Moneyball won't win the Premiership 2012-13

as we all know, Southampton play the best football in the EPL

Liverpool you mean. I'd been starting to look forward to next season finally being a normal season - squad in place, something to build on, hit the ground running, all that. Looks like that won't be happening after all.

They also need two more central defenders and a better defensive midfielder and players who can play out wide when Hazard and/or Mata are injured or need a rest.

― Matt DC, Thursday, 25 April 2013 15:22 (1 hour ago) Bookmark

bit harsh. mourinho's won leagues with albiols, arbeloas, del hornos, he can can probably hype gary cahill up into doing a job too. think they've got a good czech lad out on loan in holland to return as well

marin is waste and de bruyne will be out on loan again but schurrle can cover wings as well as not very secretly replace torres. ramires is a right sided midfielder at heart too

screen in front of the defence is the most glaring weakness for a jose side, someone dominant there over/alongside mikel and they ought to be contenders

forgot they've also got nathan ake and nathaniel chalobah for dm, not that jose's likely to use them but still

so many players ffs

imo probably the most burning question in football today is: hey florent malouda and paolo ferreira, whatcha been up to this year

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ly6hv6BgSP1r72wi0o1_500.gif

forgot they've also got nathan ake

Didn't he do 'the sky was ink'?

What are the big rumours going around?

Lewi to Utd
Schurrle and Falcao to Chelsea
Jovetic to Arsenal
Hummels to Barca
Cavani to Real or City
Bale to Real
Rooney to PSG

Any more? This summer looks like fun.

Does anyone seriously get any enjoyment out of these gigantic summer transfer sagas? Was so fucking sick of Hazard and Modric by the end of last summer.

I feel like I missed a season, so I'd kinda like the reset. Also the lols of bumper tv deals at cardiff etc.

I pay no attention at all over the summer and then spend most of the autumn wondering where players have gone and who all these new people are.

"It is the severity of the ban that has hurt most," said the Northern Irishman.

"That is something we are bitterly disappointed with - not so much the ban because everyone has seen it and Luis was very open and honest to know it was wrong.

"I felt it could have been 12 games but with a six-game ban and six games suspended, looking at his future behaviour.

"I don't think anyone could have argued with that.

"I can't help but look at it and look at the sanction which has been put on Luis and I honestly feel the punishment has been against the man rather than the incident."

Rodgers, who was speaking before the club received the panel's written report into their decision, felt there should have been an element of rehabilitation as well as punishment.

"That (the ban) tells the player that it is unacceptable what he did on the field - and everyone here knows that," he said.

"But you have to put the carrot in front of the player to help him improve his behaviour and help in the rehabilitation.

"What has happened in this case is there has only been punishment. There has been no through of rehabilitation - unless something dramatic comes in the report that tells me otherwise.

"It is just a straight 10-game punishment.

"The player needs a bit of help and that is something we will look to provide at the club - something I would expect any club or any business to do: to look after their employee if they make a mistake.

"The objective is to make sure it does not happen again and that is something which is at the forefront of our minds at this moment.

"But the bottom line is he has received a punishment we don't believe is fair and matches the incident that happened."

today- liverpool won't be appealing the ban

Bren otm, and you know there are other reasons not to appeal. He needs a rest for one, plus aiui he'll be summering at Shamrock Rovers (please do this).

it was also Suarez's decision whether or not to appeal, maybe he's somehow self-aware enough to want to reduce just how much of a dick he looks here.

or he decided he could use the time off

congrats to van persie for the golden boots, nonetheless

The man survived an attempt on his life, you can't grudge him winning this minor honour.

i bloody hate it when the beeb put a photo of the goalscorer celebrating on the front page. yeah ok the score's already there on the right but at least allow that one small moment of childish reveal

during a match i mean obv

We're not working on corner marking, amazing.

Quiet for saturday?

the real action is in the proper divisions

load of camra cobblers

Lolz

Sorry DM, but come on the Wigan

Im not anti wigan, but whyyyy always us

I was gonna put fifty quid on us to finish fifth but odds wont be worth it now

what a shower

good save lloris

Saints falling to pieces

spurs not remotely in this game

^wrong

and yet
xp

i was quite right at the time

clever ball thudd

No fuckin good to us

sorry to all itt but i'm p annoyed at that tbh, want villa to suffer

Didn't see the game but imagine being a Wigan fan and seeing that OG go in. Result does neither side any favours.

Coutinho is too good

as we all know, Southampton play the best football in the EPL

― tsarnaev paleface (imago), Thursday, April 25, 2013 4:17 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark

no-one told west brom

Borini sighting!

and he's scored

Debuchy sent off. This is ridiculous

six nil

Alan Pardew says his eight-year contract will give him time to deliver Newcastle United's long-awaited trophy wait.

Newcastle have not won a major since their Fairs Cup success in 1969 and since taking the Geordie hot-seat 18 months ago, Pardew has learned to appreciate the desperation of the club's supporters who have seen neighbours Sunderland and Middlesbrough win one domestic trophy each since.

Pardew admitted even he was shocked by owner Mike Ashley's decision to reward him and coaches John Carver, Steve Stone and Andy Woodman with the new eight-year deals which replicate the contract chief scout Graham Carr signed in the summer.

It shouldn't, but I feel this augurs badly for next year. Delighted for Borini, I've always felt there's a player in there.

They won the Championship only a couple of years ago ffs.

http://i.minus.com/ibz3JOPcwFMPPH.gif

Its not *entirely* impossible that Newcastle could be behind Villa by Monday evening

Yeah, it's always an odd one when you're rooting for your arch-rivals to do you a favour.

approve of this new referee

Lineker making a big deal of it being his debut and his age

Point of that? All decisions correct, tho fortune one a bit harsh.