IceCreamMan
X-rated Bob wrote
Hammeron wrote
Never write off Liverpool, they have been the very best many times before, and, as the tide is turning so shall it be again.
They've never won the premiership. This season just finished was the 20th Premier League season. United have won 12 times. Or rather FERGUSON has won 12 times.
Mind you, last weekend Williams won an F1 race for the first time since 2004, so the dead do sometimes come back to life.
1 race does not a season make
Liverpool will not win it next year or the year after that imho ...and it will need major changes NOW to get them to win in 2014/15 ...they not going to happen so they not gonna win
Bob-Dubery
Hammeron wrote
Liverpool are second only to Man United in total British title wins:
Man. United 19
Liverpool 18
Yes, but never the Premiership. With 12 from 20 the Premiership is really Ferguson's territory, with other teams getting a look in every now and then. United, under Ferguson, are remarkable for being consistently strong over 2 decades.
Liverpool have won the European cup now the Champions league 5 times which puts them 3rd on the list.
They'll be back, you watch.
Maybe.
Wolves used to be a champion side (before you were born, though, I think, this side of the rinderpest) but not any more.
But part of sport is hope and continued hope because there's always next season.
ActionArnie
Dalglish leaves Liverpool. No doubt he'll announce that he's done his job stabilising the club and has prepared a solid platform for someone to take over.
Squonk
Yep Dalglish is gone but Gerrard is England Captain, who has been out of sorts for at least 2 seasons. Here's hoping he gets that form back. At least Lampard came back a bit this season. And to keep all things Liverpool, Carroll in the Squad as well. England look a bit vulnerable up front with Wellbeck, Carroll, Rooney(suspended for first couple of games) and Defoe.
Where's old Crouch, he still has a decent international strike rate and he causes defenders to take him quite seriously during set pieces because of his size.
Anyway England have no hope of winning Euro 2012
But this is the interesting time between the seasons where all the gossip starts on who is buying whom etc etc. Fergie will have to strengthen his midfield, poor Berbatov surely has to leave, Chelsea should have a big clearout, Managers moving??
All good stuff
giggsy
And Downing >☹ An anonymous season and he's in there - have Young on the left, Walcott on the right and The Ox as back-up on the wings, possibly Andy Johnson in the squad rather than Downing. And Defoe cant get into the Spurs team, nevermind England - Bent more of a natural finisher and even Holt, although untested at that level, would have been a better 4th choice striker than Defoe.
I'd like to see them do well, but cant really see it happening - but who knows, maybe they'll 'do a Denmark'.
As for Liverpool, I was hoping Kenny would stay forever ? Talk of Boas going there... hope not, I rate him. Given time he could do a fantastic job there.
United need a mini clearout - Berbatov, Owen, Park, Bebe, Kuszak need to go, then two midfielders (looks like Kagawa is a cert - great to boost support in Japan), possibly another left back and maybe another striker. But thats a lot of money and dont think we will get drawn into spending too much.
IceCreamMan
Berbatov, from hero to zero .... i think he deserves another chance ....but something seems amiss in the relationship with Sir Alex....i would not sell him just yet ...
giggsy
IceCreamMan wrote
Berbatov, from hero to zero .... i think he deserves another chance ....but something seems amiss in the relationship with Sir Alex....i would not sell him just yet ...
I think Fergie thought he could do a Cantona kind of job with his style and skill, but United's game has become a lot more about pace over the last few years with Nani, Valancia, Young, even Hernandez was clocked at being the fastest player over 100m at the World Cup. Berbatov, unfortunately, is never going to bust a gut to get onto a cross from Valencia following a break from a corner, just not the way he is. If we dont sell him now we'll get nothing back for him - he's over 30 - and he played about half an hour during the run-in so its not like we'll use him much. A pity though.
ActionArnie
Was thinking Berba could go back to Spurs, but the point about United's game pace is also valid for Tottenham. Their game is heavily counter-attack based with Lennon, Bale, Defoe on the prowl. Not sure Berba would fit in there anymore.
+1 for Crouch. Dunno why he gets such a bad rap. I rate him as a really really good player, he brings something different and for a big guy he's got phenomenal footwork.
Gotta say though the England team looks dull at best. Not a lot there to get excited about for the poms. Maybe the Ox will come of age (if he gets a game).
Riaan-Combrink
ActionArnie wrote
Dalglish leaves Liverpool. No doubt he'll announce that he's done his job stabilising the club and has prepared a solid platform for someone to take over.
KK didn't say that - the club (including the American principal owner) said that. Remember that Dalglish did not ask for the job. He put a tremendous lot on the line in helping out. No serious LFC fan will ever denigrate him even after the 8th placed finish. There were a number of factors that influenced that.
ActionArnie
Great to see the Hammers back in the Prem. Fully deserved.
Bayern or Chelsea .... hmmmm. Part of me wants Chelsea to win and have Spurs out of the CL, but then the Gunners have to play a quali round if I'm not mistaken. Udinese last season nearly resulted in cardiac arrest. ???
strataxe
Yes, watched the game. allardyce did well with them. As for LFC, eish. Also doubt that the problem was with KD. Rather with the players. think the guys they acquired, Caroll, Henderson..as on Presspass, one comment was that some of these guys come from clubs who were happy to be mid table, LFC goes for the CL spots. aND SADLY they're nowhere near. And points wise they're closer to relegation than Europe spots. Real bad season. Also, Leiva not there, the Suares racist ban didn't help the cause. Then Caragher is getting old, Gerrard isn't nowhere near what he was a season or two ago. So ya, LFC has lots of work to do, and I don't see them getting to Europe next season either.
IceCreamMan
Bayern must be crying in their bratwurst this morning ...did everything but win the game ...
ActionArnie
Happy for Chelsea in a way.
Hopefully Abromovich will now think "my work here is done" and push off with all what's left of his money leaving Chelsea as the Uefa Cup / 5th / 6th placed team they really are underneath all that dosh.
guidothepimmp
This champs league was ridiculous.. Chelsea scraped past napoli, benfica, barca and bayern and won the bloody thing. They were outplayed by all of the above and won.. They played with 10 men behind the ball playing really negative football, and won..
Hardly the best team in europe, not even top 5, but champs none the less. As a die hard football fan.. This win left a bad taste..
ActionArnie
guidothepimmp wrote
This champs league was ridiculous.. Chelsea scraped past napoli, benfica, barca and bayern and won the bloody thing. They were outplayed by all of the above and won.. They played with 10 men behind the ball playing really negative football, and won..
Hardly the best team in europe, not even top 5, but champs none the less. As a die hard football fan.. This win left a bad taste..
Being an Arsenal fan I used to get really uptight when 'we' lost having played the "better" football. Came to realise that at the end of the day it's a team's right to claim success within the bounds of the rules, no matter how that's achieved. If a team is setting out to defend closely and snatch a win, its up to the better team to break them down, if they can't, then maybe they're not the better team at football. They may be the better team at entertaining or whatever, but entertainment doesn't win trophies at the end of the season.
Squonk
To be fair to Chelsea(I am not a fan) Bayern were pretty crap as well. They did have some chances but they were worse than the Checkers 4th team in the box. Arjen Robben was one of the reasons they lost, a real glory boy, gave Gomez absolutely no service. Ashley Cole had his number. Ribery useless on the other flank.
Bayern had more than enough chances to win
Beating Napoli 4-1 in the second leg is not what I would call scraping.
120 minutes and Chelsea held their own
2 games and Barca couldn't beat them
Give them a break, I know Spurs won't!
guidothepimmp
im not convinced... i dont believe for a second that chelsea tried to play that way. THey were pushed into their own 18yard. PLaying pretty football isnt synonymous with success, agreed. And there are teams that thrive on defense and counter. Worked for Greece, worked for chelsea. Congrats to them. BUt it was farcical imo.
I also feel Bayern lost it rather than chelsea won it.
If I were a bayernfan id be seriously the moerin at the frankly pathetic way they shot at goal....
I want to see if gomez and muller have that sort of shot accuracy come the euro..
Wish football would be like in the good old days. Salary caps, 3 foreigners max on the pitch... These days its simply a case of who has more money, and can buy success by getting the best players.
Which mind you, makes Man U's attempt in the league that much more impressive that City's, when you compare squads with Man C, I think Man U was inferior.
Squonk
Completely agree with you Guido.
Football has lost a lot of it's magic. In the old days it was possible for a team like the Saints to challenge for the title after being promoted, but not these days.
When Derby were in the premiership in the early 2000's their whole wage bill was the same as Rio Ferdinand's wage! How can the Derby's even remotely make a challenge?
I totally agree with Man Utd's mediocre squad ending up on the same points as City.
The other argument is Abramovic spending how much in 8 years to win the champions league and he does it with the worst Chelsea team in all that time.
Football is a funny game
Squonk
Saturday August 18th
Arsenal v Sunderland
Everton v Manchester United
Fulham v Norwich City
Manchester City v Southampton
Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur
Queens Park Rangers v Swansea City
Reading v Stoke City
West Bromwich Albion v Liverpool
West Ham United v Aston Villa
Wigan Athletic v Chelsea
@ICM a harsh start to the Premiership
Also good to see the Hammers back.
IceCreamMan
Squonk wrote
Saturday August 18th
Arsenal v Sunderland
Everton v Manchester United
Fulham v Norwich City
Manchester City v Southampton
Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur
Queens Park Rangers v Swansea City
Reading v Stoke City
West Bromwich Albion v Liverpool
West Ham United v Aston Villa
Wigan Athletic v Chelsea
@ICM a harsh start to the Premiership
Also good to see the Hammers back.
YOu gotta crack a few eggs to make an omelet ........may as well crack the toughest ones first hahahah
Spurs firing redknapp must be the biggest fail move ever in soccer if you ask me ...
