Football 2013-2014

[eFestivals]

Starting tonight with Chelsea dropping 3 points from a Carlton Cole Hat Trick (The optimistic hat is on for now )

somehow I can't see WHU being the first team to beat Moaniho at the bridge in a league match.

Edited January 29, 2014 by eFestivals

[The Nal]

I don't think they'll "pip" United. United still have major problems in that team and will drop nearly as many points as they have done. Liverpool will be in front of them with ease, whether that be 4th or wherever.

[eFestivals]

RVP, Rooney, Mata. Thats a capable team. A totally different team from the first half of the season.

Nope, it's really not.

All the while you have a mid and back that teams can walk thru - as Cardiff were having no problems doing last night in the first ten minutes that I saw - it's not such a capable team.

Are you really saying that adding RVP (whos missed a lot of the first half) and Juan Mata to a team, any team, wouldn't improve it?

Those players will of course improve the team, but the effect of that improvement will be more about winning games you'd win anyway by bigger margins than picking up points you'd have otherwise lost (tho they'll be some of them all the same).

9 points now between Liverpool and Utd. Not impossible but very unlikely.

I wish it was, but you need a maths lesson.

Mainly due to Liverpools continued improvement.

Good to see that being acknowledged by a Utd fan, rather than yet another repeat of the standard "lucky" or "they won't keep it up".

(they might not keep it up of course ... but they're defo much improved ever since last January).

I've gotta say that the player who impressed me for L'pool most last night was Coutinho - a much more centre of the field role (rather than a forward role), and quietly effective at it too.

[kaosmark2]

Oh how wrong you were.

For a team that people have recently been picking apart the midfield, they didn't half tear up the team whose success in recent years has been driven by their solid midfield.

[The Nal]

It's only 6 points Nal. It'll be 9 when they beat you at Old Trafford, mind.

[eFestivals]

Yup. I'll stick my hand up and say how bad that judgement was.

To be fair, I think most people were probably thinking much the same as you.

And a team with better shooters would have got a goal or two out of last night as well, tho when it clicks for Liverpool as it did last night there's not many teams that'll get the better of them (City defo, not guaranteed for anyone else I'd say).

It's looking like they're a team who can raise their games for the bigger matches too (much as they did against City, tho failed to do against Chelsea), so it's gonna be interesting for the bigger matches to come.

[DomDom1984]

The Nal seems to be confused as to how many players make up a football team.

[eFestivals]

Ah! So that game is a huge 6 pointer now.

For you, perhaps.

Not for Liverpool I don't think. They can lose that game and still easily pick up the points they need for 4th in their other games.

I don't see the Utd/L'pool game as of much relevance to where L'pool will finish. I've got that one down as a loss but them still comfortably finishing above Utd.

Seriously? RVP and Mata added for the run in doesn't make it a more capable team? A better team?

As I said above....

Those players will of course improve the team, but the effect of that improvement will be more about winning games you'd win anyway by bigger margins than picking up points you'd have otherwise lost (tho they'll be some of them all the same).

It improves you, but it's not the improvement you're needing. It won't make much difference to the points you pick up.

There hasn't been much - if any - trash talking from me about the Rodgers era. Plays good attacking football and seems to have a long term plan.

I wasn't thinking you with my comment, I was merely thinking that it's good to finally see some words that actually match what's going on.

Edited January 29, 2014 by eFestivals

[The Nal]

The Nal seems to be confused as to how many players make up a football team.

[eFestivals]

Depends if Utd are within a win of Liverpool at that stage. I'm a lot more positive than I was a week ago. Bias aside, I think a Utd team with RVP, Rooney and Mata in it are very capable of putting a run together. But Liverpool are equally/more capable of doing so. Hence the importance of the game at Old Trafford.

It's not the points in any week that count, it's only the points at the end of the season which will count. So whether Utd get close (or even pass) Liverpool at any point matters not a lot; it's where they each finish.

As I've said, I have Utd down as winning that game anyway - and Utd still don't get close to finishing above L'pool.

And yes, with those players in the team they're capable of putting together a run ... but I don't see them as capable of putting together a run that'll enable them to finish above Liverpool, unless Liverpool's own form falls off a cliff.

(I'm sure my predictions for individual matches will be wrong [as it was for last night], but my prediction for total points dropped & collected will be broadly accurate [unless something major happens to change things], and Utd won't get the form needed to get past that).

[DomDom1984]

I have no doubt that Mata, RVP and Rooney can play together. I DO doubt that three men make a team though. They'll leak goals, drop points because the rest of the side isn't that great.

[eFestivals]

Does anyone know if Thomas Ince refusing to play for Blackpool because they sacked his old man? It seems very odd that suddenly Blackpool are dead keen to loan him out to anyone that'll have him.

I know he's only got a few months on his contract and has wanted to run it down (which explains why it's a loan and not a sale), I'm guessing in part because of the sell-on clause that benefits Liverpool but which makes him a possibly bad value buy for a club &/or him not picking up the cash he might otherwise get from a move.

There's been a lot of paper talk around him about Monaco and Juve, tho I suspect that's his old man trying to talk up a transfer via the papers in much the same way as he did for himself.

[DomDom1984]

As a vague Blackpool fan, I'm not that disappointed. Seen a few games and he comes in and bits and bobs. If he can get his consistency back at Hull or Sunderland I can see a bigger move as he has a cracking final ball and when he's on, he's absolutely terrific.

[eFestivals]

As a vague Blackpool fan, I'm not that disappointed. Seen a few games and he comes in and bits and bobs. If he can get his consistency back at Hull or Sunderland I can see a bigger move as he has a cracking final ball and when he's on, he's absolutely terrific.

Hull, Sunderland, Sw3ansea, Palace, and Stoke as well.

Not exactly glowing comments from Bruce about the Hull visit.

But I just read his stats are about 1 goal in 3, which is cracking for a winger (tho of course it's in the Champs).

[DomDom1984]

As I said, when he turns it on, he's exceptional. He's also detrimental when he's not, and has played a part in Blackpool being horrendous this season.

[zahidf]

Ha

http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/28/chelsea-fan-produces-brilliant-juan-mata-goodbye-song-no-mata-what-4280753/

[eFestivals]

lol, that's great.

[kaosmark2]

Well Luuk De Jong's been signed, on loan. A loan could well be the right way, as it gives us a chance to see how he gets on after his struggles in the Bundesliga, but it's a bit of a worry that 2 of our strikers are in on loan at present...

[thetime]

Well city are looking awesome.

[WS_Jack_III]

Well Luuk De Jong's been signed, on loan. A loan could well be the right way, as it gives us a chance to see how he gets on after his struggles in the Bundesliga, but it's a bit of a worry that 2 of our strikers are in on loan at present...

[kaosmark2]

isn't it just. Reckon he will start in the derby then?

[thetime]

Well Luuk De Jong's been signed, on loan. A loan could well be the right way, as it gives us a chance to see how he gets on after his struggles in the Bundesliga, but it's a bit of a worry that 2 of our strikers are in on loan at present...

[kaosmark2]

You not appealing remy's sending of? Bit of a fucker this week with rose and remy in my dream team.

[WS_Jack_III]

I do hope Gouffran is back. I think he was a fantastic signing considering what the club paid for him.

[thetime]

Nope. Right decision IMO as well, I think it was a harsh red, but I don't think we'd get it rescinded.

Bradley Johnson is a fucking disgrace though.