Premier League Discussion 3rd/4th March

If I had lots of money I would buy a English club and do the very opposite of Wenger, buy all Brit players from other clubs and go on to win the EPL then the CL and then lease them out to the National team and win the Euros and the World Cup.....

If I had lots of money I would buy a English club and a time machine and go back in time and buy all the best players ever like Maradona,Cruyff and Ronaldo da lima and win the DPL and then I would win the CL and then I would buy some fake British passports for the best players ever and then I would win England the Euros and then I would win England the World Cup......

PuroReturns wrote:Villas-Boas was warned in the summer to get rid of Lampard, Terry, and Ashley Cole.

AVB couldn't even implement his own system because that meant showing up the players mentioned.

Lampard intentionally missed the sitter today. He can't wait for AVB to be fired. How dare the Portuguese bench the overrated piece of shite!!!

Lampard missed a sitter to prove that AVB was wrong to leave him on the bench?

The Blackest Lie wrote:If I had lots of money I would buy a English club and a time machine and go back in time and buy all the best players ever like Maradona,Cruyff and Ronaldo da lima and win the DPL and then I would win the CL and then I would buy some fake British passports for the best players ever and then I would win England the Euros and then I would win England the World Cup......

Trouble is you lose.... My players are all Brit we would knock you off every time.

Cattermole is such a fucking imbecile. His disciplinary record is poor and really ought to be even worse.

There is no way this match is staying 11 vs. 11 unless Mike Dean really bottles some decisions. It's been pretty feisty already.

Penalty for Sunderland for a shirt pull in the box. Bendtner converts although I don't think Krul was far away from it.

Bit late on this, but just watched rerun of the Liverpool V Arsenal game.

Obviously Arsenal were extremely fortunate to come away with a win, BUT some other observations:

- Luis Suarez. Is there a better player working his way out of tight spaces, and yet so utterly inept at finishing? Absolutely nailed on example of why technique on it's own isn't enough - Suarez is a super talent on the ball, but he has failed this year to show he is incisive enough infront of goal, in say a Darren Bent/ Hernandez -type manner.

- Van Persie: question to Arsenal fans, reckon he is better than Henry? He can head the ball as well as score off both feet. He has so much more to his game than Thierry IMO. The thing he missed was precision infront of goal (and legs made of something stronger than fibreglass), but he's shown it in abundance this season.

- (Great cross by Sagna. Un point pour Fade Out )

- Arsenal's ability to win when playing so poorly is the most worrying thing from a Spurs point of view, and I'm seriously worried they could overtake us now for 3rd. It's not just RVP, Szecsnsynyy in goal and Song in midfield proving to be a very strong backbone to the side. Backbone. Something they've not had for the first few months. They "did a United" yesterday as a mate of mine put it, and that's what concerns me

-Liverpool need to find a finisher to play alongside Suarez. A 5 man midfield is fine to provide the chances, but none of them are prolific and Suarez is not a natural finisher. Even Kuyt is misfiring. Downing's attempted shot when Szecsxnfby had come rushing out sums it up. There were rumours of a move for Defoe in January. Wouldn't have been a bad signing at all

How many chances did Mario 'he's such a character' Balotelli need to score yesterday?

One thing you can be sure of, if Mario were English we'd never hear the end of it from Pierre and co. about the ridiculous media love-in.

I was listening to the radio the other day, and they've made an NINETY minute programme on the man, talking about him as though they were discussing Maradonna, Pele etc.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01c6r6d

He's been in the game for a handful of seasons, just over one in England, and undeniably if City win the title it won't be because of Balotelli. Yet they make a 90 minute programme about him, and not someone of say Robin Van Persie's ilk who you could really understand FFS. I was utterly confounded. But yeah, he's SUCH A CHARACTER!

And now it also looks like Noel Gallagher is making one for Football focus next week on Mario. Because he sets off fireworks in his house and drops in to help kids bullied at school...

Benoit Assoue Akkoto takes the bus home after games, ploughed his own money into projects in Tottenham post riots, wears two different mismatched boots he found in a lost property PE kit bin, and gets his haircut at the local barbers round the corner from WHL. Where's his 90 minute programme?

The World has gone utterly mad

Ye Ballotelli's just a retard with an attitude problem,luckily for him he is an excellent player because if he weren't a footballer he would be lying in the gutter somewhere.

About Suarez yes he is one of the most agile players I have ever seen considering he is neither short nor skinny,the way he wriggled out of a challenge yesterday reminded me of some kind of Feline.You say technique isn't always enough but Suarez is far from perfect technically,his first touch isn't great and his passing is poor and as you said his shot accuracy and technique is average for a player of his caliber.He loses the ball too much as well but this is because he's not the most clever or selfless player and will try and dribble players when he should pass.

Aguero has the same problem to a far lesser extent. Maybe not quite as agile as Suarez, but not far off. He often manages to fashion himself a chance and then fail to score.

Suarez takes it to another level though. I find it a bit perplexing how he scored so many in Holland.

Metta World Peace wrote:if City win the title it won't be because of Balotelli.

Not sure what your point is here..are you saying he hasnt helped them to where they are? As he has been pretty fucking good throughout the season. 11 goals in 17 games..

Hlebagone wrote:Aguero has the same problem to a far lesser extent. Maybe not quite as agile as Suarez, but not far off. He often manages to fashion himself a chance and then fail to score.

Suarez takes it to another level though. I find it a bit perplexing how he scored so many in Holland.

You'll get 1000 more chances in that league. Afonso Alves was scoring more goals than he played games..couldnt buy over here.

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The Blackest Lie wrote:Ye Ballotelli's just a retard with an attitude problem,luckily for him he is an excellent player because if he weren't a footballer he would be lying in the gutter somewhere.

About Suarez yes he is one of the most agile players I have ever seen considering he is neither short nor skinny,the way he wriggled out of a challenge yesterday reminded me of some kind of Feline.You say technique isn't always enough but Suarez is far from perfect technically,his first touch isn't great and his passing is poor and as you said his shot accuracy and technique is average for a player of his caliber.He loses the ball too much as well but this is because he's not the most clever or selfless player and will try and dribble players when he should pass.

He's not perfect technically of course, but he's a 7 or 8/10 in every department apart from his finishing.

Look at players like Bent or Chicharito who aren't what you would call "technical" players, but know how to finish. That's the point I'm making.

5 goals from a forward as highly regarded as Suarez is not good enough. If he had assists piling up then fair enough, but he hasn't.

Re Defoe - completely forgot Pool already have Bellamy. Bellamy and Suarez should start every game together. Bellamy is by far their most potent finisher

christmasborocooper wrote:

Metta World Peace wrote:if City win the title it won't be because of Balotelli.

Not sure what your point is here..are you saying he hasnt helped them to where they are? As he has been pretty fucking good throughout the season. 11 goals in 17 games..

Well, for a start those 11 goals constitute a fairly small percentage of the total number of goals City have scored this season.

The point is, without Balotelli they would almost certainly still be top of the table, given that Aguero and Dzeko have both been even better in his position (and City were still winning during Balotelli's ban), and that if you were to pick the best 5 players at City this season, Balotelli wouldn't be in it IMO (Hart, Kompany, Ya Ya Toure, Silva, Aguero)

He's a talented player, but I don't see anything from his performances on the pitch yet which warrant such a collective media wankathon. Maybe if he were doing a Van Persie and winning games for City consistently. So far, only one you can say he's done that in was against us at the Etihad, and that was after he arguably should have been sent off.

And there is the red card. Sessegnon shown a straight red for lashing out at Tiote who made a very delayed tumble to the ground. Has he been booked yet today? If not he's been on a tightrope because he's committed quite a few fouls.

christmasborocooper wrote:

Hlebagone wrote:Aguero has the same problem to a far lesser extent. Maybe not quite as agile as Suarez, but not far off. He often manages to fashion himself a chance and then fail to score.

Suarez takes it to another level though. I find it a bit perplexing how he scored so many in Holland.

You'll get 1000 more chances in that league. Afonso Alves was scoring more goals than he played games..couldnt buy over here.

I agree but Suarez has 26 goals in 52 games for Uruguay,a strike rate of 1 in 2.When I watched him in the Copa America and World Cup his finishing was a lot better than it is now for some reason.It's not like Uruguay had loads of chances either they're a pretty defensive counter attacking team.

Just found this article which was posted yesterday when I searched for his goal record:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1089586-luis-suarez-an-overrated-troublemaker-who-liverpool-must-sell

This bit is interesting :

"But, it's not just that Suarez doesn't score enough league goals—he also misses a lot of chances.

Suarez averages 4.2 shots on goal per game—the third highest in the Premier League. Yet, he has nowhere near the shot-to-goal conversion rate of players with a similar average. Robin van Persie averages 4.4 shots on goal per game and has 25 league goals this season. Wayne Rooney averages 4.7 shots per game and has 17 goals. Sergio Aguero averages only 3.5 shots per game and has 16 league goals.

In short, when faced with the higher standards of the Premier League, Suarez has shown that he is not a clinical striker, even when compared to other newcomers to the league, such as Sergio Aguero. Accordingly, Suarez does not deserve to be considered a world-class goalscorer."

Metta World Peace wrote:

christmasborocooper wrote:

Metta World Peace wrote:if City win the title it won't be because of Balotelli.

Not sure what your point is here..are you saying he hasnt helped them to where they are? As he has been pretty fucking good throughout the season. 11 goals in 17 games..

Well, for a start those 11 goals constitute a fairly small percentage of the total number of goals City have scored this season.

The point is, without Balotelli they would almost certainly still be top of the table, given that Aguero and Dzeko have both been even better in his position (and City were still winning during Balotelli's ban), and that if you were to pick the best 5 players at City this season, Balotelli wouldn't be in it IMO (Hart, Kompany, Ya Ya Toure, Silva, Aguero)

He's a talented player, but I don't see anything from his performances on the pitch which warrant such a collective media wankathon. Maybe if he were doing a Van Persie and winning games for City consistently. So far, only one you can say he's done that in was against us at the Etihad, and that was after he arguably should have been sent off.

Dzeko has 13 in 23..so not especially better at all. Plus havent you been slagging him off most of the season too?

I think he's been involved in winning quite a few games..some of Dzeko's goals have come when City were 4-0 up or 4-1 up or whatever..so I assume that makes his contribution less valuable then when Balotelli puts them 1-0 up, cos that's the more important goal.

Im not saying Balotelli deserves a fucking radio programme about him, but it's bound to happen because he's a bit more interesting than some of his City teammates.

But he's techincally very good, scores great goals, has scored plenty of important goals, and has been involved in some great play. I really dont see why anyone would dismiss in such a way.

The Blackest Lie wrote:

christmasborocooper wrote:

Hlebagone wrote:Aguero has the same problem to a far lesser extent. Maybe not quite as agile as Suarez, but not far off. He often manages to fashion himself a chance and then fail to score.

Suarez takes it to another level though. I find it a bit perplexing how he scored so many in Holland.

You'll get 1000 more chances in that league. Afonso Alves was scoring more goals than he played games..couldnt buy over here.

I agree but Suarez has 26 goals in 52 games for Uruguay,a strike rate of 1 in 2.When I watched him in the Copa America and World Cup his finishing was a lot better than it is now for some reason.It's not like Uruguay had loads of chances either they're a pretty defensive counter attacking team.

Just found this article which was posted yesterday when I searched for his goal record:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1089586-luis-suarez-an-overrated-troublemaker-who-liverpool-must-sell

South America is like the international equivalent of the Dutch league.

The ref won't give a pen against Sunderland.

christmasborocooper wrote:

The Blackest Lie wrote:

christmasborocooper wrote:

Hlebagone wrote:Aguero has the same problem to a far lesser extent. Maybe not quite as agile as Suarez, but not far off. He often manages to fashion himself a chance and then fail to score.

Suarez takes it to another level though. I find it a bit perplexing how he scored so many in Holland.

You'll get 1000 more chances in that league. Afonso Alves was scoring more goals than he played games..couldnt buy over here.

I agree but Suarez has 26 goals in 52 games for Uruguay,a strike rate of 1 in 2.When I watched him in the Copa America and World Cup his finishing was a lot better than it is now for some reason.It's not like Uruguay had loads of chances either they're a pretty defensive counter attacking team.

Just found this article which was posted yesterday when I searched for his goal record:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1089586-luis-suarez-an-overrated-troublemaker-who-liverpool-must-sell

South America is like the international equivalent of the Dutch league.

Not really the defending in the Copa America was superb,possibly the most defensive tournament I have ever seen and Suarez scored 4 goals and was player of the tournament.Almost every team in South America is competitive on the international scene.Even if you think it's poor you must admit Suarez is capable of playing a lot better?

christmasborocooper wrote:

Metta World Peace wrote:

christmasborocooper wrote:

Metta World Peace wrote:if City win the title it won't be because of Balotelli.

Not sure what your point is here..are you saying he hasnt helped them to where they are? As he has been pretty fucking good throughout the season. 11 goals in 17 games..

Well, for a start those 11 goals constitute a fairly small percentage of the total number of goals City have scored this season.

The point is, without Balotelli they would almost certainly still be top of the table, given that Aguero and Dzeko have both been even better in his position (and City were still winning during Balotelli's ban), and that if you were to pick the best 5 players at City this season, Balotelli wouldn't be in it IMO (Hart, Kompany, Ya Ya Toure, Silva, Aguero)

He's a talented player, but I don't see anything from his performances on the pitch which warrant such a collective media wankathon. Maybe if he were doing a Van Persie and winning games for City consistently. So far, only one you can say he's done that in was against us at the Etihad, and that was after he arguably should have been sent off.

Dzeko has 13 in 23..so not especially better at all. Plus havent you been slagging him off most of the season too?

I think he's been involved in winning quite a few games..some of Dzeko's goals have come when City were 4-0 up or 4-1 up or whatever..so I assume that makes his contribution less valuable then when Balotelli puts them 1-0 up, cos that's the more important goal.

Im not saying Balotelli deserves a fucking radio programme about him, but it's bound to happen because he's a bit more interesting than some of his City teammates.

But he's techincally very good, scores great goals, has scored plenty of important goals, and has been involved in some great play. I really dont see why anyone would dismiss in such a way.

The Dzeko baiting was to wind up ze Germans.

Yeh Balotelli is a talent, but he is not imperative to City winning the league. That's what I'm saying and nothing I've seen will change my opinion.

I would laugh if they made a 90 minute programme about Dzeko, even Aguero (who is better than Balotelli). Everytime City play, it's about bloody Mario. Watch MOTD last night as an example. So why Mario, if not simply for what he does off the pitch?

I've seen players, usually English, get strung up and hung out to dry on these boards for far less. Balance

How can a defender punch the ball away from the strikers head and not get penalised?

Heard Ba was pulled down by O Shea in the first half but no penalty given.

Are we seeing another refereeing controversy on the horizon?

Metta World Peace wrote:Heard Ba was pulled down by O Shea in the first half but no penalty given.

Are we seeing another refereeing controversy on the horizon?

Also Cabaye(I think) had an arm in his back and was basically hoyed out of the way during a corner.

AVB Sacked

I think that was a pen aswell, Ben Arfa dribbles past their defender and gets shoved over from behind. "went over too easy" says mackem Chris Waddle. He also blamed Tiote for getting elbowed in the face.

Metta World Peace wrote:AVB Sacked

Not surprising. I thought they might wait until losing to Napoli before confirming this. I wonder who they'll go for next? AVB hasn't done a good job, but as everyone has said, the structural problems with the Chelsea squad aren't going away any time soon and need massive investment to overcome.

There you go Kimbo, you've got your penalty!

Couldn't be any more obvious a foul.

Kimbo wrote:I think that was a pen aswell, Ben Arfa dribbles past their defender and gets shoved over from behind. "went over too easy" says mackem Chris Waddle. He also blamed Tiote for getting elbowed in the face.

Waddle's a mackem??

Was always under the impression he was a born n bred Geordie. Played for Newcastle as well didn't he?

You lot all sounding the same is the problem why aye