11/12 Football Thread

[mcgaffer]

furry twenty duckssd an d aia wad sailing home instaread.








bolton was a sti

[king mob]

furry twenty duckssd an d aia wad sailing home instaread.








bolton was a sti

Oh you must have been heroically battered when you typed that! Good man!

So the Premier League. I wasn't able to watch it down the pub as I was working the Bristol Expo but we had a radio, but before I continue I have to point out how much I genuinely hate Alan Green, however he and Five Live did an amazing job getting across the atmosphere in the grounds and just what was going on. It was an amazing bit of broadcasting.

Anyhow, here's a few thoughts:

This wasn't Michael Thomas winning the league with the last kick of the ball and I doubt that drama will ever be repeated, but this came close as Man City's achievement to come back from the dead can't be downplayed, but for a variety of reasons it doesn't match what Arsenal did.

One of those reasons is the vast sum of money spent to get them to this point. now Man Utd started the Premier League spending race and have been at it's head up til Chelsea started spending obscene money, but I remember the public outcry over Roy Keane getting paid 50k a week, and now that's the average wage of an average player. The English top flight is now between the Manchester clubs and Chelsea because no other side can now spend the sort of money needed to keep them in the race, unless you're Liverpool and you cock it up spending over the odds for average players, however this wasn't the 'day the game died' as that was long ago when Sky got their grubby hands on the game.

'Man Utd choked'-yes, to an extent they did. Several players looked like they were getting ready for their summer holidays just before Easter, but what seemed to happen is teams learned how to play against them and take the game to them, To use the Manchester derby as an example, what Man City did was to put strong, fast players up against Giggs and Scholes which meant that any formation Man Utd had fell apart as the defence came forward to cover the gaps, and when you've got a weak defender like Evans or one like Ferdinand whose mobility has severely decreased, what happens is a fast, attacking side can pick holes in a weakened side. Basically, they need a new central midfield and Rooney needs to stop standing around with his hands on his hips looking fucked off at the rest of the team and start doing his job,

'Man City played the best football in the league''-Yes and no. Yes because they won it by playing the sort of attacking football that's great to watch but take Kompany out their back four and they look half the side so they need a top defender to play with him next season.

'It's the best league in the WORLD!!!!!''-no, it isn't, and it's not even the most competitive league in England let alone the world but it can be the most thrilling.

''Man City have suddenly got glory hunters following them'-yes they have and it'll only get worse but I'm giving Man City the benefit of the doubt for this as Man City fans have stuck by their club at a level few clubs of their size would have. This club was getting 30k fans a game in the third tier of English football, so those fans deserve this joy as they know what actually supporting a club is like rather than just jumping on because a club has won the league or the Champion's League. However by the time it took me to get down my local last night after the Expo, there were people celebrating Man City's win who I know were Chelsea/Man Utd/Liverpool fans a few months ago, so those lot can fuck off.

Joey Barton-what to say? Just when you think he's sorted himself out and comes across well in interviews he elbows Tevez in the throat and tries to headbutt players in the most important game for him this season. I know from seeing MotD that Hughes has got QPR turning into an image of his rather dirty Blackburn side but Barton fucked up and it's lucky for him Bolton never got another goal.

Yaya Toure is the best player in the league. It's rare you see a box-to-box midfielder who can defend, attack, be a playmaker and a goalscorer. Billy Bremner, Graham Souness, Bryan Robson, Trevor Brooking, Paul Merson and Patrick Veira are all great examples, but Toure is better than most of those and that's saying something. He's an astonishing player and Man City are a different and weaker side without him, which makes their fall and rise in the second half yesterday even more astonishing, not to mention worrying for people wanting to see a competitive league next year.

And hopefully it's a league with Blackpool and without Sam Allardyce.

[thehod]

So twitter is reporting both that Alex Mcleish has been sacked and not been sacked yet.

He's like Schroingers manager. Someone open the box and put him out of his misery.

[king mob]

McLeish is confirmed gone by the BBC, and Joey Barton's Twitter comments are fun.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2...r-alan-shearer

[Alan Lynch]

Joey Barton is hilarious. I was out and about with the girlfriend and missed it all, but the only highlight I've bothered to look up is Barton going radge. What makes it better is Mario Balotelli is involved and looks sane. Just when you think you've seen it all.

[mcgaffer]

I am spectacularly hungover. It hurts to breathe. The last thing I remember was watching a group of City fans scrapping with other City fans over the right way to celebrate.

[thehod]

furry twenty duckssd an d aia wad sailing home instaread.








bolton was a sti

That is possibly the greatest post ever.

[Alan Lynch]

I am spectacularly hungover. It hurts to breathe. The last thing I remember was watching a group of City fans scrapping with other City fans over the right way to celebrate.

At least you gave us a post to remember it by.

[Haydn C]

Mcgaffer that is the finest post I have seen on CBR.

Congratulations to Man City, I think over the course of the season they deserved that. Plus it is always good to see someone else win the league for a change. Good luck repeating it next season.

[king mob]

I am spectacularly hungover. It hurts to breathe. The last thing I remember was watching a group of City fans scrapping with other City fans over the right way to celebrate.

Oh dear. Still, it's quite good to see a team from Manchester having fans with Manc accents celebrating their victory. Won't be like that next time.

[beetlebum]

[king mob]

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have put a joint bid in for Euro 2020, which at the minute is a bit short in detail (Northern Ireland would be very much the junior partner in this if it went ahead) but would run a better event that the mess that's going to be the Euros next month. At the minute only Turkey have a bid in.

[Captain Clarkie]

Well, that England Squad is spectacularly average. Baffled by the omission of Richards and Carrick. I'm hoping Downing picks up a knock so A.Johnson can come in.

Commiserations Mcgaffer, but congratulations on a high quality drunken post.

I am in Guernsey working, with little access to internet. We go home on Saturday evening, where the boat gets into Poole at 8.40, and then we drive to Havant to get a train to Brighton. Basically the timing of this could not be worse, I will possibly be able to see the first half-hour of the Champs league final. The person who organised this is not in my good books at the moment. (I may throw him in the Channel).

[king mob]

Well, that England Squad is spectacularly average. Baffled by the omission of Richards and Carrick. I'm hoping Downing picks up a knock so A.Johnson can come in.

I'm amazed Glen Johnson hasn't been sussed, especially as Richards is in the form of his life and has just won the league. Carrick isn't international quality and needed to go but how on earth does Downing's 0 assists and 0 goals rate him above Johnson?


The other bit of news is the sacking of Dalglish, which seems to have surprised fewer people than I expected. Time for a cheeky few quid to be put on AVB or Paul Lambert.

[Alan Lynch]

With Henderson on standby? That's a really poor England squad. Hooray!

I've read a couple of articles saying that Kenny Dalglish was sacked too soon, which is a bizarre line. His buys were awful, his tactics nonexistant and his public persona downright mental. I wish he'd been kept for comedy value mind you, and I really hope that Paul Lambert steers clear.