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Author Topic: Soccer thread 2014/2015  (Read 62322 times)
Shannow
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on: August 13, 2014, 06:34:41 AM

Let's begin..

EPL starts this weekend (fuck off Swansea). Will Man City repeat? Does a 3-5-2 work anymore? How will Arsenal/Chelsea fare? Will Liverpool be as good without Suarez?

Also what was the 2nd stupidest transfer of the summer? (I think we can all agree on David Luiz as the 1st)

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HaemishM
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Reply #1 on: August 13, 2014, 08:26:17 AM

What's your problem with Swansea?

3-5-2 can work - Juventus has been eating up the Serie A with that for 3 years now. Of course, they also have decent wingbacks, and some seriously creative midfielders in Pogba and Vidal as well as one of the all-time greatest creators in Andrea Pirlo. Without a strong midfield 3, I don't think it works and I suppose we'll really find out when Man U tries to run the same thing with their somewhat suspect midfield (Herrera aside).

2nd stupidest transfer will be when Real Madrid sell Angel Di Maria - I realize they don't necessarily need him with all the fucking stars they have, but still. He's a top class winger. Alexis Sanchez may be the 3rd stupidest but again on the part of the seller, not the buyer.

Arsenal and Chelsea both improved, though neither has gotten what they really needed - i.e. a 2nd striker. Diego Costa was good for Athleti, but his hamstrings have been weak the last few months. And backing him up is... Fernando Torres, a name that scares NO ONE these days other than the fans of any side being rumored to want to buy him. Sanchez isn't an out and out striker but could back up Giroud when needed for Arsenal. I'm still not sure why Chelsea felt they needed to spend so much on Fabregas - even without Lampard or Mata, they have plenty of creativity in midfield.

Liverpool without Suarez? I'm not sure they are "better" but they are different. Their buys this summer so far have been really smart - even without Suarez, there will likely be 3-4 guys that can put goals up and/or supply Sturridge with good enough service to score 20 goals. Lovren instantly makes them better at the back, as does having a dedicated left back whose knees aren't made of tissue. I'm not entirely sold on Mignolet, but if Lovren can provide some presence, the defense will be better. Anything that puts Skrtel on the bench, I'm a fan. Markovic looks dangerous, Sterling is on fucking fire, Can can only be an improvement over Lucas, and Ibe looks a real star in the making. I'm hoping that right back they loaned from Athleti is an upgrade over Glenn Johnson, who has been an utter shambles for the last 6 months. Also, will there be enough depth to handle Champion's League football? We'll see.

I think the key factor in the race for the first 6 spots is going to be how good Van Gaal can make Man U with what looks to be few additions. There's still time, of course, but that squad needs freshening and he's been slow to do so. Their defense in particular needs some juice.

Man City is Man City. Short of Silva/Toure missing huge chunks of the season, I see no reason they won't challenge for the title. The addition of Mangala, a healthier Aguero and the removal of some dead wood will do them good. FFP might actually hurt them in the Champions League, hopefully but I didn't expect them to go very far past the group stage in that one anyway.

WayAbvPar
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Reply #2 on: August 13, 2014, 09:28:19 AM

Strangely excited, even though ManU are going to be shit again.

When speaking of the MMOG industry, the glass may be half full, but it's full of urine. HaemishM

Always wear clean underwear because you never know when a Tory Government is going to fuck you.- Ironwood

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eldaec
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Reply #3 on: August 13, 2014, 09:51:00 AM

Strangely excited, partly because ManU might well be shit again.

"People will not assume that what they read on the internet is trustworthy or that it carries any particular ­assurance or accuracy" - Lord Leveson
"Hyperbole is a cancer" - Lakov Sanite
Shannow
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Reply #4 on: August 13, 2014, 09:56:23 AM

What's your problem with Swansea?

They're the only reason I really can't call it the EPL instead of BPL..:D

Going on Van Gaal's track record Man U could be relevant again very quickly (damnit!)

My wife was enjoying the brief respite from all the soccer, no longer woman!
« Last Edit: August 13, 2014, 12:08:21 PM by Shannow »

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Hoax
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l33t kiddie


Reply #5 on: August 13, 2014, 10:44:49 AM

I don't get why Real would complicate a roster that they had figured out and had great success with last year. But they do this every year so yeah. Selling Di Maria certainly will be stupid selling Di Maria and Khadira is suicidal.

I just don't see how they are stronger to win the types of games they had a hard time with last year. What good is it to beat bottom half teams by an extra goal or three if the type games/teams/strats they lost points and games to they are no better in and against?


A nation consists of its laws. A nation does not consist of its situation at a given time. If an individual's morals are situational, then that individual is without morals. If a nation's laws are situational, that nation has no laws, and soon isn't a nation.
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HaemishM
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Reply #6 on: August 13, 2014, 11:44:46 AM

I can see Real Madrid trying to shake things up - after all, they didn't win the league. I just think that doing it without fixing their defense is kind of ass backwards. Also, what the fuck is with their goalkeeping situation? Iker Casillas is a rolling dumpster fire these days. You have Diego Lopez who is good. So you bring a younger keeper who is good but hasn't really been tested at that kind of level before based on a good World Cup, then sell not the dumpster fire but the other keeper? The fuck? Also, yes, getting rid of Khedira would probably be the 4th stupidest transfer this summer. Xabi Alonso is not getting any younger and Khedira is good.

Shannow
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Reply #7 on: August 13, 2014, 12:10:08 PM

I sometimes think Real is run by spastic monkeys.

Really, really rich spastic monkeys. With a hardon for forwards.

Someone liked something? Who the fuzzy fuck was this heretic? You don't come to this website and enjoy something. Fuck that. ~ The Walrus
Shannow
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Reply #8 on: August 13, 2014, 12:42:54 PM


Someone liked something? Who the fuzzy fuck was this heretic? You don't come to this website and enjoy something. Fuck that. ~ The Walrus
WayAbvPar
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Reply #9 on: August 16, 2014, 10:55:11 AM

Swansea? At OT?   Facepalm

When speaking of the MMOG industry, the glass may be half full, but it's full of urine. HaemishM

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Reply #10 on: August 16, 2014, 08:00:28 PM

Yep. It's like that.  why so serious?

First half for Man U was really weak. Lots of side to side and not much cut and thrust. Swansea set up and well and did a good job keeping things out on the flanks instead of down the middle. Januzaj made a big difference when he came in until Garry Monk subbed out Neil Taylor. TBF, United did have a number of injuries and they still haven't really bought anybody since Van Gaal got there, so I'm sure he's about to start  pulling the trigger on some deals. He even said after the game that they need better players. At least 3 of the guys who started wouldn't have started otherwise (Young, Hernandez and Lindegard) and I'm still not sure why he didn't start Januzaj. That kid is electric.

WayAbvPar
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Reply #11 on: August 16, 2014, 08:04:26 PM

It won't matter if they can't defend. They have been dogshit at the back since Vidic got hurt the first time. I almost miss Rio Ferdinand's corpse.

When speaking of the MMOG industry, the glass may be half full, but it's full of urine. HaemishM

Always wear clean underwear because you never know when a Tory Government is going to fuck you.- Ironwood

Libertarians make fun of everyone because they can't see beyond the event horizons of their own assholes Surlyboi
Amarr HM
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Reply #12 on: August 17, 2014, 04:48:36 AM

The United defense looked a shambles again, that's where we need to invest the most asap. Blackett looks too raw to come in at this stage and he won't learn shit playing alongside Smalling except how to leave massive gaps in the danger areas.

Good luck to Liverhampton today, interesting to see if they can beat their B-team without Bitey McBiterson.

I'm going to escape, come back, wipe this place off the face of the Earth, obliterate it and you with it.
HaemishM
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Reply #13 on: August 17, 2014, 01:01:37 PM

And they did.  why so serious?

That was a really good game. I like that Liverpool isn't quite playing as frantically as they did last year, though it didn't make much difference defensively with Glenn "My First Touch is to the Feet of my Opponent" Johnson at left back. He was mostly terrible. Lovren looked good, especially passing out of defense. Manquillo didn't impress but he didn't make me cringe either. Not sure why Rodgers isn't going with Sakho/Lovren in defense instead of Skrtel but one step at a time I guess. Really am ready to see Glenn Johnson move on. He's becoming a defensive liability and he isn't providing much offensively either. I would have liked to have seen Emre Can in there rather than Lucas or Joe Allen. Jordan Henderson looked great and the pass he made for Sterling's goal was world fucking class. Still not sure if this team can challenge for the title, but I'll no more after I see Markovic and Lallana fit, as well as if they can manage to capture a world class striker.

Southampton didn't look bad either. I expected Koeman's touch on this team to be the same as he did with Valencia years ago - a dour, defensive, static team that flirted with relegation all season. It wasn't. They were lively and at times a lot better than Liverpool as a team. Ward-Prowse and Clyne look proper good players and Tadic is a fucking revelation. Just on evidence of this game, I don't think they will get near the drop.

Amarr HM
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Reply #14 on: August 18, 2014, 01:23:39 AM

Yeh I don't get Johnson either, he's really suspect.

I'm going to escape, come back, wipe this place off the face of the Earth, obliterate it and you with it.
HaemishM
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Reply #15 on: August 20, 2014, 03:15:13 PM

Barcelona get a 1-year (2 transfer windows) ban on player sales

I've kind of been following this story for a while without really paying a lot of attention. Barca apparently did a lot of against the rules shenanigans with their purchasing of youth players and were finally caught. When they were caught, they didn't deny it, just said that since they are Barcelona, they don't do the bad things these rules were put in place to prevent, so they shouldn't have to pay the penalty for breaking them.

 awesome, for real

Of course, this penalty might mean a lot more if FIFA hadn't delayed it, which has allowed them to load up on players like Suarez, Mathieu, Rakitic, etc. The team was in DIRE need of a refresh and having the penalty affect this transfer window would have been a serious blow. But since it's Barca and FIFA love their marquee clubs, they basically get to do all the business they'll need for a year to at least stay in the top 4 in Spain and compete in the Champion's League. I can't help but think if this had been Southampton or Elche, things would have been a lot different.

HaemishM
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Reply #16 on: August 21, 2014, 01:11:04 PM

What the fuck Liverpool?

Balotelli as a Red. Why? I know, let's ship off our one super-talented troublemaker who is probably one of the top 5 skilled players in the fucking world, and pick up a guy who can't stay settled anywhere because he's a gigantic douchenozzle? Oh and by the way, he only scored 14 goals in Serie A despite playing 30 league games last season. Is that seriously to be considered an upgrade on the existing squad that couldn't have been gotten somewhere... ANYWHERE ELSE? I look forward to the first important game where he earns a red card in the first half hour. I'm sure I won't have long to wait.

Shannow
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Reply #17 on: August 22, 2014, 11:34:24 AM

Rogers getting too smart for his own good? That being said.... Popcorn

Someone liked something? Who the fuzzy fuck was this heretic? You don't come to this website and enjoy something. Fuck that. ~ The Walrus
WayAbvPar
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Reply #18 on: August 22, 2014, 01:27:01 PM

I am just sad Suarez and Balotelli aren't going to be sharing time on the training grounds. That would be something epic just waiting to happen.

When speaking of the MMOG industry, the glass may be half full, but it's full of urine. HaemishM

Always wear clean underwear because you never know when a Tory Government is going to fuck you.- Ironwood

Libertarians make fun of everyone because they can't see beyond the event horizons of their own assholes Surlyboi
HaemishM
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Reply #19 on: August 22, 2014, 01:34:18 PM

I'm not sure Balotelli needs anyone else on the pitch for him to go fuckbat. He'd probably get sent off for kicking the end line because it looked at him funny. That dude is 17 shades of bugnuts.

And now he's all Liverpool's. Twice the chaos of Suarez, half the fucking talent. I suppose 16 million pounds is cheap for a guy who does obviously have talent but I hope the behavior clauses Liverpool have inserted into the contract are pretty stringent.

eldaec
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Reply #20 on: August 22, 2014, 03:06:43 PM

He 'only' cost 16M, so although there is no conceivable way contract clauses could be useful, I guess the theory is that at worst we've wasted a few million when he gets sold on and at best scored an incredible bargain.

Meh. I trust Rogers not to get caught up trying to defend him the way Dalglish or Benitez might have if it goes wrong.

"People will not assume that what they read on the internet is trustworthy or that it carries any particular ­assurance or accuracy" - Lord Leveson
"Hyperbole is a cancer" - Lakov Sanite
WayAbvPar
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Reply #21 on: August 22, 2014, 03:17:35 PM

If?

When speaking of the MMOG industry, the glass may be half full, but it's full of urine. HaemishM

Always wear clean underwear because you never know when a Tory Government is going to fuck you.- Ironwood

Libertarians make fun of everyone because they can't see beyond the event horizons of their own assholes Surlyboi
Lucas
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Further proof that Italians have suspect taste in games.


Reply #22 on: August 22, 2014, 03:27:16 PM

So glad we finally managed to sell that piece of shit. Bye, fucker (and, yeah, I echo the opinion of the  majority of AC Milan fans regarding Balotelli).

" He's so impatient, it's like watching a teenager fuck a glorious older woman." - Ironwood on J.J. Abrams
Hoax
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Reply #23 on: August 22, 2014, 05:22:23 PM

Fucking Real Madrid. There's just no way this lineup will work. And the shithead fans are going to probably blame Benzema again.

A nation consists of its laws. A nation does not consist of its situation at a given time. If an individual's morals are situational, then that individual is without morals. If a nation's laws are situational, that nation has no laws, and soon isn't a nation.
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HaemishM
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Reply #24 on: August 22, 2014, 08:18:30 PM

It'll work well enough to get them about where they got last year, but I don't think they win the title. I'm pegging Barcelona for that unless Athleti really gels. I'd put the league finishes of the top 3 a toss up. Athletico will be a better team top to bottom, Barcelona will be the most impressive and Real Madrid will have great individual performances but shit defense again.

eldaec
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Reply #25 on: September 01, 2014, 03:53:29 PM

Man U are paying Falcao £300k per week. Arsenal are paying £16M for Danny Welbeck.

Makes the Balotelli signing look a lot better in that context.

"People will not assume that what they read on the internet is trustworthy or that it carries any particular ­assurance or accuracy" - Lord Leveson
"Hyperbole is a cancer" - Lakov Sanite
Hoax
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l33t kiddie


Reply #26 on: September 01, 2014, 05:48:35 PM

Even Ronaldo knows that RM is fucking up and has told the press he would have handled the squad differently. I wonder if this is his last season there if things get really ugly because judging from their 2 defeats so far it could.

Isker has no business being the #1 goalie for a top club, that must be political. Or at best an attempt to avoid some locker room friction.

Their defense is not improved and they are getting maybe half the cover they used to get from midfield.

I thought the ref was making awful calls most of the game against Sociedad esp in the 2nd half but no way did RM deserve anything but maybe a point for such a shit display.
« Last Edit: September 01, 2014, 05:50:41 PM by Hoax »

A nation consists of its laws. A nation does not consist of its situation at a given time. If an individual's morals are situational, then that individual is without morals. If a nation's laws are situational, that nation has no laws, and soon isn't a nation.
-William Gibson
Shannow
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Reply #27 on: September 02, 2014, 08:29:44 AM

Lets hope they fail gloriously, it'll be so much fun to watch.

It's early but Chelsea scares me...

Someone liked something? Who the fuzzy fuck was this heretic? You don't come to this website and enjoy something. Fuck that. ~ The Walrus
croaker69
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Reply #28 on: September 02, 2014, 09:03:51 AM

The Chelsea/Everton game was glorious and I hate Chelsea.

What may at first appear to be an insurmountable obstacle will in time be seen for what it really is: an impenetrable barrier.
WayAbvPar
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Reply #29 on: September 02, 2014, 09:30:06 AM

The Chelsea/Everton game was glorious and I hate Chelsea.

And I love Tim Howard for getting out there ready to choke a bitch.

When speaking of the MMOG industry, the glass may be half full, but it's full of urine. HaemishM

Always wear clean underwear because you never know when a Tory Government is going to fuck you.- Ironwood

Libertarians make fun of everyone because they can't see beyond the event horizons of their own assholes Surlyboi
Hoax
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l33t kiddie


Reply #30 on: September 02, 2014, 09:42:30 AM

Lets hope they fail gloriously, it'll be so much fun to watch.

It's early but Chelsea scares me...

RM failing is Barca succeeding so no thanks. Fuck those guys. Every single one of them. Also if RM can make that roster work it'll be amazing to watch which is what I said last year and it was amazing but its that much harder to imagine this year.

For me its just frustrating they could have given last years roster unchanged another run out and if the squad gelled that much more it would have been unstoppable. Instead they have completely blown apart everything that was working for more names in bright lights.

Giving up Di Maria for James is stupid. Di Maria did exactly what you needed him to do and was the glue that held together all the toughest games last year. There is no evidence of either of those new guys being able to put in the kind of defensive effort that Di Maria did consistently. I'm a huge James fan but that was not a good piece of team building.

Losing Morata and gaining Chicharito. This does not sound like an upgrade. What the hell.

Losing Diego Lopez because reasons. Stupid. Casilias is completely done mentally as a GK in Madrid.

The one piece of good business they did was selling Xabi Alonso before it became any more obvious that he's done being a top player. He's MLS designated player quality at this point, I watched him a lot last year and he just doesn't have it anymore.


A nation consists of its laws. A nation does not consist of its situation at a given time. If an individual's morals are situational, then that individual is without morals. If a nation's laws are situational, that nation has no laws, and soon isn't a nation.
-William Gibson
HaemishM
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Reply #31 on: September 02, 2014, 09:44:21 AM

Man U renting Falcao was to me almost as stupid as Milan paying Torres $200k/wk to reach row Zed more than the goal mouth. I suppose it gave them cover to get rid of both Chicarito and Welbeck, but both of those players were decent players when they have service. Man U wasn't hurting for strikers - they are hurting for depth in both midfield and especially defense. LVG dragging his feet all summer didn't make any sense to me. Also, getting rid of Kagawa, who NOBODY at United have ever figured out how to use was also stupid. Blind at least was a good signing, as he's versatile enough to play wingback or center back and even midfield. He can only play one of those positions at a time though.  why so serious? DiMaria might be a good signing if they played traditional wingers - otherwise he seems an expensive player without a firm position in the tactical setup. I'm not convinced he can play central box to box and Mata is already the #10.

Real Madrid is doing what Real Madrid does. They are spending shittons of money on signings that don't make a lot of fucking sense in the context of a team. Chicarito was a good signing until he gets pissed for being in the same position on the bench as he was at United. Selling Alonso seems unwise. There's a good 2 years left in those knees. Kroos is not the kind of creative passer that Alonso was, Khedira isn't happy and again isn't the same kind of passer and Modric is most certainly not as good defensively. Selling DiMaria was just idiotic as well but with James Rodriguez being the new shiney, he wouldn't be getting nearly enough games. EDIT: Also the whole Iker Casillas thing is INSANE. He was FUCKING TERRIBAD in the Champion's League and the World Cup.

I think the Prem is going to come down to Chelsea/Man City, with Liverpool and Arsenal 4th. Chelsea is just so well balanced in their buys, they removed some dead weight and added quality. Remy will be a good backup for the 10-15 games when Costa's hammys are unstrung. Man City has so much fucking depth, especially at the back compared to the other top 4. Liverpool will look good but I'm not sure they can beat Chelsea and Man City enough to win the title.

Arsenal is its own special brand of WTF transfer business. Sanchez was a good buy, Welbeck was a good buy (for a position they should have filled years ago). But their central defense is paper thin (and Mertesacker WILL get injured at some point this season) and their central midfield lacks steel. Arteta is too slow to maintain a link between defense and attack when those ahead of him turn on the jets. Everton and Spurs will likely fight over 5th - Spurs will be a LOT better with Pochettino. Everton simply don't have the money to break 4th.
« Last Edit: September 02, 2014, 09:46:38 AM by HaemishM »

Amarr HM
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Reply #32 on: September 02, 2014, 03:49:41 PM

Man U renting Falcao was to me almost as stupid as Milan paying Torres $200k/wk to reach row Zed more than the goal mouth. I suppose it gave them cover to get rid of both Chicarito and Welbeck, but both of those players were decent players when they have service. Man U wasn't hurting for strikers - they are hurting for depth in both midfield and especially defense.

Think everyone is missing the point, neither Welbeck and Chicarito provided regular goals. Without RVP we just weren't scoring and last season he was out a lot. He's also due for another knee op which will put him out for a few months so we needed someone to come in and actually put the ball in the net, this could actually turn out to be a master stroke.

I'm going to escape, come back, wipe this place off the face of the Earth, obliterate it and you with it.
lamaros
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Reply #33 on: September 02, 2014, 04:09:46 PM

We are still missing a box to box midfielder and a couple of defenders though. Vidic, Evra and Ferdinand are gone ad what do we have to show down there instead?
Amarr HM
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Reply #34 on: September 02, 2014, 05:17:11 PM

I think we're ok though, if you look at it, of the top six teams only Man City have a defense worth writing home about. Liverpool got away with murder against Spurs.

I'm going to escape, come back, wipe this place off the face of the Earth, obliterate it and you with it.
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