[Archived] Other Premier League Happenings

[speeeeeeedie]

I watched sporadic bits of Spurs-Brum and it highlighted to me one of the many things wrong with English football. We've had a good 2 weeks moaning about how England can't produce good enough talent and that the league is riddled with two-bit foreigners. Brum had 2 players; Rafael Schmitz and Dainel de Ridder who should not be plying their trade in the Premier League. They are both pants. England will never do well again if home grown talent is shunted aside for dross like these two. Kaboul is another one, a frightening physical specimen but a bit of a carthorse who keeps Anthony Gardner out of the team, who is exactly the same type of player.

[Tim Southampton Rover]

Could be worse...

They could have had Tit Bramble and I do believe i've spelt his first name correctly after saturdays performance!

[Wolverine]

Premier League Team of the Week from Eurosport: (Average of ratings from the national press)

Brad Friedel (Blackburn Rovers) - 36

Bacary Sagna (Arsenal) - 35

Joleon Lescott (Everton) - 39

Martin Laursen (Aston Villa) - 38

Gael Clichy (Arsenal) - 35

David Bentley (Blackburn Rovers) - 43

Mathieu Flamini (Arsenal) - 39

Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) - 38

Joe Cole (Chelsea) - 36

Alexander Hleb (Arsenal) - 41

Fernando Torres (Liverpool) - 41

[philipl]

That makes Bents man of the week as well! Although I have to say Hleb was magnificent for Arsenal at Villa Park- he will play and beat England on his own in Minsk if we are not careful.

[philipl]

Well the Prem is settling into a bit of a pattern.

Big 4 now into the top 4 slots.

Man City, Pompey, Villa, Rovers and Everton a chasing 5.

West Ham and Newcastle are the mid table on their own but both have players returning from injury which could propel them into the chasing group.

Ten points behind the chasing 5 are a gaggle of clubs covered by 3 points with the last placed (Boro) in dreaded 18th with Wigan and Derby straggling.

The problem for our group- the chasing 5- is taking points off each other. In fact Rovers would be top four were it not for the W1 D1 L2 record against the other 4 in the chasing group. Perhaps one or two will come out of the chasing group to pressurise the top 4 but I suspect the transfer month of January might just come a bit too late for the strengthening Man City are likely to do.

The other issue is that by historical standards, all 5 in the chasing group are likely to have an outstanding season in 2007/8 but at least one club will be missing out on Europe altogether.

[den]

Well the Prem is settling into a bit of a pattern.

Big 4 now into the top 4 slots.

Man City, Pompey, Villa, Rovers and Everton a chasing 5.

West Ham and Newcastle are the mid table on their own but both have players returning from injury which could propel them into the chasing group.

Ten points behind the chasing 5 are a gaggle of clubs covered by 3 points with the last placed (Boro) in dreaded 18th with Wigan and Derby straggling.

The problem for our group- the chasing 5- is taking points off each other. In fact Rovers would be top four were it not for the W1 D1 L2 record against the other 4 in the chasing group. Perhaps one or two will come out of the chasing group to pressurise the top 4 but I suspect the transfer month of January might just come a bit too late for the strengthening Man City are likely to do.

The other issue is that by historical standards, all 5 in the chasing group are likely to have an outstanding season in 2007/8 but at least one club will be missing out on Europe altogether.

One other point that demonstrates how far we have to improve, if we want to break into the top four. None of the top four clubs lose 4-0 at home, ever, - as we did against Villa.

[LeftWinger]

One other point that demonstrates how far we have to improve, if we want to break into the top four. None of the top four clubs lose 4-0 at home, ever, - as we did against Villa.

Liverpool lost 4-1 at home to Chelsea a couple of seasons ago. Not 4-0, but shows that teams have a bad day at the office. I remember when United lost 5-0 at Newcastle and then 6-3 against Southampton in a short space of time - then won the league. You can afford the odds hammering if you bounce back - but I do take your point on board - we do have a long way to improve still, but we are getting there.

[tchocky]

Den, it would never have been 0-4 if the refs weren't blind/claret and blue/concussed/having a bad day at the office.

Scoreline that didn't reflect the game even in the eyes of M.O'N.

[philipl]

There have always been "freak" results. I remember the Liverpool side that routinely won the League and European Cup lost 5-0 away to Villa long after Villa's League/European Cup-winning side had been dismantled. They were 5-0 down at half time too!

If there is a fatal weakness at Rovers, West Ham are just the sort of side to exploit it- even the current injury hit bunch are clinical finishers given a chance so if Villa is a pointer rather than a freak, West Ham could easilly do us 3-0 on Sunday.

My reading of the Villa game was Nelsen had a stinker in two catastrophic moments (the disorganisation for their first goal and the second half tug) and the ref had a far worse stinker (goals 3 and 4, nobody is arguing they were legitimate).

Flipping it around, had Benni's goal stood, the sell Benni stream of thought elsewhere wouldn't have started and we'd have beaten Villa with more or less the same performance as we lost 4-0 with. At the moment it's one of those things with this season's continuing defensive lapses filed in the "deeply worrying/this is costing us big time" tray.

A fun article explaining (nearly) that Spurs are not too good to go down. Honourable mention of Rovers in the too good to go down but did go downs but had Ramos been at Rovers, we would have stayed up and Kidd at Spurs, they'd be doomed.

[Presty On Tour]

Well the Prem is settling into a bit of a pattern.

Big 4 now into the top 4 slots.

Man City, Pompey, Villa, Rovers and Everton a chasing 5.

West Ham and Newcastle are the mid table on their own but both have players returning from injury which could propel them into the chasing group.

Ten points behind the chasing 5 are a gaggle of clubs covered by 3 points with the last placed (Boro) in dreaded 18th with Wigan and Derby straggling.

The problem for our group- the chasing 5- is taking points off each other. In fact Rovers would be top four were it not for the W1 D1 L2 record against the other 4 in the chasing group. Perhaps one or two will come out of the chasing group to pressurise the top 4 but I suspect the transfer month of January might just come a bit too late for the strengthening Man City are likely to do.

The other issue is that by historical standards, all 5 in the chasing group are likely to have an outstanding season in 2007/8 but at least one club will be missing out on Europe altogether.

the xmas festive period of games with shake that up more, with so many games in a short space of time it's a real chance of making a move.

whether it be upwards or downwards!!

[USABlue]

If there is a fatal weakness at Rovers, West Ham are just the sort of side to exploit it- even the current injury hit bunch are clinical finishers given a chance so if Villa is a pointer rather than a freak, West Ham could easilly do us 3-0 on Sunday.

us big time" tray.

I don't think they will exploit much unless they get a similar performance from their best player last season, the Ref.

[gumboots]

I don't think they will exploit much unless they get a similar performance from their best player last season, the Ref.

No it was Jim the linesman who really helped them. He it was who told the ref the ball crossed the line.

[ad0102]

Reports on 5live that Drogba had a knee operation yesterday and will be out for 4 weeks which means he will miss our game in 2 weeks. Gives us a fighting chance against them

[RevidgeBlue]

I think I just heard it correctly on Sky that if Derby fail to score at OT today, they'll be the first top flight side EVER to go through their first nine away games without scoring!

EDIT: Unbelievable, me and my big gob! Derby have just scored, 1-3 down.

[Anti-Dingle-Brigade]

I think I just heard it correctly on Sky that if Derby fail to score at OT today, they'll be the first top flight side EVER to go through their first nine away games without scoring!

And Derby score, 3-1. Looked like handball as well but it was given.

[philipl]

A Villa blog draws out the parallels between Villa's home defeat by Pompey and their win at Ewood plus the dod-eat-dog in the chasing pack behind the Big 4.

He might have added, Martin O'Neill hasn't won a game in December after a clean sweep in November earned him Manager of the Month.... another parallel.

[blue phil]

We're only 9 days into December - give him a chance

[Rovermatt]

Arsenal have this week blown their chance of mounting a serious lead over Merchandise United. 2-0 away to an unspeakably bad Boro side is simply unforgivable.

[tony gale's mic]

man city are losing at spurs, this is good news...

[frosty]

man city are losing at spurs, this is good news...

Not if we can't take advantage of it!

[philipl]

Well done the Preston hairdresser for calling the Big 4 exactly as it is:

(****** dream final FA Cup mutter mutter)

SUNDAY

Liverpool v Man Utd (1330)

Why people get excited about these games, though, I will never know. They are never good games to watch - they are absolutely awful!

Match preview

Prediction: 1-0

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Arsenal v Chelsea (1600)

Neither team wants to lose this one and I think it could end up being a bore draw - it'll be an even worse game than Liverpool v Man Utd!

[LeftWinger]

Just out of interest, last week lawro got 6 results right but no perfect scores. At least his predictions guarantee goals now!

[Mattyblue]

Anybody else find this whole 'Grand Slam Sunday' crap nauseating in the extreme! Lets all bow down to the might of the BIG 4 (must be a registered trademark by now?).

Richark Keys, the pro he is, is at his worst on such matchdays, "this is what the premier League is all about etc etc" yes maybe to an anonymous United fan from Somerset. But it leaves me cold

[Eddie]

Well done the Preston hairdresser for calling the Big 4 exactly as it is:

Yes, big four games against each other aren't exciting usually, there is too much at stake, but they do entertain in the majority of their games. We can dislike the big four, but they tend to play the best football, that is a fact. I don't think anyone who watched Rovers v West Ham last weekend will be rushing to get a ticket for Ewood or Upton Park anytime soon, so we are hardly ones to talk.

[Rovermatt]

I enjoy the spectacle of it and the prospect of United losing is also nice but it is NOT what the Premiership is about. I find it beyond a coincidence also that the fixture computer has happened to spit out these games, apparently at random.