Football Thread

Congrats to Norwich on their well deserved promotion. I still remember that humilating 2-0 defeat that Man Utd suffered at Carrow Road when you were last in the Premier League. With a few more additions you could really stay there beyond next season.

I'm looking forward to more of this from Delia

Brilliant to have QPR and Norwich back in the Prem. I'm old enough to recall when both felt like mainstays for a short time during the early-mid 80s, so it's great to have them both back.

And I must beg of Fernando Torres to have just ONE GOOD GAME next weekend, pace the overrated Vidic once more, get him sent off and bring the title to Stamford Bridge, not an ideal home for it but a damn sight better than it going to Old Trafford and the slime of humanity. PLEASE FERNANDO LAD.

Many thanks for the kind words, all.

bondfan06 wrote:

The most embarrassing moment I've had as a City fan. And we lost the bloody game anyway.


Hope Forest make it to the Prem. :bounce:

at the rate Forest are ending they'd only gain promotion by bungling the ball across the line by own goal. Depending on the QPR outcome I'd lean on Reading as an outside bet for the playoff final.

Pompey's season ends limply, a 1-1 draw with Scunthorpe. Still, for once we didn't end scrapping for our lives, we had twice as many points as we had managed since...probably the fifth season in the PL (we actually won a few). Hopefully next season survival once more, a bit of stabilisation, a decent strike force and...well, beat the Scum a couple of times wouldn't go amiss.

Congratulations to Wycombe on their promotion, on what turned out to be an exciting day in the Football League.

G section wrote:

Congratulations to Wycombe on their promotion, on what turned out to be an exciting day in the Football League.

typical Wanderers to leave it to the last day. Did it for the last promotion, lost the final game -Bury won behind us, Wanderers promoted by a single goal. Still, maybe this time they'll stay up and God-willing Pompey won't drop to meet them for 2012-13. :)

Still, have fun in the PL Norwich, likewise a lasting stay one hopes.

Those f*cking b*stards United. What was David Luiz doing on that first goal? Terry clearly pushed forward to play offside while that tit just stayed in position. Terrible start that they were never gonna bounce back from, and we now face the inevitability of the most mediocre title win in Premiership history, a title won simply because Arsenal have no spine and Chelsea had an at-the-time seemingly interminable bad run. How many more chances could there have been this season to take that Prem had there been any teams even remotely arsed about winning the f*cking thing as opposed to "merely" gaining Champions League qualification, which unfortunately is now all it seems to be about. I'm now even contemplating the unthinkable in that IMO Liverpool stand a good chance next season, given how patchy the top four have been this time around.

And had Everton played two up front and took the initiative in half a dozen home games where points were dropped against mediocre/poor teams we'd beat comfortably any other season, we'd have had a bloody great shot at that fourth place Champions League slot. Still, if we finish seventh it's no great shame really given the far superior resources of the six sides above us, in light of which I'd have maybe grudgingly accepted that position at the start of the season. We're basically "the best team without money" in the Prem, which is of course further testament to the nous-over-money minor-miracle workings of Mr Moyes. Just hope we don't sell more than just one or two players pre-season to help what I'm sure is a much bigger cash problem than they're letting on at EFC, which is surely IMO the reason The Yak was loaned out to Leicester (to save on his massive wages). We can probably afford to lose one of our many good midfielders (with a gun to my head Rodwell if someone like United make a big offer, as we've enough cover in midfield to cover that loss). Anything more would p*ss me off though, definitely don't want a defender going, especially not Jagielka or Baines.

I also have to congratulate Stoke this season. If they finish eighth right behind us and the "money six", as well as reaching (and possibly even winning) the FA Cup Final, that's a heck of an achievement and a great credit to Tony Pulis who has really made the absolute best of limited resources there.

KRC Genk 1-0 RSC Anderlecht

We are now out of the title race :(.

Lazenby. wrote:

I also have to congratulate Stoke this season. If they finish eighth right behind us and the "money six", as well as reaching (and possibly even winning) the FA Cup Final, that's a heck of an achievement and a great credit to Tony Pulis who has really made the absolute best of limited resources there.

Stoke have been superb this season. I can't understand why they are frequently criticised for taking an "anti-football" approach to the game when they have some of most attacking-minded players in the league. Just because they neither play right to the final whistle or roll over and hand over 3 points to United, Chelsea et al on a golden platter. Some people fail to differentiate last minute defensive play and time wasting. :scratch:

I hope that made sense...

It makes sense.

They are a footballing side. Pulis clearly doing better than when he was at Pompey. Best of luck to Stoke next weekend. All the best.

Just caught the highlights of Wimbledon's 6-1 demolition of Fleetwood, the former Bath City man Kaid Mohamed bagging a hatrick. Nice to see him doing well, he was terrific at Bath.

Bit more interesting than the first legs of the Championship play offs. Going to be very tough against Luton. Problem with Wimbledon as the Times wrote is that since they were created they've been going up and up, how does a club deal with stagnation? Well, hopefully the Dons will be up and so forth.

Hopefully the League Two play off second legs will match the Huddersfield-Bournemouth ones for excitement.

Fantastic news for the Wombles. Listening on BBC London was not doing my heart any good. Every time the ball came close to either end then extra-time then penalties. Lucky, lucky Dons that Luton fluffed followed by a save.

Not too bad for a club created nine years ago with trials on Wimbledon Common. Now, at some point, a relocation back into Merton.

Looking forward to seeing them in the football leauge. They'll now of course be facing (randomly) Paulo Di Canio's Swindon Town in League 2.

G section wrote:

Looking forward to seeing them in the football leauge. They'll now of course be facing (randomly) Paulo Di Canio's Swindon Town in League 2.

one of those managerial moves that makes you wonder sometimes. Will be good to see the Dons on the FL Show (providing the Beeb have it for another year)

I'm surprised he hasn't gone to/ been approached by West Ham. But there we are.

Actually gutted that Blackpool went down. Tall order to survive against Man U today but still. Ian Holloway and that team have been one of the best things about the PL in a while. I guess now we'll be welcoming them to Fratton Park (boy, one long journey for both teams next season) and well...Birmingham playing Europa League football in the Championship to boot.

By the bye, according to some stat today Wayne Rooney's annual rage is £10mill (based on his 200K a week salary) whilst 10mill is Blackpool's budget for the season. Then again, 10mill could keep Weymouth FC going for a couple of seasons.

Well, they went down fighting. Not many teams put two goals past United at Old Trafford. Now it's a question of who comes, who goes by the end of the season, Charlie Adam for example.

Adam will likely go as well as DJ Campbell. The likes of Beattie and Puncheon could stay. Puncheon's been on loan all over the shop.

I did read a moment ago Blackpool could be in Europe as they've leap-frogged Fulham in the Fair Play League. How weird would tha be.

Edit- and Ancellotti's left Chelsea.

Surprised, not surprised. Hello Guus.

Hilly wrote:

Edit- and Ancellotti's left Chelsea.

Surprised, not surprised. Hello Guus.

Would be bloody fantastic if Grant returned.

G section wrote:

Hilly wrote:

Edit- and Ancellotti's left Chelsea.

Surprised, not surprised. Hello Guus.

Would be bloody fantastic if Grant returned.

It would for any number of reasons. Cor, that'd put the wind up a few.

I went to bed at half time in all the games last night - and it looked as though Wigan and Wolves were doomed. I was so happy. Then I woke up and saw what happened in the second halves.

And sacking Ancellotti is a bad move for mine.

colly wrote:

And sacking Ancellotti is a bad move for mine.

Seriously, he's like a f*cking child, that Abramovic. How the hell can you operate with a "win the league every season or you're gone" policy? You're never gonna win the Prem every single season. Only some muppet who's skint enough to want the money for one season only would take that job now.

I too was p*ssed off to see Blackpool go down. Still, they were in a great position there against United, 2-1 up in the second half, but it's story of their season I'm afraid. They could score goals, but they just couldn't stop letting them in. I'm glad Wolves stayed up though, while I appreciate the hard work done at Wigan given the lack of resources. Birmingham I think probably deserved to go, and it would have been quite the "get out of jail" had they stayed up. Feel sorry for West ham, if only for Avram, who's always seemed like a really decent guy.

Blackpool will likely suffer from high expectations now that they've had a season up. Though I recall hearing fans at the start saying that if they got relegated at the end they'd have fun throughout. I've never seen a team in the PL so loved. Well, loved enough that the Portsmouth fan site wouldn't let up about it :)

Sadly my Fantasy team suffered overall. Though I finally moved to third from bottom I paid on the final weekend for having Seamus Coleman as my first sub. He was brought, him and his -2 points.

Hopefully we can get the league going for next season.