The Soccer thread

[H_T 3,043]

2-1 to the Arsenal...cop that Moan Utd...6 minutes of extra time...I look forward to Sir Alex's excuses for the loss

Man U off the pace on the EPL Table. Liverpool looking the goods at present, terrific start for them with nearly 1/3 of the season just about gone.

[45HG 1,539]

Come on you Spurs!

It would seem you're our bunnies Diablo.

What a weird thing sport is, and how much does it go to show that all a team needs is a little bit of confidence.

And in other news, Chelsea are 3-2 down in a penalty shoot out against Burnley.

4-2, 4-3. This for the Burnley win.... over the crossbar!! And Chelsea score their's. Back level. Heartbreak for Burnley?

5-4, tension! This for Chelsea to stay in.

And yes, this just in.

Chelsea have lost to Burnley

[Diablo 1]

I won't say I wanted to lose, because you never WANT to lose, but I will definitely say that I am 100% indifferent to this result, and I fully expected it. I'm sorry hotgod, but the Carling Cup is about as redundant as it gets. Why the English feel they need to have TWO domestic cup competitions is completely beyond me. I'm being very cruel of course, and I'm certain the cup means more to Spurs than it does to Liverpool. At least Nando had a proper run, even if he failed to recognise the ball pretty much all night.

Even though he's a [censored], you have to feel for Drogba... He'll get castigated from all quarters for this coin throwing incident, but likely the tool that delivered the coin to the pitch in the first place will manage to escape censure. Bloody coppers seem to revel in the chance to bring high fliers back to earth.

[Diablo 1]

Dios mio. What is it with some goalkeepers?

Gomes has embarrassed himself again with what I could best describe as the sort of mistake I wouldn't expect to see past under 7s football (ie. once the kid in question has developed the necessary physical and cognitive motor skills associated with hand-eye coordination). Robinson was prone to the odd stuff-up, but he looks like Schmeical in comparisson to Gomes. He won't be there next week.

Otherwise normal service for the other games*. Liverpool should have absolutely trounced Bolton but 3-4 unbelievable misses meant it was only 2-0. To be fair, Bolton also missed a couple of sitters and Condemned84's favourite man, Rob Styles, ruled out a goal for a very innocuous foul on Reina. However, the first 20-25 minutes of the second half notwithstanding, I thought we were the better team, and on balance, the result was fair.

*Isn't Arsenal being beaten by pretenders normal service by now?

[H_T 3,043]

Even though he's a [censored], you have to feel for Drogba... He'll get castigated from all quarters for this coin throwing incident, but likely the tool that delivered the coin to the pitch in the first place will manage to escape censure. Bloody coppers seem to revel in the chance to bring high fliers back to earth.

The [censored] should be banned for life. The tool in the stand that is.

[Diablo 1]

Worst. EPL. Weekend. Ever.

Or at least in a while. So many nil-all draws.. Gooners bite it again.

[45HG 1,539]

Very odd ey Diablo. What odds would you have gotten for the three biguns to go nil all?

Far out, i've picked the worst time to start having a flutter with the bets

Liverpool and Chelsea, 53 shots to 8, 0-0 across 180 minutes. Crazy

[H_T 3,043]

Worst. EPL. Weekend. Ever.

Or at least in a while. So many nil-all draws.. Gooners bite it again.

True. Unbelievable. Thought it was a boring game at times.

Arsenal 0-3 down to City. That's a huge loss in the scheme of things for the championship.

[H_T 3,043]

Has the Mfc had any association with an EPL side of recent times? Like a swapping of guernsey presentation or something between Presidents?

[45HG 1,539]

Whatever happened with AC Milan?

[45HG 1,539]

and God I hope United get rolled tomorrow night

Rooney Acts Decidedly Twatish

[H_T 3,043]

Whatever happened with AC Milan?

Thats right, Gardner presented on that occassion. What about an EPL side?

[45HG 1,539]

I could be off, but I thought it was pre-Gardner.

I can't really see how we could link with an EPL side, or what we would get out of it.

[Diablo 1]

and God I hope United get rolled tomorrow night

Rooney Acts Decidedly Twatish

If I was that ugly I don't think I could ever consciously draw attention to myself. God he's a little turd.

In regards to the match, I genuinely don't think Utd will get the result. Citeh are unpredictable at the best of times but I reckon this is a real banana skin for the Mancs (the red ones).

Liverpool's title challenge now has all the impetus of a shopping trolley with a wobbly wheel, trying to ascend the banks of the creek it has just been pushed into. By that I mean, Nando is shot and, with the way we're playing, the Chavs will be out of sight by the time he gets himself properly fit. West Ham looks easy on paper, but I still can't see where the goals are going to come from for us to get the 3 points.

At least we have some consolation in the fact that Chelsea have to play an Arsenal side who surely could not continue to suck like they have been for too much longer. A 1-1 draw looks plausible in that one, assuming Wenger pulls his head out from his rectum and reinstates a very harshly-treated Gallas.

Finally, did anyone see Glen Johnson's (Pompey) rip-snorter of a goal against Hull last week? Definitely a contender.

[Diablo 1]

$@#($^@#*$(^*@#*(@(^@@!^@!#^!^!!@#%*&%&*!!!!!!!!

Stoke... Fulham... and now West Ham. Three very ordinary sides whom we've dropped 2 points each to at home. We should at least be 5 points clear. Instead we're 1 point clear, and only 6 clear of the relentless Mancs, who have a game in hand. I suppose I should be greatful that we're on top at all. But we still haven't played Arsenal, whom like us have beaten both Man U and Chelsea, and despite their own inadequacies, have looked a hell of a lot more likely to score than we have. Its dropping easy points in games like the afore mentioned three that is going to cost us this title race in the end.

I've always admired Robbie Keane as a footballer. I thought he was an excellent little player at Tottenham, and a good team man at that. But the more I see of him at Liverpool, the more I want to wring his neck. Some of his misses this season have been so inept they make you want to brick the TV. But what irritates me is the petulance he shows, both towards the referee and his team mates. The number of times he moans at wingers Kuyt or Riera for delivering poor passes or having a rip at goal themselves is inexplicable. What would you have done with it Robbie? Fresh-aired it or ballooned it over the bar? End Rant.

[45HG 1,539]

Robbie's petulance is something that irritated the hell of me at Spurs, and was something that not too many of my non-Spurs mates' picked up on.

Often, when tackled for instance, instead of trying to go again at the contest when the ball remained in the area, he would whinge and moan incessantly to the ref. This happened all too often and would often last into several contests.

I think he was a great team player who near the end of his time at Tottenham who relied heavily on a certain large Bulgarian striker which may have upped his trade value.

Loved him as a player but his complaints were always one large detraction for me.

I hope the Reds can fend off ManU and Chelscum, but you're right, it's those losses that kill you. Mind you, this season has been one of the more unusual and I'm sure there are many more twists and turns down the track.

[Guest]

Spurs should be laughing...after all they got 20 million quid for keane....damn good business on their part...and how Liverpool managed to rate him that highly that it warranted parting with all that money is beyond me....perhaps 10 million would have been a more realistic transfer fee

[H_T 3,043]

Here comes Manchester United! 5pts behind now.....

[Diablo 1]

Normal service resumed then at the top, after a few weird and not-so-wonderful weeks with some unexpected and lacklustre results.

Watched Liverpool struggle at Blackburn in the first 60 minutes, and thought we about to cough up more easy points. Blackburn crumbled big time in the final quarter of the match though, and after having the lion's share of possession for the entire match, we got the win we probably just deserved, thanks in no small way to the drive of Stevie G from midfield. The biggest concern remains the lack of genuine goal threat. Kuyt is a smart player who works his backside off, but he doesn't have any real x-factor, and can't play off the shoulder ala Torres due to lack of pace. No Nando till January is going to be painful.

Elsewhere, the chavs did a classic smash n grab job at Bolton, scoring 2 early goals and then playing on the counter for the rest of the match, whilst Bolton ineptly peppered their goal. Mancs out of jail thanks to Vidic at the death. Arsenal do their thang and get an early goal before making their fans sweat for 70-odd minutes. Bless.

West Ham v Totty looks like points for your boys 45, but West Ham have some blokes who can definitely catch you napping.

[45HG 1,539]

Mate, I wouldn't write off our post-resergence slump and the fact we're away to west ham.

I don't rate them, but don't be surprised to see a Spurs loss.

Hate to say it, but we just don't seem to have it.

Would like to score, but wouldn't be shocked by 1-0

[45HG 1,539]

This strange and fascinating season continues with none of the 'big four' registering a win!

[Diablo 1]

This strange and fascinating season continues with none of the 'big four' registering a win!

Can't believe it. I watched Arsenal do their best Liverpool impersonation at 'borough. Didn't think much of the result because I can't see Arsenal doing anything more than sneaking into the top 4 at this stage. Still, Wenger will probably get another roasting this week, just in time for him to get the best out of his side and pull our pants down next weekend. In theory we should have too much for them in the middle, but up front we (still) don't have anything to trouble them, and Adebayor has too much height for Carragher, and too much pace for Hyypia.

Also, props to Chelsea and Man Utd for having the good graces to draw after our pants effort at Anfield on Saturday. Hull aren't a bad side, and they have some dangerous players, but after equalising what did irritated me no end was how our cutting edge evapourated. When we were trailing, it looked as though we could easily score 5. But we got level, and we probably had two genuinely close efforts for the remaining 60 minutes of the match. Bollocks!

[H_T 3,043]

Can't believe it. I watched Arsenal do their best Liverpool impersonation at 'borough. Didn't think much of the result because I can't see Arsenal doing anything more than sneaking into the top 4 at this stage. Still, Wenger will probably get another roasting this week, just in time for him to get the best out of his side and pull our pants down next weekend. In theory we should have too much for them in the middle, but up front we (still) don't have anything to trouble them, and Adebayor has too much height for Carragher, and too much pace for Hyypia.

Also, props to Chelsea and Man Utd for having the good graces to draw after our pants effort at Anfield on Saturday. Hull aren't a bad side, and they have some dangerous players, but after equalising what did irritated me no end was how our cutting edge evapourated. When we were trailing, it looked as though we could easily score 5. But we got level, and we probably had two genuinely close efforts for the remaining 60 minutes of the match. Bollocks!

Thanks to Gerrard, Liverpool got a point. Important point considering the scores of the other big 3, nevertheless.

[Gorgoroth 12,925]

Was happy to see the Trotters get the points v pompey, we dominated that game and seriously should have put 6 past them, 4 at the worst, we missed some absolute sitters and all I kept thinking was yep, we will do it again, dominate a game and then concede 2 goals and get a draw.

[45HG 1,539]

City Chief Cook points Finger at Milan

Honestly, what a bunch of sour grape BS. Whinging little muppet