2011/2012 English Premier League thread - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Jimmy Stang · 07-27-2011, 09:37 AM

The new season kicks off on Saturday, August 13th. Here is the thread to discuss the league, the teams, the players, the television schedule, and anything else about the Premier League.

Jimmy Stang · 07-27-2011, 09:44 AM

My beloved Norwich City have made it up into the top flight for the first time in a few years, so my first priority is taking in as many televised Canaries matches as possible. That means Setanta is no longer an option, but a necessity. I know that they will have a difficult time staying up, but anything is possible. I was fortunate enough to catch two games while I was there in March (Bristol at home and Hull away) last season as they worked towards promotion.

I have been hounding Shaw and Setanta to get their act together and start giving us the HD feed, and apparently negotiations are ongoing. I'm not sure whether or not there will be any progress by the time the season begins, but it is encouraging to hear that it is at least a possibility that we'll see it sometime soon.

d_phaneuf · 07-27-2011, 10:28 AM

Shaw still doesn't have Setanta HD????

that's just embarrassing on their part, Bell has had it for a year now

http://footballtvcanada.blogspot.com/

is a good site to find out tv listings on Canadian tv

TSN and Setanta are updated atm, Sportsnet haven't released their schedule

d_phaneuf · 07-27-2011, 10:30 AM

I do think Norwich and Swansea are going to struggle a bit

history shows that 2/3 teams usually stay up (last 10 years only 13 of 30 promoted clubs have gone right back down) and I think with their money QPR won't be going back down any time soon

Jimmy Stang · 07-27-2011, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by diane_phaneuf

I do think Norwich and Swansea are going to struggle a bit

history shows that 2/3 teams usually stay up (last 10 years only 13 of 30 promoted clubs have gone right back down) and I think with their money QPR won't be going back down any time soon

Norwich have been making some changes (about 7 signings in the off-season), but admittedly haven't gained any real Premier League experienced players. The acquisitions aren't bad, by any means, but they are definitely being very conservative.

It must be a difficult predicament for a manager of a newly-promoted team: overspend and risk the financial health of the team in the event of relegation, or spend modestly and potentially miss the chance to stay up. I have faith in Paul Lambert, especially after consecutive promotions to bring Norwich out of a very dark place, but the gap between the Championship and the Premier League is not even comparable. On the other hand, I'm going to savour every frustrating minute of it.

Jimmy Stang · 07-27-2011, 10:51 AM

Just in case any Premier League fans haven't seen it yet, GirlySports is setting up a fantasy pool for the upcoming season. Here's the thread:
http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=107643

SeoulFire · 07-27-2011, 09:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

Just in case any Premier League fans haven't seen it yet, GirlySports is setting up a fantasy pool for the upcoming season. Here's the thread:
http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=107643

Looks fun but I have never made it past the halfway point in any fantasy pool - I just plain ol' lose interest.

Looking forward to the season!

d_phaneuf · 07-27-2011, 09:05 PM

Wayne Rooney got a hair transplant and he still looks bald

Finny61 · 07-27-2011, 10:06 PM

With TSN and Sportsnet taking some of the content off Setanta, why do I have to pay over $17 per month now for Setanta when it is mostly rugby?

I'd love to have something similar to MLB TV where I can go online and watch any game at any time.

GirlySports · 07-28-2011, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeoulFire

Looks fun but I have never made it past the halfway point in any fantasy pool - I just plain ol' lose interest.

Looking forward to the season!

Just join it'll be more interesting! You don't have to do much! Only have to make changes once a month if you choose to.

Jimmy Stang · 07-28-2011, 08:55 AM

Interestingly, Rogers now fully owns Setanta (they owned a substantial amount previously, I believe) as of yesterday and will be re-branding it "Sportsnet World" in October:

http://www.thewirereport.ca/reports/...setanta_sports

I doubt that the programming will differ initially, but I am a little concerned with what this means for us Shaw customers waiting for the HD feed. Shaw tends to drag its feet a little when adding HD feeds for channels that aren't Shaw-owned, and now that Rogers fully owns Setanta, I wonder what is in store. Remember what happened with Sportsnet One?

Addick · 07-28-2011, 07:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

I have been hounding Shaw and Setanta to get their act together and start giving us the HD feed, and apparently negotiations are ongoing. I'm not sure whether or not there will be any progress by the time the season begins, but it is encouraging to hear that it is at least a possibility that we'll see it sometime soon.

I heard they, Shaw, are simply being ###### bags about it. I've actually considered starting a Facebook page with a sign-up list for people to give Shaw an ultimatum, get it or we walk. Since I work for Telus, I'm pretty sure I can help people move over to their satellite and I'd even wave my referral bonus. It's funny because even though I work for Telus, I really don't want to switch over to TTV or STV.

Locke · 07-31-2011, 02:00 PM

Haha, whooo....the Emirates Cup turned grim.

The one piece of silverware you could actually count on Arsenal winning and they blew it to an MLS team despite playing a good number of regulars.

And on an own goal yet. Haha....its just so funny....and again, wasting chances in front of goal, even from the as yet relatively untainted new purchases no less.

Too good.

Cactus Jack · 08-01-2011, 07:45 PM

Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo RED DEVILS!

Locke · 08-05-2011, 10:45 AM

Well, it seems like Balotelli got into a training ground fight with Aleksander Kolarov. Why, I have no idea.

Balotelli just seems like more work and hassle than hes worth. How many goals has he actually scored?

Jimmy Stang · 08-05-2011, 10:56 AM

Does anyone have any experience with "Setanta-i", the online version of Setanta? I'm hesitant to give Shaw my $15/month until they start offering the channel in HD. The schedules look similar but I understand that some programs may not be available. I'm only really interested in the Premier League matches, so if I can get those, I'll give it a shot.

mac_82 · 08-07-2011, 02:39 PM

I'll be at the Arsenal@Newcastle (Aug 13) and West Brom@Chelsea (Aug 20) games. It will be my first EPL experience. I just did the Stamford Bridge tour today as well, I am so pumped now to see a game live! I will also be at Wembley for the England-Netherlands game Aug 10. I really think I should just move to London, I love it here.

d_phaneuf · 08-07-2011, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mac_82

I'll be at the Arsenal@Newcastle (Aug 13) and West Brom@Chelsea (Aug 20) games. It will be my first EPL experience. I just did the Stamford Bridge tour today as well, I am so pumped now to see a game live! I will also be at Wembley for the England-Netherlands game Aug 10. I really think I should just move to London, I love it here.

was it the John Terry platinum package tour?

Barnet Flame · 08-07-2011, 05:03 PM

I'll be at my one and only Arsenal match this season watching my Liverpool mate crying his eyes out. As bad as it is at Arsenal, we can count on Liverpool to provide the laughs.

Locke · 08-07-2011, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by diane_phaneuf

was it the John Terry platinum package tour?

Is that the one with complimentary Hookers and Blow? John Terry ought to be a CP regular....