Football The 2011/2012 Season Thread

[Calaen]

Mancini is such a noob!

"We've been at the top for six months. We might not be at the top now but United had an easy game.

 

[Lethul]

I would love to see City fail this year again. But at the expense of United taking the title... hmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Really impressed by United though, cause I seriously don't think they have _that_ great a squad. But still they manage to grind wins out of basically every game they are supposed to win and then some.

 

[caLLous]

Utd is definitely the lesser of two evils. Imagine if City completely imploded and dropped out of the top 4.

*dream*

 

[Embattle]

Well it would be another year added to the others that shows money alone can't buy the title.

 

[rynnor]

I think the premier league has gone downhill a bit in the last few seasons - look at how poorly our teams do in the Champions league now - we used to dominate that competition.

 

[Raven]

Light at the end of the tunnel for Northampton. Off the bottom for the first time in a long time with a decent win vs Aldershot. Hopefully we can keep going and stay in the football league.

 

[Calaen]

I think the premier league has gone downhill a bit in the last few seasons - look at how poorly our teams do in the Champions league now - we used to dominate that competition.

We are having one bad season in the champions league I fully expect the English teams to be fighting it out in the knock out stages again next year!

 

[Raven]

Yeah, 1 season means nothing. Also, the prem is still by far the best to watch as a neutral, though my wife is nagging me to take Spurs on as a second team! Cobblers forever though.

 

[gohan]

lol 1 season out of the last like 12, for about the last 6 seasons we've had 3-4 teams in the quarters and have had AT LEAST 1 team in the final in 6 of the last 7, 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 and 2011 winning 3 losing 3 (well losing 4 as chelsea v manu)

 

[DaGaffer]

We are having one bad season in the champions league I fully expect the English teams to be fighting it out in the knock out stages again next year!

United are missing Vidic in particular in Europe. Having said that, without an injection of at least two world-class central midfielders next season United will continue to struggle in Europe; Paul Scholes is a band-aid, not a solution.

 

[Turamber]

Well it would be another year added to the others that shows money alone can't buy the title.

Yes, because Manchester United are such paupers. Talk sense please.

 

[caLLous]

There are teams that are well-funded and there are teams that are bought by some foreign billionaire as a play-thing.

 

[Scouse]

Yeah. United are keeping an already winning squad going with tactical highest-quality buys at great expense.

The most important thing is mentality. They have a winning mentality. One or two really top-quality purchases a season keeps that mentality intact. Adding 7 or 8 players at a time destabilises that mentality, but when you're only adding one or two then they become absorbed into the culture of winning.

 

[Embattle]

Yes, because Manchester United are such paupers. Talk sense please.

As a AV fan you wouldn't know sense if you ran in to it, the fact is next to MCs spending no one has come close and this is possibly shaping up to be another year where they fail to win and yet often people like to claim you can buy the league.

BTW Just to point out that when I say possibly it is taken with the view that falling behind MU by 1 point with 10 games left isn't a big problem yet.

 

[rynnor]

The most important thing is mentality. They have a winning mentality. One or two really top-quality purchases a season keeps that mentality intact. Adding 7 or 8 players at a time destabilises that mentality, but when you're only adding one or two then they become absorbed into the culture of winning.

Absolutely - this is where Spurs come unstuck - they have a decent team but they dont have the belief or drive to grind out the results to be a real contender. At their best they would trouble any side but they dont get to that height very often and they seldom play two good halves to a game which to me says a lot about focus and discipline.

Harry is a decent manager but he hasnt really been able to fix the falling off in the 2nd half issue that costs us so many points. You have to wonder what he says to them at half time?

 

[Raven]

Yes, because Manchester United are such paupers. Talk sense please.

They may well be rich but they haven't spent nearly as much as most people think. They have a very good youth development system, they also buy quite a few youngsters and develop them.

Our old friend the spending table http://www.transferleague.co.uk/

Villa only 2 million per season less than UTD on Nett spend, Villa nose diving, UTD rising high (domestically anyway)

 

[Calaen]

We

Absolutely - this is where Spurs come unstuck - they have a decent team but they dont have the belief or drive to grind out the results to be a real contender. At their best they would trouble any side but they dont get to that height very often and they seldom play two good halves to a game which to me says a lot about focus and discipline.

Harry is a decent manager but he hasnt really been able to fix the falling off in the 2nd half issue that costs us so many points. You have to wonder what he says to them at half time?

Based on his defense at the courts about his tax dodging, he can barely fucking read write or speak So I'd imagine it's either someone else talking!!!!

You saw his reaction to questions after defeats against Utd and Everton, he just can't handle the pressure!

It's getting the same with Daglish, when he came back, his sarcasm was funny for a couple of weeks, now it's all he has, and that's scary. You can't ask him a proper question, as he thinks it's got a secret meaning and immediately goes on the defensive.

 

[soze]

Man U spend a bucket load of money. A lot of places seems to differ on the figures paid for people like Anderson who is reported between £5m and £18m but we will never know the truth. But you look at Rooney and Ferdinand and it is clear that the majority of the time when they spend big it works out. That is where Villa went wrong O'Neil insisting on buying the second best English player in every position where there was much better value to be had.

 

[DaGaffer]

Man U spend a bucket load of money. A lot of places seems to differ on the figures paid for people like Anderson who is reported between £5m and £18m but we will never know the truth. But you look at Rooney and Ferdinand and it is clear that the majority of the time when they spend big it works out. That is where Villa went wrong O'Neil insisting on buying the second best English player in every position where there was much better value to be had.

Spent. That's the word you're looking for. United haven't been a force in transfer market for quite a while now. Berbatov was the last big money signing and that was nearly four years ago. Their wage bill is at the high end, but since Ronaldo they've become a selling, not a buying club.

 

[Wazzerphuk]

If the Premier League had started on January 1 then the bottom three would be QPR, Liverpool and Wolves.

 

[soze]

http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/rosicky-signs-new-contract-at-arsenal

I think the goal vs Spuds got him that contract.

 

[caLLous]

In spite of your shoddy formatting, I like that sentence.

 

[Everz]

We havent won on a Saturday at Molineux in over a year now.

 

[Calaen]

If the Premier League had started on January 1 then the bottom three would be QPR, Liverpool and Wolves.

That's very amusing long live KK!!!

 

[Turamber]

Villa only 2 million per season less than UTD on Nett spend, Villa nose diving, UTD rising high (domestically anyway)

Sure, lets ignore wages paid, and historic transfer fees in assembling a squad. More silly nonsense. Those poor paupers of Manchester United, lets have a whip round for them.

 

[Turamber]

people like to claim you can buy the league.

Who has won the English Premier League? Arsenal when they spent big, Blackburn when they spent big and Manchester United and Chelsea - both phenominally wealthy, one having a sugar daddy and the other with pulling power and spending power enjoyed by no other club in world football.

 

[Ch3tan]

Emirates again today, two great goals

 

[cHodAX]

Who has won the English Premier League? Arsenal when they spent big, Blackburn when they spent big and Manchester United and Chelsea - both phenominally wealthy, one having a sugar daddy and the other with pulling power and spending power enjoyed by no other club in world football.

The money we spend is the money we EARN, simple as that really. Yes we can spend big when we need to but often we take the cheaper option and prepare for the longhaul, that is what sets United and Arsenal apart from the rest. The difference between those two is that we execute our plans better and don't have to contend with the London lifestyle fucking our best young players up.

 

[ileks]

Rosicky has looked incredibly good lately.

The amount of arsenal moves that break down when Walcott gets the ball is staggering.

 

[cHodAX]

No cake for Suarez if he pisses off to Paris!