Kenny Dalglish Won't Be Delivering the Module: English Premiership 2011-12

david van injury.

wairraminute.

who's this new ranhel bloke playing for swansea, he looks alright

also his name is angel rangel.

@themichaelowen
Just watched the Sunderland v Newcastle match on Sky. Some great performances but none better than referee, Howard Webb. Top display.

lol

wait how was howard webb playing in the newcastle derby

so, own goal out to liv, webb out to newcastle?

RE: Chelsea - harsh on Ramires, he's much better than Hargreaves and is exactly what we need in midfield, lots of energy and pace in midfield, good technique, shuttling up and down.

Essien has always been over-rated - too inconsistent for me.

Mikel I love but wish he'd step over halfway with the ball more - but I say that every summer.

But Sturridge and Mata could make a big difference to the front four. No idea how they will line up if Modric signs as well. Cautiously excited - at least there are more options this season. But can't see a finish higher than 3rd.

i found this liverpool/arsenal match report really irritating: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/aug/20/arsenal-liverpool-premier-league

i'm not saying andy carroll had a wonder game or anything but the guy's thesis from early on is that he was shit and isn't working, so he says:

with fewer crosses landing on Carroll's forehead than Dalglish must have been hoping, it was perhaps significant that the nearest Liverpool came to taking the lead in the first half was a shot from exactly halfway by Charlie Adam, one that had Szczesny back-pedalling, but that flew a couple of feet too high.

he just ignores the andy carroll header which chesney had to make prob his best save of the game to.

also he calls it a "barely deserved" victory which i find to be bullshit too, they were the better team even if it was a scrappy game.

Certainly, the Arsenal fans initially had cause to be worried when Miquel mistimed his jump and failed to cut out the first Stewart Downing cross he had to deal with, leaving Carroll a free header that Wojciech Szczesny had to dive to save. It turned out not to be a portent of what was to come.

that's the sentence immediately before your quote fyi

yeah tho why does he say the adam shot was the nearest they came to taking the lead, when that header was obviously. or the henderson chance.

yeah ok his thesis is a little skewed towards damning carroll & route one rather than looking at how meireiles coming on + no frimpong loosened up the final third, but there's no argument you lot were pretty clunky before that

i thought we passed it well actually, just didn't have a huge amount in the final third. largely i thought it was encouraging, they're trying to play in a way they haven't for a long time. just needs meireles starting obviously, as i said during the game i think kuyt is fairly problematic in a side trying to move the ball quickly. he doesn't give it away but he takes an age to do anything on the ball.

also we didn't really go route one to carroll thar often, to me the prob was we were passing it about and he's not offering any option on the ground.

I doubt Dalglish picked that starting XI with sparkling football in mind. Seems obvious to me why he'd go for a more conservative approach against even a weaker Arsenal side than usual.

not sure henderson instead of meireles gives you added steel though.

Terrible season for Spurs so far, only just above the drop zone.

Quite enjoying watching everyone else being shite from a mythical high ground so far. No doubt this will be brutally punctured on Monday.

Arsenal have won just two games in the Premiership since February, which doesn't seem to have been pointed out. That's not just a dodgy start to the season, that's a wider general torpor.

really? fuck

need to maintain our Champ League challenge today tbh

Arsenal have won just two games in the Premiership since February, which doesn't seem to have been pointed out. That's not just a dodgy start to the season, that's a wider general torpor.

'Manager out' form at any other club imo.

there are extenuating circumstances

aren't there always

shurely you mean "zere are, ow you say, extenuating circumstanzes"?

'Manager out' form at any other club imo

It's basically there at Arsenal too, just everyone's being polite about it. The headlines just now are 'I Won't Walk Away', which differs only in making it his own decision. Also the general mockery/questioning of his entire approach.

I wish he'd just sign Benzema, Samba and Parker, and get that wolf away from the door. We need him.

I forgot about Charlie Adam's shots form the halfway line. The first one, ok fair play, but straight from kick off when Scezney was actually on his line? Cut out the billy big bollocks shit man.

agreed.

Diarra and Adebayor to Spurs being reported as done deals

Sweeeet. If those really do go through, I reckon we genuinely have a squad capable of challenging for the title. We probably don't have a manager capable of doing so, but that's for another day.

Since we've already proven that he doesn't work in the Premiership, presumably 'arry is getting Lassana in to 'ave a go at the Europa?

not at gk nor cb tbh, but from there up we'd be top 4 nine times out of ten on current squad yeah

Adebayor on loan? Free transfer? Can't see how Spurs can afford his wages tbh

Yeah maybe, although Gallas and Dawson together should be good enough to get most of the way there. Keeper, obviously a problem - three flawed goalkeepers. Challenging for the title is different to actually winning it, and I don't think Redknapp is good enough to even get us that far, but top four feels... not unrealistic suddenly.

Dunno?

Spurs are set to complete the signing of Lassana Diarra from Real Madrid while Emmanuel Adebayor should complete his loan move from Manchester City.
Wages have proved to be a stumbling block with Adebayor reportedly on £170,000 per week while Diarra takes home £85,000 after tax in Spain.
But Spurs could resolve the dispute by paying the players a fee up front or even paying the clubs an added fee that can be used to subsidise their salary.

not paying all of them iirc,

It does appear that Man City are just giving him away - he must be such a squad-wrecking cunt.

Luckily Diarra is renowned for his loyalty and team spirit

yeah i have my concerns but tbh we need a bite of aggressive ambition too imo, dunno if these guys can bring that

Maybe Redknapp is working on the finer points of the monetary side of the transfers with his good friends Milan Mandaric and Peter Storrie? They might have spending some extended time together in the near future iirc.

*might be*

No way is Levy stupid enough to give Redknapp free reign over the money surely?

http://www.covershut.com/covers/Carried-Away-1996-Wide-Screen-Front-Cover-48980.jpg

I can see why City might be doing it, even if he isn't a bad influence on the squad. He'd cost them the thick end of £30m in wages over the next three years. They can't sell him as nobody is going to match those wages.

puts you in top 4 contention i agree. still something too feckless there for a title tilt though, and while all the midfield are good players there's a lack of leadership oomph imo. you'll be great when you're good, bad when you're bad, and nothing yet will change the inevitability of either.

Don't think it makes much sense from City's pov to loan him to a rival. Especially one who can't pay his full wages. I mean economically it wd make sense to get any of his wages off the bill you can at every club in England except City. What's the money matter to them? Unless they don't consider Spurs rivals of course.

parker looking p shit for west ham today btw

we are not rivals to city tbf

Are City out to specifically kill off Arsenal for some reason? Like an Etihad/Emirates feud or something?

Doyle makes himself a sitter then misses it :(