Premier League week 1 Discussion - 13/14/15th August 2011

I live in Bali and to watch Man United lively will cost me USD 3000 while my wages is only USD 250,, may I stay with one of you if I managed go to England?

Batman is gone for the day I think...

I paid 30 pounds for ticket to watch Spurs play Athletic Bilbao in the recent friendly.

Extortionate? But then again I can afford it because not only am I devilishly handsome but rich to boot

Liverpool XI: Reina, Flanagan, Enrique, Agger, Carragher, Lucas, Adam, Downing, Henderson, Suarez, Carroll

Aquilani not even on the bench.

McLeish's first lineup...

Given
Young-Collins-Dunne-Warnock
N'Zogbia-Petrov-Delph-Heskey
Gabby-Bent

Subs: Guzan, Albrighton, Bannan, Clark, Delfouneso, Ireland, Makoun

Pretty attacking for an away game. Not sure exactly how it'll shape up, but Heskey has been on the wing preseason, and McLeish originally said he was intending to play 442 with Gabby alongside Bent. Main surprise is Delph over Makoun.

What game is everyone watching?

Was probably gonna watch Pool, mainl so I can continue my Henderson watch.

Yeah, Liverpool-Sunderland seems like the most interesting one, especially since it'll have a lot of new signings starting. I'll switch between it and Wolfsburg-Bayern.

Looking forward to seeing Grant Holt in the PL He's a bit of a legend at Norwich these days, I hear.

By my count there's now 4 ex-Shrewsbury players in the top flight - Hart, David Edwards at Wolves and now Holt and Marc Tierney at Norwich

This is the only time Arsenal will be top of the table this season.

As I've written before, I'm unsatisfied with the summer we have had. I felt at the end of last season that, more than simply on the money spent, our summer would be defined on the conclusion of the situation regarding Enrique: with the core of him, Coloccini and Gutierrez retained, plus Tiote in the middle of the pitch, we could have gone into this season with reasonable additions and looked to build; without him, I think it means we are really starting from scratch, going into the season with hope rather than with cause for optimism.

Kimbo raised an interesting point in the transfer thread in saying that he doesn't really get attached to players. I suppose that raises the question of what it is to be a football supporter. I think I've always been quite attached to players, and find it hard to wholeheartedly support an abstracted club over the people - the players, the manager and the ownership - representing the club. From one perspective, if you're not supporting the specific players on the pitch and forming some sort of attachment to them, are you simply supporting the geometric movements of a football? Or are you, as as a supporter, largely propping yourself and your other supporters up, creating a sort of self-sustained community that relies on habits, locations and memories rather on the particulars of the club at the present moment in time? I feel that, in spite of the way I do get attached to players and lament their departures, and dislike and criticise the actions of our current ownership, I'll always support Newcastle because I grew up doing so, my father and grandfather have supported the club all their lives, and I also have a wealth of good memories from my early years as a supporter which persist, stand on their own, and also show what sort of a club we can be. Back on the other hand, and a more practical point is that teams struggle to excel without a degree of continuity, of attachment to players.

All of which is basically to say that I have concerns and frustrations, but I am looking forward to the new season, and I hope our current crop of players do well. I am really excited to see how Tiote and Cabaye partner each other in the centre of our midfield; I think Ba can do well for us as a lone striker and even fancy him to score today; and with some pace in our attack and off the bench, hopefully we will be entertaining to watch.

Bashmachkin wrote:As I've written before, I'm unsatisfied with the summer we have had. I felt at the end of last season that, more than simply on the money spent, our summer would be defined on the conclusion of the situation regarding Enrique: with the core of him, Coloccini and Gutierrez retained, plus Tiote in the middle of the pitch, we could have gone into this season with reasonable additions and looked to build; without him, I think it means we are really starting from scratch, going into the season with hope rather than with cause for optimism.

Kimbo raised an interesting point in the transfer thread in saying that he doesn't really get attached to players. I suppose that raises the question of what it is to be a football supporter. I think I've always been quite attached to players, and find it hard to wholeheartedly support an abstracted club over the people - the players, the manager and the ownership - representing the club. From one perspective, if you're not supporting the specific players on the pitch and forming some sort of attachment to them, are you simply supporting the geometric movements of a football? Or are you, as as a supporter, largely propping yourself and your other supporters up, creating a sort of self-sustained community that relies on habits, locations and memories rather on the particulars of the club at the present moment in time? I feel that, in spite of the way I do get attached to players and lament their departures, and dislike and criticise the actions of our current ownership, I'll always support Newcastle because I grew up doing so, my father and grandfather have supported the club all their lives, and I also have a wealth of good memories from my early years as a supporter which persist, stand on their own, and also show what sort of a club we can be. Back on the other hand, and a more practical point is that teams struggle to excel without a degree of continuity, of attachment to players.

All of which is basically to say that I have concerns and frustrations, but I am looking forward to the new season, and I hope our current crop of players do well. I am really excited to see how Tiote and Cabaye partner each other in the centre of our midfield; I think Ba can do well for us as a lone striker and even fancy him to score today; and with some pace in our attack and off the bench, hopefully we will be entertaining to watch.

I do get attached to a certain extent, i like Colo and Tiote, but i've seen too much bullshit and lies from players. I don't feel that they get attached to the club in any meaningful way so how am i supposed to get attached to them? Maybe if we had another good long term first team player, like another Rob Lee or something, it might restore my faith a bit. But at the moment i just think players are eager to move from club to club picking up pay-rises and signing on fee's.

1 minute into the season and the commentator says "those famous Anfield European nights"...it's like they never left.

Suarez wins a penalty with one of his classic pieces of exaggeration after accidental contact from Keiran Richardson (ref gave a correct decision of a yellow card), and then hits one of the worst shots ever.

Suarez has just missed a penalty, blasted it straight over the bar.

haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

fuck me..what a pen

Kieron Dyer stretchered off.

1504: Bad
to worse for QPR... Kieron Dyer has lasted less than five minutes - the
Rangers new-boy has twisted an ankle and is being stretchered off.
Incredible.

Glemon Party wrote:Kieron Dyer stretchered off.

Some people never learn.

Can see why Pool fans would think that was a red.

Glemon Party wrote:Kieron Dyer stretchered off.

Serves them right for giving him another payday.

fcb wrote:Suarez wins a penalty with one of his classic pieces of exaggeration after accidental contact from Keiran Richardson (ref gave a correct decision of a yellow card), and then hits one of the worst shots ever.

Eventful start

Thought that was a red myself, even if the trip was possibly accidental. He was through on the keeper.

Shocking pen

Goal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Charlie Adams....... Gees Pool have some good players

Excellent free kick from Adam.

Good free kick, and this time Suarez scores. I expect we'll see a lot of setpiece goals from Liverpool this season. Moneyball in action.

Suarez makes up for his penalty miss as he heads in a Charlie Adam freekick. 1-0.

Its their year...

Sunderland = relegation material

Kimbo wrote:Sunderland = relegation material

I'm thinking they'll finish above Newcastle in the table

Liverpool are playing well but Sunderland look completely disjointed. Not suprising when you have such a high turnover of players made up of Man Utd rejects. Kieran Richardson, now playing left back, is their longest serving player - all of five years.

Carroll goal disallowed because the linesman is blind.