The Swamp World Cup is being played in Scotland. With a bit of forward planning the old Baseball Ground in Derby could have been a permanent venue.
David Bond on the death - or is it just stunned - of the 39th game.
Slaven Bilic comments on the Taylor/Eduardo clash.
The Fink Tank says that the stats show that Liverpool areclosing the gap at the top.
With eleven games to go it is worth looking at the points totals that have taken the Premiership title and secured the fourth Champions League spot over the last number of seasons.
Currently Arsenal have sixty-four points and are in track for a 90 point season. Such a total would match their unbeaten season of 2004 but fall below what Chelsea bagged in both 2005 (95) and 2006 (91). Manchester United book-ends the five year spell with 89 points last season and 83 points in 2003.
It use to be pretty much accepted that a Championship winning team could afford to lose six games and still take the title. That theory was blown apart in 04 and 05 when Arsenal went unbeaten and Chelsea only lost once. Otherwise the other three seasons from 2003 to 2007 saw the Premiership winners each lose five games.
However, something did happen in terms of games lost last season that had never happened in a 38-game Premiership. It was the first time that the winners had not finished with the fewest losses.
Chelsea only lost three times but finished in second place to Manchester United who lost five games. Some might point to the fact that United won the league with games in hand but that is hardly unique in itself. So far Arsenal has one loss, second place United four while Chelsea and Liverpool have only tasted the bitter pill three times.
However, any interest Liverpool may have had in the title has largely evaporated on account of eleven draws from 26 matches. It’s even possible for Liverpool to finish out of the top four but finish the season with fewer losses than the eventual Champion.
Looking at the valuable fourth spot it seems that a points total of around seventy is going to be needed this season – it may even need more than the 71 points Newcastle finished with in 2002.
The lowest total for a fourth place team in a 38-team Premiership came in 2004 when Liverpool finished with sixty points and Gerard Houllier was sacked. The average over twelve seasons has been 66 points but with the present incumbents Everton sitting on 50 points with eleven games to play it is difficult to see how the average would be enough this season.
So it only seems right to focus some attention on Sunday’s game at Goodison between Everton and another side that has sights set on a top four finish Portsmouth. Even though both these sides have struck for seven in a game this season this one is all likelihood will be a tight hard fought give-no-quarter tussle.
One player who may prove pivotal is former Portsmouth striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni. Yakubu has hit double figures in scoring each of his five seasons in the Premiership with 16 in his first season followed by 12, 13, 12 and 10 already this campaign.
Based on goals for and against Everton enjoys a slight edge in both categories with four more goals scored and three less conceded this season. However, Portsmouth’s goals tend to arrive in bunches with twenty goals coming in five games while the other twenty-matches have generated only seventeen goals.
Everton are six points ahead and should the gap become nine with ten games to go it would be extremely difficult for Portsmouth to bounce back.
A draw however might be a good result given that their schedule down the straight idoes not look that difficult.
How important is the first goal in this game? Everton have only gained two points from a losing position this season – draws with Chelsea and Blackburn. Portsmouth have only lost two points from winning positions – the first game of the season against Derby County.
Hah @ Swamp World Cup! I can't seem to find an official website for it at the moment.
Just finished skimming through some global news on the sport. Apparently Serie A has been plagued with more than their fair share of dubious ref decisions. It's a shame that this #### refereeing is ruining the game. Can't help but feel sorry for any supporters affected by that nonsense.
I analyzed the 2006-07 season from data at soccerbase. Ronaldo played 34 PL games that year, with an average opposition final league position of just over 11th (11.1). Since United finished first, the average opponent for all 38 games would be 11th place: [SUM(2:20)/19]. So the average position of his opponents was in line with the league as a whole.
The average final league position of the teams he scored against was 11.6 (weighted by the number of goals he scored against each), indicating a slightly greater tendency to score against lower table teams, but hardly a significant difference from the 11.1 average position of the teams he played.
The final league position of the teams he scored against showed slightly less dispersion than that of all the teams he played: a standard deviation of 4.6 for scoring vs 5.2 for all played. Eyeballing the figures, though, there is no obvious "clumping" of mid-table teams in the scored-against list, to account for less dispersion.
Instead, the only obvious reason is the missing "right tail"- he scored no goals against the 2d through 4th place teams, while playing them 4 times. (The dispersion of team positions vs scored-against for the current year are virtually identical, with no missing tails- helped by his goals against 1st Arsenal and 4th Everton).
As far as I'm willing to make the effort to test it, I'm satisfied that my hypothesis has been proved wrong, at least for the PL: Ronaldo is an equal-opportunity scorer throughout the league table, except (as we know anecdotally) against the very top teams. This exception can be easily explained by superior defences that let in fewer goals against everyone, however, so the fact that he also finds the going rough should be no surprise.
Now, let's talk EPL. this is a huge weekend for the gunners. ever since the thrashing at old trafford, they haven't played a great game. with Edu injured, I wonder which arsenal we will see. a win against AV, and we are good for 3 more weeks... FA cup week, Wigan, and RVP is back in the line up.
The fink tank is wrong. You see progress in the table more so than anything else.
Liverpool have been creating chances ever since Rafa came and they have been stout defensively as well. Its putting away those chances and no conceding when it counts is what has matters.
I want Rafa to stay at least one more year but as Stevie said we've got to stop LOOKING to next year. We have the talent, we should be DOING it this year.
You track progression by the clubs around you and Arsenal has improved exponentially while we've not. Man U did the same last year and obvously Chelski two years prior to that. We have not and we are back to being with the rest of the pack instead as one of the BIG FOUR.
BOBBY'S RESEARCH ON EVERTON POMPEY
Some good stuff.
I'd add -
1) Is the number of goals scored against former clubs significant?
2) @ Goodison in the PL it EFC W 3 POMPEY W 1 DRAWS 0
3) Last two games between the sides
3-0 - may/07
0-0 - dec/07
3) GD (yes Gorn I know) Evertton have scored 24 at home and let in 11
Pompey have scored 21 and let in 16.
4) Everton's 2008 PL record is :
P 7 W 5 D 2 L 0 with a GD of F9 A1 (that was an own goal)
Everton's 2008 record is :-
P 12 W7 D 2 L3 GD F17 A6
5) Pompey's 2008 PL record is :
P 7 W3 D1 L3 GD F11 A4
Pompey's 2008 record is :
P10 W 6 D1 L3 GD F14 A5
6)
14 Everton players have scored league goals in 07/08
12 Pompey players have scored league goals in 07/08 (although Benjani now plays cor citeh)
7) It's been 43 (could be one out here) games since Everton last got a penalty awarded in the league - Rob Stiles (the most spot pointing referee in the PL didn't award us one last week)
Andre Mariner has this record
P12 R3 Y34 AVERAGE 3.08
He's not officiated Pompey this season
He officiated Everton V Spurs and booked two players, the EFC player being Valente.
8) Everton face a vital trip away to Florence in midweek. Although back to earth with a bump against mighty Sunderland (at home) next Saturday)
9) Pompey play United away next weekend in the FA Cup.
10) Pompey's last three games have been all W and all by the score of 1-0 (two were away and one at home)
11) Everton's last three games have been all W (1 @ home and 2 away) all by multiple goals
12) Everton at Goodison this season are:
P 13 W 8
CONT...
12) Everton at Goodison this season are:
P 13 W 8 D 2 L 3
13) Pompey away this season are :
P 14 W 8 D 1 L5
14) I do marvel at the pantomime dame, with all the stats available she still predicts a 0-0. Hardly the sort of score either team has been getting this season.
LADIES IN BLUE
FA CUP WINNERS CONGRATULATIONS
BLUE AND UEFA
The mystery Pool Ball that got thrown at Howard in Norway is still, well, mysterious.
UEFA may (but is unlikley) to sanction Everton for a pitch invasion at the same game (it happened at the final whistle)
BILIC
You can here more on the bbc football pages (one is a live interview which gives more detail)
FINK TANK
Always good statistical analysis from some proffessor type ####ins - I'm suprised URSUSARTCOS hasn't used them.
Although the use of the word LUCK is utterly incomprehensible.
LGB well knows that luck is just a figment of someone's imagination - a poor substitute for thought and analysis.
SOUTHPARK HENRY
Every weekend in the PL now has ramifications for Europe, relegation the title and some good old fashioned beating of a team one dislikes
ATLETICO
Oops! Fascist PIGS have a go at Bolton Fans and UEFA and some Manc PIG stick their nosees in.
SERIE A
Cagliari V Genoa - Genoa on a roll Cagliairi perhaps already doomed
Empoli V Siena - classical relegation 6 pointer
Juventus V Fiorentina - BIG GAME! CL is up for grabs and la viola gets a vosot from the Blues Wednesday
Livorno V Catania - a not slipping into relegation trouble six pointer
Milan V Lazio - oh er, Laxio this season are just pant
CONT...
pants, Milan covet the CL
Napoli V Inter - of course this is a referee inspired Inter win. Napoli are having problems mind
Reggina V Palermo - can the Rosaneri continue their min-reviaval and push for Europe and can Reggina fight out fo relegation once agaain
Roma V Parma - a wolf and some cheese - should allow Roma to solidify second but you never know
Samp - V Torino - Italian madman will win or lose the game for the blucerchiate - Tornino will be bouyed by the draw against Juve
Udinese - V Atalanta - sneak peak game of the week. A team on a topspy turvy roll and a team really needing that fourth spot.
PORRIDGE TWICE IN TWO DAYS
Well if you can't treat yourself then who can you treat!
Excellent research. I knew I was at least partly right about him only scoring against poorer teams but as u said he is young and still has alot to come I have no doubt he will get better. I just wish people would stop over rating him. Look what happened to walcott so much expectations and nothing to show for it.
seeing as how I mentioned walcot above I would like to get some opinions of what people think of his development. I personally believe Sven is to blame for his lack of development since the World Cup. He had no right putting such a young lad in the world cup squad when he was no where near to being the finished article. It put the world of pressure on him and unrealistic expectations and I think those things combined hindered his development. I am still shocked at Eriksons decesion. He should have used Defoe instead but I guess he was just doing what the media wanted. Lets hope Wenger can get that kid back on track. But I really do feel he should be playing on the wing not as a striker he has pace and he needs the room to use it. His prem scoring record compared to appearances is very poor. But he is being managed by the best developer of young talent in the world Arsene Wenger so he should be OK
Yes I agree the development of 18 year old Walcott has been so stunted it is confusing. The fact he has not been capped by England 50 times already, won a WC and hasn't won a player of the year award already is shocking. At his current development pace he might only reach the high expectations at a shocking 24 or 25. Also I'm surprised Havard Nordtveit hasn't made a first team appearance yet either. Hes 17 you figure he would of displaced Philipe Senderos from the squad already. Hopefully there are no Bleeps in this post as I wouldn't want to look uncivilized.
Apparently Jose Mourinho met up with the Barca staff after it had been reported Barcelona were not interested in signing Mourinho. During his presentation Mourinho mentioned the players he would like to strengthen the Barca squad with.
The players mentioned were Luka Modric, Dani Alves, Keita, Frank Lampard, and Maicon. It was also reported that Mourihno had rejected a contract offer from Lyon.
Last edited by Sleeper000 on February 29th at 6:59 AM.
JayAlves--Thanks for Wendel clip - awesome! Now, like I asked before, stop feeding the troll....
craigy:
JR
SF/JC/Skrtel/AA
JP/SG/XA/Babel
PC/FT
B: Agger, LL, YB, Kuyt
- Masch: If LFC needs to clog middle v. Bolton, they've already lost; sitting cuz Alia hubbub
- Carson goes for $$$; may be only dosh RB gets to spend
ABG--Condescension rears again! Let's just say yer way smarter than me, so we can get onto football:
- NU can't play Owen wide; more running = more injuries Pc: Mebbe an idea tho, since NU can only win by outscoring teams
- Essien played @ Lyon = padded stats = proves my point
- Ade & Drogba have shown great skill, but brains? Also, they play with great teams, receive(d) great service, and were also PANTS at the beginning. Cisse was the opposite. So yer saying Djibril is/was better than those two, and RB ruined him? Yer also talking about 2 hulks w/o 2 broken legs. Yer argument sounds more specious than mine.
- You, like ~all non-LFC fans, underrate Reina grossly. Same thing causes y'all to think Cech is still the best. JR bobbles a couple a year ago, and he's Dudek? There's no stat I know of that says Cech is better, and some that surely say he isn't. I mean, yer saying you know more than Casillas??
Yes, I'd rather have Reina/Agger than Vieira/Anelka at the same age. You read that correctly. DMs are everywhere; 5-6 top DMs in EPL alone, never mind the whole world. Mebbe it's my hockey past, but I value world class GK; less GA = less losses = less lost points
FR might cause a problem between his wages, attitude, etc., etc. (believe it or not, there is at least one player on LFC who LOVES the limelight as much as FR) let alone the fee. Just saying that any of those would do, and fill the gaping void. Wasn't a relative judgement of talent. I mean, we do operate in the real world on this board, at least? I'm trying to avoid the BBs suggesting FR can be bought for £15m....
Glad to see some LFC "supporters" aren't completely daft. (c;
Rafa just signed Mascherano to a 4 year deal finally.
The FINK tank is a light read for anoraks. Numbers don't lie, yet form often forgets to run according to mathematical probability, which leaves room for bookies to exist.
We know we are shipping more goals and some of us know Rafa does not rotate any more than other managers with large squads (I exclude the Sky and other journos, who say the same old thing anytime Liverpool have a bad day at the office).
Personally, I hope we defy the statisticians and finish 3rd after an uncharacteristic meldown above us. Well, one can dream eh?
Numbers don't lie, people lie and they misinterpret. In fact numbers don't say anything at all.
Gorn do you really think Veiera is just a DM? You are confused. How many dynamic, box to box, all around CM's are there in the EPL right now? Essien, maybe the old Stevie G and Flamini. You are correct that Reina is very good and Cech has lost it.
You are not correct about Ligue 1. Maybe Ursus will do you favor and count how many former Ligue 1 players are in the Prem, Serie A and Liga. Compare that to any other subset and see what that tells you. Ligue 1 must really suck.
8-8-10 how about these numbers flash? More losses then wins in the Prem? Youch. Wonder if Spurs will be able to have a winning record at the end of the season if they play the reserves like you want them too. Good thing Ramos is in charge and not you.
Gorn - Fine I'll stop feeding it. As for the Wendel clip it was to put in perspective the kind of violence football has compared to hockey and that allot of people deep down love the gladiator stuff. The EPL could always try to market to them by allowing bare knuckle fighting instead trying to push through that silly 39th game. Rooney vs Barton would be a great match.
Last edited by JayAlves on February 29th at 8:50 AM.
Jay: See, there you go again, as usual, getting all worked up emotionally. It's not about me. Nor you, for that matter. Nor any other club.
This article deals with the atrocious discipline record that Ar5enal have 'achieved' under Wenger's tenure. They're league leaders in red cards for that time frame.
And only the most tolerant of refereeing prevented the number from growing by two or three more during the 5-1 loss to Tottenham and 4-0 loss to ManU.
Oh, and before anyone tries to lecture me on the wrongs of 'lying, cheating, and stealing', may I remind you that Barcelona have been the recipients of many dubious ref decisions.
There's nothing wrong with hoping for a little luck.
Dont be surprised by JayAlves's reaction he believes no one should have an opinion that differs from his and if u do he uses expletives -very childish- seems very narrow minded. I have come to the conclusion that i will no longer acknowledge any of his posts
He is a dissapointment to this blog in my opinion.
Last edited by aldoray on February 29th at 9:26 AM.
Actually it is about you and not being able to distill your sources.
72 what a large number Arsenal must be a bunch of butchers.
Lets take a whole 10 seconds actually read into the information. Hmm 10 reds from a single player named Vieira. 7 more from a guy named Keown. Thats expected now lets see if we can find some of the worst ones.
O heres a good one.
May 18: Jens Lehmann v Barcelona.
and another more recent one.
Sep 2: Philippe Senderos v Portsmouth.
It took me all but 5 seconds to find 2 last man back reds from my own memory. Wonder if any more in the 72 could be of the automatic rulebook variety.
From 1992 to now the most red cards in the Prem is.
Everton - 63
Blackburn - 61
Arsenal - 50
Chelsea - 45
West Ham - 45
New Castle - 45
Clubs ranked by the Disciplinary Table For all seasons.
Everton - 1079
Chelsea - 1050
Arsenal - 1008
Blackburn - 987
SPUDS - 938
This of course has a bias towards teams that have played in the Prem since 92 to 08. Interesting quick fun fact there have been 40 teams in the Prem and Man U are a pretty respectable 10th in overall worst Disciplinary and only 37 red cards (wonder how many were keane alone). Also Flamini has 0 reds for Arsenal so far by your links stats. Wow Toure only has 2 thats pretty impressive also for his time at the club.
Last edited by JayAlves on February 29th at 9:44 AM.
Sorry you cant take a punch Aldoray but Bobby did warn you if you weren't going to back up your assertions with facts you would be slaughtered. You even said yourself you had no problem being slaughtered apparently you do have a problem with it.
As for Flash me posting Spurs record is akin to the type of proof and stats he provides to slag Arsenal. If hes not going to take the time to create a good argument the retort will be equally low brow by posting his clubs meager 11th spot in the Prem.
Look Flashman, put Arsenal down. really, they are going to continue breaking tottenham's heart.
The funny thing is, Arsenal DO NOT see Tottenham as a rival. Nor, do many other arsenal fans. Tottenham is a small club. is not one of the big four. Arsenal sees Man. Utd as their biggest rival.
Really, you tottenham fans need to be able to break into the top four, in order to have any more discussions with us. at this point, you are locked out of the house.
In fact, i was cheering for Tottenham when they were close to beat Man. Utd, only for Tevez to equalize.
so, dont continue to give yourself the illusion that we care what you guys do or say. May be in a 2 decades or so, you will join the big boys club, until then, Auf Wiedersehen
Flash as Jay has pointed out red cards do not equal violent conduct. Again numbers don't misinterpet themselves. In the end ALL empirical evidence is anecdotal.
I have never argued that Arsenal behave well on the pitch all the time. However they do not game plan to use violence to counter act superior skill.
Tottenham look to become a version of Arsenal. Let's see what you say when the Hot Spurm go to Bolton and Blackburn in the next few years and the home sides look to kick them off the park.
Oh that's if Ramos is there in a few years w/o having jumped ship to 1 of 2 teams in Spain, 1 of 3 teams in Italy or 1 of 2 teams in England.
U have 2 admit that if Spurs continue on this trend They will be in the top four next season Challenging the gunners so if your lot are smart they will not underestimate Totenham who under Ramos r truly worthy opponents. Maybe now the top of the table will be even more competitive
Also to be fair to Craigy and coloring his club as the worst when you adjust the reds cards per game because teams have played different amount of games in the prem.
Fulham every 8.79 games they get a red.
Blackburn 8.74
Everton 9.66
Sunderland 10.2
Arsenal 12.16
Chelsea 13.51
Bolton 13.24
Liverpool 18.43
Man U 16.46
Also forgot to mention before Liverpool actually have the best Disciplinary record of the big four at 12th worst overall. (worst is a overstatement obviously as more games means more cards worst record)
And all this info is still subjective as the varying differences of what kind of red it actually was. Was it a weak second yellow like on Matterazzi was it an automatic straight because your the last man back or break your leg type.
Last edited by JayAlves on February 29th at 10:09 AM.
Hey flashy, great source to rely on Daily Mail -- a notorious tabloid. Ask yourself why the British media keeps a constant running tab on Arsenal's red cards but never EVER compares that tally with other clubs. Ask yourself why no British journalist ever provides a comparison of red card offenses year to year from club to club and only ever fixate on ARsenal.
And then look at these figures (you'll have to scroll down):
The actual STATS show that Arsenal are the most fouled team in the PL and the team that commits the fewest fouls. But to know that you'd have to look at the offenses and fouls suffered by all clubs in the last 3 years. Why is it that Arsenal win the Fair Play award routinely?
And why do you continue on this hate crusade against Arsenal? Why the neurotic fixation? Doesn't the success of your club matter more?
"We are the team in the last three years that has committed less fouls than any other team, and the numbers are available. We are the team that has been fouled more than any other team and the team that has been punished more than any other team." - Arsene Wenger in today's arsenal.com website
Condescension? Nope, we'll agree to disagree. My point was Owen is, like Cisse, short on confidence and coming back from a knack so why not do what Benitez did to Cisse and stick him on the wing? Do you see the problem with that kind of logic?
Michael Essien is one of the best central midfielders in the world and would walk into any team. Fact.
Patrick Vieira was the same. Did you see him play?
Adebayor and Drogba create a lot for their teammates. They both have phenomenal technique, vision and high football IQ.
I'm not equating Cisse to either of them, just making the point that three world-class players, who would march into any side right now, all got their start in Ligue 1, whom you dismissed.
I don't underrate Reina -- he's one of the top keepers in England, but he's short of the others that I've mentioned. Ask anybody on this blog whether they'd rather have a young Vieira or both of Reina and Agger and I'm pretty confident most pepole, including Bobby, would side with me.
How long have you been watching football? I ask only because I wonder why you'd call Vieira a defensive midfielder who was worth six million pounds. He was more of the box-to-box variety. He became a legend at Arsenal because he could have gone to any club -- Real Madrid, Milan, Barca -- but he chose to stay in north London and turn a good, but underachieving side into one of the top clubs in Europe.
Football is not hockey -- I've watched both for a very long time. Having a top keeper is not necessary for clubs to win leagues or cups.
Your team (Arsenal) play the best footy in europe I will not dispute that at all. But Tottenham Play the second Best football Because their defense still has some stamina and confidence issues at the end of games but they r getting better. But to me (and I might get crucified for this) I prefer Spurs football in the final third of the pitch over Arsenal Berbatov and Keane are a match made in heaven Berba is the classiest player in the prem and keane is a scrappy character they compliment each other wonderfully . Plus they have Momentum ask Obama and he can tell u how important that is. Anyway I cant wait for the next time they play each other. Anybody have an Idea when that is?
Last edited by aldoray on February 29th at 10:34 AM.
But you see my point is, Tottenham fans should focus their attention somewhere else, other than Arsenal.
They cannot catch us in the league now, we will not play them again till next season, we will not play them in the champions league.
so, they are wasting their voices. I like tottenham's style of football, it's better than chelsea. Tottenham fans should just forget what happened at the start of the century when we stole their stadium and their place in the league 100 years ago, and concentrate on breaking into the top four in 2008... :)
Spurs have no chance of catching u guys they wont even finish above the position they r in now west ham have a 8 point lead on them and a game in hand i dont think they have any chance of getting any further but I guess they concentrate on arsenal that much because u r their local rivals what would football be without the local derby. spurs r a long way off from catching u guys in the near future they need more development But ramos is the key to thier success that man is a genius. he is great at substitutions Avram Grant needs to take a lesson from him.
By the way u guys took Spurs's stadium back in the day? Explain
Last edited by aldoray on February 29th at 10:52 AM.
I have to say that the sight of the Brits getting so neurotic and hysterical over Gallas' actions at the end of the Birmingham game has provided some great material for a lot of us Latins. A few friends of mine have been pretty withering in their cliches jokes about anglos and their hangups and screwed up priorities. In Brazil or Argentina, Gallas' reaction would've been just shrugged off as one emotional outburst after a traumatic game (after a week spent consoling a friend and teammate whose brother had died) in an otherwise solid season. Gallas has been an extraordinary captain all season long. At the start of every game he rounds up the players in a circle, rallies them and tells them what to do and how; at the end of every game he's the last player off the pitch and always applauds the fans. He's scored some crucial goals, winning the game v. Chelsea (Arsenal's first win v. Chelsea in years) and saved the home game v. Man United by equalizing (keeping our unbeaten home record intact).
So after ONE emotional outburst he's suddenly a #### captain. Everything else he's done during the season is wiped out. You can't make it up.
Re Spurs...I for one am looking forward to this new Spurs under Ramos. Before every game v. Spurs, a lot of us gooners would say "surely this can't go on, will this be the time they finally break our record?" A lot of us also said "some day t
"When football resumed in 1919, the First Division was expanded from 20 to 22 teams. The Football League extended one of the additional places to 19th-place Chelsea (who would have been relegated with Spurs for the 1915-1916 season) and the other to Arsenal. This promotion - Arsenal had finished only fifth in Division 2 the previous season - was controversial, and cemented a bitter rivalry (begun six years earlier, with Arsenal's relocation to Tottenham's hinterland) that continues to this day"
Re Spurs...I for one am looking forward to this new Spurs under Ramos. Before every game v. Spurs, a lot of us gooners would say "surely this can't go on, will this be the time they finally break our record?" A lot of us also said "some day they're going to beat the #### out of us." Well now it's over and the future looks like the rivalry will be a lot more exciting for any neutral and lover of good football.
Ringo mate, not sure what you are on or how Fletch comes into the blog, but I do agree, an absolute must on dvd.....side by side with Basil Fawlty.
Only one to melt down? Well one would do three would be better. I was just now thinking about the effect vibrations (whilst bulding the new Anfield) would have on the blue neighbours in Woodison? Could provide for a ready made car park.
The baseball ground WAS a swamp. Reckon it must be a marina or a duck pond now. For the Scots perhaps Chelsea would lend them their pitch as it always has been a mud pie if more than two games a month are played on it.
Last edited by redfan2000 on February 29th at 12:29 PM.
All I did was post the link to the article and ask Mas what he thought of it. No judgements or interpretations were made about the article or even implied.
And look, apart from a cheeky little poke at Spurs which my thick hide can handle quite nicely, he delivers a sensible and balanced reply.
We've hammered each other before - may well do it again - but he dealt with a talking point brought up by the media rather nicely.
TerryH: The north London rivalry, you feisty little sunbeam, ain't meant to be a tickling contest. If Ar5ena1 were as beloved as you might like to think they are, they would have used the past decade to reduce White Hart Lane to the same significance as Selhurst Park.
The fact is, Spurs remain massively well supported - probably fourth-best in England -despite more than a decade of gross mismanagement. They began the turnaround two years ago and continue to show great progress, despite what the standings now show. Most Spurs fans would not trade this year for last.
They've got a manager capable of great things, able to attract the best players, a well-won trophy under their belt this year with a second a realistic possibility, and the impending announcement of a new stadium.
We're doing fine, thanks, and having a good time down the pub chuckling about it rather than sitting here on the interweb dissecting molecular detail about the game.
Last edited by flashman on February 29th at 11:19 AM.
btw, to clarify, we did not steal spurs stadium. we just made our way into their land.
Flashman, my point was, we DO NOT CARE what tottenham fans do or say at this point of the season, because we have no more business with you. We do however care what MAN UTD does. so, I urged you to put Arsenal down and focus on your team's business.
I was wondering about the Eduardo tackle. The more and more I see it the more questions I have. Why did the Birmmingham defender go to ground on Eduardo from about 40 yards out? It's not like he was 1v1 in the box trying to shoot. I believe the tackle was malicious and the defender should face some sort of punishment. What are your thoughts?
If you wonder whether Spurs fans have a well-developed sense of humour as a survival mechanism, check out these two entertaining sites.
www.harryhotspur.blogspot.com
www.dearmrlevy.com
You'll find a fun poke at the feeble support offered to London's boutique club in the former site.
And you'll find a fun account of the Carling Cup final, which has an hilarious segment linking Spurs wobbly nature against the likes of Chelsea with poodles and Ridley Scott's Alien.
And TErryH: Sorry, chum, but spiteful relations between the two clubs are part and parcel of this deal.
When Spurs wanted to build a new training ground in nearby Enfield, it was political councillors with Ar5ena1 connections who voted/agitated against it.
When Spurs wanted improved transport links into the heart of the Tottenham district, it was, and continues to be, Ar5ena1-connected councillors who oppose them.
As Vinnie Jones would say: "It's been emotional." And will continue to be forever.
Ringo, yes I know very well Porridge! The two R's as well........remember fork 'andles?
Craigy has probably been deported after his knocks of all things Canadian. I still have not heard from him on whether he works here temporarily, or is a moonlight contributor to the blogs from the night watchman's shed at Neverton. He will come up for air one of these days.
AG
You still raving on about Cisse? Definitely not good enough for LFC, or any of the top English clubs. Ligue 1 is pushing it. If you don't want to believe it go watch a Marseille game sometime and you might see what I mean about him: static, can't tackle or hold on to the ball all with a face longer than Nelson's column. We are well rid end of!
Last edited by redfan2000 on February 29th at 12:23 PM.
Soccerguy: Maybe if you were to read back through the past week's discussions you'd see that this issue has been thrashed to small, vacuum-able pieces.
Why not check back in when you're up to date?
Last edited by flashman on February 29th at 11:48 AM.
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