Barclays Premier League 13/14 Thread Part 'something'

[Liam]

First topic message reminder :

Boring game but good result for all the top teams around these two really. Difference between Arsenal winning the league and not is a world class striker, because in tight games like these in the big games a world class striker will finish the chance Giroud had. He's been excellent this season but misses far too many to deliver a title. That's what makes Suarez/Agueor and RVP last season the difference in the end.

[Ent]

He's been diving today- he's prolific.

Look he's a great player, but he's a scumbag.

Wouldn't feel sorry for him if he broke both his legs, or caught john terry banging his wife.

Not that I'd wish either on him, but feeling sorry for him because he didn't get a penalty, come off it.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

There's 3 teams who can win the league and 4 teams fighting for 4th.

[hampo17]

Ent don't talk rubbish, I haven't seen anyone say Terry should be banned permanently for racist abuse. Juanzaj goes down just as, if not more, easily than Suarez but I'm yet to see you criticise him for diving.

We weren't great today but Webb has made a huge error with that penalty, it was so obvious.

[Duty281]

Suarez denied 2 pens.

Absolutely classic. Maybe if he wasn't such a conniving cheat he would have got one of them.

Anyone see his dive against Manchester City? He's such a pathetic player. Can't wait till he's out of the Prem.

[Crimey]

Don't know what Rodgers was playing at putting Brad Smith on, ridiculous decision. No player should be making their debut chasing a game away from home to Chelsea, just wasn't going to work. Think it showed two things, the lack of class on the bench, but more so the lack of confidence Rodgers has in his signings, Alberto and Aspas have barely got a chance to make an impact this season.

Screwed by the referee, but the performance showed that there is a long way to go before Liverpool can push for the title properly.

Still think a lot will be made of these two games, but it's just unfortunate that they came after each other and Liverpool weren't embarrassed in either game, second half of the season will be much easier with only Manchester United away standing out. Got through a lot of the really difficult games and still well in with a shout for top four, which is great news.

Pat Nevin was right when he said Suarez should have been taken off after 60 minutes at Cardiff, or even half time, looked quite tired against City and then was knackered for this game.

I would rest Suarez for the Hull game, I know he's always desperate to play but if he gets injured it will be hard to see Liverpool getting top four. Rest him at Hull then he'll have had a good rest before the Stoke game on the 11th. Sturridge might even be back for the Hull game, if not Rodgers needs to show some faith in the squad as a whole, no point having players on the bench who haven't settled, the only way they will settle is with games. Small squad at the moment, but Rodgers needs to manage it better by using what he has got, however limited.

[hampo17]

Why would you want someone as good as Suarez out of the prem? Every player goes down easily, maybe we should kick them all out and only have players who don't dive in the league? That would be a very very average league indeed.

[Crimey]

Suarez denied 2 pens.

Absolutely classic. Maybe if he wasn't such a conniving cheat he would have got one of them.

Anyone see his dive against Manchester City? He's such a pathetic player. Can't wait till he's out of the Prem.

I hope you were glad when Bale left the Premier League then and when Ronaldo left the Premier League. And you're waiting the day for Ashley Young, Adnan Januzaj, Fernando Torres and probably 75% of the players leave the league then?

It's part and parcel of the game now unfortunately, I see it in a similar way to hacking somebody as they run away on the counter or pulling of shirts at corners, it's bad but unfortunately it happens so often and almost everybody does it that it's stupid to have outrage about it every time.

[Crimey]

I think time wasting is a more annoying part of football than diving.

[CFCNick]

Chelsea are really missing a Lukaku type player, can they get him from Everton by force in Jan?

I think that Jose Mourinho has said that there isn't an option to recall Lukaku.

I don't want Lukaku back. He's awesome everywhere he plays, except Chelsea. We should cash in on his good form while we can and get someone similar who actually fits the current system.

[Duty281]

Why would you want someone as good as Suarez out of the prem? Every player goes down easily, maybe we should kick them all out and only have players who don't dive in the league? That would be a very very average league indeed.

Maybe the powers that be need to take action against divers, strong action, rather than bury their heads in the sand and say "it's OK, cos he's a good player"?

No doubt that Suarez is a talent, but he lets himself down badly with his actions sometimes.

And then karma strikes, like today. Oh my aching sides. Might have been 2-2 or even better for Liverpool if Suarez didn't have such a reputation for being a cheat. But no, Liverpool fans will still protect him to the hilt.

[J.Benson II]

The game kind of summed up why I think Chelsea will win the league and are the best English bet for the CL. As insipid as they can be at times, Jose just knows how to get the job done against the better teams. Just two goals conceded in total against United, Arsenal, City and Liverpool.
The return of Gerrard and Sturridge is much needed for Liverpool. They have a good fixture list from now on, with United at OT the only away game they have against a current Top 8 side.
Still a good bet for a top 4 finish.

[GSC]

Sign of how open this title race is, Liverpool were top at Christmas and now 5th

[hampo17]

Duty, just think of the players that dive and then honestly say you wouldn't want them in the premier league today. Ronaldo, Bale, Suarez, Messi, Ronaldoinho. FIFA will not do anything about diving.

As Crimey says, diving is no worse than taking a deliberate yellow card yet people blow "simulation" out of proportion time and time again.

[hampo17]

You could also argue that when players like Suarez, Ronaldo, Juanazaj get kicked time and time again without being given a free kick they feel they have to "simulate" to get a decision, works two ways.

[Crimey]

The question of Jose's success is not whether he can get Chelsea to win trophies, but if he does whether Abramovich will be happy with Mourinho's pragmatic style, Abramovich is known to want attractive football and I'm not sure Mourinho will ever give him what he wants. Mourinho had all the riches in the world at Madrid to create an attractive side but he was still very pragmatic, even if there was more flair in the side than his sides at Chelsea and Inter Milan.

I don't have an issue with it, I like the variety in ways of playing and winning football matches, but I'm not sure how much patience Abramovich will have with Mourinho's style. I think he'll be gone again within three years.

[Hammersmith harrier]

It's not just the diving though is it, there's the disgraceful racism and biting as well, defend him all you want pool fans but nobody is as disliked.

[Duty281]

Suarez denied 2 pens.

Absolutely classic. Maybe if he wasn't such a conniving cheat he would have got one of them.

Anyone see his dive against Manchester City? He's such a pathetic player. Can't wait till he's out of the Prem.

I hope you were glad when Bale left the Premier League then and when Ronaldo left the Premier League. And you're waiting the day for Ashley Young, Adnan Januzaj, Fernando Torres and probably 75% of the players leave the league then?

It's part and parcel of the game now unfortunately, I see it in a similar way to hacking somebody as they run away on the counter or pulling of shirts at corners, it's bad but unfortunately it happens so often and almost everybody does it that it's stupid to have outrage about it every time.

And why's it part and parcel these days? Because people bury their heads in the sand about the issue.

If the powers that be took action against it, then football would be a lot better as a result. Referees have a hard enough job as it is now, without players attempting conning them at every point and turn.

And after diving, then you can move on to shirt-pulling at corners and FKs (instant sanctions straight away should be handed out), dissent (should be a straight red), the clock and how it should stop when the ball goes out of play, or an injury, or any other stoppage. Then you could perhaps take action over the prevalence of abusive fans that turn up at games.

After all that, maybe football will be a better game. Not the sham it currently is. Not the game that sometimes you're embarrassed to like.

[Crimey]

It's not just the diving though is it, there's the disgraceful racism and biting as well, defend him all you want pool fans but nobody is as disliked.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/players/luis-suarez/10521865/Liverpools-Luis-Suarez-a-humble-winner-of-FSF-Player-of-the-Year-award.html

I know it's not a vote about liking him as a person, but it's not unreasonable to suggest that if Suarez was disliked as a person he wouldn't win awards such as that.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

I love the indignation against diving. Central defenders are clever when they cheat, divers are criminals. I do hate the ones that just dive to no contact, but simulation when they are being fouled a bit is of no concern to me, attackers get so little that they have to exaggerate contact.

[Crimey]

Suarez denied 2 pens.

Absolutely classic. Maybe if he wasn't such a conniving cheat he would have got one of them.

Anyone see his dive against Manchester City? He's such a pathetic player. Can't wait till he's out of the Prem.

I hope you were glad when Bale left the Premier League then and when Ronaldo left the Premier League. And you're waiting the day for Ashley Young, Adnan Januzaj, Fernando Torres and probably 75% of the players leave the league then?

It's part and parcel of the game now unfortunately, I see it in a similar way to hacking somebody as they run away on the counter or pulling of shirts at corners, it's bad but unfortunately it happens so often and almost everybody does it that it's stupid to have outrage about it every time.

And why's it part and parcel these days? Because people bury their heads in the sand about the issue.

If the powers that be took action against it, then football would be a lot better as a result. Referees have a hard enough job as it is now, without players attempting conning them at every point and turn.

And after diving, then you can move on to shirt-pulling at corners and FKs (instant sanctions straight away should be handed out), dissent (should be a straight red), the clock and how it should stop when the ball goes out of play, or an injury, or any other stoppage. Then you could perhaps take action over the prevalence of abusive fans that turn up at games.

After all that, maybe football will be a better game. Not the sham it currently is. Not the game that sometimes you're embarrassed to like.

Speak for yourself.

I don't think football is really that damaged by any of those things, it's unsporting, it's not the way I'd want people to win or gain advantages, but at the same time it's not something that affects my enjoyment of football as a sport, it certainly doesn't make me embarrassed to like the sport.

In all walks of life people use underhanded ways to get the better of everything, and I don't think it's a travesty that football reflects that.

[Crimey]

I love the indignation against diving. Central defenders are clever when they cheat, divers are criminals. I do hate the ones that just dive to no contact, but simulation when they are being fouled a bit is of no concern to me, attackers get so little that they have to exaggerate contact.

Exactly.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Although the scouse defence of Suarez for anything and everything is funny too.

[mystiroakey]

Not quite sure what you mean there mate. A bad tackle or a dive are treated as bad as the next in the eyes of the fans and refs.

Who has a worse rep?

Keane and scholes for there dodgy tackling or suraez and messi or diving.

BTW It cracks  me up how many off you condemned young for diving. But now trying to take a morale high ground when its a Liverpool player being questioned.

[Duty281]

I'm waiting very eagerly for the day that a United or Everton player wins a penalty after diving in the 90th minute against Liverpool with the score 0-0.

Liverpool fans won't be able to complain - it's part and parcel of the game after all.

[hampo17]

Come on Duty, if you're kicking all the divers out, who's going to dive to win that penalty?

[J.Benson II]

I'm waiting very eagerly for the day that a United or Everton player wins a penalty after diving in the 90th minute against Liverpool with the score 0-0.

Which means you're not really against diving/cheating then are you?

[Duty281]

Suarez denied 2 pens.

Absolutely classic. Maybe if he wasn't such a conniving cheat he would have got one of them.

Anyone see his dive against Manchester City? He's such a pathetic player. Can't wait till he's out of the Prem.

I hope you were glad when Bale left the Premier League then and when Ronaldo left the Premier League. And you're waiting the day for Ashley Young, Adnan Januzaj, Fernando Torres and probably 75% of the players leave the league then?

It's part and parcel of the game now unfortunately, I see it in a similar way to hacking somebody as they run away on the counter or pulling of shirts at corners, it's bad but unfortunately it happens so often and almost everybody does it that it's stupid to have outrage about it every time.

And why's it part and parcel these days? Because people bury their heads in the sand about the issue.

If the powers that be took action against it, then football would be a lot better as a result. Referees have a hard enough job as it is now, without players attempting conning them at every point and turn.

And after diving, then you can move on to shirt-pulling at corners and FKs (instant sanctions straight away should be handed out), dissent (should be a straight red), the clock and how it should stop when the ball goes out of play, or an injury, or any other stoppage. Then you could perhaps take action over the prevalence of abusive fans that turn up at games.

After all that, maybe football will be a better game. Not the sham it currently is. Not the game that sometimes you're embarrassed to like.

Speak for yourself.

I don't think football is really that damaged by any of those things, it's unsporting, it's not the way I'd want people to win or gain advantages, but at the same time it's not something that affects my enjoyment of football as a sport, it certainly doesn't make me embarrassed to like the sport.

In all walks of life people use underhanded ways to get the better of everything, and I don't think it's a travesty that football reflects that.

Say for example...Neymar does his best Tom Daley impression with a faked scream after getting a tap on the ankle - that doesn't make you slightly embarrassed to say "yeah, I like this game"?

[hampo17]

Amazing, Suarez gets fouled off the ball but gets nothing and it sparks debate, Juanazaj gets booked for diving a few games a go and it doesn't even register.

[Duty281]

I'm waiting very eagerly for the day that a United or Everton player wins a penalty after diving in the 90th minute against Liverpool with the score 0-0.

Which means you're not really against diving/cheating then are you?

Please understand the concept of a joke.

I'm not actually eagerly awaiting that day.

[Duty281]

Amazing, Suarez gets fouled off the ball but gets nothing and it sparks debate, Juanazaj gets booked for diving a few games a go and it doesn't even register.

If I didn't register my indignation, I apologise.

He annoys me just as much....well on the diving front at least.

[mystiroakey]

Much's was shocking yesterday..

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Amazing, Suarez gets fouled off the ball but gets nothing and it sparks debate, Juanazaj gets booked for diving a few games a go and it doesn't even register.

Victim...  

[CFCNick]

Amazing, Suarez gets fouled off the ball but gets nothing and it sparks debate, Juanazaj gets booked for diving a few games a go and it doesn't even register.

It's the way he went down though. Yes, it was a foul. But he went down in the way a player diving goes down. Body thrown out and arms flailing.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Suarez against teams in bottom half: 16 goals in 7 games. Suarez against teams in top half: 3 goals in 7 games.

Interesting

[GSC]

Amazing, Suarez gets fouled off the ball but gets nothing and it sparks debate, Juanazaj gets booked for diving a few games a go and it doesn't even register.

Suarez is an established superstar with years of questionable behaviour

Januzaj has played half a season (and tbf has been rollicked for it from all sides)

[Ent]

Ent don't talk rubbish, I haven't seen anyone say Terry should be banned permanently for racist abuse. Juanzaj goes down just as, if not more, easily than Suarez but I'm yet to see you criticise him for diving.

We weren't great today but Webb has made a huge error with that penalty, it was so obvious.

I did, he's a disgrace.

Januzaj is a kid who's built like a lanky streak of urine, I hope he cuts it out soon as it will cost us.

How can you watch Suarez who is built like a super middleweight throw centre halfs around then fall over and do a double barrel roll with no contact is beyond me.

You can see my views on Ashley young a few posts ago.

[Guest]

Suarez against teams in bottom half: 16 goals in 7 games. Suarez against teams in top half: 3 goals in 7 games.

Interesting

Someone was saying that with me. Bet Liverpool would rather of had a Suarez goal this week than four vs Norwich.

Chelsea machine rolls on.......

I`m gonna have Giroud nightmares tonight!

[lfc91]

Think he(suarez) will always score more against the lower teams simply because liverpool will carve out more chances against those teams! Only real half chance he had today was the volley from outside the box. Hard to score without a chance, and as i said the better the team the less chances your going to get...and chelski/citeh are the 2 best in the league.

[J.Benson II]

Think he(suarez) will always score more against the lower teams simply because liverpool will carve out more chances against those teams! Only real half chance he had today was the volley from outside the box. Hard to score without a chance, and as i said the better the team the less chances your going to get...and chelski/citeh are the 2 best in the league.

Exactly. Its a silly stat. Almost every forward on the planet will have a better goal ratio against the lesser sides because more chances/possession get created.
Suarez is still the best and most feared forward in the PL.

[Born Slippy]

That United v. Spurs match on Wednesday looks massive. Have to feel a loss for either will start to really separate them from the CL places.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Will Rooney be fit?

[Born Slippy]

Suggestions yesterday seemed to be he would be ok for Wednesday.

[Hammersmith harrier]

Amazing, Suarez gets fouled off the ball but gets nothing and it sparks debate, Juanazaj gets booked for diving a few games a go and it doesn't even register.

It's not just the diving though is it Hampo, he has a bad reputation because of that handball against Ghana, the handball against Macclesfield?, the two counts of biting, the racist abuse of Evra and the refusal to subsequently shake his hand. Combine all that together and you end up with a player who will rightfully be scrutinised for everything he does.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

[JamesLincs]

im sorry mr shearer but lucas on hazard was not a penalty!

[Dolphin Ziggler]

I quite enjoy that I've had this tweeted to me today. Gold has longgggggg followed negative accounts involved with West Ham. No idea why he does it, but he always has

[socal1976]

What a rubbish game between Newcastle and Arsenal. Both sides poor, Newcastle just worse.

Yes, arsenal look terrible without Ramsey.

Wilshire just the laziest most overhyped player I've ever seen.

Without Ramsey and ozil, didn't think Jack played that badly not a great performance. The same people who shaat all over Ramsey are doing to Wilshere now, coincidentally my two favorite gunners. Jacky boy will make good and he is not fully fit right now. Giroud scored but should have put the game away with an open net rebound from 2 feet. Still the gunners are top halfway through the season and how surprising nobody has a good word to say about them. If Wilshere played at United he would be their best midfielder, he is still very important to the club and maturing as a person and a player dealing with a lot of injuries. In my mind the best central midfield combo for England is Wilshere and Barkley. Arsenal got three points in a notoriously difficult place for the visitors to play minus their two best midfielders against an inform Newcastle not a bad result if you ask me.

[socal1976]

Suarez against teams in bottom half: 16 goals in 7 games. Suarez against teams in top half: 3 goals in 7 games.

Interesting

Someone was saying that with me. Bet Liverpool would rather of had a Suarez goal this week than four vs Norwich.

Chelsea machine rolls on.......

I`m gonna have Giroud nightmares tonight!

John, I like your posts and by no means want to rub it in but it is a bit ironic that you have been so highly critical and that beautiful frenchie puts the game winner in on your boys. Still he should have had two, a blind school girl could have scored that chance he shanked with an open net from a yard out of goal.

I will say this LFC have been jobbed by the officials as badly or worse than Arsenal the last two weeks. A ridiculous disallowed goal against team Abu Dhabi and Suarez gets rugby tackled by Terry in the box and nothing. Frankly English referees are as bad as your weather. Where the Smeg do they find these guys? I love Europeans, they can build a large hadron collider to study subatomic particles a millionth the size of an atom but they still have a guy with a yellow flag calling offisides. We need offsides technology not today but yesterday.

On a happier note I was in vegas and didn't have my laptop with me to contribute, but I did see a young fellow wearing an Arsenal ozil shirt leaving the poker room at the Mandalay bay and gave him a quick "we are top the league" chant which he thoroughly enjoyed. I won 800 dollars in no limit poker and my mother the slot machine queen got our rooms, an incredible Cirque du Soleil Michael Jackson Show, and 500 dollars worth of meals comped. If you are ever out in Vegas make sure to see the Michael Jackson One show, best show in town unfreaking believable.

[socal1976]

Why would you want someone as good as Suarez out of the prem? Every player goes down easily, maybe we should kick them all out and only have players who don't dive in the league? That would be a very very average league indeed.

I have come to the conclusion that some EPL fans will call any foul in the box a dive unless the attacker was shot by .308 Winchester and they can see his innards blown across the pitch. The contact that goes on in the box and does not get called is about 10 to 1 compared to dives that actually get called. Suarez is the freaking truth I wish he bit Ivanovic's freaking ear off a la Van Gogh after a night of Absinthe drinking, probably would have improved his ugly mug which looks like a piece of shiite folded up in paper then opened up for examination. That prig gets away with more dirty fouls than anyone not named Rooney.

[mystiroakey]

Sounds good socal.

BTW arsenal looked fine yesterday. Newcastle away is a good victory.

[Sponsored content]