The Soccer thread

[Diablo 1]

Haha Ramos gone, who didn't see that coming?

A win tonight I'm feeling...

Good for you 45. An awful start to the season, but that squad, with those players, IS too good to go down. Redknapp loves a scrap, it seems; he'll get you out of the hole.

More importantly... Come on you bloody Reds. First game I've been able to watch for a few weeks, and what a result. Rubbish goal, but the reality is we could, and possibly should, have had more. Chelsea had the glut of possession but Liverpool were generally more incisive, perhaps until the always-frantic final 10 minutes or so.

These are the sorts of wins that title-winning seasons demand.

[45HG 1,559]

thanks boys, it's a big relief!

Harry should do the job, though i wonder how long a prospect he is for the club. Is he, as you say, the man to keep us up, or will he also be the man to take ur into the future. Time will tell i suppose.

Good to see the reds get up. Due to torres, my man, they'd probably be a second team. Wish i could see some matches though!

The other thing about Spurs in the League is that we've lost 6 games by 7 goals in total, so Redknapp should have enough to work with.

Having said all that, I'd probably take 3 points from the next three games. Away to Arsenal and Man City and home to Liverpool. Tough time to find form, but may as well do it against the big boys

[H_T 3,049]

thanks boys, it's a big relief!

Harry should do the job, though i wonder how long a prospect he is for the club. Is he, as you say, the man to keep us up, or will he also be the man to take ur into the future. Time will tell i suppose.

Good to see the reds get up. Due to torres, my man, they'd probably be a second team. Wish i could see some matches though!

The other thing about Spurs in the League is that we've lost 6 games by 7 goals in total, so Redknapp should have enough to work with.

Having said all that, I'd probably take 3 points from the next three games. Away to Arsenal and Man City and home to Liverpool. Tough time to find form, but may as well do it against the big boys

Yes, I believe its for the better for the Spurs. I feel they can take it to the big boys. If they can get 6 out of 9 possible points. You'd certainly take that.

[Guest]

good grief...Arsenal 4- Spurs 4

Spurs get a goal right at the end to make it 4-4....

Goals

Arsenal

Silverstre

Gallas

Adebayor

Van Persie

Spurs

Bentley

Bent

Jenas

Lennon

Now I really do hope Spurs get relegated!

[45HG 1,559]

Wow!

One team in London! Lol. Well Zeb, you did say this could be the game that turns our season, I guess we'll wait and see.

Have a mate who flew to England for the Carling Cup final. He just flew over, landed the day of the Bolton game. I don't think he should come back

[45HG 1,559]

And it's Bentley with a wonder strike!

[Diablo 1]

Chrrrrrist. I do not want to play Spurs right now. A banana skin if ever there was one. And still an embarrassing one to slip on, even in spite of recent results.

[45HG 1,559]

Bentley post match after being told to enjoy the result - "I feel like superman at the minute"

[Guest]

Bentley..Superman???....one goal and he's Superman....anyone would think Spurs have won the League the way they';re carrying on.....

Maybe he needs to look at the table....he might notice that Spurs are still on the bottom...

and Spurs have Liverpool this week....get a result and people might start to take them a bit more seriously

[Diablo 1]

Bentley..Superman???....one goal and he's Superman....

Bentley is an arrogant sod, if ever there was one. Plenty of FIGJAM about him. Got a ways to go yet.

Was a good goal, but plenty of the English press have gotten carried away with it. Technically it was brilliant, aesthetically it looked neither sweetly hit nor delicate - ie. ordinary. Definitely seen better this season.

Now that I've said all that Bentley will probably do a number on Liverpool this week... oh lord how I do not want to play Spurs now.

[45HG 1,559]

How many delicate goals have you seen hit from halfway? I think you're talking bollocks.

Zeb, the way you're carrying on you sound like you've just lost the league. Then again, maybe that's why you're grumpy.

Ah well, back to business tonight. Can't see us stopping the Reds unbeaten run, look for a Robbie Keane brace. The dream Hull run could come to a second crashing halt in the space of 4 days. You'd think Arsenal would get back on the winners podium at Stoke.

Interested in the Everton/Fulham matchup and the West Brom/Blackburn games, could be season defining for some of those teams.

Portsmouth should dispose of Wigan, who seem to have lost it, and I can see the Middlesbrough/West Ham game producing a few goals.

Now, don't be surprised if not one thing I've said there comes true

[Diablo 1]

How many delicate goals have you seen hit from halfway? I think you're talking bollocks.

Try David Beckham's halfway-line strike against Wimbledon. It was hit with a bit of force, but from that range the weight and placement were absolutely magnificent. Comparatively Bentley looked like he just tried to take the cover off it, rather than trying to place it.

I've seen plenty of good little dinks - ie. delicate chips - from outside the area as well. I agree that it was a very high-quality goal, and as I have said, technically brilliant, so kudos to Bentley, but to me it wasn't visually appealing at all.

[45HG 1,559]

Haha, knew you'd pull Beckham!

Yeah, I guess it's probably a matter of personal opinion (and bias, both for and against). Don't think you can say he didn't hit it well though, i thought he seemed to try and get his leg across sharply to try and put top spin on, also didn't seem to middle it so it would curl, basically he seemed to try and punch it. In short, I don't know how to put into words what i think he was trying to do, I also don't think he could do it again with 25 attempts. But not many people could anyway.

It was a bloody good strike, the game's over, let's move on.

How do you see the round Diablo?

[Diablo 1]

Putting aside the shear terror of having to go to resurgent Spurs before they have actually 'resurged', Spurs vs. Liverpool is probably the match of the round. I think Spurs firepower is still questionable at this stage, at least against stiff defence (4 past a flimsy Gunners defence is a moderate achievement), and they still lack a real General to marshall the defence. Their midfield is their strength, with pacy and/or skillful widemen and some quality passers in the middle.

Having said that I think Liverpool match up extremely well on them. We have arguably the best centre-midfield pairing in the world in Stevie G and Mascherano, and a very solid defence. Will Torres play or not? He's the key to whether we win this in relative comfort, or are made to sweat it out for the full 90. Nando should be a massive handful for Tottenham, but if he doesn't play it will be very tight.

Diablo's prediction; Liverpool 2-0 Spurs. Maybe Spurs to sneak a consolation goal out of nothing late on, but God I hope we don't lose.

As for the other games; The rest of the big 4 are all playing genuine pushovers, bearing in mind Hull were found seriously wanting against Chelsea last week. If Hull can nick a point from the rancid mancs I'll be in Disneyland. Chelsea will bury Sunderland at home and Arsenal's passing will tear Stoke asunder.

The only other game of any real interest would be Pompey and Wigan. The rest all have pretty obvious, 'on-paper' results, but Pompey v Wigan will be tight. Wigan will probably fancy they can get 3 points away from home here, and well they might. Tony Adams has a rather pants history in management.

[WonnaJurah 5]

i know it isnt EPL ,but victorys comeback vs united last night was amazing, they were down for all money, then suddenly 2 goals in 3 minutes, including an easy kick by muscat great win, looking forward to having thomson back next week

[45HG 1,559]

Surely not...

[Diablo 1]

Surely not...

And thus, we see why I think our 'title charge' will be folklore again by Xmas. I suppose we've been skating on thin ice for a while now, the Chelsea game notwithstanding. Very ordinary, but good for you Spurs fans. Your Mob were never this bad.

At least I can take very minor consolation in the fact that Arsenal lost to Stoke.

[45HG 1,559]

Not too minor though.

How bizarre though. He hasn't had enough time to change anything tactically except possibly one thing, confidence.

He's either come in and said perform or you're out, which i doubt, or he's come in and built the players up, letting them play more freely.

Just goes to show how much a bad patch can kill your confidence.

[Diablo 1]

Without wanting to detract toooo much from Spurs win, this was a classic case of Liverpool not killing the game. It has been our blight in recent years, that we are able to score early, but then never find that second, crucial goal. Hit the woodwork 3 times and generally finishing was poor. Spurs still had to have the mettle to hang on and ultimately capitalise, but much like Hawthorn against Geelong in the GF, they should never really have been given the opportunity.

Look at Chelsea - their goal difference is 15 better than ours; they have regularly buried teams this season.

Man Utd - Hull came back but there was so much daylight between the teams by the time they did, that it didn't matter. Its on very rare occasion that the Mancs don't score 2 or more goals a game.

It will be interesting to see how Liverpool respond to this. The Chavs are on top again, and the Mancs are breathing down our necks. Fernando where art thou!?!?

[45HG 1,559]

Food for thought indeed.

You have been pretty lucky in a few games this year too. I suppose it's why I like you most out of the "big four," but probably to your downfall, that the Reds' just don't seem to have that arrogance about them. Perhaps giving too much respect to their opposition when they should be going for the jugular.

[45HG 1,559]

Darren Bent! Well, maybe he's worth half of what we paid for him now.

And this will have to be UEFA cup goal of the season, wow. Tom Huddlestone at about 1 minute 15

[Guest]

Darren Bent! Well, maybe he's worth half of what we paid for him now.

And this will have to be UEFA cup goal of the season, wow. Tom Huddlestone at about 1 minute 15

I think Bent was as good as gone from Spurs not that long ago....trouble is Spurs paid a massive amount for an average player at best...Charlton must have been laughing when they got that much for Bent...Spurs get damn good money for players they sell...i.e Berbatov/Keane...then spend money on players that are not worth that kind of money..mind you....Spurs made a real killing getting 20 million for Robbie keane...he's not worth half that amount

[45HG 1,559]

Exactly. Our recruiting of late has been a bit of a joke, though mind you Bent has now scored more than Berbatov and Keane this season combined.

Your mob going well

[H_T 3,049]

Gunners giving Man U a little touch up, 2-0 up with 13min remaining. Interesting race for the title.

[Guest]

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