Premier League 8/9/10/11 December 2012

Disco Benny wrote:So does cazorla’s dive now make him as despicable as Bale in the eyes of All Arsenal Fans (allez)?

He's got a few more to catch up with him. Can we use the 'avoiding injury' mitigation though?

The game is getting a bit feisty now. Olssen and Giroud booked although there wasn't much in it, especially from Giroud's side and I'm not sure why Olssen got so agitated.

Gervinho really is useless when he's required to do anything other than run. Utterly hapless as soon as he needs to demonstrate some sort of footballing intelligence or technique.

Second penalty for Arsenal. Ox was brought down in the box, but probably should have conceded a foul seconds before the decision was given. WBA are being outplayed but aren't getting the rub of the green at all today.

Arteta scores. Fergie would be calling for a House of Commons inquiry if we were important enough to register in his interest.

TS scored for the Swans

Daniel Gallagher on Twitter: "Martin O'Neil doesn't deserve to be at such a poor side as Sunderland, he should be managing a top 4 side."

unbelievable logic.

Sheffield gunner wrote:

Disco Benny wrote:So does cazorla’s dive now make him as despicable as Bale in the eyes of All Arsenal Fans (allez)?

He's got a few more to catch up with him. Can we use the 'avoiding injury' mitigation though?

The game is getting a bit feisty now. Olssen and Giroud booked although there wasn't much in it, especially from Giroud's side and I'm not sure why Olssen got so agitated.

the only Bale dive i can actually remember winning us a penalty was at emirates last year. so they're already level in that regard.

I'm not actually claiming cazorla is despicable. allez seemed to be suggesting previous post that Bale is on the same level as Suarez/Terry for his falling over. Whilst diving is pretty pathetic, not in the league of the antics those two have been up to in the past if yer ask me.

To be fair, Bale is despicable for a number of reasons: his Welshness, his heart celebration, his diving. Cazorla is very likeable aside from diving, and even that he can't really help, on account of his being a foreigner.

On a serious note, Bale must be one of the most booked players for diving in the history of the league. I can think of four bookings for it in the last season and a half, and even some of the worst divers around have escaped that sort of number.

Podolski has channelled his inner Gervinho and missed an unbelievably easy chance to seal the win.

Swansea almost made the comeback but that ass Snodgrass scored a freekick that set them back. Nonetheless Michu got a goal in 92th minute. Real shame they couldn't follow through after their impressive victory at Arsenal last week.

Sheffield gunner wrote:To be fair, Bale is despicable for a number of reasons: his Welshness, his heart celebration, his diving. Cazorla is very likeable aside from diving, and even that he can't really help, on account of his being a foreigner.

On a serious note, Bale must be one of the most booked players for diving in the history of the league. I can think of four bookings for it in the last season and a half, and even some of the worst divers around have escaped that sort of number.

2 times he has been booked he was fouled. if anything, it disproves the notion he gets away with it because he's british. when you consider Van Persie elbowed Newcastle player in the face recently ( something Bale has nevee done) and got nothing, puts into perspective just how "despicable" Bale really is...

Not quite as bad a match as 0-0 vs Stoke suggests, we were much better than last week, but lack in final third. Bent did come on but hardly got a touch.

Stoke were strong defensively but offered absolutely zero football going forward. Managed a whole 1 shot in the match:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20564749

Real shame we couldn't get the goal, 'cause we never seem to beat these fuckers.

Disco Benny wrote:

Sheffield gunner wrote:To be fair, Bale is despicable for a number of reasons: his Welshness, his heart celebration, his diving. Cazorla is very likeable aside from diving, and even that he can't really help, on account of his being a foreigner.

On a serious note, Bale must be one of the most booked players for diving in the history of the league. I can think of four bookings for it in the last season and a half, and even some of the worst divers around have escaped that sort of number.

2 times he has been booked he was fouled. if anything, it disproves the notion he gets away with it because he's british. when you consider Van Persie elbowed Newcastle player in the face recently ( something Bale has nevee done) and got nothing, puts into perspective just how "despicable" Bale really is...

Ye, don't you worry about fitting in, in America Bernd. You already bitch like a girl from the OC, seriously you fit right in there.

Bale is and was, an AWFUL diver.

Fey wrote:

Disco Benny wrote:

Sheffield gunner wrote:To be fair, Bale is despicable for a number of reasons: his Welshness, his heart celebration, his diving. Cazorla is very likeable aside from diving, and even that he can't really help, on account of his being a foreigner.

On a serious note, Bale must be one of the most booked players for diving in the history of the league. I can think of four bookings for it in the last season and a half, and even some of the worst divers around have escaped that sort of number.

2 times he has been booked he was fouled. if anything, it disproves the notion he gets away with it because he's british. when you consider Van Persie elbowed Newcastle player in the face recently ( something Bale has nevee done) and got nothing, puts into perspective just how "despicable" Bale really is...

Ye, don't you worry about fitting in, in America Bernd. You already bitch like a girl from the OC, seriously you fit right in there.

Bale is and was, an AWFUL diver.

I have no idea how you can continue to defend Bale, stop trying to compare different factors like Suarez is a racist and Van Persie elbows people. He's as bad as anyone in the premier league.

The only thing people should really be having a go at Bale for is that he's a massive wimp. He clearly can't play through pain - it's not like he drives into the penalty area and then goes down when breathed upon (Hazard, Suarez, Young, Welbeck).

I've defended Mancini so far due to incredibly hard CL group + shit signings, seemingly brought in over his head.

However - if he gets anything less than a win today against United's joke of a midfield (how I look forward to CL KO phases!) I will have run out of patience with him.

Surely SAF won't be daft enough to start with Hernandez ? Christ I hope he is!

The disgrace was on the radio yesterday evening, as I was on my way back from seeing my team's unbeaten run ended by a well-drilled Steve Bruce-led side, and he was very prickly indeed.

You probably saw the bit where the interviewer asked him if he was "filled with self-doubt"

More telling was when the interviewer pointed out their league position - "we were in the bottom three when I came here" he snapped.

He thought that was a clever answer but really it just means that they have seen no improvement whatsoever for the £25m spent on johnson and Fletcher.

Loved the talk about Torres and how Rafa has improved him already and that a change of style has seen him back to his best.

Er...just a thought but maybe its because Nordsjaelland and Sunderland are shit

He'll now go to World Club Championship and score against an African club as further proof of his return

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11670/8318946/Arsene-Wenger-says-Santi-Cazorla-lost-his-balance-for-penalty-against-West-Brom

Diving is as part of the English game as Fergie Time and Scott Parker's brave brave performances. The media pick and choose who is a dirty cheat and who is just trying to win something for their team. Suarez and Eduardo (dive vs Celtic for Arsenal) are examples of dirty cheats. Phil Neville, Gerrard and Bale are something to laugh at, oh Phil Neville you naughty boy, what are you like hey?! Samaras was a hero the other night for Celtic but they qualified by cheating effectively. If that dive happened in a league game in a league that actually mattered he'd be all over the papers with a Hitler moustache.

The real culprits are the referees; if they can't tell the difference between Cazorla yesterday and Suarez being kicked to shit a lot of the time then there's a massive problem.

Balotelli starts ahead of Tevez.

For fuck's sake, an interview with Tom Cruise to get us warmed up for the derby.

Geoff Shreeves has already seen today's Manchester Derby - the public can see it in 12 minutes !

Shreeves is a fucking clown. Wish he fucked off when Gray and Keys got done for rape.

What did Shreeves do now? I missed it.

Good start from City. Lovely pass from Silva to pick out Clichy's excellent run, but Balotelli's finish was woeful.

Rooney scores. Pretty much the first time Utd have had the ball near the City goal and their first shot on goal. Very much against the run of play.

1-0 Rooney

Kompany's gone off injured, to be replaced by the overweight, pretend used-car salesman. Another blow for City.

oh dear. Not sure City are coming back from this.

Turning into domination.

Is Lescott injured at the moment?