11/12 Premier League thread

[lyrical start]

We schooled you.

Meh... analyze the game properly. We made you look good.

Almunia & Denilson pretty much gifted you all the goals...

 

[tHuG $TyLe]

It could've been a lot more if Nani and Rooney finished their easy chances.

 

[THEV1LL4N]

i would certainly start cheryl cole in my lineup.

 

[DPG iz all I C]

Ashley Cole is a dirty little homo fuck

 

[Kobe]

^^Thats what I heard.

 

[Bobby Sands]

Real Madrid to offer record £85 million for Man Utd striker ‘Own Goal’

By The Nal

Real Madrid have today risked the wrath of Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson by planning an audacious world record bid for prolific Manchester United striker “Own Goal”.

With 10 goals already this season, Goal is Manchester United’s 2nd top scorer, two ahead of perpetually sedated Bulgarian hitman Dimitar Berbatov.
Goal, who regularly partners fellow Utd striker “Dodgy Injury Time Winner” up front, is thought to be flattered by the interest from the Spanish giants.
Own Goal’s agent, Paul Stretford, told reporters, “Of course he’s flattered, but he’s a United player and he’s very happy here.”
“And apart from that, I’m not sure there are many defences as dire as Portsmouth’s in La Liga, so he may not get the same service in Spain.”

Interest
Real Madrid are understood to have been put on high alert after Own Goal’s spectacular hat-trick against Portsmouth last weekend.
Spanish paper Marca have reported that Own Goal is the number one target for Madrid this summer, with Madrid’s president Perez quoted as saying, “You know I don’t like to talk about other clubs and their players, but I’ll do everything I can to get Manchester United’s Own Goal this summer.”
“Despite reaching double figures for the season after banging in another at Villa Park this week, I actually hope he hits a dry spell for the rest of the season - then we won’t have to pay as much as we did for that greasy, diving, moaning little degenerate last summer.”

Praise
Berbatov, who has so far failed to impress at his time at United, has nothing but praise for his fellow striker.
“The manager demands that we score, and Own Goal has come a long way this season, he’s a pleasure to play with, as it means I have to run even less - so I’m obviously chuffed,” concluded the only man alive who makes the Panda look hyperactive.
United’s top scorer, Wayne Rooney, wants to see Own Goal - whose nationality isn’t certain - declare himself for England and play in this years World Cup.
“Heskey, Defoe and Crouch, the three of them can piss off, I want to play up top with Ownie,” said Rooney.
Sir Alex Ferguson however, is understood to be fuming at Real Madrid, who have yet again disrupted one of his best players in mid season.
“I wouldn’t sell that mob Own Goal” he was understood to have said.
“He’s our player and playing him means we don’t have to play that little scouser Michael Owen, which is a result” concluded the fiery Scot.

lol..

 

[Illuminattile]

We should have given him the number 7 shirt.

 

[tHuG $TyLe]

Next season they might have a playoff for the 4th place in the Premiership.

:|

 

[DPG iz all I C]

Next season they might have a playoff for the 4th place in the Premiership.

:|

There's no chance it'll be implemented IMO

 

[tHuG $TyLe]

I hope not. Imagine a team finishing 7th and 20 points behind 4th place (Arsenal or Liverpool ) and then winning the playoffs...

Wait..that doesn't sound too bad..

Nah seriously, stupid if it goes ahead.

 

[2Pax]

What a load of shite.

If you finish fourth over the course of a season, it's because you deserved it.

 

[THEV1LL4N]

even if it increases my team's chances of getting into the champions league, i think its a silly idea although it would shake things up.

 

[Flipmo]

If they want to increase competition, why not removed 4th place CL spot, and turn the FA Cup winner a qualifying spot in the CL? Or something like that...
It would obviously make things more interesting in the league, and especially in the cup.

I've always hated the way the CL spots are distributed among the leagues. I know that Spain, England and Italy are the strongest leagues, but the CL is becoming a drag and increasingly routine with the same big names with the biggest budget going through.

I enjoy the Europa/UEFA cup. There's always a little surprise.

 

[Duke]

Yeah i agree with the majority here. Final league position is based on consistence, not a fluke or a one one-off game. League position is what determines the quality of a team imo.

And furthermore, I also concur with Flip's opinion that for years now, the UEFA Cup/Europa League's matches have been much more interesting than the average CL match. Not saying it's actually better football all the time, but it's better to watch regardless.

In the CL, you have too many stalemates. Too many good teams playing it safe and aching out a draw against a similar opponent.

In UEFA Cup, you got proper crunch matches and ridiculous upsets. Much more interesting really.

Chances are, maybe two of us (Streehop footy connaisseurs) would predict the correct CL winner. Maybe one, with luck, could predict (guess) the UEFA winner.


UEFA Cup > Champions league

 

[Bobby Sands]

I agree with the point about there being little chance of a club from a smaller league going all the way in the champions league. With the exception of Porto in 2004, the teams from the bigger leagues are the ones who are likely to win every year. The days when teams from Eastern Europe like Red Star Belgrade or Steaua Bucharest have a chance of winning are gone.

However, this has always been the case. Its usually the teams from the traditionally bigger leagues like Spain, Italy, England, Germany and Holland. Every once in a while a team like Porto will come along and win it when their team is good enough. Dutch league isnt as strong as it was these days. The problem is that teams like Ajax arent producing the same calibre of player that they did in the past and tend to sell their star players at a young age so they have less chance of winning it now. Same applies to the eastern European teams. If they have any half decent players, they are sold before they even make the first team. thats just the way it is nowadays.

All you have to look at the teams that have won it most times:

Real Madrid 9
AC Milan 7
Liverpool 5
Bayern 4
Ajax 4
Barcelona 3
Man Utd 3
Juventus 2
Benfica 2
Inter 2
Porto 2
Nottingham Forest 2
Marseille 1
Steaua Bucharest 1
Hamburg 1
Celtic 1
Borussia Dortmund 1
Red Star Belgrade 1
PSV 1
Aston Villa 1
Feyenoord 1

It almosts always been a team from one of the big leagues and as the Dutch league and Bundesliga isnt at the standard it was in the past, there is less chance of a team from those leagues winning it these days. France has only ever had one champion and that was Marseille in 1993. thats is a bit of a surprise.

I dont agree that the champions league lacks excitement either. there has been some really great games in recent years.

A lot of Liverpool's games in the knock out stages have been fantastic and there have been other great matches as well.

Europa League/ UEFA Cup has a similar pattern. It is the teams from the bigger leagues that have dominated that as well but these days it seems dont really care for anymore. Mainly for financial reasons and the stupid format of the tournament.

Liverpool 3
Juventus 3
Inter 3
Borussia Monchengladbach 2
Spurs 2
Feyenoord 2
IFK Goteborg 2
Real Madrid 2
Parma 2
Sevilla 2
Anderlecht 1
PSV 1
Eintracht Frankfurt 1
Ipswich 1
Bayer Leverkusen 1
Napoli 1
Ajax 1
Bayern 1
Schalke 1
Galatasaray 1
Porto 1
CSKA Moscow 1
Valencia 1
Zenith St Petersburg 1
Shakthar Donetsk 1

there has been a recent trend of eastern european sides winning it.

 

[Flipmo]

I would say it was still more exciting back then. If you look at the knockout stages it was usually a very mixed style, teams from most of Europe. Now you head into the quaterfinals and the same 3 english clubs are there, with Inter-Milan, Real Madrid and Barca.

You'd see more diversity back then leading up to the final. The only reason for that is that back then, most of the west wouldn't head to smaller clubs and try to snatch players or entice them with high pays to join their clubs. Now, it's impossible to hold onto a player if you're in Eastern Europe unless you're in the Russian League where they tend to hold onto most of their players. Ukraine also to an extent.

The reason why we (Eastern Euro countries) sell our players young is because we know that the talents will want to play in a bigger league with bigger benifits (salary, bonuses, fame) and that scouts in the big 5 leagues will snatch them no matter what. So instead of waiting till their contract runs out and we get nothing for the player, we sell them a big earlier, slap a large price tag and hope to get at least some revenue from them.

 

[Bobby Sands]

^^yea thats true. The last couple of seasons it has confined to the teams from the top three leagues and the likes of Porto. but i have a feeling there will be some upsets this season. All the english are well beatable imo. Barcelona will find it very difficult to win back to back champions leagues. no team has done it before. Its very open imo.

Apart from that though there have been some very good games in recent years.

 

[Duke]

Of course there have been good games in the recent YEARS, but your average Euro Cup match is much more fun to watch than the average CL clash.

Regardless, I am looking forward to to Milan - Utd tonight. Hope Huntelaar bangs in a few.

 

[Bobby Sands]

^^me too

and i hope Ronaldinho plays well.

 

[Illuminattile]

^^me too

and i hope Ronaldinho plays well.

And he did, for the most part.

But not as well as Roonaldinho.