Man City

gav Wrote:
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> I just loved it. He said what many were too scared
> to say, so I applauded him for that. Whether or
> not it's right... I seriously doubt refs are being
> bribed or anything, or favourable to Man U, but
> Ferguson's been playing mind games with everyone
> for years, affecting their sub-concious.
>
> Some of the decisions made in the Man U penalty
> area are truly horrific in the Premiership though.
> It's less of a problem now, but it was only a
> couple of seasons ago that Boro had something like
> 3 stonewall penalties turned down and the Mendes
> 'goal' which was only 300 yards over the line.
> They're obviously very good at conning the ref too
> (any names in particular spring to mind?) and then
> coupled with the scrummage around the ref when
> something doesn't go their way.
>
> Rafa wasn't wrong, in my opinion, but it was odd.
> I loved it, but it's not exactly ideal for our
> team - I don't think it was a sign of showing the
> pressure as such, but he essentially gave Man U's
> motivational teamtalk for the next month or 2.

Ah thats why I was confused then I've only just got back into watching football mid last year, so missed out on quite alot since 2002! Must admit though his rant did remind me of a certain Mr Keegan :D


PSN/Xbox 360 ID - Ianwoollam

Nah, Keegan was spitting-blood furious. Rafa's was premeditated and well thought-out (if still a bit dim).

gav Wrote:
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> Nah, Keegan was spitting-blood furious. Rafa's was
> premeditated and well thought-out (if still a bit
> dim).

Still reminds me of Keegan!

But thats why Keegan was better :D Can you see Benitez on the last day LOVING IT! If they beat them


(..... well yeah he probably will love it, but... you get what I'm getting at )


PSN/Xbox 360 ID - Ianwoollam

Robinho is getting fined a few hundred thousand bucks but this whole story on him now is just opportunism to sell papers, hopefully he turns it around on the pitch

tehehehehehehehe....

How could they lose to Stoke... useless!!


PSN/Xbox 360 ID - Ianwoollam

gav Wrote:
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> Nah, Keegan was spitting-blood furious. Rafa's was
> premeditated and well thought-out (if still a bit
> dim).


Rafa's rant may have been "well thought out" but it was blooming idiotic and showed the pressure was getting to him. Regardless of todays result [which I think will be a draw], all Rafa has done has ensured Manchester Utd are now in the driving seat.
Liverpool despite being handed a potential title challenge on a plate by an underperforming Chelsea and United before Xmas still couldn't capitalise?

Wigan match midweek summed Rafa up a bit. moments of genious but generally leaves you thinking WTF?

First the rotation policy. Then to take off Gerrard [the one man who can win you a game at the death to the annoyance of every non Liverpool fan] with 6 minutes to go?? :S

Mini Maestro Wrote:
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> Liverpool despite being handed a potential title
> challenge on a plate by an underperforming Chelsea
> and United before Xmas still couldn't capitalise?

Liverpool aren't good enough to challenge for the title. It's pretty much that simple.

It was stupid (as I said), but it would all have been forgotten about had Liverpool managed to win the following 2 games instead of drawing them.

Mini Maestro Wrote:
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> gav Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Nah, Keegan was spitting-blood furious. Rafa's
> was
> > premeditated and well thought-out (if still a
> bit
> > dim).
>
>
> Rafa's rant may have been "well thought out" but
> it was blooming idiotic and showed the pressure
> was getting to him. Regardless of todays result ,
> all Rafa has done has ensured Manchester Utd are
> now in the driving seat.
> Liverpool despite being handed a potential title
> challenge on a plate by an underperforming Chelsea
> and United before Xmas still couldn't capitalise?
>
> Wigan match midweek summed Rafa up a bit. moments
> of genious but generally leaves you thinking WTF?
>
> First the rotation policy. Then to take off
> Gerrard (the one man who can win you a game
> at the death to the annoyance of every non
> Liverpool fan) with 6 minutes to go?? :S

Oh so true (coming from a Man Utd fan), but why can't he do the same for his country?!

Liverpool this season have been quite the revelation. It's like all of a sudden they realised they could actually win the league with the team they had. So they put the results together, then when Parry wasn't happy that they weren't higher up, he started dictating which players could play, so results have been dropped. I've been quite surprised Liverpool haven't put more games away this season. They've filled the vacuum left by a sub-standard Arsenal and Chelsea, and they've not capitalised on it yet. If they finish second, it'll be deserved. If they win the league at the death, I think United will feel robbed as they've been the best team in the last 3 months.

---

Everyone knows that million-to-one chances happen 9 times out of 10; indeed, it's a common requirement in fairy tales. If the human didn't have to overcome huge odds, what would be the point? Terry Pratchett - The Science Of Discworld

GPGSL S5 Race driver for IED.

Looks like City have almost derailed Liverpools title hopes, given the fact they havent won for 20 years and United have the experience i think the Title is on its way to Old Trafford to equal the amount of domestic trophys that Liverpool won.

The most damning statistic of all is that Liverpool have picked up just 26 points from the 14 games since United last lost - while Sir Alex Ferguson's side have collected 41.

Just need to win 2 more champions league trophys to silence the scousers

But first Inter and Jose!




LS's Tip of the week
ESSENTIAL OILS aren't essential unless you're an engine, a gearbox or a twat

We've done the Champions League recently. Quite happy with 2 finals in 3 years thank you, including one of the best in memory.

What most Liverpool fans want is the league. That's the one trophy we pine for. The Champions League is something on the side.

I think I've already said it in this thread, but we were never going to win the title anyway. We liked to cling on to the hope that we could go through the season and somehow do it, but I think we always really knew that if Man U started playing, they'd beat us. Of course Man U haven't started playing well yet, but they're still grinding out results. I'm not sure many of us would be content with 2nd, but it's moving forward. We've been far better overall this season, and for me, that's adequate.

The 5Live commentators summed it up well during the Liverpool game - something like: "yesterday (Saturday) when Man U were changing the game, they brought on Carlos Tevez. Today Liverpool are bringing on Nabil El Zhar".

That said, it's not really the strength in depth, it's how few class players we've got. You don't need world-class players everywhere, but you do need some quality. We need a right-back, left-back, right-sided midfielder and a support striker, or at least a 2nd striker. We just don't have the money to find them (after Rick Parry managed to splash out £20m on Keane).

The building blocks are there, but the worry is that by the time we've got the strength throughout the team, the likes of Gerrard and Carragher will be coming to the end of their careers. Where's that Dubai consortium when you need them?

Coincidentally, if Sir Alex doesn't want to splash out £30m on Tevez, I think he'd be perfect for Liverpool. Sell Dirk Kuyt for £8m or so, as Tevez has the same aggression and work-rate, while actually being brilliant with the ball too. With that money, get a half decent right-back.

Liverpools youth policy havent bought anyone through since Gerrard which doesnt help the club, its all and well plundering the spanish leagues but some home grown talent always helps




LS's Tip of the week
ESSENTIAL OILS aren't essential unless you're an engine, a gearbox or a twat

Liverpool, to their credit, have the players, they just seem to have dropped the ball (almost literally) in the last month or 2, while United have just kept ploughing forward. United at the moment remind me of Chelsea a few years ago under "The Special One", and Chelsea of United / Arsenal then.

---

Everyone knows that million-to-one chances happen 9 times out of 10; indeed, it's a common requirement in fairy tales. If the human didn't have to overcome huge odds, what would be the point? Terry Pratchett - The Science Of Discworld

GPGSL S5 Race driver for IED.

Man U makes some great youth purchases, the wingback twins they have now (one being very good and the other just "there" were bought when they were just 15 and they have a good staff to develop people properly for their style of playing.

Guimengo Wrote:
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> Man U makes some great youth purchases, the
> wingback twins they have now (one being very good
> and the other just "there" were bought when they
> were just 15 and they have a good staff to develop
> people properly for their style of playing.

Must admit it seems United are the only top end team bothering with youth players these days, with everyone else like Chelsea just buying in the players for a stupid price, then selling them cheap


PSN/Xbox 360 ID - Ianwoollam

Guimengo Wrote:
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> Man U makes some great youth purchases, the
> wingback twins they have now (one being very good
> and the other just "there" were bought when they
> were just 15 and they have a good staff to develop
> people properly for their style of playing.

To be fair, you were singing the praises of Lucus at this point last year. You can have him back if you want!

Seriously though, they both look good, Fabio especially, though I'm not sure he's played a Premiership game yet (as I remember, in his comeback from injury in an FA Cup game I think it was, he picked up another injury).

To United's credit though, most of their youth in the squad today has come through the academy, which shows just how strong it is. Academies in the Premiership are a great source of talent, it's surprising more sides don't go through them more, they're used more in the lower leagues.

---

Everyone knows that million-to-one chances happen 9 times out of 10; indeed, it's a common requirement in fairy tales. If the human didn't have to overcome huge odds, what would be the point? Terry Pratchett - The Science Of Discworld

GPGSL S5 Race driver for IED.

Lucas could be good, he comes from the south and he should fit the british game well, blame Grêmio :P. I still think Man U should use Anderson as a Giggs replacement in the near future, he's an offensive mid. Gav, I don't know which twin is which but the right wingback one is the good one .

Turkey, do you count as coming through the academy if they bring in teenagers from overseas? Sounds unfair to me, I just hope they don't go crazy for that 6 year old Algerian kid, poor Frenchies are calling him the next Zidane

Nah, it's the left who's supposed to be the more promising one - he's just barely played yet.

Both will probably be good enough for the 'zillian national squad in a couple of years. Maybe sooner for Rafael if Neville just does what he should and give up. :D

Guimengo Wrote:
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> Turkey, do you count as coming through the academy
> if they bring in teenagers from overseas? Sounds
> unfair to me, I just hope they don't go crazy for
> that 6 year old Algerian kid, poor Frenchies are
> calling him the next Zidane

Fair point, as in the current squad there's no young English players of late that have come through the Academy, people like Fletcher and O'Shea have but they are Scottish and Irish respectively


PSN/Xbox 360 ID - Ianwoollam

There is Evans.

Not sure about Fletcher either - I thought he was English but qualified through some relative or something.