Football 2010-2011

[TheGayTent]

A Brief History Of Carlos Tevez

West Ham (2006-2007)Tevez almost immediately falls out with the manager and players. Storms off and threatens to go on strike after being substituted. Goes AWOL to Argentina at one point.

Claims he loves the club and supporters, and always will.

Time at club: One season.

[eFestivals]

Great result, thought Arsenal we're very sloppy at times though.

but you thought that Utd weren't?

Both sides were dreadful last night. Arsenal couldn't pass straight, and Utd showed the same ambition as someone happily on the dole at a job interview they've been forced to attend. How poor Utd were was shown by the impact of Giggs at the end.

I can't argue with the goal, but Utd got very very lucky. Neither team deserved to win that game.

The one bright bit that came out of the game was the justice of Rooney skying the very undeserved penalty.

[ampersand]

The one bright bit that came out of the game was the justice of Rooney skying the very undeserved penalty.

[The Nal]

The WHU part of your post is so inaccurate I couldn't be bothered to read the rest. If it's all that inaccurate your post is complete bollocks. Or rather whomever wrote it before you cut n paste it's post is complete bollocks.

[The Nal]

but you thought that Utd weren't?

Both sides were dreadful last night. Arsenal couldn't pass straight, and Utd showed the same ambition as someone happily on the dole at a job interview they've been forced to attend. How poor Utd were was shown by the impact of Giggs at the end.

I can't argue with the goal, but Utd got very very lucky. Neither team deserved to win that game.

The one bright bit that came out of the game was the justice of Rooney skying the very undeserved penalty.

[eFestivals]

Utd were, but not as much as Arsenal. Wenger blamed the pitch for the loss!

I agree that Arsenal were the worst of the two, yet they still did much more to try and win the game than Utd did.

It was clearly the case that Utd were far more interested in not losing than they were in trying to win. Which probably explains their season to date.

Not a great quality match, Arsenal not doing it against the big boys - again. Thats no wins in their last 11 vs Utd and Chelski.

I thought that Wenger approached last night with much greater tactical nouse than he's done for years.

For once, Arsenal didn't go all-out attack and then have Utd catch them on the break. Mind you, for Utd to do that last night they'd have had to have had a break - they might as well have wheeled their beds out and placed them around the box and had a 90 minutes snooze; they didn't do much more than that anyway.

If a more normal Arsenal had turned up Utd would be been crying in their sleep last night. Utd got very lucky by it being an Arsenal that couldn't pass straight for once.

Giggs still has some serious pace by the way.

and far better skills than all the Utd 'youngsters' aged 34 or younger.

[The Nal]

and far better skills than all the Utd 'youngsters' aged 34 or younger.

Edited December 14, 2010 by The Nal

[eFestivals]

Hes just turned 37! Great to see him still playing so well. Thought Anderson showed some improvement again last night which is good to see. Utds defense is looking solid too. Nasri was kept very quiet.

Also, Clichy was ran ragged last night. He backed off Nani everytime.

Nasri "was kept very quiet" because he played shit, not because of anything any Utd players were doing. That was by far his worst match of the season, with his passing being truly awful (tho that was more than a bit hidden by the fact that so many others had a shocker too - Arshavin especially). When he swapped sides for the last 20 minutes or so he was no better.

And Nani had one of his quieter games for quite a while too - so while I wasn't paying much attention to whether he was running Clichy ragged or not, he can't have done it that much, particularly as there were very few occasions that he got properly down the right; mostly he cut inside.

[llcoolphil]

Hearing from a friend via a journalist close to the club (this was 3 weeks ago too) that Diego Maradona isn't a bad shout in some role or other

[The Nal]

Nasri "was kept very quiet" because he played shit, not because of anything any Utd players were doing.

[eFestivals]

It was because he was closed down very well. Vidic was superb last last.

right, so what you're saying is that when Nasri was in at least ten yards of space and played the ball into thin air - as he did constantly last night - that wasn't because he was having a shit game, it was because he was being closed down (while still having ten yards of space)?

Being closed down would mean he didn't have that ten yards of space in the first place. Him not having a shit game would mean he would have been passing straight when given all that space as he was constantly by Utd.

If you could take your blinkers off for a moment you'd be able to admit that Arsenal's failings last night were massively more down to them having a very shit game by most of their players, and absolutely f**k all to do with anything that Utd were doing. In the pub last night there was groan after groan after groan after groan at all the useless passes from Arsenal players that were under no pressure at all.

The Utd players would have had to have been doing something to affect Arsenal's play. Mostly they did nothing, just sat back and mostly didn't even bother to try their normal counter-attacking. If the real Arsenal had turned up last night then there's no way on earth that Utd would have won; mind you, if last season's Utd had turned up last night then Utd would have won 10-0.

Both sides were absolutely dreadful.

[The Nal]

If you could take your blinkers off for a moment you'd be able to admit that Arsenal's failings last night were massively more down to them having a very shit game by most of their players, and absolutely f**k all to do with anything that Utd were doing.

[TheGayTent]

Whats inaccurate about it? Did he not have to donate half a weeks wages for acting the c**t? Did he not throw a tantrum? The fact that he went on to save you isn't relevant at this stage.

[The Nal]

How amusing. First post was inaccurate and so is your second...

Edited December 14, 2010 by The Nal

[eFestivals]

MY blinkers?!!

United out-tackled Arsenal 25-20 but were outfouled 9-17. Wouldn't call that "absolutely f**k all". Fergie said he was going to play the same way before the match as they’ve been getting results against Arsenal recently playing that way, and it worked again last night.

None of that addresses the fact that Utd played as shit as Arsenal, tho in a different way.

But as far as fouling goes, you've been living in cloud cuckoo land if you've never noticed just how good Utd players are at the 'stopping foul' while not being harsh enough with it (or getting preferential treatment from the ref - take your pick) to get booked for it.

Utd's tackling was almost all exclusively around their own box, hardly surprising given how few of their players ventured forwards last night. They played in much their normal way - of sitting back and inviting the opposition onto them - but without any of the commitment to counter-attack when they had the chance, which they'd normally do.

That lack of commitment by Utd to get forwards last night could be down to a number of things, but one factor very definitely heavily in the mix was Arsenal not going at them (particularly in the first half) as Arsenal have done in games with Utd in recent years - just as well, cos with the very poor quality of Arsenal last night they might well have got really slaughtered if they had done. Then again, I'm not sure that Utd would have bothered going forwards on the counter if Arsenal had played in that way - Utd just weren't much bothered with doing anything last night aside from having a 90 minute group meeting around their box.

[The Nal]

But as far as fouling goes, you've been living in cloud cuckoo land if you've never noticed just how good Utd players are at the 'stopping foul' while not being harsh enough with it (or getting preferential treatment from the ref - take your pick) to get booked for it.

[eFestivals]

Oh no doubt, Vidic is a master at it, as is Evra. Utd packed the midfield last night and stopped Arsenal playing, bullied them too at times, like Chelski did.

I think there's something wrong with your TV.

If any team bossed the game last night it was defo Arsenal (tho only marginally - I'm not trying to say they were all over Utd). They had all the pitch to play in except Utd's box, while the same wasn't true for Utd.

What do you make of this new Arsenal keeper?

baptism of fire, or what?

He did fine, but there wasn't anything to test him. My mum could have saved all of those Utd shots last night, there was so little power to any of them. The goal was one of those flukey things few keepers would have got.

Having to face a Rooney penalty might have worried him for a moment, but it wasn't a worry in the end. I hear city found the ball on their training pitch this morning.

[funkymp]

lech poznan fans at it again, completely bonkers! the bit from 6mins onwards is

[The Nal]

lech poznan fans at it again, completely bonkers! the bit from 6mins onwards is

[worm]

Hearing from a friend via a journalist close to the club (this was 3 weeks ago too) that Diego Maradona isn't a bad shout in some role or other

[funkymp]

Is that a five a side?!

Edited December 14, 2010 by funkymp

[The Nal]

it's a under 12's game!!!

[eFestivals]

I've just read that Blackburn are saying that it could be "several months" before they appoint a new manager.

Meanwhile, they put someone without experience in charge, because he's "impressed" the know-nothing-about-football owners.

Still, I'm sure West Ham & Wolves fans will be pleased, it increases their chances.

[TheGayTent]

Still, I'm sure West Ham & Wolves fans will be pleased, it increases their chances.

[eFestivals]

Not really. Unless we spend money we haven't got in January, we have no hope of pulling away from the bottom 3, regardless of what other teams may or may not do.

Oh, I dunno ... stories today are saying bye-bye Avram and hello Big Sam for you guys.