Football season 2011/12

[DevilsDuck]

Martin Atkinson is a joke and he looks like my old next door neighbour...and he was a wife beating knobhead

[Bonanzoid]

8 match ban despite any solid evidence for Luis Suarez? If he is guilty, then good, but I don't think it's proven that he is. I just hope the FA hang Terry out to dry as well.

[chrysostom]

I'm pretty sure the FA just want to piss everyone off now. Over the years they've proven themselves to be a joke, and I've got a feeling they'd have happily parodied themselves by finding JT innocent to protect the image of the title of captain (on paper).

However with the CPS getting involved, there's not much the FA can do - it all hinges on the outcome of the case. If they say he's innocent of a particular crime, the FA will use that to say he's done nothing wrong (which would be incorrect). If the CPS find him guilty of racially charged verbal abuse (unlikely as a one off incident would be a weak case), then the FA would have to whack out a hefty punishment.

I'm hoping for a Rio style 8 month ban which would see him out of the Euros to let better centerback partnerships prosper.

[DevilsDuck]

8 match ban despite any solid evidence for Luis Suarez? If he is guilty, then good, but I don't think it's proven that he is. I just hope the FA hang Terry out to dry as well.

It is a strange one!

As a united fan, I do find it quite funny.

I would like to know on what grounds they found him guilty, if it was caught on camera etc, but it doesnt like anyone else on the pitch heard it.

I can only assume they went on the grounds that Suarez admitted it, but stated that his team mates call him the same thing!

I call one of my friends nancy boy, but if someone we didnt know started calling him that then I would protect footloose!

[Bonanzoid]

Wrote an article on it this morning while in the dark depths of a hangover.

[DevilsDuck]

Nice article, not sure that cultural differences is a good enough argument though!

[Yudster]

Suarez has been in Europe for six years and England for a while now. He says the term he used is something he says all the time, every day. If he says it all the time, every day, then he would know by now that in (most of) Europe and in England you aren't allowed to do that. Suarez has also said he didn't say anything. He needs to make up his mind.

The FA has had this Kick Racism Out of Football thing going on for years now so it is - or should be - no surprise that seeing as how racism is still endemic amongst crowds and players they are actually at some point going to DO something. If this is it, then Suarez was unlucky, but only in that he was the one who got clocked. It had to be somebody who was made an example of, its turned out to be him. Its only football, its not like he won't be able to pay his mortgage, get over it. Also, if it had been someone in the crowd, they would have been banned from the ground for life, so Suarez could look at that and think himself lucky.

The John Terry thing is different because of the police investigation. The FA can't really do anything until there is a result one way or another from the prosecution. If Terry is found guilty in court, the FA will throw the kitchen sink at him I reckon.

Also, a nicely staged little interview with the Wigan goalkeeper after the match on Sky last night I thought, Liverpool's PR people did well there.

[Bonanzoid]

The cultural differences come in to play because Evra's Utd team mates apparently call him the same thing. And in Holland, if it's like the rest of Europe, the term he used is acceptable. It's just here it's not. I'm not saying it justifies him saying it - it was naive of him to do so. I just think the punishment based on it is incredibly harsh.

[Yudster]

Well, it might be reduced. But if, as I think may be, this is a gesture of intent from the FA, then I doubt it. And if it works, or at least goes some way to making it perfectly clear that such things are not tolerated, well, good. Suarez won't ultimately come to any harm because of it.

[Bonanzoid]

Someone said that they might reduce it so they can get away with not giving Terry as harsh a punishment. If they don't however, Terry better be hung out to dry too. There's actually evidence in his case.

[chrysostom]

Context is king though?

A term that friends use for me affectionately that may make reference to my race, when used by someone else in an aggressive tone can be found very offensive.

[Yudster]

Home win. We appear to be up to 9th. I think I will celebrate now. this could easily be as good as it gets.

[Yudster]

Glad I celebrated when I did. At home to Scunthorpe, its only quarter past three and we're a * goal * down all * ready. Scunthorpe!!

[McGuinness-89]

He scores goals galore (and papers over the the cracks). Paul Scholes

[Bonanzoid]

St. Johnstone getting done by the officials to lose to Rangers and Liverpool unable (yet again) to find a way past Stoke. Miserable.

[charlalottie]

Swansea did us a favour today. Always liked the Welsh.

[Yudster]

I have never wanted Arsenal to win a match as much as I did yesterday. Its funny, I have never had negative feelings about Liverpool before, but Kenny Dalgliesh is an epic arse.

We managed to win at home yesterday - woo bloody hoo. Too little too late. I blame the chairman - but only quietly because Mr Yudster works for him.

[Johnny 1989]

Posted this in the wrong thread yesterday:

Seems we've finally woken up again this season, OK so we were rubbish this week but at least we won with two nice goals

Also this gif is just awesome, Sky time the "Goal" bit perfectly:

I have never wanted Arsenal to win a match as much as I did yesterday. Its funny, I have never had negative feelings about Liverpool before, but Kenny Dalgliesh is an epic arse.

We managed to win at home yesterday - woo bloody hoo. Too little too late. I blame the chairman - but only quietly because Mr Yudster works for him.

Yeah I didn't mind Liverpool under Benitez & I felt sorry for Woy Hodgson, I hated the way he was treated by the fans & that the captain never came out & defended him. Woy is doing a good job at WBA & they're only four points behind Liverpool, it'd be great if he manages to finish above Liverpool, especially by something like 1pt by the end of the season

[charlalottie]

Well always glad to see Liverpool lose but not really helping Chelsea's situation much. If they beat spurs then that'll be all I want from the rest of this season. Think I may follow Bournemouth in the meantime.

[charlalottie]

Sod what I said, if Jose comes back (its definitely possible now!) then things will be fine

[Yudster]

I can't see Jose going back although I agree it would be great for Chelsea if he did. But if you look at his career, he's planned it and executed it very carefully, always moving forward, always moving towards something he has never done before - I can't see him breaking that habit and stepping backwards. I reckon he'd be more likely to take on Spurs if and when Harry takes the England job. It would be far more like the kind of challenge he would be up for, going by the precedents he has already set.

[Bonanzoid]

Each and every player should hang their heads in shame, their petulance and ego complexes have cost a promising young manager his job. That's not to say he didn't make mistakes, but it must sadden Chelsea fans to see their own players seeming to care so little about the badge. I guess that's what money buys. Insane to think they paid £13m to secure his services yet didn't give him over 9 months of his 3 year deal. I think it's shocking from Roman Abramovich.

As for the Liverpool match, it annoyed me intensely. Solely because we were so impotent and unimaginative going forward. We were the dominant side for most of the match and yes we played some nice passing, but each and every single attack just seemed to crumble so easily. Misplaced passes happen far too often and it has to stop. Bar the one attack which led to our, rather flukey, goal which was only forced forward by an intelligent Jay Spearing, there was no pace. They may have been determined, but when you're breaking away, you do so quickly, and we just seem far too happy to play slowly, let the opposition get back behind the ball and try once again to naively prod our way through like every other time.

We're such a one dimensional team and it's beginning to get on my tits. I've been holding that back ever since the game when I had my head in my hands.

That said, credit to Robin van Persie and Wojciech Szczesny - they won Arsenal the game. A rather average team performance capped by two stunning shows at either end of the park.

[chrysostom]

I reckon he'd be more likely to take on Spurs if and when Harry takes the England job. It would be far more like the kind of challenge he would be up for, going by the precedents he has already set.

I don't think you're right here.

Jose is a brilliant manager, and has a huge amount of ability and arrogance. When he took the Chelsea job, he knew he'd get the backing to buy any player he needed. He set them up for immediate success, knowing that when he left that there wouldn't be any vision for the future and whoever succeeded him would have a very difficult time moulding those players into a successful unit - then when he took over at Inter he had a squad of players who were in their prime and added to them to make his treble winning team.

At Real he moved to a club with great players - but most importantly he's been a massive dick while being there. Acting (as he always does)contentiously and bringing the team into disrepute, turning it into the Jose show. He's taken one of the greatest clubs in the world and made it about him. He's a one man machine, who wants to show that he is the most important manager in modern day football - and that he's bigger than any club or player in the world.

He took on Sir Alex, Wenger and Benitez in wars of words - and usually came off looking something of a victor. At Spurs he wouldn't have the wage structure or budget that he would need to get the team he wanted, at Arsenal he wouldn't either. At City he would have the money, but I don't think a club like that would appeal to him in England because of their dominant position in a very tough league.But Spurs aren't a sure thing by any stretch of the imagination. There's too much risk for them to just be a gap in his CV. I could be wrong, but they don't seem to fit his type as they're unable to guarantee success.

Man Utd is the job that I think he wants - but I don't think that the top brass at Utd want him for the club (quite rightly). He wouldn't stay for 5 years, let alone 10, and the board would probably be loathe to be at odds with such a megalomaniac.

A return to Chelsea would complete his fairytale in my opinion. He takes them over in 2004, wins their first league title in 50 years, does it again the next season and wins over most of the fans in England. He's indulged by the unique (being nice there...) English media - revered by the fans who demand results as opposed to a 'footballing philosophy' - which is the most important thing. Results are the one thing that he can deliver easily. I think he fell in love with Chelsea as a club - but things blew up with Roman, and someone as arrogant as Jose doesn't like to lose power plays.

He left, won it all with Inter, is on course to win the league with Real - and then if he tops it by beating Abramovich by forcing him to admit defeat and becoming a resurgent hero back at the club where he excelled, he'll bring to a close the first part of what will be an incredibly long story for a great manager.

The only thing the owner should worry about, is that if he goes back to Chelsea, he'll be unsackable in the eyes of the fans in an age where protests are commonplace.

[Munki Bhoy]

Arsenal would be in relegation danger without Robin Van Persie this season.

I haven't done the maths on that, but it can't be far off.

[chrysostom]

Do you mean with 10 men on the pitch in every game, or with a striker who would definitely score no goals (insert Arsenal striker here), or having sold Van Persie with the money to buy a replacement?

Either way, the style of play would be adjusted to at least account for some of the results without RVP's goals. If you remove the statistics of the focal point of any team then it's going to look skewed, but noone knows what would have happened in any of those games if RVP was injured for the whole season and we had to play Bendtner/Chamakh/Park there.

Pretty similar to saying that Celtic would have conceded 176 goals and be bottom of the league without Forster in goal.