Moneyball won't win the Premiership 2012-13

Vicente, who played in the Champions League and La Liga for Valencia and was capped 38 times by Spain, told The Argus: “He is the worst person I’ve come across in football. “For example, he deceived me when he said I could go and then he didn’t let me. I was four months out injured and he wasn’t capable of coming up and asking how I was.

“For me he is a selfish person, very egocentric. I say that because it’s how I feel.

“I won’t talk badly about my team-mates, because they have been fantastic with me. What I think is unacceptable is that the manager makes fun of his players. I’ve seen things here that I have never seen in my career. If you miss with a shot in training, he makes fun. For me, that is unacceptable in football.”

now I don't know what to believe

All that sticking up for Suarez business soured my view of Poyet

that was just bros before negritos iirc

inviting darren fletcher to a stadium tour was also probably a misjudgement

haw

“Personally, I can’t wait to see Cardiff playing Premier League football – but I bet that feeling is even stronger for the fans who have waited so long for this success,” said Le Tissier. “They have earned their place and will bring a sparkling freshness to the top table."

who was it that interfered with poyet's poo?

Newcastle playing for £1m bonus against Arsenal

michaeljacksonpopcorneating.gif for today's race between Arse 'n Spurs.

My guess is a shock surprise win of Newcastle over Arsenal (and not because of that bonus). But not sure if Spurs will win tbh.

i dunno, i think the real popcorn moment today is the possible Chelsea-Arsenal playoff match

As much as I want Spurs to finish top 4, I just can't see it happening. I'm not saying it's inconceivable that Arsenal will drop points, just that Spurs seem fatally incapable of taking advantage.

Damn, have just settled in... to notice they are 4pm kick offs.

In other news, my flatmate served Tony Adams at Apple this week. He didn't have an appointment and only kinda recognising him from the 90s, she asked if he was Jimmy Nail and he said no but awkwardly tried a geordie accent a lot while she was fixing his mac. It was only a bit later when a collegue told her she found out it was my embarrassing childhood idol.

Don't think you can rule out that it actually was Jimmy Nail

Haha awesome

I was sure these were 3pm kickoffs?

"hello i'm here to take over the company... steve jobs recommended me, hold on i'll just call him" [puts shoe to ear]

Nah he had to put his details in or something. Wrote his name Tony Adams MBE as well.

lol

Still don't think we can rule out it was Jimmy Nail

I am broadly resigned to the fact that Arsenal aren't going to fuck this game up. Nothing about this feels as bad as the end of last season.

Really Matt? Not particularly aware of the way the league has looked throughout the season, but it'll really feel like you've chucked it to me if both Arsenal and Chelsea manage to beat you to the CL places this year.

might as well watch us get humped 8-0

lfc's new shirts look nice

Hahaha, Darren Bent. Someone buy him off us plz

We were never as far ahead as we were last season, and there hasn't been the same kind of long slow agonising stupid collapse. And it won't come down to a CL penalty shootout.

it was more the vagaries of the schedule that had us 7 clear of arsenal after beating them, i think most of us had it figured as a tight one looking at the games we had to play even then

Chelsea score, sorry playoff fans.

Could still happen if Arsenal - Newcastle ends a particular way though right? It was a stupidly long shot anyway, though it'd make a fun story

Also this season feels like a measured success for AVB, last season was a catastrophic failure for Redknapp.

There can still be a play-off

Chelsea draw 1-1; Arsenal win 3-2

Chelsea draw 2-2; Arsenal win 4-3

Chelsea draw 3-3; Arsenal win 5-4

Bent's goal lifted Villa 5 or 6 places in the league. The bottom half is ridiculously tight. Newcastle can finish top half after facing relegation a week ago.

Regarding that £1m bonus, I'd forgotten that Ashley is a Spurs fan.

xpost - I'm not 100% sure what the values are but I believe that finishing 11th rather than 16th has gotta be worth a few bob, right? A team in Villa's situation can't afford to throw away £5 million when it's on a plate. Fixture list today looks like it might do us some favours in that regard

iirc it's about 800k per place

Does Rafa keep his job for an extra week if there's a third place play-off?

lol Rafa to Everton would be my preference right now tbh

Ah shit, Wigan goal

ref you are a cheat a liar a cunt and a disgrace

That's a fucking penalty you spineless cunt.

eurgh, this Fulham team are actually leading a game, you kidding me?

jesus christ if bales gets a second yellow today im travelling to batter this cunts dog

Is Defoe still not fit? I haven't been keeping track recently, but it seems bizarre if not outright wrong that Ade is starting such an important game otherwise

adebayor has been good to great in the last 3 or 4 games and looks good today

anyone that'll argue against video ref being available for a call like that penalty can have a battering and all tbr

christ that's slack defending

Fair nuff, I saw his long-range cracker the other day but I've adjusted to thinking of him as being a sight worse than useless, and I'm watching Arsenal atm so have nae idea how the guy's playing right now xpost

it's a fair sentiment given his form all season alright

not unlike him to turn it on to ensure he stays in light of the approaching transfer window tbh, you couldn't rely on him for next season or anything

Tbph sometime in March I basically stopped caring what anyone else was doing except for those in Villa's immediate vicinity and I'm now trying to get a handle at the last minute on things happening elsewhere. Parker's gone from England captain to a problem player pretty fast, it seems? Though this is probs to do with the differences between AVB's approach and Harry's, I suppose

wickham looks like troubling dawson all afternoon

xp i'd reckon the absence of modric as a creative outlet is a lot to do with it, dembele sits much deeper and rampages forward but isn't anything like the constant presence modric was for parker to offload it simply to