'll go but I wouldn't be surprised if Norwich get at least a point from that game&#8230;
> 
> If we don't win tonight, I still greatly fear for our survival and I can see Karma being delivered to our newly optimistic fans. Players heads will drop and we'll bottle it at the weekend - praying both Newcastle and Norwich lose. Not only that, few people in the national press have openly said they want us to win tonight - so I'd imagine they'd have a field day with us if we were leap-frogged in the table now... :mum If our club was a 'media darling' like Wigan or Blackpool were in the top flight, they'd all be rooting for us...


As it turns out, you needn't have worried! :banana

I'm so pleased. A few weeks ago I was doubting whether we'd stay up at all, never mind with a game to spare. I really feared that our luck was going to run out just when it finally looked as though we were putting together a decent team.

It would have been typical Sunderland to have blown it last night. But then this doesn't feel like a typical Sunderland team. It really does feel different to the last few years when we've scraped survival and then reverted to type the next season. Since the transfer window the performances have been there, and it feels like there's a connection between the players and fans that has been absent in recent years. Here's hoping that this is the last season we have like this for some time. Midtable mediocrity is within our grasp...

What a job Big Sam has done. Just imagine if we'd got him when he wanted the job after Roy Keane resigned in 2008. That could have saved us quite a lot of trouble. :um

By the way, is the forum you look at the SMB by any chance? I lurk there sometimes. I'm loving some of the reaction on there at the minute. :lol


----------



## Hayman

Hi @apx24! Yeah, Everton have been awful in recent weeks. It wasn't them who I was really worried about if I have to be honest. It was how we'd perform after beating Chelsea (i.e - complacency) because we can very easily match them for 'direness' on our day&#8230;!

Hi @Paperback Writer! I knew I'd come back here today to eat my words&#8230;! I'm glad I can do so! There was an ulterior motive to my previous post! I was correct about Norwich though. I just had a feeling they'd pull something out of the hat&#8230; As soon as I heard they went 1-0 up, I said "_Here we go&#8230;_" to my father.

I've been doubting our survival for months. Once Benitez went to the Mags I was convinced that was 'it' for us. I thought it would be us with Villa and either Norwich or Swansea as the third team. I think that would have been the case if they brought him in maybe four or five games earlier as I do think they've generally improved since he's been there. I think it was more down to the desire than anything in the end and McClaren's signings were largely poor. I'm surprised they got Townsend as I wouldn't have said "_no_" to him for ourselves&#8230;

Anyway, last night was positively nerve-wracking :afr. Even at 2-0 up (Kone's first goal was awesome!), I could see something going wrong! Pessimism has been ground into me over the years, following Sunderland! I know we've survived three close-shaves previously which should have given me some confidence, but there's only so many times you can 'dance with the devil' before he'll bite&#8230; I only started celebrating once the third went in&#8230; I felt confident enough to say that we'd done it and survived by then! I loved Big Sam's celebration with his suit jacket at the end! :lol

I do trust in Big Sam and I'm hopeful he'll do what's right to try and push us closer towards mid-table next season. It all depends on how much Mr Short is willing to put his hands in his pockets. Not only that, I'd be giving him _at least_ another year on his contract as I'm fairly sure he's only contracted until the end of next season&#8230; I know Quinny wanted a long term deal for him in the post-match commentary last night&#8230;

I've said this at work to a few colleagues and I'll say it here also, I would be happy to finish towards the 'top' of the bottom half next season. 11th/12th&#8230;.that sort of position :blank. I think that would be a realistic target for us and I would be very happy to get there. Anything more? A bonus. I feel who we already have on the pitch is capable of that. It's getting them to perform like they have done over the last two matches which is the biggest problem. Treat all games as if they're 'must wins' and I see no reason why we couldn't be 8/10 points better off than we are now.

If we got Big Sam after Roy Keane, I think we'd be an established top-half side now - well 'higher mid table' side... Probably getting somewhere around 8th-10th most seasons. I doubt the Reid days would come back given the money involved in football these days, but I don't think we'd be too far off if Sam had been here for a fair few years by now&#8230;

Yes, I've been a lurker around the SMB boards for many years! It can be very funny! I got addicted to it after that horse-punching business as there was some excellent photoshops and witty one-liners. One of the highlights in recent years, a few years before that, was after O'Neill's first game (Blackburn?) where we won and O'Neill done that huge jump. The SMB'ers made that video where they stuck together a load of photoshops of him doing this pose in all sorts of situations, with the soundtrack 'Jumping jack flash'. Oh my god, I was in stitches over that&#8230;! :haha Sadly I can't find it now (I was going to link it), but I'm sure it's still out there somewhere&#8230;

I'm starting to write up a blog about last night which I'll be posting up on my Wordpress site (linked in my signature). I highly doubt it'll be up before the weekend though&#8230;


----------



## Paperback Writer

@Hayman
Strangely enough, I didn't feel too nervous in the build-up to the match. I was much worse before we played Chelsea. All the weekend results going our way must have put me at ease... I wouldn't want to say that I was confident either though, because confidence doesn't suit us. I was a little wary of us getting ahead of ourselves, but hopeful at the same time that we would still do it. It was only when we didn't really create anything in the first half an hour or so that I started to fear it could actually go to the last day, which would have been horrible knowing that we had such a good opportunity to avoid it. Needless to say, I felt much better at half-time (I hope the net's all right after Kone's shot...) Although even at 3-0 I was paranoid that if I started celebrating Everton would immediately score. :um

Loved Big Sam's celebrations as well. :lol He really is a good fit for us. Had he done that at West Ham he might have been accused of disrespecting the "West Ham Way" or something. :b

I'm hoping for that towards the top of the bottom half sort of finish as well. It should help that Sam probably won't let us give the other teams an eight game or so headstart like we usually do. And yeah, I'm pretty sure he only has one year on his contract. As does Kirchoff, I believe. Hopefully they both sign extended deals soon.

Sam was actually saying in his press conference today that he basically wants to be the next Peter Reid here. Reidy was in charge when I first got into Sunderland and still no one has really came close to matching his achievements here. While I don't expect those days to return, I have high hopes that we finally have a manager who could at least come to be remembered as the second best we've had in my time as a fan. I just hope its not yet another false dawn.

I knew the MON video that you mentioned. And I managed to track it down...





:grin2: Love the paint/photoshop threads on there.

Looking forward to your blog, too.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Thank god we usve Euro's & Copa America this summer!

In EPL thoughts...Will the Foxes complete their ascension by cutting off the former King's head?


----------



## rdrr




----------



## Notgoingout

Anyone see the England squad?? DELPH????????? Seriously? Feel a bit for Defoe as well. 
Cannae wait for the Euros!


----------



## Notgoingout

Anyone watch the FA cup? WHAT a goal by Lingard! Almost threw up watching Pardew dance!


----------



## PGVan

All I know is that I lost a ton of respect for Manchester United as a club. I would say the English media too, but that respect has been gone for a long time lol. 

For weeks now, news has been put out by the media that Jose Mourinho had already been signed to take over as manager next season. If I was in Louis van Gaal's seat, I would have stormed into the club's offices and if it was in fact the case, I would have quit on the spot. 

Yesterday, they win the FA Cup, and it didn't take half an hour after the match for media to confirm Mourinho is indeed taking Louis van Gaal's job. Let the man celebrate for a day!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^I agree they could have let him have his day but the media in England loves a storm. Felt a bit bad for Pellegrini as well


----------



## Hayman

Hi @Paperback Writer! Sorry for the delay in replying. I've only just seen this now (it didn't appear in my notifications strangely&#8230;?!). That's the MON video! Thanks for digging that out for me! I'll get that added to my favourites list again! I'm so glad that video is still around!  It's certainly one of my favourite highlights from the SMB forum.

With regards to my blog on Sunderland surviving for another year, you'll find it here on my Wordpress blog site:
https://haymansafc.wordpress.com/2016/05/16/sunderland-survive/

I started following Sunderland (in bits and pieces) before Reidy. I do vaguely remember having Malcolm Crosby as manager but I was only young myself. That's as far back as I can go. It was towards the end of Mick Buxton's time when I started to take a larger interest. Then of course the first manager I remember properly and followed throughout his tenure was indeed Reidy.

Big Sam was correct about West Ham - he still didn't know what this mythical West Ham 'way' was even at the end! I have to admire his guts for sticking to his guns on that throughout his time there! I know he upset a fair few fans on that, but it used to amuse me!

If we don't do our usual thing of waiting until October to get a win, I'm reasonably confident we should be safe from relegation with four or five games to go. I can't see us hitting the ground running but if we can pick up the odd win in August/September and can be around the mid-table mark by around November-ish, I'll be more comfortable about our survival hopes by that stage of the season. Indeed, it does depend on how deep Mr Short is willing to put his hands in his pockets. If he doesn't spend this summer, then I fear we'll be in a similar boat again - with unproven or mediocre players. Big Sam left Bolton because the chairman at the time didn't want to invest when they were at their peak&#8230; :blank

If he can emulate what Reidy done, I'd be over the moon! I just feel the game has moved on since those days in terms of money. I feel mid-table is about the best we can aim to achieve.

Anyway, before I forget, I'll be up in Sunderland for this year's airshow in July. I won't be there on the Friday for the opening 'ceremony' or whatever it's called (can't get the time off work, sadly), but I'll be travelling up with my father first thing on Saturday morning and staying over both the Saturday and Sunday nights. It's been a fair few years since I've been to one&#8230; Infact, I'd go as far to say it would have probably been around 2001/2002ish the last time I was there for the airshow&#8230; I'm genuinely looking forward to it. I've been to three or four of them and I always remember it being a great carnival-like atmosphere.

I'll likely do a blog (and possibly a vlog) about this nearer the time. Infact, I might actually sort it out over the next few weeks as I know I have quite a bit of spare private time coming up (the only time I can do my YouTube vlogs) and simply schedule it to go up shortly before the event. I've done quite a few that way&#8230;!

____________

Anyway, Van Gaal being sacked is probably the biggest non-surprise of this year. It was on the cards even at New Year... Even though I don't like the guy, I do feel for him by the way his sacking was conducted. Very poor indeed from Man Utd in my opinion...

Anyway, if Mourinho is indeed going there (which has been looking a near-certainty for at least the last few weeks), I suspect he'll have them back in the top four within one season and probably challenging for the title the following year...


----------



## Notgoingout

PGVan said:


> All I know is that I lost a ton of respect for Manchester United as a club. I would say the English media too, but that respect has been gone for a long time lol.
> 
> For weeks now, news has been put out by the media that Jose Mourinho had already been signed to take over as manager next season. If I was in Louis van Gaal's seat, I would have stormed into the club's offices and if it was in fact the case, I would have quit on the spot.
> 
> Yesterday, they win the FA Cup, and it didn't take half an hour after the match for media to confirm Mourinho is indeed taking Louis van Gaal's job. Let the man celebrate for a day!


I don't like LVG but it was handled disgracefully. Think Woodward is a bit of a cowardly worm to be honest!! Mourinho winning something won't be worth it if he sacrifices the youth and buys five or six Mendes players. I don't know what will happen. Woodward should have gone for someone left field but is playing safe with Mourinho


----------



## PGVan

I like LVG, but I am totally biased with Oranje being my national team. He damn near created a miracle at the 2014 World Cup. It's no coincidence that going back to Hiddink and then Blind, who just had to play the "typical Dutch" 4-3-3, saw us fail to qualify for the Euro. Clubs are a different game than national teams and I don't think LVG ever had a fair chance to build a squad. The way managers in general have their jobs put on the line when 3-4 results don't go their way is disgusting. Properly building a squad basically from scratch when you're a new manager takes a few years, not a few weeks. 

I hope Mourinho hits a snag in negotiations and Man United are left to go back to square one searching for a manager.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

@PGVan ~ The Van Persie Fly Dutchman! I could watch that over and over and over again, was so great!

With regard to LVG at Man Utd I feel like that squad isn't up scratch and on top of that a number of players were playing out of position very regularly. Nothing about it has been a team since Fergie left and when he left he did so because he knew it was another rebuilding job and after 26 years he wasn't up to doing it again nor did he want the possibility of tarnishing his legend. I get that a change was needed but I really don't get why they couldn't let LVG win the cup, give him a week and a parade to celebrate, and then announce Mourinho as the new boss, especially since after sacking we're getting nothing but negotiations confirmed by the club. It's amazing how dumb brilliant rich businessmen can be in a footballing context


----------



## PGVan

Canadian Brotha said:


> @PGVan ~ The Van Persie Fly Dutchman! I could watch that over and over and over again, was so great!
> 
> With regard to LVG at Man Utd I feel like that squad isn't up scratch and on top of that a number of players were playing out of position very regularly. Nothing about it has been a team since Fergie left and when he left he did so because he knew it was another rebuilding job and after 26 years he wasn't up to doing it again nor did he want the possibility of tarnishing his legend.


I think my PSV boy Hector Moreno had a lot to do with f***ing with LVG's team this year in the CL opener at Philips Stadion....though I will defend that tackle until I'm blue in the face! >


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Anyone else thinks it's strange that the Copa America and Euro's overlap with one week's difference? Seems to me like they could have done it one after the other


----------



## PGVan

PHP:







Canadian Brotha said:


> Anyone else thinks it's strange that the Copa America and Euro's overlap with one week's difference? Seems to me like they could have done it one after the other


Not with the Olympics happening, and if you do a Euro or Copa America too late, players will need extended off-seasons with their clubs. The summer is so short for soccer as it is. Teams in the Dutch league are back in training at the end of June and the season just ended not even a month ago.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

PGVan said:


> PHP:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not with the Olympics happening, and if you do a Euro or Copa America too late, players will need extended off-seasons with their clubs. The summer is so short for soccer as it is. Teams in the Dutch league are back in training at the end of June and the season just ended not even a month ago.


Way to shut me up PG! lol


----------



## Paper Samurai

Mexico are looking great at the moment, completely brushed aside Uruguay - who I think some people considered a potential winner of the entire tournament.






**you can watch highlights on Fox Soccer's Youtube channel, if anyone is interested.


----------



## Micronian

Paper Samurai said:


> Mexico are looking great at the moment, completely brushed aside Uruguay - who I think some people considered a potential winner of the entire tournament.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> **you can watch highlights on Fox Soccer's Youtube channel, if anyone is interested.


I wouldn't say they brushed aside Uruguay. Mexico had the fortune of going ahead early on a Uruguayan own goal. The rest of the game was pretty even. In the 2nd half Uruguay had Mexico on their heels, they scored, and a mexican player got red carded, evening up the number of players on the field. It was Uruguay's game from there.

Then there was some weird problem at the 85th minute where the referee allowed a corner kick for Mexico, which upset all the Uruguayan players. It was a big argument. It was on that controversial corner kick where Marquez scored, and then the game was over.

The game overall was entertaining, but I can't say Mexico was all that much better in the game. Certainly Uruguay missed Luis Suarez.


----------



## Paper Samurai

Micronian said:


> I wouldn't say they brushed aside Uruguay. Mexico had the fortune of going ahead early on a Uruguayan own goal. The rest of the game was pretty even. In the 2nd half Uruguay had Mexico on their heels, they scored, and a mexican player got red carded, evening up the number of players on the field. It was Uruguay's game from there.
> 
> Then there was some weird problem at the 85th minute where the referee allowed a corner kick for Mexico, which upset all the Uruguayan players. It was a big argument. It was on that controversial corner kick where Marquez scored, and then the game was over.
> 
> The game overall was entertaining, but I can't say Mexico was all that much better in the game. Certainly Uruguay missed Luis Suarez.


 Ah fair enough, I only caught 15 minutes of the game and watched the highlights to be honest. Have you caught most of the games? If so, who do you fancy to win it?


----------



## Hikin

Romania's totally gonna smash the frenchies tomorrow. Nah, not really, but I did it on FIFA so it must be true.


----------



## Paper Samurai

Hikin said:


> Romania's totally gonna smash the frenchies tomorrow. Nah, not really, but I did it on FIFA so it must be true.


 lol.

Well good luck anyway man. Being first up against the host nation is usually a tough gig.


----------



## Winds

Apparently there are plans to have an event like the Copa America in the US every four years. Of course no one wants to say they are moving the actual tournament to the US, but that is practically what said event would eventually do. I wouldn't mind it, but I think they need to work out what stadiums they use as a lot of these NFL fields look kinda awkward to play on.


----------



## Hikin

Paper Samurai said:


> lol.
> 
> Well good luck anyway man. Being first up against the host nation is usually a tough gig.


Yeah, I'm pretty pumped even though we play a very defensive game and I have no idea how we could ever score against France. That said, Romania 5-1 France is my totally objective prediction.

Interesting fact: 8% of Iceland's population is off to the Euro. That's 26.000 people out of about 330.000.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Happy Euros Kickoff Everyone!


----------



## Hikin

Unlucky stuff so far! Romania should be 5 up.


----------



## Hikin

Total robbery!


----------



## Winds

Great opener. It didn't look like France were ready for how Romania came out the gates. Luckily for them Payet came through in the end.


----------



## Paperback Writer

Poor Romania. Payet though. :nw


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Great goal to win it in the end by Payet


----------



## Paperback Writer

Lorik Cana getting sent off before half time for Albania. :lol Brings back memories of his Sunderland days...


----------



## PGVan

Winds said:


> Apparently there are plans to have an event like the Copa America in the US every four years. Of course no one wants to say they are moving the actual tournament to the US, but that is practically what said event would eventually do. I wouldn't mind it, but I think they need to work out what stadiums they use as a lot of these NFL fields look kinda awkward to play on.


I think it's time to merge CONMEBOL and CONCACAF. While I would hate to see South American WC Qualifying change (cause it's a marathon of a war), if North American teams want to be better than USA and Mexico being the top two every time, they need the competition. Fringe teams like Honduras, Costa Rica, etc would be forced to get better if they want to qualify for a World Cup. It would even make USA and Mexico better by not always having Jamaica, Canada and Panama among others) to stomp on to qualify. They would get better by having to beat maybe Chile, Uruguay or Colombia to get in.


----------



## Micronian

Paper Samurai said:


> Ah fair enough, I only caught 15 minutes of the game and watched the highlights to be honest. Have you caught most of the games? If so, who do you fancy to win it?


I've seen nearly every game. Since I'm from south america, it is a tournament I follow closely (as well as all the national teams). Colombia has brought a strong team, as did Ecuador, and Argentina with Messi is always dangerous. Those are the strongest teams. Chile and Mexico are a notch below, but Mexico is the "home team" in this tournament and Chile are not the same with their new coach.

I'd say Argentina will probably win it. They Haven't won the tournament since 1993, so they are due.


----------



## Micronian

Winds said:


> Apparently there are plans to have an event like the Copa America in the US every four years. Of course no one wants to say they are moving the actual tournament to the US, but that is practically what said event would eventually do. I wouldn't mind it, but I think they need to work out what stadiums they use as a lot of these NFL fields look kinda awkward to play on.


I doubt it. I think this has been a nice tournament so far (and it's going to get better in the elimination rounds) but it loses its identity as it's too dominated by Mexico and the US. It's good money, but it's hardly much more.

That said, I think it's too bad more people don't watch this tournament. It's probably not as cleanly skilled and technical as the European Tournament, but it is far more dramatic and alive. Heck, Brazil just got eliminated last night from the group stage.


----------



## PGVan

Micronian said:


> That said, I think it's too bad more people don't watch this tournament. It's probably not as cleanly skilled and technical as the European Tournament, but it is far more dramatic and alive. Heck, Brazil just got eliminated last night from the group stage.


Yeah...in a way that would make Diego Maradona proud!

I would gladly watch Copa América here in Canada, if it was on an actual national sports network. I don't get Univision Canada and I'm not buying it to watch one tournament. TSN has EURO 2016. Sportsnet should have Copa América.


----------



## Winds

Micronian said:


> I doubt it. I think this has been a nice tournament so far (and it's going to get better in the elimination rounds) but it loses its identity as it's too dominated by Mexico and the US. It's good money, but it's hardly much more.
> 
> That said, I think it's too bad more people don't watch this tournament. It's probably not as cleanly skilled and technical as the European Tournament, but it is far more dramatic and alive. Heck, Brazil just got eliminated last night from the group stage.


Yeah I agree. Having it in the US every now and then would be cool, but they can't abandon what made the tournament special by having it stationary in just one country with no significant ties to it.

The shock results have been entertaining to say the least. I don't think many would have thought both Brazil and Uruguay would be out at the end of the group stage. And I'm certain no one had Venezuela cruising to the next round without even needing to get points from their game last night.


----------



## unemployment simulator

i've yet to see the italy belgium game, but so far out of all the favourites no one looks invincible in this euro tournament. germany, spain and france all seem vulnerable at the back. this is good, I like seeing things this open and it seems like less of an impossible challenge for england.


----------



## In a Lonely Place




----------



## Canadian Brotha

In a Lonely Place said:


>


I'd heard the German media made a fuss about him wearing a casual shirt on the sidelines but scratching his nuts and smelling his hand...I guess winning a world cup affords you the right to do as you please until you are dethroned, lol


----------



## reliefseeker

Epl upcoming season is going to be exciting. Conte, Klopp, Mourinho, Guardiola, all looking to make a statement. Man utd just bought henrik mkhitaryan and ibrahimovic. really look forward to see them play


----------



## goku23

tensedboy said:


> Epl upcoming season is going to be exciting. Conte, Klopp, Mourinho, Guardiola, all looking to make a statement. Man utd just bought henrik mkhitaryan and ibrahimovic. really look forward to see them play


Mkhitaryan (needs a nickname!), Ibra and Bailly all immense signings for Utd, Mourinho always makes an instant impact at his clubs and with no European football I have them as favourites to win the league.
But can't wait to see how the summer window pans out, City definitely still to make their mark. They'll definitely make a few top signings especially with Guardiola being able to attract the very best.
Chelsea too, Conte likely to raid serie A, maybe Nainggolan who'd be brilliant beside Matic.

This will be the season I think when the power shift goes back to the big clubs. Utd, City and Chelsea will break away from the rest and set a precedence imo
Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool, Leicester a league below them.


----------



## Vulnicura

Im hoping the EPL top dogs start building the teams necessary to top the Barca, Madrid, Bayern hegemony that's lasted the last half a decade.


----------



## PGVan

Only Celtic could be the club who legitimizes Gibraltar being full UEFA members! :rofl


----------



## Nunuc

PGVan said:


> Only Celtic could be the club who legitimizes Gibraltar being full UEFA members! :rofl


----------



## Hayman

Well, it looks like we're about to lose our manager, Sam Allardyce... :bah

It took us years to find a manager who was ideally suited at Sunderland. Played the sort of football that usually grinds out results for us, got on well with the majority of supporters and started to resolve some of the problems from within the club. 

Now....the FA want him as the England manager. :mum

I'm not a big lover of international football to be honest and I've generally loathed our national side for many years because it's usually the same old overrated players from the same old top clubs that are picked - just with the odd smattering of youth to occasionally break the tedium. 

I wish Big Sam all the best. I have no issue with him and if I was given the chance to manage the national side whilst currently managing a team that generally struggles from one year to the next to survive - I'm sure I'd jump too. 

So, where does that leave Sunderland? You tell me... At the moment I'm absolutely gutted. The FA have totally screwed up our plans for players and disrupted our pre-season preparations. So, this season it's not even our usual poor start to the season that has screwed us over. This time it's before the season has even began. :roll

Only in Sunderland would something like this happen...

For me, it's David Moyes for the manager's seat - or bust. Bear in mind he turned us down less than a year ago, before we got Sam...


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Anyone have any thoughts on their teams new signings and or managers?

I'm looking forward to Chelsea blue under Conte but I still think we need a few more signings


----------



## Mick1990LFC

Liverpool fan and although Klopp hasn't made proper "marquee signings" I think some are decent signings, looking forward to seeing how Karius and Mane perform especially, Mane seems to be linking up well with Firmino already, then add Coutinho to the mix!
Just need another left back and we are set, could be a big season for Ings aswell.
Not sure where we will finish this season but it's going to be immense with Klopp/Guardiola/Mourinho/Wenger/Ranieri/Pochettino/Conte!


----------



## Paperback Writer

Hayman said:


> Well, it looks like we're about to lose our manager, Sam Allardyce... :bah
> 
> It took us years to find a manager who was ideally suited at Sunderland. Played the sort of football that usually grinds out results for us, got on well with the majority of supporters and started to resolve some of the problems from within the club.
> 
> Now....the FA want him as the England manager. :mum
> 
> I'm not a big lover of international football to be honest and I've generally loathed our national side for many years because it's usually the same old overrated players from the same old top clubs that are picked - just with the odd smattering of youth to occasionally break the tedium.
> 
> I wish Big Sam all the best. I have no issue with him and if I was given the chance to manage the national side whilst currently managing a team that generally struggles from one year to the next to survive - I'm sure I'd jump too.
> 
> So, where does that leave Sunderland? You tell me... At the moment I'm absolutely gutted. The FA have totally screwed up our plans for players and disrupted our pre-season preparations. So, this season it's not even our usual poor start to the season that has screwed us over. This time it's before the season has even began. :roll
> 
> Only in Sunderland would something like this happen...
> 
> For me, it's David Moyes for the manager's seat - or bust. Bear in mind he turned us down less than a year ago, before we got Sam...


 I agree with much of what you've said.
​ I was livid that the one time we seemed to be getting things right the FA had to come and spoil it. Typical Sunderland, as you say. Fair enough, it can't be helped that our manager was the one that they ultimately wanted, but I was pretty annoyed at how long it dragged on and effectively left us in limbo regarding transfers.
​ I don't hold anything against Big Sam either. It's always been his dream to manage England, and despite not being much of a fan of the national team myself, I'll be interested to see how he gets on.
​ Anyway, I'm not going to moan too much, because I'm really over the moon that we've got Moyes. He's the ideal man to hopefully build on Big Sam's foundations. Honestly, I'm just glad that the whole saga is over. And I suppose things have worked out as well as possible for both parties. The FA have their man, and we have the perfect replacement. Who knows, maybe Sam leaving will turn out to be a blessing in disguise?!​


Canadian Brotha said:


> Anyone have any thoughts on their teams new signings and or managers?


I just wish we had some new signings for me to have thoughts about. :b Though apparently we're closing in on bringing Yann M'Villa home, which I would be very pleased with.


----------



## Hayman

Hi @Paperback Writer! Yes, as it become clear Big Sam was being poached, I cannot tell you how annoyed I was with the FA. I do have issues with the way they operate anyway and this business just put the cherry on the cake for me. I'm still very much annoyed with them and even though I have no issue with Sam going to the job he's wanted for a decade (and been perfectly open and honest about), but I can't put myself through watching an England game&#8230; I know that sounds daft, but the FA really have infuriated me. They could have been much swifter in their actions and it could still cost us dearly.

However, I'm delighted that we've got David Moyes. Genuinely chuffed! He was my number one choice before we got Dick Advocaat (Big Sam was second), my second choice when we got Big Sam and was, in my opinion, the *only* choice this time around. It was announced over the tannoys on Saturday morning when the airshow stalls were being set up and I was absolutely buzzing about it . Sadly as my phone is a pay-as-you go and the WiFi in the hotel was positively dodgy at best, I couldn't actually read much more about it until I returned home on Monday!

He has the quality of Big Sam and his experience from Everton will serve him well with us, I feel. I'm not particularly worried about the upcoming season with him at the helm but what does worry me is the complete lack of signings. I feel we would have had a couple by now if it wasn't for the FA and with only a few weeks left until the start of the season, I can see us signing the add mediocre player out of desperation . Yann M'Villa would be a welcome addition if we could secure him. We've got a difficult start to the season and I'll be surprised if we 'hit the ground' running. I feel we'll still be somewhere in the bottom quarter of the table by the end of August.

By the way, I was at the Stadium Of Light on Monday morning before heading back home&#8230; I bought one of those lurid pink shirts from the club shop&#8230;! ops I was contemplating buying one anyway for the laughs (has the potential to be a cult-classic, I think), but I made my mind up during the airshow when I saw at least dozen of them being worn by men&#8230;


----------



## Paperback Writer

Hayman said:


> By the way, I was at the Stadium Of Light on Monday morning before heading back home&#8230; I bought one of those lurid pink shirts from the club shop&#8230;! ops I was contemplating buying one anyway for the laughs (has the potential to be a cult-classic, I think), but I made my mind up during the airshow when I saw at least dozen of them being worn by men&#8230;


:O I wasn't sure what to think of it at first, but I have to admit, it's really grown on me. I almost wish we would just use it as our actual away kit instead of as a third one. :um


----------



## Mick1990LFC

I feel for you having Allardyce poached like that, but I think it was time for a change, I think Moyes will be a good fit for Sunderland


----------



## Hayman

Paperback Writer said:


> :O I wasn't sure what to think of it at first, but I have to admit, it's really grown on me. I almost wish we would just use it as our actual away kit instead of as a third one. :um


I know...! I think we've used it for most of our pre-season games judging from the pictures I see on my Facebook news feed (our club is one of few things I allow to appear in the news feed!). I was genuinely horrified when I first saw it but yes, it's one of those shirts which is a 'grower'! I know my father is still a bit "_meh_" towards it and sitting along Roker sea front watching the airshow last week he did chuckle a few times when he saw blokes walk past wearing them, but I just nodded in a positive way thinking.... "_I've got to get this shirt...!_" ops



Mick1990LFC said:


> I feel for you having Allardyce poached like that, but I think it was time for a change, I think Moyes will be a good fit for Sunderland


Allardyce only had another year to run on his contract and if I have to be honest, I think we would have done well in him extending his stay. As soon as he expressed frustration in not signing any players for us about three weeks ago, I said to myself "He'll be getting the England job, then...". I could just feel it was going to happen and the delay just made matters worse. It's really hampered our pre-season preparations and still with no signings, I've resigned myself to another season of struggle. I'll be astonished if we 'hit the ground running'. We've got a tough August.

I'll miss him as I do think he was near enough perfect for Sunderland. His style of play suited our players, he got on well with the coaches from my understanding and most of the fans liked him being there - myself included. I just feel really upset the FA have effectively 'poached' away what was a near enough ideal manager for us. The first time I've had that to say about any of our managers for about eight, maybe ten years...

However, I'm really looking forward to seeing David Moyes in the hotseat and I do rate him equally as highly as Allardyce. I certainly don't want to take anything away from him. His record at Everton was generally excellent and if he can get us performing even only two thirds as well - I'll be happy. I'm certainly not worried about having him in charge or reservations about him. He's a good manager and I'm delighted (and excited) to have him at Sunderland. He has my full backing.

:clap 

My only fear is the timing...the closeness to the start of the new season...thanks to the FA.  This is no fault of Moyes.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I can't believe our lack of transfers in the department of defenders, unreal...still, glad the season is finally starting again tomorrow


----------



## Kevin001

The USA women losing is inexcusable........people need to be held accountable. Alex Morgan *cough*


----------



## euphoria04

God that was an embarrassing ****ing loss.



Kevin001 said:


> The USA women losing is inexcusable........people need to be held accountable. Alex Morgan *cough*


She scored the equalizer though. And she didn't miff her PK nearly as badly as Christen Press.


----------



## Kevin001

euphoria04 said:


> She scored the equalizer though. And she didn't miff her PK nearly as badly as Christen Press.


Her miss set the tone. That first kick is hella important.


----------



## euphoria04

Kevin001 said:


> Her miss set the tone. That first kick is hella important.


Agreed.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Zlatan off to the races at Utd, Hull in disarray beat the champs, Arsenal destroyed by an up and down Liverpool, Man City sluggishly beat Sunderland, etc. So glad it's all back. Hopefully Chelsea will look good against what I expect to be. Solid West Ham tomorrow


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I'm surprised The Hammers weren't in the game more but glad Costa got us over the line in the end. Conte celebrating on the touchline with the fans was awesome too


----------



## Mick1990LFC

Fantastic first week of the season.
Made up we beat Arsenal 4-3 but thought Liverpool were gonna throw it away!
So happy weekends are resumed with the football!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I ****in' lovin' Antonio Conte! We haven't been great today at all but he's not afraid to make the necessary changes and in doing so he's won us the game again and all the while he celebrates like a madman every time we score, can't really ask for more in a manager, we still need defensive cover but he's restoring the "never say die" mentality to the club which is awesome.

Anyone starting to question Klopp as a defensive coach or do you think he'll be fine in that department if he brings in some defenders before transfer close?


----------



## Paperback Writer

At the end of last season, I was confident that Sunderland would have been able to avoid a relegation battle this year. As usual though, it's all gone horribly wrong. It's astonishing how quickly that team has been dismantled.

Yedlin and M'Villa haven't come back since their loans finished. 
Kaboul, our best defender, has been sold to Watford for peanuts. 
Kone, our next best defender, wants to leave, and will. 
Cattermole, Kirchhoff and Borini are all injured.
Khazri isn't allowed off the bench.
Another season of hoping to scrape 17th it is! :flush


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Paperback Writer said:


> At the end of last season, I was confident that Sunderland would have been able to avoid a relegation battle this year. As usual though, it's all gone horribly wrong. It's astonishing how quickly that team has been dismantled.
> 
> Yedlin and M'Villa haven't come back since their loans finished.
> Kaboul, our best defender, has been sold to Watford for peanuts.
> Kone, our next best defender, wants to leave, and will.
> Cattermole, Kirchhoff and Borini are all injured.
> Khazri isn't allowed off the bench.
> Another season of hoping to scrape 17th it is! :flush


Seems they always escape the drop but beyond that there's no hope, kind of astonishing honestly. Must be so rough as a fan year after year


----------



## Paperback Writer

Canadian Brotha said:


> Seems they always escape the drop but beyond that there's no hope, kind of astonishing honestly. Must be so rough as a fan year after year


I think it's especially frustrating this year as there was genuine hope of us progressing at the end of last season, whereas there was more of an element of luck in our previous escapes.

I can already see how the cycle will continue _next _season. After we finish 17th, Januzaj will return to Man Utd having impressed and will never be seen again. Kirchhoff will leave on a free transfer. Defoe will grow another year older and we will still be reliant on him. Cattermole will get injured again and John O'Shea will be wheeled out to fill in in midfield. Moyes will retire from football, having been scarred for life by his experiences, and will spend the rest of his days rocking back and forth in a darkened room somewhere in Scotland. Then we sign a fresh batch of **** players which the next brave soul to take the manager's job will be lumbered with.

In all seriousness though, hopefully we can make some signings before the transfer window closes. Starting with a right back. Donald Love's performance today made me wish Billy Jones was playing, and that can never be a good thing.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Paperback Writer said:


> I think it's especially frustrating this year as there was genuine hope of us progressing at the end of last season, whereas there was more of an element of luck in our previous escapes.
> 
> I can already see how the cycle will continue _next _season. After we finish 17th, Januzaj will return to Man Utd having impressed and will never be seen again. Kirchhoff will leave on a free transfer. Defoe will grow another year older and we will still be reliant on him. Cattermole will get injured again and John O'Shea will be wheeled out to fill in in midfield. Moyes will retire from football, having been scarred for life by his experiences, and will spend the rest of his days rocking back and forth in a darkened room somewhere in Scotland. Then we sign a fresh batch of **** players which the next brave soul to take the manager's job will be lumbered with.
> 
> In all seriousness though, hopefully we can make some signings before the transfer window closes. Starting with a right back. Donald Love's performance today made me wish Billy Jones was playing, and that can never be a good thing.


I think it would have been a different story if Big Sam wasn't carted off to be the England Manager, that was unfortunate and everything is just muddled over there now cause there was no time to plan after such a disruption


----------



## Paperback Writer

Canadian Brotha said:


> I think it would have been a different story if Bjg Sam wasn't carted off to be the England Manager, that was unfortunate and everything is just muddled over there now cause there was no time to plan after such a disruption


Yeah, everything that has happened since feels like a domino effect from that.

So basically, this is all Roy Hodgson's fault. >


----------



## Mick1990LFC

Yeah I do worry for Sunderland again this season, looks like it's gonna be another one of them scrapping for 17th drama's, although still 36 games to go, I worry for Swansea aswell this season after losing Ayew/Williams.

Key for Sunderland is keeping Defoe fit, although he isn't getting any younger.

I think from Liverpool's point of view, a LB and defensive midfielder is key, defence needs better protection, if this then doesn't tighten things up then nothing will!
So typical I could see the Burnley result coming after coming off a big win we always undo all the hard work the following week!
Maybe this will be the wake up call for fans that think we can challenge for the title, 36 games to go of course but I just hope it's not another stop-start season again, for us to make top 4/challenge for the title we need to:

1) Tighten things up at the back - LB and CDM needed
2) Find more consistency i.e go and win 3/4 games on the spin

We seem to be able to do none of these!


----------



## rdrr

get walcott off the fukin field


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I still think back to that season Liverpool almost won the league under Rogers and we brought in the youth player Tomas Kalas because of injuries and it was like he'd been playing in the first team all season long...why the hell is he still gone on loan somewhere? Forget Cahill(though he's done a job for us for some years now), if Kalas and Zouma were set to learn under Terry, they'd be the future pairing & right now we wouldn't be worried about needing a center half and then we could have bought a full back and our defense is sorted. I know we all have our opinions so there's mine. I'm liking our new Belgian striker though, he looks fresh and ready to prove himself


----------



## Mick1990LFC

Canadian Brotha said:


> I still think back to that season Liverpool almost won the league under Rogers and we brought in the youth player Tomas Kalas because of injuries and it was like he'd been playing in the first team all season long...why the hell is he still gone on loan somewhere? Forget Cahill(though he's done a job for us for some years now), if Kalas and Zouma were set to learn under Terry, they'd be the future pairing & right now we wouldn't be worried about needing a center half and then we could have bought a full back and our defense is sorted. I know we all have our opinions so there's mine. I'm liking our new Belgian striker though, he looks fresh and ready to prove himself


Yeah I remember seeing the line up Mourinho put out because of the upcoming CL semi-final, was licking my lips of the thought of Suarez/Sturridge going up against Kalas.
We all know what happened  lol I'm still so gutted now


----------



## TheWarrior

Just saw this thread today.
Well I'm brazilian happy with the olympic gold, haha.


----------



## Winds

The days before the window closes are becoming just as fun to watch as deadline day.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

If David Luiz is actually brought back to play in blue...I've always liked him but the guy is no defender whatsoever, he looked right at home in midfield when we played him there but have no need for more midfielders


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Canadian Brotha said:


> If David Luiz is actually brought back to play in blue...I've always liked him but the guy is no defender whatsoever, he looked right at home in midfield when we played him there but have no need for more midfielders


He's officially back. Hope it works out for him and for us. Also got Alonso in so it gives us some options...its been a tough market for Conte seems like


----------



## Zozulya

I feel like the French squad won't qualify for the World Cup in Russia. It's maybe too early to bring conspiracy theories, but there will be political and diplomacy influence over the results.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Mou got his starting line up wrong today so Pep and crew took full advantage, was a tale of two halves though so made for an entertaining derby, also, Zlatan's volley, the guy has the most extraordinary technique, all the unbelievable goals he's scored over the years and still doing it at 34...


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Swansea started well but a mistake gave us a goal and then two mistakes of ours gave them two goals but what I love about Conte is that he's restored the never say die mentality to Chelsea, kinks still need working out but I can't recall how many Man U matches I've seen under Ferguson in which they weren't great but got a point or won 2-1 or 3-2 and that's the sign of a solid team. I really have the feeling that time is gonna yield a great harvest under Conte. I love went through the whole range of emotions watching this game, lol


----------



## PGVan

Zozulya said:


> I feel like the French squad won't qualify for the World Cup in Russia. It's maybe too early to bring conspiracy theories, but there will be political and diplomacy influence over the results.


Not trying to be rude, but what part of your arse did you pull that out of? It's nobody's fault but France's players' that they couldn't score against Belarus. Sadly, as an Oranje supporter I should be careful when I say that. Even considering my support for my team (we are in transition with the worst manager in football), France has no excuses to not win the group, even with The Netherlands to play.

Anyway, real reason I came to this thread tonight...

Here in Canada, TSN can go f*** itself. Those clowns have FIVE CHANNELS and they're NOT showing PSV-Atlético tomorrow. A round-of-16 rematch and one of last season's finalists.... yet Benfica-Besiktas and Dynamo Kyiv-Napoli are being broadcast. Pissed off is an understatement.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

PGVan said:


> Here in Canada, TSN can go f*** itself. Those clowns have FIVE CHANNELS and they're NOT showing PSV-Atlético tomorrow. A round-of-16 rematch and one of last season's finalists.... yet Benfica-Besiktas and Dynamo Kyiv-Napoli are being broadcast. Pissed off is an understatement.


I agree that game ought to be on over Benfica/Besiktas...


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Leceister & City cruise while The Gunners & Spurs get first half ***** slaps, thank god real footy is back now


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Losses to Liverpool & Arsenal back to back...tough pills to swallow. Conte needs to be brutal now, bench players regardless of status in name for results like Pep has & Mou did today. We need two strikers up front and Batshuayi & Costa have looked good together at times. Also, if it's four at the back Ivanovic has to move central(which is what we actually bought him for) & pair with Luiz with Alonso coming in as well. Cahill is ok but his mistakes are glaring when they happen, the kind of thing people were worried Luiz would do again. So far it's not him who is a problem. It's clear it wasn't just Mou last season now


----------



## Paperback Writer

Imagine the scenes when Big Sam returns to save Sunderland again before celebrating with a pint of wine. It'll be glorious.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I love Antonio Conte and his sideline antics, it's so infectious , totally thought it would be a closer match bs Everton under Koeman


----------



## Paperback Writer

Sunderland win two games in a row and Big Victor Anichebe is our new star striker. It's like some strange parallel universe.

I'm sure normal service will be resumed when we get thrashed by Liverpool next week.


----------



## goku23

Canadian Brotha said:


> I love Antonio Conte and his sideline antics, it's so infectious , totally thought it would be a closer match bs Everton under Koeman


best manager in the league IMO, Guardiola included. How he transformed Juventus and Italy was unreal


----------



## Canadian Brotha

goku23 said:


> best manager in the league IMO, Guardiola included. How he transformed Juventus and Italy was unreal


Long may it continue with him in Chelsea Blue!


----------



## Kevin001

Thank God Team USA got a new coach.


----------



## Nunuc

Kevin001 said:


> Thank God Team USA got a new coach.


Oh, I thought you only got a new stadium, The Bruce Arena...

-----------

Finnish National Team in 2016: bunch of losses, few draws, zero wins and our bestest player was banned for 2 years after snorting some coke. *clappity-****ing-clap-clap*


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Hopefully Chelsea/Man City is a good game with us just edging it to steal points off of them


----------



## GettingIntoMedicine

Canadian Brotha said:


> Hopefully Chelsea/Man City is a good game with us just edging it to steal points off of them


I have a feeling Chelsea will win. Let's see, should be a decent match.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

GettingIntoMedicine said:


> I have a feeling Chelsea will win. Let's see, should be a decent match.


I'd go for 2-1 Chelsea, would be a good win for us and keeps the streak going as I don't think we'll keep a clean sheet against City, too much striking power with Aguero, De Bruyne, Silva, etc


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Canadian Brotha said:


> I'd go for 2-1 Chelsea, would be a good win for us and keeps the streak going as I don't think we'll keep a clean sheet against City, too much striking power with Aguero, De Bruyne, Silva, etc


I was close in my prediction but great match and win for us. Conte has instilled a "never say die" mentality in the squad as that's two big games in which we were outplayed and behind yet there was no panic at all, "just wait and play and it'll come" seems to be the mantra.

As for Aguero, absolutely unreal, if that was Costa...another point on Aguero though is that as great as he has been for city every season he misses a large number of matches through injury and suspension which is sad cause if he actually had a season with no more than 3 matches missed he would guaranteed be golden boot winner every time without question


----------



## goku23

Canadian Brotha said:


> I was close in my prediction but great match and win for us. Conte has instilled a "never say die" mentality in the squad as that's two big games in which we were outplayed and behind yet there was no panic at all, "just wait and play and it'll come" seems to be the mantra.
> 
> As for Aguero, absolutely unreal, if that was Costa...another point on Aguero though is that as great as he has been for city every season he misses a large number of matches through injury and suspension which is sad cause if he actually had a season with no more than 3 matches missed he would guaranteed be golden boot winner every time without question


Virtually same squad Mourinho had and so many "experts" said had to be re-hauled. Costa at his best and Moses is the most improved player in the league.

I hate Chelsea, but I love Conte! can't see you guys slipping up at all. Looking a very complete team atm


----------



## Canadian Brotha

goku23 said:


> Virtually same squad Mourinho had and so many "experts" said had to be re-hauled. Costa at his best and Moses is the most improved player in the league.
> 
> I hate Chelsea, but I love Conte! can't see you guys slipping up at all. Looking a very complete team atm


Who's your team? Liverpool?


----------



## goku23

Canadian Brotha said:


> Who's your team? Liverpool?


yep


----------



## Canadian Brotha

goku23 said:


> yep


Klopp is solid and refreshing in the league, just need to sort your defence and keeper in January


----------



## goku23

Canadian Brotha said:


> Klopp is solid and refreshing in the league, just need to sort your defence and keeper in January


yea still suffering from the Rodgers era in regards to our defence. 
Matip has improved us a lot but was surprised we didn't do more in the summer to improve our defence and Karius looks far from reliable at the moment.

Hoping the Bournemouth showing will cause us to sign a LB and LCB in January. Sakho not going to get a game unfortunately.


----------



## ljubo

he gets to little credit for what he did with psg.


----------



## ljubo




----------



## Canadian Brotha

goku23 said:


> yea still suffering from the Rodgers era in regards to our defence.
> 
> Matip has improved us a lot but was surprised we didn't do more in the summer to improve our defence and Karius looks far from reliable at the moment.
> 
> Hoping the Bournemouth showing will cause us to sign a LB and LCB in January. Sakho not going to get a game unfortunately.


Are you from Liverpool or just a fan?

I'm thinking Reds/Hammers should be a good match assuming West Ham perform to a decent level


----------



## goku23

Canadian Brotha said:


> Are you from Liverpool or just a fan?
> 
> I'm thinking Reds/Hammers should be a good match assuming West Ham perform to a decent level


grew up near there early part of my childhood, stayed a fan when moved to London.

Karius + our defence at it again, we're facing some of the highest amount of clear cut chances of any team in the league per average each game, along with Man City funnily enough.

Both our defences not up to much and even then the keepers Karius and Bravo are conceding goals from chances that aren't clear cut too.

Be interesting to see if the gooners can sustain their form, City away will be a test of that despite City's **** form

Chelsea champions in waiting, looking like a prime Juventus. I expected Conte to do awesome but surprised how quickly he's stamped his authority on the team and has them singing from his hymn sheet.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

goku23 said:


> grew up near there early part of my childhood, stayed a fan when moved to London.
> 
> Karius + our defence at it again, we're facing some of the highest amount of clear cut chances of any team in the league per average each game, along with Man City funnily enough.
> 
> Both our defences not up to much and even then the keepers Karius and Bravo are conceding goals from chances that aren't clear cut too.
> 
> Be interesting to see if the gooners can sustain their form, City away will be a test of that despite City's **** form
> 
> Chelsea champions in waiting, looking like a prime Juventus. I expected Conte to do awesome but surprised how quickly he's stamped his authority on the team and has them singing from his hymn sheet.


I think a bedding in season without the UCL has helped but all the same as a fan from day one of his explosive goal celebrations I was onboard. I knew his reputation but Serie A wasn't readily available here during most of his Juve tenure and what he did with Italy was great however it's different watching every week. We've won games in different ways & going a goal down isn't a reason to panic anymore, what's more, as passionate as Conte is on the sidelines he seems so down to Earth in interviews. I love Mourinho but he his about his ego all the way, when it works it's great and when it doesn't everyone suffers.

As for the league, Arsenal always show spells of brilliance but when they need a spellnofnjust grinding it out it never seems to happen for one reason or another. I think once the holiday scramble is done Klopp will reinforce and Liverpool will push it to the end. City I don't know what to say, they understand attacking talent but not defenders when it comes to the market. The team just always seems unbalanced, Aguero is always out for a long spell as good as he is, Pep is chopping and changing constantly, I'm rather surprised they didn't rebuild more when he came in. Overall, better season than the last(great as it was for Leceister), I still feel like it'll go to the wire and if we can win it with the top teams on par and the lower teams pulling off shocks here and there it's great drama


----------



## goku23

Canadian Brotha said:


> I think a bedding in season without the UCL has helped but all the same as a fan from day one of his explosive goal celebrations I was onboard. I knew his reputation but Serie A wasn't readily available here during most of his Juve tenure and what he did with Italy was great however it's different watching every week. We've won games in different ways & going a goal down isn't a reason to panic anymore, what's more, as passionate as Conte is on the sidelines he seems so down to Earth in interviews. I love Mourinho but he his about his ego all the way, when it works it's great and when it doesn't everyone suffers.
> 
> As for the league, Arsenal always show spells of brilliance but when they need a spellnofnjust grinding it out it never seems to happen for one reason or another. I think once the holiday scramble is done Klopp will reinforce and Liverpool will push it to the end. City I don't know what to say, they understand attacking talent but not defenders when it comes to the market. The team just always seems unbalanced, Aguero is always out for a long spell as good as he is, Pep is chopping and changing constantly, I'm rather surprised they didn't rebuild more when he came in. Overall, better season than the last(great as it was for Leceister), I still feel like it'll go to the wire and if we can win it with the top teams on par and the lower teams pulling off shocks here and there it's great drama


Another tough fought victory for you guys, top at Christmas means you're champions in waiting now!
can't help but be impressed with the side, extremely well set up and be interesting to see how you get on in the champions league next season.

yep, this is the time of year Arsenal tend to fold! lost to Everton and Man City away next, it's been a weird season. Lots of teams showing inconsistency.

Utd picking up some form now too, hopefully West Brom put an end to that on the weekend!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

goku23 said:


> Another tough fought victory for you guys, top at Christmas means you're champions in waiting now!
> 
> can't help but be impressed with the side, extremely well set up and be interesting to see how you get on in the champions league next season.
> 
> yep, this is the time of year Arsenal tend to fold! lost to Everton and Man City away next, it's been a weird season. Lots of teams showing inconsistency.
> 
> Utd picking up some form now too, hopefully West Brom put an end to that on the weekend!


Again, a sort of grinded out result but all the clean sheets are huge for us. Costa & Kante out for Boxing Day so probably Batshuayi up top with Matic/Fabregas paired in midfield for Boxing Day.

Arsenal open up cruising and in a matter of minutes fold in the second half against City, what's their woodoo with the big matches?

Should be a good derby tomorrow, looking forward to it


----------



## Canadian Brotha

A loss today and at the weekend opens it all up again, two wins and out title is basically confirmed, two draws and on we stroll, and if it's to be a win and a loss then I'd rather beat the gunners


----------



## Canadian Brotha

We were poor all game but we get a point, Spurs drawing and Arsenal losing was good for us though. Also glad Luiz got the goal for us as he's been great upon his return to us


----------



## konas8

Arsenal fan... woe is me.


----------



## Paperback Writer

So Sunderland won, away from home, by four goals scored before half time, against a former manager and player, in a match that Jack Rodwell started?


----------



## Mick1990LFC

<<<<Look at my username and you can see why I'm pissed off at the minute


----------



## goku23

Mick1990LFC said:


> <<<<Look at my username and you can see why I'm pissed off at the minute


Ditto.

Was nice of FSG to put up some money so we could buy reinforcements in Jan. 
Much appreciated FSG, understanding that we're into the business end of the season now and our squad is painfully thin.

And thank you for the minimal net spend on transfers throughout your entire time here, we've sure built up a formidable squad that is capable of coping with injuries and fixture congestion.

Sigh.

Insanity same things expecting different results.
Same owners, same results. 
Pathetically thin squad to compete for top places. 
Would genuinely be shocked if we get 4th now.


----------



## Mick1990LFC

goku23 said:


> Ditto.
> 
> Was nice of FSG to put up some money so we could buy reinforcements in Jan.
> Much appreciated FSG, understanding that we're into the business end of the season now and our squad is painfully thin.
> 
> And thank you for the minimal net spend on transfers throughout your entire time here, we've sure built up a formidable squad that is capable of coping with injuries and fixture congestion.
> 
> Sigh.
> 
> Insanity same things expecting different results.
> Same owners, same results.
> Pathetically thin squad to compete for top places.
> Would genuinely be shocked if we get 4th now.


Do you think it's more the money was there but Klopp opted not to spend it?

I don't quite know how I feel about FSG, as they have done good things for us, but it does make you wonder the way we made a profit on players (which was good business as they were surplus to us) but it makes you wonder if Klopp needed to bring funds back in.

I personally think FSG have done alright, but probably gone as far as we can go with them, now is the time to sell up and sell us to some mega rich Chinese or Sheik!


----------



## goku23

Mick1990LFC said:


> Do you think it's more the money was there but Klopp opted not to spend it?
> 
> I don't quite know how I feel about FSG, as they have done good things for us, but it does make you wonder the way we made a profit on players (which was good business as they were surplus to us) but it makes you wonder if Klopp needed to bring funds back in.
> 
> I personally think FSG have done alright, but probably gone as far as we can go with them, now is the time to sell up and sell us to some mega rich Chinese or Sheik!


No I don't think money was available and I think they promised funds for the summer, which I'm dubious about anyway.

They came in and bought the club for much less than its worth, they've done incredibly well on the commercial side of things and the club is healthiest its ever been commercially but they came in at the right time to benefit massively from the TV and broadcasting deals our league has attracted, stadium expansion is further increasing value of the club for a much smaller than expected outlay.

So given all that, you'd think we'd have more to spend on players but all we spend on players is money we recoup.

We've sold Torres, Sterling, Suarez for huge money and Coutinho will be next.

Yea we signed Mane, Gini for big money in the summer...but we sold Benteke, Ibe and Allen for big money too.
We can't go into the season with Milner as our LB and Lucas as back up CB.

They've done this over and over again. Fans were happy when we had spending spree on Downing, Henderson etc under Kenny, but we still had massive money from the Standard Chartered deal that was done before they came in.
And Torres sale offset a lot of costs too.

When was the last time we signed a player who warranted a big money contract?
Our squad aren't on contracts the likes of Chelsea, City, Utd even Arsenal are.
That's another way of them saving money.

Our team can compete, we keep a few star quality players, but our squad can't. We have no depth because to have quality depth means more players on better contracts and that costs them money.

Apart from Sturridge and only now Coutinho, the rest of our players are on less than 100k (Except Milner but he was a free transfer so they made an exception)

Arsenal have Ozil and Sanchez as their biggest earners, but have Cech, Ramsey, Walcott, Giroud, Cazorla all on big money.
Chelsea, City and Utd have virtually their whole squad on big money!

but it's big money for a reason, because they're quality players!

Spurs are the exception but they have Levy who is a master negotiator and have a transfer strategy that pisses all over ours.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

goku23 said:


> No I don't think money was available and I think they promised funds for the summer, which I'm dubious about anyway.
> 
> They came in and bought the club for much less than its worth, they've done incredibly well on the commercial side of things and the club is healthiest its ever been commercially but they came in at the right time to benefit massively from the TV and broadcasting deals our league has attracted, stadium expansion is further increasing value of the club for a much smaller than expected outlay.
> 
> So given all that, you'd think we'd have more to spend on players but all we spend on players is money we recoup.
> 
> We've sold Torres, Sterling, Suarez for huge money and Coutinho will be next.
> 
> Yea we signed Mane, Gini for big money in the summer...but we sold Benteke, Ibe and Allen for big money too.
> 
> We can't go into the season with Milner as our LB and Lucas as back up CB.
> 
> They've done this over and over again. Fans were happy when we had spending spree on Downing, Henderson etc under Kenny, but we still had massive money from the Standard Chartered deal that was done before they came in.
> 
> And Torres sale offset a lot of costs too.
> 
> When was the last time we signed a player who warranted a big money contract?
> 
> Our squad aren't on contracts the likes of Chelsea, City, Utd even Arsenal are.
> 
> That's another way of them saving money.
> 
> Our team can compete, we keep a few star quality players, but our squad can't. We have no depth because to have quality depth means more players on better contracts and that costs them money.
> 
> Apart from Sturridge and only now Coutinho, the rest of our players are on less than 100k (Except Milner but he was a free transfer so they made an exception)
> 
> Arsenal have Ozil and Sanchez as their biggest earners, but have Cech, Ramsey, Walcott, Giroud, Cazorla all on big money.
> 
> Chelsea, City and Utd have virtually their whole squad on big money!
> 
> but it's big money for a reason, because they're quality players!
> 
> Spurs are the exception but they have Levy who is a master negotiator and have a transfer strategy that pisses all over ours.


I'm really surprised Klopp wasn't able to really build a proper squad last summer given his experience with the holiday/new year schedule in England last season and the fact that his pressing style means players will need to rest without slowing team momentum as the season progresses...


----------



## Canadian Brotha

The champions league is back! Who are you cheering for?


----------



## BlazingLazer

Canadian Brotha said:


> The champions league is back! Who are you cheering for?


*Arsenal* (sorry, I know you hate them)

By each match-up:

Napoli
Monaco
Borussia Dortmund
PSG (Cavani and DiMaria had nice birthdays today)
FC Porto

Although I really must say, most of these are because I'm sick and tired of their opponents, rather than actually liking the teams I want to win.

I don't really care who advances from the other 2 matchups, although it'd be pretty cool/funny if fluke Leicester advanced.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

BlazingLazer said:


> *Arsenal* (sorry, I know you hate them)
> 
> By each match-up:
> 
> Napoli
> Monaco
> Borussia Dortmund
> PSG (Cavani and DiMaria had nice birthdays today)
> FC Porto
> 
> Although I really must say, most of these are because I'm sick and tired of their opponents, rather than actually liking the teams I want to win.
> 
> I don't really care who advances from the other 2 matchups, although it'd be pretty cool/funny if fluke Leicester advanced.


I don't hate Arsenal, I just always want Chelsea to win against them and finish above them in the league. I also love how one week fans think Wenger is God, then next he's Satan, lol. It's been like that for the last decade which is how long I've been following the EPL.

And I like your pics for the UCL, I'd like it to be some dark horse teams vying for it this season


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Canadian Brotha said:


> I also love how one week fans think Wenger is God, then next he's Satan, lol. It's been like that for the last decade which is how long I've been following the EPL.


No they don't.
The overwhelming majority love the guy for what he has done for our club.


----------



## BlazingLazer

Canadian Brotha said:


> I don't hate Arsenal, I just always want Chelsea to win against them and finish above them in the league.


Ah, ok. I'm not really bothered by it, even if you did hate them. All in good fun. I'd love for Arsenal to finish above all the other top-6s in the PL, but it seems a record 925th consecutive season in 2nd-4th place is more likely to happen these days.



> I also love how one week fans think Wenger is God, then next he's Satan, lol. It's been like that for the last decade which is how long I've been following the EPL.


All I know is this time of year is usually open season for picking on Arsenal and their fans. Since I don't have the energy to invest in all the media hooplah, I just tend to focus on the games themselves. Even if I wasn't a fan of Arsenal, I'd still rather listen to Wenger's post-game talks instead of the media shoving Mourinho/Klopp/Guardiola in my face as much they possibly can.



> And I like your pics for the UCL, I'd like it to be some dark horse teams vying for it this season


Thanks. I'm hoping, even if it's less likely to happen. The same old team(s) can win only so many times before it gets completely boring (at least to me).


----------



## Canadian Brotha

In a Lonely Place said:


> No they don't.
> The overwhelming majority love the guy for what he has done for our club.


I was just referencing this cycle in which the season starts and Arsenal blow some teams away, then November comes and they start losing/drawing and the fans are booing the team off and the "Wenger Out" banners are up and all that, then in the busy holiday period suddenly they are in the title race and fans are backing him and then in January/February things start going iffy again and they exit all the cups & the banners/booing etc is back, then in the spring they have a good run to finish between 2nd & 4th & then in the summer some of your stars are sold to teams where they can win silverware and then it repeats the next season...sprinkle in various injuries throughout the season and this is basically what I've seen almost every season since I've been following the league religiously. I get that fans respect him for what he's done overall but when the team wins 4-0 they praise him as god and when they are smashed 5-1 or 3-0 he's to be burned at the stake. Listening to the radio shows since the Bayern loss is the first time I've heard the hardcore supporters finally saying they too think it's time he moves on.



BlazingLazer said:


> All I know is this time of year is usually open season for picking on Arsenal and their fans. Since I don't have the energy to invest in all the media hooplah, I just tend to focus on the games themselves. Even if I wasn't a fan of Arsenal, I'd still rather listen to Wenger's post-game talks instead of the media shoving Mourinho/Klopp/Guardiola in my face as much they possibly can.


Mourinho tends to bring the type of backlash he gets onto himself but I think Klopp & Guardiola deserve more criticism than they've been getting when things have gone wrong. They have nice personalities so the media seems to take it easier on them whereas Mou is all ego so they can't wait to cut him down harshly. The reason they have sharp knives for Wenger is because we live in the age of immediate sackings & he's always decided his own fate whatever happens until now it seems


----------



## Canadian Brotha

City vs Monaco, if you didn't watch it you damn well should!


----------



## Winds

That was a good match. So much so that the other one ending 2 - 4 probably won't get much mention.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Winds said:


> That was a good match. So much so that the other one ending 2 - 4 probably won't get much mention.


It didn't get much coverage on the post game show and first podcast I listened too, we'll see about this next one


----------



## Winds

I'm still watching the highlights like nah this really didn't just happen.


----------



## rdrr

A lot of happy people in Spain, and the world over.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I saw Barca winning big but not the tie, kind of nuts, can you imagine how the PSG players are feeling?


----------



## Canadian Brotha

How many matches has Antonio scored in this season that West Ham have lost or drawn? Feels like a lot...


----------



## BlazingLazer

A little late, but congrats to the Barcelona Olympic diving squad.

I'm indifferent to Leicester City usually, but it's pretty nice to see them advance, seeing as though they've reverted back to their lower place on the Premier League standings. Nasri ensuring that he's the biggest sour***** toddler in the land. I hope there were Pampers and a rattler on hand at the pitch.

Nice comeback for Monaco. Especially since it shut up all the front-running MC fans at the bar I was watching.

Not surprised Arsenal gave up. That time of year, eh? Hell, non-Arsenal fans have as many reasons in the world as they've ever to pick on them now. May as well enjoy it.

I'm pleased with the draw for this upcoming round of 8. I was sure it was going to wind up with more mismatches, but not so much thankfully this time around.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Funny, when comparing the EPL to other leagues commentators always say that those in Spain or Germany or Italy don't have to go to Stoke on a cold, windy, rainy day and physically grind out out a result on the way to a league title and it's the stereotype but then today we(Chelsea) go to Stoke & don't have it all our own way and have to grind out a physical result on our way to the title, lol

In other news, "Wenger Out, Wenger In", I can't believe fans pay for planes to fly that **** over matches, unreal


----------



## forever in flux




----------



## Canadian Brotha

Spurs are keeping close on our coattails but I'm glad we keeping finding ways to win or bounce back from the occasional loss. All hail Conte!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Tactical master class by Mourinho today and an off day for us blues...Spurs have hope but the one saving grace is that whenever we've lost we've bounced back and gone on a run, plus this was probably one of the toughest games left in our season run in


----------



## Tongue Twisted

Chelsea somehow found a way to win today. They always seem to find a way it's ridiculous haha. Really harsh on Spurs but I can't lie -- I took some pleasure seeing them lose. It'll be interesting seeing how they react in the league.

I'm not really expecting much from Arsenal tomorrow. We're absolute **** at the moment and coming up against the attacking force of City, I don't feel great about our chances; I only trust Alexis and Koscielny to put out good performances. Nonetheless, I'm excited.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Tongue Twisted said:


> Chelsea somehow found a way to win today. They always seem to find a way it's ridiculous haha. Really harsh on Spurs but I can't lie -- I took some pleasure seeing them lose. It'll be interesting seeing how they react in the league.
> 
> I'm not really expecting much from Arsenal tomorrow. We're absolute **** at the moment and coming up against the attacking force of City, I don't feel great about our chances; I only trust Alexis and Koscielny to put out good performances. Nonetheless, I'm excited.


I thought we would lose to Spurs today with the form they have been in but we got a lucky break with that penalty and otherwise took our chances...I mean a rare Matic Thunder Bolt to be sure!? That's the footballing gods wearing Blue on the day, lol

I too suspect a City/Chelsea final which will be pretty good


----------



## Tongue Twisted

Yeah couldn't help but laugh when that shot struck in off the bar (and what a beauty it was!). It was just so typical of how clinical Chelsea are and how no matter what kind of form Spurs are in, they always seem to bottle it when it matters.


----------



## Tongue Twisted

Woooo another FA Cup final! I have something to look forward to now despite witnessing one of our most depressing seasons.

Nothing like the cup final day.


----------



## Tongue Twisted

Watched El Clasico too. Pretty incredible game. That last minute Messi goal was incredible.


----------



## konas8

I'm liking Holding and the revived Ox. Something to be excited about at least.


----------



## Tongue Twisted

Same! I was really impressed by their performances. Holding was surprisingly calm and mature considering his age and inexperience.

Roberto Holdinho -- our saviour


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Gotta say, it's nice you made the final but that Cup will be wearing Blue this season! Haha


----------



## Tongue Twisted

Haha, you're probably right but it's game on


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Chelsea at this moment in time kind of remind me of Utd some years back under Fergie where they would just outscore the opponent,
"You score 2, we'll score 3", that's what the last couple games feel like on this wave to the double


----------



## Tongue Twisted

Canadian Brotha said:


> Chelsea at this moment in time kind of remind me of Utd some years back under Fergie where they would just outscore the opponent,
> "You score 2, we'll score 3", that's what the last couple games feel like on this *wave to the double*


pfffffffft


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Tongue Twisted said:


> pfffffffft


Point is we're not keeping clean sheets but we're scoring and that's carrying us on. I don't literally mean this Chelsea is the same as that team, lol


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Thank You Hammers! Lol


----------



## Paperback Writer

The one time I decide not to watch Blunderland this season and it turns out to be one of those rare occasions that we actually win. :lol

Championship defenders everywhere will be trembling in fear at the thought of Billy Jones. 8) Just like how I usually am when I see his name on the teamsheet.


----------



## BlazingLazer

Never thought I would be rooting for Juventus, but given the circumstances, I will be doing so on June 3rd. To say that I'm tired of Real Madrid (and even moreso, the lot of their front running fans) being shoved in my face would be quite the understatement.

And when's the last time they surrendered a goal besides today? The 19th century!?


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Juve all the way for Buffon if no one else!


----------



## Sherlocking

can any english team reach semi final next year?


----------



## konas8

Sherlocking said:


> can any english team reach semi final next year?


Chelsea perhaps...Maybe Man City if they get their **** together.


----------



## Paper Samurai

konas8 said:


> Chelsea perhaps...Maybe Man City if they get their **** together.


 I can see Costa, and maybe even Hazard leaving this summer. So it might take another season for Chelsea to have a good run in Europe.

Man City might do it though, I see Pep's brand of football as more suited to Europe than the Premiership.


----------



## Canadian Brotha




----------



## PGVan

I'm getting sick of UEFA and their hatred for mid-lower level leagues. Here we have a Europa League final with Man United vs Ajax. UEFA made it clear today that if Ajax wins and earns the Champions League spot reserved for the Europa League Winner, The Netherlands will not get a third Champions League spot next season. Obviously I'm biased being a PSV supporter, but what the f*** happens to the spot Ajax would be vacating? I can't make sense of this.

As it stands now...
Eredivisie Champion: Feyenoord - Group Stage
Eredivisie Runner Up: Ajax - 3rd Round Qualifying

If Ajax wins, they get the EL Winner spot in the Playoffs or Group Stage. I don't understand how the Eredivisie Runner Up spot Ajax would be vacating doesn't go to the next best Dutch club! Who gets it?


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Even a miserable Mourinho is a title winning manager. Wouldn't be surprised if he wins a Euro or World Cup to complete his CV before he retires


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

**** yeah

Best team by a country mile


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Arsene's trophy


----------



## In a Lonely Place




----------



## In a Lonely Place

Canadian Brotha said:


> Gotta say, it's nice you made the final but that Cup will be wearing Blue this season! Haha


----------



## Canadian Brotha

In a Lonely Place said:


>


Go on then! Live it up! lol


----------



## PGVan

Fair result in the CL Final. Juventus came out flat for the second half. Sergio Ramos is trash though. He should have seen his 2nd yellow along with Cuadrado. Black mark on the match for me. 

I also fail to understand why associations insist on the losing team watching the winners get the trophy. Give them their unwanted second place medals and let them get the hell off the pitch. I wouldn't stay to watch and be tortured.


----------



## LilMeRich

lad said:


> Championship is my favourite league, so unpredictable and my beloved brighton and hove albion are in it.


It's a great league, very difficult to get out of. I'm pleased both our teams challenged each other to the last weekend & get to face each other in the Premier League now :grin2:

Newcastle fan over here :laugh:


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Neymar deal lol

The death of the beautiful game has begun.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

In a Lonely Place said:


> Neymar deal lol
> 
> The death of the beautiful game has begun.


It's pretty absurd I agree


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I'm not really sure what to think or expect as a Chelsea fan this season. Losing the FA Cup & Community Shield to Arsenal doesn't bother me much having previously won the Premier League but our lack of transfer activity given some of the players we've let go is shocking to say the least. A championship side is meant to build on success with proper reinforcements/competition for the current squad. I suppose we'll have to settle for a cup as things stand. The squad is too thin for the UCL & looks like it's all about Manchester(assuming Pep sorts his defence) for the league with Liverpool being a wildcard


----------



## Canadian Brotha

An entertaining opener with horrendous defending. I'm glad that Vardy, Lacazette, & Giroud all scored in the match though disappointed Arsenal didn't lose, lol. Wenger's face while they were losing though, it was as if we were at Xmas or in the new year and they started falling out of challenging for all competitions except the FA cup. The fans looking devastated until the end too, lol


----------



## In a Lonely Place




----------



## Canadian Brotha

Spurs dominate, Blues win, classic! Haha. I like Christensen, he looks good. Rudiger did alright as well. If we get a few decent bodies in to have a bench ready for cover then thugs aren't looking so bad for the season in the league. The UCL is a whole other level of challenge though. Feel for the batsman too, scored the goal that won us the league but just can buy good luck when on the pitch for us right now.

Also glad the Gunners got Pottered this weekend too, lol


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Haha

Glad you beat the Spuds anyways 

In other news:

*Dennis Bergkamp goal for Arsenal v Newcastle voted Premier League's best

Dennis Bergkamp's goal for Arsenal against Newcastle in 2002 has been chosen as the best in Premier League history by BBC Sport readers.

The Dutchman's sublime turn and finish came in a 2-0 win at St James' Park - and with 31% of votes it topped our poll, just pipping Tony Yeboah's wonder strike for Leeds against Wimbledon in 1995.

There have been more than 25,000 goals since the Premier League was formed in 1992.

We selected one from each of the 25 seasons and broke the votes down into five-year periods (1992-93 - 1996-97, 1997-98 - 2001-02, 2002-03 - 2006-07, 2007-08 - 2011-12, 2012-13 - 2016-17), with one goal selected from each campaign.

The five winners went into a final vote, with Bergkamp emerging victorious.

On 2 March 2002, Bergkamp turned Newcastle defender Nikos Dabizas and slotted the ball past goalkeeper Shay Given.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live, former Republic of Ireland international Given said: "I was relaxed watching Match of the Day and saw that goal had been voted the best. Out of all the goals, it had to be the one against me.

"The whole build-up to the goal - Viera to Bergkamp, to Pires, back to Bergkamp - before we could blink it was in the back of the net.

"It was a piece of magic. The finish was good and the touch was unbelievable. You'll never see one like that again in the Premier League."
*




































Total Genius and my favourite player of all time.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^Thats a very special goal indeed!

How many red cards this season and it's only been 2 weekends...and how many do you feel were actually sendings off? And what about a few calls that should have been red cards based on what were given as red cards in prior games so far. Seems pretty damn inconsistent so far on that front


----------



## RagnarLothbrok

Have to say that is the worst Arsenal performance I've seen in a long time. I'm not complaining though... Karius was probably their best player 

When Coutinho comes back to play behind our front three it will be magical.









:lol


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^I'm so glad you guys beat them but they could have put up some kind of resistance...how long before the full brigade of "Wenger out" is back do ya think? lol. Sanchez ought to come place of us, he can stay in London, improve our squad/champions league endeavours...

Speaking of the Blues, perhaps the crisis talk will switch from us to Arsenal for a spell. Everton were a lot more sluggish than I thought expected, we were sloppy and still won easy, strange that. I hope we sort some decent transfers for our squad this week


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Thank God that International crap is done...UCL picks anyone?


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I feel like that was one of the best defensive Arsenal performances I've seen in ages, they were throwing their bodies in front of so many shots from us


----------



## In a Lonely Place

​


> Olivier Giroud's superb 'scorpion kick' was voted by fans around the globe as the best goal of 2016-17, succeeding Mohd Faiz Subri as this year's FIFA Puskás Award winner. His brilliantly improvised finish, scored against Crystal Palace in the English Premier League on 1 January 2017, completed a swift counter attack by Arsenal. Alexis Sanchez curled in a cross from outside the penalty area on the left wing for the Frenchman, whose audacious, acrobatic effort crashed in off the crossbar before bulging the inside of the Palace net.


----------



## wmu'14

I like the MLS. I don't understand how people in America can get excited for the Euro Leagues. I know people say the MLS is like a minor league, but people LOVE college football and that's not even really officially a minor league.

I wish MLS was bigger. I wish Michigan had a team. (I don't think it'd work in Michigan, though). The fan experience for Atlanta United, Orlando City FC, Vancouver, and Seattle all sound/look bigger then college football with more passion.


----------



## PGVan

wmu'14 said:


> I like the MLS. I don't understand how people in America can get excited for the Euro Leagues. I know people say the MLS is like a minor league, but people LOVE college football and that's not even really officially a minor league.
> 
> I wish MLS was bigger. I wish Michigan had a team. (I don't think it'd work in Michigan, though). The fan experience for Atlanta United, Orlando City FC, Vancouver, and Seattle all sound/look bigger then college football with more passion.


It's just a simple fact that the top European leagues are that much better in terms of quality than the MLS. I'll give the league credit, it is improving, but it's still not a top level. I'm a fan of the Eredivisie (Netherlands top league). MLS clubs would be fine in that league simply because it's not as good as it used to be. We now develop players to move on to bigger clubs and leagues. Put an MLS club into the English Premier League, La Liga or the Bundesliga and they would be competing to avoid relegation. A good MLS club would do well to be mid-table in the French and Italian leagues too and I might be a bit generous in saying that.

Look at Sebastian Giovinco for example. He moved from Juventus to Toronto FC in 2015 and since then he hasn't been called up for Italy much and was left off their Euro 2016 squad despite being MLS' best player. Antonio Conte's quote about it was, "When you make a certain choice and go to play in certain leagues, you do so taking it into account that they could pay the consequences from a footballing viewpoint."

The passionate support from fans in Europe is also on another level. I've been to Vancouver Whitecaps games. Their southside is good, they're loud... but I went to games in Arnhem (Vitesse v Lazio), Eindhoven (PSV (my club) v Feyenoord) and Gelsenkirchen (Schalke v Bayern Munich) last month, and the fans are just louder and much more organized in terms of passionate support.


----------



## NaDes95

Hey guys, any of you do betting on matches? Any advice for next weeks WC qualifiers?


----------



## Tongue Twisted

Canadian Brotha said:


> Thank God that International crap is done...UCL picks anyone?


The international crap is over again, yay! (to be fair though, the Italy-Sweden play-off was good)

I don't feel great about Arsenal though. I know how our season will end and it won't be great. Alexis off, Ozil off, average people stay, no ucl... *shudders*


----------



## Tongue Twisted

NaDes95 said:


> Hey guys, any of you do betting on matches? Any advice for next weeks WC qualifiers?


had I seen this before I would have told you to bet on lots of 0-0s haha


----------



## NaDes95

Tongue Twisted said:


> had I seen this before I would have told you to bet on lots of 0-0s haha


Yeah, it was pretty underwhelming... But at least club football is back in action this weekend with some really tasty fixtures


----------



## PGVan

I must be in a minority to be a bit sad the internationals are over, even though Oranje didn't qualify. As bad as some of the playoff matches were, I enjoy watching players playing for pride. I love my club too, but the money in club football is ridiculous. As a Dutch fan there's not much reason to get excited for UEFA competitions because our clubs can't compete anymore. The Eredivisie winner will have to enter Champions League qualifying next summer instead of getting a group stage spot. We lose our players to bigger clubs (and when I say bigger, it's teams like Hamburg, Stoke, Everton and other mid-level clubs rather than Barcelona, Bayern, etc) and they rarely play. It has in turn destroyed our national team.

UEFA needs to stop the big clubs and leagues from decimating smaller leagues who used to produce champions. Sadly, it's obvious they don't want to.


----------



## NaDes95

PGVan said:


> I must be in a minority to be a bit sad the internationals are over, even though Oranje didn't qualify. As bad as some of the playoff matches were, I enjoy watching players playing for pride. I love my club too, but the money in club football is ridiculous. As a Dutch fan there's not much reason to get excited for UEFA competitions because our clubs can't compete anymore. The Eredivisie winner will have to enter Champions League qualifying next summer instead of getting a group stage spot. We lose our players to bigger clubs (and when I say bigger, it's teams like Hamburg, Stoke, Everton and other mid-level clubs rather than Barcelona, Bayern, etc) and they rarely play. It has in turn destroyed our national team.
> 
> UEFA needs to stop the big clubs and leagues from decimating smaller leagues who used to produce champions. Sadly, it's obvious they don't want to.


I guess it depends on the country you are from. Im from Hungary, our football has been going on a downfall since 30-40 years now. We still support our team from heart, but its really hard to get excited when your team is below mediocre. Last year's Euro was an unexpected breakthrough but we managed to sank back to where we were before in 1 year (losing to Andorra 2-0, its a joke really). So international break is just about watching our national side (with full of players who we* have to *support) suffer, can't really cheer for other nations also, so we are just waiting for it to end really. When club football is back at least I can watch those teams I choose to like (not from hungarian league, thats even lower level).
But you are right with the big clubs eating smaller ones, there should be something done about it (financial fairplay, where are you?)


----------



## PGVan

NaDes95 said:


> I guess it depends on the country you are from. Im from Hungary, our football has been going on a downfall since 30-40 years now. We still support our team from heart, but its really hard to get excited when your team is below mediocre. Last year's Euro was an unexpected breakthrough but we managed to sank back to where we were before in 1 year (losing to Andorra 2-0, its a joke really). So international break is just about watching our national side (with full of players who we* have to *support) suffer, can't really cheer for other nations also, so we are just waiting for it to end really. When club football is back at least I can watch those teams I choose to like (not from hungarian league, thats even lower level).
> But you are right with the big clubs eating smaller ones, there should be something done about it (financial fairplay, where are you?)


I understand the national team plight. I just hope The Netherlands aren't on a complete downward spiral and we have some light at the end of the tunnel for our new generation. As for club football, I am still passionate for PSV Eindhoven, but the quality of our league is just nothing compared to even 10 years ago. I can see it in people I know in the country, while they still have their club allegiances in the Eredivisie, they would rather watch Real Madrid, Barcelona and other major clubs instead of their own league. I understand the quality reasons, but it's still just really sad to me.


----------



## NaDes95

PGVan said:


> I understand the national team plight. I just hope The Netherlands aren't on a complete downward spiral and we have some light at the end of the tunnel for our new generation. As for club football, I am still passionate for PSV Eindhoven, but the quality of our league is just nothing compared to even 10 years ago. I can see it in people I know in the country, while they still have their club allegiances in the Eredivisie, they would rather watch Real Madrid, Barcelona and other major clubs instead of their own league. I understand the quality reasons, but it's still just really sad to me.


Im not sure about The Netherlands situation, but it seems like there is a missing generation after the Robben-Sneijder-etc. era of players who could replace them. But Netherlands is such a great football culture, I'm sure this "crysis" wont last long. Look at Brazil, they had difficulties a few years ago with quality players in national team, and now they can compete for World Cup gold. As you said, money brings some problems to the table ( like Q. Promes, talented, young dutch player transfer to Spartak Moscow, like wtf), but sooner or later the good academies will help to bring The Netherlands back to its place with new generation of gifted players.

Btw, do you remember Balázs Dzsudzsák? He used to play in PSV around 2010, hungarian player. You would be suprised how he wasted his carrier.


----------



## PGVan

NaDes95 said:


> Im not sure about The Netherlands situation, but it seems like there is a missing generation after the Robben-Sneijder-etc. era of players who could replace them. But Netherlands is such a great football culture, I'm sure this "crysis" wont last long. Look at Brazil, they had difficulties a few years ago with quality players in national team, and now they can compete for World Cup gold. As you said, money brings some problems to the table ( like Q. Promes, talented, young dutch player transfer to Spartak Moscow, like wtf), but sooner or later the good academies will help to bring The Netherlands back to its place with new generation of gifted players.
> 
> Btw, do you remember Balázs Dzsudzsák? He used to play in PSV around 2010, hungarian player. You would be suprised how he wasted his carrier.


Dzsudzsák was good for us. Shame he moved on when he did, but it was impossible for us to turn down €14M for him in 2011. That's the state of Dutch football. Offers for players with potential (Dutch or not) come in that are impossible to refuse. Look at Spurs throwing €40M at Ajax for Davinson Sanchez. Ajax had plans for him, but they couldn't say no to that. PSV are also guaranteed to get a massive offer for Hirving Lozano after this season.

As for The Netherlands national team, this is where money comes in. There seems to be a missing generation because our players are leaving The Netherlands at 19-22 (or sooner) instead of 24-26 years old. Brasil was able to recover because they still have world class stars playing with giant European clubs. The only Dutch player at a giant European club now is Robben and he just retired from the national team. I'm not counting Cillessen at Barcelona because he doesn't play. That is the problem. Our players who actually go to big clubs in Europe now only go to not play at a level better than a reserve squad, or they go to mid-level clubs or relegation battlers for the money. So many players who had great potential but they left too soon. In no particular order...

Memphis Depay (PSV to Manchester United at 21. Still hope for him, but Manchester United almost destroyed him and Lyon aren't the top club they used to be.)
Luuk de Jong (Twente to Monchengladbach at 22. Then to Newcastle and back to Holland with PSV.)
Nathan Aké (Feyenoord youth to Chelsea at 16. Loan spells at Reading and Watford and now he's at Bournemouth. Still hope for him at 22, but I'm not confident.)
Davy Pröpper (Left at the right time to be fair (26), but his "step up" was to go from PSV to Brighton.)
Davy Klaassen (Same as Pröpper. Left at 24, but his "step up" was slightly better in going to Everton.)
Marco van Ginkel (Vitesse to Chelsea at 21. Loans at AC Milan and Stoke. Riddled with injuries and he's still 24, but now back in Holland on loan with PSV and we want to make that permanent.)
Quincy Promes (Twente to Spartak Moskva a 22.)
Vincent Janssen (AZ to Spurs at 22.)
Luciano Narsingh (Left at the right time (26), but his "step up" was to go from PSV to Swansea.)
Vurnon Anita (Ajax to Newcastle at 24. Now he's at Leeds.)
Leroy Fer (Twente to Norwich at 23. Now he's at Swansea.)

There are more, but I'll stop there. Some of it is on these guys for simply never realizing their potential, but it's clear players are leaving Holland too soon. It's hurting their own development, it's hurting the Eredivisie and it's hurting the national team. The reason is money.


----------



## konas8

The order has been restored.


----------



## NaDes95

PGVan said:


> Dzsudzsák was good for us. Shame he moved on when he did, but it was impossible for us to turn down €14M for him in 2011. That's the state of Dutch football. Offers for players with potential (Dutch or not) come in that are impossible to refuse. Look at Spurs throwing €40M at Ajax for Davinson Sanchez. Ajax had plans for him, but they couldn't say no to that. PSV are also guaranteed to get a massive offer for Hirving Lozano after this season.
> 
> As for The Netherlands national team, this is where money comes in. There seems to be a missing generation because our players are leaving The Netherlands at 19-22 (or sooner) instead of 24-26 years old. Brasil was able to recover because they still have world class stars playing with giant European clubs. The only Dutch player at a giant European club now is Robben and he just retired from the national team. I'm not counting Cillessen at Barcelona because he doesn't play. That is the problem. Our players who actually go to big clubs in Europe now only go to not play at a level better than a reserve squad, or they go to mid-level clubs or relegation battlers for the money. So many players who had great potential but they left too soon. In no particular order...
> 
> Memphis Depay (PSV to Manchester United at 21. Still hope for him, but Manchester United almost destroyed him and Lyon aren't the top club they used to be.)
> Luuk de Jong (Twente to Monchengladbach at 22. Then to Newcastle and back to Holland with PSV.)
> Nathan Aké (Feyenoord youth to Chelsea at 16. Loan spells at Reading and Watford and now he's at Bournemouth. Still hope for him at 22, but I'm not confident.)
> Davy Pröpper (Left at the right time to be fair (26), but his "step up" was to go from PSV to Brighton.)
> Davy Klaassen (Same as Pröpper. Left at 24, but his "step up" was slightly better in going to Everton.)
> Marco van Ginkel (Vitesse to Chelsea at 21. Loans at AC Milan and Stoke. Riddled with injuries and he's still 24, but now back in Holland on loan with PSV and we want to make that permanent.)
> Quincy Promes (Twente to Spartak Moskva a 22.)
> Vincent Janssen (AZ to Spurs at 22.)
> Luciano Narsingh (Left at the right time (26), but his "step up" was to go from PSV to Swansea.)
> Vurnon Anita (Ajax to Newcastle at 24. Now he's at Leeds.)
> Leroy Fer (Twente to Norwich at 23. Now he's at Swansea.)
> 
> There are more, but I'll stop there. Some of it is on these guys for simply never realizing their potential, but it's clear players are leaving Holland too soon. It's hurting their own development, it's hurting the Eredivisie and it's hurting the national team. The reason is money.


Dzsudzsák is the perfect example what is wrong with modern (hungarian) football. Players don't want to make carriers, they want to make as much money as possible. As a young, talented player, who was in a CL/ EL level team like PSV, having the chance to constantly play in european competition, also having many offers from all around Europe, he made the decision that none of that matters, he will transfer to Anzhi. Disgrace. (His teams ever since: Anzhi, Dinamo Moscow, Bursaspor, Al Vahda - at the age of 30).

Wow, this list says it all. Wasted talents, no wonder the national team is suffering. It is also mind-boggling to see that these players choose low Premier League teams instead of Eredivise top 4. I mean, what the hell. Sadly, there is just no chance to compete with PL teams financially. Just looking at the money they got from TV rights: Swansea > Bayern / Juventus / Atlético. These things really doesnt make sense anymore.


----------



## Cool Hand Luke

Manchester City need to be stopped, they have to lose atleast once. Getting a bit nervous here.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

^^^ You a Utd fan? Would make it more interesting if they lost the traditional 2-3 games champions usually do. 

December! Footy, Footy, & more footy! Hallelujah! Amen!


----------



## Paperback Writer

*I loathe him*

David Moyes winning a game of football. :sus


----------



## wallenstein

Paperback Writer said:


> David Moyes winning a game of football. :sus


Lol at Chelsea losing to both Palace and West Ham.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

wallenstein said:


> Lol at Chelsea losing to both Palace and West Ham.


It's actually not that surprising. Over the years we've had a knack for losing or drawing to struggling teams sporadically through a season. We still tend to win at least one trophy every second season though so we may be out of the title race but unless Utd beat City everyone is out of the title race. All about top 4 & cup runs for us now


----------



## wallenstein

Fair enough, what do you think of Bakayoko struggling to perform? Do you think its just the fact that he's still adapting to the PL or is he just not an adequate replacement for Matic.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

wallenstein said:


> Fair enough, what do you think of Bakayoko struggling to perform? Do you think its just the fact that he's still adapting to the PL or is he just not an adequate replacement for Matic.


I don't think he is the same type of player as Matic firstly. Secondly Matic was a traveled and refined midfielder with experience in his prime & Bakayoko is still essentially a raw kid in his first adventure away from home in a big team. So for me it's learning curves as well as formation/tactics as sometimes the way the team is setup doesn't necessarily suit him. The guys on the Chels podcast regularly point out that both Essien & Drogba weren't the players we came to worship in their first season & so I'm sort of leaning towards that vibe, that by seasons end and next season he'll have improved vastly


----------



## NaDes95

Thoughts on the CL draws?


----------



## Canadian Brotha

NaDes95 said:


> Thoughts on the CL draws?


Madrid/PSG, Spurs/June, Chelsea/Barca, I think there are some pretty good ties for the round of 16


----------



## NaDes95

Canadian Brotha said:


> Madrid/PSG, Spurs/June, Chelsea/Barca, I think there are some pretty good ties for the round of 16


Its a shame we see them play each other early, but oh well, at least there won't be a boring match day at all


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Arsene Wenger will take charge of his 810th game as a Premier League manager in tonight's game against Palace equalling Sir Alex Ferguson’s Premier League record.

Amazing feat!


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Well chuffed with the result, it's only the league cup final but we can't afford to be choosy. The lads seem very together now the mercenary has finally gone.


----------



## DJAshton

Convinced Arsenal are the cause for all my problems tbh. Play great one week, can't pass the ball the next, and please, don't get me started on our defending or the fact Petr Cech can't kick a football properly. Pleased with the Aubameyang signing but worried we haven't strengthened the midfield or the defence. Not that too much of that matters as I think we need a new manager before anything changes.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

It’s really too bad that Conte hasn’t been backed to the hills after winning the title last season, our recruitment has been pretty poor this and the back room tensions/media speculation isn’t helping. 

That said, finishing 2nd or 3rd and winning the FA Cup wouldn’t be disastrous. I’d like to see Conte stick around and get backed in the lively/fresh market the World Cup will produce. Hopefully we beat Watford & leapfrog Liverpool for now, their draw with Spurs wasn’t so bad for us


----------



## mobc1990

Arsenal supporter here.Been supporting Arsenal since I was a kid.Recent Arsenal result is very disappointing and depressing for a avid fan like me,****i want to switch club?(Just joking).


----------



## Canadian Brotha

mobc1990 said:


> Arsenal supporter here.Been supporting Arsenal since I was a kid.Recent Arsenal result is very disappointing and depressing for a avid fan like me,****i want to switch club?(Just joking).


Good times/bad times man...good news is Wenger can't live forever and in the next 3 or 4 years someone is gonna rebuild that squad


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Good news is that I was around to see the greatest Arsenal side of all time, playing the best football in the world without spending ludicrous amounts of money to snatch mercenary players with zero loyalty. A great manager who moulded my club in his own image, the invincibles, new stadium, top four finishes for twenty years, trophies, sexy football. One day Arsene will get the respect he is due. 

I feel sorry for youngsters as I got to live in an era when football still had honesty and integrity. Players that weren't being prostituted out to the highest bidder by their pimp agents. 

Of course Arsenal will come again but never like those great teams of the past, those times are gone, money is killing everything.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

In a Lonely Place said:


> Good news is that I was around to see the greatest Arsenal side of all time, playing the best football in the world without spending ludicrous amounts of money to snatch mercenary players with zero loyalty. A great manager who moulded my club in his own image, the invincibles, new stadium, top four finishes for twenty years, trophies, sexy football. One day Arsene will get the respect he is due.
> 
> I feel sorry for youngsters as I got to live in an era when football still had honesty and integrity. Players that weren't being prostituted out to the highest bidder by their pimp agents.
> 
> Of course Arsenal will come again but never like those great teams of the past, those times are gone, money is killing everything.


Even I think the money is absurd & I'm curious as to when the bubble will burst but a great team is still a great team and right now Pep has one, no doubt about that


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Canadian Brotha said:


> Even I think the money is absurd & I'm curious as to when the bubble will burst but a great team is still a great team and right now Pep has one, no doubt about that


So he ****ing should have with the dough they spent


----------



## Canadian Brotha

In a Lonely Place said:


> So he ****ing should have with the dough they spent


Money is a factor but not always key, look at PSG in the UCL. Guardiola has spent a stupid amount but he's also coached a number of players to become way better than they were & should be given credit for it just as Wenger should be critiqued for reducing the form of players with great potential. Last season Conte cemented a back 3 as a valid and perhaps preferred team shape in the league and this season Guardiola has brought total football by to another degree, these are things brought by the coaches that should be acknowledged despite the money factor


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Canadian Brotha said:


> Money is a factor but not always key, look at PSG in the UCL. Guardiola has spent a stupid amount but he's also coached a number of players to become way better than they were & should be given credit for it just as Wenger should be critiqued for reducing the form of players with great potential. Last season Conte cemented a back 3 as a valid and perhaps preferred team shape in the league and this season Guardiola has brought total football by to another degree, these are things brought by the coaches that should be acknowledged despite the money factor


Just as Wenger coached players to higher levels, still I suppose you know more than the great players who credit Arsene with so much.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

In a Lonely Place said:


> Just as Wenger coached players to higher levels, still I suppose you know more than the great players who credit Arsene with so much.


I'm not saying he's been a terrible manager overall, what I'm saying is he deserves the criticism of the past 5 years regardless of whatever he did before that. If Pep is still at City 5 years from now & they've declined steadily like Arsenal have then he'd deserved the full book of critique too. I mean Ian Wright loves the guy for what he gave him & totally crucifies him on the regular basis on Match Of The Day or Football Daily because of what he's let his legacy become. Once he's gone and Arsenal have moved on all the fuss about the last decade isn't what we'll talk about, we'll talk about his greatness, it's just damn near impossible to do right now with him still there and the way things have gone.


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Canadian Brotha said:


> I'm not saying he's been a terrible manager overall, what I'm saying is he deserves the criticism of the past 5 years regardless of whatever he did before that. If Pep is still at City 5 years from now & they've declined steadily like Arsenal have then he'd deserved the full book of critique too. I mean Ian Wright loves the guy for what he gave him & totally crucifies him on the regular basis on Match Of The Day or Football Daily because of what he's let his legacy become. Once he's gone and Arsenal have moved on all the fuss about the last decade isn't what we'll talk about, we'll talk about his greatness, it's just damn near impossible to do right now with him still there and the way things have gone.


He's been criticised for more like 10 yrs, the media baying for his blood every season annoyed by loyalty between the owners and manager because it exists nowhere else. 
Ian Wright is a tool much like Alan Shearer.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

In a Lonely Place said:


> He's been criticised for more like 10 yrs, the media baying for his blood every season annoyed by loyalty between the owners and manager because it exists nowhere else.
> Ian Wright is a tool much like Alan Shearer.


Do you think he deserves any of the criticism of the past decade or is it that in your eyes the man can do no wrong regardless of results on the pitch?


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Canadian Brotha said:


> Do you think he deserves any of the criticism of the past decade or is it that in your eyes the man can do no wrong regardless of results on the pitch?


The last few seasons for sure, there were mistakes before that of course but that applies to every manager, every human being. He hasn't deserved the nasty stuff, people/media trying to crush him. That's pretty sickening to see, especially when it comes from people not fit to shine his shoes.
All the right people, real football people respect him so I suppose that's all that matters. Hell even Sir Alex Ferguson wrote a piece on the respect he has for AW recently!


----------



## Paper Samurai

Canadian Brotha said:


> I'm not saying he's been a terrible manager overall, what I'm saying is he deserves the criticism of the past 5 years regardless of whatever he did before that. If Pep is still at City 5 years from now & they've declined steadily like Arsenal have then he'd deserved the full book of critique too. I mean Ian Wright loves the guy for what he gave him & totally crucifies him on the regular basis on Match Of The Day or Football Daily because of what he's let his legacy become. Once he's gone and Arsenal have moved on all the fuss about the last decade isn't what we'll talk about, we'll talk about his greatness, it's just damn near impossible to do right now with him still there and the way things have gone.


You mentioned the last decade, Wenger still had to deal with the stadium debt for most of that period. He was over achieving (at least to an extent) given the resources that he had available. It's only it's only in the last 2, maybe 3 seasons that he's under achieved - and that's more to do with the fact that football has evolved into something more fast paced and more dependent on pressing/what players do without the ball. (He hasn't been able to keep up tactically) For someone who's been managing for 30 years+ and who's getting into his late 60's it was almost inevitable at some point, you got to give credit to the guy though for being able to do what he has done for so long and at the highest level.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Paper Samurai said:


> You mentioned the last decade, Wenger still had to deal with the stadium debt for most of that period. He was over achieving (at least to an extent) given the resources that he had available. It's only it's only in the last 2, maybe 3 seasons that he's under achieved - and that's more to do with the fact that football has evolved into something more fast paced and more dependent on pressing/what players do without the ball. (He hasn't been able to keep up tactically) For someone who's been managing for 30 years+ and who's getting into his late 60's it was almost inevitable at some point, you got to give credit to the guy though for being able to do what he has done for so long and at the highest level.


I've only really criticized him for around 5 years but I know how the media is across the pond & if they can crucify someone in footy they just will regardless of if the harshness is deserved. I also know about the stadium and the money factor but as you say the game has moved on, all the other top teams have as well and until he's gone as a club Arsenal simply won't. It's as I said, once he's out of the firing line the club can progress, and he can get the respect he deserves but if not then vultures will feed, which currently is deserved. He really should be a national team manager at this point not a club one.


----------



## In a Lonely Place

At the end of the day Arsene Wenger has committed 22yrs of his life to Arsenal FC, that in itself deserves the upmost respect. Most football people admire and respect him and that really is all that counts. He turned down all the biggest clubs in the world to stay with us and I will never forget that. Maybe he is yesterday's man, from an age where loyalty meant something, now it's non existent.

We are so lucky to have had that man in charge, Arsenal FC have always been known for their class, doing things the right way, the Arsenal way and I wouldn't swap our last two decades for any other clubs if it would have meant having 14+ different managers.
Only fickle glory hunters throw their toys out their prams in rough times and that's something I've never been as a lifelong gooner. There are dozens of quality football clubs around Europe that would swap their last 20yrs for ours.
Trouble with people now is they want everything now, instant gratification but I'm all about the journey, the trials and tribulations are all part of that.

COYG


----------



## Paper Samurai

Canadian Brotha said:


> I've only really criticized him for around 5 years but I know how the media is across the pond & if they can crucify someone in footy they just will regardless of if the harshness is deserved. I also know about the stadium and the money factor but as you say the game has moved on, all the other top teams have as well and until he's gone as a club Arsenal simply won't. It's as I said, once he's out of the firing line the club can progress, and he can get the respect he deserves but if not then vultures will feed, which currently is deserved. He really should be a national team manager at this point not a club one.


 I agree with the idea that he should go into international football, which is something I've actually mentioned to other people - he can develop players/bring through youth without having to think of transfer fees, plus it would be less of a workload (World Cup once every 4 years, and Euros the same)

I'm just hoping he resigns at the end of this season rather than get pushed. It wouldn't be a nice way to go for the guy given what he's done for us.


----------



## NaDes95

Talking about washed up coaches, the 'Special One' has just made a fool of himself against a not even top-tier spanish side. There is nothing else to blame, Mou is just trying to play the same tactic he did 8-10 years ago while the world of football is moving futher away from him.


----------



## In a Lonely Place

*r.i.p*​


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Scousers smashed up city's coach as they arrived lol


----------



## Replicante

He did magic. ****ing amazing!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

In a Lonely Place said:


> Scousers smashed up city's coach as they arrived lol





Another Replicant said:


> He did magic. ****ing amazing!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah...I totally shouted at the TV, haha


I only heard about that after the match. I'm glad Liverpool won, I like that Klopp has Pep's number, apparently he did in Germany too


----------



## Replicante

Canadian Brotha said:


> I'm glad Liverpool won, I like that Klopp has Pep's number, apparently he did in Germany too


I was cheering Liverpool. I have to confess, I've had a lot of fun with Pep's reactions.


----------



## SFC01

My cousin's son is starting at last for Liverpool today against Everton, live on TV right now - he scored against everton last time - go on lad !! Been injured a lot of the time but has been on the bench all this season, in premier and champions league.

Shame I ****ing hate liverpool, and everton, but he wasn't good enough at Southampton.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Glad City vs Utd has been a tale of two halves so far...


----------



## 3stacks

Come on United! (yeah Im a united fan from birmingham, typical lol)


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Klopp & Mourinho slap Guardiola the face...now Klopp needs to do it one more time & I’ll be wholly satisfied, haha. 

It’s not often I cheer on Utd as I’m a Blues Brotha not a Red Devil like my bro, but today it was worth it, lol


----------



## SFC01

Come on Saints !! Hopefully a break from "weekend football depression" for once this season


----------



## SFC01

SFC01 said:


> Come on Saints !! Hopefully a break from "weekend football depression" for once this season


****

why did i post the above,


----------



## SFC01

SFC01 said:


> ****
> 
> why did i post the above,


what a bunch of wankers

why wasnt I born in Manchester or Germany, at least football wouldn't bring me nothing but misery.

bollocks


----------



## Canadian Brotha

SFC01 said:


> what a bunch of wankers
> 
> why wasnt I born in Manchester or Germany, at least football wouldn't bring me nothing but misery.
> 
> bollocks


We didn't even play but for 10 minutes, harsh way to lose but as a blue I'm glad we turned it around...


----------



## Nick Attwell

Two packs of batteries from Maplin, who have the receivers in, so they are discounting their stock

One pack of 24 AA in one pack for £3

40 AA & 20 AAA in a pack of 60 for £9.99


----------



## SFC01

Canadian Brotha said:


> We didn't even play but for 10 minutes, harsh way to lose but as a blue I'm glad we turned it around...


10 minutes is way more than enough to beat us this year. Shame to have got established as a top 8 team and now end up where we are.

The amount of talented players and managers we have let go in the last few seasons could have maybe got a team good enough for challenging for top 5 place. All those transfer fee's and all that sky money we have, and we go out and buy one £15M piece of crap each season.


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Arsene Legend

That is all


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Nice that we get to say goodbye and pay our proper respects to this giant who gave us 22yrs of his life and so much more.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## In a Lonely Place

It’s more like he has died than resigned, wall to wall tributes on news channels. One of the last of a breed, a colossus of true loyal football managers. We will never see his like again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I’m glad that he’s announced it, now people will just respect him rather than criticizing him. Gotta say though, the league won’t be the same without him next season. It’s tough to imagine the Premier League without him but Arsenal will enter a new phase now which will be interesting & the timing fits cause whoever comes in will have stars from the World Cup to look at bringing in for them too. Hopefully he can go out with the Europa League to crown off his legs status!


----------



## Psciortino

I've fallen off watching the EPL in the past year, just because games air at weird times here in the US, but I'm excited as **** for the World Cup


----------



## Micronian

Psciortino said:


> I've fallen off watching the EPL in the past year, just because games air at weird times here in the US, but I'm excited as **** for the World Cup


It's less than 50 days away...


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I prefer club football to the World Cup by far but it’s nice that even the non fans get involved for the World Cup & communities come together for it too, plus naturally prefer the summers with a World Cup or Euros to hold me over until the European leagues return again. I think VAR is gonna be a gong show for this one though...


----------



## SFC01

I used to love the world cup, like a kid a xmas.


I tried to remain optimistic that England would win one day but post tournament depression time after time got to me. I have zero expectation from England now, and the excitement has gone.


but, you never know 


Come on Saints, keep it below 9 today.


----------



## PGVan

There's something about national team football and playing for pride that makes a bit better than club football for me. The trouble these days, especially with our current situation in The Netherlands, most of our young talent would rather get paid to sit on the bench at a mid-low table EPL club than develop in the Eredivisie, and in turn that affects their national team performances. 

Somewhat related, thanks are due to Liverpool today. Securing their CL spot guaranteed the CL winner's spot doesn't need to be used for the group stage, so PSV skips the 3rd qualifying round. (That's how far our league has fallen.)


----------



## Canadian Brotha

At least we’ve ended the season with a trophy


----------



## PGVan

Now begins the transfer rumours... and I'll be the first to tell Man City to f*** off if it's true they've offered €60M for Matthijs de Ligt. I'm assuming he's going to leave Ajax given the dumpster fire that their club management is these days, but FFS he needs to go somewhere he can play. If he goes to Man City or Barcelona now, he'll be just another statistic of young Dutch players leaving too early and contributing to the decline of our national team.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I didn’t see that Arsenal appointment coming but it seems safe enough, if it doesn’t work they can sack him easily


----------



## Replicante

Ippon?


----------



## Kevin001

Ronaldo is doing his thing. Better than Messi?


----------



## Tomatmacka

Hard not to stick with Premier League as your favorite league. Although, Ronaldo still show insane form so I check La Liga or international team now and then to see him do his thing.


----------



## Tomatmacka

Kevin001 said:


> Ronaldo is doing his thing. Better than Messi?


Messi had a tough time against Iceland. That's all I can say for sure.


----------



## Kevin001

Tomatmacka said:


> Messi had a tough time against Iceland. That's all I can say for sure.


I always have a tough time deciding who is better, 2 biggest sport stars in the world.


----------



## Tomatmacka

Kevin001 said:


> I always have a tough time deciding who is better, 2 biggest sport stars in the world.


Personally, I've always found Ronaldo to be the superior one overall. Maybe not always in form but as if Messi's been keeping it perfect lately.


----------



## Micronian

Tomatmacka said:


> Messi had a tough time against Iceland. That's all I can say for sure.


Ronaldo has less pressure placed on him, when it comes to international soccer. Portugal is a good team, but is not expected to win every tournament it enters like argentina does.

Also, Argentina is going through a 25 year championship drought. They haven't won an official FIFA tournament at the senior level since 1993. so the pressure mounts even higher.


----------



## PGVan

Micronian said:


> Ronaldo has less pressure placed on him, when it comes to international soccer. Portugal is a good team, but is not expected to win every tournament it enters like argentina does.


I would rephrase that to say Portugal has the better team, yet Argentina has higher expectations, which is mind-boggling considering that Portugal are the current European Champions.

I can't stand Ronaldo personally, but I'll never deny his talent. What I can't stand more are Messi's comparisons to him. They are two different players, both legendary and when it comes to international football, Messi is Argentina's only weapon anymore. You can say he had trouble against Iceland, and the penalty being saved is half on him. That said, he was also the only Argentina player who made anything happen besides Aguero scoring. My analysis of the game is that Bjarnason missed a sitter in the first 10 minutes and despite the possession numbers, Iceland should have won.

If anything, Messi deserves to be put on a pedestal for the fact his country is even at the World Cup. If he doesn't score 2 of his 3 goals in Ecuador on the final day of South American qualifying, he's on beach this month. Without Messi, Argentina are as bad as The Netherlands and Italy right now, who both need a complete overhaul of their national team programs.


----------



## SSJB

Ronaldo is a beast!


----------



## Kevin001

I'll just say as of right now Ronaldo is better and more popular.


----------



## lackofflife

Kevin001 said:


> I'll just say as of right now Ronaldo is better and more popular.


----------



## Micronian

PGVan said:


> I would rephrase that to say Portugal has the better team, yet Argentina has higher expectations, which is mind-boggling considering that Portugal are the current European Champions.
> 
> I can't stand Ronaldo personally, but I'll never deny his talent. What I can't stand more are Messi's comparisons to him. They are two different players, both legendary and when it comes to international football, Messi is Argentina's only weapon anymore. You can say he had trouble against Iceland, and the penalty being saved is half on him. That said, he was also the only Argentina player who made anything happen besides Aguero scoring. My analysis of the game is that Bjarnason missed a sitter in the first 10 minutes and despite the possession numbers, Iceland should have won.
> 
> If anything, Messi deserves to be put on a pedestal for the fact his country is even at the World Cup. If he doesn't score 2 of his 3 goals in Ecuador on the final day of South American qualifying, he's on beach this month. Without Messi, Argentina are as bad as The Netherlands and Italy right now, who both need a complete overhaul of their national team programs.


Yup.

Right now, Messi is in the position where only he can fix all the problems that the Argentine soccer federation has caused (by winning a championship). The odds to succeed in that situation are nearly zero, and I could only imagine the pressure that he puts on himself--never mind the pressure from the fans, the federation, the coaches, Adidas, or even the president.


----------



## andy0128

In the last match argentina looked predictable. Too much onus is on messi to create out of nothing. Not surprising they struggled in the qualifiers. Croatia will give them a run for their money.


----------



## Kevin001

lackofflife said:


>


:laugh:


----------



## unemployment simulator

poland were poor against senegal. they really need to up their game.


----------



## PGVan

I'll say this about Cristiano Ronaldo as well... after I actually saw full highlights of POR-MAR... As talented as he is, when he flops without being touched, he embarrasses himself. Even worse, he got up and did the VAR signal towards the referee. How he didn't get booked for that, I don't know. He deserved a yellow card for the dive and a second yellow for the VAR signal. Referees are told to give yellow cards when a player gestures for a card to be shown. There's no reason mimicking the VAR signal should be any different. Every once in a while, Ronaldo's arrogance shines bright. 

As for Messi, I feel bad for the guy. Surrounded by poor quality teammates. At least I cashed in betting on Croatia.


----------



## scooby

Damn, that Icelandic crowd chant is sick. 



I've found myself going for the African nations though, typically. Other than my home country. Japan is a pretty cool guy too.


----------



## BlazingLazer

Was trying into avoid seeing any of the scores for today's World Cup games (since I recorded them and wanted to watch them later tonight), until I went into one of my phone apps where Arsenal is favorited and it revealed that Nigeria beat Iceland even though it doesn't really have anything to do with Arsenal. Only because it wanted to let me know that "OMG MESSI STILL HAS A CHANCE!!!!!!" God damn it.

Well that's one game where the result is ruined for me, because all ****ing sports media has to shoehorn Messi into anything remotely football/soccer related.


----------



## Micronian

BlazingLazer said:


> Was trying into avoid seeing any of the scores for today's World Cup games (since I recorded them and wanted to watch them later tonight), until I went into one of my phone apps where Arsenal is favorited and it revealed that Nigeria beat Iceland even though it doesn't really have anything to do with Arsenal. Only because it wanted to let me know that "OMG MESSI STILL HAS A CHANCE!!!!!!" God damn it.
> 
> Well that's one game where the result is ruined for me, because all ****ing sports media has to shoehorn Messi into anything remotely football/soccer related.


There is a tendency in us humans to highlight the failures of those who are above us. Messi is in that predicament right now. Argentina is a completely broken team, as there is now a rift between the players and the coach. They have like 5 days to patch their relationship and somehow play as a team against an opponent that senses blood in the water. That Argentina-Nigeria game is either going to be a totally miraculous comeback story, or a debacle of incredible proportions.


----------



## andy0128

PGVan said:


> I'll
> 
> As for Messi, I feel bad for the guy. Surrounded by poor quality teammates. At least I cashed in betting on Croatia.


Argentina has a talented group of players who play at leading clubs although they probably peaked at the last world cup. They clearly have management problems though when they are being held by iceland and comprehensively beaten by croatia. Never have they looked so poor in a world cup group phase.


----------



## PGVan

andy0128 said:


> Argentina has a talented group of players who play at leading clubs although they probably peaked at the last world cup. They clearly have management problems though when they are being held by iceland and comprehensively beaten by croatia. Never have they looked so poor in a world cup group phase.


They have a lot of names that people remember 2-4 years ago as quality. As you said, that's when they peaked. I see a player like Di Maria and he's just not offering anything of quality at this tournament. They honestly should not have qualified and Messi's magic got them there on the last day. While it pains me to say it, given where my football allegiance lies, when your starting LB is still playing in the Dutch league at 25 (and with no major clubs chasing him), that's not world class. (Before you point out Lozano at PSV, he's only 22 getting his feet wet in Europe and we currently have a €35M price tag on him that should rise as he had another solid match for Mexico today. Barcelona and Juventus are the latest rumours.)


----------



## Tomatmacka

.


----------



## andy0128

England now have a really great opportunity to get to the semis at least although i expect a tough match against colombia.


----------



## PGVan

Well s***. All that good debate on VAR gone. WTF!

My picks for the Round of 16...

Uruguay over Portugal
France over Argentina 
Spain over Russia
Croatia over Denmark
Brasil over Mexico
Belgium over Japan
Sweden over Switzerland
Colombia over England

I realize that's all the group winners I have winning, but as we should all know, being a group winner doesn't always make you a favourite against a runner-up. I can see extra time needed with URU-POR, SWE-SUI and COL-ENG. If there is one upset I would love to see, it's MEX knocking off BRA, but my sane mind doesn't see it happening. I'm not trying to troll English fans, but I don't see the hype after squeaking by Tunisia, hammering the tournament's worst team, then losing the battle of the B squads. Colombia had three battles and they're ready for another. England's objective Thursday was to avoid the other side of the bracket. I see karma in the form of Colombia.

I think the luckiest team is France. Going into the tournament, I couldn't understand why anyone had them as a favourite to win. I still don't, but Argentina is especially bad, even with Messi. Getting Argentina is France's opportunity to get a some real momentum going into a QF against Uruguay or Portugal.


----------



## andy0128

Portugal france russia brazil swizerland england belgium and croatia to progress.

England might've lost to belgium but that was nothing but a glorified b friendly. Prior to that we've had a long unbeaten run against some top sides. Colombia will be tough. If england arent at their best then i can easily see them falling short although there's are doubts over rodrigues which might help englands cause.

Panama qualified ahead of US and canada in cocacaf. Playing them was always going to be a hiding for nothing however beating these small teams convincingly is never guaranteed at the world cup. In 2006 for instance englands golden generation laboured to a win against trinadad. There is more to that victory than meets the eye though. Southgates approach to set pieces, the formation and tactical approach plays a big part in making light work of panama.


----------



## PGVan

No problem with any of your assessments... except I should point out that qualifying ahead of Canada isn't exactly a feather in anyone's cap. The only teams Canada managed to win against in 2018 qualifying were home wins against Belize in an early two-leg knockout tie and against El Salvador and Honduras in the next round, in which they failed to make the final round of qualifying. The last time Canada made "the hex" (CONCACAF's final round of qualifying) was for the 1998 World Cup, where they finished last of the six teams. They're at the bottom end of being a Top 10 CONCACAF nation.


----------



## TwoMan

I doubt that it will happen but I'm hoping Argentina and Portugal advance as they would then play each other in the quarterfinals. "El Clásico" World Cup style!


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Neymar is a big girl


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Canadian Brotha

In a Lonely Place said:


> Neymar is a big girl


It's true unfortunately. I was listening to a podcast the other day & the analysts were pointing out how in North American sports the idea of "manning up" is very strong...concussion, play through it, sprain, tape it up & play through it, etc, whereas in footy players are a lot more protected if possible even with slight niggles. And then there's the sort of Latin vs European divide in terms of flailing about over nothing too, although a lot of Euro players are doing it too now. It's terrible. I miss players that just sucked it up & player on, or stayed on their feet & scores a brilliant, powerful goal as opposed to always going down in hopes of a foul or penalty


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Canadian Brotha said:


> It's true unfortunately. I was listening to a podcast the other day & the analysts were pointing out how in North American sports the idea of "manning up" is very strong...concussion, play through it, sprain, tape it up & play through it, etc, whereas in footy players are a lot more protected if possible even with slight niggles. And then there's the sort of Latin vs European divide in terms of flailing about over nothing too, although a lot of Euro players are doing it too now. It's terrible. I miss players that just sucked it up & player on, or stayed on their feet & scores a brilliant, powerful goal as opposed to always going down in hopes of a foul or penalty


Yup the foreign players bought their cheating to England unfortunately and sadly some players here thought "if you can't beat them, join them"

I really miss the days when the game was played by real men. I find it so cringey nowadays watching these big babies rolling around and crying.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

In a Lonely Place said:


> Yup the foreign players bought their cheating to England unfortunately and sadly some players here thought "if you can't beat them, join them"
> 
> I really miss the days when the game was played by real men. I find it so cringey nowadays watching these big babies rolling around and crying.


Yeah, it was a major draw when I first started watching the English league, the physicality without fuss...the players used to take a hard tackle & get up knowing full well they'd chop that player down later as payback, lol. Even players like Gatuzo, that little pit bull in Italy, or Puyol, who was a tough ******* over in Spain for Barca. As soon as everyone decided the only way to play good football was ticky tacka there seemed to be an explosion of diving/flailing because every is about the slick/deft touches and if you stop that "you're ruining the game"


----------



## PGVan

Canadian Brotha said:


> It's true unfortunately. I was listening to a podcast the other day & the analysts were pointing out how in North American sports the idea of "manning up" is very strong...concussion, play through it, sprain, tape it up & play through it, etc, whereas in footy players are a lot more protected if possible even with slight niggles. And then there's the sort of Latin vs European divide in terms of flailing about over nothing too, although a lot of Euro players are doing it too now. It's terrible. I miss players that just sucked it up & player on, or stayed on their feet & scores a brilliant, powerful goal as opposed to always going down in hopes of a foul or penalty


I don't think it's about "manning up", and in recent years with concussions specifically, that attitude has been completely thrown out the window but that's another discussion.

The nature of diving in sports is about trying to con referees into giving you an advantage. We have the same kind of problem in hockey with players feeling an opponent's stick graze them and they go down like there's a sniper in the rafters. Even basketball players flop in hopes of their opponent getting a foul called against him.

What Neymar is trying to do today, is to get Layun sent off. To be completely honest, had VAR been used, there may have been justification to give Layun a red card. He did step on Neymar's ankle, albeit with the force of a mosquito bite with Neymar reacting like his leg got ran over with a WWII tank, and it was obviously intentional. I think it's clear that Layun was just trying to get a reaction out of Neymar and given that Neymar does this all the f***ing time, I don't blame Layun for taking the risk. I believe that the reason they did not look at the sequence with VAR is because whether they would have sent Layun off or not, there was as much of an argument for Neymar to get a yellow card for his acting, which would have seen him suspended for the quarter final.

I'm assuming Belgium will eventually break Japan, and if I'm Roberto Martinez (or Akira Nishino if Japan pulls off the uspet), I'm assigning someone to be a pest to Neymar. If my guy gets a yellow card, the assignment gets moved to someone else. Neymar is ridiculously talented, but he's weak mentally. Opponents can get under his skin.


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Another upset on the cards?


----------



## PGVan

In a Lonely Place said:


> Another upset on the cards?


Nope. Though I cashed out what I could rescue at 2-0 Japan and threw it on a draw. When Belgium wins, I need it in extra time or penalties now lol.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

PGVan said:


> I don't think it's about "manning up", and in recent years with concussions specifically, that attitude has been completely thrown out the window but that's another discussion.
> 
> The nature of diving in sports is about trying to con referees into giving you an advantage. We have the same kind of problem in hockey with players feeling an opponent's stick graze them and they go down like there's a sniper in the rafters. Even basketball players flop in hopes of their opponent getting a foul called against him.


I'm aware concussion protocols have changed and that players are trying for an advantage but I just hate the game being less physical & what would sometimes be a brilliant play if a bit of strength was used being brought to a halt in favour of flamboyant advantage seeking. I rather it be the exception not the rule like it's becoming, not to mention inconsistency, where one week its a foul & then next it's a yellow card for the player looking for a con, or in one league it's a foul & in another it's not. Anyway, it's just one of those things in sport that you can't help but snap about. Every sports fan has something, lol


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Pathetic from Japan
Oh dear


----------



## Canadian Brotha

That’s some way to win it, final seconds before extra time


----------



## In a Lonely Place

**** yesssssssssss

We beat the cheating *******s WooooHooooo


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## Canadian Brotha

Who would’ve thought England winning penalties at a World Cup, lol


----------



## PGVan

PGVan said:


> Uruguay over France
> Croatia over Russia
> Brasil over Belgium
> England over Sweden


2 for 4. Unpredictable World Cup.

Semi-Finals

Belgium over France
England over Croatia

I just have a sick feeling about Belgium. (If you want to know why it's a sick feeling, find my last rant on the Dutch national team.)

While I wouldn't normally think Croatia playing an extra half hour in the knockout rounds than England matters, watching today against Russia, Croatia are beat up. They were dropping like flies and who knows is Subasic is healthy for the SF. Even if he plays, he's one wrong movement from a torn hamstring from the looks of it. I think England is licking their chops.


----------



## andy0128

Last night was a gruelling 3hrs as an england fan. The referee was hopeless in asserting his authority over the colombians especially before the penalty. 

The subs were a little negative and it cost us but the equaliser was incredibly undeserved. I'm more optimistic for the sweden game than i was for colombia but perhaps its time to think about changing one or two players to help us create better chances from open play.


----------



## PGVan

I suppose we could debate a red card for Barrios, but that was such a weak headbutt too. In the end, referees in any sport don't control players. It's not their job. Their job is to react to what happens and apply the rules accordingly. The notion that referees control games is one of the bigger misconceptions in sports. A referee can try, but in the end if a player decides he's going to do something, he's going to do something. If players react to what a referee is calling and listening to what he says, it's honestly luck for the referee. 

I would like to see more referees assert more authority in a stern manner. A lot of these players need to be put in their place at times. However, it brings more criticism than kudos. We all saw Kuipers get in Neymar's face during the group stage, but now the talk is that if Brasil makes the final, that's going to kill Kuipers' chance at being appointed to it, despite clearly being the best referee in Russia (in my opinion anyway).


----------



## andy0128

I don't think it was a red card. In general i don't like seeing players get sent off unless for the more blatant infractions. The scenes prior to kanes penalty were a joke. Colombias protests went on and on and eventually it led to henderson getting booked in frustration. It's not easy to officiate a highly charged match like that but it was clear to most observers that the referee was having difficulty controlling the colombian players. Just as in a classroom or a workplace things can get out of hand under poor leadership. I'm not going to make excuses for officials because of the importance of the occasion .


----------



## PGVan

I don't think it's making excuses for any reason. I think it's just a fact that referees are never in full control of players. All they have is their whistle and their cards, and if players don't respond positively, what else can the referee do? I would like to see more yellows handed out for obvious diving, embellishing, incessant whining and attempts to intimidate referees, but we also have to remember that at the top levels, their supervisors tell them how they want that s*** dealt with. Who knows how FIFA is telling its referees to handle whiny s*** like that and things like Neymar's antics. Clearly it isn't book them, otherwise Neymar wouldn't be playing against Belgium.


----------



## In a Lonely Place

N’awww poor Neymar lol

All European competition now


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Will watch highlights later since I’m at work but glad Belgium are through, they’re my Euro pick


----------



## PGVan

This tournament is finally starting to make me bitter. In 2010 when Oranje beat Uruguay in the semi final, Bert van Marwijk said how amazing it was that such a small country is in the World Cup Final. I knew then that we were just happy to be there and would not beat Spain. If that team had the "play to win" attitude that Louis van Gaal's team had in 2014, I believe we would have won. 

Here we are in 2018, and Belgium, a country smaller than The Netherlands and with a domestic league that's arguably worse than the Eredivisie, is in the semi final. They have top players who can win the World Cup as easily as any of the teams left. They're not in Russia to just make a semi final or a final, they're in Russia to win the f***in thing. It drives me bonkers that Oranje never have that kind of attitude. 2014 was the exception to that, we just didn't have the quality in the end. 

The other part making me bitter is that Sweden is still alive and they should not be at the World Cup. Even though Oranje has its problems, we had a better record against Sweden in the qualifying group. I'm not going to say we would have won in the playoffs, but we should have been in that draw instead of Sweden. FIFA's archaic goal-differential tiebreak before head-to-head record attitude is why Sweden was able to go on to beat Italy. 

Rant over.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

PGVan said:


> This tournament is finally starting to make me bitter. In 2010 when Oranje beat Uruguay in the semi final, Bert van Marwijk said how amazing it was that such a small country is in the World Cup Final. I knew then that we were just happy to be there and would not beat Spain. If that team had the "play to win" attitude that Louis van Gaal's team had in 2014, I believe we would have won.
> 
> Here we are in 2018, and Belgium, a country smaller than The Netherlands and with a domestic league that's arguably worse than the Eredivisie, is in the semi final. They have top players who can win the World Cup as easily as any of the teams left. They're not in Russia to just make a semi final or a final, they're in Russia to win the f***in thing. It drives me bonkers that Oranje never have that kind of attitude. 2014 was the exception to that, we just didn't have the quality in the end.
> 
> The other part making me bitter is that Sweden is still alive and they should not be at the World Cup. Even though Oranje has its problems, we had a better record against Sweden in the qualifying group. I'm not going to say we would have won in the playoffs, but we should have been in that draw instead of Sweden. FIFA's archaic goal-differential tiebreak before head-to-head record attitude is why Sweden was able to go on to beat Italy.
> 
> Rant over.


I don't know anything about Sweden's current crop so I'm a bit surprised they're where they are honestly..:


----------



## andy0128

Brazil were class for the last half hour. Unfortunately they didn't bother to turn up for the rest of the match so they only have themselves to blame. Is that defeat effectively handing the trophy to france i wonder?


----------



## PGVan

I think aside from Russia, it's fairly open. My gut tells me now that it's going to be a France v Croatia final, but it would be dangerous for France to overlook Belgium's experience. They rescued themselves against Japan and woke up against Brasil. Regardless of how good Brasil looked in the 2nd half, Belgium still hit them for a 2-0 lead and are full marks for seeing out the victory.



Canadian Brotha said:


> I don't know anything about Sweden's current crop so I'm a bit surprised they're where they are honestly..:


I don't think they're that bad of a squad. Not world class but in today's football where the right tactics can see even Iceland make the knockout rounds of a major tournament, Sweden can put a dent into anyone. My bitterness for them this month is purely that in my opinion (and UEFA's) regarding how ties should be broken in standings, Sweden should not have qualified. And yes, the other part of it is pure bias on my part as a Dutchman whose team were knocked out at the expense of that horse****, so thanks to England for righting that wrong today.


----------



## andy0128

I knew sweden would be an easier game than Colombia. Now I'm looking forward to the semis. Whoever we get we can give them a good game.


----------



## PGVan

Was it really easier though? Perhaps physically, but Pickford was unreal. He kept three clear goals for Sweden out of the net. 

Not liking what I'm seeing from Croatia right now with half an hour left. I get that Russia has a home crowd, but they need to take control of this match.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

This World Cup is just full of late drama


----------



## PGVan

PGVan said:


> Uruguay over France
> Croatia over Russia
> Brasil over Belgium
> England over Sweden


2 for 4. Unpredictable World Cup.

Semi-Finals

Belgium over France
England over Croatia

I just have a sick feeling about Belgium. (If you want to know why it's a sick feeling, find my last rant on the Dutch national team.)

While I wouldn't normally think Croatia playing an extra half hour in the knockout rounds than England matters, watching today against Russia, Croatia are beat up. They were dropping like flies and who knows is Subasic is healthy for the SF. Even if he plays, he's one wrong movement from a torn hamstring from the looks of it. I think England is licking their chops.


----------



## andy0128

PGVan said:


> Was it really easier though? Perhaps physically, but Pickford was unreal. He kept three clear goals for Sweden out of the net.
> 
> Not liking what I'm seeing from Croatia right now with half an hour left. I get that Russia has a home crowd, but they need to take control of this match.


They were good saves but ones you'd expect a keeper to make at this level. Clearly in a world cup qf you'd expect the other team to create a few chances especially when they are trailing but overall england looked a lot more in control and could've scored more at the end if they were clinical.


----------



## PGVan

Glad I was wrong today. No tragedy as a Dutchman no matter who wins now.


----------



## TwoMan

I'm hoping for England vs France. They hate each other. That would be a drama fest.


----------



## Replicante

I hope Croatia reach final, but England has a talented and strong physically group, it will be very difficult for Croatia.


----------



## andy0128

England gave their all. I don't know where croatia find all their energy. If England had a few more world class attacking players they could win these games.


----------



## Tomatmacka

.


----------



## Paper Samurai

Watching both semi-finals, I think France are going to be the clear favourites in the final. I don't think Croatia or England are quite at their level.


----------



## PGVan

Respect to Croatia for battling through their obvious fatigue. Reality is that they were on the easy side of the bracket and England did have one knockout match go to extra time as well. Croatia has now had all three go the distance, which is a full match worth of extra time played while France has played no extra time. Combine that with France having one extra day to prepare for the final, it has to be a factor. Respect to France as well, as I did not see them getting anywhere near this far, but they're getting results when it matters. I can't see them letting Croatia off the hook for needing an additional 90 minutes to squeak by Denmark, Russia and England.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Normally I’d got for France but Croatia taking it would be a a lovely story for this competition


----------



## Paper Samurai

Canadian Brotha said:


> Normally I'd got for France but Croatia taking it would be a a lovely story for this competition


 It would be nice for Croatia, particularly given that their country is quite small and the people there are very down to earth. But France are looking ruthless in their last few games + Croatia have played extra time for every round of the knockouts. Sport can be weird though, there's always a chance for an upset but this one looks a bit nailed on.


----------



## Milco

Paper Samurai said:


> It would be nice for Croatia, particularly given that their country is quite small and the people there are very down to earth. But France are looking ruthless in their last few games + Croatia have played extra time for every round of the knockouts. Sport can be weird though, there's always a chance for an upset but this one looks a bit nailed on.


France was amazing against Argentina, but frankly have been not only boring in their other games, but also seem to be trying hard to be as unlikeable as possible.
With the semis the way they were, it should have been Belgium vs England in the final. As it is, I'll be cheering for Croatia, but I'm fully expecting a boring and unremarkable French win to conclude a boring and unremarkable world cup.


----------



## rabidfoxes

Some of you think England are great/need more good players, but I disagree. I think they need a different style of coaching. 

I know nowt about football, but I was watching Pickford yesterday and said: "He's such a good player, but why the hell can't he just pass the ball to the nearest player and instead does those daft long kicks, pretty much in the lap of Croatians?". Well, I was explained why. Apparently English coaches love a style of playing that involves those long kicks, and those passes back to the goalkeeper (I was quite puzzled: why are they passing back to the goalkeeper when they have like 2 minutes left and it's their last chance to turn things around?), otherwise known as 'hoofing'. There is some complicated reason why it works at league level, where winning is not such a big deal and they get paid as long as they stay in the league. 

Now it seems to me that if you're doing a long shot from the goal, your teammates have to spread out to pick it up successfully. Which didn't happen yesterday, and long shots pretty much equalled loss of possession for England.

If I am wrong, tell me more. As I said, I never really watch football and can't tell a foul from a free kick. But I found the English style of playing a bit bizarre.


----------



## andy0128

rabidfoxes said:


> Some of you think England are great/need more good players, but I disagree. I think they need a different style of coaching.
> 
> I know nowt about football, but I was watching Pickford yesterday and said: "He's such a good player, but why the hell can't he just pass the ball to the nearest player and instead does those daft long kicks, pretty much in the lap of Croatians?". Well, I was explained why. Apparently English coaches love a style of playing that involves those long kicks, and those passes back to the goalkeeper (I was quite puzzled: why are they passing back to the goalkeeper when they have like 2 minutes left and it's their last chance to turn things around?), otherwise known as 'hoofing'. There is some complicated reason why it works at league level, where winning is not such a big deal and they get paid as long as they stay in the league.
> 
> Now it seems to me that if you're doing a long shot from the goal, your teammates have to spread out to pick it up successfully. Which didn't happen yesterday, and long shots pretty much equalled loss of possession for England.
> 
> If I am wrong, tell me more. As I said, I never really watch football and can't tell a foul from a free kick. But I found the English style of playing a bit bizarre.


Yesterday the croatians pressed englands defenders more than other sides have managed which forced pickford into kicking long as the pass on the ground to the defenders was riskier.

Normally the defenders try to start the play and pass it around as it forces croatia to run more and leave spaces in behind that makes it easier for england to attack.

England just lack a few top quality players who can create chances from their possession. Apart from kane and trippier the others ate pretty average at this level.


----------



## PGVan

Milco said:


> France was amazing against Argentina, but frankly have been not only boring in their other games, but also seem to be trying hard to be as unlikeable as possible.
> With the semis the way they were, it should have been Belgium vs England in the final. As it is, I'll be cheering for Croatia, but I'm fully expecting a boring and unremarkable French win to conclude a boring and unremarkable world cup.


I wouldn't say France was amazing against Argentina. They let them score three times without Messi getting one. The attack was obviously good, but defensively, that was also their worst of the tournament. They can count themselves lucky that Cavani was injured for the QF.

I don't know if I would call the tournament boring and unremarkable. I will admit as a Dutch supporter in football, I've had to bet on some matches to make myself give a s*** and I'm at a loss for words at seeing Edwin van der Sar wearing a Belgium shirt at the semi-final. I don't understand this world where supporting rivals is a thing. I will say this tournament has been unpredictable in terms of results. Russia out-performed themselves. Even as a host, I figured Salah could have carried Egypt ahead of them in the group. Argentina getting through their group was a surprise for me (yes, I said that). We saw yellow cards decide that Japan advanced over Senegal, then they damn near knocked Belgium out. Seeing Germany out early is a pleasure for anyone who's not German. There was even a token major tournament political row with Serbia and Switzerland's Kosovar/Albanian players. I think it flew under the radar that the Swiss FA head a few days ago, said that perhaps the Swiss national team will start to require players drop their second nationality to be called up and now Xhaka's pissed off. Definitely no lack of storylines.


----------



## Milco

PGVan said:


> I wouldn't say France was amazing against Argentina. They let them score three times without Messi getting one. The attack was obviously good, but defensively, that was also their worst of the tournament. They can count themselves lucky that Cavani was injured for the QF.
> 
> I don't know if I would call the tournament boring and unremarkable. I will admit as a Dutch supporter in football, I've had to bet on some matches to make myself give a s*** and I'm at a loss for words at seeing Edwin van der Sar wearing a Belgium shirt at the semi-final. I don't understand this world where supporting rivals is a thing. I will say this tournament has been unpredictable in terms of results. Russia out-performed themselves. Even as a host, I figured Salah could have carried Egypt ahead of them in the group. Argentina getting through their group was a surprise for me (yes, I said that). We saw yellow cards decide that Japan advanced over Senegal, then they damn near knocked Belgium out. Seeing Germany out early is a pleasure for anyone who's not German. There was even a token major tournament political row with Serbia and Switzerland's Kosovar/Albanian players. I think it flew under the radar that the Swiss FA head a few days ago, said that perhaps the Swiss national team will start to require players drop their second nationality to be called up and now Xhaka's pissed off. Definitely no lack of storylines.


They played entertaining football at least.
This world cup has only been remarkable for the wrong reasons: the lack of attacking qualities, many teams playing far below their usual standards, poor VAR management, and the host country's assassination of a civilian in another participating country.
Looking at the countries and how they have played in this tournament, is there any of them that deserves to be called world champions? Has any team played the best football in the world? One of the two teams in the final?
It has been underwhelming to say the least.


----------



## andy0128

I think France have played like world champions. Strong in all areas of the pitch. I don't recall many teams cruising to winning a world cup, they usually just do enough to progress in each round.


----------



## Micronian

andy0128 said:


> I think France have played like world champions. Strong in all areas of the pitch. I don't recall many teams cruising to winning a world cup, they usually just do enough to progress in each round.


I remember Brazil was criticized for playing the same way in 2002. They had great attacking players, but played just good enough to win. Never showed any amazing attacking style...and that seems like a good enough strategy to win a WC.

In reality, the strategies in this world cup have been very similar: risk very little at 0-0, wait and get a 1-0 result from penalty/free kick, or some gross error, then defend for the rest of the game. It has become a chess game because teams are so even and because they do so much extensive research on their opponents. It can lead to unpredictable outcomes, but an overly strategic style on the field.


----------



## andy0128

Micronian said:


> I remember Brazil was criticized for playing the same way in 2002. They had great attacking players, but played just good enough to win. Never showed any amazing attacking style...and that seems like a good enough strategy to win a WC.
> .


That was a great side and probably the most convincing winner we've had for some time.

Flair sides have often come up short like argentina 06, brazil 82, holland 70s and hungary 54 so one can understand the shift to conservative tactics.


----------



## Paper Samurai

Milco said:


> France was amazing against Argentina, but frankly have been not only boring in their other games, but also seem to be trying hard to be as unlikeable as possible.
> With the semis the way they were, it should have been Belgium vs England in the final. As it is, I'll be cheering for Croatia, *but I'm fully expecting a boring and unremarkable French win to conclude a boring and unremarkable world cup.*


 heh, can't argue with you there, with the exception of one or two matches, it's been a little stale this year. A lot of wins have been grinded out and more set piece goals over open play - the drop in quality from club level is ridiculously apparent for some reason.

Hopefully we're both wrong come this Sunday though,


----------



## Milco

Paper Samurai said:


> heh, can't argue with you there, with the exception of one or two matches, it's been a little stale this year. A lot of wins have been grinded out and more set piece goals over open play - the drop in quality from club level is ridiculously apparent for some reason.
> 
> Hopefully we're both wrong come this Sunday though,


I really hope so.

In related news, Gianni Infantino has said:


> Since a couple of years I was saying that this will be the best World Cup ever. Today I can say it even more, with more conviction... It is the best World Cup ever.
> ...
> The World Cup has changed the perception of the world towards Russia.


http://www.skysports.com/football/n...tino-says-russia-2018-has-been-best-world-cup

lol


----------



## Micronian

Milco said:


> I really hope so.
> 
> In related news, Gianni Infantino has said:
> 
> http://www.skysports.com/football/n...tino-says-russia-2018-has-been-best-world-cup
> 
> lol


The event itself was fine. The crowd atmosphere (from what I saw in the news media) was excellent. Many visitors were positively surprised at the reception and warmth from the Russians (my friends that went there absolutely loved it, for what that's worth). There were plenty of upsets, and the hosts went from apathy/negativity at the start of the tournament to total engagement. So there's plenty to take away from the event.

The only thing that was short of expectations was the performance on the field, both from the teams (Germany, Spain, Argentina...even Poland, which was a seeded team), and the players (Neymar, Messi, Tomas Mueller, M. Salah, James Rodriguez, C. Ronaldo, etc.). Apart from some tiny plays from Mbappé, there hasn't been any performance that completely electrified the crowd and made the world cup completely memorable.


----------



## PGVan

Milco said:


> They played entertaining football at least.
> This world cup has only been remarkable for the wrong reasons: the lack of attacking qualities, many teams playing far below their usual standards, poor VAR management, and the host country's assassination of a civilian in another participating country.
> Looking at the countries and how they have played in this tournament, is there any of them that deserves to be called world champions? Has any team played the best football in the world? One of the two teams in the final?
> It has been underwhelming to say the least.


I think the game has changed so much in recent years that it's time to forget about what we know to be the best football in the world, at least internationally. Even 10 years ago, you could realistically predict the QF participants and be right on 6-7 of them. Today, I would say that at least a dozen teams at every major tournament have the talent to win, and those who don't can still win depending on tactics, and that comes from coaching, which is also better and smarter than it's ever been. The international game is so much more competitive than it used to be, so I do think the days of a few teams dominating a tournament are gone. Iceland was a quarter-finalist at Euro 2016 because they played a system that more talented teams couldn't beat. If Croatia doesn't win Sunday, it won't be much longer until we see more teams who have never won major trophies, win one.

As a Dutchman, I will comment mainly on your point of lack of attacking qualities. If anyone understands that defence wins championships, it's us because we've had teams with attacking players such as Cruyff, Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert, van Nistelrooy, Sneijder, van Persie and Robben, and those guys never led us to a trophy. A team led by Marco van Basten up front did win Euro 1988, but we've lost out at many more tournaments at late stages with a great attack who ended up hitting a wall against a team with better defending.

Then came World Cup 2014. Louis van Gaal had the balls to play 5-3-2 and focus on the result and the result alone. He was criticized a lot at home, but he took a squad that all the so-called experts picked to lose out at the group stage, to third place. Had he stuck with the typical Dutch 4-3-3, we might have beaten Australia in that group stage and gotten smoked by Spain and Chile.

As a neutral, I've enjoyed this tournament simply because it's been unpredictable. Once the new Nations League starts in September, I'll be back to being a partisan Oranje supporter. It's amazing how a few months changes flips my fear of one team in our group to the other. Suddenly I think we can stun the Germans, but France will be tough.


----------



## Milco

Micronian said:


> The event itself was fine. The crowd atmosphere (from what I saw in the news media) was excellent. Many visitors were positively surprised at the reception and warmth from the Russians (my friends that went there absolutely loved it, for what that's worth). There were plenty of upsets, and the hosts went from apathy/negativity at the start of the tournament to total engagement. So there's plenty to take away from the event.


The world cup has been used as a political tool by Putin, just like the olympics was right before the annexation of Crimea.
Russia wants to sell a certain image to the west and the rest of the world, so they temporarily relaxed for example their anti-homosexuality laws.
Putin has dismissing Russian involvement in for example the assassination in the UK by pointing to the world cup and saying _'Look how everybody is having a nice time, why are you holding on to an image of Russia as the enemy that they don't see'_?
So I would hope that the head of FIFA has a little more awareness than to hand Putin the victory and validation of saying it's the best world cup ever (which it clearly wasn't) and that the world's view of Russia has now changed.



PGVan said:


> As a neutral, I've enjoyed this tournament simply because it's been unpredictable.


It makes things tense, but not really enjoyable.
It's fair enough that teams play to win rather than to entertain, but then it's also no surprise that the games aren't that entertaining.
Perhaps I have a romantic view of what football should be, but I don't think those days are gone, and even at this tournament there were teams that delivered great play in moments.


----------



## PGVan

Milco said:


> The world cup has been used as a political tool by Putin, just like the olympics was right before the annexation of Crimea.
> Russia wants to sell a certain image to the west and the rest of the world, so they temporarily relaxed for example their anti-homosexuality laws.
> Putin has dismissing Russian involvement in for example the assassination in the UK by pointing to the world cup and saying _'Look how everybody is having a nice time, why are you holding on to an image of Russia as the enemy that they don't see'_?
> So I would hope that the head of FIFA has a little more awareness than to hand Putin the victory and validation of saying it's the best world cup ever (which it clearly wasn't) and that the world's view of Russia has now changed.


I won't disagree with any of that. I think it's insanity that Russia got to host this tournament, based on their domestic history of racism in the sport alone. That said, when it comes to the football itself, I can separate that. It's an entirely different topic to me. Same for Qatar 2022. It's shameful how they got it, but I will paint myself orange to support my team if we get there.



Milco said:


> It makes things tense, but not really enjoyable.
> It's fair enough that teams play to win rather than to entertain, but then it's also no surprise that the games aren't that entertaining.
> Perhaps I have a romantic view of what football should be, but I don't think those days are gone, and even at this tournament there were teams that delivered great play in moments.


Fair enough, but I will agree to disagree. Especially when I have a dog in the fight. Regardless of which sport I have teams in, my only source of entertainment is the win column. I would absolutely rather win ugly than lose pretty. My team can put together 3 amazingly entertaining goals, but if we allow 4, it means absolutely f*** all. Thus as a neutral, I can appreciate team playing for the result. In the words of Louis van Gaal in 2014, my objective is to score one more goal than my opponent.


----------



## Micronian

Milco said:


> The world cup has been used as a political tool by Putin, just like the olympics was right before the annexation of Crimea.


Can you name a World Cup or Olympics that hasn't been used as a political tool by the host nation?



Milco said:


> So I would hope that the head of FIFA has a little more awareness than to hand Putin the victory and validation of saying it's the best world cup ever (which it clearly wasn't) and that the world's view of Russia has now changed.


 Understanding that FIFA, its sponsors, the host nation's organizers, and the confederation executives, are powerful mafia rings, criticizing (pointing fingers) becomes way too easy. A political critic will never lose the argument.
The execution of the EVENT itself (the organization, logistical support, safety of fans, and fan atmosphere--which is what most people look at when they are not politically critical) has been an undeniable success. It depends on the scope one wants to take, and FIFA--obviously--is going to pat themselves and their associates on the back. Is it the first time you noticed this??


----------



## Vulnicura

Well for me this has been the World Cup i have enjoyed the most since i became a fan in early 2010. The best World Cup i've seen in terms of surprises, dramatics, and entertainment. Since i'm a Real Madrid fan this is how i lived through this World Cup:

1. Portugal vs Spain: Because of the controversy between the Spanish FA, Real Madrid, and Julen Lopetegu ( the Spanish NT coach the Spanish FA fired 2 days before the World Cup started simply because he signed to be Real Madrid's manager after the tournament was over) i wanted Spain to get fulminated and embarrassed in this World Cup. So this match was entertaining for me, it was filled with Real Madrid players, and the late free kick goal by Ronaldo was incredible.

2. Croatia embarrassing Messi's Argentina, and my favorite player of all time, the croatian Luka Modric, being the best player in the tournament kept me happy all the way through. Messi getting eliminated with so much drama kept me on the edge of my seat.

3. Russia embarrassing Spain in a nail biting 2 hour+ match was beautiful. The Spanish media took a dump on the Spanish FA and now Lopetegui's loss seems far less harsh. 

4. The two teams i supported from the beginning being in the final is the cherry on top. I was always on the edge of my seat because of who i supported and how games unfolded.

France getting flack for anti-football is BS imo. France logically play with a 4312 and a defensive counter attacking game plan because:

1. They have the perfect players for it as they have great defenders, great midfielders who can defend well but also cover the pitch vertically and horizontally with speed and stamina, and they have forwards who are good at sprinting, beating players through speed, technique, and passing, and who thus excel when they have open space in front. 

2. The France NT manager, Deschamps, has decided that with the players he has it is more likely to win the way they play than if they pressed up high on the pitch and tried to play a possession oriented attacking football. Other than the Argentina game where they conceded some arguably extraordinary goals, they have been rock solid. They have players like Varane, Kante, Matuidi, why would they not play the way they play lol. For me it is interesting to see the tactical battles and the flair of France's players, that's good enough for me. Look at what Spain did against Russia, had like 75% possession and did nothing with it. Brazil was supposedly good and they never convinced and got rekt when they faced someone with enough quality.

Those looking for incredible football should stick to the champions league if anything. The World Cup is an elimination tournament where you want to score goals and not concede them and these teams play a few games together every year, they don't have the same time playing together as a club team. Spain barely won in 2010 despite their tiki taka BS and it was only because they had historic golden generation players. If France win it it is suddenly the death of footy, give me a break.


----------



## PGVan

I was generally in favour of VAR and probably still am, but like some careers get defined by the final game of major tournaments, today's terrible use of the system needs to be the standard for which FIFA and any association uses to say "this is not what it's for". It's there to overturn clear and obvious missed calls for penalties and this was not even close to that. Yes, France won by two goals, so we can't really say that it cost Croatia the match, but if they go to the 2nd half at 1-1 rather than down 2-1, who knows. 

One thing that bothers me about every final, is how they torture the losing team by making them sit out there for half an hour or more to watch the winning team get the trophy. And for this trophy presentation in particular, where does Grabar-Kitarović get off touching and kissing the trophy with Macron on its way to the French players? As a sports fan who believes in only winning teams getting to touch the trophy, including an exception for a head of state of the winning team for a trophy of this prestige, that would drive me bonkers if I was part of the French team.


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## andy0128

The handball was one of those where he'd come in for more criticism by ignoring it than giving the penalty. Overall i see VAR as a success. I'm sure there is always ways of improving it for future tournaments but whatever happens there will always be an element of interpretation to certain decisions which there no hiding from.

By and large the teams that got far in the tournament got there on merit. Croatia disposed on england but their defensive errors were punished in the final by France's superior attack. It would be a travesty if modric isnt awarded the ballon dor after the season hes had. 

France have now won 2 wcs and 4 big tournaments in the last 34 years. I look on with envy from an England point of view. There is still some way to go before becoming a team capable of winning the euros or a wc and we really need to find quality attacking players like the french have. I read an article about Croatia and there is no real solid reasons for their success in terms of infrastructure. I can only think it's down to the mentality of the players who must have trained their technique to an extent where they are now.


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## PGVan

andy0128 said:


> The handball was one of those where he'd come in for more criticism by ignoring it than giving the penalty. Overall i see VAR as a success. I'm sure there is always ways of improving it for future tournaments but whatever happens there will always be an element of interpretation to certain decisions which there no hiding from.


Of all the opinions I've read and heard since the end of the match, one or two said they agreed the handball was a penalty. Everyone else said no. From the VAR aspect, Howard Webb was part of TSN's broadcast team in Canada, as he manages MLS' VAR operations. Early in the group stage, he said that the way MLS does it (same situations as FIFA uses it for), he tells his VARs to not send the referee to watch something 50/50, but to send them the answer. The way FIFA's VAR is written is, "The role of the VAR is to ensure that no clearly wrong decisions are made in conjunction with the award or non-award of a penalty kick."

The words "clearly wrong decisions" is there to have minimal room for interpretation. I'll trust Howard Webb, even though I remember 2010 like it was yesterday. Still wondering where Puyol's 2nd yellow card is (yes, Nigel de Jong should have been sent off too)... Anyway, when he says that VAR should not have been used for this play, I'll trust his expertise with the system given his current job. Not awarding the penalty during play was not a "clearly wrong decision". Was it hand-to-ball or ball-to-hand? Was Perisic's hand movement natural? Was it deliberate? Too much debate to be a VAR situation.

The other discussion that this one play needs to spark, is the handball rule itself. Hand-to-ball vs ball-to-hand and the act being deliberate are both part of the FIFA law regarding handling the ball. The one or two supporting opinions of the penalty today said they felt that way because Perisic's hand stopped the ball going through to the front of the goal. That's not what the law says determines a handball infraction, but maybe it should? After all, there is a long history of penalties being awarded that don't fit what the law says, often where a defender is jumping and his arms are flailing (see Iran vs Portugal).



andy0128 said:


> I read an article about Croatia and there is no real solid reasons for their success in terms of infrastructure. I can only think it's down to the mentality of the players who must have trained their technique to an extent where they are now.


Croatian players are tough mentally. They don't know the meaning of giving up. From the Dutch point of view, I envy their work rate. I wish our players played with that kind of effort and pride more often than not. Croatian football is also buried in corruption right now. I don't know all the details, but apparently even Modric might be in s*** for perjury. Seems like a disaster domestically and it's incredible that they damn near won the World Cup in the midst of all that.


----------



## Kevin001

Congrats France


----------



## Replicante

Congrats Croatia too, they played with heart and guts, made me cheer like a child.


----------



## Micronian

I, personally, agree with the penalty decision and the usage of VAR to make it. The replays made it clear to the referees that there was a handball, and if the purpose of VAR was to place cold objectivity into the game, then there really wasn't an option _but_ to call it a penalty. I'm sure everyone involved in the refereeing did not want this situation to occur, and they probably dreaded making that call because it could only result in a penalty...

as for the rest of the game, well, France was just the better team throughout the tournament. As long as their defense stayed tight, they had the attacking speed and talent to score the necessary goals. There was never a moment when this French team went down in the score line. They always scored the first goal, which was key in this tournament.

France basically used the same strategy for most of the tournament: they soaked in the pressure for the first 20 minutes, then pressed down on the gas for 10-15 minutes with an effective attack, enough to get their goal, and then defend for the rest of the 1st half. In the 2nd half, attack again for the first 10 or so minutes and then defend for the rest of the game. That is why they were so irritating: They didn't attack enough because they were just too damn good when they did it. Mbappé was unbeatable, and along with Griezman they were lightning fast. Pogba attacked from behind, and Giroud was the size and muscle. Everyone else defended.

As far as I'm concerned, Brazil was the only team capable of beating them (but the own goal early in the game to Belgium sunk them). They had the players/attack to put the French on their heels and have griezman/pogba too flustered to risk an attack. None of the other teams had the equal capacity of midfield attack and scoring quality to shift the balance away from the French. Croatia gave it their all, but like all the other teams that played france, the real scoring chances they had were too few, and the less clear ones were off target.


----------



## PGVan

Micronian said:


> I, personally, agree with the penalty decision and the usage of VAR to make it. The replays made it clear to the referees that there was a handball, and if the purpose of VAR was to place cold objectivity into the game, then there really wasn't an option _but_ to call it a penalty. I'm sure everyone involved in the refereeing did not want this situation to occur, and they probably dreaded making that call because it could only result in a penalty...


Help me understand this, because by what's written, the usage of VAR and the decision are both wrong.

The purpose of VAR, as written, is "to ensure that no clearly wrong decisions are made in conjunction with the award or non-award of a penalty kick." The handball was obviously not deliberate, so I'm failing to see how anyone in that room deemed not awarding a penalty to be a clear mistake by Pitana.

VAR is not there for referees to watch 50/50 decisions. If there's any debate, it's not supposed to be used. That's what FIFA has said about it all along.

Once Pitana was watching the video, I don't understand how he determined Perisic deliberately handled the ball. The ball can hit a player's hand and not be a foul. It happens all the time. Pitana absolutely had the option to say "not deliberate, I'm not awarding a penalty".

Agree on your points regarding France. They put it together at the right time. Honestly, they didn't look spectacular in qualifying against Sweden and The Netherlands at a low point in transition. Even the group stage was only alright and they conceded three against Argentina. The win against Uruguay was where they became a force and full credit for it. Though I do wonder if Croatia's finish would have been better without the extra 90 minutes played during the knockout rounds.


----------



## andy0128

PGVan said:


> Of all the opinions I've read and heard since the end of the match, one or two said they agreed the handball was a penalty. Everyone else said no. From the VAR aspect, Howard Webb was part of TSN's broadcast team in Canada, as he manages MLS' VAR operations. Early in the group stage, he said that the way MLS does it (same situations as FIFA uses it for), he tells his VARs to not send the referee to watch something 50/50, but to send them the answer. The way FIFA's VAR is written is, "The role of the VAR is to ensure that no clearly wrong decisions are made in conjunction with the award or non-award of a penalty kick."


My instinct was that it probably wasn't a penalty but this is the world cup final so you can expect the VAR team to bottle on a tough decision and pass the buck to the referee who then likewise **** his pants.

So croatia can perhaps feel hard done by but that's football and things don't always go your way, but they still had a lot of time to get the equaliser.England were robbed if a goal in 2010 but no one talks anout that being a defining moment and there have been other times as well. You just have to fet on with it.


----------



## 0589471

baaaa France. Ah well, better luck next time Croatia. You did good getting this far.


----------



## PGVan

andy0128 said:


> My instinct was that it probably wasn't a penalty but this is the world cup final so you can expect the VAR team to bottle on a tough decision and pass the buck to the referee who then likewise **** his pants.
> 
> So croatia can perhaps feel hard done by but that's football and things don't always go your way, but they still had a lot of time to get the equaliser.England were robbed if a goal in 2010 but no one talks anout that being a defining moment and there have been other times as well. You just have to fet on with it.


You're not wrong. Though in my officiating background in hockey, I never worked any game near such a level, I've been in situations where a big decision is on me and butterflies do turn in an official's stomach at those moments. That said, I will argue that Pitana showed some balls in changing his call. Sadly more balls than brains, given how he went back to the screen for more looks. That tells me he was definitely weighing options, which should have told his brain to stick with his original call.

It's refreshing to hear "get on with it" in those situations. Every team has decisions not go their way when they probably should. Croatia had 50 minutes to get an equalizer after that and they ended up going down 4-1 instead. Pitana didn't score those goals. Even on the penalty itself, Griezmann still had to step up and take it in the pressure of a World Cup Final. We can even go back to Griezmann's dive to get the free kick leading to the first goal. If Mandzukic doesn't get his head onto it, it's not an own goal and nobody is talking about Pitana falling for Griezmann's dive.


----------



## Micronian

PGVan said:


> Help me understand this, because by what's written, the usage of VAR and the decision are both wrong.
> 
> The purpose of VAR, as written, is "to ensure that no clearly wrong decisions are made in conjunction with the award or non-award of a penalty kick." The handball was obviously not deliberate, so I'm failing to see how anyone in that room deemed not awarding a penalty to be a clear mistake by Pitana.
> 
> VAR is not there for referees to watch 50/50 decisions. If there's any debate, it's not supposed to be used. That's what FIFA has said about it all along.
> 
> Once Pitana was watching the video, I don't understand how he determined Perisic deliberately handled the ball. The ball can hit a player's hand and not be a foul. It happens all the time. Pitana absolutely had the option to say "not deliberate, I'm not awarding a penalty".


I always understood a handball to be a penalty in the penalty area, whether intentional or not. That's why defenders place their arms behind their backs...otherwise they can just have their arms hanging down and let the ball touch them and argue it was unintentional. I'd give the benefit of the doubt if the ball touched the elbow or forearm unintentionally, but you have to draw the line somewhere. Pitana drew the line with contact to the _hand_, and VAR only confirmed it.



PGVan said:


> Agree on your points regarding France. They put it together at the right time. Honestly, they didn't look spectacular in qualifying against Sweden and The Netherlands at a low point in transition. Even the group stage was only alright and they conceded three against Argentina. The win against Uruguay was where they became a force and full credit for it. Though I do wonder if Croatia's finish would have been better without the extra 90 minutes played during the knockout rounds.


In this world cup, I paid extra close attention to France because they were facing my native country (Perú) in group C. So I saw all their activities leading up the tournament. They had two turning points from what I noticed: (1) Their friendly against Colombia where they lost 3-2. They played their usual pretty game and went ahead, but never tightened their defensive spaces and Colombia took advantage. Once they corrected this with an extra defensive mentality, they were set.
(2) Formation against Perú. Against Australia, they went out to play more wide open, and Australia kept countering them, so in their next game against Peru, they put Giroud instead of Dembele for more physical presence and less flair. Then they put Matuidi farther up for defensive insurance. They placed their bet on defense because they had the good fortune of having enough attack to resolve their games. And they played like that for the rest of the tournament.

When I saw the French defense control the Peruvian attack, and then bunker, I knew they were the real deal (Unfortunately nobody will know this because of the early exit, but Peru was a very balanced and offensively minded team....just unlucky). They played Uruguay, Belgium, and Croatia almost exactly like they played Peru. They left them with very few shots, few spaces, nulled their best attackers, and were frustrating to play against because they attacked so little and yet went ahead in the score line. And that's pretty much how they went throughout the WC.


----------



## PGVan

Micronian said:


> I always understood a handball to be a penalty in the penalty area, whether intentional or not. That's why defenders place their arms behind their backs...otherwise they can just have their arms hanging down and let the ball touch them and argue it was unintentional. I'd give the benefit of the doubt if the ball touched the elbow or forearm unintentionally, but you have to draw the line somewhere. Pitana drew the line with contact to the _hand_, and VAR only confirmed it.


Why should there be a benefit of the doubt for an arm and not a hand? The law describes Handling The Ball as "a deliberate act of a player making contact with the ball with his hand or arm". It's very clear in the laws of the game that any handball must be deliberate to be a foul. Defenders are extremely careful with their arms while defending in the box because they know most referees don't apply the law as it's written and any contact from the ball to their hands/arms has a chance on being awarded as a penalty to the opponent.

I think it's time to re-write the law, but I don't want to take the word "deliberate" out either, like a lot of people do. If you make any handball a foul, thus a penalty if it happens in the box, we will see attacking players kicking the ball towards defenders' hands and arms.


----------



## Paper Samurai

I'm late, but congrats to France... and now we can go back to club football, which I've gained a new appreciation for.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Should be interesting to watch the shuffling next month when the transfer window opens, tends to be more intriguing after World Cup competitions


----------



## naes

idc about the games, i just practice juggling.


----------



## PGVan

For those of us in Canada, TSN is no longer showing UEFA Champions League or Europa League matches. The rights were bought by DAZN. I must have been living under a f***ing rock, as apparently that was announced in May and I'm just finding this out now. After some Q&A with DAZN Customer Service today, for those of us who work during the day, this is absolutely horrible. Especially this season for me, with PSV Eindhoven guaranteed group stage football in either the CL or EL, I've gone bonkers over this. I can't legally watch PSV play domestically and when they make Europe, that's always my chance to actually watch them on TV in Canada! (TSN didn't pick up every single one of their European matches, but there were some.) There is a positive with DAZN in that more matches will be available than TSN had, but unless you're ok with being spoiled, you're going to have to watch live...

My routine for CL or EL matches I want to watch (as they typically kick off at 1145AM my time) is to set my PVR, avoid media at work to not have the result spoiled in a Twitter feed or something like that (I'm lucky and can have my phone with me on the job) and watch my recorded match sometime after 4PM when my work day is done. With DAZN, this is not possible. While there is on demand, they call it "Catch Up", and I was told in my email exchanges that events are available for "Catch Up" 24 hours after it took place and there is no recording feature. Does anyone think it's reasonable to avoid all media for roughly 30 hours to avoid being spoiled on the result? I am not the kind of sports fan who can watch a game of any kind, while knowing the end result. It's utterly f***ing pointless. 

It's bad enough that to watch any CL or EL action at all this season, it's going to cost Canadian fans $20/month or $150 for a year for DAZN. That fact alone makes the top European club competitions harder to access when it had gotten pretty good over the last 10-15 years with Sportsnet, then TSN. But if streaming services want to replace television, they need to offer services that are as good or better. Having no ability to record a match to watch a few hours later makes it worse. 

Rant over. Maybe. I have steam coming out of my ears.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

PGVan said:


> For those of us in Canada, TSN is no longer showing UEFA Champions League or Europa League matches. The rights were bought by DAZN. I must have been living under a f***ing rock, as apparently that was announced in May and I'm just finding this out now. After some Q&A with DAZN Customer Service today, for those of us who work during the day, this is absolutely horrible. Especially this season for me, with PSV Eindhoven guaranteed group stage football in either the CL or EL, I've gone bonkers over this. I can't legally watch PSV play domestically and when they make Europe, that's always my chance to actually watch them on TV in Canada! (TSN didn't pick up every single one of their European matches, but there were some.) There is a positive with DAZN in that more matches will be available than TSN had, but unless you're ok with being spoiled, you're going to have to watch live...
> 
> My routine for CL or EL matches I want to watch (as they typically kick off at 1145AM my time) is to set my PVR, avoid media at work to not have the result spoiled in a Twitter feed or something like that (I'm lucky and can have my phone with me on the job) and watch my recorded match sometime after 4PM when my work day is done. With DAZN, this is not possible. While there is on demand, they call it "Catch Up", and I was told in my email exchanges that events are available for "Catch Up" 24 hours after it took place and there is no recording feature. Does anyone think it's reasonable to avoid all media for roughly 30 hours to avoid being spoiled on the result? I am not the kind of sports fan who can watch a game of any kind, while knowing the end result. It's utterly f***ing pointless.
> 
> It's bad enough that to watch any CL or EL action at all this season, it's going to cost Canadian fans $20/month or $150 for a year for DAZN. That fact alone makes the top European club competitions harder to access when it had gotten pretty good over the last 10-15 years with Sportsnet, then TSN. But if streaming services want to replace television, they need to offer services that are as good or better. Having no ability to record a match to watch a few hours later makes it worse.
> 
> Rant over. Maybe. I have steam coming out of my ears.


I've no clue what DAZN is & I was under the impression that TSN had UCL for a few years, or has it been a few years already? Either way, gotta look into this, thanks for the heads up


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## Micronian

That's a pity. I had no idea what DAZN was until I read this. Weird how they could outbid TSN for soccer, of all things, until I read they're a UK based business.

For anyone without a regular cable tv subscription, I'm sure it's an ok deal (apart from the pvr part), but with my family/household already paying lots of money for cable/internet/phone, the extra subscription $ is unappealing. 

Also, I have my doubts if the streaming is 60fps anyway.


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## PGVan

I'm on the monthly trial and so far the quality is not bad. Some streams are better than others. Others on the twitter (yes I call it the twitter) have told me that last season, it did not take longer than 30-60 minutes after the end of a match for it to be available on DAZN's Catch Up feature, so perhaps the advice I got is not accurate.

If you're going to subscribe, might as well go for the $150 year as opposed to $20/month. It's a $90 saving over the course of a year. If you're into things other than footy, or even just other footy leagues besides the CL, EL and English Premier League, it's a good deal. I still think it's bull**** that no Canadian TELEVISION NETWORK has CL and EL, but my main concern is the timing of matches posted to watch on-demand.


----------



## PGVan

Pretty confident whoever at DAZN who was responding to my emails, was a complete f***ing doorknob. I was told CL playoffs weren't part of the CL and the matches wouldn't be shown. As I was browsing around on my free month tonight, I see BATE-PSV, as well as all other playoff matches, are being shown live. I got onto a live chat just now, and I am pleased beyond belief that by time time I get home after work Tuesday, I will be able to watch PSV on demand on DAZN's Catch Up feature. It's not going to take a full day to be available, and it will be available for 3 days once it's up. I believe that too as today's Serie A matches were available rather quickly after the live streams were over. 

I'm watching some darts as I type this and the NFL pre-season streams looked pretty good. So far, I'm actually impressed despite being ready to lose my marbles earlier this week.


----------



## Paper Samurai

Is this season going to be Mou's infamous 3rd season meltdown - early signs seems to be pointing towards yes. 

Any Utd fans on here, what are your thoughts?


----------



## PGVan

DAZN passed the test for me today. I was able to watch BATE-PSV as soon as I got home from work, 4 hours after kickoff. What a match it was. I survived 6 strokes, mostly thanks to Luuk de Jong's overall performance, a coronary courtesy of Jeroen Zoet in the 88th minute and was brought back to life by Donyell Malen a minute later. Lozano looks like he wants Champions League football too. Bottom line, an win in Belarus with 3 away goals cannot be a negative.


----------



## PGVan

VOORUIT PSV!!

Nice to be back in the Champions League with a clinical home victory. 3-0 could have easily been 6 or 7. BATE's keeper and defenders did well blocking some sure goals. And just for the record, my lord Hirving Lozano is good. With his talent on the attack, we can pull off an upset or two and get into the knockout rounds. 

And as much as any Ajax failure brings me pure delight and joy, I will say that it is only good for the Dutch coefficient. If we keep where we are now, we'll get our automatic group stage spot back in 2 years.


----------



## andy0128

Paper Samurai said:


> Is this season going to be Mou's infamous 3rd season meltdown - early signs seems to be pointing towards yes.
> 
> Any Utd fans on here, what are your thoughts?


The media are obsessed with the guy. Even after the brighton game they'd decided our fate. I don't think the club is in a position to challenge for the league though and that may not be good enough for supporters or the board. If the next few league results are poor then his job could be on the line but I'm not really convinced there are many strong candidates to take over at the moment.


----------



## Paper Samurai

andy0128 said:


> The media are obsessed with the guy. Even after the brighton game they'd decided our fate. I don't think the club is in a position to challenge for the league though and that may not be good enough for supporters or the board. If the next few league results are poor then his job could be on the line but I'm not really convinced there are many strong candidates to take over at the moment.


 The traditional press needs someone to be in 'crisis' every so often in order to sell papers sadly. Right now it's United, last season it was Wenger/Arsenal.

It's really too early to say at the moment - I mean we are just 3 games in after all. But you're right that if you get a few more bad results in the next few matches then there could be enough pressure for a sacking. (which is modern football for you) I'm not too sure how true it is but I heard that the boardroom and Mourinho are currently on bad terms? If so that could also play a part in whether he gets the boot should results not go your way.


----------



## PGVan

More Canadian TV/streaming bull****. UEFA has a new national team competition starting this week, and on the heels of the World Cup, not a single Canadian carrier has rights to the UEFA Nations League. I fail to understand how carriers in a country who just won the right to co-host the 2026 World Cup, is going so far backwards in covering the top European club and international competitions.


----------



## Micronian

PGVan said:


> More Canadian TV/streaming bull****. UEFA has a new national team competition starting this week, and off the heels of the World Cup, not a single Canadian carrier has rights to the UEFA Nations League. I fail to understand how carriers in a country who just won the right to co-host the 2026 World Cup, is going so far backwards in covering the top European club and international competitions.


They aren't carrying any game in this FIFA window, not even Italy or England--and most certainly not Canada :roll. They've taken a real step backwards, back to the pre-internet 90s.

I wonder if the sports programmers in Canada even have a clue that the emerging immigrant market, that they'll be relying on shortly, will not be consuming baseball or hockey. The programmers have totally missed the boat on soccer.


----------



## PGVan

Micronian said:


> They aren't carrying any game in this FIFA window, not even Italy or England--and most certainly not Canada :roll. They've taken a real step backwards, back to the pre-internet 90s.
> 
> I wonder if the sports programmers in Canada even have a clue that the emerging immigrant market, that they'll be relying on shortly, will not be consuming baseball or hockey. The programmers have totally missed the boat on soccer.


I used to work in licensed sports retail. A lot of immigrants do get into hockey. They also do not give up any passion for football (real football and they tend to despise American football), they want to see product sold in stores and several leagues available on television.

I have family from The Netherlands visit regularly, and as recent as last fall, my cousins who visited could not believe that we could watch UEFA Champions League, Europa League, international matches and more. I went over myself last September, did a PSV stadium tour and the guide couldn't believe I knew anything about the club, nevermind be a passionate supporter for 15ish years now. TSN and Sportsnet are putting it back to what Europeans figure Canada thinks about the sport, which is not much.


----------



## andy0128

It remains to be seen if nations league takes off or if it just gets treated as a second rate international competition with teams resting players like in the europa league or domestic cups. Could be why there isn't much interest.


----------



## PGVan

andy0128 said:


> It remains to be seen if nations league takes off or if it just gets treated as a second rate international competition with teams resting players like in the europa league or domestic cups. Could be why there isn't much interest.


I think it will be fine because teams have something to play for, as the Nations League is tied into Euro 2020 qualifying. And either way, be it Nations League match or a friendly, to not have a match Thursday between the last two World Cup winners on TV anywhere is insane.

According to what I'm finding searching around, UEFA is selling rights for the 18-19 Nations League in a package with 20-21 Nations League, Euro 2020 qualifiers and UEFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers, as well as some friendly matches. It seems like for international matches, all Canadian TV networks want are the World Cup and European Championship final tournaments and nothing else. This is a huge step backwards.

Considering that DAZN swooped in for CL and EL, I'm disappointed they haven't done the same for this, but I do understand that it may be expensive for such a young company to afford the package UEFA is selling for international matches.


----------



## andy0128

I watched most of the second half of englands match. What can i say? The referees protection of spanish teams extends beyond the domestic game.


----------



## PGVan

Conflicted with the 2-1 loss in Paris for Oranje. With no TV/streaming available in Canada, all I had to go on was audio from English commentary. If I'm trusting them, it seems that we were denied a clear penalty in the first half and Pavard should have seen red and not yellow for raking the back of Babel's legs off the ball. In that sense, it is hard to feel encouraged knowing that a result was within reach against the World Champions. That said, our national team is trying to find its identity and going from 4-0 in Paris last year to 2-1 today and feeling like you should have done better has to be positive. 

My main concern with Oranje right now, is that of 6 matches in 2018 so far, we have opened the scoring once, in our 3-0 win against Portugal. Of the other 5 matches where the opposition scored first, Slovakia, Peru and France all hit us within the first 15 minutes. Starting sluggish and conceding first are problems that need to be addressed. Chasing the game rarely results in wins.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I really can’t be bothered with international breaks, can’t wait for my bread and butter next weekend


----------



## andy0128

PGVan said:


> Conflicted with the 2-1 loss in Paris for Oranje. With no TV/streaming available in Canada, all I had to go on was audio from English


I watched the opening 20 minutes on french tv. Holland showed some good approach play until the last third but there is clearly a dearth of attackers in dutch football at tge moment.


----------



## Micronian

PGVan said:


> Conflicted with the 2-1 loss in Paris for Oranje. With no TV/streaming available in Canada, all I had to go on was audio from English commentary. If I'm trusting them, it seems that we were denied a clear penalty in the first half and Pavard should have seen red and not yellow for raking the back of Babel's legs off the ball. In that sense, it is hard to feel encouraged knowing that a result was within reach against the World Champions. That said, our national team is trying to find its identity and going from 4-0 in Paris last year to 2-1 today and feeling like you should have done better has to be positive.
> 
> My main concern with Oranje right now, is that of 6 matches in 2018 so far, we have opened the scoring once, in our 3-0 win against Portugal. Of the other 5 matches where the opposition scored first, Slovakia, Peru and France all hit us within the first 15 minutes. Starting sluggish and conceding first are problems that need to be addressed. Chasing the game rarely results in wins.


I saw their game against Peru (since I'm Peruvian). The defense is a step slower compared to an experienced attack. I'm guessing it's a new defensive line, or a new defensive system.


----------



## PGVan

andy0128 said:


> I watched the opening 20 minutes on french tv. Holland showed some good approach play until the last third but there is clearly a dearth of attackers in dutch football at tge moment.


A big problem in recent years has been in the midfield. Since Sneijder began declining from being a world class player, there's just been nobody to deliver that unbeatable service to the attack. Frenkie de Jong is a very recent revelation and he showed very well in his first competitive international match.

You're not wrong about the attack either. Robben retiring speaks for itself and for some reason, Bas Dost could never produce for Oranje like he has for his club and he ended up pouting about it and retiring too. Memphis Depay is finally coming around after Manchester United damn near destroyed his career. He should have stayed at PSV for at least another 2 years. There was also controversy in Holland last week with Steve Bergwijn not being called up. Koeman said it was because he wanted to leave him to play for Jong Oranje, who had a big match against England, but that made no sense as Justin Kluivert was with the mens national team... and Bergwijn picked up a groin pull and had to go back to PSV to heal up anyway.



Micronian said:


> I saw their game against Peru (since I'm Peruvian). The defense is a step slower compared to an experienced attack. I'm guessing it's a new defensive line, or a new defensive system.


Youth as well. Matthijs de Ligt is only 19 and already a starting CB for the national team. Koeman finally has broken the Dutch stubbornness with the 4-3-3 system and opted for 3 CBs instead of 2. I would have preferred a 5-3-2 rather than a 3-4-3 for the last two matches, but yes, a new system is definitely taking hold with this team.

I also don't understand Koeman's obsession with Daley Blind as a CB while leaving a player like Stefan de Vrij on the bench.


----------



## Paper Samurai

Another good away performance from the new Emery-led Arsenal. I still want to wait and see where things are at around Christmas before I make any clear judgements though.


----------



## scooby

Been trying to get into football this year. It's so hard though when CL matches start in the early morning for me. Premier League and La Liga have been reasonably catchable at least. For the most part anyway.


----------



## PGVan

scooby said:


> Been trying to get into football this year. It's so hard though when CL matches start in the early morning for me. Premier League and La Liga have been reasonably catchable at least. For the most part anyway.


Where do you live? CL matches start typically start at the same time as any evening domestic league match. It's only this season that UEFA is starting some CL matches at 1755 GMT for TV purposes.

As for today's match that matters to me... If only Pereiro and Bergwijn would have buried their early chances, PSV could have had a much different result in Barcelona. 4-0 was unfortunate for PSV, but what can you say about Messi in the Champions League? I thought we played the right way and had some ambition, but when you have your chances, you have to score and that was our fault. I do think we can get results in this group, especially at home. In the end though, this match is a good example of the discrepancy of what clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG, Juventus, etc can spend for quality players, while leagues like the Eredivisie just cannot even have 1-3 clubs who can realistically compete at that level anymore. Our major purchases are €10M or so for players like Lozano, only to have them until their early 20s and sell for profit. It's sad.

My only question for Mark van Bommel today, with what he has to work with, is what did we buy Erick Gutiérrez for if he's not starting over Pablo Rosario? That change needs to be made, starting with this weekend at home to Ajax.


----------



## scooby

PGVan said:


> Where do you live? CL matches start typically start at the same time as any evening domestic league match. It's only this season that UEFA is starting some CL matches at 1755 GMT for TV purposes.


I live in Australia.

Last nights/this mornings matches started at 2:55am (Barcelona vs PSV/Tott vs Inter) and the others started at 5am. Same situation for tonights matches. A small amount of the EPL matches start at 9:30pm for me, for example Fulham v Watford coming up this weekend. Others at 12am, which isn't completely bad. La Liga is a bit harder, but there are still matches sprinkled around that are watchable for me (9-12pm starts).


----------



## PGVan

Sadly for PSV, it's about finishing ahead of Spurs for the Europa League knockout place. 

I don't want to take anything away from Inter. Both Bergwijn and Pereiro missed glorious opportunities to score as well. That said, it's extremely difficult to accept the result knowing Inter should have been down to ten men for the last 50 minutes. What an absolutely shameful decision to not send Handanovic off for handling outside the box when Bergwijn had him beat to have or create a scoring opportunity. We were still up 1-0 at that point. Inter's second goal was also offside in the lead-up, VAR can't come soon enough.


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Good win for the gooners but still worried about the defence.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

In a Lonely Place said:


> Good win for the gooners but still worried about the defence.


I feel the same about Chelsea. We're cruising along but we've not looked tight, we've been lucky in all our matches so far in terms of conceding, eventually some teams will put away some of the missed chances against us and make things more awkward but it's still nice to have an unbeaten start to the season


----------



## PGVan

Great night in Amsterdam! On a night where Koeman gives debuts to Bergwijn, Dumfries and Groeneveld, we hammer the Germans 3-0 for the biggest win against them in our long history! Oranje is on the way back to where they should be!


----------



## andy0128

Surprising defeat for the germans. They've really gone off the boil of late. I hope England will be a little braver against the spanish and blood some more youngsters. Sterling incredibly hasn't scored in 3 years yet retains his place as an attacker.


----------



## In a Lonely Place

What's going on with spain


----------



## Vulnicura

That is one hella cool Bowie portrait you have as your avatar. What's your favorite Bowie album?

As for Spain, sometimes things like this happen, new coach, players might not be motivated, new system, team filled with subs, etc.


----------



## andy0128

In a Lonely Place said:


> What's going on with spain


Can't do it on a cold night in Seville.


----------



## andy0128

Vulnicura said:


> As for Spain, sometimes things like this happen, new coach, players might not be motivated, new system, team filled with subs, etc.


No they're simply overrated since 2012 and have been found out in the last 3 tournaments. England aren't even that good if you look at their record against top ranked sides so what does that tell you?


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Vulnicura said:


> That is one hella cool Bowie portrait you have as your avatar. What's your favorite Bowie album?


I know isn't it?, only found that quite recently even tho I must have looked at thousands of Bowie pics down the years.

That pic is a hint, probably the album Low although I find it difficult to choose since he produced so much great work.

Yours?


----------



## Vulnicura

@andy0128

Mismanagement by managers, and most recently by the Spanish FA, are some of the big reasons Spain have under performed, because they have continued to have very good players.

@In a Lonely Place

Nice, I'd probably also pick Low, maybe followed by Blackstar. My list could possibly be..

Low, Blackstar, Heroes, Scary Monsters, Station to Station, Lodger, The Idiot (with Iggy Pop), Outside, Young Americans, The Man Who Sold The World, Hunky Dory, Diamond Dogs, Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Aladdin Sane, The Buddha of Suburbia, Let's Dance, Heathen, and the rest i just don't like all that much.


----------



## andy0128

Impressive win for holland. To think what happened during ronald koemans time at everton and now this.


----------



## In a Lonely Place

We smashed the spuds, I'm happy :-D


----------



## Canadian Brotha

In a Lonely Place said:


> We smashed the spuds, I'm happy :-D


Wenger is gone and things are looking up for the gunners even though most everyone was unsure when Emery was announced. I mean you guys should've beaten us 5-2 as well. Seems all the top teams have refreshing managers except Utd. I love Mourinho but I've felt for years that that squad has needed to be properly gutted, I mean there are stills one Fergie players there and it's been how many years? When Mourinho is sacked next season they'd better let whoever comes in clean house and properly rebuild not just try to patch holes


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Canadian Brotha said:


> Wenger is gone and things are looking up for the gunners even though most everyone was unsure when Emery was announced. I mean you guys should've beaten us 5-2 as well. Seems all the top teams have refreshing managers except Utd. I love Mourinho but I've felt for years that that squad has needed to be properly gutted, I mean there are stills one Fergie players there and it's been how many years? When Mourinho is sacked next season they'd better let whoever comes in clean house and properly rebuild not just try to patch holes


Got to say I'm nervous about tonight despite how bad this united team have been playing recently. 
Everyone on Talksport radio today is predicting a victory for us and chomping at the bit for mourihno's demise in the morning but I've a bad feeling that they could have other plans to spoil the media's party. :-/


----------



## andy0128

United 2-1 i reckon


----------



## Canadian Brotha

In a Lonely Place said:


> Got to say I'm nervous about tonight despite how bad this united team have been playing recently.
> 
> Everyone on Talksport radio today is predicting a victory for us and chomping at the bit for mourihno's demise in the morning but I've a bad feeling that they could have other plans to spoil the media's party. :-/


Whatever you think of him and however bad his team is doing Mou is the king of winning one off big matches, he did earlier in the season in the UCL


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Canadian Brotha said:


> Whatever you think of him and however bad his team is doing Mou is the king of winning one off big matches, he did earlier in the season in the UCL


Yup but that said our defence has been embarrassing!


----------



## In a Lonely Place

meh that's a huge let off for man u there :-/


----------



## Canadian Brotha

In a Lonely Place said:


> meh that's a huge let off for man u there :-/


I'll check all the match highlights this evening but I can't believe the chances we missed against Wolves, they deserved the win based on our failure to hit the target


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Held firm 1st half and Kanye who all the pundits have been railing about being played further forward pops up, then second half go for it more and like Terry would for us previously good ole David Luiz pops up with a huge goal, awesome!


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Canadian Brotha said:


> Held firm 1st half and Kanye who all the pundits have been railing about being played further forward pops up, then second half go for it more and like Terry would for us previously good ole David Luiz pops up with a huge goal, awesome!


Congrats to Chelski for inflicting a first defeat on Pep's billionaires. It would be criminal for a team like that to go a whole season unbeaten.

Oh and I love this little guy :clap


----------



## Canadian Brotha

I have sympathy for Mourinho, he didn’t cover himself in glory but he won trophies as he does and realistically half that squad should’ve been shipped out from Moyes & Van Gaal’s days...there’s a reason Ferguson Retired when he did & it’s because he knew that it was complete rebuilding job and he didn’t want to do it again having done it so many times before. Everyone talks about the Utd way but really when you consider 26 years it was the Ferguson way...not to mention that even under Ferguson they weren’t always brilliant, it was just that in many a 1-1 or 2-2 game they could manage to force a 2-1 or 3-2 victory... lots of rose coloured eyes for that time without realistic assessment


----------



## In a Lonely Place

The special one becoming less special all the time, always good to see an egomaniac unravel.


----------



## Paper Samurai

In a Lonely Place said:


> Oh and I love this little guy :clap


 The South American Kante - he's been great so far.


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Well, at least Liverpool are giving City a run for their money so far this season...


----------



## Icarus12

Canadian Brotha said:


> Well, at least Liverpool are giving City a run for their money so far this season...


The big question now is can any team stop Liverpool winning the title? Poor City have suffered badly in the last few weeks without Fernandinho's quality in the middle of the park. City's title hopes might be a distant memory if they do not beat Liverpool in the upcoming coming clash between the pair.

I do like City but I like Klopp's Liverpool and would love it if they won the title this year. Klopp teams are always so good on the eyes!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Icarus12 said:


> The big question now is can any team stop Liverpool winning the title? Poor City have suffered badly in the last few weeks without Fernandinho's quality in the middle of the park. City's title hopes might be a distant memory if they do not beat Liverpool in the upcoming coming clash between the pair.
> 
> I do like City but I like Klopp's Liverpool and would love it if they won the title this year. Klopp teams are always so good on the eyes!


I'm kind of part of the Mourinho ilk in that you can play all the pretty football in the world but if you don't win anything doing it then it loses some lustre along the line but Klopp is too likeable and he's built his team without breaking the bank in one or two windows alone and now we're seeing the culmination of it all so it'd be nice if he and Liverpool win it to mix things up again like Leceister winning it did after it being City or us(Chelsea) or Utd in the past 15 years or so. Also, I watched a decent amount of Klopp's Dortmund so I agree that once he builds the pieces up it's quite something to behold. As for Pep, Fernandinho is a huge loss but I think Mendy is as well, it's really too bad he's had so many troubles. That said with Fernandinho back, a fit and firing De Brunyne + Aguero it'll likely go to the wire because Liverpool are the only top team yet to have a blip via injuries and/or exhaustion and that'll surely come some point in 2019. It's just good that Pep doesn't look invincible after the way last season went, for the league as a whole


----------



## Canadian Brotha

On a Chelsea note, I love how when we’ve lost or drawn this season the sole reason for it according to the pundits is that Kante isn’t playing where Gorginho currently is but when Kante playing the forward role results in setting up a goal or him scoring there’s barely two words for it other than “that’s nice, but put him back where he was, don’t worry about developing other aspects of his game”. Today Gorginho was immense defensively covering for say Alonso or Luis when they pushed up but that likely will barely be mentioned either. Anyway, point is as much as I love em, the pundits can piss off, lol


----------



## Icarus12

Canadian Brotha said:


> It's just good that Pep doesn't look invincible after the way last season went, for the league as a whole


I think you bought into the hype for City. I recall watching a Champions League match last year where City got ripped to shreds by some average Euro team (possibly Shakhtar) and some idiot in the English media asked Pep if he was surprised by how poorly City played since they were Champions League favourites. Pep looked horrified that people thought that in England. He knows this City team is a long way away from the quality he had at Bayern and Barcelona. This season he might not even have the best team in England! I think City are a good team and great on the eyes but I think they crumple when teams press high and attack them. They fare better in the PL as 70% of teams stick everyone behind the ball when they face City and that is the absolute worst tactic to use against them.

I'm still trying to make my mind up about how Mendy is dong at City. He offers them a lot going forward but just before his injury he was having trouble definitely. Pep even hauled him off a few times and stuck on Delph!

I'm not supper optimistic about Chelsea right now. Sarri's Napoli team were one of my favourite teams to watch of the last 3 seasons so I was pretty excited he was coming to Chelsea but I think the change in style has been a tough one to implement. The Chelsea team we see is misfiring and weirdly awful to watch. I blame that on a lack of pace in the forward areas and a lack of goals in the midfield trio. When Hazard gets sold in the summer I think Sarri will basically have to buy a whole new front 5 players. Giroud, Moratta, Willian, Kovačić, Barkley, and even Pedro and Kante are either not good enough or do not fit the system. I think it will take Sarri a few years to whip Chelsea into a decent team and he will be sacked by then if Arsenal and Man Utd show any signs of life!

The City vs Pool game on Thursday should tell us if City still have what it takes to keep pace with Liverpool at the top. They need the win so the pressure is on. It should make for a great game!


----------



## Canadian Brotha

Icarus12 said:


> I think you bought into the hype for City. I recall watching a Champions League match last year where City got ripped to shreds by some average Euro team (possibly Shakhtar) and some idiot in the English media asked Pep if he was surprised by how poorly City played since they were Champions League favourites. Pep looked horrified that people thought that in England. He knows this City team is a long way away from the quality he had at Bayern and Barcelona. This season he might not even have the best team in England! I think City are a good team and great on the eyes but I think they crumple when teams press high and attack them. They fare better in the PL as 70% of teams stick everyone behind the ball when they face City and that is the absolute worst tactic to use against them.
> 
> I'm still trying to make my mind up about how Mendy is dong at City. He offers them a lot going forward but just before his injury he was having trouble definitely. Pep even hauled him off a few times and stuck on Delph!
> 
> I'm not supper optimistic about Chelsea right now. Sarri's Napoli team were one of my favourite teams to watch of the last 3 seasons so I was pretty excited he was coming to Chelsea but I think the change in style has been a tough one to implement. The Chelsea team we see is misfiring and weirdly awful to watch. I blame that on a lack of pace in the forward areas and a lack of goals in the midfield trio. When Hazard gets sold in the summer I think Sarri will basically have to buy a whole new front 5 players. Giroud, Moratta, Willian, Kovačić, Barkley, and even Pedro and Kante are either not good enough or do not fit the system. I think it will take Sarri a few years to whip Chelsea into a decent team and he will be sacked by then if Arsenal and Man Utd show any signs of life!
> 
> The City vs Pool game on Thursday should tell us if City still have what it takes to keep pace with Liverpool at the top. They need the win so the pressure is on. It should make for a great game!


I've not bought into Pep hype, I was rather glad he had a torrid time in his first season & the fact that he cruised the league last season is no different to what he's done in Spain or Germany but his pedigree in Europe has been lacking since he left Barca. Even this season Lyon did a number on City and as I understand it they're not doing great nor have they in France for quite some time now.

As for Chelsea, we're doing better than I expected for this season but the team will have to be rebuilt without question, that spine Jose built and that stayed through so many managers is long gone now and Sarai being more expansive than most of our recent managers will need to ship out and bring in the pieces to truly make it work the way he wants. That said we tend to win something every second season so for all the ups and downs as a fan we tend to be rewarded regularly, lol


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Glad to see the scousers suffer their first defeat of the season as I was getting a bit worried they were coming after our Invincible record.


----------



## Icarus12

Canadian Brotha said:


> I've not bought into Pep hype, I was rather glad he had a torrid time in his first season & the fact that he cruised the league last season is no different to what he's done in Spain or Germany but his pedigree in Europe has been lacking since he left Barca.


I always feel like Pep gets judged harshly for his time at Bayern. He did take over a Champions League winning side but I feel like three straight semi-finals was pretty good! He was unlucky in a few of them and despite having a great squad he never had a Ronaldo or a Messi to make the difference when it counted. He got Bayern playing great football and did it while managing to establish Bayern as the dominant force in Germany again. Which was pretty impressive as Dortmund were a decent team when he arrived.

I'm not sure what to make of Chelsea so far this transfer window. I think selling Fabregas is a mistake but it is not like they were using him anyway! Christian Pulisic is a decent signing but the fact he is arriving in the summer and was signed without much input from Sarri is worrying. Makes me fear the guys at the top see him as a Hazard replacement and he is not on that level. He does not even really suit the 4-3-3 system which is why he has been benched at Dortmund this season. I'm hoping Sarri deploys him in the Hamšík role deeper in the midfield as I do feel like he will offer the goals and creativity that is lacking right now but I'm fearing they will push him into the front line and he will be no better than Willian. Chelsea do have a habit of winning trophies even when they are not looking great so I'd not be surprised if they bagged ones of the three cups they are in but I'm also a little fearful they might get caught in the league by Arsenal or Man Utd and miss out on the CL again. Utd have been looking decent again now that some of the big names are actually trying lol!

I'm glad FA cup weekend is done with as the cups in England are a total bore nowadays with teams just throwing out the reserves and a few youngsters.


----------



## Icarus12

In a Lonely Place said:


> Glad to see the scousers suffer their first defeat of the season as I was getting a bit worried they were coming after our Invincible record.


I was never too worried about that as this Liverpool team definitely look like they have a few losses in them. We have a title race again after City beat Liverpool but I'm not so down on Liverpool's chances as some of the pundits as I felt like they were a little unlucky to lose the match. Should be interesting to see how they bounce back in the next few weeks.

I've no idea what to make of Arsenal this season. I miss watching the Arsenal teams from the Wenger glory days as they were always fantastic on the eyes.


----------



## In a Lonely Place

Icarus12 said:


> I was never too worried about that as this Liverpool team definitely look like they have a few losses in them. We have a title race again after City beat Liverpool but I'm not so down on Liverpool's chances as some of the pundits as I felt like they were a little unlucky to lose the match. Should be interesting to see how they bounce back in the next few weeks.
> 
> I've no idea what to make of Arsenal this season. *I miss watching the Arsenal teams from the Wenger glory days as they were always fantastic on the eyes.*


Me too, I feel so privileged to have been around to appreciate those great teams, too many special players to mention. No billionaires money needed to assemble those teams either, just Arsene's eye for talent and shaping players that others had overlooked. Those days are gone sadly.


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## twitchy666

very funny

deceit


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## Canadian Brotha

Well we’ve got a cup final, next round of the FA Cup, Higuain is in on loan and we’re 4th in the table, all things considered it’s not bad, could be better but it’s not bad


----------



## Icarus12

Canadian Brotha said:


> Well we've got a cup final, next round of the FA Cup, Higuain is in on loan and we're 4th in the table, all things considered it's not bad, could be better but it's not bad


It has been a bad few weeks for Chelsea for sure. People have gone from seeing them as safe for the top 4 and not too far away from Liverpool and City to viewing them as a bit of a joke after a bunch of bad results and poor performances.

I think the criticism of Sarri and his system is harsh. The system worked fine at Napoli as they played excellent free flowing football. I knew it would be tough to implement at Chelsea though as the midfield has zero goals or creativity and the forwards have not got the work rate for the high press system. The other problem with the forwards is that all of them want it to feet and none run in behind off the ball and guys like Hazard and Willian want to take a thousand touches which lets the opposition defences get back into shape and kills any quick attacks. I figured Sarri would be able to coach in everything except the off the ball pressing into the players as the season progressed so it is shocking that has not happened. I'd like to see them give him another season and a chance to bring in new players in the summer as both Pep and Klopp needed a bit of time to ship out the players that did not adapt to their tactics but I'll honestly not be surprised if Chelsea sack Sarri in the next week or two. I feel sorry for him as losing Costa, Courtois, and Fabregas from the last title winning Chelsea team and getting no adequate replacements for their quality meant he was always going to be in for a tough job.

Worst thing that happened for Sarri was Mourinho getting the sack at Man Utd. The media have been looking for a new victim ever since and have settled on Sarri. Once he gets the bullet it will be Emery they target next!


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## Canadian Brotha

Icarus12 said:


> It has been a bad few weeks for Chelsea for sure. People have gone from seeing them as safe for the top 4 and not too far away from Liverpool and City to viewing them as a bit of a joke after a bunch of bad results and poor performances.
> 
> I think the criticism of Sarri and his system is harsh. The system worked fine at Napoli as they played excellent free flowing football. I knew it would be tough to implement at Chelsea though as the midfield has zero goals or creativity and the forwards have not got the work rate for the high press system. The other problem with the forwards is that all of them want it to feet and none run in behind off the ball and guys like Hazard and Willian want to take a thousand touches which lets the opposition defences get back into shape and kills any quick attacks. I figured Sarri would be able to coach in everything except the off the ball pressing into the players as the season progressed so it is shocking that has not happened. I'd like to see them give him another season and a chance to bring in new players in the summer as both Pep and Klopp needed a bit of time to ship out the players that did not adapt to their tactics but I'll honestly not be surprised if Chelsea sack Sarri in the next week or two. I feel sorry for him as losing Costa, Courtois, and Fabregas from the last title winning Chelsea team and getting no adequate replacements for their quality meant he was always going to be in for a tough job.
> 
> Worst thing that happened for Sarri was Mourinho getting the sack at Man Utd. The media have been looking for a new victim ever since and have settled on Sarri. Once he gets the bullet it will be Emery they target next!


I can't argue with too much of what you say...unfortunately. The media are rabid wolves and given our manager sacking history they're salivating over our rough patch of the season. Also, Sarri is being crucified because he doesn't have a trophy by his name and we are expected to win something every second season at least. We've basically had the opposite season to Utd, cruised the beginning and now crashing a bit, where as they crashed and are now cruising. All I can say is if we really focus on the Europa League and top 4 it's not the worst season but he could be gone before he gets a real chance. What annoys me more than anything is the Kante chatter, I get it but he gets very little praise for how he's improving Kante's understanding of more forward play


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## Canadian Brotha

I hate VAR... at least how it’s used currently. The time delay pisses me off and even with it it’s still a matter of interpretation often totally dependant on the angles you see. As far as I’m concerned if they are going to use it it should be a challenge system like in American Football where each manager gets a challenge for its use per half, or maybe two challenges per half at best...as it stands the correct call justification for it to be involved across the board has proved faulty in my eyes.

In other news I’m glad I watched Madrid/Ajax


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## NeonSun

In a Lonely Place said:


> Glad to see the scousers suffer their first defeat of the season as I was getting a bit worried they were coming after our Invincible record.


I felt the same! Glad to see that I wasn't the one.


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## Merkurial

Football is still my the most favourite type of sport games. I always liked to be physically active and play different sport games with my parents and later friends but this one is on my top list among the other ones.
It's the same in case of mathes, I adore to watch them together with my friends or visit the live ones, especially in case of the most interesting and important ones. Sadly I can't do this very often because such tickets aren't usually cheap at all but every such visit became an amazing memory for me :smile2:
And of course I have a couple of my the most favourite football teams, they're from Spain and Brazil. In case of the first one I mean famous Barcelona and for the second one I like Flamengo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clube_de_Regatas_do_Flamengo the most of all. I'm a fan in both cases, I try not to skip the matches when these teams play, I have many stuff with their symbols and sometimes I even make bets https://sportingbet-br.net/ on them during the matches.


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## Canadian Brotha

Spurs & Liverpool did it the hard way but they’ve done it, one of those managers is gonna be a god in their clubs history.

Now hopefully my boys in blue get to the Europa final and finish 3rd in the league. Very up and down season but 3rd and a trophy is far from the worst it could be if it ends that way.

Also, if we get both Euro finals with English teams is that a first? Has it happened before? If so, when?


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## In a Lonely Place

Canadian Brotha said:


> Spurs & Liverpool did it the hard way but they've done it, one of those managers is gonna be a god in their clubs history.
> 
> Now hopefully my boys in blue get to the Europa final and finish 3rd in the league. Very up and down season but 3rd and a trophy is far from the worst it could be if it ends that way.
> 
> Also, if we get both Euro finals with English teams is that a first? Has it happened before? If so, when?


Pretty sure it's a first

Can't believe the idiocy of UEFA staging the Europa Cup Final in Baku, Azerbaijan
Wait no, it's typical of those morons.


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## Canadian Brotha

Fingers crossed for tomorrow


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## rdrr

Emery will be sacked, im calling it.


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## Canadian Brotha

Too bad I don’t own a Chelsea jersey currently, need to sort that out. Total seesaw season but 3rd and a trophy was pretty much all I could ask for at beginning of it. Also happy that Hazard leaves in style and Sarri gets his first silverware with us despite all the trials he’s had, and that Giroud ends the como top scorer, and that we did it undefeated


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## Canadian Brotha

So Klopp’s build up Liverpool project results in his first trophy for the being the Champions League, happy for him. Likewise, feel for Pochettino, he’ll likely have to move on if he wants to win trophies.


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## In a Lonely Place

rdrr said:


> Emery will be sacked, im calling it.


I doubt that very much.


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## PGVan

Canadian Brotha said:


> I hate VAR... at least how it's used currently. The time delay pisses me off and even with it it's still a matter of interpretation often totally dependant on the angles you see. As far as I'm concerned if they are going to use it it should be a challenge system like in American Football where each manager gets a challenge for its use per half, or maybe two challenges per half at best...as it stands the correct call justification for it to be involved across the board has proved faulty in my eyes.


After the missed PI call that cost the Saints an opportunity to win (note I said opportunity to win, because there's no guarantee catching that pass results in an ensuing touchdown, nor does it guarantee the Rams don't go on a game-winning drive if it did result in a touchdown), changes are coming to NFL review. That part about opportunity sounded long-winded but it's reality. However, most fans and media see one missed call as a GUARANTEE the remainder of the game finishes as it did.

I spent 20+ years officiating hockey and yes, NHL officials have had a rough playoffs this season, though I will still argue this is not much worse than any other season (journalists behaving like teenagers on Twitter make it seem like it's the worst ever). Even though they get 90%+ of their decisions correct, some of the 10-ish% they get wrong have been at horrible times. The result will be more use of video review by the officials or guys watching in an office. The reaction is going to be knee-jerk and it's going to raise the same questions we have for VAR in football at times... mainly how far back can you go to find a foul or ball a few centimetres out of play to take a goal off the board? I really hope when the NHL makes their changes, they write some very strict rules for how it is to be used.

-----------------

As for some actual football this weekend... ORANJE BOVEN!!! I don't care that the Nations League is a new trophy, I want to f***ing win it! Oranje has already put themselves back onto the map, but beating Portugal Sunday would give the team even more confidence for the rest of Euro 2020 qualifying and beyond.


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## Entrensik

Canadian Brotha said:


> So Klopp's build up Liverpool project results in his first trophy for the being the Champions League, happy for him. Likewise, feel for Pochettino, he'll likely have to move on if he wants to win trophies.


Pochettino is an average coach at best. He deserves to be fired, as a matter of fact they should've fired him years ago. It's a complete waste of talent. Smh.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Entrensik

@Canadian Brotha Btw are you a Chelsea fan? I'm watching every Chelsea game this season now that pulisic is with the team lol. I also have a bit with a friend that Chelsea finish higher then Arsenal so I'm rooting for them this season.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## PGVan

Anyone else in Canada unsubscribe from DAZN recently? They got the EPL and subsequently clipped Ligue 1, La Liga and beIN Sports Canada. It's like they've changed their mentality to the TV networks here, where they figure we all want to just watch the English league.


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## Entrensik

PGVan said:


> Anyone else in Canada unsubscribe from DAZN recently? They got the EPL and subsequently clipped Ligue 1, La Liga and beIN Sports Canada. It's like they've changed their mentality to the TV networks here, where they figure we all want to just watch the English league.


No I have Comcast but I can't watch la liga because they couldn't agree to terms with beIN Sports 

NBCSports has great bpl coverage i don't know if you have them though.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## PGVan

Entrensik said:


> No I have Comcast but I can't watch la liga because they couldn't agree to terms with beIN Sports
> 
> NBCSports has great bpl coverage i don't know if you have them though.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I don't understand the link between beIN Sports and La Liga for DAZN in Canada. You could pick any La Liga match on DAZN just like Ligue 1, Serie A and all other leagues/competitions they had last season. You didn't have to rely on beIN showing a La Liga match to see it.

As for NBC, as far as I know, they show one EPL game a week. If I keep DAZN, I can watch all EPL matches. When DAZN has rights to a league, it is by far and wide better than any TV network because of the simple fact that you can choose the match(es) you want to watch as opposed to being force-fed the match NBC wants to show. Last season in Canada, TSN had rights to the EPL, but obviously it was typically the big teams shown. My beef right now with DAZN is how they claim they are expanding when they actually diminished their European soccer coverage this season. Get the English league, cut the French and Spanish leagues. Not everyone goes bonkers for the EPL FFS.


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## Canadian Brotha

Entrensik said:


> @Canadian Brotha Btw are you a Chelsea fan? I'm watching every Chelsea game this season now that pulisic is with the team lol. I also have a bit with a friend that Chelsea finish higher then Arsenal so I'm rooting for them this season.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


True Blue since 06 here, through thick & thin to the end of days now, lol. We had better finish above Arsenal, haha. And yeah, Pulisic and the other youngsters look hungry so if Frank can get the discipline & fitness right we should have a decent season. I'm not sure we will be keeping clean sheets though, I suspect our wins will be because we out score opponents, not because we defend well


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## Canadian Brotha

Entrensik said:


> Pochettino is an average coach at best. He deserves to be fired, as a matter of fact they should've fired him years ago. It's a complete waste of talent. Smh.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I think he could do more with a board that backs him with money and pays star players star wages. What he has done hamstrung financially has been pretty good. Different kind of pressure when you walk in the door and have to end with a trophy every season though...at some clubs that isn't even enough


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## Canadian Brotha

PGVan said:


> Anyone else in Canada unsubscribe from DAZN recently? They got the EPL and subsequently clipped Ligue 1, La Liga and beIN Sports Canada. It's like they've changed their mentality to the TV networks here, where they figure we all want to just watch the English league.


I was thinking to get DAZN when it's in the budget but I was also looking forward to watching a bit of Spanish or Italian footy on there as well, haven't really seen those teams outside of Champions or Europa leagues in a few years. I had no clue they cut some of their footy coverage. Is it a legal thing because of the monopoly they've taken on much of sport access in Canada?


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## PGVan

Canadian Brotha said:


> I was thinking to get DAZN when it's in the budget but I was also looking forward to watching a bit of Spanish or Italian footy on there as well, haven't really seen those teams outside of Champions or Europa leagues in a few years. I had no clue they cut some of their footy coverage. Is it a legal thing because of the monopoly they've taken on much of sport access in Canada?


I'm not aware of laws like that. If there is such a law saying they can't buy as much coverage as they want, that would be ridiculous. I would love for a platform like DAZN to have a dozen leagues from which we can select whatever match(es) we want to watch. I think DAZN dropped Ligue 1 and La Liga because they forked out the cash for EPL rights and they figure that most fans only care about that league. Judging from twitter reaction to their announcement, they were just a tad wrong about that.

When I complained, their response was, "but we do have every single Premier League match as well as UCL, Europa League, ICC, Serie A and MLS". I told them that this response does not address my complaint that they dropped two leagues after acquiring one and like most fans of European football, I could care less about the ICC and MLS. Naturally I got no response but I wasn't expecting one either.

In the end, the ONE league I want access to is the Eredivisie. Early on after I subscribed, I asked if they were pursuing the Eredivisie and they said they were, along with other leagues. Obviously that was bull****. I would love to be able to pay for Fox Sports Nederland, but you have to be a resident of The Netherlands. Here we are in 2019 and there are still more limits to what we can watch than there is access.


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## Canadian Brotha

PGVan said:


> I'm not aware of laws like that. If there is such a law saying they can't buy as much coverage as they want, that would be ridiculous. I would love for a platform like DAZN to have a dozen leagues from which we can select whatever match(es) we want to watch. I think DAZN dropped Ligue 1 and La Liga because they forked out the cash for EPL rights and they figure that most fans only care about that league. Judging from twitter reaction to their announcement, they were just a tad wrong about that.
> 
> When I complained, their response was, "but we do have every single Premier League match as well as UCL, Europa League, ICC, Serie A and MLS". I told them that this response does not address my complaint that they dropped two leagues after acquiring one and like most fans of European football, I could care less about the ICC and MLS. Naturally I got no response but I wasn't expecting one either.
> 
> In the end, the ONE league I want access to is the Eredivisie. Early on after I subscribed, I asked if they were pursuing the Eredivisie and they said they were, along with other leagues. Obviously that was bull****. I would love to be able to pay for Fox Sports Nederland, but you have to be a resident of The Netherlands. Here we are in 2019 and there are still more limits to what we cann watch than there is access.


So there's literally no access to Dutch football in Canada? I mean beyond satellite TV or some such?

At least when I get DAZN I'll be able to watch some Italian footy & Bellator. Would be nice if they had La Liga & UFC but someone always uploads the latter anyway. The other sports I don't care about but I feel for you not having access. Years ago they had Ligue 1 on the French Canadian channels & I really got into it. Lyon were boss back then & I know pundits **** on it because PSG dominate now but I quite enjoyed the other teams, the competition & play were solid. I don't think I'll ever be able to get into MLS & I've tried a few times. It just feels wrong, American commentators, designated players, Eastern & Western Conferences, plus the level of advertising because its American, etc. I think I could get into South American leagues if I had access though


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## PGVan

Canadian Brotha said:


> So there's literally no access to Dutch football in Canada? I mean beyond satellite TV or some such?
> 
> At least when I get DAZN I'll be able to watch some Italian footy & Bellator. Would be nice if they had La Liga & UFC but someone always uploads the latter anyway. The other sports I don't care about but I feel for you not having access. Years ago they had Ligue 1 on the French Canadian channels & I really got into it. Lyon were boss back then & I know pundits **** on it because PSG dominate now but I quite enjoyed the other teams, the competition & play were solid. I don't think I'll ever be able to get into MLS & I've tried a few times. It just feels wrong, American commentators, designated players, Eastern & Western Conferences, plus the level of advertising because its American, etc. I think I could get into South American leagues if I had access though


I can use Bet365 for Eredivisie. They have some live streaming for people to keep tabs on their bets, but it's not full screen and certainly not great quality. Other than that, there are illegal streams, but I won't risk a computer virus. No Canadian broadcaster has rights and even if someone picks it up, they would probably show Ajax's match every week when I want to watch PSV. Unsubscribing to DAZN means I won't get to watch PSV's Europa League matches, but I'm not going to pay their annual price (especially not the $20/month, which is more expensive) to watch 6 matches and maybe some knockouts, given their diminished total coverage. If PSV gets to the semi-final, I will do a free trial month and probably have to pay for a month if they would reach the final.

I don't think MLS is terrible for quality, but it is also not a top league (Ibrahimovic was right, he's a Ferrari among Fiats lol) and I agree that it has nothing close to the feel of a European league. When the Whitecaps got into the league, I tried, but they're a team who just does not try to win and their recent scandal of keeping sexual harassment allegations under wraps with their womens team just makes me not want to support them.

I'm with you about South American leagues. I would love to watch a Boca Juniors vs River Plate derby. It's probably the most bitter rivalry in world football.


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## Micronian

There isn't enough in south american leagues to merit a watching. Apart from the 3 teams from the capital, most teams and stadia are in terrible shape, the game is extra rough, there are multiple sending offs and timewasting, and the referees are either inept or corrupt. You only really watch because of tradition or to see new young players.

The Mexican league and the Brasilerao (not the entire brazilian league) are probably the only leagues that are worth watching, as a league, apart from the Copa Libertadores.



Canadian Brotha said:


> I don't think I'll ever be able to get into MLS & I've tried a few times. It just feels wrong, American commentators, designated players, Eastern & Western Conferences, plus the level of advertising because its American, etc. I think I could get into South American leagues if I had access though


umm...Europe--and especially England--does not own soccer or whatever other name one chooses to call it. If American commentators can do the NBA, MMA, NHL the best, why does their broadcasting talent suddenly end at soccer? Drop the European elitism and you'll suddenly enjoy the MLS a lot more.


----------



## PGVan

Micronian said:


> There isn't enough in south american leagues to merit a watching. Apart from the 3 teams from the capital, most teams and stadia are in terrible shape, the game is extra rough, there are multiple sending offs and timewasting, and the referees are either inept or corrupt. You only really watch because of tradition or to see new young players.
> 
> The Mexican league and the Brasilerao (not the entire brazilian league) are probably the only leagues that are worth watching, as a league, apart from the Copa Libertadores.
> 
> umm...Europe--and especially England--does not own soccer or whatever other name one chooses to call it. If American commentators can do the NBA, MMA, NHL the best, why does their broadcasting talent suddenly end at soccer? Drop the European elitism and you'll suddenly enjoy the MLS a lot more.


I just want access to anything I'm willing to pay for. It's that simple for me. I don't understand why there are laws anywhere stopping the public from paying for a service, especially if there is no rights holder in the country where the customer resides.

Regarding American commentators, TSN hired Luke Wileman, an Englishman, for their MLS coverage. Kristian Jack and James Sharman (both Englishmen) have been staples on Canadian networks for soccer analysis. Those who work with Wileman on broadcasts are typically Canadians who have played at higher levels and for Canada's national team, thus they know the sport and are quite humble. The odd match I've watched with American coverage, I find they are mainly USA cheerleaders. One of the first times I watched American MLS coverage years ago, Alexi Lalas said the MLS was as good as the EPL.

That all said, I wish there was an option to watch all sports without commentary. When I watch Bet365's live streaming, there is no commentary. At least not for Eredivisie matches. It's great. I can just watch the game and not be bothered with play by play. I remember many years ago, when the French CBC still broadcasted Habs games, their commentators went on strike. It was awesome. I don't care for any punditry. With this DAZN getting EPL fallout, on complaint I read was that they won't have the same analysis pre-game, halftime and after. I tune in for kickoff (or puckdrop), I use halftime (or intermissions) to take a piss, get a beer, food and whatnot. I tune out after the game unless it's to watch a trophy presentation. Maybe I'm weird.


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## Canadian Brotha

Micronian said:


> There isn't enough in south american leagues to merit a watching. Apart from the 3 teams from the capital, most teams and stadia are in terrible shape, the game is extra rough, there are multiple sending offs and timewasting, and the referees are either inept or corrupt. You only really watch because of tradition or to see new young players.
> 
> The Mexican league and the Brasilerao (not the entire brazilian league) are probably the only leagues that are worth watching, as a league, apart from the Copa Libertadores.
> 
> umm...Europe--and especially England--does not own soccer or whatever other name one chooses to call it. If American commentators can do the NBA, MMA, NHL the best, why does their broadcasting talent suddenly end at soccer? Drop the European elitism and you'll suddenly enjoy the MLS a lot more.


It's not about being an elitist, I just simply can't get into it, old habits die hard. Its like when there's a European show or movie and then they do a remake of it for an American audience, if I've seen the original the remakes just don't really do it for me(and they can be quite good). I can enjoy the odd game but I have zero incentive to become a true fan/follower and that's even with Toronto winning it recently. I suspect its pretty rare for Americans to follow European basketball leagues or Asian baseball leagues for example and some of them are solid, but they know the best of it is at home and they know the cycle of it and when trades occur and everything. I have no interest in trying to learn how draft and designated player systems work or eastern and western conferences or playoffs between conferences or any of the rest of it nor do I want to follow league footy in the summer when to me its the time for national team competitions and player transfers. Things like commentator accents might sounds trivial but to me its part of an entire cycle and system of integrated Euro footy/leagues that I have spent over a decade learning and getting accustomed to...I don't see the preference as any different to having the same meal at two different restaurants and knowing you only want it from one going forward...its not necessarily a knock on the one you don't go to but perhaps the one you do go to has a spice(or way of making it)you just like more or are used to. I'm glad MLS has grown and has dedicated stadiums and fan bases now(I still remember watching matches on NFL pitches that weren't even repainted for footy) and if I had tickets I'd totally go out and have a good time watching one of the Canadian teams live but for me sport is ritualistic and the American ritual of soccer is too out of sync with the European one for me to take a deep interest


----------



## Micronian

@Canadian Brotha

You have to undo yourself from rigid customs. Every league around the world is different, and they have their own quirks and their own ways to broadcast and transmit their games. The fans even have their own ways to support.

I remember watching Colombian games when I was young and in the middle of the broadcasts they'd blast salsa music. In Perú (where I'm from) half the pregames are about displaying costumes and telling jokes and doing dance-offs. If you grew up in an environment like this, could you imagine how boring it feels to hear classical music and british accents when watching the Champions League? If the MLS has east and west divisions, as an example of one country's league, it doesn't have the 3-4 concurrent tournaments that european teams participate in every season. It's actually much, much, simpler to follow. The whole Brazilian league is a nightmare to follow, so much so that they aren't even capable of fitting it with the FIFA calendar! I used to live in Japan and would regularly catch both the J-league and national team games, and though the way they played was not pretty at all, the heart that the broadcasters (and the fans) put into their matches has been unparalleled in any other language I've heard--even more than Spanish sometimes! And the idea is that you appreciate these things as they are, and it makes you end up liking the game so much more.

I think the stout rigidness on how one expects the game to be is pretty much what kills its diversity. I'm sure it's precisely what makes the average American/Canadian to hate it, and what keeps the program from growing like it should in North America--especially Canada. It would really disappoint me if the diversity of national leagues gets squashed in favour of European tastes because, merely from my point of view, it becomes. so. BORING.


----------



## Micronian

PGVan said:


> Regarding American commentators, TSN hired Luke Wileman, an Englishman, for their MLS coverage. Kristian Jack and James Sharman (both Englishmen) have been staples on Canadian networks for soccer analysis. Those who work with Wileman on broadcasts are typically Canadians who have played at higher levels and for Canada's national team, thus they know the sport and are quite humble. The odd match I've watched with American coverage, I find they are mainly USA cheerleaders. One of the first times I watched American MLS coverage years ago, Alexi Lalas said the MLS was as good as the EPL.


I'm not american, but I actually like Alexi Lalas, and I like his pompous homer-ism. I generally like showmanship in a broadcast, and Lalas get my blood boiling sometimes with the things he says. He helps get me into the game. If there is a game on TSN and they show the same game on FOX, I will tune to FOX every time just because too much neutrality gets me uninterested. And the kicker is that Lalas has a bigger resume than all Canadian ex-players on TV, so it makes you hate him more. I don't understand why a Charles Barkley, a Shaquille O'neil (or even a Don Cherry) can be so popular but an Alexi Lalas suddenly berated for doing the same thing? It doesn't make sense to me...

I remember watching Canada's World Cup qualifying matches for USA '94 on TSN, Vic Rauter used to call them, and that was the last time I heard outrageous passion from a Canadian soccer broadcast. Rauter was never that skilled or as articulate as a Luke Wileman, but that wasn't as important as expressing the feelings everybody had in their throats as the game was playing. Later, Canada games moved to Sportsnet and though they were still less skilled than today, there was still lots of feeling. They probably sounded more like a hockey game than "association footbal", but that's how I thought Canadian games should sound--that's how Canadian passion sounds. Now it's much more refined, much more knowledgeable and analytical, but I feel the TSN crew has lost its raw passion for a more European standard, and just with me, it never puts me at the edge of my seat.


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## PGVan

We just don't see commentary the same way. Even watching hockey, I can't stand home team broadcasters and that even goes for my favourite team (Canucks). Some are worse than others. I watched a PIT-NYI game a year or two ago... Crosby got a high sticking penalty and the Penguins commentators said Crosby's stick didn't make contact, as they showed a reply of his stick clipping the Islanders player in the face. Bruins commentators say the league is out to get them almost every penalty they get. 

Like I said, give me an option to watch without having to listen to any punditry at all. (Obviously will never happen, but that's my dream.) And for the record, Don Cherry is a c**t.


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## Canadian Brotha

Micronian said:


> @Canadian Brotha
> 
> You have to undo yourself from rigid customs. Every league around the world is different, and they have their own quirks and their own ways to broadcast and transmit their games. The fans even have their own ways to support.
> 
> I remember watching Colombian games when I was young and in the middle of the broadcasts they'd blast salsa music. In Perú (where I'm from) half the pregames are about displaying costumes and telling jokes and doing dance-offs. If you grew up in an environment like this, could you imagine how boring it feels to hear classical music and british accents when watching the Champions League? If the MLS has east and west divisions, as an example of one country's league, it doesn't have the 3-4 concurrent tournaments that european teams participate in every season. It's actually much, much, simpler to follow. The whole Brazilian league is a nightmare to follow, so much so that they aren't even capable of fitting it with the FIFA calendar! I used to live in Japan and would regularly catch both the J-league and national team games, and though the way they played was not pretty at all, the heart that the broadcasters (and the fans) put into their matches has been unparalleled in any other language I've heard--even more than Spanish sometimes! And the idea is that you appreciate these things as they are, and it makes you end up liking the game so much more.
> 
> I think the stout rigidness on how one expects the game to be is pretty much what kills its diversity. I'm sure it's precisely what makes the average American/Canadian to hate it, and what keeps the program from growing like it should in North America--especially Canada. It would really disappoint me if the diversity of national leagues gets squashed in favour of European tastes because, merely from my point of view, it becomes. so. BORING.


The way I'm reading this is that I should like MLS because if I don't I'm just a Euro leagues snob...fact is I've not spent the duration of it's existence knocking it for not being up to par like many pundits/Euro fans, I thought "cool, they're trying to do it over here" & gave it a few chances...I didn't get into it & I don't like that when players are past it in Europe they can just hop the pond to come school "up & comers" over here. I have my reasons for it not being my thing, which according to you aren't up to snuff, but I did what anyone anywhere can ask, I followed matches, looked into some players/managers & it's structure...it wasn't for me so I left it to the true fans(Portland Timbers for example, real solid crew there). It's not more complicated or judgemental or whatever than that & it's not always snobbery to simply state you don't like something & why after having tried it. I don't much care for international footy other than the tournaments & I've stated that here many times too. Qualifiers/Friendlies don't do it for me. Again, I've tried them & came to a conclusion for myself. The same way I prefer & follow Euro leagues, in fights, I prefer & follow UFC over Bellator. Bellator has good fights which I'll watch but I don't know nor am I learning the roster for it. I gave it a chance too, but UFC is my bread & butter, the rest I check now & then to see what's happening in other areas of the respective sports. @PGVan was talking about how the English league is promoted as the best ever over here but I'm actually looking forward to getting DAZN to watch some Italian footy again...was hoping for Spanish too, and probably would've caught some French as well, but even so, I'm not a one league man & I've already noted how I'd be interested(if I had access)to some South American leagues, whatever your criticism of them is


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## Entrensik

Canadian Brotha said:


> I think he could do more with a board that backs him with money and pays star players star wages. What he has done hamstrung financially has been pretty good. Different kind of pressure when you walk in the door and have to end with a trophy every season though...at some clubs that isn't even enough


I have to disagree. If you look at the rosters that he's had to work with you can make an argument that he's had one of the most complete top to bottom rosters in the entire world for years. The only position that was lacking was the CM position but they got Ndombele this summer to fill that role. Not to mention how they've had so much depth. Pochettino is just a mediocre coach. It's that simple. There's no excuse for his mediocrity throughout these years.



Canadian Brotha said:


> True Blue since 06 here, through thick & thin to the end of days now, lol. We had better finish above Arsenal, haha. And yeah, Pulisic and the other youngsters look hungry so if Frank can get the discipline & fitness right we should have a decent season. I'm not sure we will be keeping clean sheets though, I suspect our wins will be because we out score opponents, not because we defend well


Haha that's awesome. Chelsea have had two of my favorite all time players in Drogba and Lampard. I'm a Barcelona fan myself ever since Thierry Henry joined back in 08. And I agree with that assessment for this season. Tammy Abraham has been pulling rabbits out if his hat and the defense is still not doing there part to win games. It's gonna be a very difficult season with the lack of star power but if they prioritize the league I think they can finish top 4. It should be an interesting year for sure.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Canadian Brotha

Entrensik said:


> I have to disagree. If you look at the rosters that he's had to work with you can make an argument that he's had one of the most complete top to bottom rosters in the entire world for years. The only position that was lacking was the CM position but they got Ndombele this summer to fill that role. Not to mention how they've had so much depth. Pochettino is just a mediocre coach. It's that simple. There's no excuse for his mediocrity throughout these years.
> 
> Haha that's awesome. Chelsea have had two of my favorite all time players in Drogba and Lampard. I'm a Barcelona fan myself ever since Thierry Henry joined back in 08. And I agree with that assessment for this season. Tammy Abraham has been pulling rabbits out if his hat and the defense is still not doing there part to win games. It's gonna be a very difficult season with the lack of star power but if they prioritize the league I think they can finish top 4. It should be an interesting year for sure.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


All the pundits have Poch slated for bigger things when he leaves so I suppose we'll know when/if that happens and if whoever replaces him does better assuming the squad is more or less the same at that time. Perhaps you're right about him...there's no question they could've done better overall and should at least have won an FA Cup in his time at the helm.

As for Chelsea, I became a fan after seeing Michael Essien at the 06 world cup, looked up who he played for at club level & it was Chelsea & have been a fan since. It just so happened I was also blessed with watching Drogba & Lampard in their prime as well. Missed the early Mourinho dominance but I've seen a few of the classic matches from those days. That spine of a team lasted a decade but this is the beginning of a new era so hopefully it'll really get rolling again in 2 or 3 seasons


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## PGVan

Beyond thrilled with Oranje marching in to Hamburg and taking all three points... especially after that blasphemous handball penalty!


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## Canadian Brotha

VAR seems just as open to interpretation & mistakes as calls made by refs on the pitch...


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## AllNetent

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