Epl 2011/2012

[OwlsFan]

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?

[KK77]

I was out all day yesterday and couldn't believe the results when i heard them on the six-one news.

[geysir]

I always trust Warnock's post match comments on the ref's decisions, as he is the epitome of objectivity.

[Stevo Da Gull]

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.

[Lionel Ritchie]

Paul Scharner just announced on Sky Sports News that he's very happy to pleasure the West Brom supporters. Oh missus.

[Stevo Da Gull]

Well, Chelsea - Arsenal was fun to watch!

[Cuyahoga]

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.

[Stevo Da Gull]

Spot on, I couldn't believe RTE's selections.

[Charlie Darwin]

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.

[OwlsFan]

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.

[KK77]

I just can't get enough:)

[Poor Student]

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.

Clearly he didn't mean to give an actual Nazi salute.

[OwlsFan]

Clearly he didn't mean to give an actual Nazi salute.

Why "clearly" ? It was the bit where he started the salute by touching his left shoulder and then straightening his arm which made it have all the hallmarks of the Nazi salute.

0

[Charlie Darwin]

Did he put his finger over his lip too? Nonsense.

[OwlsFan]

Nonsense? I saw it live and having an avid interest in WW2, I immediately thought it was a Nazi salute. It wasn't the raised hand so much as the touching of both shoulders followed by the raised arm. What did that mean? Strange. For someone brought up in Holland he should have known better but Holland had the highest number per capita sign up for the Waffen SS to fight in the Soviet Union. Thankfully, the gesture wasn't made against Spurs, then the s... would really have hit the fan whether he meant it or not.

I missed the argument between Jamie Rednapp and Gary Neville about whether all in the goals in the Premiership are down to poor defending (Neville) or exciting attacking (Rednapp indoctrinated by Sky). I quite like Neville as a pundit.

[bennocelt]

Please!!!!:rolleyes:

[KK77]

Roy Hodgson blasts West Brom striker Peter Odemwingie over injury problems

West Brom manager Roy Hodgson has reveald his frustration at the continued absence of striker Peter Odemwingie. After hearing that the Nigerian’s comeback against Tottenham this weekend is now in doubt, the Baggies’ manager has revealed his frustration towards the absent forward.

A knee injury picked up during a training session is the latest set-back for Odemwingie this season, with his scheduled comeback against Tottenham now thrown into doubt by the Baggies’ medical staff.

Hodgson told the Birmingham Mail: “Peter is difficult to work out - you’d have to speak to the doctor about him.

“This is still the same problem he’s had for a month.

“He was supposed to be fit for the Arsenal game but wasn’t. Then he was definitely going to be fit for the Bolton game but wasn’t.

“And he is supposed to be fit for the Tottenham game [this Saturday] and now there’s a doubt about that too. So I take any optimism with a pinch of salt

“I’m frustrated because we’ve got nothing out of him this year.

“He didn’t take part in many of the pre-season matches and he hasn’t taken part in many of the matches since then. It’s been one problem after another.”

The former Liverpool manager went on to compare the Nigerian to other players in the squad, seemingly questioning the striker’s commitment to the club.

“For a player who we really put so much into, in the hope that he will be the one who will be our major force for staying in the Premier League, at the moment we have not had much of a return,” he continued.

“We have a lot of players at the club who will play when not fully fit.

“That’s what makes it even harder when you get a player who is frustrated or is frustrating as it gets highlighted more when you’ve got the likes of the [Zoltan] Geras, the [Shane] Longs, the [Steven] Reids and the [Jerome] Thomases who play through pain every week.”

[DeLorean]

You managed to bring him into a Champions League forum earlier, you have his quote as your signature... and now this. I think the problem is more serious than I originally thought :eek:

[KK77]

You managed to bring him into a Champions League forum earlier, you have his quote as your signature... and now this. I think my problem is more serious than I originally thought :eek:

Fixed that for ya!

[DeLorean]

Haha, touché :o

[KK77]

Haha, touché :o

Don't be :giggle:

[KK77]

Peter Odemwingie has tweeted a picture of his injury and stated he does care. This is the sort of carry that went on at Liverpool under the Hodg.

[DeLorean]

I was at The Emirates on Saturday. Poor enough match, Arsenal were seriously lacking urgency and Fulham actually looked the more accomplished footballing side, without any real killer instinct. The most impressive player on show, for me, was Fulham's Dembele. Apparently Spurs are looking to sign him and he only sees Fulham as a stepping stone towards something bigger.

[KK77]

Only saw the hilights myself so hard to go on but Arsenal didn't seem to apply much pressure after they scored. One half chance for Van Persie but nothing more.

[KK77]

Looking like MON for the Sunderland job. They made the right call getting rid of Steve Bruce imo. He had enough time and money to spend.

[KK77]

Manchester United have confirmed that captain Nemanja Vidic will miss the rest of the season after suffering knee ligament damage in their 2-1 defeat at Basel in the Champions League.

The centre-half twisted his right knee tussling with Basel's Marco Streller during the first half in Switzerland.

The Serbian and Streller chased down the ball and their legs tangled.

Vidic immediately looked in distress and was carried off on a stretcher before leaving the ground on crutches.

[DeLorean]

I'd give them pretty much zero chance of the PL now. In fact, they're lucky that the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal are so hit and miss because their top four place could also have been in jeopardy.

[geysir]

I thought Evans was reckoned to be a good prospect, is he as poor as he looked against Basel?

[BonnieShels]

Anyone got any idea why City are wearing armbands?

[osarusan]

"Luis Suarez falls over, to the elation of 70,000 Mancunians.......or, Manchester United supporters at least."

[OwlsFan]

Great League Cup Final. However the constant patronising of Cardiff by the Sky commentators annoyed me. Then when they lose the peno shoot -out he says the supporters will hurt for a while but will look back with pride later. Cr/p. They will be hurting about it for the rest of their lives.

[DeLorean]

Yeah agreed. How they managed that equaliser with half their team limping around with cramp was a bit special. Pretty rare a team misses their first two penalties and win the shoot out so it was opportunity missed big time.

[OwlsFan]

New Chelsea manager? I see Rafa B has put himself in the frame. No hope and Bob Hope I'd say. Capello perhaps?

[SkStu]

sequencing of these stories on bbc gossip page made me laugh!


Man City are preparing to listen to serious offers for striker Mario Balotelli, who took exception to being singled out during a dressing-room confrontation.

Full story: The Times

Balotelli, meanwhile, is at the centre of a storm following a dressing-room fight with Yaya Toure as the pair came to blows.

Full story: Daily Star

Man City captain Vincent Kompany insists title-race nerves are not getting to his team-mates.

Full story: Daily Mail

[osarusan]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/s320x320/560489_10151454343385398_591670397_23303748_638768 820_n.jpg

[KK77]

Great win for Norwich yesterday at Spurs. Paul Lambert has them playing some nice football. They seem to have a great spirit about them as well which obviously helps. Long may it continue. Interesting fight for fourth spot now going into the final few games. Haven't seen the fixtures but Newcastle really have nothing to lose at all. Chelsea have a lot of games with the pressure as well of not finishing in the top four and Spurs as well will be under pressure after being so far ahead at one stage to now potentially missing out.

[DeLorean]

I think Sunday is D-Day for Spurs. If they beat Chelsea I reckon they'll kick on and get the points they need to finish 4th (they've an okay run-in). If they lose I think their season could crumble.

Spurs...
QPR (a)
Blackburn (h)
Bolton (a)
Aston Villa (a)
Fulham (h)

Newcastle...
Stoke (h)
Wigan (a)
Chelsea (a)
Man City (h)
Everton (a)

Chelsea...
Arsenal (a)
QPR (h)
Newcastle (h)
Liverpool (a)
Blackburn (h)

[OwlsFan]

Spurs look as if they have an easy run-in. However, they are not going to win the CL and Bale may be going to Barca so it's all academic really whether they play a few games in the CL or not. As a fan I'd prefer to be a Liverpool supporter with my team winning the League Cup and playing in the FA Cup Final.

Fun as usual is at the the other end of the table. Great couple of results for Wigan. How do they always manage to produce performances like that at the end of the season?

[DeLorean]

In terms of signing players, regular Champions League football is a big deal. Spurs put themselves on the map two years ago by qualifying and getting to the quarter finals, but they need to back it up now or they'll appear to be a one season wonder. It might also generate the extra revenue to be able to add these players. Liverpool's Carling Cup win won't count for much in that regard even if it was a nice day out for the supporters. That said, I think Spurs were mad to win the FA Cup this season. To be fair they should have been a goal or two up by the time Drogba struck on Sunday, and who knows what way it would have panned out if the mess of the second goal hadn't occured.

[OwlsFan]

Yes but look at Arsenal for the past number of 6 or 7 seasons (don't know how many off the top of my head). Champions League ad nauseum but their players leave with no medal to celebrate their years at the club. "Hey dad, did you win anything when playing for Arsenal?" "Errr, no son but I played in the Champions League!". "Ummm, I am going out to play with my friends now dad ".

Playing for a top club and winning nothing. No thanks. As a fan (and my English club has won one trophy in my lifetime and I remember it so well) I'd prefer to win things and have the memory of that than what end up as meaningless games soon forgotton. Yes qualification is important to kick on and earn revenue but top clubs should be aiming not just to make money but to win trophies as well.

[DeLorean]

Relegation is looking a serious possibility for Villa now. One more win would do them but at the moment it's hard to see where it's coming from. All of a sudden their team sheet is hugely unfamiliar and without Collins and Dunne it's inevitable that they will concede goals. Along with Wolves, they could take a serious amount of Irish guys with them although, unlike the Wolves contingent, I'm sure most if not all of them would move to PL teams. I don't think any PL team will be breaking the door down for Kevin Doyle now, a return to Reading might be his best bet.

ASTON VILLA (PLD 35 GD -14 PTS 36): West Brom (a), Tottenham (h), Norwich (a)

QPR (PLD 35 GD -18 PTS 34): Chelsea (a), Stoke (h), Man City (a)

WIGAN (PLD 35 GD -26 PTS 34): Newcastle (h), Blackburn (a), Wolves (h)

BOLTON (PLD 34 GD -28 PTS 33): Sunderland (a), Tottenham (h), West Brom (h), Stoke (a)

BLACKBURN (PLD 35 GD -26 PTS 31): Tottenham (a), Wigan (h), Chelsea (a)

[bennocelt]

The QPR game V man city will be a huge game for both teams.
I have Blackburn and Villa to be relegated so either way I am sure I will be a happy punter

[OwlsFan]

Delighted for City fans night night. They support a team in the shadow of argaubly the biggest club in the world and yet their fanbase has always been large. A bit like the Atletico Madrid fans.

Always a possibilty, however, that they will blow it against Newcastle. I don't think Man U actually had a shot on target all night but I may be wrong. Says a lot for the standard of the Premiership that the poorest Man U team for many years, humiliated by Basle in the CL, may still win the title.

[Stuttgart88]

...not to mention Athletic Bilbao. The flipside is that a team outside the top 4 is in the CL final.

Last night left me a bit cold. Yes, it's nice and romantic that City are on the verge of getting one over their local rivals but let's face it, they've only done so because they've been bought by an arab sovereign wealth fund. English football has tarted itself out too far I reckon. The vanity of the top flight has bankrupted the rest of the game, kicked the national team into touch and has caused financial problems in other jurisdictions too. Spain seems to be even worse. Ok, the clubs largely remain in local hands - Bilbao seems to be a great model - but they owe hundreds of millions to the taxman and are in debt up to their arsenals.

Up the Bundesliga. I love the way they approach and regulate football there. Avg ticket price is 17 euros, away fans' rail travel is free, great stadia, great fan culture, the league is in hamony with the national team, the clubs are (almost exclusively) at least 51% owned by fans, the clubs are mostly profitable, the league is unpredicatble and the football is generally good. It's not perfect but it's about as good as it gets from a holistic perspective.

[Charlie Darwin]

Did anybody else notice the advertising hoardings around the ground? They were all for high-end cars like Jaguar and middle eastern businesses, luxury trips, etc. Apart from the Gallaghers, I'd be surprised if there was a Manchester City fan in the ground last night that could afford that stuff.

[SkStu]

Up the Bundesliga. I love the way they approach and regulate football there. Avg ticket price is 17 euros, away fans' rail travel is free, great stadia, great fan culture, the league is in hamony with the national team, the clubs are (almost exclusively) at least 51% owned by fans, the clubs are mostly profitable, the league is unpredicatble and the football is generally good. It's not perfect but it's about as good as it gets from a holistic perspective.

Spot on. I have been fascinated by the Bundesliga for at least 4/5 years now. It has it all if you ask me, especially all the things you listed above - passion, good footie, great fans and heaps of tradition and local pride.

The Man City model makes me sick. It is the sort of "venture" that has ruined the English game.

[DeLorean]

Yeah, though you couldn't argue that the City supporters deserve their day in the sun, there is something artificial about it. It's like playing LMA Manager but using the cheat, where you have endless funds to buy players. It's still good fun, and you enjoy hammering teams 6-0, but it just doesn't feel right.

[DeLorean]

away fans' rail travel is free

I never knew this, that's just fantastic.

I remember talking to a local in Mainz the time Ireland played there against Georgia. He was saying that there is very little trouble amongst supporters, in Mainz at least. He said "why would there be trouble, without them we wouldn't have a match to play".

He drew the line at Eintracht Frankfurt though, he said "We make an exception for Frankfurt, they are different, they're not human".

[OwlsFan]

...not to mention Athletic Bilbao. The flipside is that a team outside the top 4 is in the CL final.

Last night left me a bit cold. Yes, it's nice and romantic that City are on the verge of getting one over their local rivals but let's face it, they've only done so because they've been bought by an arab sovereign wealth fund. English football has tarted itself out too far I reckon. The vanity of the top flight has bankrupted the rest of the game, kicked the national team into touch and has caused financial problems in other jurisdictions too. Spain seems to be even worse. Ok, the clubs largely remain in local hands - Bilbao seems to be a great model - but they owe hundreds of millions to the taxman and are in debt up to their arsenals.

Up the Bundesliga. I love the way they approach and regulate football there. Avg ticket price is 17 euros, away fans' rail travel is free, great stadia, great fan culture, the league is in hamony with the national team, the clubs are (almost exclusively) at least 51% owned by fans, the clubs are mostly profitable, the league is unpredicatble and the football is generally good. It's not perfect but it's about as good as it gets from a holistic perspective.

I accept the point but is does gives hope for every club that some day a billionaire will come in and rescue the club from penury and challenge the Man Us, Arsenals etc for trophies. Wednesday were about to go in to administration in Division Three when Mandaric bought the club, wiped the debts and they are now back in Division Two aka Championship. Without him I don't know where they would be. Man U have bought success for years albeit from their own resources but by having a huge debt but it does give hope to others. It would have been another Man U cake walk this season, even with a relatively poor side, so the Arab money made a competition out of it and made long suffering fans happy.

[Stuttgart88]

Yes, but in a league with better financial regulation and governance there would be less pressure on clubs like SWFC to break the bank and also less flexibility for them to do so. If everyone was made to behave more rationally it's quite likely that SWFC would have retained its position as a top 10 / 15 club and they wouldn't have needed a Mandaric.

Someone like Sir Dave Richards would never have been allowed to inflict the damage he did in Germany, nor would he get rewarded by being given the chairmanship of the Premier League. I thought it's supposed to be bankers that get rewarded for failure!