English Premier League EPL Thread

[greygoose]

It's City's title this year. Like last year at this point everyone knew Chelsea would win the League. Same situation again this year, best squad always wins.

 

[gypsycatcha]

It's City's title this year. Like last year at this point everyone knew Chelsea would win the League. Same situation again this year, best squad always wins.

Totally agree. That and Kompany and Toure are at there best . Silva also looks fresh. I know the West Ham result was a poor one but I actually think Liverpool look pretty strong this year.

 

[shells075]

I don't believe it, Arsenal are the only club in Europe not to have bought an outfield player. It is an absolute joke right now! We needed a world class CB, DCM & CF, and yet we have nobody! We will scrap for 4th place again and make the numbers up in the Champions League. Absolutely disgusted to be an Arsenal fan, yet again! Highest ticket prices in Europe and this is how we are repaid! Fans mugged off again. Wenger and the board are slowly but surely sinking this club.

Yeah I read that, pretty unbelievable but sadly true. What makes Wenger think that a team which hasn't been able to win the league in years & never challenges the big boys in Europe can do so this year, with exactly the same team + Cech? I'm happy we finally got a world class keeper after nearly 10 years of not having one but seriously we need a world class defender and a world class striker minimum.
Every year we hear Arsenal are 3 or 4 world class players away from winning the league and we never go out and get them, WTF.

 

[greygoose]

Totally agree. That and Kompany and Toure are at there best . Silva also looks fresh. I know the West Ham result was a poor one but I actually think Liverpool look pretty strong this year.

I can see us having another up and down season. Rodgers should have gone last season. Fifth at best for us.

 

[shells075]

Funny how everyone seemed to of forgotten about City before the season started. They easily got the best team in the league, they might even challenge in Europe this season?

 

[greygoose]

Funny how everyone seemed to of forgotten about City before the season started. They easily got the best team in the league, they might even challenge in Europe this season?

I hope they challenge in Europe! Another poor season in the Champions League by English clubs and we could lose our fourth spot. I think Italy would gain a place and we'd lose one, making it a top three.

 

[gypsycatcha]

I can see us having another up and down season. Rodgers should have gone last season. Fifth at best for us.

I dunno. I really do feel 4th is up for grabs. United might struggle getting in there. Not been impressed with how they play so far and to rely on Rooney and Martial to get most of the goals is a gamble. Another team that needed a 20 goal striker.

Coutinho has goals, Benteke will score if you can keep him fit and Sturidge to come back. Still not convinced on the keeper tho.

 

[gypsycatcha]

 

[shells075]

 

[LIBBY1957DOG]

i see stevie me me me has a book out and its a great read acording to our favorite and his, top pop star and celebrity book reviewer phil collins

"A cracking good read from me old mucker, Stevie. **** a DJ for me matey."

wow stevie really lets loose with this one

on his sending off against united last season
"
Quote from Gerrard on that stamp-

"We had stood off United in the first half and made very few tackles. It went against everything built into my DNA. Tackling and collisions mattered against Manchester United.

While we waited for the second half to start, I looked around Anfield, my ancient battleground, and did a last few warm-ups, rotating my torso from the hips, tugging at my shorts, impatient for the game to get under way.

The game restarted, I went in hard with a fair, but slamming tackle on Juan Mata. I cleaned out Mata, who went flying, and I won the ball.

I was involved again, immediately, as Ander Herrera came hurtling towards me to shut down space. I was too quick for him. I completed a simple pass as Herrera came flying in with his sliding tackle. His right leg stretched out invitingly on the Anfield turf. I couldn't stop myself. Without even giving myself time to think I brought my left foot stamping down on Herrera. I felt my studs sink into his flesh just above the ankle. It had to have hurt him."

lol at "my ancient battle ground "


gerrard on rafa

don't think Rafa Benitez liked me as a person. I'm not sure why, but that's the feeling I got from him. It probably started even before he spoke to me, when he met my mum.

Rafa was appointed as Liverpool's manager in June 2004 — and I was playing for England in the Euros in Portugal that summer.

Even though he was being replaced by Rafa, Gerard Houllier still loved Liverpool and he remained very close to me. He and my mum flew out to Portugal to watch me play for England against Croatia — and they bumped into Rafa.

Gerard introduced Rafa to my mum. Rafa shook her hand, said hello and then immediately asked her a very blunt question: 'Does Steven like money?'

Apart from a standard 'Hello... good to meet you' introduction, those were the first words Rafa said to my mum. I thought: 'What kind of question is that?'

I can pick up the phone and speak to all of my previous Liverpool managers. Except for Rafa.

It's a shame because we probably shared the biggest night of both our careers — the 2005 Champions League victory in Istanbul — and yet there is no bond between us.

I used to think he favoured our Spanish-speakers. He was an especially big fan of South American players, which is fine. It caused no problem between us.

At press conferences he might call other players by their first name but I was always 'Gerrard'. It was the same in the dressing room. He would read out the team and use nicknames. But, for me, it would just be 'Gerrard'.

On the facts press conference:

One time he did suffer a meltdown involving Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson. I went home from training that Friday lunchtime and switched on the TV. Rafa sat down with his usual half-smile. It looked likely to be a normal press conference, but then he reached into his pocket for a piece of paper.

He spread it out on the table and began to read out one 'fact' after another. Rafa kept saying 'fact... fact... fact...' and I could not believe what I was hearing. I was grabbing the couch, digging my fingers into the arms, feeling embarrassed for him.

Rafa started by saying that maybe Manchester United 'are nervous because we are at the top of the table'. I thought: 'Uh oh, what's happening here?'

It seemed so unlike Rafa to talk in such an emotional way. You could see the anger in him. 'I want to talk about facts,' Rafa said. 'I want to be clear, I do not want to play mind games too early, although they seem to want to start. But I have seen some facts.'

Rafa went off on a ramble about how Manchester United and 'Mr Ferguson' had not been properly punished for various misdemeanours. He listed dates and incidents and concluded that 'Mr Ferguson is the only manager in the league that cannot be punished for these things'.

He then railed against the fixture list and the timing of matches being skewed in United's favour. Rafa was sounding muddled and bitter and paranoid. He was humiliating himself. It was a disaster. I couldn't understand Rafa's thinking in wanting to take on Ferguson, a master of mind games, when we were sitting so calmly on top of the table early into a new year.

When I met up with England all the Manchester United players told me Fergie was just laughing at Rafa, saying: 'I've got him. I've got him.'

Rafa made a lot of decisions with himself in mind. He wanted power and control. I didn't like it. Fighting with the board, other managers and the press wasn't the Liverpool way


on losing the england captaincy to scott parker

After Fabio Capello resigned in February 2012 and before Roy Hodgson took over, Pearce was caretaker manager for a friendly against Holland at Wembley.I think he imagined he might be in the running, even though his managerial record could not be compared to Roy’s vast experience or to that of Harry Redknapp, who was then tipped by the media to become England’s next manager.
There had been a lot of talk about who would be captain under Pearce and, when I arrived at the hotel, I thought that might have been his moment to say, ‘Can I have a word outside?’ or, ‘Could you come to my room for a chat?’
The following morning, just before the squad left for training, Pearce pulled me into a toilet at The Grove. He said, ‘I just wanted to tell you face to face that I’m going to be picking Scott Parker to be the captain for this game.’
Scott Parker is a good player and honest; I’ve got a lot of respect for Scott as a player and a person. But to pick Scott Parker as England captain ahead of me?I don’t know whether it was a dig at Liverpool or something more personal — but my overall perception was Pearce was doing some muscle-flexing in the toilet mirrors.
My guess is it was a decision designed to focus attention on him, his way of saying: ‘This is me. I’m in charge.’
I might have had misgivings about his tactical insights as a coach, but I respected Pearce until that moment. I felt he treated me very badly. It was insulting — and wrong. I thought it was selfish. It was a political decision to make everyone think he had balls.
It was clear in team meetings Pearce wanted to impress and get a crack at the job for Euro 2012.
But I think the decision he shared with me in a toilet was one of the reasons he never got the position he craved.


He's saying Pearce didn't get the England job because he didn't make Gerrard captain?

He really spares no detail.on his nob being stitched back on lol

The magic of the FA Cup was bloodied on the day my ***** was cut and then stitched shut on an unromantic afternoon in Bournemouth last year.

It was eye-watering. I tried to close down a winger to block his cross but felt a stinging in my privates. I thought, 'S*** — that doesn't feel right!' It was stinging like ******.

The gash looked pretty bad, right across the middle. There was plenty of blood. I needed four stitches and the lads were absolutely p*ssing themselves.

You can imagine the jokes about inches and stitches and my future performances at home. I might have smiled but I could have throttled the lot of them.

The doc and I went looking for somewhere quiet, but Bournemouth's physio room was busy and I sat down, looking sheepish, while a few of their kids came over to shake hands.

They must have thought I was shy. Then when the doc suggested, 'I think we'd better get on with it, Stevie' there was no way I was getting my ***** out in front of an audience. Doc Andy Massey cleared the room, I took off my shorts and underpants and had one last look.

Ouch. I hoped I wasn't saying goodbye to an old friend. I got a *** first and was careful not to look at what he was doing. The doc already had to staple Martin Skrtel's head and now he was repairing my *****!

After I had been bandaged up as protection against any possible infection, I asked the obvious question. 'Can I play against Everton on Tuesday?'


on uniteds win at villa to secure the title

"As Macheda curled that ball into the corner of the net I cried, I cried for myself because I knew that it was over, all that I had worked so hard for all season was over."
What about crying for the fans, the club, your teammates etc etc?

Seems to me that he stayed too long at Liverpool; he has the air of Henry in his last years with Arsenal - a man whose demeanour suggests he's tired of carrying the team on his shoulders, a man who never tires of making it clear that he's carrying the team on his shoulders.





Gerrard on the Real Madrid away game:

"While it was only a one-nil defeat it did feel like Brendan Rodgers had surrendered even before kick-off."


looks like a cracking read and i Have to feel for the Liverpool fans on this one - no one wants a club legend coming out with stuff like this. I don't get exactly what for either. Is it really worth tarnishing your own reputation for a few royalty checks? Some really bizarre quotes.

 

[ishothimsixtimes]

Being a blue, I've obviously got no time for crease head but at least he's doing a decent job of winding up people I like even less than him. Benitez has already had a pop about Stevie MeMeMe repeatedly dropping the "Real Madrid manager"s name purely for 'publicity' purposes and the vile El Hadji Diouf has hit back with a (totally predictable) accusation of racism. Got to love this line:

"Gerrard has never liked black people. When I was in Liverpool, I showed him that I was black....".

Eh? Like he never noticed until you pointed it out? There was me thinking the 'I'm really, really, colour blind' excuse was just a convenient get out to explain away why he was pictured in an Everton kit holding up the league trophy as a kid.

 

[greygoose]

Bad timing with Gerrard's new book. Fair enough, it's interesting to read but he should have waited afew years after he has retired from playing football. I think Gerrard's management team and agents had $$$ in their eyes and were only thinking about selling books and gaining press again in the UK.

 

[LIBBY1957DOG]

Being a blue, I've obviously got no time for crease head but at least he's doing a decent job of winding up people I like even less than him. Benitez has already had a pop about Stevie MeMeMe repeatedly dropping the "Real Madrid manager"s name purely for 'publicity' purposes and the vile El Hadji Diouf has hit back with a (totally predictable) accusation of racism. Got to love this line:

"Gerrard has never liked black people. When I was in Liverpool, I showed him that I was black....".

Eh? Like he never noticed until you pointed it out? There was me thinking the 'I'm really, really, colour blind' excuse was just a convenient get out to explain away why he was pictured in an Everton kit holding up the league trophy as a kid.

wow heres the full diouf stuff

“We all saw how he made life difficult for Mario Balotelli at Liverpool. I warned him. Liverpool isn’t a team that accepts black people unless they are English.

“It’s common knowledge. Gerrard has never liked black people. When I was at Liverpool, I showed him I was black, that I wasn’t English, but that I'm no pushover. All the time I was there, he never dared looked me in the eye.”

That's not even the best thing Diouf said....

He Told Senegal's Radio Futur Media: "Gerrard is just jealous of me. He hasn't achieved what I have done in football.

"I arrived at Liverpool with the status of a big boss, and he just lived there. I am respected throughout world football.

"The greatest experts in the game have declared me one of the seven best players at a World Cup, and among the 100 best players of the century. There are lots of great players who are not on these lists.

"Everywhere I go away from my homeland people worship me - while Gerrard will get abuse whenever he leaves his home city of Liverpool.

If those claims of racism came from anyone else they might be believable.

Diouf :. What a clown. Maybe its less to do with his skin colour and more to do with the fact he was a massive ********?

He was also a transfer negotiator with failed bids for Toni Kroos and Willian. Just read he quotes here and laugh. Remember when tapping up was a thing? Liverpool must surely be worried about this news...

https://www.football365.com/news/rodgers-had-gerrard-contact-liverpool-targets

‘I had an unofficial role at the club, trying to persuade some great players to join Liverpool,’ Gerrard wrote in My Story. ‘It was the same ritual every summer. The club would let me know which long-shot target they had in mind and then ask me to contact him. They thought that a request to consider moving to Liverpool would have more impact coming from me.

‘In 2013, the latest player in our sights was Willian, the Brazilian midfielder. I followed the usual routine when approaching a star player we wanted to sign. Instead of calling him directly I always sent a text. It seemed more respectful and allowed the player to read my message at a time when it suited him best. A cold call felt wrong.

‘I slipped into the groove with Willian. I said hello and hoped he didn’t mind me contacting him directly. I stressed how much I admired him as a player and then, having mentioned that I knew Liverpool were speaking to his agent, I used the standard line: ‘If you need to chat or ask any questions I’m available at any time.

‘It was the opening move in a familiar game. The reply came in and the same old conversation started. Willian thanked me and he said the usual, along the lines of, ‘I’d love to play with you, Steven, blah-blah-blah, but there are other clubs who play in the Champions League I need to talk to as well.’ I knew Spurs and Chelsea were also very keen on Willian. So I answered him and said, of course, I understood. But I then went in with my sales pitch. ‘I think Liverpool would be a great move for you. The fans are amazing, the history is there and we’re building a good team. You could do something great here – and we’d love to have you.’

‘I meant it, too, because the club only asked for my help if it was with a player I rated. But I always tried to persuade with honesty and respect and never mentioned anything about the player’s financial situation or the contract he could expect from Liverpool. The next text from Willian was so obvious I could have written it for him even before I read it. He again said that it would be great to play in the same team as me but ‘I’m not sure Liverpool can give me the Champions League.’ He went to Chelsea.

‘It was a game of texting ping-pong that had only small differences each time. Occasionally a player would say his wife or girlfriend preferred the idea of living in London, Madrid or Paris. The clear message was that there were fancier shops and swankier restaurants in bigger cities than Liverpool. I knew then that the deal was dead.

‘Our target in 2014 was ridiculously optimistic. Brendan asked me to take a crack at trying to talk Toni Kroos into signing for Liverpool. He smiled when I said we’d be p*****g into the wind with this one. We both admired Kroos immensely. I knew Real Madrid were gearing up to make Bayern Munich an offer and so I felt a bit awkward when I texted Kroos. The German was on his way to winning the World Cup with his country and Real were the champions of Europe. But God loves a trier, and so I gave it a whirl.

‘Some of the best footballers in the world can also be the most respectful. Kroos didn’t make me feel like I was a total idiot. But, of course, he would soon sign for Real Madrid. We had a nice little exchange of texts and I said well done and good luck.’

on the Benitez stuff the "Does Steven like money?" opening to a conversation is conveniently left hanging in a way which makes Benitez seem strange and rude. great stuff lol I think I'll use it when I greet people for the first time, ever. 'heh, do you like money? Well do ya ?'.

 

[shells075]

Just had an awful thought. Man Utd might win the league this season.

 

[LIBBY1957DOG]

Just had an awful thought. Man Utd might win the league this season.
are united better than they seem
If Jonathan Wilson says it is then it is. That man knows his stuff.

Not for the first time this season, Louis van Gaal’s press conference on Sunday was baffling. Ronald Koeman, the Southampton manager, is habitually cautious about discussing the opposition, but he had no qualms about acknowledging Manchester United’s defensive “flaws”. But not Van Gaal, who turned aggressively on his questioner.

To most at St Mary’s they seemed self-evident: Southampton had, after all, scored twice and hit the post, while David De Gea had been forced into two excellent saves, the first of them, a reaction stop from Jose Fonte, stunning. When told that Koeman had acknowledged the problems, Van Gaal replied, “That is remarkable.” And yet he admitted he had had to take off Mateo Darmian at half-time because he wasn’t getting tight enough to Dusan Tadic and said that his team had struggled in the final 15 minutes because they were suffering the aftereffects of Tuesday’s Champions League defeat to PSV Eindhoven.

It’s been a similar story all season: Van Gaal talking about process and philosophy and apparently seeing a wholly different game to anybody else – which may, of course, be a facet of his genius. And yet for all the grumbling, for all the sense that United are inhibited, playing constantly with the fear of conceding possession, for all the reports of delegations of players complaining about the stifling atmosphere, United are second in the table, just two points off the top. It says much for how unexpected that is that United’s average WhoScored rating for the season is 6.89, only the 11th best in the division.

[​IMG]

Although United’s third goal in Sunday came after a move of 44 passes – the map of the goal was extraordinary, showing an array of sideways passes and only two that went forward at an angle of more than 45 degrees - Sunday’s win didn’t seem to have a whole lot to do with process: United won because of the excellence of a goalkeeper who made a number of fine blocks and a centre-forward who scored with two composed finishes. But are there underlying suggestions that this United team may be better than it appears?

Van Gaal prioritises possession above all else – which is probably why United have the second lowest figure of dribbles in the league. “When you have the ball, the opposition cannot score,” he said again on Sunday. United have the third-highest possession stats in the league behind Arsenal and City. The allegation from critics is that they don’t do enough with the ball: sure enough, while Arsenal have 20.2 shots per game from 58.6% possession and Manchester City 20 from 57.2%, United have had just 11.3 from 56.9% possession.

That shots per game figure is only the joint 13th highest in the Premier League. Nor can it be said that United are adept at holding back with speculative shots: their figure of 3.5 shots on target per game is also the 13th-highest. A total of nine goals scored in the six games so far, though, is the fourth best in the league.

And United do have the third–best defence after City and Tottenham, conceding only 8.8 shots per game – the second lowest figure in the league. In that sense, the possession-first approach is working. Van Gaal pointed out on Sunday that over the summer it had been widely predicted that their defence would be their weak spot, and he is right to point out that has not been the case so far, but Southampton showed how vulnerable United can be when forced to defend, when the insurance of possession is breached.

But perhaps that’s the point: hold possession enough and those defensive inadequacies are largely irrelevant. If Anthony Martial gives them a cutting edge to go with that, if Wayne Rooney flourishes back in his withdrawn role, perhaps the process of which Van Gaal speaks does provide the basis for a serious title challenge after all.



It's mentions pretty much what most United fans, who have actually watched the games, are thinking.
Can't grumble with being 2nd in the league though and i think we are better than the press think in terms of results, not better than anyone thinks in terms of performance. I'm 57yrs old, this is the worst united side i think I've watched regularly , i hate the sidewise and back passing and unproductive possession

 

[shells075]

Rather Utd win the league then Chelsea, Anyone but Chelsea Well apart from Tottenham but that's never gonna happen anyway.

 

[franpincho]

Not EPL, but...

****ing Lewandoski....

 

[LIBBY1957DOG]

Bad timing with Gerrard's new book. Fair enough, it's interesting to read but he should have waited afew years after he has retired from playing football. I think Gerrard's management team and agents had $$$ in their eyes and were only thinking about selling books and gaining press again in the UK.

More from Rafa on The Man with No premier league Medals:

“This is not the time to get into this but he (Gerrard) is a phenomenal player and my relationship with him was good. It can remain so if he so wishes”.

classy from rafa and stevie me is at it again lol

"Steven Gerrard has pointed the finger at Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers for his “over-confidence” ahead of the Anfield clash with Chelsea, which scuppered the Reds’ 2013-14 Premier League title tilt.

The Reds led the league by five points with just three games remaining 17 months ago, but they were beaten 2-0 by Chelsea – the game which featured Gerrard’s infamous slip.

The LA Galaxy man, who has admitted to being haunted by that night, lost his footing deep inside his own half allowing Demba Ba to put the Blues ahead.

Liverpool then drew 3-3 away at Crystal Palace and ended up finishing two points behind the champions Manchester City, and Gerrard says Rodgers’ attitude ahead of the Chelsea game was costly.

In ‘Steven Gerrard: My Story,’ he wrote: “I’ve never been able to say this in public before but I was seriously concerned that we thought we could blow Chelsea away. I sensed an over-confidence in Brendan’s team talks.

“We played into Chelsea’s hands. I feared it then and I know it now.”

Gerrard also recalls the moment he was told he would not be in the starting line-up against Manchester United last season.

“A sudden lump formed in my throat,” he said. “I had a split-second decision to make. Do I have a go at him?”

Gerrard was used as a half-time substitute at Old Trafford but was sent off just 38 seconds after stamping on Ander Herrera."

Blaming Rodgers...the game was going fine before the dumb ******* fell over
it was Rodgers shooting from 40 yards after the slip as well lol
What an absolute ******. Surely if he felt overconfidence in the team he should have been calming them down? He was the greatest captain of all time after all.
I sensed an over-confidence in Brendan’s team talks.
But the one I gave about "this does not slip" was completely alright.

Have a go at the manager for not picking him? What a self obsessed **** he really is :

 

[LIBBY1957DOG]

ha ha ha ,got to give it to brentan ,hes one humble genius

Liverpool’s Brendan Rodgers convinced of his style of management | Football | The Guardian

The man who won the Manager of the Year award 16 months ago believes it would be an injustice if he secures an unwanted victory in the sack race now. “I am the same guy who nearly won us the league, but better,” he said.

“I think I have shown in the early stages of my management – without being arrogant – that with a talented group of players I can compete at the top end of the league. I know how to manage top players. If you give me the tools, I’ll do the work.”

“There are very short memories in football,” Rodgers said. “The team was eighth when I got here. We built a team to excite people throughout European football, that should have won the league.”

I found this hilarious in its delusion and self-importance. Sounds like a man who knows he's blown his chance at managing at a 'top' club and is putting himself up for his next job already.

 

[LIBBY1957DOG]

LOL. I probably shouldn't, but lol