English Premier League EPL Thread

[thecorsair]

I too hope Arsenal can win the league and prove that you can run your football club the right way and not be reliant on a Sheikh or an Oligarch to bankroll your club.

Considering the major reason Arsenal have become decent again is due to a £40 million ( or whatever the final total was ) signing I don't think it can be said that Arsenal have done anything without spending large amounts of money.

All teams buy their success to some degree, it's just that in the modern era the amount of money that is spent and how it's generated has changed.

It's been amusing to see how arrogant some Arsenal fans have become after nothing more than 1 decent signing and a good start....many of these are likely the same ones that always give United fans flak for similar behaviour although at least United fans had lots of trophies to back up their claims.

1 great start and a big money signing doesn't mean league domination but reading comments from Gooners around the internet you'd think all that was a formality

Mourinho is taking a bit of time to build his new team but before long things will click, another signing or two will be made and Chelsea will again become the team to beat.

There's been some rumors in the papers this week that Jose will make a £35 million bid for Shrek in January.

If that happens and United decide to cash in instead of letting his contract run out and have him leave on a free next year Arsenal can forget about the title.

 

[greygoose]

I think the title is between City and Chelsea. Arsenal may be still around there, but do they finally have it in them to win it?...

 

[thecorsair]

I think the title is between City and Chelsea. Arsenal may be still around there, but do they finally have it in them to win it?...

City are a joke.

Once again they spent ridiculously in the summer but so far they're only 2 points better off than a **** United team and have lost the same number of league games

Assuming Arsenal don't fizzle out they may come close this year, but all Chelsea need is a consistent goalscorer and they'll be in a position to dominate England for the next few years.

 

[greygoose]

City are a joke.

Once again they spent ridiculously in the summer and they brought in a big name manager but so far they're only 2 points better off than a **** United team and have lost the same number of league games

Arsenal are the only team on fire at the moment in the league. I think City will pull it together and mount a challenge together with Chelsea. I think it will be Liverpool, Utd & Spurs battling for fourth.

 

[thecorsair]

Arsenal are the only team on fire at the moment in the league. I think City will pull it together and mount a challenge together with Chelsea. I think it will be Liverpool, Utd & Spurs battling for fourth.

City have spent millions upon millions in the last few years and the best they've managed was winning the title on goal difference. Lightning won't strike like that again.

Their biggest driving force is also their biggest weakness, they're so obsessed with outdoing United on and off the pitch that they don't focus on the overall picture.

United aren't finishing in the top 4 again without a major reinvestment in the squad and a new manager.

They've been winning of late but only against sides that they're expected to beat. Moyes can't beat big clubs in games that matter ie the league.

United offer no threat to a team playing like Arsenal currently are and if they can limit them to just four then it should be considered a good result.

 

[Ondi]

Arsenal also need to invest in January if they are to seriously mount a challenge.

They are playing out of their skins at the moment but they can't keep that up an entire season as well as compete in various cups etc + injuries.

Either way though I'm a happy gunner. I'm just happy to see some good positive football from them for a change. I can handle a loss as long as they play with desire.

 

[thecorsair]

Real Sociedad 0-0 Man Utd

Justice was done with the RVP penalty miss. Ashley Young is a diving c**t.

When Fellaini was bought I was told by fellow posters here that he was a great signing and would be exactly what United are lacking.

Either those comments were tongue in cheek or they were misguided as so far he's looking like the worst signing United have ever made, he's so bad that he actually makes the likes of Valencia and Nani look good.

Chicharito didn't do himself any favors with that miss.

United play Arsenal and Spurs in their next 3 games so I would just like to congratulate fans of both teams on the 3 points they'll pick up.

 

[heon123]

Really boring game today, I felt that it should be 2-0 or 3-0 but it was a boring draw. United should be doing better...especially Hernandez since he's been b****ing about not getting enough game time. I thought Fellaini did well today. Except the bookings, he did play well though. Broke up opposition play and kept possession. Valencia's been great the past two games so credit to him for trying. Kagawa was good but not brilliant like the was at home against Sociodad. Misses happen so no point being all critical about missing the penalty and that open goal.

If United play with confidence like they did against Fulham (First 20 minutes) I'm happy to say that United will pick up 6 points.

 

[thecorsair]

Really boring game today, I felt that it should be 2-0 or 3-0 but it was a boring draw. United should be doing better...especially Hernandez since he's been b****ing about not getting enough game time. I thought Fellaini did well today. Except the bookings, he did play well though. Broke up opposition play and kept possession. Valencia's been great the past two games so credit to him for trying. Kagawa was good but not brilliant like the was at home against Sociodad. Misses happen so no point being all critical about missing the penalty and that open goal.

If United play with confidence like they did against Fulham (First 20 minutes) I'm happy to say that United will pick up 6 points.

When not commiting fouls Fellaini seems to wander around the pitch in a daze, there's no urgency or intensity about his play, he's blatantly way out of his comfort zone at a club like United.

A player described to me as "a beast" when he signed looks more like a cowardly lion.

That Moyes paid £27.5 million for him should be enough to justify his sacking especially when you consider how much less United could have got Eriksen for.

Valencia is never great and gave yet another blundering display on the right. He's so predictable that I can tell what he'll do 3 moves before he does it and be correct virtually every time.

Kagawa had some decent touches but again looked out of place on the left. When Shrek went off he got another half hour in his preferred role but United never got the ball to him

He needs a dozen games or so in his proper role to get some kind of consistency but I doubt he'll get them as Moyes has too much of a boner for the overrated Shrek. He'll be better off returning to Dortmund in January.

United may play with confidence against Arsenal and Spurs but that only takes you so far....quality is what matters and they don't have enough.

They will be ripped apart in both games.

 

[RobertoBagg10]

Real Sociedad 0-0 Man Utd

Justice was done with the RVP penalty miss. Ashley Young is a diving c**t.

strong words but This player needs to be dropped to the reserves period! Even after Moysy had warned him of diving after the Crystal Palace game, he goes and does it again! Possibly the worse dive of them all. Does he not know that his reputation will destroy what was once a prosperous career, especially when at Villa...

Players that dive like Ashley Cole should be made to play 80 minutes of rugby!!!

 

[thecorsair]

strong words but This player needs to be dropped to the reserves period! Even after Moysy had warned him of diving after the Crystal Palace game, he goes and does it again! Possibly the worse dive of them all. Does he not know that his reputation will destroy what was once a prosperous career, especially when at Villa...

Players that dive like Ashley Cole should be made to play 80 minutes of rugby!!!

The funny thing was when he got the ball on the edge of the area I instantly said "Wait for the dive" to my Dad and sure enough it happened

As a United fan it's bad enough that a mediocre player like Young is at the club but his persistent diving is like adding insult to injury.

It was annoying when Ronaldo used to do it but he at least offered a whole lot more to the team.

With the likes of Young and Nani, diving is all they have and I think they should be moved on ASAP.

 

[RobertoBagg10]

The funny thing was when he got the ball on the edge of the area I instantly said "Wait for the dive" to my Dad and sure enough it happened

As a United fan it's bad enough seeing such a mediocre player like Young in the team but his diving is like adding insult to injury.

It was bad enough when Ronaldo used to do it but he at least offered a whole lot more to the team.

With the likes of Young and Nani, diving is all they have and the team needs considerably more than that, especially in it's current state.

The fact that you even predicted Young diving before he thought of doing it himself shows how bad this situation is with Ashley Young!

Spoiler

P.S. could i have this weekends winning lottery numbers!! ha!

In all seriousness, the art of diving has progressively got worse over the years. Lets not kid each other, there are alot of guilty parties. I remember back in the day when diving was a stereotypical Italian thing to do! Being Italian myself, i kinda just ignored things like that and took it on the chin, however, through my playing days i too was guilty of going down very easily when touched...some coaches in Italy actually demand it from you and i was no different. In some cases i was told to trip over my feet when inside the box and when the defender was almost close enough to me...

But slowly it has crept into the English game and for once its not the foreigners who are the guilty party but the british players! Ashley Young is by far the worse of them and is just infuriating to watch as he'd rather dive then go on and score a goal! Gareth Bale is another diver and was slowly going the same way as Young but he has tried to kerb it a little. I also remember Michael Owens dive for England against Argentina in the 2002 World Cup...he even admitted he dived and said he would have done it again given the chance! The guy should be given a knighthood for his honesty!

 

[thecorsair]

The fact that you even predicted Young diving before he thought of doing it himself shows how bad this situation is with Ashley Young!

Spoiler

P.S. could i have this weekends winning lottery numbers!! ha!

In all seriousness, the art of diving has progressively got worse over the years. Lets not kid each other, there are alot of guilty parties. I remember back in the day when diving was a stereotypical Italian thing to do! Being Italian myself, i kinda just ignored things like that and took it on the chin, however, through my playing days i too was guilty of going down very easily when touched...some coaches in Italy actually demand it from you and i was no different. In some cases i was told to trip over my feet when inside the box and when the defender was almost close enough to me...

But slowly it has crept into the English game and for once its not the foreigners who are the guilty party but the british players! Ashley Young is by far the worse of them and is just infuriating to watch as he'd rather dive then go on and score a goal! Gareth Bale is another diver and was slowly going the same way as Young but he has tried to kerb it a little. I also remember Michael Owens dive for England against Argentina in the 2002 World Cup...he even admitted he dived and said he would have done it again given the chance! The guy should be given a knighthood for his honesty!

Sadly there are several players in the current United squad that are that predictable, I just wish they were predictable for doing positive things.

I think diving has been around the English game to varying degrees for decades, Francis Lee at Man City and several of the Leeds team of the early 70's were notorious for it but it's gradually gotten worse.

Has the increasing influx of foreign players in the English game played a part?

I would say it has, the culture of cheating seems more ingrained into other countries and the antics we've seen from the likes of Suarez demonstrate just how different mentalities can be.

That being said English players in the Premier League era such as Shearer, Owen, Gerrard and others have all been guilty of diving or cheating in some other way as well so it would be very unfair to blame the problem entirely on the imported talent although the English media always try to spin it that way.

I think it's bad enough when poor teams/players cheat but even worse when you get teams like Barcelona cheating as they're good enough to not need to do it.

Unlike lesser teams/players it seems that because they play a style of football that's easy on the eye they usually get a free pass and their players continue to be worshipped like Gods even though many of them are just as guilty of conning officials as a nobody like Ashley Young.

Cheating is a worldwide disease and when you have the team that are currently supposed to be the ambassadors of all that is good in football doing it so habitually then something is evidently very, very wrong.

 

[RagingBull]

Arsenal beat Dortmund away 1 nil not deserved on tonight's performance but I didn't think Arsenal deserved to lose against Dortmund at the Emirates so I'm calling it evens

 

[RagingBull]

I can't believe Ramsey's scoring form. He's had this promise about him from when he was young. I remember seeing him at Cardiff & thinking how good he was but when he broke his leg I thought that was it for him like Eduardo but wow. Ozil, Santi, Wilshire? Ramsey is our main man right now

 

[shells075]

I don't want to get carried away but Arsenal might actually win something this season.
There looks a really good team spirit with them at the moment, Might be our year.

 

[VASith]

I don't want to get carried away but Arsenal might actually win something this season.
There looks a really good team spirit with them at the moment, Might be our year.

It's a special year. The title is ours. So happy to see Rambo playing to his potential.

Still need to sign a decent striker in January though.

 

[thecorsair]

The title is ours

No title is decided after 10 games.

 

[greygoose]

The title is ours.

We'll see...

All it takes is another day like Aston Villa and fans will be on Wenger's back again.

 

[thecorsair]

We'll see...

All it takes is another day like Aston Villa and fans will be on Wenger's back again.

Exactly.

A 5 point lead at this stage of the season is nothing.

I remember Kevin Keegan's Newcastle having a 12 point lead at Christmas and blowing it.

More recently United were 8 points ahead with 8 to go and let City in the back door.

The easiest fixtures on paper often turn out to be the ones that go pear shaped.

Stuff happens.