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The 2011-2012 Football Thread

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Results are going perfectly thus far 😀

Yaya Toure proves once again how massive he is for City. Mancini got the tactics spot on bringing on NDJ to free Toure up.

EDIT: Of course Spurs go an equalise. Looks like those 3 draws are proving to be 3 massive points for us. Come on McLeish give us one of your famous bore draws today.

EDIT2: Phew!
 
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daneoni said:
Yaya Toure proves once again how massive he is for City. Mancini got the tactics spot on bringing on NDJ to free Toure up.
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Mancini has completely kicked SAF's rear end this season, both tactically and in the mind games department. To me, that's really the most worrying development this season. Anyone hoping it would be Mancini holding City and their billion pound squad back, that's not going to be the case.
 
In a fascinatingly candid statement, Kilmarnock's chairman essentially admitted that the Old Firm truly are Scottish football, and that without them, or even one of them, the rest of the clubs are an irrelevance.

Michael Johnston, Kilmarnock's chairman, said on Saturday that Rangers' commercial worth to the rest of the league outweighs any issues of sporting integrity and they must therefore stay in the SPL.

"I think we need to keep Rangers in the SPL," said the United manager, Peter Houston. "Fans might be upset by me saying that but if we showed them budgets, it would show we need Rangers.

"Supporters' clubs all over the country will probably disagree with me but if we were to lose £600,000 from our budget, it is something every chairman has to look at. Scottish football needs a strong Rangers and Celtic. Rangers deserve to be punished, with what I don't know, but if they drop into the Third Division that doesn't help us."
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If I were a supporter of a team other than the Celtic or Rangers, I would be furious to hear this, though I imagine it's nothing new to them.

Perhaps the punishment could be pre-emptively stripping Rangers of any silverware they might win over the next few years or something. But to me, it's a farce. I'm sure Pompey fans (for one) find this situation very interesting.
 
Fizzoid said:
But more importantly!!!

BREAKING NEWS
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY PROMOTED TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP

FULL-TIME Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 Wycombe
There it is. The final whistle blows and the Wednesday fans flood on to the Hillsborough pitch to celebrate promotion with their players. It is a good day to be an Owl
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all 38,082!?!?

Great crowd! WEDNESDAY ARE MASSIVE!
 
pachyderm said:
all 38,082!?!?
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I imagine the Wycombe fans didn't join in. 😉

Meanwhile – sorry Arsenal types, but I don't like...

arsenal-12-13-nike-home-football-shirt-6.jpg

The players don't look that impressed either.
 
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Lord Blackadder said:
In a fascinatingly candid statement, Kilmarnock's chairman essentially admitted that the Old Firm truly are Scottish football, and that without them, or even one of them, the rest of the clubs are an irrelevance.



If I were a supporter of a team other than the Celtic or Rangers, I would be furious to hear this, though I imagine it's nothing new to them.

Perhaps the punishment could be pre-emptively stripping Rangers of any silverware they might win over the next few years or something. But to me, it's a farce. I'm sure Pompey fans (for one) find this situation very interesting.
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I was away all weekend so I'm now just trying to get caught up with what's going on. Dundee Utd chairman Stephen Thompson give a very similar statement that they are in a lose-lose position.

This all hinges on if Rangers will be taken over by a new company in order to write off it's debts, and its still an if because it's not been set up yet. And there are a lot of double standards at work since almost the same situation happened in 1994 when Celtic were literally minutes from being declared bankrupt before Fergus McCann took them over, the only difference in being administrators had not yet been called it. It's pretty confusing for me, even being married to a chartered accountant! Of course all the newspapers are revelling in providing fans with misinformation.
 
Jaffa Cake said:
I imagine the Wycombe fans didn't join in. 😉

Meanwhile – sorry Arsenal types, but I don't like...

View attachment 338808

The players don't look that impressed either.
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Me neither, although the players don't seem to mind in this video:



On the subject of new kits, it looks like Fulham will unveil a new away kit. The only hint is this:

FFC_Web_Banner_607x287_FA.JPG
 
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Well it looks like the English Premiership will go to the wire. 😀

Sunday 13th May looks like a day fraught with nerves.

I'm not a supporter but I would like to see Wigan say up, because of their style of play. 😎
 
Rumors about Clint Dempsey leaving Fulham continue to swirl around...Arsenal is the most often mentioned but other clubs are supposedly after him as well, including Liverpool.

Dempsey is more of a number 10 or a wide midfielder who likes to cut in; totally different from RVP who is a classic number 9. For that matter, is Podolski even a direct replacement for RVP, in terms of style of play?

Jaffa Cake said:
Meanwhile – sorry Arsenal types, but I don't like...
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It looks fine apart from the rings on the sleeves. Maybe they are doing that to avoid an 'armband' controversy? 🙄

Still wondering what the new Liverpool shirt from Warrior will look like. I've seen lots of mockups being passed off as leaks, a few look good but so far none are genuine.

Fuzzy14 said:
I was away all weekend so I'm now just trying to get caught up with what's going on. Dundee Utd chairman Stephen Thompson give a very similar statement that they are in a lose-lose position.
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It makes for depressing reading.
 
I don't mind the new kit (Arsenal). Was a little put off by the red ring on the sleeve at first but after watching that video and seeing it more i don't mind it...actually like it.

Does Wenger really drive a badged Citroen DS3 to work.

I think Podolski is meant to be a replacement for Gervinho rather than RVP. We have Walcott, The Ox and even Rosicky on the right. but only Gervinho on the left and if he doesn't cut it (which he rarely does) we lose any width on the left which i'm guessing is where Podolski comes in. Dempsey (if rumors are true) would be a similar acquisition.

But will Dempsey be content playing on the left and risk being benched in favour of Podolski? I think he should go to Liverpool where he would handily replace Downing. Although i'd gladly have him. Top versatile player.
 
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daneoni said:
I think Podolski is meant to be a replacement for Gervinho rather than RVP. We have Walcott, The Ox and even Rosicky on the right. but only Gervinho on the left and if he doesn't cut it (which he rarely does) we lose any width on the left which i'm guessing is where Podolski comes in. Dempsey (if rumors are true) would be a similar acquisition.
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If that's the case, it sounds like the Arse will have to do without a productive number 9 if RVP goes.

daneoni said:
But will Dempsey be content playing on the left and risk being benched in favour of Podolski? I think he should go to Liverpool where he would handily replace Downing.
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Dempsey will be a squad player if he goes to Arsenal. He might be a starter at Liverpool, I wonder if he could parter Gerrard in the middle of a 5-man midfield behind Suarez with Dempsey and Derrard alternating in attack. He could certainly play on the wing but he would cut in a lot more than Downing and cross less.

He's sort of the American Berbatov - not a robotic hustler like Kuyt, but capable of more audacious bits of skill. he fades in and out of games at times, which can be maddening (see USA's Gold Cup campaign in 2011). He's also a confidence player, and I think regular starts at Fulham - as well as having the team built around him to a certain extent - are the best way to keep him confident and motivated.

I'm not sure he would be as effective as a super sub or squad player. But he's the USA's best outfield player and I want to see him continue to succeed in the Premier League. Right now he's in a good place, a move would be risky...though it could potentially take him to an even higher level.

EDIT: Portland 0-0 Columbus. Despite buying three new strikers this season, the Crew still cannot score a goal to save their lives. Usually I'm satisfied with an away draw, but the lack of goals has become very worrying. The Columbus suits have promised a marquee Designated Player purchase in June, and we desperately need it to be an effective attacking midfielder or forward. To make matters worse, stalwart defender Chad Marshall has concussion trouble again.
 
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I think Wenger is determined to not have the Fabregas/Nasri incident happen again this summer and will do all he can to keep RVP.

RVP doesn't seem like he wants to leave either but rather wants to motivate Wenger to sign quality players this summer. But will indeed leave if Wenger fails to do just that.

I just hope most (or at least some) of the rumours of Hoilett, Javi, Cabaye, Hazard, M'Vila, Vertonghen come to fruition.

Even though knowing my Wenger, they probably won't.

Hopefully Vermaelen can convince Hazard and Vertonghen to join us...like Mertesacker did with Podolski.
 
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And Wigan have somehow avoided relegation this season. That was a huge run of results from them that few would have thought possible. Blackburn are down. Steve Kean Out!

I just hope Man City put QPR to the sword on Sunday. Bolton fans would probably agree with me as well, since QPR needs to lose for them to have any chance of staying up.

Liverpool can scupper Chelsea's slim hopes for a top four finish tomorrow if we beat them, which could make their FA Cup win something of a Pyrrhic victory. That would be nice.
 
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...and with that, we bid adieu to Blackburn Rovers.

Wigan again pull off an improbable escape under Martinez. They need to bolster that squad though cos i'm not sure they'll be third time lucky next season. Also there's the question of if they'll still have Martinez at the helm next season.

On another note Big Sam must feel vindicated now. Especially after having secured a playoff final with West Ham.

Now then, who's next; QPR or Bolton
 
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Well, Barmby is officially out of the door. The statement issued by the club and carrying the name of Ehab Allam states the reason for the dismissal were comments Barmby made in the media relating to transfer policy and funds. It's very, very harsh, and the whole thing is a bit of a shambles. It's a sad day for the club, and I think the Allams have seriously underestimated the high regard Barmby is held in by the club's supporters.
 
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Feared for Newcastle United's legs after the double gameweek, and they went. Would like to see a team man mark Yaya and Barry; are players capable of that these days? Also have a forward occupy Zabaleta - a bit of an Alves with his sneaking up. Oh well, something to be said for mid-table mediocrity during the run-in.

If we look to place the blame for Manchester United's and Spurs' predicaments, we don't find Ferguson and Redknapp for their bewildering decisions - including treatment of Berbatov and Defoe, but Benoit Assou-Ekotto - next time, let it go out. 😀

FA Cup - Gerrard - if he wasn't injured, he looks done re the top level. JT during the play for Caroll's goal 🙂.

Blackburn Rovers; you know you are done when your own player blocks the referee's view of a clear penalty.

Arsenal's kit; is that sweatband material at the end of the sleeves?

Edit - Barmby seems a decent sort. Bad judgement if he was told not to mention funds etc. Rarely best for managers to talk about it anyway.

Moving along, come on England! 😱

Cheers,
OW
 
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Jaffa Cake said:
Well, Barmby is officially out of the door. The statement issued by the club and carrying the name of Ehab Allam states the reason for the dismissal were comments Barmby made in the media relating to transfer policy and funds. It's very, very harsh, and the whole thing is a bit of a shambles. It's a sad day for the club, and I think the Allams have seriously underestimated the high regard Barmby is held in by the club's supporters.
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I think the owners are probably technically within their rights if Barmby took a potshot at them in the press, but as you say it's an extremely harsh response. Especially when you consider Barmby is a young manager with a strong personal attachment to the club - it is not unreasonable to expect him to be passionate and maybe a little less diplomatic than a more experienced manager might be. It's a costly move for the Allams though, and Hull City supporters won't forget it. You get the sense that the owners made a judgment call based on emotion rather than reason, i.e. Barmby really ticked them off and they reacted.

oscillatewildly said:
FA Cup - Gerrard - if he wasn't injured, he looks done re the top level. JT during the play for Caroll's goal 🙂.
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It's never fun seeing your best players decline. Gerrard certainly looks a different player from a couple years ago. I'm still not sure whether its simply a slump, age catching up with him or the recent upheaval at the club.

Fuzzy14 said:
Gazza just spotted at Ibrox following Bill Miller withdrawing his bid for the club. When you think of the great jobs the like of KPMG did for Dundee and Motherwell, the administrators in this aren't coming out of this one looking good at all.
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Rangers supporters (or rahter a vocal minority of them) have shot themselves in the foot on this one with their Anti-Yank rhetoric. Last time I checked Craig Whyte was a Scotsman, and we all know how his ownership ended. Everyone wants an Abramovich or Sheikh Mansour as an owner these days, but those are pipe dreams. It just strikes me as ingorant scapegoating.

With that being said, there's no guarantee that Miller would have been a good owner. But the remaining bids come with less money and more conditions.

EDIT: Torres is getting heartily booed at Anfield. I think that's stupid, I still like Torres as a player and want him to do well, even at Chelsea. Leave El Nino alone.
 
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