jason crowe is now at northampton town, when he left pompey i was surprised when he went to grimsby town [then in the third tier] - he could have played at a higher level.
― djmartian, Tuesday, 31 July 2007 14:43 (sixteen years ago) link
My "Prediction:"
1. Chelsea 2. Manchester United 3. Tottenham 4. Arsenal 5. Liverpool 6. Newcastle United 7. Blackburn Rovers 8. Manchester City 9. Everton 10. Portsmouth 11. Aston Villa 12. Reading 13. Middlesbrough 14. Bolton Wanderers 15. West Ham 16. Wigan 17. Birmingham City 18. Sunderland 19. Fulham 20. Derby County
How I came to this:
- Nobody else put Tottenham above third, so despite not reaaallly thinking they will finish this high, I've put them there because I would love to be the only person who called it on that off-chance it occurs.
- I have no faith in Sunderland, and apparently everyone else does-- another opportunity for an "I told you so" and this one might even be more likely! I'm not much for Roy Keane. Sorry Mackems.
- I got bored after doing my bottom 4 and top 8 so the rest are somewhat randomly chosen.
How mad would you be, after reading this, if I was bang on at the end of the season?
― Will M., Tuesday, 31 July 2007 18:12 (sixteen years ago) link
furious
― blueski, Tuesday, 31 July 2007 18:23 (sixteen years ago) link
Who do you support again blueski?
― Will M., Tuesday, 31 July 2007 18:30 (sixteen years ago) link
1. Manchester United 2. Chelsea 3. Liverpool 4. Tottenham 5. Arsenal 6. Everton 7. Newcastle United 8. Aston Villa 9. Portsmouth 10. Blackburn Rovers 11. Bolton Wanderers 12. Reading 13. Middlesbrough 14. Sunderland 15. West Ham 16. Wigan 17. Manchester City 18. Fulham 19. Derby County 20. Birmingham City
Any one from the top two, I think it will be very close. I expect Arsenal to struggle and maybe miss out on a CL spot. Tottenham should keep scoring for fun and maybe add a wee bit more consistency and finish above Arsenal for the first time in yonks. Reading losing a good player and not being a "surprise package" any more will see them drop down a bit, especially with what I expect to be a resurgent Newcastle and Villa. Man City and Wigan will struggle but survive again. Sunderland will maintain enough momentum from the Championship to ensure survival. Birmingham will be pish.
― onimo, Tuesday, 31 July 2007 18:38 (sixteen years ago) link
Alan Smith to Newcastle it seems. Good move for him I think, barring injuries he should play a fair few games what with Owen probably being injured, Viduka being fat and Martins being sulky about having to play Derby.
― Matt DC, Thursday, 2 August 2007 16:35 (sixteen years ago) link
I wish I had the balls to make predictions.
― Pete W, Thursday, 2 August 2007 17:00 (sixteen years ago) link
It's okay to admit you think Liverpool will win the title Pete.
― Ronan, Thursday, 2 August 2007 23:34 (sixteen years ago) link
Liverpool - it's all about FERNANDO TORRES. I think he is a bit of a jessie, but I hope he proves me wrong.
I think TEVEZ will be PLAYER OF THE SEASON.
I saw an advert in a telly shop today (OK, it was John Lewis) and it was footage of LFC in action and the slogan was "The beautiful game just got more beautiful". I thought about Michael Jones.
I suppose it was about HIGH DEFINITION.
Is anyone going to get Setanta Sports for 9.99? I'm not. I have no idea if it is a good deal or not.
I would quite like to go to the Charity Shield, for the reasons mentioned above. How does one go about obtaining tickets for fifteen nicker? That is quite reasonable.
I too wish the season were two months away. Such is my enjoyment of Major League Soccer. I wonder if Juan Pablo Angel does a video blog for Colombia or wherever he's from.
I am glad to see Villa have been upgraded to "unknown quantity" rather than the usual "big pile of shit". I think they will continue to be a big pile of shit, but will finish eighth, not ninth, as so many people seem to predict.
I shall be interested to see how MAN CITY get on.
I wish DERBY COUNTY well. Billy Davies (?) is waiting until the end of the transfer window to make his moves.
I think transfers are possibly more interesting than football itself these days.
― PJ Miller, Friday, 3 August 2007 18:11 (sixteen years ago) link
Tevez will take about a third of a season to get going and suddenly become unstoppable.
Torres will be amusingly rubbish and this year's Shevchenko. Six goals in La Liga = lol massive flop in the Premiership.
― Matt DC, Friday, 3 August 2007 23:29 (sixteen years ago) link
turns out - we get setanta for free - or we do for now anyway, I bet they turn it off just before the season starts :(
Matt - are we having a bet on that?
― Porkpie, Friday, 3 August 2007 23:33 (sixteen years ago) link
Villa snap up American teenager Aston Villa have completed the signing of United States Under-20 international Eric Lichaj. The 18-year-old former Chicago Magic defender will go straight into Villa's Academy squad.
Lichaj is Villa's first American signing since the club were bought by Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner.
The 6ft defender, formerly at the University of North Carolina, will not be able to play until September as he is recovering from a broken foot.
"He signed a two year deal with options," said Lichaj's agent Steve Kelly.
"He was injured before he signed, but they saw his talent before that."
― PJ Miller, Saturday, 4 August 2007 18:50 (sixteen years ago) link
1:Man Utd 2:Liverpool 3:Chelsea 4:Arsenal 5:Spurs 6:Blackburn 7:Newcastle 8:Aston Villa 9:Everton 10:West Ham 11:Portsmouth 12:Reading 13:Man City 14:Middlesborough 15:Sunderland 16:Bolton 17:Wigan 18:Fulham 19:Birmingham 20:Derby
Derby and Birmingham surely certs to go down. Only putting in Fulham cos I hope they do. Either Bolton or Wigan would be nice though.
Can't see Spurs breaking top 4, it's more likely that they'll be pulled back by Blackburn, who've bought well up front. Everton never have two good seasons in a row, and Man City and West Ham have made too many changes to do well under dodgy managers.
― darraghmac, Saturday, 4 August 2007 19:12 (sixteen years ago) link
I did not realise that the Charity Shield is today. That is TOO SOON!
― PJ Miller, Sunday, 5 August 2007 09:26 (sixteen years ago) link
One of the money teams is going to go down this season, dunno if it'll be Man City or West Ham though.
― Dom Passantino, Sunday, 5 August 2007 09:56 (sixteen years ago) link
Presumably Man City when Thaksin goes to jail forever and the club is sued inside out by the government of Thailand.
I was thinking last night that Hargreaves could be a totally crucial signing for Man U and I can see them winning the Prem at a canter this season.
― Noodle Vague, Sunday, 5 August 2007 10:26 (sixteen years ago) link
Oh, and Sunderland for a Top 10 finish.
― Noodle Vague, Sunday, 5 August 2007 10:30 (sixteen years ago) link
Oh, and Allardyce gone by January.
― Noodle Vague, Sunday, 5 August 2007 10:31 (sixteen years ago) link
Nah, Allardyce to miss out on Europe by one point then to be fired three games into the 08/09 season
― Dom Passantino, Sunday, 5 August 2007 10:34 (sixteen years ago) link
At least the West Ham players know each other - it could take months for Sven to put together a cohesive squad out of a load of disparate foreign players bought in the space of a fortnight.
Fulham have spent £20m! How did that happen?
I'm trying to reconcile this late "start of the summer" feeling with this early start to the season and it's not really working.
Allardyce will be around for ages. They're not going to let him bring half his Bolton backroom team with him just to sack him after a season.
― Matt DC, Sunday, 5 August 2007 10:36 (sixteen years ago) link
If Newcastle are bottom 3 for any length of time, which I can see, he'll go. That job is horrible and near impossible.
― Noodle Vague, Sunday, 5 August 2007 10:39 (sixteen years ago) link
Reading and Everton are the only two teams to have not signed a striker off-season.
― Dom Passantino, Sunday, 5 August 2007 10:44 (sixteen years ago) link
You've gotta remember that Allardyce doesn't have the fans on-side, all it's going to take is a couple of bad results, or the chance of Europe to vanish, and they're all going to start chanting for Keegan or Shearer or Sid the Sexist for manager.
― Dom Passantino, Sunday, 5 August 2007 10:46 (sixteen years ago) link
laffing at underachieving Newcastle will never ever get old. and yeah, Everton could well stage a relegation challenge.
― Noodle Vague, Sunday, 5 August 2007 10:49 (sixteen years ago) link
I suppose I'm hedging my bets on Newcastle due to not really knowing what the new board will do. Not having to deal with Freddy Shepherd is a bonus.
Also Allardyce has generally bought well over the summer - could do with a couple more defenders but Capaca is a strong signing.
― Matt DC, Sunday, 5 August 2007 10:58 (sixteen years ago) link
Top marks to The Sun for the headline in the "Hossam Ghaly's transfer to Birmingham cancelled after he refuses to run in training" story:
WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN
― Dom Passantino, Sunday, 5 August 2007 12:21 (sixteen years ago) link
kenny dalglish on the top 10 predictions... http://tinyurl.com/2t4x5u
King Kenny's Premiership Top Prediction 1. MANCHESTER UNITED 2. LIVERPOOL 3. CHELSEA 4. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 5. ARSENAL 6. EVERTON 7. WEST HAM 8. PORTSMOUTH 9. BLACKBURN ROVERS 10. NEWCASTLE UNITED
― djmartian, Sunday, 5 August 2007 17:18 (sixteen years ago) link
King Kenny's on Krack
― onimo, Sunday, 5 August 2007 17:58 (sixteen years ago) link
Free Setanta forever on Virgin Media telly, hurrah! Except I'm moving to a non-cabled area in three weeks, boo!
Kenny's gone mad! West Ham in seventh?
― ailsa, Sunday, 5 August 2007 18:39 (sixteen years ago) link
Saturday: AFCWvFCUM A great day out apart from the strange smell of sewagehttp://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r299/crunchydog_2006/AFCWpenalty.jpg Sunday: Wemberlee http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r299/crunchydog_2006/wemberlee.jpg
― Nasty, Brutish & Short, Sunday, 5 August 2007 20:47 (sixteen years ago) link
I got AFC Wimbledon into the Championship on FM2007, btw.
― Dom Passantino, Sunday, 5 August 2007 20:48 (sixteen years ago) link
What did you think of Wembley?
― Pete W, Monday, 6 August 2007 11:00 (sixteen years ago) link
Better than I thought it would be. I was one row from the back, so right up at the top, and it's pretty steep there, but you've still got a decent view. In fact the view was great compared to the equivalent seats at Old Trafford (where you're crammed in like sardines and the roof comes down so steeply that you can barely see the far touchline, never mind the rest of the stadium).
― Nasty, Brutish & Short, Monday, 6 August 2007 11:20 (sixteen years ago) link
Don't think I've ever been so high up in a ground, or had so much leg room. What about the atmosphere? It was rubbish at the cup final.
― Pete W, Monday, 6 August 2007 11:22 (sixteen years ago) link
I've got vertigo even looking at that Wembley photo.
― Matt DC, Monday, 6 August 2007 11:24 (sixteen years ago) link
Matt, you've left yourself wide open for a Spurs gag there.
― Pete W, Monday, 6 August 2007 11:26 (sixteen years ago) link
The atmosphere was alright really. At least it started off boisterously for both halves and then died away after half an hour or so. I suppose that's the difference you get when all the tickets go to supporters instead of corporate sponsors / regional FA officials etc. (and also the effect of several hours drining lager in baking sunshine). You're right about the legroom: normally you feel they've just tried to fit as many seats in the ground as possible, but this was spacious.
― Nasty, Brutish & Short, Monday, 6 August 2007 11:42 (sixteen years ago) link
did you have a pie? they're nice but not worth the queue or the price
― blueski, Monday, 6 August 2007 11:58 (sixteen years ago) link
My mate had one. It didn't look appetizing at all.
― Nasty, Brutish & Short, Monday, 6 August 2007 12:06 (sixteen years ago) link
i have a feeling you only get "free" santana on virgin of you've got the [scuse me] XL telly package, which we don't, so to get sultana we'd have to pay an extra £9 a month, although banana are showing a lot of conference blue square premier (retch) matches...
...cheer dickie.
― CarsmileSteve, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 10:17 (sixteen years ago) link
argh, it's not even that simple, as the cost of our sky sports package would come down if our telly pack got more expensive...
(clearly i am rly just doing this to get to watch the baseball on NASN ;))
― CarsmileSteve, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 10:35 (sixteen years ago) link
Ooh explain how the baseball ties in?
― Mark C, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 10:49 (sixteen years ago) link
In what way was breaking up the TV rights supposed to be better for the Great British Consumer again?
― Matt DC, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 10:53 (sixteen years ago) link
stop them consuming hopefully
― Filey Camp, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 10:55 (sixteen years ago) link
It means you get a legitimate excuse to go to the pub more.
― ailsa, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 11:00 (sixteen years ago) link
If you're on XL package with Virgin you get the Setanta Sports package except for NASN (which is baseball heaven) for free. If you're on a smaller package you pay £8? a month and NASN is included. To get NASN if you're XL means you have to shell out the £8 a month as well. (if that makes sense)
Breaking up the TV rights means you can get some live Premiership football for less than a tenner a month on freeview and you don't have to give your money to Uncle Rupert in the process.
― treefell, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 11:00 (sixteen years ago) link
If I see an entire Premiership game live on TV this season I'll be surprised.
― blueski, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 11:16 (sixteen years ago) link
Why pay for Sky when you watch it in Chinese for free? They'd better not have closed that site down in the summer...
― Pete W, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 11:18 (sixteen years ago) link
hmm if you can get it to actually work...
― blueski, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 11:18 (sixteen years ago) link
It only let me down a couple of times last season. But when it did, it was very frustrating.
― Pete W, Wednesday, 8 August 2007 11:21 (sixteen years ago) link
Thaksin is more of a muppet than Romanov at Hearts.
― djmartian, Friday, 16 May 2008 11:38 (fifteen years ago) link
Not really sure how the £££ situation is with Acorns and Villa, I think Villa basically set a price for sponsorship which wasn't met, and went fuck it, let's grandstand instead
― MPx4A, Friday, 16 May 2008 11:42 (fifteen years ago) link
They've been fair spunking money into the Hospice for the past few years anyway tho
― MPx4A, Friday, 16 May 2008 11:43 (fifteen years ago) link
Avram Grant sacked according to the BBC news.
― ailsa, Saturday, 24 May 2008 17:10 (fifteen years ago) link
Heaven needed scowling.
― Dom Passantino, Saturday, 24 May 2008 17:19 (fifteen years ago) link
Funny that its happened after todays earlier rumours about Mourinho having cosy chats with abramovich and going back as boss.
― Herman G. Neuname, Saturday, 24 May 2008 17:20 (fifteen years ago) link
If Mourinho is the next Chelsea manager, I'll run naked through the streets of... wherever Avram Grant is from. Tel-Aviv?
― Dom Passantino, Saturday, 24 May 2008 17:27 (fifteen years ago) link
Frank Riijkaard, surely.
― ailsa, Saturday, 24 May 2008 17:31 (fifteen years ago) link
No, I think you'll find it's Tel-Aviv.
― Billy Dods, Saturday, 24 May 2008 17:35 (fifteen years ago) link
aye, very good.
― ailsa, Saturday, 24 May 2008 17:48 (fifteen years ago) link
I'd love to see Dick Advocaat let loose with Abramovich's cheque book given how mad he went with Sir Minty Moonbeam's.
Mourinho as short as 11/2 with some bookies :/
― onimo, Saturday, 24 May 2008 20:11 (fifteen years ago) link
Still 16s with Paddy Power. Rijkaard and Mancini both 7/2. Mancini would be a bad manager for Chelsea.
― Dom Passantino, Saturday, 24 May 2008 20:46 (fifteen years ago) link
Carlo Ancelotti at 25/1 seems worth a flutter.
― Dom Passantino, Saturday, 24 May 2008 20:47 (fifteen years ago) link
[As for his own reluctance to retire being fuelled by an ambition to overhaul Liverpool's tally of 18 league championships and five European Cups, Ferguson remarked; "I did my job of getting rid of Liverpool from the top a long time ago. The club will take care of the rest."]
!!
― the pinefox, Sunday, 25 May 2008 12:05 (fifteen years ago) link
Comedy Ferguson vanity that. Liverpool have been more than capable of getting rid of themselves for the last 20 years.
― Noodle Vague, Sunday, 25 May 2008 12:08 (fifteen years ago) link
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/F10237190?thread=5493359&show=50
Trying to find the dumbest opinion on this thread is an effort.
― Dom Passantino, Sunday, 25 May 2008 13:37 (fifteen years ago) link