Football thoughts

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Paul Victory
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by Paul Victory »

Tottenham very lucky to pick up 3 points against Southampton yesterday. I hope Southampton stay up - they don't deserve to be in trouble.
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by webberg »

Spurs were beyond lucky. Saints should have had that game won after an hour.

Hopefully we'll beat Sunderland this weekend which will make for a relaxed final game of the season.

Good news about Ferguson leaving.

Whilst I can respect his achievements (with some reservations given his access to resources etc) I do find his intimidation of referees and manipulation of the FA irritating and frustrating. I maintain (on no evidence other than being a fan) that Man U get special treatment from refs and that a good percentage of their results are due to that.

COYR
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by Wolfmiester »

webberg wrote: I maintain (on no evidence other than being a fan) that Man U get special treatment from refs and that a good percentage of their results are due to that.
Graham, for an educated man that is absolute nonsense!
Although I do agree with you to a certain extent that he does do more than his fair share of "harranging". He does get heavinly fined occaisionally though.
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by Stan »

What the hell happened to Man City today?
Bye Bye Mancini
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by Scoop »

Stan wrote:What the hell happened to Man City today?
Sadly Stan, the Man City FACup became the Man City FacUp today. Well played to Wigan. They showed courage, character and composure. This game should never have been about one goal in the last 3 minutes.

It would be easy to single out individuals (like Nasri, Clichy, Barry and Toure). But these players didn't become lazy and disinterested overnight. The cost of just these four was more than double the value of the entire Wigan team.

The real problem is RM. Blank chequebook and a dream chance to build a dream club. Instead he has let the players become cheque collecting playboys. Two major trophies, yes, but our performance in the CL (the worst by an English club in history) and a mediocre season for the squad we have plus today mean that I won't be applauding too loudly.

You are right. It's time for him to go.
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by Paul Victory »

Delighted to see Southampton achieve safety today.
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by Paul Victory »

Delighted to see Southampton achieve safety today.
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by webberg »

Thanks Mr V but I'll believe it only when Wigan lose on Tuesday and we cannot even mathematically be caught.
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by Stan »

Well what a great day at work. They had plastered my lab with Wigan photos and they all laughed at me :evil:
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by Paul Victory »

webberg wrote:Thanks Mr V but I'll believe it only when Wigan lose on Tuesday and we cannot even mathematically be caught.
You can't be caught. If Wigan take 6 points from their last 2 games, Villa will finish with 40 points in total.
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by webberg »

I still worry that Wigan win two games and we lose 12 - 0 to Stoke.

Some may call this unreasonable - I call it being a Saints fan of 50 years.
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by Paul Victory »

webberg wrote:I still worry that Wigan win two games and we lose 12 - 0 to Stoke.

Some may call this unreasonable - I call it being a Saints fan of 50 years.
Not that it matters now, but surely finishing a point ahead of Villa would have guaranteed safety no matter what the score was against Stoke.

Not looking forward to Thursday nights (again!).
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by Paul Victory »

Bloody Gooners! That's 17 years in a row now! :evil:
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by Stan »

Cant see Man City being in the challenge next year. On the basis of yesterdays pathetic display the manager (whoever that happens to be) will have to start the whole team again from scratch. :evil:
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by Scoop »

Stan wrote:Cant see Man City being in the challenge next year. On the basis of yesterdays pathetic display the manager (whoever that happens to be) will have to start the whole team again from scratch. :evil:
It was Brian Kidd Stan. He's actually a very nice bloke - probably a bit too nice to be managing a top-flight Premiership team.

There will certainly be some very big holes in the side, not least among the strikers. I don't think any of the present ones will stay or be kept.

Hopefully the new manager will instill a sense of pride and belonging into the players. That's the only way it will work.
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by webberg »

Onward!

A decent season in the end but I fear that we will now lose a couple of players (Shaw and Schniderlin) and that would be a blow.

Bit of an anti climax on the last day. With apologies to any Stoke fans out there, how do you watch that every week?

We were a bit toothless until Stoke scored but should have gone on to win it easily.

Congrats (again) to Alistair kbs who is untouchable at Fantasy League.

I gave Stan a scare but in the end he was a decent runner up.
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by alistairkbs »

Thanks Graham

Doing a lot of cycling now rather than rowing

Came second at work at Fantasy but it went down to Bales goal,

Saints did well - biggest football game of the season tomorrow

Palace v Watford - Just 130 million on the outcome

Away to Man Utd or Yeovil !!
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by Paul Victory »

Must be a couple of happy Saints fans out there right now. I was going to talk about what a roll Spurs are on, but I don't want to jinx it. #-o
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by strider77 »

You beat me to it Paul, I was going to say what a fantastic start for Spurs and some lovely football being played =D>

For me Eriksen is the player of the premiership at the moment :D ( Ozil runs him close though :wink: )

And our friends at Man City must be pretty happy too-Stan and Scoop speak up :lol:

I'll leave Graham to put his tuppence worth in, however we are playing a lovely pressing game and we had the indian sign over Liverpool from last season, it was still a sweet moment-COYR 8)
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by Stan »

Well lets just say Pellegrini still has a lot of making up to do after the disgraceful loss to Cardiff and unforgivable draw against Stoke
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by webberg »

COYR!!

What worries me is that against West Ham we player with 4 forwards and didn't score. We beat Liverpool with a goal from a defender. We have the talent and we play a pressing and passing game but are missing an edge.

The way we're set up now I think we'll do better in away games because A Rod and Osvaldo are quick. For home games where teams come and defend, we struggle because we have no width.

It's good though that we have some young talent as well. Shaw (left back) is England material. Ward-Prowse reminds me of Scholes, but one who can tackle. Wicked crosser of the ball. Chambers (right back) will be a player in a season or so. We also have another full back in the development squad who could be better than Shaw. Name of Taggart.

It's also good that we have people like Ramirez and Davies on the bench. A lot of money sitting there.

But you see us go and mess it all up on Saturday against CP - a match I can't get to.

COYR!! =D>
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by webberg »

Forgot to add that we're only 32 points from safety now.
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by strider77 »

webberg wrote :-Forgot to add that we're only 32 points from safety now.
Priceless :lol:

Graham, I have nose bleed, have you got anything for it ? :lol:

Mind you it was a long time coming on Saturday, I agree with you, at the moment our game seems to suit away matches better.

Osvaldo may be the real deal, however he also may be a Suarez.

If the former then we may finish in the top 10 which would be an amazing effort.

By the way guys its taken David Moyes 11 years to get Everton above Man U but at last he's done it :lol:
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by webberg »

Now only 29 points from safety.

Looking at the way teams are playing at the moment and how we are playing, we may yet be in the top half come Christmas.

Obviously we've yet to play a "top" club if by that we mean, City, Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea. Of those, City look to be a bit Jeykll and Hyde. Brilliant in patches and rubbish in others. Hart is having a nightmare. Utd are short of perhaps 2/3 players. Chelsea don't know their best side and will be in transition for a while.

Arsenal? Obviously playing well and scoring for fun and it's amazing what one player can do (Ozil). I do however think that they've played teams who have sat back a bit and given them space to play. I wonder what will happen when they meet a team with a more pressing game?

It does seem that the teams in the PL are falling into a few camps of playing style. Arsenal, Spurs, Liverpool, City, Utd seem to want to make pretty patterns in midfield and try to find that killer pass in the last third when some pace comes into their play.

Teams like West Ham, Stoke, Norwich etc appear to have reverted to Championship play which I would say is 4 defenders protected by 3 midfield players and long balls played to big strikers. Norwich an exception perhaps who like to use their wingers as the "out" ball.

Then a few teams like Saints who like to play a high pressing game and stifle the opposition. I would put Everton in that style along with Swansea and perhaps Villa.

Each style has its advantages and disadvantages but it'll be interesting.
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Re: Football thoughts

Post by strider77 »

Nice analysis.

I think another very important factor is that indefinable " confidence in the manager-team dynamic ".

For me after years in the doldrums, Arsenal, Spurs and Everton appear to have this going for them whereas the more recent front runners-Man U, Man City, Chelsea are suffering in that department.

I hesitate to say it as our squad is still way short of having 2 full teams like some of the above but we are looking quite good in that department as well, this from someone who was never going to forgive the Chairman for what he did to Nigel :oops:
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