EPL Discussion Thread 2008/9

[BALLHOG]

5-0 Ronaldo scores second.

[JK]

Yep, Man U starting to flex their muscle now ... Saw a bit of the 2nd half and the Baggies fans were going nuts at most decisions, yet all the ones I saw were correct.

Only caught a glimpse of the Spurs game, but Modric looked to be having a night out.

[Tooting Bec]

Spurs have Leaped into mid table overtaking portsmouth, bolton and newcastle with their 3-1 victory over stoke. CP you were right that modric had a night out. Cudicini in goals for the first time tonight as well.

Bolton and Portsmouth to play tonight though.......

[JK]

Spewing I didn't get Modric back into my Dream Team thingy

[RoosterMarty]

Having Spurs players in your dream team is pretty risky. I found that out very early on.

Good win to United but it sounds like the red card to the Baggies skipper was extremerly harsh. Still it was good to see Berbatov score yet again, and Ronnie grabbed a brace. Vidic added yet another goal too, what a player.

Also, Heskey's winner on debut has put Villa level with Liverpool all of a sudden, but the Scousers have a game in hand.

[BALLHOG]

Also good to see Rio Ferdinand get through most of the match aswell. Fair effort by Van Der Sar and Man U's back four eleven consecutive league cleansheets, keep up the good work lads.

[RoosterMarty]

Also good to see Rio Ferdinand get through most of the match aswell. Fair effort by Van Der Sar and Man U's back four eleven consecutive league cleansheets, keep up the good work lads.

Yeah I forgot about that actually. Chelski's record was 10 wasn't it?


And here it a report regarding this amazing stat:

Manchester United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar and his defenders made Premier League history as Sir Alex Ferguson's side crushed 10-man West Brom 5-0 at The Hawthorns to move three points clear at the top.

The 38-year-old surpassed Chelsea stopper Petr Cech's 2004-2005 record of 925 minutes without conceding a goal and United also set a new record of 11 successive clean sheets, breaking the Blues' record of four years ago.

http://soccernet-akamai.espn.go.com/rep ... .1&cc=3436

[Swooper16]

I cant remember the last time (if ever) a defender won the player of the year award (either European or Premier League) but if it was to be given today surely Nemanja Vidic would bolt it in?

Fearless defender who is also scoring a few goals at the moment as well. He looked looked like a dodgy acquisition when he was brought in a few years ago mid season (along with Evre) but now would have to put up there with Solskjaer as one of Fergie's best transfers.

[JK]

Hard to disagree with that Swooper ... Vidic is having a huge year and is a quality player ... Im not a Man U fan obviously so I could need help with this, but I can't really remember too many transfer "busts" in Fergie's time ... Someone might suggest someone like Veron who did less than others, but wasn't a complete dud, whereas Liverpool (and no doubt most other clubs) have brought in some complete duds in the last 15 years or so.

[Swooper16]

He's had a few. As you mention Veron at 28 million pound didnt perform very well. Kleberson was another. Diego Forlan was also another dud in the premier league. I remember Fergie had a hard time replacing Schmeichel. Bosnich was more cold then hot. Massimo Taibi is slowly being forgotten. Bartez was serviceable but had some calamitous brain fades. But over the 20 odd years of management at Old Trafford he has definitely got it right more times then not. Verdict is still out on Nani and Anderson but they will get opportunites in the coming years.

[JK]

For sure, but even Nani and Anderson have contributed something already, and they have some other kids there that appear good sorts (so to speak) ... Veron was possibly the worst of their big names (Hargraves fit into this category??), but when you got Cantona, Schmeical, Ronaldo right, you've had a pretty decent run.

[Swooper16]

My favourite worst transfer story is the one made by Southampton manager Graeme Souness. Have pasted the story off Wikipedia....classic

Dia was signed by Southampton manager Graeme Souness in 1996, after Souness received a phone call purporting to be from Liberian international and former FIFA World Player of the Year George Weah. "Weah" told Souness that Dia was his cousin, had played for Paris Saint-Germain and had played 13 times for his country. Actually, none of this was true, and the phone call was from Dia's agent.[1] Nonetheless, Souness was convinced, and signed Dia on a one-month contract.

Dia played just one game for Southampton, in the number 33 shirt, against Leeds United on November 23, 1996; he had originally been scheduled to play in a reserve friendly against Arsenal, but the match was cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch. In the match against Leeds, he came on as a substitute for Matthew Le Tissier after 32 minutes but his performance was spectacularly below Premier League quality. He was later substituted (for Ken Monkou) after playing until the 53rd minute; Leeds won the match 2–0.

Le Tissier himself recalled the story in a television interview, telling that Dia spent only a weekend at the club. He first came down to train with the team on Friday morning and what he did "didn't look very good" and Southampton players thought that they would "never see him again", but then on the next day Dia was surprisingly named to the subs bench. His performance on the field after he came on to replace Le Tissier "was unbelievable. He ran around the pitch like Bambi on ice, it was very very embarrassing to watch." Yet according to the team's physiotherapist on Sunday morning Dia "turned up for treatment of an injury" and "then he left, and we never saw him again ... nobody knows where he went."[2]

Dia was released by Southampton two weeks into his contract.

[BALLHOG]

Just reading a story about Robinho being arrested over a sexual assault just what Man City need.

[devilsadvocate]

Having Spurs players in your dream team is pretty risky. I found that out very early on.

Good win to United but it sounds like the red card to the Baggies skipper was extremerly harsh. Still it was good to see Berbatov score yet again, and Ronnie grabbed a brace. Vidic added yet another goal too, what a player.

Also, Heskey's winner on debut has put Villa level with Liverpool all of a sudden, but the Scousers have a game in hand.

IMO it was justified. It was a horrid tackle and one that could have caused a nasty injury.

Vidic is a good player, bit of a thug, but not in a John Terry way - Nemanja actually backs it up with talent. Love the Utd song:

Nemanja whoa,
Nemanja whoa,
He come's from Serbia,
He'll f***ing murder ye...

[smithy]

NExt time Lucas Leiva takes to the pitch I'm turning the TV off.

WIgan 1 - Liverpool 1

[RoosterMarty]

I thought you would have enjoyed that.

What a terrible tackle.

Great header by Timmy Cahill again this morning for goal number 100 in English football. It should have won 3 points.

[JK]

NExt time Lucas Leiva takes to the pitch I'm turning the TV off.

WIgan 1 - Liverpool 1

OK, I've defended Lucas on the basis of giving him a reasonable opportunity to prove himself, and I think that time has now expired ... He's slow and reckless in nearly all challenges (which is bad enough even when outside the box).

We actually have little creativity in the middle with SG playing a more forward role .. I know Masch put in the through ball for our goal, but his first touch and passing is ordinary.

AND ... Now I know I'm no football expert .. But when the opposition equalises with 10 minutes to go (ie, we're desperate for another goal), why oh WHY would you take Gerrard off? He and Torres score %80 of our goals, I really don't get that.

If I had a cat it would have copped a fair kick this morning (actually would have needed 5 cats anyway, 1 for each of our last prem games) ... Fuggin stoopid football, hate the game!! lol

[BALLHOG]

Great to see the Scousers falling in a hole now Chelsea are second with a better goal difference. This could be the end if they can't start to string a few wins together.

[RoosterMarty]

CP... the problem with Liverpool and Rafa (mainly him I guess) is that they see the score at 1-1 late in the game and think "I hope we don't lose this" while Man Utd will think "we can win this game".

It is crazy to take your captain off when he's been scoring quite often this season, you had to win the game after United's win against WBA.

Early in the season you scored quite a few late ones but it seems that you have lost all confidence in your own ability to score late.


Also, most of the talk is around United, Liverpool and Chelsea battling for the title but Villa are right up there... whether they can keep it up or not is another thing but they are in a position where they could still amazingly steal the title. It has been a brilliant season so far.

[JK]

CP... the problem with Liverpool and Rafa (mainly him I guess) is that they see the score at 1-1 late in the game and think "I hope we don't lose this" while Man Utd will think "we can win this game".

Agree wholeheartedly ... We won a few games at the death early in the season, but once we went clear top and had a gap on Man U (only by virtue of games in hand), we seemed to go ultra cautious, adopting the attitude you mentioned above.

I think the point in time it all started was at the Emirates ... Arsenal led 1-nil, we equalised, they lost Fabregas to injury at halftime and went down to 10 men shortly after, yet we chose to take the tact of Draw 1st, Win if we can jag one, and have applied the same approach ever since.

Whilst there's a definite gulf in individual class between us and Man U (which is problem enough), there's also a glaring difference in mentality/belief/culture.