2009-10 Football Thread – The Second Half

[XIII]

Firstly



We are top of the league!

Ah... but this is splendid news! I'll get the Council to get some bunting put up.

Indeed, I expect all the relevant Hull dignitaries to be present to welcome me into the city!

A good win for Arsenal – and they top the table as a result – but Gallas can count himself very, very lucky not to have walked for injury Mark Davies.

It was a bad tackle. Don't quite know how malicious it is, whether it's a yellow or a red.. Owen Coyle think it was neither, it was assault.

I saw Wenger interviewed a short while ago, he naturally didn't see the tackle but then got a bit irate with the interviewer when pressed further on the matter – snapping that perhaps they should put all the tackles from the two matches together and then compare them.

He looked rather cross, I can tell you. Cripes.

For what it's worth, Mark Davies left the Emirates on crutches and a scan will reveal if there's a break or ligament damage.

Yeah, I saw that interview. What he's annoyed about is that we constantly get told that we are too weak, we get bullied by the Bolton's of this league, we moan about being kicked.. and whilst he says he wants to look at the Gallas tackle again (I noticed he made no attempt to try and say it wasn't a foul) it was a part of two Arsenal performances against Bolton where we didn't moan about the physical side of it at all. I was very very pleased with how Fabregas would get kicked and kicked, but would take the freekick, get up, and not rise to it. I think Wenger doesn't the irony of Bolton moaning about the physical side of our game. I do agree that this was a bad tackle, but how many times have we played Bolton, Blackburn.. and been on the other end of bad tackles, designed only to injure our players and break up our game.

Nineteen goals in just three matches. Nineteen.

I count 18. 6-4, 4-2, 2-0. Eighteen.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I count 18. 6-4, 4-2, 2-0. Eighteen.

Oops, I included the aggregate score of the Villa match...well, what's one goal here or there?

Overall, I agree that the Arsenal players were not overplaying their tumbles to get fouls against what was a clearly more physical team in Bolton. I think Wenger will still be a little dissatisfied with the defense but Arsenal's attack proved irresistible in the end. One can only wonder how much better things would be for the Gunnners if RVP could stay healthy for more than five minutes; he'd be banging goals in for fun and allowing Arshavin to play in a more favored position.

Like Wenger I didn't see the Gallas tackle (actually, unlike Wenger; because I really didn't see it! ). Wenger usually refuses to admit his boys hack someone down from time to time, and is probably less likely to admit it would happen against Bolton, who where tackling all night.

 

[Jaffa Cake]

Indeed, I expect all the relevant Hull dignitaries to be present to welcome me into the city!

Maureen Lipman, Dean Windass and one of the chaps from the Beautiful South are on standby.

From an Arsenal point of view, I suppose one of the pleasing aspects of last night was coming back from 2-0 down, showing the character to go on to win the game. The other side of the coin of course is that I suspect Wenger is less than thrilled that his team found themselves in that position in the first place. Arsenal do look a bit wobbly at the back, and you do get the feeling that although they're well capable of getting a couple of goals themselves they're always likely to conceed - quite a change to some of the Arsenal teams of old.

Anyway, XIII - you're top of the league and as such have the right to stand up, 'ave a larf, and all that. As you'll know though, the next four matches are tough ones - Villa and the rest of the 'big four'. A big test of your title credentials against some good teams. And Liverpool.

Incidentally, Gallas wasn't booked for the Davies tackle so there's the chance he may be punished retrospectively. If he gets a suspension, then that's him out of some important matches.

Oh – and clearly his Lordship was counting Southampton's 1-0 win over MK Dons in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy semi-final first leg in his goal tally.

 

[XIII]

Incidentally, Gallas wasn't booked for the Davies tackle so there's the chance he may be punished retrospectively. If he gets a suspension, then that's him out of some important matches.

I was just thinking that - could be fairly disastrous...

You're right, we have massive games coming up now, rather unfair of the fixture computer!

 

[capoeirista]

I was just thinking that - could be fairly disastrous...

You're right, we have massive games coming up now, rather unfair of the fixture computer!

But never fear! Sol Campbell's here! That said, I just read that Gallas is going to get away with this. Admittedly I didn't see the challenge (just like M. Wenger probably) but I've looked at a still and it looks pretty nasty. Always difficult to tell though from a single frame...


william-gallas-to-escape-punishment (Guardian)

 

[Jaffa Cake]

I was just thinking that - could be fairly disastrous...

Well, good news and bad news for you – as capoeirista says the FA has confirmed that no further action will be taken against Gallas so he's going to be available, but unfortunately Keiran Gibbs requires surgery to sort out his foot problem and that looks to rule him out for the rest of the season.

Personally – on the Gallas tackle – I'm a little disappointed (but not really that surprised) that the FA is unwilling to punish this sort of thing retrospectively. While I accept there probably wasn't any particular malice on Gallas' part it was a dangerous and poorly timed challenge none the less, and given the terrible injury suffered by one of his team-mates two years ago you'd like to think he'd be a little more wary of going in like that on someone...

 

[smwatson]

Portsmouth are going from bad to worse. Sol Campbell wants his bonuses (£1.7m) and Udinese want money from the £7m transfer of Muntari.

HA.

 

[Jaffa Cake]

I read somewhere that Campbell is also claiming interest on the money he's owed, the cheeky devil.

 

[smwatson]

I read somewhere that Campbell is also claiming interest on the money he's owed, the cheeky devil.

It's fair enough really. If you left a company that owed you a shed load of cash in wages you'd hound them for it.


Also, Tevez is amazing.

"My celebration was directed at Gary Neville," Tevez was quoted as saying in a radio interview with ESPN Argentina. "He acted like a complete sock-sucker [boot-licker] when he said I wasn't worth £25m just to suck up to the manager.
"What's the tarado [moron] talking about me for when I never said anything about him."

I couldn't hate Gary Neville more.

 

[smwatson]

Today just got a bit better...

Shazam.




Anyway, "South Coast sources" are saying Lee Barnard (Southend's fox-in-the-box) has signed for Southampton over Leeds. Ah well.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I couldn't hate Gary Neville more.

Wow. Funny!

Looks like Gary Neville just got owned.

 

[Jaffa Cake]

~Betting slip~

Er... does that mean you've won the amount of money shown at the 'returns' bit? I really don't have a clue about this sort of thing. If so, well done – the Milky Bars are on you.

Meanwhile... interesting. Very interesting.

 

[smwatson]

Er... does that mean you've won the amount of money shown at the 'returns' bit? I really don't have a clue about this sort of thing. If so, well done – the Milky Bars are on you.

Meanwhile... interesting. Very interesting.

It does indeed.

Duffen? Is he the bloke who's daughter Phil Brown knocked up (supposedly)?

 

[Jaffa Cake]

It does indeed.

Then well done again, and mine's a pint of bitter.

Duffen? Is he the bloke who's daughter Phil Brown knocked up (supposedly)?

Yes – our former Chairman, who 'resigned' prior to Adam Pearson coming back.

There was indeed a rumour doing the rounds about Phil Brown and Carly Duffen, and that the former did indeed get the latter pregnant. However, there were all sorts of daft things being said around that time by people who knew someone who was mates with a guy who's going out with a lass who works in the ticket office (the same chap who sees Messi hanging around outside the ground on transfer deadline day, you know the sort of thing).

Personally, I'm inclined to say it was a load of rubbish. I know a couple of sites that bandied the rumour around had to publish apologies over it.

 

[XIII]

Today just got a bit better...

Shazam.




Anyway, "South Coast sources" are saying Lee Barnard (Southend's fox-in-the-box) has signed for Southampton over Leeds. Ah well.

Nice, what was the bet on?

Re: Gallas, I'm not 100% convinced it's a red over a yellow. But then I'm biased

 

[Fizzoid]

Wow. Funny!

Looks like Gary Neville just got owned.

And here's what he thinks

 

[Lord Blackadder]

And here's what he thinks

I think it would have been more funny if Tevez had run up to Neville and done his little hip-wiggle celebration. Probably would have started a brawl.

 

[Fuzzy14]

And today's odd news...

Stirling Albion FC want to rename themselves Stirling Albion Meerkats after a sponsorship deal with a certain insurance company (but will probably be blocked by the SFA.)

Linkly McLink

But it's not even silly season

 

[Jaffa Cake]

Quite right too – if Albion want to raise funds fast, they ought to get a few hop tips off smwatson and put their transfer kitty on a horse or something.

 

[oscillatewildly]

Both Tevez and Neville have verbal diarrhoea, they deserve each other.

 

[NathanCH]

Premier league podcast saying "Liverpool not out at all". Not sure what they mean by that. I can't see how winning one result makes all the problems go away. Hmm

 

[oscillatewildly]

Premier league podcast saying "Liverpool not out at all". Not sure what they mean by that. I can't see how winning one result makes all the problems go away. Hmm

Every team above them has a defence that can be got at, but it is a stretch to think they will all screw up.

Cheers,
OW

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Premier league podcast saying "Liverpool not out at all". Not sure what they mean by that. I can't see how winning one result makes all the problems go away. Hmm

I saw a Guardian headline that said something like "Liverpool form a blip says Gilette"...and I wondered if the "blip" was the recent victory or the long string of losses previous to that.

 

[smwatson]

The bet was on four horses at Wolves tonight. Followed a friend who occasionally gives excellent tip. The second time I've won £1k+ off of his tips.


Liverpool will finish 4th, it's just annoying that they will considering how truly bad their team is. They're just lucky. I would go as far as saying that Leeds will win the Premiership before Liverpool though...

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Liverpool will finish 4th, it's just annoying that they will considering how truly bad their team is. They're just lucky. I would go as far as saying that Leeds will win the Premiership before Liverpool though...

There's no telling what will happen...for a "top four"/Champions League club Liverpool look dreadful at the moment - but for a Premier League team in general they are still pretty solid, especially when Gerrard & Torres are in form and healthy.

I think it's too early to predict anything - it might still be only a 2-3 horse race for the title, but the finishing order for 4-10 is anybody's guess at this point.