The 2012-2013 Football Thread

The Odemwingie saga has provided more than enough entertainment this window. Outright comical.

Meanwhile, Wenger officially secures Monreal for roughly 8.5m/£60k a week.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has been speaking about his signing of Nacho Monreal.

He says: "We are delighted that Nacho Monreal has agreed to join us. We have been monitoring him for some time now and are really pleased that we've been able to agree this move today.

"Monreal is a strong left-sided defender with good experience at both club and international level. He is a technically gifted player, a good crosser in the final third and strong in the air. Monreal will add quality to our squad and of course, to our defensive unit. We all look forward to him playing for us."

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Shame Santos will still be the one facing Robben in the Bayern Match.

If I were a professional footballer I would have spent today driving around various football clubs (making sure I was seen by the cameras) until Jim White explodes from excitement.

And in other news, my boys took me to the St Mirren v Celtic semi-final on Sunday and it was ace! (Family pic)

Lord Blackadder said:

RE: Redknapp...at what point will the press finally turn on him and paint him as the opportunistic, wheeler-dealing, short-sighted destroyer of clubs that I feel he is? If QPR do get relegated and Fernandes does flee the club, it could be a 100% repeat of Pompey.

The squad they have is probably too expensive for the Premier League (given QPR's revenue), let alone the championship. And even if they stay up, they will require huge infusions of cash just to pay their players.

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Didn't a reporter ask him once about wheeling and dealing and Harry got pissed and told him to F off he's a football manager?

2020mike said:

Didn't a reporter ask him once about wheeling and dealing and Harry got pissed and told him to F off he's a football manager?

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Yup

Away from the transfer markets there was some football played.

Ajax beat Vitesse by 4 goals in the KNVB Beker

The draw for the next rond is: To be played on the 26/17 February 2013

Ajax vs AZ 67

PEC Zwolle vs PSV

Fuzzy14 said:

If I were a professional footballer I would have spent today driving around various football clubs (making sure I was seen by the cameras) until Jim White explodes from excitement.

And in other news, my boys took me to the St Mirren v Celtic semi-final on Sunday and it was ace! (Family pic)

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You're a lovin' family father? Belong to the boys in blue? Or are a convict? We want answers Fuzzy!

And finally Hertha is about to take off again...cruel when every league started already - well, except you British fellas who didn't even bother to pause at all - but your own.

Fuzzy14 said:

And in other news, my boys took me to the St Mirren v Celtic semi-final on Sunday and it was ace! (Family pic)

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Excellent! Sounded like a great match too.

2020mike said:

Didn't a reporter ask him once about wheeling and dealing and Harry got pissed and told him to F off he's a football manager?

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And that's precisely why he needs to be called a wheeler-dealer at every possible opportunity.

I wonder if Brendan Rogers is going to keep Skrtel on the bench and start Carragher against Man City. Carra did reasonably well against Arsenal, but I get nwervous these day swhen I see him on the pitch...

So Jaffa, what's all this about DJ Campbell absconding from a meeting with the Tigers' suits by "going out to lunch" and not returning? A scurvy trick, that.

OllyW said:

He doesn't know when to give in. He's now accusing Albion of using underhand tactics when they signed him from Russia...



Albion have responded by sending him packing for the weekend.

http://www.expressandstar.com/sport...wingie-sent-home-from-training-after-qpr-row/

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He's reacted remarkably badly to the whole affair.

If west brom used underhanded tactics why did Odemwingie go to them to get a medical in the first place if he didn't agree to the use of such tactics? Kettle meet pot.

In personal news they moved my desk at work today, I am now sitting next to a Liverpool fan. It's not bad since I can finally talk some football at work.

in MLS news looks like my CHicago Fire and Blackadder's Columbus Crew finalized a deal. Crew gets Dominic Oduro and Fire get Dilly Duka. Kind of a surprising deal.

Jaffa Cake said:

Hang the DJ...

There's a guy at work that takes liberties with his lunch 'hour', so I'm in full support of Bruce on this one. He's a tad more scathing in the local rag.

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And to top things off, Campbell never ended up going to Blackburn anyway.

2020mike said:

in MLS news looks like my CHicago Fire and Blackadder's Columbus Crew finalized a deal. Crew gets Dominic Oduro and Fire get Dilly Duka. Kind of a surprising deal.

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On the face of it, Columbus got the better deal in terms of wage expenditure. But I really am having a hard time seeing whether this benefits one club, both or neither. Duka has shown a lot of potential but there are rumors he has a chronic bad attitude. Oduro seemed popular with Chicago fans but his goalscoring record is not that great, and his transfer history screams "journeyman".

EDIT: The Newcastle-Chelsea match was very exciting, and only spoiled at the very end by a shot of a very fat shirtless man jumping up and down among the crowd. This is, unfortunately, not the first time this has happened to me when watching a Newcastle match. It has got to stop.

Sissoko had a great game but poor Ba - getting kicked in the face by Coloccini, clearly having his nose broken, and then bravely trying to play on. Ugh.

Chelski fall to fouling Newcastle and fans will once again point to Rafa. But reality is they played a different Newcastle outfit this time without Ba. Sissoko immense for NUFC, terrorized Chelski throughout the game. Pardew/Carr seems to have found another gem there for 1.5m-£2m

Should be 2-1 to Fulham over Man Utd right now, but somehow it's still 0-0.

...but of course it's going to end with the most predicable result in modern football - a latish second half winner for Man U. A shame too, because Fulham played well.

Yup. Literally groaned out loud when i saw the result. Typical and boring.

New guys @QPR played well. Well enough to win in fact. Great save on that PK Júlio César !!

This week in the Erdivisie

Friday

RKC Waalwijk 0 vs sc Heerenveen 1 Heerenveen get their firsts away win of this season. It was a scrappy game in which RKC lost their goal man to a red card. From the resulting penalty Filip Djuricic scored.

Saturday

NAC Breda 3 vs PEC Zwolle 0 PEC were well beaten, after the win against PSV it looked like PEC had turned the corner. PEC also has a man set off in the 40th minute, for a reckess challenge in the penalty box.

AZ 0 vs FC Groningen 1 A very scrappy game in which AZ never looked comfortable with after their win in beker on Tuesday it looked like they took the day off.

PSV 7 vs ADO Den Haag 0 The result says it all.

Sunday

NEC 2 vs Vitesse 1 Vitesse who were just a few weeks ago crusing in third place are now finding it hard to win games.

FC Twente 2 vs FC Utrecht 4 Twente are going through a very bad patch at the moment, they also had a player set off. Plus they lose second place to Ajax.


VVV Venlo 0 vs Ajax 3 Ajax were never in any problems

5 red cards given over the weekend

Haha love it! finally someone does it right. Play to the whistle. Liverpool unquestionably entitled to play on.

Dzeko trying to buy it and slow the game down after conceding possession. Then immediately gets up after LFC score. Glad Ref and Liverpool didn't fall for the nonsense.

If Ref says no foul get up, move on, and help your team defend. Don't sit there like some petulant crybaby.

MCFC fans won't see it this way perhaps, but the fact is that Dzeko was not injured and the ref deemed Aggers tackle to be legal. Dzeko only has himself to blame for not getting up off his butt.

It's also worth remembering that, at the point of the incident, Man City still had a lot of players behind the ball and should have been able to defend anyway. Good shot from Sturridge.

Liverpool have at times shown City a bit too much respect. When we play confidently we look good but too often players look hesitant. Suarez needs to be involved a bit more.

What a strike by Gerrard.

EDIT: Oh dear Reina, what are you doing there!

EDIT II: Sturridge really up for it today despite his niggling injury. Has edged Suarez throughout the match.

EDIT III: Well, i guess the title is Utd's now. Unless some football magic happens. SAF will be delighted with that result. 9pts clear.

Utd's serene procession to the title proceeds unencumbered. There is simply no way City can overhaul United now. It's been one of the most boring "title races" in years.

Fairly exciting match, Liverpool should have won. They bossed most of the game, and if it weren't for completely dunderheaded mistakes by Skrtel and Reina we would have taken three points. City were flat and almost lazy at times. Liverpool beat them in the midfield.

Downing was diligent but totally agricultural. And again, Lucas seemed quiet, though perhaps he was just quietly efficient. Henderson looked good again, perhaps a little inexperienced in his tackles but he was contributing. Suarez and especially Sturridge were effective.

Great strikes by Sturridge and Suarez. Aguero's cheeky chip was superb.

I don't know what's up with Skrtel but he's in a major funk. Worrying.

Overall I'm happy with the season - the team is finally starting to look like a complete unit. It has a long way to go before meeting most fans and the owners' ambitions but the club has the money to do it.

EDIT: Ivory Coast are out of the African Nations Cup! The Last Chance Saloon has closed for Drogs & Co.

As someone said, Ivory Coast are like England, lots of talent but fail to deliver at the big stages. Interestingly enough that was Nigeria for many years after the 96 Olympics.

But now they're the underdogs, fresh talent playing through their skins and now en-route to the semis.

Sad news is Gervinho will now be returning to the Emirates

Wirelessly posted

Don't agree with the 2-1 Fulham LB, but hey. Re not losing points, have a look at the run in.

Not bad by Liverpool, and the media will blame De Gea for Reina's error.

WBA v Odem - BS on both sides.

One good game of eggball already - Italy beat France - hope the American game is a classic.

Cheers,
OW