[ENG] Premiership 2007/2008 (3 Viewers)

[Jun-hide]

Indeed it was a bad decision but fortunately it had no bearing for the outcome of the game, since it wouldn't have been a goal anyway. Believe me I have watched countless reruns of that play and I can not be more certain. We were pisspoor in both legs and can only blame ourselves for going out. We had the squad to knock out Pool easily but Capello and the players failed to make the most of the oppertunity.

I agree with that we have only ourselves to blame. Crap juiced out every single member of starting line-up by that time, our entire squad was exhausted. If the game was at the beginning of season, Liverpool wouldnt have stood a chance against our superior squad. I don't think we deserved to loose in a first leg, since Liverpool only played beter for first 30mins or so, when they got 2 goals, but second leg what disgrace. Apart from 0-0 draw against Arsenal, and 2-legs against Depor that is up there as most disgraceful performance by Juve in Europe.

But Liverpool was incredibly lucky. Del Piero's header, Garcia goal, Gerrard's penalty. Man, you need luck to win CL, but I never heard of team, who got so much benefit of doubt from the refs.

 

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[Bozi]

I didnt see the match, nor I ever felt the urge to do so (Come on its Liverpool and Chelski, would you want to see any of those two teams never mind putting together in the same game), but Liverpool fan should be the last one to complain about "luck" not going there way. Remember Del Piero's header? Garcia's goal? Gerrard's dive? Chelski will probably need next 10 more penalties against Liverpool, if they want to be compensated for the loss of value of such dubious decision.

class as always jun hide

 

[Henry]

Hwienawski, if we want live commentary, we can go to Eurosport.com. Stop posthunting.

I'm not posthunting, and goal updates can hardly be called commentary, whether or not I give opinion with those few updates.

 

[francesco]

i dont see the problem? this is the EPL Thread, is it not?

 

[Esteban]

I'm not posthunting, and goal updates can hardly be called commentary, whether or not I give opinion with those few updates.

14 out of the last 19 posts before I made my remark came from you. None of them contained more than 2 sentences. I don't know about you, but that's posthunting to me. Anyway, I'm not gonna be an ass about it. If there's someone out there that finds your live commentary useful I'll appologize.

 

[mikhail]

14 out of the last 19 posts before I made my remark came from you. None of them contained more than 2 sentences. I don't know about you, but that's posthunting to me. Anyway, I'm not gonna be an ass about it. If there's someone out there that finds your live commentary useful I'll appologize.

Tell you what, how about anyone wants to post live updates in future does so in a specific live updates thread for that match. When it's done, a mod can merge the entire thread into a single post, and then merge it into the EPL thread here? Sound fair?

 

[HelterSkelter]

I didnt see the match, nor I ever felt the urge to do so (Come on its Liverpool and Chelski, would you want to see any of those two teams never mind putting together in the same game), but Liverpool fan should be the last one to complain about "luck" not going there way. Remember Del Piero's header? Garcia's goal? Gerrard's dive? Chelski will probably need next 10 more penalties against Liverpool, if they want to be compensated for the loss of value of such dubious decision.

Great point,but i personally know a couple of assholes who were whining about Inzaghi's goal in the CL final last year being a hand ball,and Liverpool being 'robbed'.If the luck factor is taken away from Liverpool,Beintez would have had a trophiless tenure at Anfield to date.

 

[Henry]

@Mikhail, ok, sounds fair...

@ Salman, if the luck factor were taken from any team, you would find the vast majority of their trophies gone.

 

[Esteban]

Tell you what, how about anyone wants to post live updates in future does so in a specific live updates thread for that match. When it's done, a mod can merge the entire thread into a single post, and then merge it into the EPL thread here? Sound fair?

 

[Jun-hide]

@Mikhail, ok, sounds fair...

@ Salman, if the luck factor were taken from any team, you would find the vast majority of their trophies gone.

Of course luck matters, but you will hardly ever find teams depend on such much luck. To make matters worse, most of the luck Liverpool had during its run in CL were referee mistakes. I didnt see a Liverpool supporter complaining "mistreatment" of other teams back then. Never mind Juve and Milan, I don't know how on earth one can complain about Chelski being awarded a penalty when similar decision actually gave your team a place in CL final at their expense.

You know, if Liverpool don't win the league this year, I can bet my life that it isnt because they dropped 2 points as some referee some "phantom foul". But when referee sees "phantom foul, offside, and goal" in knock-out phase, it ruins all the hard work players done to reach up to that stage. So Liverpool fan should just shut the f*ck up, an give the referee a chance. I was shocked to see to read a news online that he has been suspended. Well I say we Juve fan should partition to ban a linesman who gave phantom offside call to Del Piero for a year, since being knocked out of competition is worth far more than 2 mere EPL points.

 

[HelterSkelter]

I think a lot of Liverpool fans would say that Del Piero's dissallowed goal wouldnt have taken place even if the ref hadnt called for offside,as the keeper had already had given up the chase when the ref called for offside.They imply that the goalie would have saved it had the offside not been called.

And Hweiniawski,i know that luck counts,but like Jun is mentioning,Liverpool have had more than enough of it under Benitez.

 

[Dostoevsky]

Premier League team news
Remember me? Michael Owen is back in the Newcastle squad and pushing for a starting place against Middlesbrough on Sunday.

Read on for brief team news, or click the links on the right for predicted line-ups, plus injury and suspensions.

SATURDAY

Sunderland v Liverpool (12.45pm)

Rafa Benitez has been complaining about Liverpool's plethora of early Saturday kick-offs but he will have to get used to them - the Reds have four in the coming months. Steven Gerrard is still suffering with a broken toe, while former Liverpool nemesis Andy Cole may sign for Sunderland in time to make the squad.

Arsenal v Manchester City

Arsene Wenger says he will play with two strikers, meaning either Eduardo da Silva or Emmanuel Adebayor will partner Robin van Persie up front. Jens Lehmann is out injured, with Manuel Almunia deputising. Emile Mpenza is expected to start for City following Valeri Bojinov's knee injury.

Aston Villa v Fulham

Villa are still without a win and have no new injury worries for the visit of Fulham. Scott Carson continues in goal with Thomas Sorensen injured. In the other goal, Tony Warner hopes to keep his place ahead of Kasey Keller, who has been signed to cover for the injured Antti Niemi.

Bolton Wanderers v Reading

Swedish international Christian Wilhelmsson could get a start with Bolton still looking for their first points of the season. El Hadji Diouf and Nicolas Anelka both want out of the Reebok, but Sammy Lee is in no position to drop them. Kalifa Cisse and Leroy Lita return for the Royals.

Chelsea v Portsmouth

Jose Mourinho has Andriy Shevchenko back in contention after injury and pushing Claudio Pizarro for a starting place. Ashley Cole's absence through injury could mean Tal Ben Haim plays on the left and Alex makes his first start. Pompey midfielder Sulley Muntari returns after suspension.

Derby County v Birmingham City

Giles Barnes and Tyrone Mears miss out with injuries for Billy Davies' side but Claude Davis is back. Birmingham have injury doubts over defender Johan Djourou and striker Mikkel Forssell - both will undergo late fitness tests.

West Ham v Wigan Athletic

Mark Noble has emerged as the star of the Hammers' injury-ravaged midfield, with Scott Parker, Freddie Ljungberg, Nigel Quashie and Julien Faubert all likely to miss out. Dean Ashton could make his first start up front. Wigan boss Chris Hutchings should keep faith with the side that beat Sunderland 3-0.

Everton v Blackburn Rovers (5.15pm)

How serious was the knee problem that kept Andy Johnson out of midweek England duty? That is the question Everton fans will be pondering with the signing of Yakubu not yet complete. Manuel Fernandes is also unavailable. Blackburn skipper Ryan Nelsen is suspended.

SUNDAY

Middlesbrough v Newcastle (1.30pm)

Jonathan Woodgate is back in training but misses an encounter with his former club, while Fabio Rochemback returns from suspension. Michael Owen is back but stands little chance of getting a game ahead of Obafemi Martins. He will hope Sam Allardyce favours a little-and-little strike partnership and drops Mark Viduka.

Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur (4pm)

With Owen Hargreaves struggling for fitness, Darren Fletcher may get his first start of the season. Louis Saha will add some much-needed attacking power to the United bench along with Anderson. Gareth Bale and Michael Dawson are back for Spurs, while Darren Bent is doubtful with a groin strain.

eurosport

 

[V]

Looking forward to Arsenal-City clash, two of our guys, Corluka and Eduardo, face-off for the first time after their transfers. I hope both start from the first minute.

 

[Dostoevsky]

Prem Report: Liverpool Win Well At Sunderland

Liverpool have produced a clinical performance to claim a 2-0 victory over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light and it could have been a bigger victory after a very one-sided affair.

A first half strike from Mohammed Sissoko, his first goal in a Liverpool shirt, broke the deadlock in an otherwise patchy first half, while Voronin finally killed off Sunderland's threat with a deserved second goal late on in the match. However, it could have been more had it not been for an impressive performance by goalkeeper Craig Gordon.

After collecting four points in their first two Premiership matches Roy Keane's side have been reminded just what a tough challenge they face in staying in the top flight with back-to-back defeats. Liverpool on the other hand will be delighted with their start to the campaign as they look to lay down their credentials as title contenders.

Liverpool went into the game without skipper Steven Gerrard, while veteran defender Sami Hyypia started at the back, but the Finns afternoon did not last as long as expected as he broke his nose in a challenge with Darryl Murphy. Hyypia was not impressed with the Sunderland player, but it did seem to be a genuine clash that ended his match despite the best attempts of the Reds medical staff.

There was later to be more injury concern for Benitez as fellow centre-back Jamie Carragher has to be withdrawn and was taken to hospital with a possible broken rib.

Despite the defensive interruptions there was little to worry Liverpool and their goalkeeper Jose Reina in the first half bar one opportunity that almost opened up for Michael Chopra, but the striker, who has started his Sunderland career well, could not get the ball under his control.

At the other end Liverpool had their new look attackers in full force as winger Ryan Babel featured along with new striker Fernando Torres and Voronin and there seems hope of an early partnership forming between the Ukrainian and Spaniard, although Babel's display was rather inconspicuous.

The opening goal came at a time when neither team were playing nice football and Liverpool were looking unsure on how they were going to break down a Sunderland side that were fully committed. However, they did find a way through with a Gerrard style effort by the player playing in Gerrad's position, but long-range efforts were certainly not known to be in Sissoko's repertoire. The midfielder thundered a low effort past Gordon, who managed to get a hand on the effort, after the ball was laid back by Voronin after Torres had failed to control a ball into the box.

Torres had a promising yet frustrating afternoon as he was denied by Gordon on at least three occasions while other opportunities went begging. The best of them all came late on in the first half as the Scottish keeper did well to keep out a diving header that perhaps should have been converted by the £20m man.

The signing from Atletico Madrid did deliver an unselfish pass to Voronin to seal the victory in the 86th minute, which was also a relief for the former Bayer Leverkusen player, who had also been denied by Gordon, again after good work from Torres.

Roy Keane may start to get concerned after a second successive convincing defeat, but his team worked so hard this afternoon and they will not face many teams as potent as Liverpool this season.

goal.com

 

[Dostoevsky]

Sunderland 0-2 Liverpool FT
Arsenal 1-0 Man.City FT
Aston Villa 2-1 Fulham FT
Bolton W. 3 - 0 Reading FT
Chelsea 1 - 0 Portsmouth FT
Derby County 1 - 2 Birmingham C. FT
West Ham U. 1 - 1 Wigan Athletic FT

 

[Dostoevsky]

Prem Preview: Manchester United - Tottenham Hotspur

What: Premier League
Who: Manchester United (16th Prem) v Tottenham (12th Prem)
When: Sunday, 26th August, 2007, kick-off 16:00 local (BST)
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester

Huge Significance

Rarely is there a match that means so much to both teams at this stage of the season, but the fixture list has delivered a cracking match-up of two of the most talked about teams so far in this Premiership season.

Manchester United could potentially go into the game in the relegation zone depending on how earlier results go, while Tottenham, who are just one point better off, are in absolute turmoil after a nightmare two weeks for the club.

This is the situation for two clubs that went into the campaign with great expectations. Manchester United are reigning champions and have invested heavily and seemingly wisely on new talent during the summer, while Spurs were widely tipped to break into the top four after back-to-back fifth place finishes and healthy investment of their own during the previous months.

However, there has been just one win between them after three matches apiece, while Manchester United have mustered just one goal for all of their attacking talent. But the major talking point going into this game is not about either teams points tally, but about the crazy goings on at White Hart Lane this week.

Martin's Not So Jolly

Martin Jol was seemingly safe as houses in the Tottenham hotseat when the season begun, but the opening two defeats at the start of the campaign showed there were some major cracks in the foundations of what has been the club’s most successful spell in a generation.

Despite the top five finishes and the cup runs last season it transpires that not all at the club were exactly happy with the Dutchman’s performance and despite giving him £40m to spend on new players they decided that opening defeats to Sunderland and Everton was an excuse to sack him.

However, after their apparent approach for Sevilla’s backfired they’ve been forced into a humiliating and shallow backtrack, which has seen the board criticised by pundits, supporters and players.

Jol’s job has hung by a thread at times this week and his long term safety is still far from secured despite the claimed “100% support”, but what is sure is there should be a united front in the dressing room and a desire from those that can influence matters on the pitch to show those that can’t just how stupid they’ve been.

Berbatov On The Move?

All of this shenanigans has sidetracked another key factor to Sunday’s clash as there is the small matter of Tottenham’s best player being targeted by United. A year after Sir Alex Ferguson came in and persuaded Michael Carrick to leave Spurs and there is the worrying sense of déjà vu as Dimitar Berbatov is very much on their radar.

Speculation has claimed that the Bulgarian has played a role in the near downfall of Jol as a reported bust-up appeared to lead to the doubts in the boardroom. However, both the player and manager have stressed they are the best of mates, but while that may or may not be true money speaks.

It was reported on Friday night that talks have been held at Spurs concerning Berbatov’s future and it will be very interesting to see if the Bulgarian returns from injury to play a role at Old Trafford.

Whatever happens it is going to be an anxious wait for the transfer deadline to close for the supporters of the North London outfit, who once again have taken two steps back after their stride forward.

Quotes

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson:

"We will win the game on Sunday. Our performance level will win the game for us.

"There is no question Tottenham will come here with a great determination to help their manager.

"But with the ability in this team, I know the results we have been having will not carry on for long."

FORM GUIDE (Premiership unless stated)

Manchester United


Aug 19 v Manchester City (A) LOST 1-0

Aug 15 v Portsmouth (A) DRAW 1-1

Aug 12 v Reading (H) DRAW 0-0


Tottenham

Aug 18 v Derby (H) WON 4-0

Aug 14 v Everton (H) LOST 3-1

Aug 11 v Sunderland (A) LOST 1-0

Aug 04 v Torino (H) WON 2-0 (Friendly)

Aug 01 v Leyton Orient (A) WON 4-2 (Friendly)

Jul 28 v Orlando Pirates (A) WON 3-0 (Friendly)


TEAM NEWS


Manchester United

Sir Alex Ferguson must still do without striker Wayne Rooney and right-back Gary Neville through injury and Cristiano Ronaldo due to suspension. Louis Saha, who could be a makeweight in any Berbatov deal, is back on bench, while concerns over Edwin van der Sar appear to have been overstated.

Squad - tVan der Sar, Kuszczak, Heaton, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, O'Shea, Evra, Silvestre, Fletcher, Eagles, Carrick, Scholes, Hargreaves, Nani, Anderson, Giggs, Saha, Tevez.

Tottenham

Jol has doubts over Berbatov’s availability, in more way than one, while is still without defenders Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Michael Dawson, Younes Kaboul, Ledley King and winger Aaron Lennon. However, Gareth Bale is in line to make his debut for the club against the team he considered joining.

Squad - Robinson, Cerny, Chimbonda, Bale, Lee, Stalteri, Gardner, Rocha, Zokora, Tainio, Jenas, Routledge, Malbranque, Boateng, Huddlestone, Ghaly, Murphy, Taarabt, Berbatov, Bent, Keane, Defoe.


PLAYERS TO WATCH

Manchester United - Michael Carrick

Carrick was the controller of Tottenham’s team in the season before he left for United and Spurs fans more than anyone appreciate his talents. However, even though he played a leading role in United’s success last season he still has his doubters, as he does at International level after a suspect performance against Germany in midweek. So when better to make a statement on your talents than against your former club!

Tottenham - Gareth Bale

The Welsh teenager may not start following his return from injury, although he was in action at international level this week. However, if he does feature there will be a fair amount of focus on him as he came very close to joining United at the start of the summer, but has ended up at Spurs as one of the big money signings that Jol hasn’t yet had the chance to use.


PREDICTION

Both teams need a result here, but you can only see one winner. Manchester United deserved a result in their derby defeat last weekend and a similar performance will get what it deserves. Spurs may well be motivated after their week in the public eye, but it will have had a draining effect at the same time. Spurs have a terrible record at Old Trafford in the Premiership and on this one Ferguson is right. United will win. 2-0.

goal.com

 

[Rhizoid]

What a goal by Nani! W.O.W!!

Right footed screamer, Tevez was blocking Robinson's site despite Robbo flinging his body towards the ball...there was no stopping it from crashing into the back of the net.

Awesome goal

Man United look to be back on track, but they've still got to compensate for lost points.

 

[HelterSkelter]

The ref can suck my Manchester United hating cock.Fucktard.Spurs should have had a penatly.I hope Nani slips doing one of those backflips and West Brown appears in a gay porn video with Ronaldo and Rooney.

 

[/usr/bin]

The ref can suck my Manchester United hating cock.Fucktard.Spurs should have had a penatly.I hope Nani slips doing one of those backflips and West Brown appears in a gay porn video with Ronaldo and Rooney.

Took the words right outta my mouth :toast:

Spurs were robbed, plain and simple (Nani should've been sent off minutes before he shot for the goal, so..) umpkin:

If that's the way utd are playing, I don't expect them to reach UEFA by the end of the season, Spurs got them outsmarted, Jol outmanaged Fergie tonight

 

[Fred]

i find it hard to understand how reaching 2 CL finals in 3 years can be attrtibuted to luck...more like Benitez's tactical ability IMO