English Football Thread 2012/2013

[Bevab]

Arsenal set for Adidas switch when Nike deal expires | Mail Online



Where's thedon5?

 

[Epic]

We haven't actually had any of the players in this move this season (Bendtner to Wilshere, Wilshere to Fabregas, Fabregas to Nasri, Nasri to a good Arshavin), but this season we have had some pretty brilliant counter attacking moves.

*changes pants*

Yeah, it's just me going off on Arsenal after a poor performance, but tbf you don't see a whole out of that these days.

 

[thedon5]

Arsenal set for Adidas switch when Nike deal expires | Mail Online

Where's thedon5?

Adidas actually make decent kits so maybe a good move.

I believe we get less for our kit sponsor than Man Utd do for their training kits though.

----------

*changes pants*

Yeah, it's just me going off on Arsenal after a poor performance, but tbf you don't see a whole out of that these days.

Yep, for sure. There's something very wrong with this team atm, it really needs a boost. Hopefully Wilshere, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Walcott, Szczesny, Sagna and Diaby (tweaking huge short term injury list) coming back can give us that boost.

We've had at least a few good counter attacking moves this season though, nothing compared to that Barca one though, the goals at Anfield come to mind.

 

[Lee1981]

Villa v Norwich

What a pile of crap, gotta be one of the worst matches I've ever seen

2 rubbish teams

 

[thedon5]

Villa v Norwich

What a pile of crap, gotta be one of the worst matches I've ever seen

2 rubbish teams

Don't watch it..?

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Wilshere AND Sagna starting!

Exactly the boost the team needs. Bit harsh on Jenkinson though that bloody Santos starts ahead of him, Sagna can play LB with Jenkinson at RB. Like in the 8-2.

 

[Lee1981]

You have to watch some of it to realise how poor the other teams are other than the big 4 and Everton, Liverpool and spurs.

Must be awful watching them week in week out

 

[thedon5]

You have to watch some of it to realise how poor the other teams are other than the big 4 and Everton, Liverpool and spurs.

Must be awful watching them week in week out

Skater.

If I want to watch some poorer football I usually turn to a team like Southampton, West Brom or Fulham. Still somewhat entertaining. Especially Southampton, they play slightly poorly, but always play open football and don't park the bus. Definitely not Norwich or Aston Villa though. First week I haven't seen the early kick-off, that's how poor it is.

Nothing worse than being a Stoke fan though. Unless you enjoy rugby.

 

[ste_mc_efc]

i really dislike the superior attitude of having some sort of moral high-ground by playing pretty football.

Stoke fans will be loving life at the minute as an established prem team. they'd rather do that than pass teams off the park in the championship.

Ask bolton fans if they want big sam and his direct football back.

Football is about getting results. it's a sport. there shouldn't really be any sort of concept of entertaining neutrals. Get a result = happy supporters of your team.

 

[Bevab]

Get a result with beautiful football = more happy supporters.

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Seems like QPR have acquired the art of parking the bus from their rivals. I'm seeing some 8 defenders often.

 

[ste_mc_efc]

Get a result with beautiful football = more happy supporters.

it's a trade off between idealism and pragmatism.

going up and staying up for a few years has been much better for the stoke fans than going up and getting relegated trying to out-football teams.

Saying they would be happier if they got these results by playing pretty football is as silly as me saying their fans would be happier if they went even more direct and won the league.

 

[Bevab]

Was just joking. Its true though, results are always the main criteria.


Arteta is just so good at the moment, he atleast deserves to get a Spanish cap on merit.

 

[shravi]

For the first time in a LONG time, I am actually nervous going into the derby.

 

[KBC]

Was just joking. Its true though, results are always the main criteria.


Arteta is just so good at the moment, he atleast deserves to get a Spanish cap on merit.

W.I.L.S.H.E.R.E! barely off the clutches and plays like he never had one on him.

My heart paused briefly when Cesar kept saving Arteta's shots.

Arshavin too. Seems the rough layoff made him better. Decent cross for the goal. Walcott was fired up too, Santi should've netted 'that' rebound but i'm sure that will go down to being one of the rare moments of the season.

The first half was pretty poor, the start was great but then it declined once QPR countered, Gervinho rued some great chances and he didn't have a pile of men to cross against. Arsenal looked vulnerable off the ball for once, but count two against the odds, Mertesacker intercepted well in the second half and Santos seems to have got better from the Schalke defeat.

A lucky ending, Arteta against City last season and now against QPR, 3 points in the bag.

 

[thedon5]

Arshavin actually looks to have lost some weight and believe it or not came back to make a tackle towards the end of the game! Something's going on there. If it weren't for Podolski's vastly superior work rate and Arshavin's expiring contract, he would be starting ahead of him soon enough.

Arteta was actually rather average barring the goal. Tbh I didn't expect Santi to finish that great chance, he's a rather poor finisher and has been presented with such chances in the past, and they've all ended up in the stand. There's a reason he scored just one goal from inside the box last season.

Great returns for Sagna and Wilshere though. Both had incredible games.

MOTM easily to Cesar though, it should have been 5-0 for sure.

Did anyone see that second half epic, Reading vs Fulham?

 

[War]

i really dislike the superior attitude of having some sort of moral high-ground by playing pretty football.

Stoke fans will be loving life at the minute as an established prem team. they'd rather do that than pass teams off the park in the championship.

Ask bolton fans if they want big sam and his direct football back.

Football is about getting results. it's a sport. there shouldn't really be any sort of concept of entertaining neutrals. Get a result = happy supporters of your team.

While in general i agree, when it comes to elite world football sides, i would say the administrators and fans of those clubs rather beat teams the barca way - than the stoke city way.

When Capello was coach of Madrid he got sacked even though he won the league, because the executives and large portions of the fans didn't like the style.

We are already seeing this season how Abrahomovic has revamped Chelsea to play more attractively, even though they finally won the champions league for him playing "park the bus" football.

Your stoke city's and evertons of the world would surely be happy to stay in the league playing that sort of football, since their fans know that they can never win the premiership.

But i don't think Arsenal fans for eg, a team regularly praised this decade for being the barca of the premiership (although some of that aura has gone) - would accept winning the league playing defensive football.