EPL 2007 Thread

[Abagadro]

I can't decide if I want to get up early and spring the 16 bucks to watch the FA final.

[Jobu]

25 bucks on Cox. Ouch.

ManUtd 3 Chelsea 2

1 red card... somewhere in there.

See ya in 7 hours!

[Abagadro]

My alarm went off at 7:30 in the morning, and I turned it off to go back to sleep. Oh well, saved myself some $$$.

[eldaec]

After watching the 3rd place play off on Saturday, I now wish Man U had beaten Milan in the semis.

I'm pretty damn confident we could have beaten *that*.

[Jobu]

So here I was thinking Chelsea would snatch two goals early on, and ManU would claw three back, with yellow cards and tackles flying everywhere as each team played for everything they had, with no season left.

Instead, we get two teams who were playing not to lose, instead of playing to win. They were going for penalties almost the whole match. What a freaking terrible game that was. The only upside were those freight train surges by Rooney here and there.

[eldaec]

Season over then.

Milan probably just about deserved to win overall tonight, second goal especially was worthy of the cup.

Not a game for the purists, but a damn sight better than that godawful display on Saturday.

Problem for Liverpool was Zenden being rubbish and other left wingers being injured, Pennant not being good enough (esp in the second half), and not having anyone who could conceivably score a goal like Milan's second. Liverpool have to utterly destroy teams from midfield to get enough chances to score.

I do wonder what might have happened if we'd started with Crouch+Kuyt and Gerrard in place of either Pennant or Zenden.

[lamaros]

I thought Pennant did really well. He got into a lot of it and made some thing happen. He did hold on to the ball a bit long at times, but there wasn't much to go to except for Gerrard. Zenden didn't do much. And while Kewell was a bit better he looked a bit out of it when he came on. Maybe just the place the game was at at the time though...

Liverpool did a good job, one might say a great job, in the first half. Unlucky for them to go behind like that, but that's the way it goes. Milan was in control for most of the second half, though if Gerrard had burried that chance he had it would have been a different game.

The FA cup was about what you expect. Two teams who'd been competing in the League, Champions League, and the Cup itself all season. You can say that United didn't attack like they usually do, but there is the argument of tiredness too. Same thing could be said about Chelsea. They've both had their squads tretched through injury throughout the season and some players have managed a lot of games. To compare the Liverpool half against Milan in the final to them is unfair, they wouldn't have the energy to compete like that.

Liverpool, Utd and Chelsea will only get better next season though, from how I see it now.
United will really benifit from the experience for their young players the addition of Hargraves in the midfield and just a bigger squad generaly.
Shevchenko and Ballak can only get better for Chelsea, and Drogba has really stepped up. A better run with injuries will help them too.
While Liverpool might have some money to get some decent players to assist Gerrard.

One last thing: Kaka best in the world? Maybe. But as tonight showed, when you're tightly marked and controled in the midfield there's not much you can do even if you are good. Liverpool made Milan's midfield look much more ordinary tonight compared to how awesome they were against Utd in Milan. So while Kaka might shade Ronaldo, and rightly, the gap probably isn't that great.

[eldaec]

I thought Pennant did really well. He got into a lot of it and made some thing happen. He did hold on to the ball a bit long at times, but there wasn't much to go to except for Gerrard. Zenden didn't do much. And while Kewell was a bit better he looked a bit out of it when he came on. Maybe just the place the game was at at the time though...

Liverpool did a good job, one might say a great job, in the first half. Unlucky for them to go behind like that, but that's the way it goes. Milan was in control for most of the second half, though if Gerrard had burried that chance he had it would have been a different game.

Pennant was very active in the first half, though we steadfastly refused to use his overlapping full back, which was partly why he became predictable, and well marked in the second half, leading to him becoming frustrated and innaccurate in the second half.

It is a little frustrating that there are so many if onlys...

If only Garcia or Aurelio had been fit I believe that would have made the difference.

If only Crouch had come on for Alonso or Kewell, Masch would probably have stopped the second from Milan.

If only Crouch had come on earlier the extra room afforded to Kuyt and Gerrard (which contributed to the Liverpool goal) would probably have been the difference.

If only the referee wasn't shit and hadn't started blowing for non-existant random fouls every 6 seconds, and been so indulgent toward Milan timewasting, the game would have had about 10 minutes more with ball-in-play.

Also if only referee hadn't stopped inury time about a minute early.

If only a few more LFC players in the second half had not let their heads drop, and started expecting the ball rather than being shocked when it bounced off them.

If only Alonso hadn't commited a pointless foul to concede the free kick that led to the first goal.



and so on and so on.

[Hoax]

Hohohohohoho

I'm happy

[HaemishM]

If only Garcia or Aurelio had been fit I believe that would have made the difference.

While Garcia would have done better than Zenden, he wouldn't have made a difference. He's not that good. Arbeloa would have been a better choice, but I don't know if he's ever played midfield. Maybe they should have put Riise in Zenden's spot and Arbeloa in Riise's spot to start the game, or fuck it, just started Kewell. Either way, Zenden should not have been out there that long, and he surely shouldn't have been out there to start the second half.

If only Crouch had come on for Alonso or Kewell, Masch would probably have stopped the second from Milan.

Masch was the fucking man against Kaka. I'm beginning to think Sissoko shouldn't be first team choice anymore.

If only the referee wasn't shit and hadn't started blowing for non-existant random fouls every 6 seconds,

Ain't that the fucking truth. He called Kuyt on at least 2 occasions for fouls when Kuyt was being ping-ponged between two defenders. It was fucking atrocious. He did good on not pulling out yellows early, but he was giving Milan some fucking terrible fouls.

and been so indulgent toward Milan timewasting, the game would have had about 10 minutes more with ball-in-play.

Yep yep. Milan spent the last 10 minutes fucking about with the ball, faking injuries, etc.

Also if only referee hadn't stopped inury time about a minute early.

Oh yeah. I'm not exactly sure how stoppage time works, but it's supposed to be 30 seconds per sub (total of 6 subs equals 3 FULL FUCKING MINUTES) not to mention the "OW MY LABIA" diddling that went on. Even if he hadn't counted the 6th sub which occurred in injury time (he didn't), he was still a full 15 seconds early with the whistle since the sign says a MINIMUM of 3 minutes added time. Asshead.

It was a good game, in that it was watchable, but the ref was shit. Not total shit, just tepid shit. You'd think he was an Italian ref. Thing is, I've seen that ref in Bundesliga games, and he's been good there. Milan didn't deserve to win, at least not how they did. That game should have gone to extra time tied 1-1.

[eldaec]

Injury time is supposed to be 30 secs per goal or substitution, plus any amount of time that players are getting treatment, plus any amount of deliberate timewasting while the ball is out of play.

And it should never be less than the number of minutes the 4th official shows on his snazzy electronic sign (in this case 3 minutes).

What actually happens is that the 4th official rolls d4+1 and puts that on the board, then the referee ignores it and blows his whistle whenever he damn well likes.

If the injury time rules were ever followed rigourously, most games would be closer to 10 minutes injury time each half.



It is about time football moved to stopping the clock whenever the ball leaves play.

[HaemishM]

I like that football doesn't stop the clock, and that you never quite know when the game is going to end. It adds some excitement. My biggest problem is when refs just don't follow even the most basic of rules. The 30-seconds per sub is HUGE with me, because it's an easy as fuck thing to count up. 6 subs/30 sec. per sub = 3 goddamn minutes. Not one second less. That's not even about determining if someone is wasting time, which was easy in this game because Milan was so fucking obvious. It's just simple fucking math. The fact that there were also 2 fucking goals in the second half meant that there should have been at least another minute added on to the 3 minutes the 4th official posted. Had Liverpool been given the extra 15 seconds they were promised, they might have scored, as it just happens that quick sometimes.

[Mr_PeaCH]

I am in complete agreement with Haem's last two posts with respect to the refereeing and the handling of stopage time.  What was even more galling about the game-ending whistle, above and beyond the fact that they hadn't yet reached the 'advertised' 3 minute mark, was that at that moment the ball was in Milan's half and they weren't even controlling the ball.  I almost always see the refs (in EPL anyway) allowing for continuation BEYOND the advertised time IF the team needing a goal is controlling the ball, is in their opponent's half and looking for a last gasp shot.  When the goal up team gains control and kicks it away down field, THAT is the time to blow the whistle.  Just common sense really.  As it was the ref handed Milan the game at the end as if to soothe their troubled brows... 'now now, no repeats of the 2005 game here'.

Furthermore, stopping the clock is not the answer; it's one of the things I like BEST about the sport, the mysterious extra-time and a flip of the bird to commercial breaks.

[eldaec]

I actually think that the stop clock would flip way more bird to commercial breaks, because the time of the end of the game would vary much more (currently you can predict it to within 90 seconds).

And I'd agree that if referees were capable of doing injury time properly then not having an exact countdown to hooter is probably a good thing. I just don't believe match officials will ever start getting it right.

[sigil]

Congrats to Derby County for making the Premiership. However, based on their form in that playoff final, they'll probably be heading right back down next season.

WBA couldn't finish a Doctor Seuss book, let a lone a scoring opportunity. Sucks to be them. . .

[HaemishM]

That was a good Championship Playoff final, but yeah, I think Derby will be right back down next year. They're horribly inconsistent, playing great one minute then letting in easy goals another. Darren Moore is a great big hulk of a man who really has no idea where to put the ball half the time. Howard is good but not great. Giles Barnes is likely to get poached either before the new season begins or once Derby is headed back down.

West Brom could have won that game at any time, they just never finished.

The League One Playoff final was a good one as well. Blackpool won quite handily. Kiegan Parker is a name you WILL be hearing if you follow the Championship next season. He's got one helluva bend on the ball. Also, I just have to say that I LOVE Blackpool's kit. Tangerine orange, and they are proud to be called tangerine. I miss when NFL jerseys could proudly display tangerine, instead of everyone going black + a color because black sells better. Fuck that. Give me back my tangerine Bucaneers of old and I might root for them again.

[sigil]

Do not like. We are not blackburn rovers.

55 pounds for that too.

Fuck no on that.

[HaemishM]

Oy, I thought they couldn't make any gayer a use of that gayer than gay blue color.

I stand corrected.

[sigil]

Oy, I thought they couldn't make any gayer a use of that gayer than gay blue color.

I stand corrected.

That's going tobe used for one game. Hopefully it's Derby Away.

the rest of them are very traditional.

[eldaec]

Why did someone tell them to look down their noses at the camera?

Makes them look like some kind of crazy militia/cult.

[Mr_PeaCH]

Agreed; esp. Berbatov and Keano... they look like they want to fuck shit up.   

[eldaec]

Bloody hell, I didn't even recognise Roy Keane.

And, we should be fair to Spurs player number 3, he doesn't look like he wants to fuck things up, that picture just makes him look like he is a very special person.

[Jobu]

What the fuck is up with collars on jerseys? I hate that shit. Especially in the late nineties when they'd fold them up for that lame popped collar look. Ugh.