2012/2013 English Premier League thread

[Locke]

Crocked already?

Manchester United are waiting to see the extent of an injury picked up by Robin van Persie after he was forced off in Holland's win over Hungary.

http://www1.skysports.com/football/n...ern-for-United

[Stay Golden]

Originally Posted by Locke

Crocked already?

http://www1.skysports.com/football/n...ern-for-United

Wow that could be a major loss.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Stay Golden

Wow that could be a major loss.

I dont think so, United have lots of quality striking options. None of the same quality as Van Persie but there are guys that can step in. Besides, I doubt its too serious.

[d_phaneuf]

they have Welbeck/Chicharito but they are not the same quality

Welbeck tried to do a goalpost challenge yesterday and succeeded

[Jagger]

Originally Posted by NBC

Have you seen this?

Justice for the 39

http://twitter.com/JFT39

I was actually going to be at Heysel that night but had to cancel due to a family matter. I had friends that attended though and they said that the stadium was a disaster waiting to happen. It was an old rundown stadium in really poor repair. The fans were separated by a flimsy wire fence. Flare guns were shot into the terraces towards them and that led to a number of Liverpool fans either rushing the fence or scrambling to leave. There was mass panic and that when the deaths occurred when the wall collapsed. 33 Juventus fans died and also 6 Liverpool fans. A terrible tragedy that was so preventable. Liverpool fans were blamed, and rightly so, but some Juve fans definitely had a hand in what occurred.

As for Hillsborough; again I was going to be at that match but, again, events transpired that I couldn't go. (Incredible the more I think about it.) The year before (1988) I was at the semi-final again between Liverpool and Forest at the same location. I was situated in the stand above the Lepping Lane with my dad. I remember vividly looking down at the terraces and saying to him that they really were packing them in too tight down there. I feared the worst that day, a year before the actual tragedy. It could have happened that season too.
In 1989 I had tickets for the same stand as before but gave them to a friend when I couldn't make it. He said that looking down you could see that there were too many fans in the section and they kept herding them in like cattle. He actually pointed it out to a steward who simply shrugged it off. (Wonder what he felt like after). It was an absolute nightmare when the crushing occurred. Fans were trying to pull people up into the stand above with only minimal success. He said that the images of that day will haunt him for the rest of his life. (I believe him). Again, a tragedy that could/should have been prevented. The signs were there from the previous year,

[Locke]

A lot of blame to go around.

Its asinine to say 'it was all Juventus fans' fault' or 'it was all Liverpool fans' fault.'

[Barnet Flame]

[d_phaneuf]

[Nuje]

Originally Posted by NBC

Have you seen this?

Justice for the 39

http://twitter.com/JFT39

If this person is truly feeling injustice for the sentences dealt to the perpetrators, then ok. But a quick read through that twitter account sure doesn't seem like the goal there is anything but to be a controversial prick (unless they're simply truly upset and are so terrible at voicing their feelings, that it ends up coming out as immature slander)

What's the Sun running on their front page Thursday morning?

[NBC]

^ It's probably a United fan behind it.

[St. Pats]

Originally Posted by NBC

^ It's probably a United fan behind it.

Ahhh Haters are going to hate I believe is the catch phrase for that comment.

[NBC]

It was an educated guess due to a number of MUFC fans following the account as well as the account holder following some MUFC-related links.

That's just my sense though.

[Jimmy Stang]

I actually saw a match in January of 1999 at Hillborough (a 4-1 FA Cup third round loss for Norwich vs. Wednesday, predictably). It was pretty surreal being in a place where such tragedy had happened. We were even seated in the Leppings Lane end on the upper level with the other travelling Norwich supporters (the only two-tiered part of the stadium, where the people above were pulling people up from the crush below). Whenever I see footage of the Hillsborough disaster I always get chills. It is funny how tragedies feel closer to you when you have been to the place where they happened, albeit 10 years after the fact.

I remember a lot about that day. The brakes were starting to fail on our hired van on the way to the match (and Yorkshire is hilly), but we dangerously soldiered on to the match. I remember a lot of the pubs near Hillsborough had signs posted banning away colours from their premises for fear of trouble (it is hard to hide a yellow collar), be we found a friendly pub on a side road where we mingled with some of the home supporters after convincing them that we cam in peace. And I remember the Sheffied Wednesday Band playing their hearts out for much fo the match.

Then after the match, we had to wait for hours at a roadside pub near Rotherham while we waited for AA (roadside assistance) to come and pick up the van which was now undriveable. So most of us got completely smashed and we didn't get back to Norwich until the wee hours of the morning.

/cool story bro

[carom]

I have been slacking on documenting my football related odyssey over the last month, I apologize. I will give a little update and hopefully post some pics when I get back to the UK.

About three weeks ago I went and saw Ajax play NAC Breda at the AmsterdamArena. It is a great venue and really good atmosphere. Ajax killed them, totally controlling the play. Siem De Jong stood out the most to me and seems like a really good player. I noticed the banners around the stadium Moreso than Christian Ericsson the player. That is not to say he was invisible, but there were lots of banners for him. Also I'm not a technical expert when it comes to football. Anyway, had a great time and would recommend it to anyone passing through Amsterdam on a game day. I couldn't believe the amount of people who were getting away with smoking in their seats.

A week after getting back from Amsterdam I went and saw the West Ham - Fulham game where Carroll made his debut. I really enjoyed it and it was probably the best atmosphere for any of the games I have been to this year. Most fans were pumped about getting Carroll and West Ham have the feel of a team on the rise. I am going to make an effort to go to as many games as possible at Upton Park this year and follow the Hammers. I like the idea of following a team that just got promoted and seeing where they end up this year.

Pictures to follow, and sorry I won't be reporting from the Egyptian Priemer League. Even if they were playing I don't think it would be a great idea for me to attend a game.

Oh, and anyone else looking forward to seeing the QPR v. Chelsea game?

[united]

A week early but hope both team's "football isn't a game, it's a lifestyle" extremists stay home. It's just a game, nothing more.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2...?newsfeed=true

"We are two great clubs, ourselves and Liverpool," Ferguson said on Friday. "We should understand each other's problems. Maybe a line will be drawn in the sand in terms of their behaviour towards each other.
"The fact we are playing them after the findings we have been reading about in the last couple of days does bring a focus to it. Both clubs have suffered fatalities through football. You hope that fans do behave themselves and support their team and that will be the end of it."

[d_phaneuf]

it's nice to say, but I still have a feeling that the Munich/Heysel stuff is still going to go on

[united]

Without a doubt. The idiot extremists will always be present in some form.

[nemanja2306]

United looked pretty good today. Arsenal as well.

Hahaha stupid City and Chelsea. Two great teams with horrible managers. United for the title.

[devo22]

Originally Posted by nemanja2306

United looked pretty good today.

only in the second half though. Welbeck's dive in the opening minutes was so bad that I was even a bit glad that al-Habsi saved the penalty.

Great debut by Büttner. A goal, an assist and a lot of poise and movement. A lot better than what Evra usually does. Great strike by Powell as well, nice to see the new guys get on the scoresheet immediately.

[Barnet Flame]

I took my 7 year old son to his first Arsenal game.

It could not have gone better! What a wonderful day: sunshine, goals and my boy having the time of his life - I swear he enjoyed today almost as much as me.