Scolari sacked & Premier League talk
 

Ok.. I hate chelsea.. I mean I fucking HATE chelski .. but when will they figure out it's not so much the manager as it is the players. They play with no passion. They have internal problems between strikers, JT is a bum and if if Lampard wasn't the equivalent of Gerrard in terms of what they mean to the team, they would be no different than portsmouth.

A manager can only do so much when it comes to problems like this.. here it is barely into the second half of the league and they sack the man who was supposed to put them back at the top. At that rate, Benitez better keep a close eye on his chair as well.

Dont like the guy much but was pretty shocked by the sacking.

Looks like Hiddink is in, who maybe was the first choice in the first place.

For anyone who took the job they had the boots of "the special one" to fill which was always gonna be tough.

One of the things I was most surprised by is that JT seems to have not known about it, I would have expected that he would be consulted before it happened.

Amazing isn't it?

Ranieri builds the team finishes 2nd, gets sacked.

Mourinho wins the league twice but can't do the business in the Champions League, and gets sacked.

Grant would've won the Champions League except John Terry couldn't stay upright to take a penalty and Nicholas Anelka is a coward.

And now Scolari - still in the running for CL, FA Cup and PL - gets done.

They've now paid out 10s of millions of pounds in compensation (and not just to the managers but their assistants and back room staff).

So does this mean they are officially the New York Yankees of non-American football? :lol:

well most would say that United are the yankees as they often have the most money on the field.. but they actually get results.

Chelsea has a damn fine group of players..

wait.. did I really just fucking say that? I swear I'm losing my mind..

anyway, Scolari is a great coach.. I think this was just an easy way to get hiddink in since he's so close to the owner. It's a win-win for Hiddink, he gets to get paid for coaching chelski, and then still coach the Russian national team in the WC..

I read a report earlier that JT (fucking bum) and Lampard are very displeased by this sacking. Honestly.. I don't think that Hiddink can step in at this point and get chelsea to the top of the table. United is in perfect position with players coming back from injury, 2 points up and a game left to play..

Liverpool can't seem to finish games (although the last two were done in amazing fashion.. fucking scousers..) and Arsenal are putting their hopes on one player..

So basically, Hiddink would need a massive failure from United, Gerrard to be out longer than 3 weeks, Villa to disappear and somehow get Drogba and Anelka to actually play together. Not going to happen.

Maybe that miss by JT in the cup last year had more of a negative effect than first imagined eh?

Personally, I take great pleasure in seeing teams financed by the russian mob go down in flames. Hopefully, Scolari can go back to coaching Brazil or something like that.

Hiddink is in officially..

word around the camp is that Scolari got around 7.5 million for his departure..

JT (fucking bum!) is not happy about it and is sensing a divided team ..


I couldn't have dreamed of something this awesome.. I just hope their downturn continues.

Don't get me started on our finishing guccilvr! It's so frustrating it's painful! :no: :no: :no: :no:

I personally think this could be your most successful season, but just keep looking over your shoulder because the day it happens is the day Gerrard puts Gary 'quasi' Neville on his arse to score the winner in Rome!
I can just see it now. Either Neville or Ferdinand, I don't care, I can't stand either of them! LOL (fuckin' mancs!)

Y.N.W.A. :thumbsup:

How sweet a quintuple would be!! In the Premier league though, you always have to watch your back. Liverpool are most certainly still in the running..and chelski did look a little better in the FA cup..but I don't see them taking the league or the cup.

and..yeah.. I'd rather walk alone ;)

JT has the right to be unhappy. As the leader of the team, he has the right to be consulted on a matter like this (as Stevie G would be at Liverpool for example)

eh, I dunno.. I don't about having the right.. Abromovich writes the checks he can do as he pleases.. although, there has to be something said about sharing responsibility. The coach isn't out there playing, so if they are playing poorly it's not always his fault. As long as he has the team prepared to play it's up to the players to execute.

I have a feeling Hiddink will step in and resolve the issue rather quickly. He's even said they still have a shot at the league title (which I seriously doubt) so I think he'll be more concerned about the FA cup than anything.

I want to see if he can get Drogba and Anelka together.. Drogba should have been let go after last season, he's like the Premier League version of Terrell Owens.

not that I'm disappointed in seeing Chelski 4th on the table or anything ;)

I have to say.. Hiddink seems to have come in and restored some respect for chelski.. I mean fuck..he has Anelka and Drogba playing together..I can't remember the last time I saw Drogba go up in the air for a ball that he wasn't trying to score on..

all this said and it looks like Rafa might be out as Liverpool boss..

btw, thanks for the draw against City :lol: looks like United will be matching your record scousers

Man City always seem to perform well against the traditional "big four". Liverpool lacked invention today and it has been a critisism of rafa for a couple of years now. without gerrard they seem a bit stale (maybe keane could have played today and made a difference).
Man C was great though, especially de Jong and Kompany. great performances by players with some youth, maybe hughes is the right man for this team. Add richards, onouaha and ireland, and youve got some good UK talent as well.

I will agree with Liverpool lacking invention, although Torres was spot on today I thought. Liverpools problem is they always act like they are asleep until the others score. Then they try to walk the line and make a comeback. Today was one day where it didn't work out so well.. and it was also the day that all of Manchester was united.. ;)

City has a bright future (not to mention a ton of cash), and while I'm slightly disappointed that Hughes is now working for City, he could end up being the right man.. but he has a ton of work to do. City is one of those clubs that just have too many Jekyll and Hyde personalities. DeJong was brilliant today as was Kompany.

Rafa has already said no to a new contract from the dirty scousers.. so is this where he walks into the sunset?? I think he's the most underperforming manager in the league.. massive talent and nothing to show for it. Perhaps this is where he plays his usual crap in the league.. (starting subs for PL games) and starts to concentrate on the CL. Either way, I don't expect to see him back at Anfield.

You're also right that Keane could have stepped up today..I'm sure he would have loved to get the chance to play center.. but for some reason.. Rafa wasted him. He's a good talent.. I'm still baffled as to why Rafa handled him that way.

Who cares.. bring on the quintuple

Glory Glory Man Utd... :p

the main difference between Man Utd and liverpool, this season (and in the past) is the depth of quality. torres is incredible, but Man U have rooney, berbatov, tevez, ronaldo who can consistantly be goal threats on any given day. kuyt, babel ect just dont stack up to that attacking quality.
As much as i hate to say it (i have been a Man C supporter my whole life), this current Man Utd team is the real deal in all positions.
Speaking of Chelsea, I miss the days where Drogba played with Robben and Duff on the wings and Lampard driving through the middle. Chelsea need some quality wingers! lets see how quaresma and guus does till the end of the season.

No argument from me. United is the real deal at least in the PL. We'll see how we stack up against the rest of the world with the away match with Inter fast approaching..with Vidic suspended, and Brown injured..I'm not too keen on what could happen.

United have the money to be filled with depth, Liverpool has the money, but they don't use it to their advantage.. so it's easy to see why they will continue to struggle. It's the same with Arsenal.. the signing of Arshavin is nice, but they need more help. As far as City is concerned, they have more money than anyone, but I think it's going to take a few years to get the quality signings. The big names want to play for the trophies.. and City is not there yet..in fact, it's quite possible to say that they are in a relegation fight. I think City needs to start from the youth and inject talent that way..and not let the likes of another Giggs get away. (Yes he was a City youth and the scout made the mistake of telling Fergie they were cutting him loose..and the rest is history)

Chelsea..well I fucking hate the bums.. they seem to be a bunch of ex scousers who are more concerned with ego than winning. I'm not going to lie and pretend they don't have talent, but they have lost the league and for them that is bad news as far as money goes.

Nice to see a City fan.. I'm a peaceful United fan.. so now worries here :)

I mean nothing to show now. The PL is all but lost, unless United have a massive failure. Given their current form, I don't see that happening.

I know you've won the 5th... my point is that it just seems that Gerrard is the only one with any sort of imagination on that squad. Rafa puts out the craziest selections and it's almost like he's just trying to battle Fergie for most unique lineup, but the difference is that Fergie usually gets the results no matter the lineup.

If Liverpool goes down in the CL, it will have been more than a wasted season. I honestly thought that from the beginning that you scousers would be a real challenge to the PL title this year.. but something just isn't right.. is it the squad or is it Rafa?? I'm going to say it's Rafa, because you 'pudlian's have more than enough talent on the field to make something happen.

Rafa must be the problem. It's the inconsistencies, playing the game of the season against Arsenal Man Utd or Chelsea, and then all those frustrating draws against the 'lower' teams. It's just not good enough and it's not what the Mancs do. They go out and absolutely slaughter the little guys, making every one around take notice.
PL - yours for the taking
CL - we'll have that one thanks!

Madrid 0 - 2 Torres!

So here's my question..who do you replace Rafa with? Can you find a manager that's going to work with the "yanks" or are you just going to keep going like it's going. It can't all be about the owners. I mean fuck.. look at United.. owned by a Yank, yet Fergie does just fine. Didn't skip a beat.

As far as the CL goes.. I dunno.. if United plays like they did against Inter yesterday for the rest of the tournament..I'd say it's most likely theirs. They didn't even play that good last year and wound up winning it. (I just hope the lack of a finish yesterday doesn't come back to haunt)

it's nice to see The Great One look worried.

And as far as Madrid and Liverpool.. I'm guessing it ends in a score draw. Madrid has enough firepower to put it in the net..and I just don't know if Liverpool can actually finish anything anymore.

The betting was Dalglish to replace Rafa earlier today. Not kidding, the bookies even suspended betting!

I love King Kenny, he was a great player and manager - but out of the game for so long, he would not be a good pick.

first off.. how nice it must be to catch a sleepy Real.. ;)

secondly.. I'm betting that Daglish could still find the net better than what your current lot is doing :lol:

So basically, if King Kenny is on the list.. it seems like Liverpool are wanting someone with Liverpool roots..hrmm how interesting.. a scottie in liverpool trying to catch a scottie in manchester..

I'd like to thank Fergie for refusing to allow Heinze to come to Liverpool the other year and selling him to Real instead. It was Heinze's foul on Kuyt that led to the freekick (taken by Aurelio, the guy playing Heinze's position) that resulted in the winning goal.

eh.. Liverpool still has quite a bit of work to do.. so don't be so full of cheer just yet.

Sky Sports is saying that Rafa will be staying at Liverpool.. although I'm still not convinced.

Spurs and Villa are out of Europe.. no surprise about the spurs..

I'm surprised that AC Milan is out.. although they have plenty of injuries .. so it's not too shocking.

Tell me I'm dreaming..

Liverpool lost to 'Boro?!!! :lol:

Shit! I thought I was dreaming too! It must have been real.

Typical - Utd don't even play a PL game giving us the chance to get closer to them , probably temporarily I agree, and we go and play probably the worst we've played all season.

Can't put any blame on Alonso for the OG, but there was no response, no fight, a team like Boro should have been there for the taking. Instead we gave Old Whisky Nose something to put a smile on his face before their Cup Final.

Fucking Fuckers!

I was surprised at Gerrard. Even he looked slow and out of it..maybe he was still feeling the effects of injury or a virus.. didn't help that Torres was out.

My thing now is that even though United certainly didn't look vintage in the Carling Cup.. they looked poised to at least win the FA and PL titles.. and I'm betting on them to win the CL as well. They just find a way to win.. but what about Liverpool? Have they come to the point in the season that they won't win anything? If they continue to play like the did against 'Boro, they will not win the CL.

Chelsea is looking better by the day and it's a bit worrysome to see them hitting form again..but I think that if nothing else the PL title is securely out of reach for them as well.

It's cold out..but I'd still rather walk alone ;)

Hmmmm I think I'd rather be a Liverpool Red than an Arsenal Red at the moment. Their season ended a long time ago. Finishing second to Man Ure and winning the CL won't be a bad season compared to theirs now would it? :) :) :) ;) ;) ;)

Arsenal has a ton of issues.. they shouldn't even be called gunners anymore. They have a good signing in Arshavin, but they don't have any really good midfielders..

We'll see just how Liverpool does in the CL.. but I'm not betting on them to win it.

I stayed away from this as after the loss on the weekend I was about as mad as I've ever been after a match. Skrtel at right back? WTF? To lose like that a couple of days after beating an in-form Real in front of 85,000 screaming Spaniards was fucking disturbing. Went out and spent a bag of cash to make myself feel better as a result.

Anyway, a bit of a balm with the win today against Sunderland.

so are you saying that Rafa's squad selection has once again proven to be worth fuck all?

Rafa has made two errors that affected that game:

1) Not having a real back up to Torres. OK, we play with one striker - it's pretty common these days. But in the past 3 or 4 years we've had 3 guys who could have filled that role in Keane, Crouch and Cisse - but Rafa dumped them all.

2) Playing Skrtel at right back (and Mascherano there yesterday) is another odd one. We've got young guys at full back who can play, he should play them. And to keep Downing quiet (he was very good on the weekend) he should have played Gerrard on the flank, which would be enough to make Downing stay in his own half, pissing himself.

So.. since Rafa wants to come back looks like things will stay the same.

As it stands right now.. United will have to lose 4 of their remaining matches to lose the title. I don't see that happening. I can see them losing one or maybe two but not four.

hmmm it does look like number 18 is in the bag. All you need to do now is win the European Cup a few more times and that would make 2 teams from the North West of England who are the most successful in the country.

Are you paying attention all you southerners?

:) ;)

well we all know how greedy Fergie is with his hardware ;)

United just have to make sure they get past the great one wednesday and they will be on their way to the CL title.

FA cup.. liking the chances of getting that too.

now we have Petr Cech talking shit..saying that United will need alot of luck to win the title.. perhaps he needs to brush up on his math a bit.

City are rumored to be taking the $100mil they offered to Kaka and offer it to Messi. Interesting.. but Ronaldo is a better player than Messi. Messi is great and would make a City team more solid, but they need more help than Messi.

Well I think Chelski are living proof that all the money in the world doesn't always guarantee you success, not overnight anyway!

Oh well another weekend of no football worth watching thanks to our early FA Cup exit at Goodison! :(

Chelski are a bunch of bums. There was actually a rumor floating around that even with City wanting to purchase Messi, City is supposedly interested in trying to woo John Fucking Terry. City may have a ton of money but they are the dumbest squad around. They should be using that money to get a few good players and then get a good youth squad going.. ala United. Fergie's Fledgings have done quite a bit for the United cause, and they have a group of youth players right now that could easily play top squad anywhere else.

Since you're bored Fatboss, you could always cheer on United against Fulham in the FA this weekend :p

OK I'm calling it. United 2 Inter 0

Inter has a couple of injuries, and the crowd at Old Trafford will make the San Siro look like a nursery.

United looked good today (ok yeah it was against Fulham but still) and watching Inter against Genoa, Inter still just doesn't look like they have that extra gear.

Ever been to Old Trafford? It's like a fucking tomb in there half the time. I give some credit to the United away fans who are very devoted and loud, but 25,000 at the Britannia is a lot louder than 75,000 at OT.

I dunno, I've seen Trafford nearly come apart at the seams.. although it does fade after a while if the squad is winning as they should.

I just wonder how many of them remember the old days where United was relegated and the Scousers ruled the land.

Looks like Rio is a question mark for the Inter game. I'm a bit mixed on this.. Evans is more than capable, but if O'Shea is injured.. it could leave a gap on the right with Fabio having to play it.

Get yourselves to Anfield on a European night boys!
There's nothing like it. I swear it makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck!
On the flipside, some days against lower opponents, you need a ton of dynamite to wake the crowd up!

Can't have everything can you?

Now here's the problem - Do I cheer Everton in the FA Cup semi against Man Ure? I don't think I could bring myself! I'll just pray for a replay, lots of fighting, red cards and multiple injuries. Does that make me a bad person? *tee hee*

It's a problem, but short of Armegeddon obliterating both sides, I'd pull for the Toffees as the lesser of two evils. At least the Everton supporting part of the family will be happy. If the Mancs win, no win is satisfied.

The Toffees will certainly be having a go at United. I can see Saha making some noise and pushing the pace, but United are more than capable of handling Everton.

and really? Everton is the lesser of two evils?? Wow. I mean I know the Mancs and Scousers hate each other but Toffee's and 'Pudlians don't exactly see eye to eye either ;)

There's a lot of intermarriage within Merseyside, but we draw the line at the M60.

So what happens if the Toffees are allowed to move their stadium?? I know Liverpool is looking to play pretty close to where Everton currently play..and Everton are trying to get into Liverpool.. weird.

Everton and Liverpool are both in Liverpool. The stadiums are very close to another currently - they are seperated by a large park. Everton are considering moving to Kirkby (pronounced as Kirby, BTW) which is still in Merseyside but is outside Liverpool city limits. It's a bit like the NFL Giants playing in New Jersey but still calling themselves the New York Giants.

ok.. I thought they were both in Liverpool but wasn't sure..when I was listening to the proposed moves..it was confusing. I've really no clue as to geography around those parts.. thanks for the clarification.

Just heard that alot of the everton faithful really don't like the move..

I've been hearing an awful lot of bark coming from Rafa lately.. he better hope he gets some bite or he's going to look pretty silly.

If there weren't two big clubs in Liverpool (which is really a fairly small place at the end of the day) I don't think the Everton fans would be so against the move knowing they could get a big new stadium to generate revenue (Goodison is a very old ground). But they feel like the club would be "abandoning" the city itself to Liverpool FC - and there is some logic to what they say.

Once again Liverpool look good in the CL.. wonder if they will carry any momentum against United later in the week. Even if they beat United.. I still don't see United giving away the PL.. but stranger things have happened.

Real never showed up for either game..

Fantastic performance against Real today. 4-0. Can't recall that happening to Real before in Europe. If not for Casillas, I'm not kidding, that would have been 8-0 or 9-0. He made a hatfull of really top class saves. Real has no defense and Ramos still has no clue about how to win against a Premier League team.

Very happy with the performance and result.

I was hoping at least either liverpool or chelsea wouldn't make it through..I though Chelsea was going to get a draw.. but they prevailed. I'm a tad worried that maybe United has peaked too early, but I don't see the likes of Chelsea stopping them. Liverpool.. maybe in the CL..but not the PL.. guess we won't have long to see what happens.

Torres certainly didn't look like he was having any ill effects from the injury. bastard.

Well I was right on the score prediction. United looked good.. not their best, but solid. They had a few issues in the first half and I don't know why..but it looked like it was because they were trying to squeeze in instead of spreading which kills Inter. It's nice to see the Great and Special one lose. All this talk of him taking over United is bollocks. It looks like The Great one is really just a one trick pony.. and that is winning league titles. Who knows.. maybe he'll end up in Anfield ;)

All 4 English sides are now through to the 1/4s with Arsenal winning on penalties.

Cue Michel Platini complaining about how powerful the Premier League has become.

and que Patini complaining every other sentence. Wanker.

looks like City are trying to buy David Villa from Valencia.

City is trying to buy everyone. I doubt they'll really get any quality transfers though.

Valencia has to sell - they're pretty near bankrupt, and you can bet City are the only ones who will offer up really big bucks right now. So long as Villa agrees, he'll be off. Silva too most likely. Too bad, it will still take City several years to challenge at the top levels, and a better manager than Sparky Hughes to get the job done.

Valencia has already said they would not be giving any discounts to either player. They desperately need the cash..and city has plenty of it. I think Hughes will be a fine manager.. just hate seeing him on the City side. Hughes' problem is that he really just has such a mix-match team that it's hard to get any consistency out of them.


hope you 'pudlians are ready for the match tomorrow. Fergie has already said he wasn't going to hold back his players. You lose, and title is ours. You win, and the title is still ours :p

David Villa will be at Liverpool next season - you mark my words.
Torres and Villa up front? That gets me aroused just thinking about it! HA HA HA! :)

Can't think straight this morning, it's going to be the biggest game of the season. The only down side is it's on Sky Sports so that means I have to listen to Andy 'I'm not bitter' Gray gushing over Man Ure and struggling to ever give Liverpool a fuckin' compliment!

Bitter, me? nah! I just can't stand Andy Gray!

Come on you Red Men! (the Anfield ones that is!)

well so far Torres is certainly in good form..

Two costly mistakes by both clubs.. silly fouls and even worse.. penalty worthy.

---------- Post added at 09:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:41 AM ----------

well fuck..looks like there is still a title race.

goal after Vidic send off is certainly a back breaker.

4-1 Liverpool.

Never expected that result. United's backline was absolutely horrible. The midfield never tried to keep any real possession. Rest assured that 4 points is still a lead and I am certain that United will not be in such poor form again.

It's been a pretty good week, all in all!

:)

here's the next big question .... will Liverpool actually respond to the lesser clubs? Liverpool has pulled the double on United, yet they simply cannot be consistent especially against lower clubs.

I think we can all agree that United will bounce back with a vengeance (poor Fulham) especially considering this was the worst loss at OT since '92.

The title credits aren't rolling just yet, but I'm going to go ahead and place a bet on Liverpool doing something stupid against a club they should very well beat.

or maybe I should just bet on Rafa doing something stupid.

Don't be bitter - that's Everton's job.

I'm not bitter. Liverpool deserved the win.

I just want to make sure you 'pudlian's don't get the wrong idea.. ;)

Good call highthief! laffin me arse off!


:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Like gucci's already said, Liverpool played the better game and deserved to win. I made the mistake of going to watch the game at my friend's house (Liverpool lover AND Man U. hater - funny how often those 2 coincide).

But with a 4-point lead and a game in hand, it's United's title to lose. Especially with Fulham coming up (while Liverpool play Villa, who look hungry). All it takes is a draw for Liverpool and Chelsea to put it well beyond their reach.

Yes a 4 point lead and game in hand is nice. United still would have to lose 3 of the remaining 10 matches to lose the title. Not going to happen. If anything this scouser win is nothing more than a wakeup call to United. United has been looking complacent for a few weeks now. All that's been done is that the giant has been awakened.

So you scousers can gloat about the win all you want..it's certainly not going to fill up your trophy cabinet. ;)

What's going to be even better is when we march to Rome and lift that title as well. I think the scousers are just jealous because they know that the record books are being re-written and it's not by their supposedly "most successful club" :lol:

And while I'm on this pseudo rant... I hope the FA makes you play on the anniversary of the Hillsborough accident.. I'm so sick of the goddamn scousers and gooners singing their songs poking fun at the Munich disaster. Maybe this will help them see how classless it is.


On a side note, Vidic only received a 2 match ban for his straight red, so he'll be in place for the hardest of our next 3 matches which is Sunderland away.

Glory Glory Man United!

You're out of order on a couple of counts and showing a startling level of immaturity and ignorance:

Regardless of what any subsection of fans sings at a given match about other sides, Hillsborough is sacred. When the 96 died, they were members of our community, neighbours, real people living next door or in the next street. Gerrard's cousin died that day. Fatboss can speak more to this. You're an American, disconnected from this. Both sets of fans have elements that mock Hillsborough and Munich - both are wrong. But Hillsborough is something that very deeply affected an entire city, is recent, and the people that died were supporters, neighbours and family. It's not just something that happened on TV to us.

Second, it has nothing to do with the FA. European football is governed by UEFA, an entirely seperate organization.

You're right..I don't know why I put FA..just mark that half of the post a mental lapse

I know that Hillsborough is sacred.. I was just on a piss rant.. It doesn't matter what my nationality is.. doesn't mean I'm as disconnected as you think.. either way.. I shouldn't have brought that here. I was just getting tired of the scousers over on the United boards registering and then making horrible comments about the Munich disaster. Some of the things they said had nothing to do with the match Saturday. It was callous and crude.. and given the chance to go back and look..I was at that level when I posted that. So I offer my full apology. It's one of those things a person says that really isn't meant but is completely stupid either way. I know that some fans give shit about the Hillsborough and the Munich disaster.. I just wish some of them would start showing some class.

But anyway.. sorry to open a wound; and again.. don't think I'm actually that disconnected just because I'm American. I have an awful lot of family in the UK ;).. you also probably think I'm some glory hunting foreign fan.. this is not even close to the truth. I'll wear that crest no matter what happens.

So again.. apologies for the Hillsborough remark.

Oh I can feel the love across the water.

Guccilvr, you're a noble man for everything you said there by way of your apology.

Genuine fans don't use tragedy to mock their opponents. Those that do are just utter dickheads to me and it's more about the goading than the team.

Hillsborough was and always will be a dark day in my life. My Wife could have gone to that game, she's had a season ticket for The Kop for over 20 years. Whatever made her decide not to go that day, I thank the Lord for that.

It also brought her and a long-lost friend together, they both thought the other one was at the ground and rang each other almost simultaneously! So from dark times good things emerge.

Back to the game on Saturday - the most satisfying thing was how quickly the 'Theatre of Dreams' emptied when the score was still 1-3.
Dossena has a new nickname - The Magician - When he scores he makes 65,000 Mancs disappear!

Sorry couldn't resist!

Still yours to lose Guccilvr - watch this space! :)

Thanks for the story on Hillsborough. :)

Yeah.. there are quite a lot of us who are disgusted at the fans display the other day. Those fucking glory hunters couldn't even bear to keep their jerseys on. They had better be glad Keano isn't around to bust their chops.

Ya know, I don't know what to feel about the game.. Sure I'm disappointed, but I don't know if Liverpool outplayed United, I felt they had good pressure with Gerrard coming forward, but it was more like they just took advantage of some really uncharacteristic mistakes. Not making excuses here.. just looking at it again, if it had held at 2-1 or a draw, the perception would be quite different.

Eh, whatever, it's done and overwith. It is still United's to lose, and I'm just waiting for the CL draw to see what's going to happen. If 'Pool and United get squared for this leg... fireworks are going to happen.

1. Fair play re the apology.

2. Wow, that is amazing Fatboss! It's like those stories you hear about people who had booked plane flights and then decided not to go, and then the plane crashes or gets hijacked or something. What a piece of good luck amidst such a tragedy.

3. We've finally found a role for Dossena - he's a lousy fullback but a fantastic striker!

Granted, the title is still United's to lose, but I think you're mistaken about Villa. If you've watched their games, you'll see that they look tired. They've been sliding in quality since December - a fact somewhat masked by wins scraped through penalties and own goals. Laursen's injury has been the killer blow, I reckon. Pool's deadly counters will cut Villa apart.

A more probable prospect is that a resurgent Arsenal could take points off Pool and/or Chelsea. But then they could even beat United. With 7 from 9 against the top 3 in the first half of the season, and their star players returning, the games against Arsenal could be the deciding ones in the title race.

On another point: Why only a two-game ban for Vidic? Isn't a red an automatic 3-game ban? the reports make it seem that it would've only been one game - but he got 2 because of a prior red in the season....:confused:

I think you're spot on about Villa Vaultboy. They're tired and missing the mighty Laursen. Just shows you what losing a good player does to a team.

(mental note to self to go and wrap Gerrard and Torres in cotton wool!)

Let's see which Liverpool turn up for that game eh?

There are different types of fouls for which a red is issued - for a violent incident (like hitting another player or a reckless tackle) he'd get 3. But for a professional foul like that where he is stopping Gerrard from going clear through on goal it is usually a one game ban, but as you say, he gets two because he's a repeat offender.

Yes it's a professional foul and since this is his second professional foul on the season it has gone to 2 matches. There was quite a bit of speculation that it would be 3 since it was after March 1. Rio was saying he had time to go back and cover which would have been in the appeal process but I don't think he could have. That was one game where the Ref was outstanding.

Amazing how JT did the exact same thing and had his card rescinded. Oh well, not too worried about it. Vidic will still be in place for Sunderland away.

Villa is not the team liverpool should look out for, Blackburn and Newcastle are the ones Liverpool should be concerned about. With their record against the lower clubs this season..those could very well end in a 0-0 draw.

Not really. English players get away with more. Rooney can tell the ref "fuck off" and the ref just smiles back. Terry is the English captain, and the FA will preserve his record wherever possible. Graham Poll reflected on the double standard in his recent book.

Not really what? Terry received the straight red and was sent off and then later had it rescinded so he didn't have to miss anything. I don't want to hear that Wazza gets away with anything..he's booked for dissent quite often. The only player on United who gets away with anything on a regular basis is Ronaldo.


JT has said that he will not go anywhere and will retire at Chelski. He was linked in a move to ManCity in January, but he's pretty much put all that to rest.. City has tons of cash but I don't know why they would want the most overrated defenseman in the history of the game.

Actually, I think Villa is a serious threat - they're about as low as they can go and are due for a good game. Meanwhile, we've been flying but it'll be tough to match the enthusiasm of the last couple of games. I'll be pretty happy with 3 points no matter how we get them.

THat's your prerogative as a United fan. Look at tonight's Arsenal vs Hull game: Amongst the flurry of cards, there were 2 bookings that could only have been for backchatting. The commentators said Van Persie was lucky to escape without a booking for talking to the ref. Then watch Terry, Rooney blatantly shouting at the ref to "fuck off" (its easy to lipread) and nothing happening. Also read Poll's opinion that Terry should be stripped of the captaincy because of his...ungentlemanly conduct at club level. You cant really deny it. Foreigners and non-national squad Englishmen get booked easier.

Anyway, back to the football: FA Semi's looking interesting. Chelse and United are favourites to go through, but Everton and Arsenal could spring a surprise, I reckon.

If you look at the stats, in the top ten defenders in terms of yellow cards are Terry (7 yellows), the England captain, Johnson (6 yellows), an England regular, and Warnock (7 yellows), a fringe England player.

In the midfield Barry (6 yellows) and Parker (7 yellows), a sometime England player are represented in the top 10.

Amongst forwards, Rooney (6 yellows), Agbonlahor (4) and Defoe (4) are all in the top ten.

Obviously, they are not all for mouthing off, but they do get their share of yellows.

can't believe I'm siding with a chicken badge'r :p I honestly don't think English national players get as much leniency as people think. The problem is that the ref's just simply are either too harsh or too quiet in most cases. The United Liverpool game was the only game I've seen this season where the calls were perfect.

As for the FA's, of course we all know who I think will win. Everton are playing decent, but at the end of the day, if United even halfway shows up, they'll go through. Chelsea is the only team I'm worried about, and that's a half worry. Chelsea are getting wins but they aren't quality wins. United hasn't had that many quality wins in a few weeks, but the loss to the scousers will certainly give them a wake up call. We'll just see if it turns into results.

As for the league, the only two matches that I can see being a downturn for United is possibly Arsenal, and the Sunderland match. Don't see them losing, but a draw is certainly possible. Just like the Blackburn and Newcastle games for Liverpool..I think those are the most dangerous for them. (not that I really mind if liverpool screws up) ;)

So Rafa signs a new contract through 2014. What a twist and turn his road has taken .. if this new contract is only because of his wins against United this year.. he'll be sacked the middle of next year. Although I guess he'll have more say so in the transfer market, but I don't see that helping much.

Despite all the ragging on Rafa for looking like Manuel the fat waiter and his general inane prattle, it is quite a testament to his managerial skills that he's accomplished so much with so little control. Fergie, Wenger and lately Moyes and O'Neill are proof that that full managerial control (under a competent manger) contributes a lot to club stability and progress - not only in terms of results, but also in terms of the club as a business entity. Rafa has managed to keep on-the-field results on an improving trend, even though he is hamstrung. The lack of control is what caused Mourinho to be driven out. Rafa played the same gamble with Keane that Mourinho took with Sheva, and Rafa got an improved contract. He's got skills.

Who saw the article where Owen claims he is NOT injury prone on Soccernet. Classic. Owen, by the way, should have never left L'pool, but then again, L'pool would probably not have got Torres if Owen was around.

Yeah, I saw that too and rofled. I scheme he's marketing himself for a transfer and trying to say that he'll be good for the money. Citeh, perhaps?

I suppose he somewhat fits what the owners of City wants. To be honest though, I think Man City should buy young talent (like Aston Villa), and build a team around a solid foundation. Buying a bunch of unwanted/aging/injury-prone/gold-digging strikers wont get you into the top four very soon...but that would be too straight forward for city, they thrive on inconsistency and drama.

City has never been keen on developing young talent like they should. Now that they have hoardes of cash, they are just content trying to sign anyone and everyone. It might help them a few times, but in the long run, I think it's going to be the same old same old for City.

Edit: forgot to mention there is a rumor that Valencia will transfer from Wigan to United. I'm trying to wrap my head around that one as I don't see any space for him, especially with Tosic more than likely coming into the first XI next season. Maybe it's a backup in case the Real rumors with Ronaldo are true this time. :shrug:

To be fair, before Thaskin arrived they had several of their youth players doing a decent job, such as ireland, johnson, richards, onouha, jordan, wright-phillips (shaun and bradley) and bought young players with some potential like hart and samaras. The problem is only richards, ireland and swp have any top quality.

you're right, I guess maybe I'm thinking that they seem more interested in buying than developing. I've been wrong before ;) As a city fan, I'm sure you still loathe the fact that City let United get Giggsy

Ok folks the CL draw is in.

Liversh!t against Chelsea (AGAIN)
United against Porto
Arsenal against Villa
Bayern against Barca.

I'm taking Chelsea over Liverpool, United over Porto Villa over Asenal and Barca over Bayern. :D

Bayern may suffer without Klose, but I rate them as the dark horse this year. They look seriously efficient. They could very well go all the way.

Liverpool fans probably wish they could face united instead of Chelsea. 6 out of 7 wins under Hiddink and Essien back - Chelsea look the goods.

Gunners ftw!

Yeah I picked Chelski because Essien is playing well. Bayern is the favorite to win right now. I don't know if Liverpool would really want to play United .. after that defeat, you know the players are chomping to get back at Liverpool. :shrug:

Chelsea will not win the whole thing because of JT and Ballack. Ballack has been shocking this season.

The gooners don't have the goods to win it either IMO, but in this competition anything is possible.

On another note, Mourinho is back to his old self again.. he's looking to buy a lot of players. One of those is Vidic, who has already said he wouldn't go. Inter is willing to offer $25 million for him. Supposedly, quaresma, figo, vieira, crespo, cruz, toldo, samuel, and mancini are leaving the club. So inter could gather some money for their new acqusitions. moratti will give 100 million for those 6 players ...and they will probably gather 30-50 million from selling players...

He's interested in Vidic, Drogba, Carvalho, Mikel, Diaby and Jenes. I can see Drogba, Mikel and Jenes leaving. He'll never get Vidic or Diaby though.

yeah, I saw it too. I'm not so sure - thing about Italy and Spain is that it holds a lifestyle allure that Britain could never offer. Players could go for that as much as for the football. Diaby leaving will depend on whether Wenger buys Veloso or Yaya, methinks.

That's true, and is one reason why nobody will be shocked if Ronaldo leaves for Real Madrid. He's said before that he would leave and play football there because of the women. :rolleyes:

I think however, that most people who are concerned with playing at the highest level will still stay in the EPL, as it is regarded as the most competitive in the world.

as far as Arsene goes.. how much longer is he going to stay at arsenal? I've been hearing alot of grumblings from his side and the fans side about his being there lately.

Two Words - FUCKING.........and..........FIX

Thanks Mr. Platini and your warmed up balls you killjoy French Cock!

We'll do it the hard way - Chelski / Barca / Man Ure in the Final, on penalties of course! Liverpool are unbeaten in penalty shoot outs in all cup competitons!

Bring on the Blue Shite! :thumbsup:

I'll admit Platini is a dick. Don't know if it's fixed, but United certainly got the easier draw on paper. Porto shouldn't be underestimated by any stretch though.

Drogba has received a 3 match ban for throwing a coin into the burnley stands. This is a blow for Hiddink as Drogba and Essien are the only two who have been giving results for chelski lately. I must say I'm not at all saddened by this news ;)

Drogba served his ban back in the fall.

Surely even the colonies have received the news by now?

BOOM!!! United implosion. 2-0 loss at the Cottage. 2 red cards.

I had thought so too, but the sky sports link made it sound like it was effective now. :shrug:


another shocking performance by United. 3 suspended players now. Still think they can win the league..

I was shocked that Fergie started with one striker. The first red was a no-brainer.. the second yellow/red on Rooney is questionable. That boy just can't keep his emotions in check.

If Chelsea loses to the Spurs, we'll all be watching the scousers to see if they can produce.

I'm watching the Southern Blue Shite go down 1 - 0 at Spurs. :thumbsup:

Like I said before, let's see which Liverpool turns up tomorrow.
It would be bloody typical if we draw, or worse still lose tomorrow. But hey, I've seen it happen before, I don't know what to expect.

I just heard Fergie has booked Rooney in for some anger management! :rolleyes:

Yeah, Rooney really lost the plot there.

As for Villa - it'll be a tougher game than the Mancs or Real, I have no doubt. Villa have been in a poor run of form but you know that can't continue indefinitely and it'll be tough for us to match the genius of the last two games.

Still, feeling good going into the match (hopefully feeling the same way at the end!)

:hyper: