2012/13 Premier League discussion thread

[Guest]

First topic message reminder :

The big one is about to begin once again lads. Hopefully week 1 will bring a lot of goals, controversy and maybe even a shock!

God I've missed Jeff Stelling and the boys!

Game on.

[John Cregan]

So Anton Ferdinand follows in the footsteps of another brave martyr, Wayne Bridge, and refuses to shake the hand of JT. Anton also misses out A.Cole.

There is a book in it for you Anton.................just get someone good to recount your brave story....................im welling up here!

[Guest]

Fair play to him for not being false. This whole handshake business needs scrapping altogether.

[Guest]

Southampton are woeful at the back. Prepare for relegation.

[GSC]

I said that all preseason

[Josiah Maiestas]

Arsenall looks scary. Reminds me of the 2002/2003 seasons..

[Guest]

Another SAF foul up selling Berbatov and keeping Welbeck.

[Guest]

Wellbeck has been taking a bit of a pasting today. Has he been that bad?

[Guest]

hmmm 0-0 not a bad result i s'pose...especially away from home...should keep the mighty hammers in the top half

[The Special Juan]

This is a bit random but.....

How many goals does Torres have to score this season to prove he's still "world class"?

This is what Lawro said:

"It's coming slowly for him. The team is all set up for him. He's got no excuse now. The players in behind him are all creative and are trying to set him up. You would have to argue this is the biggest season he has ever had because if it doesn't happen for him then, maybe, he is one of those players who were better when they were younger."

[GSC]

20 in the league

[Guest]

Liverpool are a goal down. Anybody surprised?

[John Cregan]

Arsenall looks scary. Reminds me of the 2002/2003 seasons..

We'll see how "scary" they are when they play a top team!!

[Crimey]

All the same problems as last season.

[Guest]

Rodgers has got a serious job to do there. He's bought players who are simply not good enough to transform Liverpool into a top 4 side and with an ageing Gerrard has some big decisions to make. Loaning Carroll was a disastrous move. Suarez and Borini is an appaling striking pair, if goals are not guaranteed with these two, you know a yellow for Suarez each game certainly is. Cheating racist scumbag.

Must praise Martin O'Neill for taking Fletcher. Incredibly under-rated player and is a proven goalscorer in the EPL. I can see him notching at least 20 league goals this season with the creative players assembled at Sunderland.

[Crimey]

I just can't understand the reasoning of FSG in appointing Rodgers.

[Guest]

He's already starting to grind on me Crimey. He talks a good game but that's about it.

Agree John about Fletcher. He's a very good player.

[Smirnoffpriest]

Good result, but as Wenger says we know we can put teams to the sword when we want to, it's about consistency - that's what wins titles. It's still early days, same with the rubbish being spoken about "Ohh Arsenal can't score goals" because we'd drawn 0-0 against 2 sides who played with 10 men behind the ball. And then the similar rubbish about Arsenals defence being amazing coz we didn't concede when playing two teams with 10 men behind the ball and Liverpool with striking problems - YES we are much better defensively than last season, and YES we've lost RVP (but we still failed to score sometimes against the Stokes of this world with RVP).
We've had a good start, and most of our new players have scored, nothing more, nothing less. - It does look promising though.

[Guest]

If Arsenal can compete at the likes of Old Trafford and The Emirates then they could definitely be in the mix come May.

[Crimey]

He's already starting to grind on me Crimey. He talks a good game but that's about it.

Agree John about Fletcher. He's a very good player.

It's not so much Rodgers that has annoyed me, but FSG's reasoning for appointing him.

His main strength last year was being a manager who could make a team play good football, that was never the problem under Kenny, the problem was converting that good football into results.

They also brought in a manager who was clearly going to want to build his own squad, but then failed to give him the funds he wanted to build it. He wanted Clint Dempsey, and while that wouldn't have made the team 100% better, it certainly would have been an astute signing especially after letting Carroll go. £1 million is supposedly the sticking point, it's ridiculous. I know they gave him money for Borini and Allen, but that's hardly an overhaul on the squad.

They're also desperate to get into Europe, but appointed a manager whose main experience is in the Championship. He has never managed a team in Europe or to a European place

I'm not sure who I'd rather have appointed instead (I'd have probably given Kenny another year) but I'd love to understand the reasoning behind sacking Kenny and appointing Rodgers.

[The Special Juan]

It's amazing that a lot of people (not here) were whining about Fletcher's £12m or something price tag, yet as soon as he scores he gets the plaudits. If you're a proven PL scorer then you're worth loads; perhaps not as much as they should be worth but at least there's little risk involved.

[Crimey]

Borini has to be dropped, anonymous in every Premier League game. £11 million spent on him, Steven Fletcher 3 goals already just one million more...

[Crimey]

C'mon! Need to go for the win now, on top so need to make it count. Worryingly the side seems to be relying on Sterling, a 17 year old...

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Another good performance from Norwich today, our defence is certainly looking a lot more solid than last year. We created the chances again, just need to start converting them! But that will come with time, hopefully one of our strikers will hit form soon. Tad disappointed to not pick up the win, but 3 points so far, 1 more than at this stage last year!

[GSC]

The sudden obsession with playing like Barca is irritating. They have several world class players who have been bred to play like that.

More to the point I don't think it works in the PL, you have to have an element of directness at times.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

The sudden obsession with playing like Barca is irritating. They have several world class players who have been bred to play like that.

More to the point I don't think it works in the PL, you have to have an element of directness at times.

I think you have to have a lot more pace to your passing in the Premier League. If you just play in front of teams, they will sit in and hit you on the break. You can pass it about, but you need that penetration and I think that comes with a bit of pace in the passing rather than just knocking it around at a slow tempo

[westisbest]

Good win for the Villa today, was a bit concerned, Swansea have had a great start, and beat us comfortably on nyd.

Good to see Lowton score and great for Benteke to score on his debut.

I hope we can keep saints pointless next sat.

[GSC]

Southampton have spent 33m.

On what godknows, because their defense is still crap

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

7th highest spenders in Europe. Not England. Europe

And they still have Kelvin Davis in goal

[GSC]

http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3qxcjj/

[GSC]

Wigan will take some beating for the worst defended goal of the year

[Guest]

To be fair to Southampton they have had a tough opening set of fixtures. The night is young.

[GSC]

There was also a home opener loss to Wigan

[Ent]

I'm late to the party but is Mancini mad giving 3 debuts including 2 pl debuts away to stoke!?!

[GSC]

Garcia was good, and Sinclair has PL experience I guess. Wouldnt have started Maicon though

[azania]

The sudden obsession with playing like Barca is irritating. They have several world class players who have been bred to play like that.

More to the point I don't think it works in the PL, you have to have an element of directness at times.

Rubbish. You don't need Hollywood balls all the time. If you have possession of the ball you stand a better chance f winning the game if you rely on 50/50 balls down the channels. Moreover Arsenal have been playing that way for 15 years. So have Utd and City.

[GSC]

Arsenal United and City all have an element of directness and pace. Unless you'd care to argue they all imitate Barca

[azania]

So do Barca. When they see someone in a good position, they will attempt a 50m pass also. But Stevie G always seems to look for the hollywood pass as the first option.

[Crimey]

Arsenal have not been playing like Barcelona for 15 years, they only started trying to play like Barcelona around 2006 and it didn't work for them, they became so indirect, and would pass the ball on the edge of the box without ever getting it through. They're starting to move away from it now that Fabregas has gone and look all the better for it.

Playing nice football, and playing like Barcelona are not the same thing. Trying to keep possession and playing like Barcelona is also not the same thing.

[Guest]

Jermain Defoe is looking very lively so far today.

[Crimey]

Desperate to keep his place in the side, especially as he's on the edge of finally breaking into the England side after being selected ahead of Welbeck.

[Guest]

He's been on the edge of the England side for 5 or 6 years now though and will never be a regular in the side when everybody is fit.

He does look as sprightly as I have seen him in a good while.

[JamesLincs]

i still will never consider him a top player though, but im happy with the goal and have to agree hes on fire at the moment. but as i said id still rather adebayor was starting every week

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

If I was a Reading fan I would be worried about Ian Harte against Premier League wingers. His lack of pace could cause big problems

[Smirnoffpriest]

I cant believe he's still playing - wasnt he playing for Leeds when they were in the Champions League?

[westisbest]

He may score a few goals for them though, penalties free kick here and there.

35 now.

[Guest]

Fantastic touch by Everton there with the Liverpool mascot. Great club.

[Guest]

1-0 Everton, Baines. They are playing some really good football thus far.

[Kay Fabe]

Said it a millions times before, Everton Football Club just ooze class, superb gesture

Great game, best game I've saw so far this season, like both of these sides, would love to see one of them break into the top 4, unfortunately can see them finish 5th and 6th this year, hardly a failure to be honest, Everton will no doubt be gutted after having two perfectly good goals chopped off second half

[Liam]

It was a great game wasn't it. High quality football from start to finish with a finish fitting of a great match. Great goals, great atmosphere and a great advert for the PL.

Like gaffer, would love to see one of them to break the top 4, but just can't see it happening. Maybe next year with better squad depths.

[Josiah Maiestas]

Everton only did so because Everton fans lost family in Hillsborough, sorry but its the truth. I like how they are playing so far.

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