2010/2011 Premier League Thread

[SeoulFire]

Originally Posted by NBC

I hardly think that 5 & 6 times the red cards/penalties are justifiable, regardless of the visiting team's tactics. Big teams get a greater percentage of favorable calls at home. That is just the way it is.

Big teams are nothing more than teams with the $$$ to buy better players. These better players control the ball more, attack more, and win more. Teams coming into these grounds do adapt a defensive style and are for the most part relentlessly attacked by the big (read: better) teams.

Season Champions
1992–93 Manchester United
1993–94 Manchester United
1994–95 Blackburn Rovers
1995–96 Manchester United
1996–97 Manchester United
1997–98 Arsenal
1998–99 Manchester United
1999–2000 Manchester United
2000–01 Manchester United
2001–02 Arsenal
2002–03 Manchester United
2003–04 Arsenal
2004–05 Chelsea
2005–06 Chelsea
2006–07 Manchester United
2007–08 Manchester United
2008–09 Manchester United
2009–10 Chelsea

Yeah I can definitely see there being a difference and these teams getting some decisions. More skill more attack more ball - pretty simple.

The real issue as to why he is getting punished is that he made this round of comments personal. That is unacceptable in the FA's eyes. Questioning decisions, fine. Questioning a match official's integrity, unacceptable.

Backpedaling? Perhaps you could show me a time where he questioned a match officials integrity and got away with it. For the record integrity ≠ fitness.

Originally Posted by Nuje

There has to be something to it when all kinds of football fans take after the comments was "here we go again, nothing will happen to Ferguson". I don't understand why you can't just admit it that Ferguson does get favourable treatment. All of the United fans I know personally will freely admit that he gets away with more than other managers (not to mention one such fan, who sometimes after losses says "Why didn't we get Fergie time??")

I never said that he does not get favorable treatment but it is nowhere near what is stated and he is not the only one that escapes punishment. Maybe he gets away with it more because he simply does it more knowing that the FA (for all intents and purposes) is a toothless dog. This, however, would kind of run counter to the idea that he gets favorable treatment - why bite the hand that feeds you if it were true?

I guess a different reason for all the whinging could be found in the table above....

Originally Posted by Locke

Ferguson is deflecting. Hes diverting attention away from his team who barely hung on in that second half against Chelsea.

Its a tactic and Fergie does it all the time because he knows that managers get away with a fair bit and because he doesnt care if he does get the book thrown at him. I doubt he pays his own fines and touchline bans are a joke.

This I can agree with but would make one change (in red).

[united]

LOL Seoul asks a question, you completely avoid the question, and now you roll out something your friend says (he must be the authority on everything football). Brilliant!

Edit: At Nuje

[Jagger]

Much as I dislike Slur Alex he wasn't wrong in calling out the ref in this case. The Chelsea lad deserved to walk and the pen was as soft as the one Liverpool conceded to United in the cup. The old saying that these things equal themselves out in a season seems especially fitting here though.

Whatever, Ferguson has been around the block a time or two and is consistent in his ways. He will consistently defend his players and consistently call out the officials, especially after defeats. That's just the way he is and he won't care what happens. A touchline ban is worthless nowadays and I doubt any fine means anything either to the guy.

[d_phaneuf]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2...rge?CMP=twt_gu

hilarious, he refuses to talk to MUTV now

[Nuje]

Originally Posted by united

LOL Seoul asks a question, you completely avoid the question, and now you roll out something your friend says (he must be the authority on everything football). Brilliant!

Edit: At Nuje

I'll look for some examples later (and no, this isn't an excuse to say nothing now, I just don't feel like doing it at the moment, sometime this weekend). And hey, if I'm wrong, I'll admit it.

Maybe it is that Ferguson does it more than any other manager, so by default he does get away with it more.

Also, major lol at him shunning MUTV. He should know the rules, and he should know that any time a camera is present, he has to watch what he says.

[NBC]

Originally Posted by SeoulFire

Yeah I can definitely see there being a difference and these teams getting some decisions. More skill more attack more ball - pretty simple.

I would agree with this if the numbers showed that the big clubs also had the lion's share of calls AWAY from home as well, which to the best of my knowledge isn't the case. This only really applies to home matches.

Anyway I'm not arguing for either side. Just listening and reading what the pundits and analysts over here, the problem isn't the fact that he said something critical, it is that he questioned the official's objectivity and integrity. This is something that you simply cannot do in today's game and expect to get away from it.

Listen to Alan Leighton - national secretary for Prospect, the union representing match officials.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/9412355.stm

[NBC]

Man City defender Kolo Toure 'took wife's slimming aid

Sure Kolo. Whatever gets you thru the night.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ty/9415174.stm

[valo403]

Originally Posted by NBC

I would agree with this if the numbers showed that the big clubs also had the lion's share of calls AWAY from home as well, which to the best of my knowledge isn't the case. This only really applies to home matches.

Anyway I'm not arguing for either side. Just listening and reading what the pundits and analysts over here, the problem isn't the fact that he said something critical, it is that he questioned the official's objectivity and integrity. This is something that you simply cannot do in today's game and expect to get away from it.

Listen to Alan Leighton - national secretary for Prospect, the union representing match officials.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/9412355.stm

I read something a couple weeks back (I'll try to find it) about a study that showed home teams getting the majority of calls in a number of sports, so really it isn't at all surprising. Add in the skill advantage that the top teams have over the rest of the league and I'd expect a pretty tilted outcome for home matches.

[Nuje]

Originally Posted by NBC

Man City defender Kolo Toure 'took wife's slimming aid

Sure Kolo. Whatever gets you thru the night.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ty/9415174.stm

"Never trust your wife! That is how he was caught." - Arsene Wenger re: that situation

Thanks for the advice Arsene.

[Lee of Red]

I think Kolo will get off lightly...

[Nuje]

If all of the evidence points to the diet pill story being true, then most likely. If there's a possiblity that something performance enhancing may be involved, then we'll see. Gonna be interesting to see how this one turns out.

[NBC]

Has he worn out his welcome in Spain already?

The Special Idiot.

Real Madrid's Jose Mourinho 'escapes knife attack'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12651240

[d_phaneuf]

Arsene gives Fergie a lesson on how to criticize officials without actually doing so in a way that will get you fined/suspended

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/foot...al/9415864.stm

[Cactus Jack]

Originally Posted by Locke

Okay, Roberto Carlos and Ronaldo were legends in their time, but they've got to be joking. In my opinion Ronaldo is one of the single greatest players of all time, but his prime was a long, long time and many, many knee surgeries ago.

Further proof that these Russians are out of their damned minds. I sincerely doubt Roberto Carlos will be making too many of those trademark runs down the wing at his age. He still might be the single greatest free-kick taker in the world though, that guy was magic with a dead ball.

Living in Sao Paulo, I watched a fair bit of Corinthians and he's still got it for a slightly inferior league like Brasil or Russia. Age has caught up but
his pace is still something to marvel at and his touch on dead balls is still there. He was the best back in Brazil last year and the only reason he left was that idiot fans of underachieving Corinthians cornored him and his family at a local mall and the team bus was attacked because they were ousted in the qualifying phase of Libertadores.

Originally Posted by NBC

Has he worn out his welcome in Spain already?

The Special Idiot.
Real Madrid's Jose Mourinho 'escapes knife attack'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12651240

They just can't keep up with Barca and likely never will. If Fergie retires soon enough before he tarnishes his rep, he could tak over United, for better or for worse.

[Cactus Jack]

Amazing first goal by Liverpool today. Luis Suarez is so underrated

[NBC]

2-0. This could be a huge result for the title race.

Come on your Scouse gits!

[NBC]

3-0 for Dirk Kuyt. Good result this. It is going to keep things interesting.

[NBC]

OK, now 3-1. Still a good result.

[SeoulFire]

Terrible way to start the day! I never got the chance (meaning I didn't wake up) to watch the start and decided not to bother when I saw the scoreline at 2-0.

Perhaps the secret behind the smoke and mirror show that has been United's season is out - I still really cannot comprehend how they are at the top of the table with their largely mediocre play all season. It will be interesting to see how they respond to this beatdown.

On the bright side, I am hugely optimistic about Chicharito going forward.

[Cactus Jack]

Without Nani giftwrapping Kuyt's second strike so quickly after his first, it could have been an entirely different game.