Football

[richw]

Heres my prediction league final table

1 Man Utd 99
2 Spurs 79
3 Man City 77
4 Chelsea 74
5 Liverpool 65 (+29 GD)
6 Arsenal 65 (+24)
7 Everton 61
8 Swansea 56
9 West Brom 46
10 Newcastle 43 (-10)
11 Fulham 43 (-10)
12 West Ham 43 (-15)
13 Stoke 41 (-10)
14 Southampton 41 (-16)
15 Norwich 39
16 Sunderland 37
17 Wigan 32
18 Villa 31
19 QPR 30
20 Reading 27

Villa vs Wigan on final day I put down for a Villa win giving the above.

 

[SS4]

With that thought in mind, what chance do you see of Aston Villa recording a 3-1 win over Manchester City on Monday, as you did to Liverpool back in December ?

Can't see it happening. On paper Man City have got the quality to turn a game around instantly especially considering our inexperienced defenders and this being the league. Reading, QPR, Norwich and Wigan (the latter on the final day of the season) are more important games to get three points from.

I'll take a point, I'll even take not getting hammered but you never know, it's a funny old game

 

[Butts]

Can't see it happening. On paper Man City have got the quality to turn a game around instantly especially considering our inexperienced defenders and this being the league. Reading, QPR, Norwich and Wigan (the latter on the final day of the season) are more important games to get three points from.

I'll take a point, I'll even take not getting hammered but you never know, it's a funny old game

I take it you don't concur with Rich W's prediction table above

 

[Trainfan344]

Here is my table

Pos Team        GD    Points
1   Man Utd      +62  98
2   Man City      +34  75
3   Chelsea       +39  73
4   Tottenham   +18  72
5   Arsenal        +27  70
6   Liverpool      +27  64
7   Everton        +12  63
8   West Brom    +2    55
9   Swansea      +5    52
10  Norwich       -14   52
11  Fulham        -4     48
12  Newcastle    -14   41
13  Southampton -16  39
14  West Ham    -18   38
15  Stoke          -18   38
16  Sunderland   -17   35
17  Aston Villa    -39   30
18  Wigan          -28   29
19  QPR             -28   29
20  Reading        -30   27

Going into the final match, QPR needed to draw against Liverpool to stay up, They lost 2-0 and Aston Villa managed a 2-2 draw with Wigan.

 

[SS4]

Here is my table

Pos Team        GD    Points
1   Man Utd      +62  98
2   Man City      +34  75
3   Chelsea       +39  73
4   Tottenham   +18  72
5   Arsenal        +27  70
6   Liverpool      +27  64
7   Everton        +12  63
8   West Brom    +2    55
9   Swansea      +5    52
10  Norwich       -14   52
11  Fulham        -4     48
12  Newcastle    -14   41
13  Southampton -16  39
14  West Ham    -18   38
15  Stoke          -18   38
16  Sunderland   -17   35
17  Aston Villa    -39   30
18  Wigan          -28   29
19  QPR             -28   29
20  Reading        -30   27

Going into the final match, QPR needed to draw against Liverpool to stay up, They lost 2-0 and Aston Villa managed a 2-2 draw with Wigan.

I'll take it! Especially if Small Heath get relegated

 

[Geezertronic]

I'll take it! Especially if Small Heath get relegated

We've transferred the gypsy curse across to you lot now so we'll be safe

 

[SS4]

We've transferred the gypsy curse across to you lot now so we'll be safe

I dunno, we didn't win the cup so the curse may not be enacted . Let's blame McLeish

 

[Geezertronic]

I dunno, we didn't win the cup so the curse may not be enacted . Let's blame McLeish

I'd like to say your issues started with him but they realistically started when O'Neill left and McLeish just made things worse after Houllier

 

[richw]

Roberto Mancini tonight becomes man city's longest serving premier league manager ever.

 

[SS4]

I'd like to say your issues started with him but they realistically started when O'Neill left and McLeish just made things worse after Houllier

Agreed although having had some time to think about it the curse has probably gone to Molineux (to my dad's delight)
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1 down at half time, will it be a fight back or a collapse? Still maintain Reading and QPR are must-win anything tonight is a bonus tbh

 

[Johnuk123]

Agreed although having had some time to think about it the curse has probably gone to Molineux (to my dad's delight)
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The only curse at the Wolves is when we had the terrible bad misfortune to get Steve Morgan as the owner.

Never ever has there been in football a bloke so incompetent and utterly clueless as him.

The terrible position we're in with a lop sided ground, Idiot manager, and a team that are nailed on for the 3rd div. is all down to this bloke.

 

[Butts]

The only curse at the Wolves is when we had the terrible bad misfortune to get Steve Morgan as the owner.

Never ever has there been in football a bloke so incompetent and utterly clueless as him.

The terrible position we're in with a lop sided ground, Idiot manager, and a team that are nailed on for the 3rd div. is all down to this bloke.

Oh for the days of Sir Jack Hayward and Mick Mcarthy

 

[Johnuk123]

Oh for the days of Sir Jack Hayward and Mick Mcarthy

Jack Hayward is still a legend, Mick McCarthy was never one.

 

[306024]

Mick McCarthy is having his work cut out down here at Ipswich, but at least a win on Saturday.

Old news but did anyone see Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes get sent off on Sunday in their 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid? He got booked after the final whistle for arguing with the ref, wouldn't shut up so got a second yellow some 20 seconds later. Has there been a more ridiculous sending off this season ?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Old news but did anyone see Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes get sent off on Sunday in their 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid? He got booked after the final whistle for arguing with the ref, wouldn't shut up so got a second yellow some 20 seconds later.

I wish that more referees would use this sanction more often in cases like this or where groups of players deliberately come mob-handed to harangue a referee then do not go away when they are told to, as it might begin to convince players to behave in an adult manner rather than that of petulant children.

 

[balne-wonderer]

I went to Villa Park last night. Oh dear.

 

[Johnuk123]

I wish that more referees would use this sanction more often in cases like this or where groups of players deliberately come mob-handed to harangue a referee then do not go away when they are told to, as it might begin to convince players to behave in an adult manner rather than that of petulant children.

Well if they did Man U. would never finish a match with more than 5 players.

 

[Geezertronic]

I went to Villa Park last night. Oh dear.

I know a few Villans that are getting worried now, although they will be more worried if they don't get something out of the next two matches

 

[EM2]

Tottenham Hotspur 2...Arsenal 1

Once again, Tottenham Hotspur play "leapfrog" with Chelsea for the third place in the the Premiership......whilst Arsenal see bleakly that fifth place is not one to ensure a Champions League place for next season.

I've just caught up on the Match Of The Day 2 highlights of this game, which I listened to live on the radio and followed on the BBC website's text commentary.
So, not a mention on MOTD2 of Adebayor's yellow card tackle, which many said could have been red, nor of Dawson leading the haranguing of the ref, after Arsenal did not put the ball out of play.
Some pro-Spurs bias at the Beeb?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Well if they did Man U. would never finish a match with more than 5 players.

Whilst your numerical figure above would contravene the regulations that concern the minimum number of players that a team has to have on the pitch in order to allow a match to proceed, your "unwritten" meaning behind your posting is fully understood.

The time has come where unanimity of purpose by all the football governing bodies must now be seen to be established on this specific matter, with not only draconian match suspensions being given to those players who choose to carry on with that type of behaviour on the field, but financial and point-deduction sanctions also imposed upon the football clubs so involved.

An interesting proposal that I overheard on a train journey, was that these club sanctions could also be used to preclude participation in both the Champions League and the Europa League for any British clubs with a record for tolerating such player behaviour....:roll:

 

[Johnuk123]

Whilst your numerical figure above would contravene the regulations that concern the minimum number of players that a team has to have on the pitch in order to allow a match to proceed, your "unwritten" meaning behind your posting is fully understood.

The time has come where unanimity of purpose by all the football governing bodies must now be seen to be established on this specific matter, with not only draconian match suspensions being given to those players who choose to carry on with that type of behaviour on the field, but financial and point-deduction sanctions also imposed upon the football clubs so involved.

An interesting proposal that I overheard on a train journey, was that these club sanctions could also be used to preclude participation in both the Champions League and the Europa League for any British clubs with a record for tolerating such player behaviour....:roll:

Roasting Giggs on a spit at full time would do me, has there ever been a more miserable sour faced footballer than him.

 

[richw]

As a Liverpool fan, I can only say that referee is an absolute embarrassment to the game, I have never seen a referee make so many bad decisions in one game.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Am I the only member who find Chiles and Townsend on ITV the most useless and inept people in football broadcasting? Chiles is so biased it actually ruins the coverage and Townsend's commentary quality is woeful.

Wonder if Rio Ferdinand will feel any repercussions of applauding sarcastically in the ref's face at the end of the match?
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And TBH I don't know why everyone's up in arms about Nani's challenge. 50% of the time players will be dismissed for that, 50% of the time they'll be let off. One of those things... Even United legend Roy Keane has just admitted he should have gone. From the ref's angle I can see why it constituted serious foul play that endangered the opponent.

 

[Ivo]

Not seen the MU match tonight, but from what I've read it seems like the referee decided he was the only person who mattered at OT tonight and gave away a succession of poor decisions. Was it really that bad?

Am I the only member who find Chiles and Townsend on ITV the most useless and inept people in football broadcasting? Chiles is so biased it actually ruins the coverage and Townsend's commentary quality is woeful.

Do people even watch ITV football when a genuine choice exists...?

 

[SS4]

Whilst your numerical figure above would contravene the regulations that concern the minimum number of players that a team has to have on the pitch in order to allow a match to proceed, your "unwritten" meaning behind your posting is fully understood.

The time has come where unanimity of purpose by all the football governing bodies must now be seen to be established on this specific matter, with not only draconian match suspensions being given to those players who choose to carry on with that type of behaviour on the field, but financial and point-deduction sanctions also imposed upon the football clubs so involved.

An interesting proposal that I overheard on a train journey, was that these club sanctions could also be used to preclude participation in both the Champions League and the Europa League for any British clubs with a record for tolerating such player behaviour....:roll:

Consistency in the rules will do. We've already seen many times this season it's one rule for one club and a different one for another (usually 'lesser') club: a recent example being the penalty awarded to Liverpool against West Brom.

The FA and referees have discretion which is completely against consistency. Obviously the line has to be drawn somewhere. Too much consistency and you book players for taking off their shirt to reveal a message about a sick loved one. Too much discretion and accusations of bias rise. Which leads me back to the paragraph above; hypothetically, officials have the discretion to look the other way when players surround him or to book them all - I fear he will take against against clubs lower in the league whilst letting those higher in the league off the hook.
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Do people even watch ITV football when a genuine choice exists...?

ITV has football? I thought it was a chat show occasionally interrupted by strange goings on in the background

 

[richw]

Not seen the MU match tonight, but from what I've read it seems like the referee decided he was the only person who mattered at OT tonight and gave away a succession of poor decisions. Was it really that bad?
...?

Yes it was really that bad, same ref who sent off john terry against barca in the semis last year I believe. As a Liverpool fan I struggle to say but united were robbed. Some of the decisions were that bad. One incident a real Madrid player rugby tackled Rafael in the box and ref just said no foul,

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Whereas the ref also chalked out a perfectly good goal for Madrid in the first half, no special pro-Spanish treatment as some are implying. Having once again seen Nani's challenge, I will now say without question that was red card, him and United can have no complaints. United fell to pieces after the red though, they weren't robbed, they destroyed it for themselves.

 

[306024]

Big sulk by Fergie, he has let himself down by not facing the media.

Interesting to hear the mixed views over the Nani red card on Radio 5, opinion divided. I can see both views, but it is a yellow card for me, bordering on orange!

At the end of the day the referee's decision is final. Oh for the respect shown in rugby.

 

[Donny Dave]

Having just seen the highlights of the Man Utg game (I'm on 2-10 shifts this week, so can't watch the match live), I think the ref has done a reasonable job. Yes, the Real Madrid goal was ruled out when it probably should have stood, but ....

The penalty incident where Rafael was "rugby tackled". IMO, the ref got that right. as he went down very easily, and without much help at all.

Nani was correctly sent off as well IMO, as he arrived late, and the foot was high.

Anyway, let's turn the tables a bit. How many people would have been baying for blood if it was a Real Madrid player who went into a challenge like that and didn't get a red card?

 

[Clip]

So it looks like there's just 1 United left in Europe