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In your face Ferguson.
Good game, I take it.
Looks like 01-02. Interestingly, two of those teams, - Blackburn and Bolton - are going down this year.
Pretty much everything that I was hoping for today ended up happening. I would have preferred Bolton stay up over QPR, but didn't really care that much. And I would have loved for Fulham to finish ahead of Liverpool, too. But other than that, just good times all around.
Even the Gooners can hold on to something when it's handed to them on a silver platter. And then picked up and handed to them again after they drop it. And then a third time. Marton Fulop will not be getting a Christmas card from me this year.
Gutted for Bolton; they would have stayed up had they not given away a penalty to Stoke late in the second half.
That was a hell of a play by Balotelli to set up the final goal.
Heh. My dad and brother leapt off the wagon in the winter when it looked like Arsenal would be fortunate to get fifth, let alone third. I should've known better than to take encouragement from the instincts of Gooners, even if they are my flesh and blood.
Well done to your guys for not wanting it least. Spurs had their chance last week against a Villa side that looked quite ready and willing to oblige with three points, but they didn't take it. Fulop's horror show leaves a bitter taste in the mouth, but Spurs can't complain when they've squandered chance after chance after golden chance to lock down third spot this spring.
Edit: Long story...but Go LOSC! That's Lille for the non-Ligue 1 folks out there.
Just an insane day.
edit: man, what happened to Auxerre? That was a quick trip from the CL to relegation.
Yeah, we'll see. Maybe FFP will give Tottenham or Newcastle or Everton or Villa (if they ever get their crap together) a shot at the title or maybe not. It's possible the future is just Man City, Chelsea and Man U trading the trophy back and forth. We'll see. I was pretty happy for the cadre of Man City fans in the bar today. They could have (should have some would say) rubbed all the Man U fans' at the bar noses in it, but they were pretty mellow at the end. They might have all been suffering cardiac arrest, though. It was a fun 2 hours. Definitely as good as last year.
Same for Villareal.
This might be the shock of the year. I know they have financial trouble, but everyone outside of Barca, Real and Malaga have financial trouble in La Liga. Wow. But this does bring up a question: What happens to Villareal B competing in the second division? Do they get knocked down the pyramid? I can't imagine they'd let Villareal and Villareal's B team actually play for real stakes, right?
10 of 20 seems like a very low estimate.
Auxerre haven't been the same ever since Roux retired, and have flirted with relegation several times. Their luck ran out this season. But 32 years in the top flight is pretty darn good for a town of 40,000.
The only silver lining I see is that they now have nothing to play for against Montpellier next weekend, and the usual number of reasons to prefer PSG not winning the title.
One of the things that made it great for me was how surprised I was. I really thought City was going to do what Chelsea did 2 or 3 years ago and win 8-0 or something on that order. Instead, virtually everything of substance was in doubt until the final minute.
It was probably the wrong reaction to have but I could not stop laughing at the Barton incident. It was so over the top. It was as if Barton was telling the ref "That wasn't a red card. Now THIS would be a red card *knees Kun* or THIS would be a red card *head butts Kompany* but not THAT." I could not stop laughing. My wife was watching the game with me and said it reminded her of an old cartoon where Bugs Bunny is telling Elmer Fudd before a match of the many things not allowed while committing all of the offenses upon Elmer's person.
The Toon are done, that was the only bad part of the day. But that also carries a blessing in that I'm freed to root against Bayern and get to keep my soul for a little longer.
It was tremendously entertaining. Balotelli trying to attack him when he was leaving the field was the icing on the cake.
The consensus where I was watching was that if Barton was going to attack someone after getting the red, he should have had another go at Tevez.
I was pleased for Paddy Kenny, who should have done better with the first but redeemed himself thereafter with a tremendous performance, which will save him from vitriol. I was also please QPR stayed up because it will annoy Neil Warnock.
The place I was watching the game in had 5 games on at once on different screens. Even with no rooting interest (bar a dislike of Man Utd shared by all right thinking individuals) it was a great night. Only 1989 tops it as a title decider.
Daffy Duck actually.
Elmer''s dog: "Something screwys going on here, or my name's not Larimore!....and it isn't."
Thanks for all those goals at Madrid before injuries struck, but most of all thanks for inspiring this
I hope Vertonghen to Spurs doesn't happen. I want him for the Arsenal, dammit!
Greedy bastard! Let us have our binky!
The accompanying picture makes the article.
As somebody who has been getting Budapest and Bucharest confused since high school... yes it can.
edit: Lambert is the bookies favorite to take over but I think he'd do better to hold out for a better situation if he wants to leave Norwich.
The Guardian has him on the shortlist. Is Bradley that well regarded in England or is this strictly a "Ah, those Yanks stick together" kind of thing? I get the feeling hiring Bradley wouldn't go over well with Villa fans.
I never would have guessed. Did it make the channel listing? But, it worked out. I wanted to see Everton/Newcastle, and for me, that was web-only. If I really had to choose I would have watched City, since it was theirs to lose, I figured it would be intense. Only not that intense. And yes, as JSosa notes (#538), I never could have imagined the Joey Barton thing. Maybe Balotelli throwing an elbow, then getting kneed in the back by Kompany or something.
I think it's more that the Villa job isn't that well regarded in England. I mean they are not going to be able to draw a top guy. The list of second tier guys, who are available, is not that long right now. So they're kind of scrapping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to finding a replacement.
FWIW, the bookies have Bradley at around 25/1 - 33/1, so they think he's a longshot. Roberto Martinez is runaway favourite. And I just put down a tenner on Mick McCarthy at 40/1, cause why the hell not.
I am going to laugh myself inside out when they hire Mick McCarthy.
EDIT: I see FPH and I are on the same wavelength here.
Better McCarthy than Steve Bruce.
You'd have thought one person would have said, "Hey, wait a minute compadres, this doesn't seem right..."
Very different cities, those two.
Martinez turned down the Villa job last year; I would be surprised if he took it this time around unless the terms (both personal and in terms of funds available) are significantly better.
And that previous link was purely a lazy journo connection between "American owner" and "American manager". Pure fiction.
So nice to look forward to the ridicule that will accompany the next hire, good or bad. With Lerner, I'm kind of expecting bad... he means well, and has put a lot of money into improving basic infrastructure at Villa that had long languished under Ellis, but I think the record with both Villa and the Cleveland Browns suggests he has no idea how to hire good people to run his business interests.
I read somewhere this morning that he's the favorite to take over at Liverpool. Which would bum me out, because I like him but love cheering against Liverpool.
Huh. That would be an interesting hire for Liverpool. I think they should give Klopp whatever the #### he wants and try to get him. Whatever Mourinho's making plus 50% more? Done!
I think that Paul Lambert could do a job for Villa.
Yeah, didn't mean to imply he was a real candidate then either. Whoever they hire, it'll be a lousy manager. The job isn't attractive and Lerner is incompetent.
Gus Poyet is an interesting rumor making the rounds.
Yeah, but I feel like he's never really had a chance with Spurs. He was injured the first half and that buried him with Harry. I wouldn't mind him going back but will Everton pay what he's worth? If they're expecting some kind of bargain then I'd like to see him stick around and fight for his place. He's a good player and god knows we could use the depth.
I reckon Paul Lambert could do a job for a lot of clubs, but you never know with these guys who've buttered their bread by producing unexpectedly good results with an ordinary squad. They could be the next big thing or they could be the next Roy Hodgson's Liverpool Adventure.
Villa seems like a complete mess right now, though. Whoever ends up in the hot seat there is going to have a real challenge on his hands. Not too many attractive salable assets, and yet a staggering wage bill considering the level of talent. Lerner is going to have to dig deep into the couch cushions to convince someone to take that on.
As is, I don't know what to expect from Liverpool. The season ended on a dour note. In addition to the (lack of) results, Carragher was continually granted starts ahead of Coates. Stewart Downing continually played for who knows what reason(*). They're presumably going to bring in a new DoF in short order, but my understanding from reading you guys is that not too many managers like the GM model. So if at some point they do ask Dalglish to step aside -- I actually think there's a ~20% (back of the napkin) chance of that happening -- does the DoF model act as an impediment to hiring a new manager? Further, do we yet know who was behind last summer's signings? Comolli's LFC signings don't look similar to his Tottenham signings, but the situations aren't exactly apples-to-apples, either, so I'm not sure how much to glean from that.
(*)It's funny (well, not for me) -- Liverpool presumably paid a premium for these English players because they were supposed to be acclimated to the English game. Here we are a year in and the only guy that's truly settled is the one who came from Ajax.
Shooty, I don't think that Pienaar will ever produce his Everton form at WHL. Harry doesn't like him, and he doesn't want to be there. He had similar problems at Dortmund, and needs a very supportive environment.
Harry doesn't like anybody! I get the feeling Harry is only on good terms with 11 players at a time...
I forget Corluka is out on loan, too. Also Kyle Naughton at Norwich, but he hasn't struck me as a player to feel strongly about either way. And Seb Bassong, too. I'll just assume Bassong won't be back. It's too bad he never became the player he LOOKS like he should be.
The other thing is Pienaar's 30 years old now. He only cost 3MM, so there's only so much of a bargain Everton could expect short of Spurs handing him back for free. If Levy can finagle >50% of that fee back, I would prefer to see Pienaar and one or two others moved on and the proceeds used to acquire some younger, more dynamic wing player(s) to cover/challenge Lennon and Bale.
Caulker seems like he's ready to step up and start playing regularly for the first team, but I worry Harry will bury him if he doesn't look like a world beater straight out of the chute. If they net Vertonghen, I would happily go into next season with him, Caulker, Kaboul, and two of the older injury-prone guys (Dawson, Gallas, King). Bruno is a loan candidate. Bassong and Corluka will presumably be sold, with Naughton coming back as the fullback cover.
For all the hype he gets Martin O'Niell is a pretty mediocre manager. Completely bottled it with Aston Villa when he had the opportunity to break into the top four, bought lots of expensive crap and then through a hissy fit when he was told the crap be bought had to be shifted before more money could be spent.
They are very similar. A mixture of "proven" English players on inflated fees because he has severe tunnel vision and once he's zeroed in on a player just keeps upping the bid until the other party says "yes" and promising foreign players who will probably turn out to be quite good if given the chance. Oh yes, and a horribly unbalanced squad. The man, in baseball terms, is a very good scout but a shitty General Manager.
The 11 players he judges to be the "best" and every one else in squad can do one, tbh. "Rotation? Some barmy foreign thing? I don't do tactics".
I am not 100% sure what this means. Are you saying Villa would be more receptive to a manager like Lambert because they don't have any big ego star players with preconceived notions of how things should be done? In that case, I agree. If I was in Lambert's position, though, I'd be aiming higher because turning Villa around is going to be a real slog.
- You basically had only two teams fighting for the title.
- There wasn't much excitement in the relegation battle.
- I guess Newcastle would be considered the feel good story of the season, and IIRC even they won't be playing in the Champions League.
- It was nice to see all 3 newly-promoted teams remain in the EPL, though it's a bummer that Stuart Holden will be playing in the Championship next season. I can't see an EPL team taking on a guy who hasn't played soccer in about 12 months or so.
Anyway, the finish to the season was of course amazing, but was Darke just exaggerating? I've been watching soccer for only about 3 years now so I have no frame of reference.
There's a lot of work to be done, sure; the current squad has some talent but isn't a good team overall. And there are a few contracts still on the books that are deadweight. However:
1) The youth academy is pumping out decent players at a healthy clip. The senior team is now chock full of cheap squaddies who can contribute (although none strike me as future stars).
2) Three large contracts just ended and won't be renewed: Heskey, Cuellar, Petrov.
3) If the incoming manager has any brains, he'll sell Darren Bent. Bent's value has still got to be well over 10 million pounds, and he can do well for a team that will provide him with service (i.e. not Villa).
4) Stephen Ireland, professional lost soul, did show some spark at times this year, even with McLeish as his manager. I don't think he will return to the form that got him overrated at Man City, but most of you are probably writing him off as a total waste of money. He isn't.
5) Villa remain a club with a very large fan base that can regularly fill a 40k seat stadium. Lerner isn't a Saudi sheikh, but he is well-heeled and has shown plenty of willingness to put money up for the betterment of the team.
The next manager is basically looking at one season of difficult stabilizing, but beyond that point there's some good open-field running available. Now, if I'm Paul Lambert or Roberto Martinez, and I think I can get one of the Liverpool or Tottenham type jobs within the next year, then perhaps looking askance at Villa is a reasonable strategy. But it's not a crap option. The current realities of finance in top flight football mean that Villa aren't allowed to compete for titles, but that doesn't put them on the same footing as Norwich or Wigan. Not by a damn sight.
To me, if I were Paul Lambert, would mean I hang tight at Norwich for now. No need to torpedo your own value, and cost yourself the shot at a premium gig, by wading into the Villa minefield.
Also, speaking of premium gigs, all indications seems to be that Jupp Heynckes is retiring after the season. I read some quotes the other week (from Hoeneß I think) about how they would turn their nose up at Pep Guardiola*, because he doesn't speak German... Paul Lambert did spend some years there though *shudder*.
*I don't think he intends to jump into a new job right away anyway
Messi Van Persie Ronaldo
Iniesta David Silva
Alves Thiago Silva Kompany Marcelo
Neuer
Toughest choice, was between Cavani and Van Persie. Would love to swap Cavani for Iniesta, but I can't figure out a formation that would work that way...
GK: Tim Krul
DF: Kyle Walker, Vincent Kompany, Fabricio Coloccini, Leighton Baines
MF: Yaya Toure, Luka Modric, Juan Mata
FW: Robin van Persie, Papiss Demba Cisse, Wayne Rooney
By my count, you've only got ten guys there, so you could stick Cavani in there anyway.
I'll have way too many Spurs on this team but...
Krul
Walker Kompany Skrtel Cole (2nd half Cole, at least)
*******Toure Modric*******
Silva***************Bale**
************Dempsey*******
******Van Persie**********
Not crazy about Walker and Cole, to be honest. I don't have a good handle on who was better, though. Glenn Johnson had a good year, I thought, and could be there instead of Walker or Micah Richards. Meh, the more I look at that selection the more I realize I have no freaking clue.
Well, you know, I figured to be fair to the other team... Nah, actually somehow missed Fabregas on there.
Skrtel was good this year? I guess I didn't watch much Liverpool. I would have gone with Coloccini like Mattbert.
Sure, I wouldn't trade you Rooney for Dempsey, but Dempsey was excellent every time I saw Fulham this year so I had to put him on the team.
Skrtel was good this year? I guess I didn't watch much Liverpool. I would have gone with Coloccini like Mattbert.
I thought he and Agger were both really good this season. Coloccini, Ivanovich and Lescott I thought were good, too. Kaboul is close. So, so close!
I think the answer is usually Sagna, but to be fair he missed a lot of games this year.
Yeah, he was just hurt for so long. Lucas Leiva might have made the team the way he was playing, too.
I think you raise some good points. I've not been following long enough to opine on the historical aspect of it but it seemed like an interesting year. While there were only two title contenders I think about a dozen teams had something of interest;
ManU/ManCity obviously
Arsenal/Chelsea/Newcastle/Tottenham - All with a fight to the 3rd/4th spots
Norwich/Swansea - For two promoted sides to play as well as they did seemed awfully exciting for those sides.
QPR/Bolton/Blackburn - For much of the year that was an interesting fight for the non-Wolves relegation spots
Wigan - It's almost to be expected now, Wigan are bottom three about mid-March then get something vaguely resembling hot and escape. I think they're annual willingness to stick with Martinez is admirable.
And even the mid-table teams; West Brom and Everton notably, had little things to play for. I suspect it meant quite a bit to Everton to finish ahead of Liverpool as did the top ten finish to WBA.
I'm speaking about just the right, obviously. Cole is clearly great on both sides of the ball on the left.
Zabaleta is a good call since he's so good at so many things and deserves to be somewhere on the team.
That didn't stop David Hirshey from putting him in his Best XI, because he is a ####### idiot.
Also: John Terry, Paul Scholes, and Grant Holt.
Mwahahahahahaha! When I said I had no freaking clue, I didn't mean I had no FREAKING clue...
When I was a kid each Little League team gave away two awards, an MVP and a "Coach's Choice." Basically the coach's choice was whatever the coach wanted it to be, it could be most improved, it could be the second best player, it could be (and often was) the coach's kid, but it was random. Anyway, I feel like there needs to be a "Coach's Choice" award for Holt. He had an excellent season but very clearly is behind guys like RVP, Rooney and even Dempsey (depending on what position we're slotting Clint in). Still, 15 goals in 24 games for a promoted side including goals against the big boys that he faced deserves some recognition.
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