Football

[sprite]

I'm a Leeds fan

Keep it quiet mate, some people don't like "our sort" on here . Think we might smash the place up :roll:.

Nearly forgot to mention that the mighty Leeds United won a game this weekend. Barndoor Billy Paynter scoring twice in what was a major chance for him to impress Warnock and he did just that. Ross McCormack found a bit of form as well to also score 2 as Leeds won 4-1.

Despite winning 4-1 we weren’t really that good but P’Boro were terrible, they gave the ball away way too often made it easy for our two strikers. Rob Snodgrass was by far the best Leeds player, caused havoc all game, I just worry he’ll be off in the summer, he’s way too good for this level of football. Charlie Taylor got a start at left back but looked out of his depth and apart from Snoddy the midfield wasn’t that good.

Warnock has a lot of work to do over the summer, I gather that Mika Varynyn and Ben Parker have been told they can leave. I hope I am wrong but at the moment I don’t even think the great Neil Warnock can turn us around. If he had the team we had 12 months ago, with Max Gradel, Jonny Howson and Bradley Johnson then I would have been hopeful but too much damage has been done to this team. I can see many years ahead in the championship for us sadly. Unless we get lucky and a rich owner comes in then this club will not progress at all, still, success isn’t everything!

As per usual I listened to the match as I am still refusing to put any more money into Ken Bates' bank accounts. For the first 10 minutes Robbie Rogers seemed to be the main man on the pitch for us, would you say that is a fair assesment? Lorimer was saying it looks like he is out for the rest of the season with his injury though but he did make it sound like the lad was desperate to get on the pitch and carry on.

Shame about Väyrynen in my eyes, if he hadn't been plagued with injuries and had taken his few chances a bit better he could have turned out really good for us.

Our biggest mistake this season has been transfers. We let 3(4? - Schmeichel pre-injury and weight-gain) of our better players go and replaced them with short term loans, Danny Pugh and a few free agents. Imagine where we could be had we kept the main 3. Brought in McCarthy as 1st choice keeper as Lonergran seems to be OK some days and abysmal others where as McCarthy seemed solid. The only real additions we needed was a solid back 4, O'Brien and Kisnorbro could have been the core of that with Tom Lees getting some matches too. We desperately need a right back, we could do worse than Lichaj from Villa (had him on loan last season) and to play Aidy in his better position as a left back who makes supporting runs (supporting left wing back says my FM2012 brain).

Players I would retain for deffinate; White, Lees, Clayton, McCormack, Becchio and Snodgrass.
Players I would want to see more of before deciding; Forrsell (start a match), Rogers (not get murdered by another player within 10 minutes), Nunez (played as CAM, without Brown getting sent off pushing him out of position), Somma (unlikely to be fit until next season now)
Of course the youth like Thompson and Taylor would be kept and blooded slightly, maybe after some time on loan.

Interestingly on a Leeds forum there are still a few people saying thinks like "If x looses by y goals and z beat ..... and if we win all our matches by however many goals then we can get into 6th or even 5th", I want a pint of what they are having please bar-keep!

The Wigan result was a bit of a shock, I started watching it just before cooking food, went to heat the oven and when I returned Wigan had bagged 2! I listened to most of the match as I only have sky on my PC (Sky Go not any funny business) but it sounded like after the Arsenal goal they sat back and put 11 men between the ball and the net where possible.

 

[ACE1888]

What a nice guy Antonio Di Natale is. Following Saturday's tragic events in Italy, he has said: 'I will ensure that the sister of Piermario [who is severely disabled] is not abandoned. She has already lost everybody'. What a lovely thing to do.

With other matters, am I the only one who thinks that making Chelsea and Spurs have a minute's silence for Hillsborough wasn't fully correct? I mean, surely it isn't for the FA to force clubs to have minutes silences for such a 'specific' event: surely they should make the choice for themselves, especially when neither side was involved? Yes, it was a tragedy, but it was over 20 years ago. AFAIAC it is time to move on. I mean, do Bradford refuse to play on the anniversary of Valley Parade? Rangers Ibrox? Juventus Heysel? No on all three fronts. I think the FA should have called Liverpool's bluff this weekend, they can't dwell on the past forever.

Agreed 100%

 

[valenta]

You credit McLeish with foresight and intelligence, neither of which he has shown this season

True.

 

[Ivo]

What do you think of this?

20 Seasons Awards

The Premier League has launched its 20 Seasons Awards to help celebrate the 20th anniversary of the competition.

The greatest players, managers and moments from the past 20 years will all be acknowledged, with five awards to be decided by a public vote and six by a panel of experts.

PUBLIC VOTES
Goal, Celebration, Match, Save, Fantasy Team
Fans will help decide who wins the awards for Best Goal, Best Match, Best Save and Best Celebration, and you can also come up with your all-time Premier League Fantasy Team from a shortlist of 80 players.

A panel of leading football figures, journalists and commentators will decide who wins the Best Player, Best Manager, Best Team, Best Season and Most Memorable Quote categories, as well as helping to pick the final Fantasy Team.

I much prefer the panel's set

 

[SS4]

Football panels rarely know what they're talking about - take Mark Lawrenson for example. Paul McGrath must be in that team for it to have a modicum of legitimacy.
Then again the PFA head is also talking out of his arse

In happier news Trevor Francis has returned home and Muamba has been discharged from the specialist chest unit

 

[balne-wonderer]

Keep it quiet mate, some people don't like "our sort" on here . Think we might smash the place up :roll:.



As per usual I listened to the match as I am still refusing to put any more money into Ken Bates' bank accounts. For the first 10 minutes Robbie Rogers seemed to be the main man on the pitch for us, would you say that is a fair assesment? Lorimer was saying it looks like he is out for the rest of the season with his injury though but he did make it sound like the lad was desperate to get on the pitch and carry on.

Shame about Väyrynen in my eyes, if he hadn't been plagued with injuries and had taken his few chances a bit better he could have turned out really good for us.

Our biggest mistake this season has been transfers. We let 3(4? - Schmeichel pre-injury and weight-gain) of our better players go and replaced them with short term loans, Danny Pugh and a few free agents. Imagine where we could be had we kept the main 3. Brought in McCarthy as 1st choice keeper as Lonergran seems to be OK some days and abysmal others where as McCarthy seemed solid. The only real additions we needed was a solid back 4, O'Brien and Kisnorbro could have been the core of that with Tom Lees getting some matches too. We desperately need a right back, we could do worse than Lichaj from Villa (had him on loan last season) and to play Aidy in his better position as a left back who makes supporting runs (supporting left wing back says my FM2012 brain).

Players I would retain for deffinate; White, Lees, Clayton, McCormack, Becchio and Snodgrass.
Players I would want to see more of before deciding; Forrsell (start a match), Rogers (not get murdered by another player within 10 minutes), Nunez (played as CAM, without Brown getting sent off pushing him out of position), Somma (unlikely to be fit until next season now)
Of course the youth like Thompson and Taylor would be kept and blooded slightly, maybe after some time on loan.

Interestingly on a Leeds forum there are still a few people saying thinks like "If x looses by y goals and z beat ..... and if we win all our matches by however many goals then we can get into 6th or even 5th", I want a pint of what they are having please bar-keep!

The Wigan result was a bit of a shock, I started watching it just before cooking food, went to heat the oven and when I returned Wigan had bagged 2! I listened to most of the match as I only have sky on my PC (Sky Go not any funny business) but it sounded like after the Arsenal goal they sat back and put 11 men between the ball and the net where possible.

Forssell deserpatley needs to given a couple of starts in the last few games. I'd use Becchio and McCormack sparingly and let Forssell and Paynter have a decent crack.

Just imagine team we could have had this season if we'd invested in our own players rather then letting them leave for little or nothing...

Kaspar
Lichaj (Loan)
Kisnorbo (Fit)
O'Dea
White
Gradel
Johnson
Howson
Snodgrass
Becchio
McCormack

You are spot on about Rogers, he looked good at the weekend but massively unlucky with injuries. He actually looked like he could play football which is strange for a Leeds player at the moment....

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Two matches in the Championship tonight that will be of interest to some of the "regulars" on this Football thread.......

Blackpool v. Leeds United

Ipswich Town v. Birmingham City

 

[Badger]

What are the chances of Villa, Bolton, Blackburn, QPR, or Wigan, going bankrupt before the end of the season? Trying to find a way for Wolves to stay up Right now I think we need to win four games in a row while simoultaneously Blackburn QPR and Bolton all lose four games in a row.

Edit: just did the BBC predictor and came up with a situation where Wolves stay up winning 3 games and losing 1. Could happen.

 

[Ivo]

Wolves are going down. End of.

I think they will get only one more point this season (on the last day).

 

[Badger]

The Wolves Way would be winning to Manchester, then losing to Wigan to go down on goal difference.

 

[anthony263]

I am glad it looks like Swansea City are staying in the premiership for another season despite what many predicted when they were promoted last year.

 

[Ivo]

I am glad it looks like Swansea City are staying in the premiership for another season despite what many predicted when they were promoted last year.

Most new teams have done quite well in their first season in the Prem (except for those that play in red oddly enough, but even then this isn't entirely true - look at Forest in 1995). Instead, there is such a thing as "Second Season Syndrome" which sees teams fail epically in their second year; for evidence of this in the current season, compare Bath City (:roll this season to last.

My theory with regards to SSS is that in the first season teams don't seem to know what to make of the newbie club, whose players all show outstanding grit and determination to make the msot of their time at the new level. Come the next season though, the players have been there before so the experience isn't the same - and more importantly, the other clubs know what to expect and of any weaknesses they may be able to exploit.

I never doubted Swansea would survive this season, and I was almost certain Norwich would be OK as well (in spite of this being their third stint in the top flight - look how easily they brushed aside the Championship in their first season back in that division). I was less confident that QPR would be successful, not in spite of their money-spinning ways, but because of them; after all, they would have a team of expensive prima donnas from the division below and would be expected to show some arrogance in their performances. As has pretty much turned out to be true.

See? Football can be predictable. Bit like how I predicted an NLD-ESP final at the last World Cup using the BBC Predictor (on another forum)

 

[SS4]

The Villa are reasonably sound financially (by football club standards that is) although Lerner really needs to put his hands in his pockets now we've got rid of most of O Neill's bench warmers off the wage bill. Petrov will be out for the foreseeable if not permanently (thoughts with him and his family) and Gabby can't play as a lone striker without decent support from the wings. I can see Bent leaving in the summer too

 

[valenta]

The Villa are reasonably sound financially (by football club standards that is) although Lerner really needs to put his hands in his pockets now we've got rid of most of O Neill's bench warmers off the wage bill. Petrov will be out for the foreseeable if not permanently (thoughts with him and his family) and Gabby can't play as a lone striker without decent support from the wings. I can see Bent leaving in the summer too

I feel Villa have significantly under performed this season. They have a strong squad with some excellent talent within the ranks, so your attention has to turn to the manager - indeed I think Mr Lerner needs to consider Alex Mcleish's position in the summer.

 

[Butts]

I feel Villa have significantly under performed this season. They have a strong squad with some excellent talent within the ranks, so your attention has to turn to the manager - indeed I think Mr Lerner needs to consider Alex Mcleish's position in the summer.

Just as well Mike Ashley didn't take the same view when your lot were moaning about Pardew

 

[valenta]

Just as well Mike Ashley didn't take the same view when your lot were moaning about Pardew

True, but there hasn't really been much moaning about Alan Pardew appart from when he first joined as he hasn't as yet had a particularly poor run at the club as yet.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I believe the latest (final?) score in tonight's Blue Square North encounter between Droylsden and Histon to be 5-5.

I would also like to congratulate Charlton for winning promotion on Saturday, and Reading for their almost certain promotion now.

 

[Eng274]

I believe the latest (final?) score in tonight's Blue Square North encounter between Droylsden and Histon to be 5-5.

I would also like to congratulate Charlton for winning promotion on Saturday, and Reading for their almost certain promotion now.

I wonder if they'll emulate the thrilling (ahem :roll 6-6 draw between Motherwell and Hibernian two years ago!

 

[MidnightFlyer]

And Leeds end another match without 11 men on the pitch, Darren O'Dea this time being dismissed in the 86th minute for a second bookable offence...

 

[Robinson]

Reading are now promoted after beating Nottingham Forest 1-0.

 

[150222]

I used to enjoy football, and am a West Ham fan. I lost intrest though but I'm starting to get back into it.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Good man

Another London(-ish) team has been as good as condemned to relegation tonight - AFC Telford's 1-0 victory over Tamworth means Newport County need only take one point from their remaining 3 matches to relegate Hayes & Yeading. Should Hayes wish to survive, they need to win their remaining 2 matches, turn around a -22 GD, and hope Newport lose all three matches...

 

[Ivo]

Take a look at this (in relation to the Scottish Cup Final) from the BBC...

Edinburgh, trams aside, is on the right tracks

Plenty of interesting opinion and comparisons in there. And then this to finish with:

Garry O'Connor has promised to run naked down Princes Street if Hibernian re-write history.

And that prospect alone may have many of us neutrals purchasing maroon and white scarves…

 

[Eng274]

Take a look at this (in relation to the Scottish Cup Final) from the BBC...

Edinburgh, trams aside, is on the right tracks

Plenty of interesting opinion and comparisons in there. And then this to finish with:

Chick Young.. What a f*ckwit, pardonnez la francais.

Even now he is brown nosing the fairer end of the M8, he is still a class A trumpet, who has made a living out of cheerleading for Rangers every Saturday. Nobody's favourite 'pundit'.

If he told me the grass was green, I'd get a second opinion.

And I'm sure Garry O would risk a court hearing for public indecency if it meant Hibs winning the Scottish Cup

 

[DarloRich]

Darlington were relegated to BSN on Saturday after throwing away a 2-0 lead against Bath.

However the important thing is that we look like we will still have a club to support next year! It all hinges on the proposed CVA with the former chairman. However, he has held so many differing positions since putting us into administration that there is no certainty what his position will be come the actual creditors meeting. As the major creditor he holds all the cards!

The CVA must be agreed by the 30th of May for us to be allowed into BSN, if not it may be the Evostick league or lower!

We have raised c.310k with more pledged by local business once the CVA is agreed. That should take us over the £500k threshold we need to make a go of things. Next season will be hard mind at whatever level we end up

www.buydarlo.org
www.darlofc.co.uk

 

[balne-wonderer]

And Leeds end another match without 11 men on the pitch, Darren O'Dea this time being dismissed in the 86th minute for a second bookable offence...

He left the ref with no choice.

What a great night though. What a laugh, i'm not sure the Blackpool knew what to make of it. 90 minutes of constant chanting, Blackpool fans didn't even chant when they scored.

Great night.

 

[YorkshireBear]

https://twitter.com/#!/SkySporksNews/status/192650734192427009/photo/1

Click on the link above its a funny photo

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I feel it is often more the pace of a game rather than their sight that hinders a referee and linesmen...

 

[YorkshireBear]

Notice i said funny not factual :P

 

[YorkshireRider]

On the subject of refs, i thought Howard Webb and all his assistants had a excellent game last night in the Champions League semi. Wasnt a bad game to watch either, dont think Bayern have done enough, an el classico final is almost inevitable now.