No songs of 1-0 to the Arsenal ??
Stayed up late here to watch 2 EPL games last night. Arsenal looked a total shambles against Liverpool. I don't follow them closely enough to know what players will come back from injury, but they were woefully bad in midfield. Liverpool looked like scording even before Frimpong's deserved card.
Then watched Sunderland against Newcastle, which was even worse. Nasty tackle by Bardsley, but Cayabe could have gone earlier as well.
Couldn't keep my eyes open for the third game on offer - Chelsea vs West Brom.
No songs of 1-0 to the Arsenal ??
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
They've sold far too many players, even reserve players have been sold to the point where there is no strenght in depth. You can tell he's a professor of economics, he just looks at every player as an item on a balance sheet, desperate to turn a profit or never financially write off a player. Eboué's the classic example of this, he wasn't a world class player but he was experienced - he's played in World Cups and Champions League finals - and he could have played anywhere across the back four meaning Jenkinson or whatever his name was wouldnt have been so exposed - was it really worth selling him for the €3.5m ??
You can hold your hands up and say maybe he was never going to keep players like Fabregas and Nasri, but he's sold (or not renewed) players like Clichy, Senderos, Gallas, Eduardo, even going back to Gilberto Silva. All of these would have been better than the bench players they had (and better than some of the first team players today) - the squad is paper-thin and it's a thinning that Wenger is responsible for.
It's worth saying Chelsea looked pretty poor this weekend too, John Terry's pace is a huge liability now, all their other defenders are having to double cover him, you'd have to think a back line without him (e.g. Bosingwa, David Luiz, Alex, Ivanovic) would look a bit more stable. They have a spine of incredible slowness with Terry and Lamplard playing. They really do miss pace and guile in the center, Essien is a big loss but I think his career has gone the way of Redondo and he wont play regularly again. Torres is still a millstone around the teams neck if they want to play two at the top they would be better off with Drogba and Lukaku. I don't think Villas Boas has the strenght of character to drop those big name players (Terry, Lampard and Torres) on a regular basis. I can only see this trophy ending up in Manchester or Salford in May.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/foo...n.html?image=8
Great picture. I wonder is the woman in the bottom left a Torres fan or is she just embarrassed for him unlike the rest of the fans.
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
I see some of the foreign owners are consdering making a move to abolish relegation and to make the EPL similar to the NFL etc. Ferguson and Souness are but two who have come out against this. I am not sure how the NFL works but I assume a large proportion of the teams get to the play offs or whatever they are called so there would be some excitement to replace the relegation struggles. Such a move would of course alienate all the disenfranchised clubs in the football league but in a way might help if the Championship was set up as a rival league. Haven't decided whether it would be good or bad for the "lesser" clubs who could never compete anyway with the Man Us, Liverpools, Chelseas of this world. The EPL teams would of course be prevented from playing in the League Cup which doesn't interest them anyway and possibly the FA Cup. It could lead to the owners taking over the EPL and possibly even preventing their players internationals. WHo knows where it could end.
Last edited by OwlsFan; 19/10/2011 at 2:57 PM.
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
12 of 32 teams make the NFL playoffs. I think this no relegation is the worst idea I have heard in a long time.
My Guarantee
Am looking for old Irish matches on VHS, PM me if you have some and I'll upload them here
I would say that things will change in the next few years for better or for worse. I notice that the new Liverpool owner was complaining that the TV pot is divided equally between all the 20 Premiership clubs and says that the tv audience don't want to see the likes of Bolton. They want to see the big clubs like his club, Man U, Chelsea and Arsenal. Looks like the rich want to get richer and we know where that philosophy led Ireland.
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
Some result today. United 1 City 6
If it weren't for the likes of Bolton creating some counterpoint yer mans wouldn't be a "big club".
Even Alex Ferguson pointed out that there's (paraphrasing) "eight clubs in the championship with huge histories". What've Liverpool got on them other than a more recent history?
I don't think it'll happen anyway because there's enough people in there, English and "foreign" who'll see it's throttling the goose that lays the golden eggs. Hopefully it'll be a distant memory soon like the pre-champions league mooted European super-league where Europes "elite" 18-20 teams (a dozen or more of them enjoying permanent un-relegatable status if you don't mind) go hammer and tongs at each other year in year out. Mercifully someone copped on it'd be a yawnfest. I do wonder though where Liverpool would have ranked in such a set-up. Permanent and Unrelegatable? I've my doubts.
" I wish to God that someone would be able to block out the voices in my head for five minutes, the voices that scream, over and over again: "Why do they come to me to die?"
Had to laugh after the Chelsea vs QPR game (didn't see the Old Trafford Blitz). CHelsea manager slammed the ref. Warnock on the other hand thought he got all the important decisions correct. WHo'd be a referee?
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
I was out all day yesterday and couldn't believe the results when i heard them on the six-one news.
Lets talk about six baby
I always trust Warnock's post match comments on the ref's decisions, as he is the epitome of objectivity.
My sarcasm detector just blew up!
Chelsea - Arsenal this weekend. Apparently Vermaelen's fit. I still expect Arsenal to come up short, but if they don't make a better fist of it than the Liverpool and Spurs games (might as well mention Old Trafford here) then I'd be surprised.
Paul Scharner just announced on Sky Sports News that he's very happy to pleasure the West Brom supporters. Oh missus.
" I wish to God that someone would be able to block out the voices in my head for five minutes, the voices that scream, over and over again: "Why do they come to me to die?"
Well, Chelsea - Arsenal was fun to watch!
Why didnt RTE's Premier League soccer programme tonight show Chelsea v Arsenal first that was clearly the best game instead they showed Everton v Man Utd then Man City v Wolves . MOTD know know the right way to run a programme showing the game at Stamford Bridge first then the second most exciting game of the day next Norwich v Blackburn. Typical RTE.
Spot on, I couldn't believe RTE's selections.
I'm guessing they're just gauging the audience's preferences. Irish people generally support the successful teams in bigger numbers than the others they just do em roughly in order of their league position. Wolves with the Irish connection probably swung it for the City game.
There are more football fans unattached to Premier League clubs in England so it makes more sense for MOTD to show the most exciting game.
Last edited by Charlie Darwin; 30/10/2011 at 1:36 AM.
Did it show Von Persie's nazi salute? Hand to the left shoulder and then straight up. I know he has since denied it but it looked dodgy to me even when I saw it for the first time.
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
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