Master Index of Archived Threads


Premier League 2011

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 07 2011 12:07 PM

THOUGHTS ON TODAY'S COMMUNITY SHIELD MATCH (FA Cup winners Man City vs. EPL champs MFManU, the start of the EPL season): 1. Should be fun for Man U fans growing up with De Gea. 2. The more talent you give Mancini, the less of a chance he has to figure out its optimal use. 3. I'm beginning to find it in me to hate Nani.

Willets Point Aug 07 2011 07:18 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Man U also played a testimonial match on Friday against the New York Cosmos. You read that right, the Cosmos. Right now they're a U23 developmental team but for this game were augmented with retired players like Nicky Butt, Gary Neville, Sol Campbell, Fabio Cannavaro, Brad Friedel, Robbie Keane, Brian McBride, Michel Salgado and Patrick Vieira. Man U demolished them, of course, 6-0. But if you're nostalgic like me it was good to see players in Cosmos kits playing again. [youtube:30pg3kbr]lpFDtduH1ok[/youtube:30pg3kbr]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 07 2011 07:59 PM Re: Premier League 2011

And lovely kits they are, too. But they've got no league, as yet; MLS is asking a reported $70M franchise fee ($30-40M more than the last couple of franchisees) for any New York-area team, and they're homeless, too.

metirish Aug 08 2011 07:17 AM Re: Premier League 2011

If this turns in to another anti Man U thread I won't be participating.....cheers mates the game was highly entertaining , these games typically are rubbish but with as it was these two teams it was played as if it were a mid season tilt(player fitness didn't reflect that though) , seven yellow cards , great goals.The fans were really in to it . United need another midfielder, Wesley Sneijder obviously fits the bill. I have long disliked Michael Carrick and saw enough yesterday from young Tom Cleverley to hope he can take Carricks place , Cleverley is a grade A prospect , as is Welbeck. The new keepep De Gea looked dodgy on City's second goal, should bever get beaten from that range....still , all reports are that he is the real deal and only 20. City to me are a team without an identity, they don't have any players that came through the ranks , anyone of them that was any good is gone, they have a formidable squad but can they play as a team? You hear a lot of talk about dissent in the squad , player jealousy, that's for the boss to sort out, that has always been on of Ferguson's great strengths, and Wenger too down the years. I think Roberto Mancini is the right man there but needs to be given real time on the job to build up that cache with players. On to the Cosmos , the commentator for the game yesterday Guy Mowbray in talking about the testimonial during the game yesterday pronounced it the NY CosMOSS......never heard that before.

Willets Point Aug 08 2011 08:18 AM Re: Premier League 2011

Irish, if you don't participate, it will be an anti-Man U thread by default.

Willets Point Aug 08 2011 07:22 PM Re: Premier League 2011

All matches in London this week likely to be canceled due to rioting.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Aug 09 2011 08:10 AM Re: Premier League 2011

I'm more than a little disturbed by this rioting.

metirish Aug 11 2011 01:06 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Everton at Spurs cancelled , the area around the stadium is a mess for one. love this picture from Scotland's friendly against Denmark yesterday Scotland's Phil Bardsley aims high under pressure from Simon Kjaer of Denmark during Wednesday night's friendly. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 11 2011 10:03 PM Re: Premier League 2011

No surprise at all, as the rioting started in Tottenham. And speaking of no surprise... oh, that fucking Niρo. It was reported later that Torres, who was on the pitch for 14 minutes, had suffered mild concussion and was taken to hospital as a precaution.

Willets Point Aug 11 2011 10:19 PM Re: Premier League 2011

I was surprised that the rioting started in Tottenham because, although I've never been there, I always imagined a place with a name like Tottenham (and a team named Hotspur) would be upscale.

MFS62 Aug 11 2011 10:41 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Willets Point wrote: I was surprised that the rioting started in Tottenham because, although I've never been there, I always imagined a place with a name like Tottenham (and a team named Hotspur) would be upscale. It is a very upper middle class area. When she was there, my wife bought me a 'Spurs hat and scarf. She likens it to the Upper West Side of Manhattan. One of the last places I can picture where there is either economic or political unrest. Has the Queen made any public comments asking for calm? I haven't noticed any. Or is she leaving this to the PM? Later

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 12 2011 12:33 AM Re: Premier League 2011

Tough day for the Gunners... Barcelona are certain they have finally succeeded in their long pursuit of Cesc Fabregas with a package worth around £31million. Arsenal were still waiting to receive any such bid but the clamour from reliable Catalan sources suggested a verbal agreement was very close. And to make matters worse for Arsene Wenger, he also looks set to lose Samir Nasri to Manchester City after a change of heart at the Emirates. ... and an unexpectedly frustrating one for Sir Alex. United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had been hoping to make the Dutch international his final signing of the summer... [But] With 27-year-old [Wesley] Sneijder sitting right at the wrong end of United's age limit for new signings, Ferguson and chief executive David Gill have decided to walk away from a player who was demanding in excess of £200,000-a-week in wages.

metirish Aug 12 2011 07:05 AM Re: Premier League 2011

I'd have liked Sneijder but agree with United's stance here, he's 27 and can't walk in and expect to be the highest paid player at the club.....as a club United are loathe to spend big on players 26 plus.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 12 2011 01:12 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Yeah, it makes sense. I mean, you can't blame Sneijder's people for trying, but you can blame them for an overreach that cost their guy a chance to play where he (supposedly) would like to be. Similarly, I'm amazed at the restraint coming from AVB and the Fulham Road crew. In years past, my guys would have splashed the pot for Pastore, and gone all in for, say, 40 million pounds on Modric.

metirish Aug 12 2011 01:57 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Interesting year for Chelsea, if Torres doesn't get going it's like he'll drag the whole club down with him such is the pressure. Obi Mikel should get more playing time now Essien is out...Josh McEachran is quite a talent , super passer of the ball, he'll get more time I hope. Kakuta and Sturridge too.Abramovich really needs to give the new manager a real shot at this , the squad is not as old as one might think and it will be interesting to see what AVB does with it. Arsenal , what can you say, geez , a club like this should not be forced to sell their best players on a yearly basis.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 12 2011 02:09 PM Re: Premier League 2011

metirish wrote: Interesting year for Chelsea, if Torres doesn't get going it's like he'll drag the whole club down with him such is the pressure. Obi Mikel should get more playing time now Essien is out...Josh McEachran is quite a talent , super passer of the ball, he'll get more time I hope. Kakuta and Sturridge too.Abramovich really needs to give the new manager a real shot at this , the squad is not as old as one might think and it will be interesting to see what AVB does with it. Arsenal , what can you say, geez , a club like this should not be forced to sell their best players on a yearly basis. People keep talking about Chelsea's lack of good service... it's not terrible; it's just a little undercooked, maybe (at least at this point). I like McEachran a lot, too... and Benayoun makes an interesting poor-man's-Modric (and has been the only guy to really mesh with Torres so far). With a full year of Luiz and Ramires... and a better-rested Drogba... it could be fun. Also, it's a much more interesting league with a rejuvenated Liverpool in it. But yeah, this is Man U's league to lose. Think Man City builds on last year with Aguero, or does he become another high-priced ingredient rotting on Mancini's shelf?

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 14 2011 12:19 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Man U steals three off a game West Brom squad with a late Ashley Young goal tapped in off two defenders... but loses Vidic and Ferdinand (f-ing shocker) to leg tweaks. After losing Rafael to a dislocated shoulder in practice (up to 10 weeks?), that backline depth may get a real workout in the early going. Meanwhile, not a fantastic week for the presumed Devil-chasers: -- After a tidy Suarez header for a goal, a frisky first 45 from Andy Carroll (who had a goal disallowed), and a generally superb first half, Liverpool punts away two points with a lackluster second half at home against Sunderland, allowing them to tie in the 57th on a sweet Sebastian Larsson shot -- No 4-4 barnburner this time; after losing Gervinho to a red card in his first EPL match (thanks, Joey Barton!), the Gunners can't break through against Newcastle, and are lucky to get away with a 0-0 tie... with the Barton fun continuing on Twitter -- Torres looks better (for the most part), but just... can't... put one in against a sterling Asmir Bogovic as Chelsea comes away with a scoreless draw against the Stoke wrestling team

Willets Point Aug 15 2011 11:41 AM Re: Premier League 2011

It's official:MetIrish becomes a die-hard fan of Los Angeles Galaxy.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 15 2011 03:05 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Aguer-wow.

metirish Aug 15 2011 03:16 PM Re: Premier League 2011

It's official:MetIrish becomes a die-hard fan of Los Angeles Galaxy. “I am delighted, honoured and very excited to be joining the LA Galaxy,” Keane said. “I have always wanted to come and play in MLS so it’s the perfect combination for me and a dream come true. get the fuck out Robbie , talk about taking the piss. Missed the City game (spent that time in peds docs with sickly son), looking forward to watching Sky Sports News for that goal......

metirish Aug 15 2011 05:23 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Watching the EPL Review show now, agree on Torres, his movement was there and according to a friend in London he got MoTM from SKY. Lampard should have had a penalty, Mikel had a sweet but dead at the goalie shot turned away. I thought Andy Carroll ran around like a proper dick and did nothing much. I like that Sunderland went for the win and didn't shut up shop , the game was there to be won. Dalgish didn't do anything to change tactics in the second half, all bad news for liverpool. Shay Given will be one of the signing of the season, still a top goalie..... De Gea?.....you know , I hate to see a guy learn on the job, if you know anything about the history of goalies at United since the great Peter Schmeichel left then you'l know that De Gea is already getting killed in the english media. Van Der Sar is twice the age of De Gea, it's a lot to ask. QPR are going down , even after one game I think that's a fair statement.

metirish Aug 15 2011 05:37 PM Re: Premier League 2011

From the funniest person I follow on Twitter @prodnose Danny Baker Reuters: Humanitarian authorities have urged Premiership teams to pull out of QPR before the situation further deteriorates. More To Follow.

duan Aug 15 2011 05:51 PM Re: Premier League 2011

MFS62 wrote: Willets Point wrote: I was surprised that the rioting started in Tottenham because, although I've never been there, I always imagined a place with a name like Tottenham (and a team named Hotspur) would be upscale. It is a very upper middle class area. When she was there, my wife bought me a 'Spurs hat and scarf. She likens it to the Upper West Side of Manhattan. One of the last places I can picture where there is either economic or political unrest. Has the Queen made any public comments asking for calm? I haven't noticed any. Or is she leaving this to the PM? Later Tottenham can be very rough. VERY rough. Go further west (which the rioters did) to Muswell Hill and the like and you get to some pretty nice parts of town, but off the Tottenham High Road you get into some pretty dodgy ground pretty quick. Having said that, when it happened it spread to very fancy areas (there was a shop on the Kings Road smashed in!).

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 15 2011 06:33 PM Re: Premier League 2011

metirish wrote: Missed the City game (spent that time in peds docs with sickly son), looking forward to watching Sky Sports News for that goal...... Holy crap, they looked good once the scoring started. It ended at 4-nil WITH a great performance from the Swansea keeper. Honestly, I don't even see the point of a Nasri move-- they're backed up in the middle as is.

metirish Aug 15 2011 06:40 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Totally agree on Nasri, I think he's staying, remember this video of Augero and his son? [youtube:2gad5ecf]Z-FZ1twJU9k[/youtube:2gad5ecf]

Willets Point Aug 15 2011 07:00 PM Re: Premier League 2011

duan wrote: MFS62 wrote: Willets Point wrote: I was surprised that the rioting started in Tottenham because, although I've never been there, I always imagined a place with a name like Tottenham (and a team named Hotspur) would be upscale. It is a very upper middle class area. When she was there, my wife bought me a 'Spurs hat and scarf. She likens it to the Upper West Side of Manhattan. One of the last places I can picture where there is either economic or political unrest. Has the Queen made any public comments asking for calm? I haven't noticed any. Or is she leaving this to the PM? Later Tottenham can be very rough. VERY rough. Go further west (which the rioters did) to Muswell Hill and the like and you get to some pretty nice parts of town, but off the Tottenham High Road you get into some pretty dodgy ground pretty quick. Having said that, when it happened it spread to very fancy areas (there was a shop on the Kings Road smashed in!). Yeah, like I said I hadn't been there. I've figured out that my misconception is due to the fact that I've been to Tottenham Court Road which is in Bloombsbury which is decidedly upscale. I looked at a map and Tottenham Court Road doesn't even run in the direction of Tottenham. At least Robbie Keane can be happy he's escaping the riotous streets of Tottenham for the peaceful oasis of South Central Los Angeles.

Willets Point Aug 17 2011 11:59 AM Re: Premier League 2011

An Irish newspaper wishes Happy Birthday to Thierry Henry.

metirish Aug 17 2011 01:45 PM Re: Premier League 2011

We surely know how to hold on to a grudge.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 27 2011 04:17 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Spanish midfielder/high-priced Valencia transfer Juan Mata scored in his Blue debut, a 3-1 Chelsea win over Norwich City. That's a pretty petty consideration, though, considering that this injury to Didier Drogba in the second half was also part of the affair. [youtube:21tfkcco]AKtDFW5M8YE[/youtube:21tfkcco]

metirish Aug 27 2011 04:23 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Sickening

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 28 2011 10:19 PM Re: Premier League 2011

With all due respect to the Manc vet, I don't remember Scholes ever scoring a pair like Ashley Young did today. Also: Fucksake, Gunners. Look alive- you're being paid for this.

Edgy MD Aug 29 2011 05:24 AM Re: Premier League 2011

I caught some of that MU-Arsenal game yesterday. I'd be looking up every five minutes watching the goal mouth being pounded, and I'm thinking, "Is this a charity game? Prince's Trust? Where's Elton John?"

metirish Aug 29 2011 06:25 AM Re: Premier League 2011

With all due respect to the Manc vet, I don't remember Scholes ever scoring a pair like Ashley Young did today. Also: Fucksake, Gunners. Look alive- you're being paid for this. Easy on Scholes , I know the commentator said the same thing after Young's second goal but I thought even as he was saying it he knew he sounded somewhat silly.I know I went " You facking wot, you facking twat", said like that in a Manc accent. [youtube]y1qoiTX8zQE[/youtube] [youtube]qVLdiOtk_hA[/youtube] Young was brilliant yesterday and freed from the mediocrity that was Villa and playing with top players he will only get better. Let no one sell Scholes short though , he was technically brilliant and scored some great ones, as a quick search reveals.

Willets Point Aug 29 2011 07:45 AM Re: Premier League 2011

Edgy DC wrote: I caught some of that MU-Arsenal game yesterday. I'd be looking up every five minutes watching the goal mouth being pounded, and I'm thinking, "Is this a charity game? Prince's Trust? Where's Elton John?" The Cosmos look good now.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Aug 29 2011 11:25 AM Re: Premier League 2011

metirish wrote: Young was brilliant yesterday and freed from the mediocrity that was Villa and playing with top players he will only get better. Let no one sell Scholes short though , he was technically brilliant and scored some great ones, as a quick search reveals. Fair enough. Focused on his mid-to-late period, my memory was. Would it be tragic, funny, or tragicomic if the Gunners were relegated this year?

Willets Point Sep 01 2011 11:40 AM Re: Premier League 2011

I love this. [youtube:b22skilw]MusyO7J2inM[/youtube:b22skilw]

metirish Sep 01 2011 01:29 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Brilliant, a perfect parody of SKY.

metirish Sep 01 2011 01:32 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Those guys are great [youtube:3hvyuyvo]THNPmhBl-8I&feature=relmfu[/youtube:3hvyuyvo] you librarians will like this [youtube:3hvyuyvo]rqTE-ig7NhY&feature=related[/youtube:3hvyuyvo]

Frayed Knot Oct 20 2011 07:35 AM Re: Premier League 2011

Now that half the clubs in the EPL are foreign owned there are reports of those owners wanting to scrap the promotion/relegation system.

metirish Oct 20 2011 07:50 AM Re: Premier League 2011

Frayed Knot wrote: Now that half the clubs in the EPL are foreign owned there are reports of those owners wanting to scrap the promotion/relegation system. Yep, it's been causing quite a lot of consternation over the past week, can't see it happening.....I hope it never happens ....

soupcan Oct 26 2011 08:45 AM Re: Premier League 2011

Any of you listen to the Sirius Radio Football Show with Georgio Chinaglia in the mornings? I ask because I was talking to a friend of mine who is a crazy West Ham fan and he was telling me that he calls in all the time. Good show? Worth a listen to a novice who would like to learn more about the game?

metirish Oct 26 2011 09:05 AM Re: Premier League 2011

When I get the Mini it comes with a free year of Sirius , I'll check it out then.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 26 2011 11:16 AM Re: Premier League 2011

metirish wrote: When I get the Mini it comes with a free year of Sirius , I'll check it out then. The radio is right next to the makeup compartment, it's really efficient I hear.

metirish Oct 26 2011 11:48 AM Re: Premier League 2011

Lol Bucket drives a Hummer I'm thinking

Mets – Willets Point Dec 01 2011 08:58 AM Re: Premier League 2011

And here is the point where Metirish declares that the Carling Cup is a shite competition.

metirish Dec 01 2011 09:18 AM Re: Premier League 2011

Mets – Willets Point wrote: And here is the point where Metirish declares that the Carling Cup is a shite competition. it is but Man U were shite last night and have been most of the season.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Dec 12 2011 08:17 PM Re: Premier League 2011

DOWN GOES CITY! DOWN GOES CITY!... as Chelsea takes "El Cashico." (Rough week for Mancs, eh?)

metirish Dec 13 2011 06:01 AM Re: Premier League 2011

Well , the Stone roses tour sold out but yeah rough week, Man United's glaring holes in the middle especially are being exposed and the fact that the two center backs have gotten old overnight as they do in this game really shows the need for top class players to come in. I admire Ferguson's ability to meld young players into the first team but this team needs help, doesn't help that the net spending the last few years lags behind even the likes of Aston Villa.

MFS62 Dec 13 2011 08:02 AM Re: Premier League 2011

Look out Manchesters (yeah, both you guys). Tottenham (now in third place) is gaining on you. Go, 'Spurs. Later

Mets – Willets Point Jan 04 2012 05:58 PM Re: Premier League 2011

USMNT stalwart Tim Howard scores a goal for Everton. Oh yeah, he's the goalkeeper. [youtube:2c8knml5]_YatwtIP48Q[/youtube:2c8knml5]

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jan 04 2012 06:05 PM Re: Premier League 2011

"FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK... yes! FUCKYES!" [Receives ball, launches kick] [Watches ball bounce into goal] [Pumps fist quietly] -Tim Howard

Edgy MD Jan 04 2012 08:08 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Yeah, the Mr. Cool act was the best part.

Mets – Willets Point Jan 05 2012 07:58 AM Re: Premier League 2011

Edgy DC wrote: Yeah, the Mr. Cool act was the best part. He was quoted as saying he didn't want to show up the other goalkeeper since he's been there himself.

metirish Jan 05 2012 08:05 AM Re: Premier League 2011

Mets – Willets Point wrote: Edgy DC wrote: Yeah, the Mr. Cool act was the best part. He was quoted as saying he didn't want to show up the other goalkeeper since he's been there himself. no surprise, he's a class act.

Edgy MD Jan 05 2012 08:27 AM Re: Premier League 2011

The bite on the ball was crazy. The wind carried it but kept it low, but it had this wicked overspin and sort of accelerated with the bounce like a topped grounder up the middle. Pretty crazy that there have been four goals by keepers in in Premier League history and two of them have been by Americans. I'm guessing a disproportionate amount of the number of Americans in the Premier League have been goalkeepers.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jan 17 2012 09:19 AM Re: Premier League 2011

-- Swansea-Arsenal this Sunday? FUN time. The Welsh played-- and have played, when I've seen them-- like the second coming of Blackpool, or a homeless man's Barca. (And now they're getting Josh McEachern on loan from Chelsea... which could be veeeeeddy interesting.) -- And in wasted-potential news... Landon Donovan would've been pretty decent going full-time in a world-class league, no? And more 'Murricans may be on the way. (Supposedly, Edson Buddle is joining Donovan in Everton, and the RedBulls' Tim Ream may join Bolton shortly.)

metirish Jan 20 2012 07:30 AM Re: Premier League 2011

Arsenal vs. Manchester United on Fox this Sunday , nice bridge to the Giants game. This is the first time an EPL game will feature on "free" US Network TV......whoohaa

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jan 20 2012 08:20 AM Re: Premier League 2011

metirish wrote: Arsenal vs. Manchester United on Fox this Sunday , nice bridge to the Giants game. This is the first time an EPL game will feature on "free" US Network TV......whoohaa First live broadcast-- they rebroadcast one or two earlier this year, if memory serves. (Last year's Man U-Barca was on, too, no? I watched in a bar, so I don't remember.)

Frayed Knot Feb 05 2012 11:58 AM Re: Premier League 2011

Entertaining - even if a bit sloppy at times - game today as Man U came back from 3-0 to tie Chelsea on what I assume is becoming a live FOX Game-of-the-Week kind of thing (if only until NASCAR starts). Two of Chelsea's goals banked off a ManU defenders although the set-ups of both were nice. Two of ManU's tallies came via penalty shots for fouls in the box (the 2nd one pretty picky in my nowhere-near learned opinion). Both were taken by Rooney. But the 3rd goal for each were great plays and there were various chances and saves late in the game after United tied it up in the 80-someting'th minute. Closing note from one of the talking heads back in FOX HQ during the wrap-up: 'Hey Super Bowl: Top That!!'

metirish Feb 05 2012 01:30 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Fun game , the second peno was soft but a United fan like me would argue for a Wellbeck peno after Cahill's challenge early in the game.....a red card even.....not sure why FOX feel the need to give us Piers Morgan , it's not that he is awful, clearly he's a fan(Arsenal) and closely follows the game but why is he there?

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Feb 05 2012 02:59 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Fair enough, Irish. Am still enjoying all the transfer window/free agent jokes about Howard Webb in my Twitter feed.

Mets – Willets Point Feb 06 2012 01:17 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Pitch invasion at Anfield.

metirish Feb 06 2012 01:19 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Pitch invasion at Anfield. from the Guardian's pbp 16 mins: "Would it be unfair to say that the stray cat has already shown more awareness in the penalty area than Andy Carroll?" asks Michael McCarthy, not alone in comparing the two. It showed a good turn of pace and its movement was decent if unconventional, but it also showed a very limited grasp of the offside law and offered limited aerial ability. I'm giving Carroll the nod here.

Mets – Willets Point Mar 22 2012 08:40 AM Re: Premier League 2011

Thoughtful piece on Fabrice Muamba from Grantland.

The Second Spitter Apr 13 2012 11:33 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Arsenal goalie Woj Szczesny enjoys a cold one, thrown by a fan, on his way to shutting-out Man City 1-0 ........ Josh Hamilton clearly picked the wrong sporting career...

HahnSolo May 01 2012 09:34 AM Re: Premier League 2011

I don't really follow the EPL (or soccer) much, but I couldn't help get caught up in all the hype surrounding the City v. United match. So my novice's question is about EPL and the Champions League...how is it that Chelsea is--I think--7th in the EPL, but makes the Champions League tournament? And a secondary question...how many non-EPL games will the average team play in a given year? Seems like they play tournaments against other clubs from Europe that are not EPL, right? I always found that odd, it must be my American sports upbringing. I just could never imagine the Knicks going and playing a team from Mexico or something on a day off. Or the Mets playing the PHillies one night, then hosting the Canadian national team the next.

metirish May 01 2012 09:45 AM Re: Premier League 2011

HahnSolo wrote: I So my novice's question is about EPL and the Champions League...how is it that Chelsea is--I think--7th in the EPL, but makes the Champions League tournament? because the top four teams in the bigger(richer) leagues make the following years Champions League tourney, this was UEFA's way to make sure the top(rich) clubs bag all the money, time was before in the old European Cup that a Man U could meet a Barca or Liverpool in the first leg .....now of course these teams can afford to lose a few games and still make it through the group stages into the home and away know out stage...... an EPL team that is in the CL , English FA Cup and the English League Cup could play upwatds of sixty games....rough guess.....the EPL is 38 games ....

HahnSolo May 01 2012 09:51 AM Re: Premier League 2011

Ah, so an appearance in Champions League this year is based on last year's finish in the EPL. Thanks.

Mets – Willets Point May 01 2012 10:21 AM Re: Premier League 2011

HahnSolo wrote: I don't really follow the EPL (or soccer) much, but I couldn't help get caught up in all the hype surrounding the City v. United match. So my novice's question is about EPL and the Champions League...how is it that Chelsea is--I think--7th in the EPL, but makes the Champions League tournament? And a secondary question...how many non-EPL games will the average team play in a given year? Seems like they play tournaments against other clubs from Europe that are not EPL, right? I always found that odd, it must be my American sports upbringing. I just could never imagine the Knicks going and playing a team from Mexico or something on a day off. Or the Mets playing the PHillies one night, then hosting the Canadian national team the next. So this is a long answer, but it's something I wondered and I think figured out over the past few years. The big difference between sports in the US (& Canada) and England (& much of Europe) is that in the USA the leagues came first. So basically here a group of people come together to organize a league and then award teams ("franchises") to owners in different cities. If any new owners want to join in the league has to approve the new team and basically through a financial transaction sell them a new franchise. That's how the National League was organized in 1876 and the same basic model has been followed by every successful professional sports league in the US ever since. In England, the clubs came before the leagues. I say "clubs" because the organizations that we call Chelsea, Manchester United, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, et al are actually social clubs with members that sponsor a soccer team as one of their activities (many European clubs sponsor teams in plenty of other sports as well as soccer). In 19th century England, many clubs were formed to sponsor amateur athletic activity and grew that some of them had highly talented players who attracted crowds and eventually began getting paid. The problem is that all these clubs pretty much had to plan their own schedules in order to play against any other clubs. The first attempt to solve this problem was the FA Cup (still played today) where any club that wants to enter is put in a monster-sized bracket and they play knockout rounds until one team is left. Obviously clubs wanted to play a more regular schedule so the next step was forming the Football League. With dozens of clubs in the country a schedule including every club would be impossible to finish, so only the top 12 were allowed to compete at the top level with additional competitions for lesser clubs added at lower levels. Teams that played well at lower levels were able to earn admittance to top level and teams at the top level the performed poorly were sent down to the lower levels, and thus promotion and relegation was born. The Champions League basically follows the same idea of answering the question "What's the best club in Europe." I believe initially on the first place teams of various national leagues were able to participate in what was originally called the European Cup. Since the 1990s when it was renamed the Champions League all the leagues in Europe are ranked by Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) using a coefficient determine that the strongest leagues can enter as many as four clubs into the Champions League while the weaker leagues can only enter one. To complicate things further there's a secondary competition called the Europa League that teams that teams that don't finish in the top of their leagues can enter. England gets three spots in the Europa League as well so the top 7 teams in the EPL end up getting a spot in one of the European-wide competitions. I believe the winner of the FA Cup also gets a spot in the Europa League if they haven't qualified already by their position in the EPL so there could possibly be 8 teams from England in European competitions. So it's all very confusing to the American mind, but to sum up you have to think of each club as kind of free agent able to participate in various different competitions depending on the team's skill to qualify for them. As a result, they play a lot of games, 38 in league play plus maybe a dozen more in national cup competitions and European competitions. I hope this makes some sense of it for you.

HahnSolo May 01 2012 10:39 AM Re: Premier League 2011

The background helps. Thanks.

The Second Spitter May 08 2012 06:03 AM Re: Premier League 2011

New France Jersey is a work of high fashion. The unique high collar of the shirt is decorated with gold piping, and again has been inspired by the collars of the military jackets. Even has a "gold button" on the sleeve. Cue surrender jokes....

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr May 13 2012 10:01 AM Re: Premier League 2011

If you were not watching ESPN2 this morning, you have NO idea what you just missed. I don't care about either of Man City or QPR, and my heart just about exploded during stoppage time.

The Second Spitter May 13 2012 10:34 AM Re: Premier League 2011

Demento complaining about Cit-eh getting 5 minutes of injury time has to be one of the funniest things I've heard in my entire life. Slur Alex wrote: 5 minutes of injury time to help them He turned so red in his post game interview I thought he was going to self-combust.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr May 13 2012 11:39 AM Re: Premier League 2011

I wasn't exactly in a spiteful/schadenfreude-y mental place just after all that, but I have to admit that the cut over to Man U about to celebrate at Stadium of Light, then sadly realizing what happened, was kind of hilarious.

The Second Spitter May 14 2012 12:50 AM Re: Premier League 2011

And then I heard Na$ri have a go at us in his post-game interview and wished United had won it. To be honest, football was the biggest loser after yesterday......closely followed by Joey Barton.

Frayed Knot May 19 2012 01:33 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Article in today's NY Times about the $takes involved (financial and otherwise) in the battle for the final spot in next season's Premier League

Frayed Knot May 19 2012 05:26 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Speaking of soccer (and I think we were) it's a good thing the announcers of that UEFA championship game didn't go too overboard in describing Chelsea's win. "This is about so much more than football ... it's about the stars and the heavens ... it's about the glory of England" (as the winning goal is kicked by the African-born star) ... "this is a day that will be remembered forever!!" and etc., etc. for about two straight minutes.

Mets – Willets Point May 20 2012 08:14 AM Re: Premier League 2011

Frayed Knot wrote: it's about the glory of England" (as the winning goal is kicked by the African-born star) Well, shit, much of the history of England has been built by capitalizing on the efforts of peoples from other lands, why should soccer be any different?

The Second Spitter May 20 2012 08:44 AM Re: Premier League 2011

Mets – Willets Point wrote: Frayed Knot wrote: it's about the glory of England" (as the winning goal is kicked by the African-born star) Well, shit, much of the history of England has been built by capitalizing on the efforts of peoples from other lands, why should soccer be any different? Club football glory is seldom viewed as a victory for the nation. There were probably more people in the UK rooting against Chelsea (particularly around Seven Sisters!) But yeah, congrats to AlBilly.....although your muted celebration leads me to believe the opposite from what I wrote above?

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr May 20 2012 08:53 AM Re: Premier League 2011

Not so muted... just not so online. (Attended Rangers-Devils Game 3 yesterday, then skipped just a little early to watch CL at the pub across the street. I hugged a LOT of strangers wearing blue yesterday afternoon.) And, outside of Spurs fans, I think a lot more Brits were rallying around the Blues than you might have suspected... or at least some prominent, non-regular Chelsea rooters. (Cameron's an Aston Villa guy, from what I understand.)

The Second Spitter May 20 2012 09:21 AM Re: Premier League 2011

BHO is just happy West Ham were promoted yesterday. Yes well, I have to say, the sight of John Terracist holding the European Cup made my stomach churn a little.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr May 20 2012 02:39 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Seriously, though... Franck Riberapingchildprostitutes would have been an improvement? (I was focused on guys like Cech, Drogba, and Essien.)

Frayed Knot May 20 2012 08:17 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Club football glory is seldom viewed as a victory for the nation. There were probably more people in the UK rooting against Chelsea Yeah, this was what I was getting at, especially after reading George Vescey's piece in the Times the other day on divided loyalties within England over this match. I don't know if the announcers on FOX were shilling for Chelsea during the game itself as I only caught a few minutes of this whole thing plus the shoot-out, but in the end they were so taken with the Chelsea win that they seemed to assign its importance to British pride as being topped only by the '66 World Cup and maybe the miracle at Dunkirk.

John Cougar Lunchbucket May 20 2012 09:30 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Our German friends were just devastated at the result, domination for nearly the entire match but nothing to show.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr May 20 2012 11:55 PM Re: Premier League 2011

Think THEY feel bad? Not only did Schweinsteiger blow the last kick with that stutter-step business... but he's a Bavarian. This was his childhood rooting interest; before he went to the academies, he was a little kid in a red shirt. He's Mike Baxter, with a chance to win the World Series, presented with loaded bases, swinging out of his heels at ball 4 for a game-ending third strike... as his family and friends look on.

Mets – Willets Point May 21 2012 07:47 AM Re: Premier League 2011

League Two club trying to attract the support of New Yorkers.

MFS62 May 21 2012 10:06 AM Re: Premier League 2011

Mets – Willets Point wrote: League Two club trying to attract the support of New Yorkers. I wonder if they will have a Jackie Robinson rotunda. Later