2012/13 Premier League discussion thread

by Guest Sat Aug 18, 2012 2:05 pm

First topic message reminder :

The big one is about to begin once again lads. Hopefully week 1 will bring a lot of goals, controversy and maybe even a shock!

God I've missed Jeff Stelling and the boys!

Game on.

by Guest Sat Oct 27, 2012 8:18 pm

Crimey wrote:I don't understand why City have gotten worse since last year. Defensively they have looked poor this year, and going forward hasn't been much better. They didn't strengthen in the summer, but surely the outgoings of De Jong and Savic haven't hit them that hard.

Or is this just the result of them being the team to beat now.

Defenxively, Mancini is trying to fix something which isnt broken! They were superb in defence this year, now he keeps trying to tinker with 3 at the back, 5 at the back etc, and the players just simply arent adjusting to the constant changes, Richards admitted the other night that they had no idea what was going on in ajax!

by **Good Golly I'm Olly** Sat Oct 27, 2012 8:31 pm

CF wrote:
Crimey wrote:I don't understand why City have gotten worse since last year. Defensively they have looked poor this year, and going forward hasn't been much better. They didn't strengthen in the summer, but surely the outgoings of De Jong and Savic haven't hit them that hard.

Or is this just the result of them being the team to beat now.

Defenxively, Mancini is trying to fix something which isnt broken! They were superb in defence this year, now he keeps trying to tinker with 3 at the back, 5 at the back etc, and the players just simply arent adjusting to the constant changes, Richards admitted the other night that they had no idea what was going on in ajax!

This is so true CF. Don't fix what ain't broke! If anything they needed a proper winger, there is no real width to there team

by Guest Sat Oct 27, 2012 8:33 pm

yup hence why they probably should have held onto Adam Johnson, but actually play from the start instead of always from the bench.

by **Good Golly I'm Olly** Sat Oct 27, 2012 8:36 pm

Nah I think getting rid of Johnson was the right thing to do. I don't think he is good enough for them personally.

They needed to bring someone in. They just have no real width when they attack

by Guest Sat Oct 27, 2012 8:38 pm

either way we are both right lol, me about defensively, and you about the fact that they need wingers!

by **Good Golly I'm Olly** Sat Oct 27, 2012 8:40 pm

For me they also needed to bring in a better CB alongside Kompany. Lescott is decent, this Nastasic is alright, but young.

by Guest Sat Oct 27, 2012 8:43 pm

lescott is awful IMO...its painful watching him play!

by Duty281 Sat Oct 27, 2012 10:48 pm

Predictions for the 2 big games tomorrow:

Everton 1-0 Liverpool
Chelsea 3-1 Manchester United

by Guest Sat Oct 27, 2012 11:02 pm

Duty281 wrote:Predictions for the 2 big games tomorrow:

Everton 1-0 Liverpool
Chelsea 3-1 Manchester United

Two big games, don't you mean three? Newcastle finished ahead of Everton, Chelsea & Liverpool last season. WBA have beaten Liverpool & Everton this season already......emphatically. Newcastle vs WBA is a big game featuring two very good footballing sides and should be a great game.

Everton 0-0 Liverpool
Chelsea 3-2 Manchester United
Newcastle 2-1 WBA

by Guest Sun Oct 28, 2012 1:54 am

John wrote:
Duty281 wrote:Predictions for the 2 big games tomorrow:

Everton 1-0 Liverpool
Chelsea 3-1 Manchester United

Two big games, don't you mean three? Newcastle finished ahead of Everton, Chelsea & Liverpool last season. WBA have beaten Liverpool & Everton this season already......emphatically. Newcastle vs WBA is a big game featuring two very good footballing sides and should be a great game.

Everton 0-0 Liverpool
Chelsea 3-2 Manchester United
Newcastle 2-1 WBA

Spurs finished above all of the above so make that four big games.

by lorus59 Sun Oct 28, 2012 6:47 am

Man U and Liverpool will win because they always seem to be luckier in these games.

by JamesLincs Sun Oct 28, 2012 3:06 pm

fantastic derby game so far

by GSC Sun Oct 28, 2012 3:21 pm

Liverpool in danger of being overran a touch. Everton have clamped down in midfield, and Liverpool's defense (Wisdom in particular) are struggling to cope

by JamesLincs Sun Oct 28, 2012 4:17 pm

fantastic header from bale. unfortunate not to score a minute before with a lovely move between lennon and walker to set up defoe. strong start from spurs, deservedly ahead

by Guest Sun Oct 28, 2012 4:24 pm

More joke officiating. clap

by **hampo17** Sun Oct 28, 2012 4:26 pm

Such a poor decision at the end. The linesman wouldn't even look at Suarez or explain when or who was offside.

by JamesLincs Sun Oct 28, 2012 4:49 pm

far too easy for spurs. once again if we were more clinical it would be already over! as it is, friedels only touches have been from passbacks. if southampton came back from this, id be amazed

by GSC Sun Oct 28, 2012 4:55 pm

Southampton are a poor unit defensively.

by Guest Sun Oct 28, 2012 5:12 pm

United are making easy work of this so far. 2-0 up and coasting.

by GSC Sun Oct 28, 2012 6:26 pm

Torres sent off for diving. Chelsea down to 9.

On replay it looks an awful decision

by GSC Sun Oct 28, 2012 6:34 pm

Now Hernandez offside.

Clattenburg has handed this game to United

by GSC Sun Oct 28, 2012 7:04 pm

FT Chelsea 2-3 Man Utd

Great first 30 mins from United before Chelsea responded. Ivanovic with a deserved red before a couple of atrocious decisions from Clattenburg and company gave United momentum and a lead.

by Duty281 Sun Oct 28, 2012 7:34 pm

Despite Everton-Liverpool and Chelsea-United being cracking games, we're not talking about that, we're instead talking about the awful officiating. Suarez had a clear goal chalked off for offside when he was nowhere near which meant Liverpool were robbed of 2 points and a win. Torres was harshly given a second yellow for diving (it seems clear that the referees were given the message to be much stricter on diving) leaving Chelsea to fight an uphill battle with 9 men. To make matters worse, United's winning goal was offside. I know officials do a difficult job, but that's 3 high-profile errors, 2 of them should have been easily avoided.

by Guest Sun Oct 28, 2012 8:09 pm

I have just read this and thought I'd share it with you guys:

Taken from Soccerway.com

QPR midfielder Stephane Mbia has admitted he thought his new club played in Scotland before he completed his 6.2 million-euro move from Marseille.
The 26-year-old, who was sent off in QPR's 1-0 loss to Arsenal on Saturday, left Ligue 1 for the Premier League to join the likes of Ryan Nelsen, Jose Bosingwa and Julio Cesar at Loftus Road as manager Mark Hughes reshaped the London club.

The Cameroonian has revealed, however, that he knew little about the club and that Hughes had only limited knowledge of what he could bring to the table.

"The manager knew my name and had seen me in the Champions League, but did not really know whether I was good or not," Mbia told L'Equipe.

"I thought they were a Scottish club. Marseille needed the money. So I thought why not if it is for their good and mine, but I would never have thought of coming here."

Mbia, who can also play in defence, also elaborated on the differences in preparation at QPR compared to his experiences in France.

"There is only playing and very little tactics," he said. "We don't really train in the week, we have rest days, but we haven't the right to mess up on match days."

QPR sit bottom of the Premier League table having failed to win any of their nine matches so far.

I'm amazed that QPR sit bottom of the table...

by Nay Sun Oct 28, 2012 8:41 pm

Im amazed he would rather join a third division Scottish side than QPR.

by Guest Sun Oct 28, 2012 9:10 pm

Chelsea, have lodged an offcial complaint about Mark Clattenburg and the apparent use of racially abusive langauge to members of the chelsea side in today's game..

by **hampo17** Sun Oct 28, 2012 9:20 pm

I can only seen reports of inappropriate language, where have you seen racial?

by Guest Sun Oct 28, 2012 9:37 pm

sky sports news...Geoff Shreeves was talking to Jim and Rachael.

by Lumbering_Jack Sun Oct 28, 2012 11:55 pm

Ironic that Chelsea complain of abuse when they allow captain fantastic to retain the armband after racially abusing Anton.

Clattenberg had a reasonable game. Obviously Herdnandez was offside but the Torres red card was fully justified. As Dion Dublin said, these are 6ft athletes falling over like babies learning how to walk.

Sour grapes from Chelsea.

by Ent Mon Oct 29, 2012 12:14 am

Lack of class again from Chelsea fans booing rio, who's crime is choosing to support his brother who was racially abused.

Awesome.

by Guest Mon Oct 29, 2012 12:34 am

I've come to the conclusion that the average paying football fan is thick. The sport is well and truly in the gutter right now.

by azania Mon Oct 29, 2012 1:21 am

Fergie's best buy this season is Clattenburg

by azania Mon Oct 29, 2012 1:22 am

Lumbering_Jack wrote:Ironic that Chelsea complain of abuse when they allow captain fantastic to retain the armband after racially abusing Anton.

Clattenberg had a reasonable game. Obviously Herdnandez was offside but the Torres red card was fully justified. As Dion Dublin said, these are 6ft athletes falling over like babies learning how to walk.

Sour grapes from Chelsea.

He was fouled. It doesn't matter is he did a pirouette as he was falling. The point being he was fouled. The ref should be sacked immediately.

by socal1976 Mon Oct 29, 2012 1:54 am

azania wrote:Fergie's best buy this season is Clattenburg

That was probably the most ridiculous officiating I have ever seen. Two great matches killed off and the result changed by horrible officiating. The chelsea red cards were both dodgey, and then the winning goal is clearly offsides the guy came out of the goal get to the pass! My emotional distaste of all things United I thought had subsided but they earned the name Mancheater today. Just terrifyingly bad officiating and why does it almost always seen that one team gets the benefit of monumental incompetence from the officials.The liverpool result as well was another game that you have to feel for the fans of the club with how they are struggling. I mean as a neutral I am shocked, they shouldn't let this guy officiate a bar room fusball match after this. What will Chelsea do if they lose league by a point or two. Chelsea was clearly the superior team with plenty of time in which they had to push through. Seriously they should never let this guy officiate.

I mean the shot of the match was of pompous ferguson running to protect the 4th official like the guy was his younger brother when Chelsea had the audacity to protest. That shot of fergie going bar room brawler in defense of the 4th official let everyone know who Manchester's star was tonight, the ref.

by socal1976 Mon Oct 29, 2012 2:02 am

Lumbering_Jack wrote:Ironic that Chelsea complain of abuse when they allow captain fantastic to retain the armband after racially abusing Anton.

Clattenberg had a reasonable game. Obviously Herdnandez was offside but the Torres red card was fully justified. As Dion Dublin said, these are 6ft athletes falling over like babies learning how to walk.

Sour grapes from Chelsea.

Torres card was not even a dive he made contact, should Torres run through and get his legs broken? Are players no longer allowed to save themselves by jumping over a challenge?

by Ent Mon Oct 29, 2012 2:35 am

They just aren't allowed to dive when they've over run the ball by 10 ft

Seriously Chelsea spent the day cheating, their fans racially abused a player and injured a steward etc etc yet united Re bar stewards bebe cause Torres dived and the linesman got a marginal offside decision wrong. I've never been less enamoured with football due to the huge majority of Muppet following the sport and football reflects society not the other way round.

Refereeing has never been better, grow up you legion of miserable bar stewards.

by Il Gialloblu Mon Oct 29, 2012 5:46 am

I wasn't really fussed who won the Merseyside derby, but I was happy when I saw Suarez was onside and his goal should have counted. Just because it was him. If he wasn't such an odious character maybe karma would treat him a little better.

by Stella Mon Oct 29, 2012 10:44 am

Clattenberg made one mistake yesterday and that was giving Torres a second yellow. The linesman should have seen that chico was offside, although his view was blocked, add to that, chico was like usain bolt coming off that line.

by **hampo17** Mon Oct 29, 2012 10:50 am

Stella wrote:Clattenberg made one mistake yesterday and that was giving Torres a second yellow. The linesman should have seen that chico was offside, although his view was blocked, add to that, chico was like usain bolt coming off that line.

If he has used racial language towards players then I'd say he made more than one mistake. The Torres red card was ridiculous, surely to send a player off you have to be 100% certain that he dived and Clattenberg couldn't have been certain.

Gary Neville made a good point about "diving" yesterday, if a player tries to get out of the way because he thinks he is about to get clattered, then that is not a dive, it's human nature. But if a player goes down like Suarez did against Stoke then that is a dive. Common sense needs to be used.

by Lumbering_Jack Mon Oct 29, 2012 10:51 am

Agree, was so pleased to see Suarez cheated out of a gaol, karma.

Honestly though, I don't know what is more embarrassing, Torres falling over because his shin got touched or people actually believing it was a foul, he dived and was rightly booked. He is a trained athlete who is falling over like bambi on ice. People likening it to a leg braking challenge is frankly laughable.

by Lumbering_Jack Mon Oct 29, 2012 10:54 am

Come on hampo, Evans was hardly about to "clatter" him. I think the problem here is that fans think theatrical dives are actually fouls. Could he have stayed on his feet, yes.... Did he go down trying to win a free kick, yes... Diver.

by Stella Mon Oct 29, 2012 10:55 am

It was a foul. He MAY have gone down easy but it was a foul.

by **hampo17** Mon Oct 29, 2012 10:56 am

Jack if a player gets even the slightest touch it can cause them to lose balance and lose possession, they will not get a free kick for this unless they go down, I am not saying this happened in the Torres situation but it happens so often. The Torres decision was incorrect, everybody can see this.

Yes years ago players didn't go down at the slightest touch however the game as changed, the foreign influence is well and truely here to stay.

I would like to add there was no more contact in the Torres incident than in the Vermalen one against QPR, Verlamen goes down like he's been shot but nobody is calling him a diver.

by Lumbering_Jack Mon Oct 29, 2012 11:01 am

I called him a diver on the other thread, it was embarrassing.

Contact does not mean a foul and he was already on his way down. Are you honestly telling me he was severely impeded? The impact players go down from is a disgrace, 99% of the time they could carry on as normal.

by Lumbering_Jack Mon Oct 29, 2012 11:04 am

As Dion Dublin said, these are 6 foot athletes going down like children learning to walk. Even my sport hating mother picks up on these things and ask why they throw themselves on the floor for no reason.

by Stella Mon Oct 29, 2012 11:07 am

So what?

It was a foul and that's that. Whether he should have tried to stay up is a moot point. He got kicked and went down, this equals a foul.

by **hampo17** Mon Oct 29, 2012 11:10 am

Jack I think you are still having fuzzy memories of the 90s when players used to stay up no matter what happened, sadly now that isn't the case and the rules have been altered to reflect this.

by Lumbering_Jack Mon Oct 29, 2012 11:12 am

No it doesn't. He didn't get kicked, his shin was grazed.

Removed

by **hampo17** Mon Oct 29, 2012 11:14 am

If we can just move away from this diving issue for a second, did anyone else notice Fellanni kick out at Sterling and Allen when they where on the floor? Referee never he spoke to him.

by Stella Mon Oct 29, 2012 11:14 am

Girls?

Grow up mate. He was kicked and it was a foul.........end of. It was difficult t see how hard it was but he was without a shadow of a doubt kicked. Yes, an Alan Shearer may have rode the challenge but Torres didn't.

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