Football 2010-2011

[eFestivals]

Its hilarious how when Utd win it pisses so many people off! People going about songs they don’t like that Utd fans sing, “dives” from two season ago etc.

I'm not pissed off at all. I've little liking for either team last night, but Utd were easily deserved winners, even tho Drogba was the best player on the park by a mile (shame about most of the rest of Chelsea).

The only reason I've mentioned "dives" from two seasons ago is because I mentioned how ralph justified them as genuine penalties on the basis of there being contact (tho very minimal contact), which applies no less with those "dives" last night.

[ralph250]

Wouldn't say we were big favourites yet Nal. Got the advantage yes and we're strong at Old Trafford but away goals still count in extra time if they get a 1-0 in the normal 90.

PT, we've got a shit record against German opposition, '99 excluded.

Bayern last year on away goals, Leverkusen knocked us out semis 2002, Dortmund semis 1997 etc.

Schalke might be 10th in the league, but still got Raul, Neuer, Farfan, Jurado when he's on his game etc, Huntelaar if he gets back etc, so yeah can't be underestimated.

[ralph250]

even tho Drogba was the best player on the park by a mile (shame about most of the rest of Chelsea).

[eFestivals]

I think his leg is unnatural before any touch from Valencia.

yep, quite possibly (it's not something I'd argue about). I don't really doubt that he's looking to win a penalty.

I'm merely pointing out that on your own often-stated basis that makes what happens a penalty.

Please find me a quote, should be easy if it's my standard line.

These aren't really the quotes I was thinking of, but they're all I've time to search for. And of course many have lost the context in which they were written.

But there should be enough of them to remind you that you defo have expressed the view that any contact is enough for a penalty to be awarded in favour of Utd. Shame you don't manage consistency with that view.

who's not? easy choice is ronaldo but he's still got 18 goals, about 10 assists. should've had two against chelsea incorrectly ruled out, another at derby when inline...add those and up to 21. penalty challenges on him against tottenham (king), boro (pogatetz), west ham (lucas neill) that sufficient contact was made and should've been given, and you could be looking at 24, which would hardly be a shabby return.

but there was contact...carvalho with his arms all around him pretty much dragging him down. I didn't see his legs much, but it looked a clear penalty to me, and the commentators said ronaldo wasn't at fault.

I'm still not sure...when rooney's right foot go downs, there's contact pretty much immediately after. (check the 2nd angle)

don't agree rooney dived, at least didn't look so from the stream I was watching...he was aiming just to get there ahead of almunia, at the pace he was going then any contact would most likely take you over.

in my view, and I'm truly trying to be objective , there's two contacts, almunia arms make the initial contact, that initiates rooney going down, so that when almunia's shoulder comes in and makes the "full hit" rooney's already on his way.

[eFestivals]

Quote please Neil!

I think you've already pulled out a perfect example yourself in what you've posted above.

Much like you've just posted (and I quote again below) from Mascho on Valencia, I think that Torres "embellished the foul", but a foul that had "already been committed/continued to be committed".

If it's good enough for Utd, why isn't it good enough against Utd?

He might have cheated/embellished the foul. I'm saying that that could have been after the fact. The foul had already been committed/continued to be committed.

[modey]

Carrick for me.

[ralph250]

These aren't really the quotes I was thinking of, but they're all I've time to search for. And of course many have lost the context in which they were written.

But there should be enough of them to remind you that you defo have expressed the view that any contact is enough for a penalty to be awarded in favour of Utd. Shame you don't manage consistency with that view.

[pink_triangle]

The thing is when it comes to penalties, I havent met a single football fan who is not a hypocrite. Everyone feels less contact is needed for a penalty when their side is attacking compared to when their team is defending. When it comes to broderline decisions everyone will generally take the side of the decision that is in their favour. I have no doubt that you arent always 100% consistent with whats a penalty for man u and whats a penalty against man u ralph, however anyone who criticises you for it, has probably done the same in the past.

[ralph250]

The thing is when it comes to penalties, I havent met a single football fan who is not a hypocrite. Everyone feels less contact is needed for a penalty when their side is attacking compared to when their team is defending. When it comes to broderline decisions everyone will generally take the side of the decision that is in their favour. I have no doubt that you arent always 100% consistent with whats a penalty for man u and whats a penalty against man u ralph, however anyone who criticises you for it, has probably done the same in the past.

[eFestivals]

The other quotes relate to two incidents, one is carvalho on ronaldo, the other is almunia on rooney. Both you said were dives, I posited that in my opinion they weren't.

Both I said were dives because there was minimal contact. You said they weren't because they was contact. How's that different to last night?

There was 100% definitely contact, before he started to go down.

that's what I'm disputing in my posts above, I think his legs in an unnatural position prior to any contact. I think he's going for it already.

As I've said already, I think he was going for it too, but "going for it" in that he was creating the 'foul'. There was defo a foul - there was contact.

To me, that's always cheating. To you, it depends which team is doing it.

[TheGayTent]

Oh and is anyone going to mention the ladyboys diving last night? Not once but twice he tried to get a penalty by diving, I'm pretty sure if it was Rooney there would be calls for a 10 match ban

Awaits the usual utd do it blah blah....

[eFestivals]

So Rooney's been banned for two matches and misses the FA Cup semi.

As long as this is the start of something consistent I'm all for it, but if it's not it's a joke. Sadly I suspect it'll be the later.

Still, one good thing might come of it. Utd fans might have to put away those sad flags like the ones on display last night, if Shitty get the better on the day.

[The Nal]

Gary Neville joins Sky Sports!

And Fergie having a serious go at Superintendent Mark Payne of Wolverhampton!! f**king brilliant!

Edited April 8, 2011 by The Nal

[TheGayTent]

We've never won a match at the Reebok. Indeed the last time we won at Bolton, Ian Bishop & Danny Williamson scored, I stood next to an old fashioned floodlight, and a supermarket covered most of one end...we've lost the last 6 league games at their place.

So i'm going for a two nil West Ham victory!

[Wooderson]

Gary Neville joins Sky Sports!

[The Nal]

Sure thats like Sarah Palin joining Fox News. No major surprise there. He'll just be a mouthpiece for Baconface.

[Wooderson]

Bit ironic though chief, that post.

BBC have Hansen and Lawro. Both ex Liverpool legends. Hanson refers to Liverpool as "we". On MOTD! For f**ks sake!!

Dixon and Keown. Both Gunners in when the Utd/Arsenal rivalry was really nasty. Obviously not anti Arsenal or pro Utd.

Shearer – Anti Man Utd and famously turned down Man Utd multiple times. (looking for Ralph to post a "and heres what you could've won" pic here…..)

Throw in ex Pool player Redknapp and ex player AND Liverpool manager Souness on Sky Sports! Phil Thompson too who is so pro Liverpool they had to stop him covering Liverpool games. Theres other too, like Jim Beglin who played for Liverpool for years.

Pro Utd media bias?

[eFestivals]

BBC have Hansen and Lawro. Both ex Liverpool legends. Hanson refers to Liverpool as “we”. On MOTD! For f**ks sake!!

Oh c'mon, I think you're being completely unfair here.

(I'm meaning in what you say right here, not what's led you to reply)

He says "we" because he's clearly still got a clear affinity with the club. So he's being honest and straight up, and not pretending to be something that he's not.

Surely you recognise that you're have far bigger reason to complain about what he says if he said all of the same things but while not saying "we" but instead pretending to be impartial?

I'd far rather that an ex-player made his affiliation clear in the way that Hanson does than pretend he's not got an affiliation, which is what many of the ex-players who do games coverage do.

[The Nal]

Hansen/Lawrensen/Dixon/Keown/Shearer/Beglin arent on Sky though are they? I was talking about Sky.

The media is a broader issue - which I'm willing to debate.

[eFestivals]

But I’ll guarantee you as soon Red Nev refers to Utd as “we” on Sky sports, there’ll be mayhem.

the same sort of "mayhem" which has Utd fans banging on continually about how the Beeb is anti-Utd you mean?

All that's happening here is that Utd fans are reaping what they themselves have sown.

[The Nal]

the same sort of "mayhem" which has Utd fans banging on continually about how the Beeb is anti-Utd you mean?

All that's happening here is that Utd fans are reaping what they themselves have sown.

[eFestivals]

I don’t think the Beeb are anti Utd, far from it.

Theres no doubting though that the cause of the Fergie/Beeb fallout, the show they did about Fergie and his son, was anti Utd and a personal attack, tabloid style, on Fergie and his kid.

Hmmm ... Fergie said they'd sue. The Beeb is still waiting for the writ. How many years ago was it?

And of course Fergie doesn't do preference deals with his kids, oh no. You wouldn't find him loaning players left right and centre to whichever club one of his kids is managing, and then cancelling the loans if his kid gets sacked, eh?

[The Nal]

Hmmm ... Fergie said they'd sue. The Beeb is still waiting for the writ. How many years ago was it?

And of course Fergie doesn't do preference deals with his kids, oh no. You wouldn't find him loaning players left right and centre to whichever club one of his kids is managing, and then cancelling the loans if his kid gets sacked, eh?

Edited April 8, 2011 by The Nal

[eFestivals]

Ferguson doesn’t have the time to sue the Beeb and go back and forth to London. Hes manager of Man Utd.

Yeah he called them back a week early. Pulis did with two of his players too. Its quite a minor point in the grand scheme of things? No?

It's a minor point - but it backs up what the beeb said (tho about a different thing and different kid), about him giving preference deals to his kid.

And then of course there's the fact that that kid of his has since given up being an agent, after that programme brought about some pressure on fergie to stop using his kid as an agent. By Utd themselves. So it's a pretty fair assumption that his kid was only able to be a successful agent because of Daddy's helping hand, else he'd still be one.

By the way, see Gerrard is out for the season? Bad news for the Pool if they’re to push Spurs for Europe. That groin of his has given him some awful guff over the last few years.

yeah, I read that earlier. But I felt they lost all chance to catch Spurs with last weekend's results - they could have moved two points closer but instead moved one further away. I don't think there's enough games left in the season now to catch up, especially with Spurs having a game in hand.

So actually, I don't think it's really a bad thing for the club overall for either him or Johnson to be out now. It gives a chance to better blood some of the younger players or try different things with the others without having to really worry about anything - they're not going to have any problem holding onto 6th, after all. Kenny knowing what's what before the chance to spend in the summer is a good thing, and gives them a better chance of hitting the ground running at the start of next season.

[pink_triangle]

I like Hanson. Its “prime time” when hes on. If theres a big Sunday game the Beeb always have him on MOTD2. I like Lawro too despite him being an oddball. I like Shearer (lots don’t for some reason) and I like Dixon too, especially his analysis, particularly his defensive analysis. Simple but effective.

I’ve no problem with Hanson saying “we” either. Hes a fair and objective with an obvious affinity to Liverpool, having lifted God knows how many trophies for them.

But I’ll guarantee you as soon Red Nev refers to Utd as “we” on Sky sports, there’ll be mayhem. Have a search on Google for Liverpool fans reaction to the Neviller being given the Sky gig today. Uproar. We’ve no idea what hes going to be like!? People are furious that a Utd player has got a gig on Sky Sports.