Gotta love commentator logic. Apparently today again proved there's nothing to choose between Spurs and Villa as far as who is a better bet for the Champions League.

Yes, the two games have been drawn. But that ignores the fact that for most of the game in both fixtures, Villa have had as much attacking threat as a wet sponge. They've spent most of them in their own half unable to escape and flooding their own box with bodies when needed, and the only chances they've made have been when they've broken in numbers - which has been rare because most of the clearances coming out have gone back to s Spurs player.

Garibaldi wrote:Gotta love commentator logic. Apparently today again proved there's nothing to choose between Spurs and Villa as far as who is a better bet for the Champions League.

Yes, the two games have been drawn. But that ignores the fact that for most of the game in both fixtures, Villa have had as much attacking threat as a wet sponge. They've spent most of them in their own half unable to escape and flooding their own box with bodies when needed, and the only chances they've made have been when they've broken in numbers - which has been rare because most of the clearances coming out have gone back to s Spurs player.

So I have a question. This whole thing with Pompey and having a deadline of a week to get things squared away....is this a normal occurence in English football? I mean, has this happened before, so it's not really big news? Or is this really big news?

REALLY big news.

The bubble is about to burst.

ShowStealer wrote:REALLY big news.

The bubble is about to burst.

Has this ever happened to a club? Where they had to shut down? I mean, it's crazy to think of a Premiership club having to shut down due to monetary reasons...

Yeah, administration has happened to lower division teams previously - often ones who had dropped from the Prem only a few years before like Leeds, Palace or Southampton and hadn't managed to address the spending in trying to stay up or get back up - but never to a top flight team.

And this is more than that...they may actually be forced out of business rather than just being docked points. With the amount of debt bubbling around Man U/Chelsea/Arsenal/Liverpool/West Ham and the penny pinching at clubs like Wigan and Hull, having to fend off big boys looking to poick off their stars, it could only be a matter of time even if Pompey do survive.

And NICE results for West Ham and Arsenal...bloody terrible result for us. What was 'Arry thinking resting Corluka, Palacios, Modric and stringbean?

Everton on the verge of a nice one too!

The fact that Pompey have sold a lot of their players for a decent profit, have been in the premiership since the 03/04 season, during that time they've only spent a small amount on their ground by installing a temporary roof over the away fans yet are on the blink really shows how fucked up the game is.

The blame lies solely at the owners who over spent in order to chase the dream at the expense of the clubs existence. Sadly the relative success of AFC Wimbledon has lead many a fan to believe that a club going under isn't a big deal, the non-league is similar to the old non-corporate days (I personally don't want to return to the premier league) and a club being owned by the fans is a fantastic proposition (reference FC United). No thought about the existing league structure and it seems that Chester City are about to go under any minute with little protest from their fans, they'll get back to the conference in a few seasons and will be in a better state, so why worry about the short term?

Outrageously a lot of the blame is being pointed at SKY, this is like blaming your overspending on your boss for giving you a huge pay rise.

I predicted 3-1 for todays match..............just the other way round. Fair play to Everton from the sounds of it the deserved it but three points would have been very important for United today

I hope pompey go out of business, then people can stop using us as the example of bad financial management.

Happy for Pav today - took his chance brilliantly with two excellent goals from the bench. He and Modric were fantastic off thebench on a truly diabolical pitch at this level.

Glad we got a second too as wouldn't have been happy winning with Defoe's goal alone - he being so far offside he could have been playing in the prking lot.

Only bad news is Ledley - suspected torn muscle. That could hurt us in the run-in (although resigning Kaboul now looks a much wiser move) and kill any squad chance he had for the world cup.

Garibaldi wrote:Happy for Pav today - took his chance brilliantly with two excellent goals from the bench. He and Modric were fantastic off thebench on a truly diabolical pitch at this level.

Glad we got a second too as wouldn't have been happy winning with Defoe's goal alone - he being so far offside he could have been playing in the prking lot.

Only bad news is Ledley - suspected torn muscle. That could hurt us in the run-in (although resigning Kaboul now looks a much wiser move) and kill any squad chance he had for the world cup.

I don't know why King doesn't just retire or sign for Hull!

Big Dave wrote:

Garibaldi wrote:Happy for Pav today - took his chance brilliantly with two excellent goals from the bench. He and Modric were fantastic off thebench on a truly diabolical pitch at this level.

Glad we got a second too as wouldn't have been happy winning with Defoe's goal alone - he being so far offside he could have been playing in the prking lot.

Only bad news is Ledley - suspected torn muscle. That could hurt us in the run-in (although resigning Kaboul now looks a much wiser move) and kill any squad chance he had for the world cup.

I don't know why King doesn't just retire or sign for Hull!

He's actually been playing more frequently over the last month or so, suggesting that either he's getting used to playing through the discomfort or that he's got better at managing the recovery.

Retirement-wise, it's the Paul McGrath situation - and boy do commentators love comparing them - in that he's that damn good mentally at the game and at staying in shape generally that he still offers value to teams. If he can play 20 games in a season and earn the club points in 15 of those, then that can be the difference between relegation and Europe some years. That's why we're offering a season long extension when his contract ends in the summer.

Woodgate's another story - 'Arry says he's unlikely to play again this season. I say he's just as unlikely to play again at all - certainly I don't see him in a Spurs shirt again. It's a shame because when the two were fit together they were an awesome pairing. Fortunately Dawson has managed to learn from both whilst he's covered for the other, because his rate of improvement in the last 2 years has been unbelievale.

Bad news for Utd, Anderson out for the season...bloody shame as I rate the lad, he would have played in Carricks place in the 2nd leg of Milan game. Some Utd fans dont rate him much but he is only 21 after all, has soo much potential!

And I love the song the fans sing about him to the tune of Aga Doo.

"Anderson son son, he's better than Kleberson. Anderson son son, he is our midfield magician, to the left, to the right, do the samba beat tonight. He is class with a 'brass'...and he SHITS ON FABREGAS!"

Why do permier league teams only get 9pts deducted for adminisrtation?

Big Dave wrote:Why do permier league teams only get 9pts deducted for adminisrtation?

Drunk much?

Strangely enough Hull City are playing my local team Galway United tonight in a friendly. I got tickets to it but just to see how shit Hull are in person, and to shout obscenities at Phil Brown.

Apparently he's gonna be starting his first team as well cause he's so pissed off at their performance last weekend. But why the hell have a freindly match in the middle of season?

I reckon you'll see Bullard getting a run-out to help his match fitness. We did the same for Luka Modric late last year. It's a common thing if you don't want to run the risk of a relapse in a competitive game costing you a sub early on.

Hull aren't in any cups so their schedule isn't as bad as it could be anyway

MK wrote:

Big Dave wrote:Why do permier league teams only get 9pts deducted for adminisrtation?

Drunk much?

At 8.44am? No I just don't pay that much attention to what I type and I was using my lass's stupid tiny laptop!

So why don't they get 10pts?

Big Dave wrote:

MK wrote:

Big Dave wrote:Why do permier league teams only get 9pts deducted for adminisrtation?

Drunk much?

At 8.44am? No I just don't pay that much attention to what I type and I was using my lass's stupid tiny laptop!

So why don't they get 10pts?

I'm wondering the same thing.

Garibaldi wrote:I reckon you'll see Bullard getting a run-out to help his match fitness. We did the same for Luka Modric late last year. It's a common thing if you don't want to run the risk of a relapse in a competitive game costing you a sub early on.

Hull aren't in any cups so their schedule isn't as bad as it could be anyway

They won 1-0, no Bullard but a full team nontheless. Not bad value for 12 euro.

Outlaw2x4 wrote:

Garibaldi wrote:I reckon you'll see Bullard getting a run-out to help his match fitness. We did the same for Luka Modric late last year. It's a common thing if you don't want to run the risk of a relapse in a competitive game costing you a sub early on.

Hull aren't in any cups so their schedule isn't as bad as it could be anyway

They won 1-0, no Bullard but a full team nontheless. Not bad value for 12 euro.

To watch Hull?

I would have expected at least 11 euro change

I very much doubt Aaron Ramsey will play football for another year with that injury. It was one of those horrific youtube injuries. Hopefully it wont affect his career in the long run though. I felt sorry for shawcross too as he seemed genuinly devastated by it.

On a lighter note, I think this victory is huge for our season. Within reaching distance of Chelsea now and a slighter easier run of games til the end of season.

Outlaw2x4 wrote:I very much doubt Aaron Ramsey will play football for another year with that injury. It was one of those horrific youtube injuries. Hopefully it wont affect his career in the long run though. I felt sorry for shawcross too as he seemed genuinly devastated by it.

On a lighter note, I think this victory is huge for our season. Within reaching distance of Chelsea now and a slighter easier run of games til the end of season.

Wenger needs to shut his mouth about this. I don't have a "favorite" team, but Arsenal is one that I do enjoy. However, he needs to calm down. Shawcross was clearly devastated by it, and Wenger went on the attack after the match. Poor form.

Also, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Bridge blow past Terry at the handshakes.

MK wrote:

Outlaw2x4 wrote:I very much doubt Aaron Ramsey will play football for another year with that injury. It was one of those horrific youtube injuries. Hopefully it wont affect his career in the long run though. I felt sorry for shawcross too as he seemed genuinly devastated by it.

On a lighter note, I think this victory is huge for our season. Within reaching distance of Chelsea now and a slighter easier run of games til the end of season.

Wenger needs to shut his mouth about this. I don't have a "favorite" team, but Arsenal is one that I do enjoy. However, he needs to calm down. Shawcross was clearly devastated by it, and Wenger went on the attack after the match. Poor form.

Also, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Bridge blow past Terry at the handshakes.

This is the second time in two years that Arsenal have lost player to a horrific injury because of overly agressive tackles, so I think Wenger has every right ot be upset about it, and I dont think he attacked Shawcross specifically, rather the whole style of play that was used.

Outlaw2x4 wrote:

MK wrote:

Outlaw2x4 wrote:I very much doubt Aaron Ramsey will play football for another year with that injury. It was one of those horrific youtube injuries. Hopefully it wont affect his career in the long run though. I felt sorry for shawcross too as he seemed genuinly devastated by it.

On a lighter note, I think this victory is huge for our season. Within reaching distance of Chelsea now and a slighter easier run of games til the end of season.

Wenger needs to shut his mouth about this. I don't have a "favorite" team, but Arsenal is one that I do enjoy. However, he needs to calm down. Shawcross was clearly devastated by it, and Wenger went on the attack after the match. Poor form.

Also, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Bridge blow past Terry at the handshakes.

This is the second time in two years that Arsenal have lost player to a horrific injury because of overly agressive tackles, so I think Wenger has every right ot be upset about it, and I dont think he attacked Shawcross specifically, rather the whole style of play that was used.

I know about Eduardo's injury, but at the press conference after the game, Wenger was complaining that the 3-match ban for Shawcross wasn't enough. Fine Stoke instead. Don't punish Shawcross any more than he already is, since he clearly wasn't happy with his actions.

It was a 50-50 ball, at the end of the day. As Pulis said, if it had been malicious in any way he'd have gone over the ball, but he went in with the foot sideways looking to play or block the ball.

Yes Wenger may have lost three players to bad breaks over the last few years, but of the three this was the only fair tackle, so to lay this on a young guy early in his career who was gutted and even tried to check on the guy but was blocked by Ramsey's teammates is terrible.

And the 9 points thing - the prem is a smaller divison so there's less games, hence one point less than the larger lower divisions. In both cases it works out as one point deducted for just over every four games.

And 'Arry has me worried now - we have one of the best young reserve midfields going with Parrett and Bostock but with Thud being carred off he's bemoaned the fact that we ony have 3 midfielders - Jenas (groin op), Thud (Leg) and Palacios (on bookings so close to suspension). So from this we can assume that he considers Modric and Krancjar as wingers only (although with Lennon and Bentley both out with groin injuries as well, maybe he wants them on the wings and is ignoring Danny Rose) and that two of the country's highest rated midfield prospects aren't good enough for him.

Garibaldi wrote:And the 9 points thing - the prem is a smaller divison so there's less games, hence one point less than the larger lower divisions. In both cases it works out as one point deducted for just over every four games.

Gotcha! Now try and explain why some clubs last season got 17 points deducted!

haha lets all laugh at Hull!

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6028351,00.html

Phil Brown sacked.

Hooray!

Outlaw2x4 wrote:http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6028351,00.html

Phil Brown sacked.

Hooray!