Football 2011-2012

[jammy2211]

it's one thing for a manager to take a week or two off for health reason but still be available on the end of the phone if need be (and in the case of 'Arry I'm guessing he was still picking the team), and another thing entirely for the manager to be incommunicardo for several months at least cos he's banged up.

Banged up is what I expect from this court case. HMRC have put their evidence out there, and unless 'Arry is able to clearly demonstrate it's been faked I really can't see how he'll get off .... and if he doesn't get off then he's defo going down cos of what he's charged with.

How much that'll effect Spurs we'll have to wait and see, but I do expect it to effect them, if only a little.

Spurs are defo a better team than I was giving them credit for earlier in the season. But I'm still not convinced it's something they'll maintain for the full season, 'Arry or no 'Arry.

I wouldn't be surprised for Spurs to finish above Arsenal now, particularly now they've got last night's game in hand out of the way. That was one I felt they had a decent chance of dropping points with, cos Everton are nearly always a toughie for just about every team.

I was going at this from the angle that changes might upset the balance of the team or just the dressing room dynamic. It wouldn't be the first time that 'Arry's tinkering had done those sorts of things.

Given their home form I'd say it's pretty likely that Spurs will drop points against City and L'pool - and if they lose those, and lose to Arsenal (far from impossible for all 3, tho probably won't pan out that way with all three) then that's those nine points gone.

Having said all that, I'm pretty certain that Spurs will get a top-four place (tho that might get upset if others go on a spending spree), but it's not guaranteed just yet. Everything's still there to play for down to Liverpool if not lower than them.

[eFestivals]

Harry really hasn't done any tinkering this season

true - but that's probably got nowt to do with 'Arry and everything to do with Levy and Lewis.

Spurs have pretty good away form too, they won at Anfield and Emirates last season and I'd say the gap between them and Arsenal / Liverpool is larger then it was then. It won't be the 9 point gap gone either, as Arsenal and Liverpool will still continue to drop stupid points against teams like Wolves, Fulham, Swansea etc. The gap will get cut, but Spurs are probably going to be in the home stretch of the season with the top 8 out the way and something like 4 points clear.

didn't Spurs have a pretty poor second half last season? If so, it might happen again.

That aside, Liverpool are far better than they were last season (despite the lack of goals) and extremely solid at Anfield (even if not finishing tyeams off), and Arsenal are far better than they were when Spurs beat them earlier this season, so I reckon you don't have those points in the bag just yet.

[Stash]

I'm thinking that Liverpool might end up thanking the FA for Suarez's ban - he's not had any time off for years, so might come back very refreshed and start scoring the ones he's been missing.

Edited January 12, 2012 by Stash

[kaosmark2]

I'd forgetten about that. How long did he get?

I don't think anything I've read about the clause has said it only applies to Chumps League clubs, but perhaps that's how it is. It makes sense on one level, but not so much when a player has come in on a free.

yeah, I don't think Sturridge is too likely for L'pool either - I'd have thought that if they were going to get him they'd have got him last summer as part of the Meirelese (sp?) sale. Then again, if he feels that Chelsea are on the slide (presumably the reason why he won't sign a new contract) and Liverpool are on the up, who knows?

[The Nal]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18xTa42hqy8 Edited January 12, 2012 by The Nal

[eFestivals]

[pink_triangle]

I always find it funny when a player in this case gerrard accuses someone else of hypocricy, considering that nearly everyone involved in football are hypocrites as well. Im sure you wouldnt have to look too hard to find footage of gerrard moaning about a player from another club diving or appealing for a referee to punish a player on another side following a foul. I think in this case mancini is right, either they are both red cards or neithr are.

[The Nal]

Tevez odds on to join QPR!

[5co77ie]

Tevez odds on to join QPR!

[strummer77]

Rodwell English.

Kompany foreign.

Johnson English.

Referenced Fat Frank's old tackle: English.

[The Nal]

is that since this:? http://news.bbc.co.u...ll/16508152.stm

[kaosmark2]

Spearing was English though. I think really it's just the refs/rules are rubbish.

[eFestivals]

No its since his move to Milan fell through this morning.

it's piss funny that he's not the wanted man he wanted to think he was.

No disrespect meant to QPR, but Tevez playing for a tiny club because no one else wants him because he's a c**t is as funny as it can get.

Even better would be if that fell thru - tho then I'd feel sorry for City. If they can find a way to not pay him while also stopping him being able to sign for another club then that would be a just result.

[eFestivals]

I have sympathy with the refs, they have to make the decision based on one immediate viewing. It's the inconsistency of the FA panels that pisses me off.

yep, with me too.

And yeah, the English thing is just a theory, although Spearing hasn't played for the national team yet.

I could be wrong, but I thought he'd captained the u-21s? That would surely put him in a similar league to senior players - tho perhaps it's more about a player's profile than just that.

[strummer77]

I have sympathy with the refs, they have to make the decision based on one immediate viewing. It's the inconsistency of the FA panels that pisses me off.

And yeah, the English thing is just a theory, although Spearing hasn't played for the national team yet.

[pink_triangle]

it's piss funny that he's not the wanted man he wanted to think he was.

[Jaybles]

it's piss funny that he's not the wanted man he wanted to think he was.

No disrespect meant to QPR, but Tevez playing for a tiny club because no one else wants him because he's a c**t is as funny as it can get.

Even better would be if that fell thru - tho then I'd feel sorry for City. If they can find a way to not pay him while also stopping him being able to sign for another club then that would be a just result.

[eFestivals]

Hard to feel sorry for City if it fell through. Not as if they are struggling to pay wages and can't shift the fella.

That's got little to do with anything.

While it might be said that City knew they were signing a c**t, they weren't to know that really because what he's done is hugely greater than things he'd done before.

In an only slightly changed world it might have been Utd that had suffered this - and I'm sure you'd have a different opinion about it then.

[Jaybles]

That's got little to do with anything.

While it might be said that City knew they were signing a c**t, they weren't to know that really because what he's done is hugely greater than things he'd done before.

In an only slightly changed world it might have been Utd that had suffered this - and I'm sure you'd have a different opinion about it then.

[eFestivals]

My point was that a club like QPR might suffer more dealing with him the way he has been acting, compared to Man City who could keep him on their books for the rest of his contract and not notice.

This was an attack on the player rather than the club!!

ahhh, OK - apols for having misunderstood.

From that angle I agree - tho of course QPR (or any other club that might get him) will know what they're getting into, so if it goes tits up on them they really only have themselves to blame.

[Jaybles]

ahhh, OK - apols for having misunderstood.

From that angle I agree - tho of course QPR (or any other club that might get him) will know what they're getting into, so if it goes tits up on them they really only have themselves to blame.

[Steve P]

There are no sortage of clubs that would take Tevez, but not at the wages he's on. I'm sure 'Arry would would jump at the chance

[eFestivals]

There are no sortage of clubs that would take Tevez, but not at the wages he's on. I'm sure 'Arry would would jump at the chance

yeah, but 'Arry will sign anything, good or shit, if there's a bung in it for him.

And with the greed of Tevez and no-money-Kia there's nothing in it for 'Arry, so it ain't gonna happen even if he could get Levy to open the wallet.

[pink_triangle]

With all the focus on tevez I think the big footballing story of the week is being missed and that is the plight of darlington. I think its devestating to see a lower league club like that on the brink, while scumbags like tevez sit on the sidelines counting their monthly salary for doing no work, which would probably save a club like darlington. You listen to the media and you would sometimes get the impression that the likes of the glazers and hicks and gilette are as bad as it gets in terms of football owners. Supporting a lower league club, I know they are nothing compared to some of the scumbag cowboys who get involved at this level and send great local community football clubs to their grave. If you have ever been to watch darlington, you will know their stadium is about the most souless stadium you could ever visit, the fans didnt want a huge stadium that they couldnt finance and now are paying the price. I hope some investors come in and save darlington, I have a feeling if they go it will be a slippery slope with others joing them and I dont think it will be limitted to just non league teams.

[eFestivals]

With all the focus on tevez I think the big footballing story of the week is being missed and that is the plight of darlington. I think its devestating to see a lower league club like that on the brink, while scumbags like tevez sit on the sidelines counting their monthly salary for doing no work, which would probably save a club like darlington. You listen to the media and you would sometimes get the impression that the likes of the glazers and hicks and gilette are as bad as it gets in terms of football owners. Supporting a lower league club, I know they are nothing compared to some of the scumbag cowboys who get involved at this level and send great local community football clubs to their grave. If you have ever been to watch darlington, you will know their stadium is about the most souless stadium you could ever visit, the fans didnt want a huge stadium that they couldnt finance and now are paying the price. I hope some investors come in and save darlington, I have a feeling if they go it will be a slippery slope with others joing them and I dont think it will be limitted to just non league teams.

as a supporter of the last club to go out of business mid-season I know exactly where you're coming from.

It was a slightly different scenario with Aldershot, as a part of that involved the owners playing a game of bluff with the council who owned the ground in the hope of the council handing over the ground to them so they could borrow against it and save the club.... the council wouldn't play ball on the grounds that they could hand over the ground and the club still go out of business and then the ground get sold off as an asset of the bankrupt club.

I don't know whether the club could have been saved by the club owning the ground and borrowing against it, but with hindsight I'm very glad they called the club's bluff. The price was the old club going out of business, but the benefit was there still being a ground for a new club to use. Without the ground I'm sure they'd not be football in Aldershot now.

It took 16 years for the new club to work its way back to where the old club was whcih was heartbreaking from some angles - tho it also gave the club regular success as champions on that journey, and Aldershot's a club that'll never have much success.

Along that journey they often took 1,000+ supporters to away matches to clubs who were used to getting total gates of less than 100.

It also meant that most of (but not all of) the shysters who'd helped run the old club into the ground were out of the picture, and as far as I'm aware the new club is run very tightly financially - I know that the record signing is just a measely £50k.

As it happened, a couple of years before the old club folded I helped build the new house of the guy who was chairman when it folded ... having just remembered his name (Terry Lewis) I've just googled him to see if he's still involved, and thankfully it seems that he isn't .... all I did find is that he sold his cleaning business for £10M in 1998, so I'm guessing he fucked off to Spain or somewhere to enjoy it.