Re: The Football Thread - 09/10

by Ash Fri 07 Aug 2009, 01:23

Dello wrote:
JKLever wrote:Have Arsenal got a back 4 left?

RB: Sanga/Eboue/Hoyte
LB: Clichy/Gibbs/Traore
CB: Gallas/Vermaelen/Djourou/Silvestre/Song/Senderos

If they sell Senderos, they'll try and bring in another CB.

Gallas and Silvestre probably only have one more season in them (for Arsenal anyway), so they have to balance the here and now with planning for the future - they've got high hopes for Havard Nordtveit, who is coming through and should be pushing for a first team place in a couple of seasons.

eboue will most probably be off to fiorentina. looking at our squad, song is most probably gonna play CDM, traore is off on loan somewhere isn't he? defence is once again our weakness. hangelaand would be a good signing.

arsenal need a RB, CD, CDM and a CF.

by Ash Fri 07 Aug 2009, 01:28

Makaveli wrote:Yes you are bored. lol i don't think you will see anymore transfers at United as for Arsenal they need to make some signings or say goodbye to CL football next season.

you should stop reading the times and bbc sport. arsenal are gonna play 4-3-3 this season. they have got the best talent in the league as far as the final third are concerned - eduardo, van persie, bendtner, vela, rosicky, fabregas, walcott and nasri. once we get cesc a decent defensive midfield partner (matuidi/vieira?) be worried, manc scum, be extremely worried.

by Makaveli Fri 07 Aug 2009, 12:34

Ash wrote:

you should stop reading the times and bbc sport. arsenal are gonna play 4-3-3 this season. they have got the best talent in the league as far as the final third are concerned -

Meh been hearing that from deluded Arse fans for 5/6 years now and always come up short at the end of the season. And the same exuses come out "give us anther season to grow, we have the best young squad" i'll only believe that when they actually win something. Arsenal and their fans need to wake up, you guys need a change i thought last season was a warning sign, Arse were extremely lucky to finish 4th last season, if Villa had a stronger squad to back up their first team they would have taken 4th spot. I got a feeling Man City might do it this season.

Again change is needed at Arsenal or they might end up as another Newcastle - big stadium, decent fanbase, drift around in mid table mediocrity for a while then eventually get relegated.

by Makaveli Fri 07 Aug 2009, 12:36

Ash wrote:
Makaveli wrote:Yes you are bored. lol i don't think you will see anymore transfers at United as for Arsenal they need to make some signings or say goodbye to CL football next season.

you should stop reading the times and bbc sport. arsenal are gonna play 4-3-3 this season. they have got the best talent in the league as far as the final third are concerned - eduardo, van persie, bendtner, vela, rosicky, fabregas, walcott and nasri. once we get cesc a decent defensive midfield partner (matuidi/vieira?) be worried, manc scum, be extremely worried.

And the only outstanding players in that list imo are Fabegas and RVP, the rest are either injured or over-rated.

by Ash Fri 07 Aug 2009, 20:51

vela is imo one of the best young talents in world football. theo hasn't developed as well as we'd hoped but is still ridiculously young and can unlock defences with his pace. bendtner again only 21, definitely improved towards the end of last season. could be a surprise package this year. eduardo and rosicky are brilliant finishers and fit (hopefully only a minor setback for rosicky). scoring goals shouldnt be a problem but the defence needs tightening up then we can challenge

by Chivalry Augustus Fri 07 Aug 2009, 22:27

Off to Reading tomorrow to see Forest lose. Yay, football's back - I can pretend I don't like cricket when England and/or Nottinghamshire are crap again.

by JKLever Sat 08 Aug 2009, 19:04

I'd just like to say Huzzah for my 2nd team for beating the Narridge 7-1 at Carrot Road. cheers

by Chivalry Augustus Sat 08 Aug 2009, 21:35

Some funny results today, really. Bore draw against Reading for us, second opening game running. The Madejski Stadium is where the locals come for a peaceful Saturday out - you almost wonder if a goal would be an inconvenience to their quietness.

by Chivalry Augustus Sat 08 Aug 2009, 22:25

Dani Jarque, cap'n of Espanyol, dies of a heart attack - 26 years old. Shocking.

by Basil Sat 08 Aug 2009, 22:30

26? FFS!!

All his life in front of him - very, very sad.

by WIFAN Sat 08 Aug 2009, 23:05

Was at Derby today to watch Posh lose 2-1. It was an interesting introduction to Championship Football as for 20 minutes we hardly got a kick in. Once we got over that we played pretty well and should have got at least a draw.

Have to say Pride Park is a lovely stadium, Robbie Savage is a mimsymimsymimsy and on this evidence referees in the Championship are no better than League 1 or 2.

by JKLever Sat 08 Aug 2009, 23:10

WIFAN continues his love affair with match officials...

by WIFAN Sat 08 Aug 2009, 23:26

JKLever wrote:WIFAN continues his love affair with match officials...

Well it's why I fit in so well in here. British culture is about moaning most of the time. Having spent so much time following Posh in the lower leagues, I am just glad when we get a referee that doesn't influence the outcome of a match.

Today's ref didn't influence the match result, he was just a bit trigger happy and spoiled the momentum of the match.

by JKLever Sun 09 Aug 2009, 00:07

Are the BBC trying to outcrap ITV's football league coverage?

Could they have found a more echoey studio?

by JKLever Sun 09 Aug 2009, 15:15

Keane out. That is all...

by LeFromage Sun 09 Aug 2009, 15:38

Are you going to tell him?

by beamer Sun 09 Aug 2009, 15:40

WIFAN wrote:...and on this evidence referees in the Championship are no better than League 1 or 2.

That's because they are exactly the same refs. The Premier League has a "select" list but the Football League just has all the rest, they're not allocated to any particular division, although the so-called "better" ones may get more Championship games, as will those on the fringe of the top flight list I suppose.

by Chivalry Augustus Sun 09 Aug 2009, 17:00

Ipswich did look pretty rubbish today. Cov have sold all their best players bar Westwood, but still largely outplayed an Ipswich side who played a lot of hoofball. I can't believe Keane bought Martin for £1.5m or whatever it was - that's 6 Paul Andersons! The guy is rated by no-one at Sheff Utd, Plymouth or Forest - he mostly stood on the left wing combing his hair and kissing his feet whilst with us. He has a bit of talent but nothing outstanding. Who knows, maybe he'll be another Roy Keane masterstroke. After all, there've been loads of them in his managerial career so far . . .

by JKLever Sun 09 Aug 2009, 17:05

Chivalry Augustus wrote:Ipswich did look pretty rubbish today. Cov have sold all their best players bar Westwood, but still largely outplayed an Ipswich side who played a lot of hoofball. I can't believe Keane bought Martin for £1.5m or whatever it was - that's 6 Paul Andersons! The guy is rated by no-one at Sheff Utd, Plymouth or Forest - he mostly stood on the left wing combing his hair and kissing his feet whilst with us. He has a bit of talent but nothing outstanding. Who knows, maybe he'll be another Roy Keane masterstroke. After all, there've been loads of them in his managerial career so far . . .

I thought we pi$$ed all over Cov in the 2nd half had 3 dubious offsides given & should have bare minimum had a draw. But then we've always been a 'pretty' and 'nice' side - definitely a work in progress. I don't know why we're suddenly one of the favourites after the promoted teams after finishing 9th last year just because of Roy Keane tbh.

by Chivalry Augustus Sun 09 Aug 2009, 17:19

Wasn't really paying attention second half, tbh, spent more time listening to Gower, Nass and Botham trying to fix all things England. Great goals by Clinton Morrison though even if he is a total doorknob.

I suppose the Roy Keane thing is the Roy Keane thing - he spent millions of pounds to get Sunderland promoted and then spent tens of millions of pounds to make them the fourth worst side in the Premiership. Can he do the same with Ipswich? Of course he can, he's Roy Keane.

Still can't help but feel Ipswich picked a name rather than a manager when replacing Magilton. But then, Magilton has strangely got the job at QPR. It's a managerial merry-go round of mediocrity. Who will get Colin Calderwood, I wonder? And David O'Leary to Newcastle? Is Mike Ashley living in the 90s?

by JKLever Sun 09 Aug 2009, 18:37

Chivalry Augustus wrote: Great goals by Clinton Morrison though even if he is a total doorknob.

Good player at this level though

I suppose the Roy Keane thing is the Roy Keane thing - he spent millions of pounds to get Sunderland promoted and then spent tens of millions of pounds to make them the fourth worst side in the Premiership. Can he do the same with Ipswich? Of course he can, he's Roy Keane.

But Sunderland did get there and stay there, which is what our mystery chairman wants. It's how he gets his money back.

Still can't help but feel Ipswich picked a name rather than a manager when replacing Magilton.

Possibly, but Keane is too smart not to learn from mistakes - theres nothing to say he cant go about it differently. He's got a minimum 2 years to turn us around. We've been in this farking division since 2002 and under Magic Jim we'd become a bit Ian Bell. Easy on the eye but little substance.

I believe getting us up would be a better achievement than Sunderland. Have you looked at the Championship? There are 15 clubs who have played in the Premiership in there including ourselves. You wouldn't rule out any of them getting into the play-offs imo.

by Lara Lara Laughs Sun 09 Aug 2009, 19:22

Good start for Super Frank. aye-aye

by beamer Sun 09 Aug 2009, 19:56

JKLever wrote:I believe getting us up would be a better achievement than Sunderland. Have you looked at the Championship? There are 15 clubs who have played in the Premiership in there including ourselves. You wouldn't rule out any of them getting into the play-offs imo.

It's a lottery of a division, and there probably are only a handful of clubs you would rule out in terms of mounting a top six challenge. You always have to look at the relegated clubs as usually at least one bounces straight back - Newcastle still have the players to potentially walk it, if they can find a striker and a manager and sort the ownership issue. West Brom are an established yo-yo club, but a new manager introduces some uncertainty, and Middlesbrough look lightweight and I can't see them coming back unless they get rid of Southgate. So none of them are nailed on certainties.

Looking for Forest to build on the progress of the second half of last season, we now have a decent squad which could help in terms of lasting the pace. But really it's anyone's guess who the pacesetters will be!

by Chivalry Augustus Sun 09 Aug 2009, 20:17

I wouldn't call it a decent squad; brilliant strikeforce, yes, but little midfield depth (no left-winger), no defence whatsoever. Decent manager for once. Great support yesterday to take a vocal 3500 to the Mad Stad.

by JKLever Wed 12 Aug 2009, 18:48

Uh oh.... Jockistan 2-0 down.

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