EPL 2007 Thread

[Hoax]

Hope you've got a loss to Seville in there somewhere... 

[sigil]

Spurs got their away goal. we'll see what happens thursday.

[Falconeer]

So better hope Manchester kicks out those italian posers.

5 - 0 with 40 minutes to go.
Ho ho ho. I am so laughing. Tears coming down from my eyes. *does the happy dance*

[HaemishM]

That Man U. game was fucking brutal. I started fast-forwarding the Tivo at the 18th minute, after it was 3-0. What the fuck happened? It was like 2 completely different teams showed up from the week before.

Valencia's loss was their own fault. They had opportunities and missed them, but were just mostly outplayed the whole damn game. It looked like they were playing for the draw/extra time scenario. You can't just sit back on Chelsea.

[sigil]

Lights out, Bayern. I'll miss you.

[Falconeer]

That Man U. game was fucking brutal. I started fast-forwarding the Tivo at the 18th minute, after it was 3-0. What the fuck happened? It was like 2 completely different teams showed up from the week before.

Weird things happened.
Carrack's frist goal it's a great goal. But then second and third goals are two incredible amnesies of the defensemen (someone said Chivu?). Once they went 3 to 0 with less than 20 minutes into the game, it was over. Still, if they play that game again 100 times I think there's no way Man can score more than 3 goals against Roma's defense, that is usually very, very strong.
It has been a mixture of superb and over the top playing, great luck as opposed to sheer unluck where every single shot (but one, the great save on a corner header on the first post) simply went in.

Seriously, Manchester United proved to be a couple of levels above Roma, and they even proved that if it wasn't for Scholes red card in the first match Roma wouldn't have probably won that, but the 7 to 1 is basically the result of superb (and I mean SUPERB) long range shooting vs. the worst night possible for Roma's defensemen.

Anyway I am happy and my son was screaming in joy at the top of his lungs. Totti is the most irritating player AND man ever.

[HaemishM]

The Liverpool game was irritatingly boring. Liverpool obviously had nothing to play for other than not getting injured, and you can't blame them for taking it easy. But fucking PSV just slept through the whole thing. It's like they'd given up before they ever started the game. They never really tried to press, just lazily tossed the ball around. I mean, shit you're 3 goals down on aggregate, you lose NOTHING by going out there and playing balls to the wall, and if you get lucky and Liverpool really don't want to try, you could surprise them. No, it's not likely, but I blame that one on the coach. If he can't get his lads inspired to play then, he's not worth much.

The 2 Milan goals were somewhat freakishly good, but you could tell Bayern was done after the second one.

Three out of four English teams. God please don't let the final be a Man U. - Chelsea matchup. Fucking boring.

[Hoax]

Cry more noob ass Spurs

[Mr_PeaCH]

Jesus wept, Hoax.   

Alright, fair is fair and the best team won; Sevilla are a talent, no doubt about it.  Spurs did themselves in ultimately (and quickly) with Steed's o.g.  Pretty exciting final 30 minutes though you have to admit.

Still, for a mid-level English side who only just qualified for UEFA play last season, to make the quarters in both the FA and UEFA play was a pretty good show.  Beaten in the end by quality opponents both times at any rate.  Here's hoping they finish the Premier league in the top six and finish what they've started next season.  Woe be unto Wigan on Sunday.

[Hoax]

Definately a better pair of games then anything the Champion's League produced last round.  Except perhaps the Valencia v Chelsea games I didn't get to watch those due to an epic conspiracy.

I've got nothing against Spurs, except perhaps Keane completely raping me at the start of our EPL fantasy season.  They have a ton of players I am fond of.  But at this point I'm pretty much anti-England when it comes to football, I blame the blatent favoritism of the announcers and the constant hypocracy on the diving issue.

[Mr_PeaCH]

Diving issue... Not sure I see the hypocracy part.  I gather that it is 'part of the game' in Europe et al but the English see it as weak sauce.  However, with more and more of the top euro talent coming to the EPL it is becoming more common place... is that about right?  I don't suppose many supporters ever object when the call goes their star's way.  The commentators last night made remarks about teams like Tottenham getting valuable european experience and I suppose putting up with the players' diving and the refs' pandering is part of it.  Anyway, to each their own but I can identify more with the prevailing British spirit but I suppose I may be getting that bias you're talking about from the us/england commentator view.

Back up to what Haemish said... I dunno; I think the CL is shaping up rather nicely.  And with ManU and Chelsea almost sure to tilt for the FA cup and the EPL title only a 3 point separation it would be epic to have them hash it out in the CL as well.  ManU with a treble to play for and Chelsea the quad?  That said, I'm pulling for Pool to spoil it up a bit in the CL.

[sigil]

With the start of MLS, Spurs are taking a back seat for me,  but they had a good run in UEFA. Congrats to the better team in Sevilla.

[HaemishM]

I don't want a Man U./Chelseas CL final. That would suck, as I hate both teams. 

The UEFA Cup is going to be a good one, though. I forsee a Sevilla/Bremen showdown, now that Klose has gotten off the snide and scored again. They dismantled AZ Alkmaar.

Also, for the MLS, the Galaxy are OVERRATED. Landon Donovan needs Beckham to take corner kicks for him, because his free kicks against FC Dallas were putrid.

[Jobu]

My Mancs are going to tear the shit outta the rest of the season. It's perfect. Rooney finally waking up, Ronaldo dancing through players left and right, even the fringes of the team like Fletcher and Richardson are playing really well. Another treble awaits, and I'm gonna go buy me a new jersey to celebrate. In sweet, delicious red.

It's gonna be Liverpool vs. ManU in Greece, and ManU beating (maaaaybe a tie) Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to seal the Premiership. And ManU vs. Milan could very well be THE best game of the season, anywhere.

[sigil]

Milan beats ManU, Liverpool beats chelsea

Chelsea win the FA cup.

ManU wins the premiership.

Everyone looks around, with their silverware in hand,  feeling vaugely unsatisfied.

And my Spurs will probably wind up in seventh.

/goes back to watching MLS.

[Mr_PeaCH]

Best game I saw last weekend was the "Super Classico" from Argentina.  River Plate at Boca Jrs.  The River goalie gave up one goal in the opening minutes and then stood on his freaking head the rest of the game with save after amazing save.

And won't 7th in the EPL be enough for UEFA cup next season... something about how many English sides made it so far in the CL gives their league an extra sport?  Anyways, I'm hoping for better but just in case.

[sigil]

 That was Schelotto's last Superclassico before he heads to join the Columbus Crew.

The fucking Crew went international.


oh, and Messi owns everyone on the entire planet right now.

[sigil]

bah, botched post.

I can't tell what's worse, the Galaxy's chemistry or DC United's defense. Anything Alexi Lalas touches turns to shit. It will be impressive to see if the golden touch of becks can undo Alexi's rotting ineptitude.

Houston is sleepwalking and still got four points. They  just picked up a decent midfielder from the wreckage of Toronto FC.  I'm happy.

[HaemishM]

And won't 7th in the EPL be enough for UEFA cup next season... something about how many English sides made it so far in the CL gives their league an extra sport?  Anyways, I'm hoping for better but just in case.

It may be. I think it's because either Chelsea or Man U. are going to win the FA Cup and the EPL title, and the winner of the FA Cup gets in automatically as does the winner of the EPL. Since one team can't take two spots, I think the EPL gets another UEFA Cup spot.

DC United look like shit. I've seen both their games this season, and I can safely say that their goalie is not good enough to deal with the number of disco biscuits he's going to see with only 3 on the back line. Those 3 defensemen have been getting ripped to shreds on the wings, worse against KC because KC's got better quality than Colorado. It's going to be a long season for DC United.

[eldaec]

It may be. I think it's because either Chelsea or Man U. are going to win the FA Cup and the EPL title, and the winner of the FA Cup gets in automatically as does the winner of the EPL. Since one team can't take two spots, I think the EPL gets another UEFA Cup spot.

That's basically it.

Top 4 go to the CL, 5th goes to the UC.

League cup winner goes into the UC, but if the league cup winner is CL qualified, then 6th in the EPL goes into the UC instead.

FA cup winner goes into the UC, but if the FA cup winner is CL qualified, then the FA cup runner up goes into the UC instead, if the FA cup runner up is also CL qualified, then 7th in the EPL goes into the UC.

Once you get below 7th, then the highest placed two teams who volunteer to play in the intertoto cup can do that, and potentially earn a UC spot each.

Also, the team highest in the fair play league that doesn't qualify through any of the above routes, goes into the draw for 2 fair play spots in the UC, assuming your association scores sufficiently highly in the uefa fair play scoring system (England usually does). Current fair play leaders are Liverpool, but Spurs and Villa are the likely to end up the top teams outside of the top 4.

[HaemishM]

Aston Villa could get into the UEFA Cup? I assume the fair play is for least amount of yellows/reds. Villa's second half form certainly wouldn't qualify them for Euro action any other way.

[sigil]

JENAS!!!!


2-2. I knew it was going to come!

[Mr_PeaCH]

woot!  COYS!   :-D

Sigil, were you watching live or was there a web feed somewhere?

Wow, quite the finish... just saw the highlights on FSC.  Jenas had a few recent lackluster performances but that's put aside now.  I gather the Spurs were pretty lucky to still be in the game at the end and to deny the Gooners 2 pts like that must be very sweet.  Still, we haven't beaten Arsenal in 18 meets and this would have been a good time to end that pathetic streak.

Spurs final games look pretty winable and hopefully they will be comfortably inside European Cup play again for next year.

[HaemishM]

Just got done watching Werder Bremen's game yesterday against Aachen. You have got to see this Diego goal. Bremen's up 2-1, into stoppage time. Aachen has a free kick in the Bremen half, and being down 2-1, they send up everybody, including the keeper. Diego gets the ball on the rebound and

HOLY FUCK.

Majesterial.

[sigil]

Setanta sports via ITVN.

It's killing me that I can't watch the Dynamo game tonight. Stupid cable and trees.

[Hoax]

Man Utd. drew, I didn't see it till the last 20 minutes, its finally hurting them that they suit up such terrible fuckers in such crucial positions.

I'm looking at you, John O'Shea, Wes Brown, fucking Paul Scholes (you over the hill, no touch having hack) also Ole Gunner picked a bad game to have a sub-par performance from what I saw.

I think we should all post predictions in black text for this week's UEFA and Champion's League games sometime tomorrow.

[Jobu]

Man Utd. drew, I didn't see it till the last 20 minutes, its finally hurting them that they suit up such terrible fuckers in such crucial positions.

I'm looking at you, John O'Shea, Wes Brown, fucking Paul Scholes (you over the hill, no touch having hack) also Ole Gunner picked a bad game to have a sub-par performance from what I saw.

It's not like there's much choice. There's what, like 10 people out on injury, including the entire first-choice defense? I'm starting to get nervous about the game at Milan with all those wannabes in the back four trying to deal with Kaka (who, btw, is my wife's second favorite player after Nicky Butt)

So let's talk about Spurs. What's it gonna take for them to finally make that last leap to "premiership elite"? They always seem to be just one step behind the others. Do they just need huge amounts of cash? Even when they have what qualify as star players like Gazza, or Klinnsman, or even Sherringham, they still kind of muddle around in the upper-middle, but never quite have the oomph to push through to the top 4. What gives?

[Wolf]

wow.
What a game. I'm not going to spoil anything but Man Untd. - Milan was probably the best game I've seen in quite a while.

[Jobu]

ManU vs. Milan really should have been the final. Not that exact game, just those two teams. I'm already yawning thinking about the Chelsea-Liverpool game today.

[sigil]

Not EPL related, but  it would not be a bad move to check out or Tivo the RBNY / FC Dallas game this evening on the Deuce at 8 eastern.

Folks need to check out Jozy Altidore.  He's 17 and  really, really good.  Tons of upside that's starting to become reality.

I'll tell you, I wish we could get Rossi at Parma to play for the US Nats. We could be looking at a really special group of young men playing for this nation in the near future.  He  could put that group over the top.

[HaemishM]

The Chelsea-Liverpool game wasn't terrible, but the refs in that game were. Lots and lots of douchebag diving by the Chelsea players, way too little attacking by Liverpool. The refs fucked them on stoppage time, IMO, giving only 2 minutes at the end, despite 4 subs (:30 seconds each for subs) and the 2 or 3 minutes Mikel and Drogba were turf-noshing. Of course, Benitez played way too conservatively. He should have had Sissoko in for Mascherano, Pennant on the left, and probably Crouch starting as well. Both Crouch and Pennant have been on excellent form lately and Zenden did all of jack and shit. He looked totally outmatched, and even Riise was flat for the first 45. Gerrard had one of his invisible games on the right. When he's wide, he either shows up big or not at all and last night it was not really at all. This team has too many central midfielders and not enough wingers. Hopefully, Liverpool can get a 2-0 at Anfield or something similar, because Chelsea really didn't deserve to go to the finals on that performance anymore than Liverpool did.

[Hoax]

I hate how Chelsea is really the feel good story of the four big teams this year.  You can't help but tip a hat to them being in all three races after the slew of injuries they have had.

Also Drogba is a beast and Essien is awesome, its such a shame that both Ivory Coast and Ghana got jobbed in the group phases in Germany by bad calls.

[Jobu]

Lots and lots of douchebag diving by the Chelsea players

Maybe they need Mr. T on call in the UEFA referee pool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0wX7KMJx1c

[HaemishM]

I hate how Chelsea is really the feel good story of the four big teams this year.  You can't help but tip a hat to them being in all three races after the slew of injuries they have had.

Also Drogba is a beast and Essien is awesome, its such a shame that both Ivory Coast and Ghana got jobbed in the group phases in Germany by bad calls.

Drogba, thug that he is, has been amazing this year. But I'd hardly call Chelsea a feel good story. With as much money as they spent, it'd be a fucking crime if they didn't figure in most of the races. I'm still not sure they can beat Man U. (or Liverpool for that matter).

And that Mr. T commercial was teh win.

[sigil]

Two points from fifth with a game in hand.

It's getting good now.


Nobody here saw this, which is a damn shame, but the opening game at home for Toronto FC was incredible. Rocking atmosphere.  It looked more like an EPL match than a MLS affair.

Kansas City Got the late winner from Johnson, but TFC played with much heart and determination. They'll come around sooner or later..