English Football Thread 2013/14

[thedon5]

Don't care if we're top of the league or not, the fact is Chelsea and Man City have quite a bit to prove themselves.

The fact is this forum is full of people who think we'll barely finish in the top four, of course that annoys me.

 

[ste_mc_efc]

Anyone else notice a change in the Dons character since Arsenal have started to challenge for the league again (been a while).?

Become a bit of an arrogant twat.

Give it the large when you actually win something, not when your sitting at the top of the league in November!

what I've noticed more and more is that he has some weird complex where he thinks everyone is against arsenal

 

[thedon5]

Everyone? No. The media? Yes. And a lot of people here are clearly influenced by the media.

Go take a look at the likes of Jamie Carragher, Jamie Redknapp, Alan Hansen and Michael Owen and what they think about us, that's just the Liverpool supporting bunch as well. There's more where that came from.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

The Arsenal game at the weekend could prove a turning point in our season if we can sneak a win, but based on the respective midweek performances, we're going to have our work cut out. If we can win though, I can see it putting the skids under Arsenal as has happened many times in the past when they've got off to such a good start.

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Anyone else notice a change in the Dons character since Arsenal have started to challenge for the league again (been a while).?

Become a bit of an arrogant twat.

Give it the large when you actually win something, not when your sitting at the top of the league in November!

Yep - I've definitely picked up on that. Remember, theDon - Arsenal have made great starts before, only to fall away by March, or even earlier.

 

[StinkyBoHoon]

so people are saying don is hyper sensitive, has an inflated sense of importance and nurtures a paranoid victim complex?

Don, have you ever considered supporting Liverpool instead? you'd fit in very well.

 

[thedon5]

The Arsenal game at the weekend could prove a turning point in our season if we can sneak a win, but based on the respective midweek performances, we're going to have our work cut out. If we can win though, I can see it putting the skids under Arsenal as has happened many times in the past when they've got off to such a good start.

Midweek, formbook, all goes out the window at Old Trafford mate, there is some sort of barrier stopping us from asserting ourselves there. You guys also love to put out your best performances of the season against us.

We can get the result, but your lot go in as favourites, but favourites under huge pressure. This is certainly one volatile match, it could end 3-0 or something to either side depending on who can actually take the game by the scruff of the neck.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Wow - what a season WBA are having. They turn us over at Old Trafford and then lose out on doing the same to Chelsea thanks to Olympic level diving from Ramirez. Gotta feel sorry for WBA - they deserved to win that. Still - more dropped points for Chelsea - 'The Special One's return isn't quite going to plan.

 

[SpitfiresKent]

I've just seen it and it's an absolute howler from the referee.

 

[War]

Dunno what going with Young wit this diving madness & his overall game. Was brilliant at Villa, his first season @ United was really good the way he would cut in from the left and shoot from his right now as shown most notably during the famous 8-2 win vs Arsenal. Also he was really good for England on the left-side, now its like geez man...

 

[thedon5]

I don't remember him doing much other than in the 8-2 for United, he had an average season and was outshone by Valencia.

Young is awful and does it time and time again. I didn't see what happened, but Ramires doesn't make a daily habit of diving. The only thing Young contributes are penalties through his diving. Not to say Ramires isn't a diver, but Young is on a different level.

Young is probably the worst diver in Europe especially since that's all he's good for. Worse than Neymar and Suarez.

 

[Lee1981]

Our biggest problems are we don't know our best 11 yet and we just have anyone who is gonna score 20+ league goals

A few years ago we had Drogba and even Anelka who were up there in the scoring charts.

You don't win the title with you top scorer only on 10 goals.

I don't know what the solution is, we just seem to one dimensional, to reliant on Hazard or Oscar to do something.

Hate to say it but just don't think we have enough to win the title this year, Jose is still the man but something is missing and it may take time to put it right.

 

[Abhas]

What's with people having their names starting J or S? I made a proper Liverpool playing XI with them..

S Mignolet
G Johnson - M Skrtel - M Sakho - J Enrique
J Ibe - S Gerrard - J Allen - J Henderson
L Suarez - D Sturridge

SUBS:
B Jones
S Coates
R Sterling
J Flanagan
J Robinson

 

[Bevab]

Dunno what going with Young wit this diving madness & his overall game. Was brilliant at Villa, his first season @ United was really good the way he would cut in from the left and shoot from his right now as shown most notably during the famous 8-2 win vs Arsenal. Also he was really good for England on the left-side, now its like geez man...

Ever since Euro 2012, he's been quite poor, don't know why. That game against Italy, meh...

 

[War]

Ever since Euro 2012, he's been quite poor, don't know why. That game against Italy, meh...

Ye basically, since EURO 12 indeed his overall football has taken a complete nose dive.

 

[thedon5]

I still think United are really poor, looks like they'll be in the title race by default though and Liverpool probably will be as well. I wish Southampton were too! Good result for the league today in Man Utd vs Arsenal as it confirms that the league is as open as ever. Unfortunately that seems to be more due to how weak everyone is, not how strong.

Chelsea as Lee says are poor due to their lack of a striker, they seem to be lacking any sort of consistency as well and Mourinho certainly isn't delivering on the hype that the media put on him. They will be in there though.

Man City can't assert themselves away from home for some reason. They'll be in there too.

Not sure about Arsenal, depends how they come back from the loss and how the injuries go.

Liverpool are destroying all the smaller teams. Are they incredible strong? No. I can't see them doing much against the bigger teams, but consistently beating the small teams and a few results against bigger teams will be enough. We'll see more in the Merseyside derby.

Tottenham definitely won't be in there though, they have serious creativity problems. Soldado does absolutely nothing except finish chances and score penalties and they aren't creating so they're definitely in trouble. Holtby is crap, Eriksen had one good game and Lamela isn't a creative player and doesn't play anyway. Townsend overrated as hell since he's English. They have scored just nine goals this season, only Crystal Palace and Sunderland have scored less, and a lot of those were penalties too... Of all their signings Paulinho is looking the only really solid one right now and Chiriches has been decent recently. I think Everton will finish above them. They are so poor in attack and their defence is not rock solid, they have just been grinding out the clean sheets and won't keep it up all season.