Premier League week 4 - 11/12/13 September 2010

Pretty good game that. Not sure of the wisdom of Spurs putting their best attacker at LB. VDV was okay 1st half but faded and was barely involved in 2nd. Doubt he would've played whole match had Modric not got injured - that could be a big blow for Spurs with Lennon off-form and VDV needing time to adapt & fit into the team.

Cudicini saved them at the end, defence didn't look particularly secure all match.

1 Chelsea 4 16 12
2 Arsenal 4 10 10
3 Man Utd 4 6 8
4 Blackpool 4 0 7

The Big Four

Mancini gets what he deserves again

It is an embarrassment we lost 3-0 to this team

COTR wrote:Mancini gets what he deserves again

It is an embarrassment we lost 3-0 to this team

At least you didn't lose 6-0 to Newcastle and then see them get beaten in their next home game by DJ Fucking Campbell

debaser wrote:

COTR wrote:Mancini gets what he deserves again

It is an embarrassment we lost 3-0 to this team

At least you didn't lose 6-0 to Newcastle and then see them get beaten in their next home game by DJ Fucking Campbell

True

You have just pwned me in trumps Debbie

COTR wrote:Newcastle getting hammered at home to Blackpool

I'm not sure hammered is the right word, we had 13 shots on target to their 4. Perhaps if Alan Smith wasn't such a donkey things would've been different, giving away a stupid penalty just as you're starting to get going in a game isn't clever. We have looked good in our last couple of games which really covered up our deficiencies, Alan Smith and Nolan are just bad players that hardly ever turn up, i'd bench them and try to loan them out and replace them in january.

What a team to surrender our unbeaten record to though.

Heard Ben Arfa was promising. Happy, Kimbo?

Well no i'm not happy. Ben Arfa got 15 minutes and looked alright. Nolan and Smith are pretty bad players, we have Tiote and Ben Arfa on the bench, lets see if Hughton works out what to do.

1728: Terrible, terrible news from Craven Cottage. Bobby Zamora has broken his right leg just above the ankle and Fulham boss Mark Hughes says he is out for a minimum of four months. It was Karl Henry who made the tackle that injured the striker.

Karl "firm but fair" Henry. Nice timing considering this article.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1310949/Wolves-captain-Karl-Henry-loves-putting-foot--reading-Joey-Barton.html

Horrible for Zamora, just when he'd got in England squad and after his best ever season. Big setback, esp. as he's nearly 30 - who knows how well he'll come back from this.

14 yellow cards in 2 games for Wolves, and complaints about systematic fouling after all 4 games. Lets see how funny they find it on MOTD tonight.

Finally back after the match.Thanks to the tube closings took 2 hours longer than normal. We were shit in the first half, but looked rather nice in the 2nd. Obinna looks like a great pick up for us, hope we can sign him long term later. Parkers goal was pretty special.

Was Ramires any good Dick ?

We were pretty dissapointing today, we dominated at times but lacked shape (something we are normally good at) and just seemed to be lacking in the final third. I like Mancio but we should have gone with 2 upfront today...saying that we are missing a lot through injuries and Jo did fuck all when he came on. Like i said we are missing a fair few players, their goal was horrifc mistake and a few looked tired after the internationals...saying that its a game we have to be winning and its dissapointing we only came away with a draw. Its early days and im still confident we can have a very good season, we have had an average start but we have a very good side and will improve, hopfully starting on thursday.

Hopefully, he needs to lay off his obession with 3 DMs though. Drawing at home with Blackburn really is a dreadful result, especially since you had more than 30 mins to get the winner.

I wonder if Lerd still thinks it'll just be United and Spurs challenging for the title.

Sgoater1 wrote:

We were pretty dissapointing today, we dominated at times but lacked shape (something we are normally good at) and just seemed to be lacking in the final third. I like Mancio but we should have gone with 2 upfront today...saying that we are missing a lot through injuries and Jo did fuck all when he came on. Like i said we are missing a fair few players, their goal was horrifc mistake and a few looked tired after the internationals...saying that its a game we have to be winning and its dissapointing we only came away with a draw. Its early days and im still confident we can have a very good season, we have had an average start but we have a very good side and will improve, hopfully starting on thursday.

Missing some players, but you still had £100m sitting on the bench

How in the heck is SWP starting ahead of Silva?

Silva must be regretting this already.

Bring on MOTD

I'm all spliffed up for it.

Pity Fungus doesn't do post-match interviews.

What's this on now? they wave more flags than the nazi's & play classical music too.

Should I be concerned?

SuperMario wrote:Bring on MOTD

I'm all spliffed up for it.

Pity Fungus doesn't do post-match interviews.

What's this on now? they wave more flags than the nazi's & play classical music too.

Should I be concerned?

Extremely.

Land of Hope and Motherfucking Glory

I regret my posting just over a week ago that, after our late activity in the transfer market, I now expected us to survive this season even playing some half-decent football along the way. I went to see us play today, and realise that we are going to go down after all, and it will be as ugly as sin.

Looking at the statistics, we didn't deserve to lose today - we had more of the ball and many more attempts on goal. Yet Blackpool matched us in the early stages and though during the course of the first half the game settled into a pattern, with us attempting to press while Blackpool sat back and looked to counter, we never really looked like scoring from the chances we created - Carroll was a little hesitant in front of goal and we just didn't look sharp. Blackpool's forwards were caught offside frequently, but they were getting behind our defence and because of that they appeared dangerous, and there were times when they got the better of our defensive line and did cause us problems. In general, before and after their goal, they could pass the ball in a composed fashion to relieve the pressure when that was required; whilst we failed to build proper attacks and when we did fumble the ball into decent positions Blackpool had plenty of men to crowd us out.

The fundamental problem is with our midfield trio comprising Smith, Barton and Nolan. Smith is ignorant positionally and simply sits in front of the defence, making rash challenges and heading the ball to the opposition; when we have the ball, he offers nothing. Barton doesn't have the ball control or the pace or stamina to have a sustained impact in attacking areas, so he also tends to sit too deep, and he doesn't commit to the tackle and he isn't astute defensively, and whilst he is capable of passing the ball better than Smith or Nolan, he tends to punt it into space rather than attempting to find a player. Nolan can be effective in and about the box, but he is not exceptional there and he is useless everywhere else; today he actually played alongside Carroll which is entirely fruitless and, given the other two's flaws, means there is a void in the centre of the pitch where our players should be.

Perch doesn't look like a Premier League player. Routledge didn't get into the game today. Otherwise, our players weren't awful: Gutierrez is obviously limited but he was the only midfielder who ran with the ball and as the game wore on, he increasingly had to move inside to make up for the lack of a central midfield; Enrique worked in isolation down our left; Williamson and Coloccini had good, assured games I thought, Coloccini even impressing with the ball; and Harper made a very good double save early in the game and wasn't at fault for Blackpool's goals.

When Guthrie is fit, he should walk into the team alongside Ben Arfa and Tiote. I'm confident that Tiote will take Smith's place in the midfield for the next game, but I fear that Nolan and Barton will prove harder to shift.

the Berbatov goal was sublime, not just the finish, the take and the pass from Scholes.

Moyes has possibly saved us from another 8-minute Scholes wankathon, although it's too late for anyone else to win player of the season.

Jeez, Rob Green is really shit.

Piquionne

Terrific double act from Green and Upson for Kalou's goal.

Now THAT is a classic, from Joe Hart.

Another error from Hart. The England goalkeeper curse has fully struck him.

Christopher Samba isn't human.

Lee Cattermole is so dirty.