2013/2014 English Premier League Thread

[rubecube]

Beautiful.

[Fusebox]

Everton are a great team to watch. Leon Osman looked like a world beater tonight. Coleman making great direct runs into the box. Baines with some lovely crosses. They were all working hard together to act as one unit, while Chelsea looked like a joke out there today - no common goal. I expect more from Mourinho.

[Bagor]

Originally Posted by Matty81

Time for the united brigade to pile on. I though Ashley Young was awarded a penalty and they won that game on a marginal call. Little bit of shoulder contact, most players would have fought to stay up and control the ball... and I'm not sure it was even in the box. They were flopping all over the box like a bunch of Hondurans in that first half. Alright let me have it.

Thought it was a foul, borderline outside the box and the red was a tad harsh, albeit technically within the rules. It's a red regardless of inside or outside the box. Cringed at Anderson running after the ref for the card and would have liked to have seen him booked. Hate that behaviour.

Although it was a key point in the game I disagree that it was a turning point and they won the game on that call. They were winning that game regardless, such was the level of domination and the gulf between the teams.

Nice to see Moyes owning Young's behaviour and that he is going to have a word with him about it. However, remember Fergie saying the same thing a while back.

Originally Posted by devo22

Ashley Young is a cheating, diving prick who wasn't worth that much money and who hasn't provided a lot for United except for the first half of the 2011-12 season. I have not much to add to that, I just don't want to see him in a United shirt. Adnan Januzaj outplayed him with ease today, the lad has a bright future.

I thought diving aside, he had a pretty decent game today. Agreed .... Januzaj is something to get excited about. Looking forward to seeing a lot more of him.

Also thought that he who must not be named had another excellent game in the middle of the park and as for Anderson ..... I'll be kind and say that he just wasn't very good . His days are numbered methinks.

[d_phaneuf]

Free Shinji

[Locke]

Couldnt have happened to a nicer team. JT was busy doing god only knows what on that goal.

[devo22]

Originally Posted by diane_phaneuf

Free Shinji

Nobody has to free him, he simply has the flu according to the official homepage.

[Locke]

Shinji is free? Sweet!

[Magnum PEI]

Caught the first half of the Everton/Chelsea game today while having lunch. That was some exciting soccer. I think it was a faster pace than most regular-season NHL games. Amazing save by Howard, and an amazing double-header goal.
Also, David Luiz is a funny player to watch.

[Fusebox]

Originally Posted by devo22

Nobody has to free him, he simply has the flu according to the official homepage.

September 10:

http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/15...ission?cc=5901

"Please ask David Moyes why I'm not in the side," Kagawa told AFP.

[devo22]

yeah, and that was absolute BS. There was an excellent piece about that by the Guardian yesterday:

The fallout has puzzled Japanese observers not only because the 24-year-old's reported bluntness seems out of character but also because the more damning quotes did not appear in a single domestic media source.

Those of us in the mixed zone in Yokohama after Japan's 3-1 friendly win over Ghana on Tuesday, where Kagawa spent five minutes or so speaking in his native tongue to a packed mêlée of journalists before leaving, were moved to trawl back through audio files and transcripts to see what it was we had missed. As usual any individual interview requests had been rebuffed so we all had the same quotes and there was no sense at the time that his manner had been anything other than politely bland and uncontroversial.

So, to paraphrase Glenn Hoddle, did Kagawa actually say them things? No, he did not. Well, yes, perhaps he did sort of but not really. The reason that infamous line – "Please ask David Moyes why I'm not in the side" – never appeared in the Japanese press was not down to any sort of cover-up but simply because Kagawa had politely dismissed the associated question and thus offered nothing that most journalists present considered worth transcribing.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/...-shinji-kagawa

[Fusebox]

Originally Posted by devo22

yeah, and that was absolute BS. There was an excellent piece about that by the Guardian yesterday:

http://www.theguardian.com/football/...-shinji-kagawa

It just seems so unusual. He hasn't played at all this season yet plays and scores for Japan in mid-week and then has the flu by the weekend?

[Bagor]

Man goes abroad. Returns with flu.

Mindblowing.

[Fusebox]

Originally Posted by Bagor

Man goes abroad. Returns with flu.

Mindblowing.

August 11: Came off the bench in the 83rd minute against Wigan in the Charity Shield. So, he obviously wasn't being left out of the squad due to lack of match fitness.

August 14: Plays a full 90 minutes and scores a goal for Japan in a 4-2 loss to Uruguay

August 17: unused substitute against Swansea. Again, he wouldn't have been on the bench if he wasn't fit enough to come on should he have been needed.

August 26: unused sub against Chelsea

September 1: left out of the squad altogether against Liverpool

September 6: plays 75 minutes for Japan in a 3-0 win over Guatelmala

September 10: plays 85 minutes and scores a goal for Japan in a 3-1 win over Ghana

September: 14: not named in the squad for Manchester United home to Crystal Palace.

Do you see a pattern here Bagor?

[Bagor]

No.

[Fusebox]

Originally Posted by Bagor

No.

He's made only one brief substitute appearance in five competitive fixtures for his club, while playing and scoring regularly for his country during the same time period.

[Bagor]

That's astounding.

[cam_wmh]

Lol

Mole meet Mountain.

[rubecube]

And thus began the butthurt in Manchester.

http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/15...ntract?cc=5901

Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a new contract with Real Madrid, saying he could stay at the club for the rest of his career.

[devo22]

Originally Posted by Bagor

I thought diving aside, he had a pretty decent game today. Agreed .... Januzaj is something to get excited about. Looking forward to seeing a lot more of him.

Also thought that he who must not be named had another excellent game in the middle of the park and as for Anderson ..... I'll be kind and say that he just wasn't very good . His days are numbered methinks.

I took a look at yesterday's stats at whoscored ... pretty interesting:

ANDERSON vs FELLAINI
Anderson (62 Min.): 0 shots, 2 key passes, 39 total passes, 82% pass accuracy
Fellaini (28 Min.): 1 shot, 0 key passes, 46 total passes, 89% pass accuracy

YOUNG vs JANUZAJ
Young (67 Min.): 2 shots, 1 key pass, 26 total passes, 81% pass accuracy
Januzaj (23 Min.): 2 shots, 2 key passes, 20 total passes, 90% pass accuracy

Sooo ... Fellaini had more passes than Anderson despite not even playing half as many minutes Januzaj also nearly beat Young in that category while playing only 23 minutes ...

Originally Posted by rubecube

And thus began the butthurt in Manchester.

http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/15...ntract?cc=5901

good on him. Last season I thought there'd be a decent chance that he'd come back at some point, but I guess Fergie's retirement pretty much killed that chance. Still kind of surprised he re-signs so quickly after Bale coming in.

[d_phaneuf]

Originally Posted by devo22

good on him. Last season I thought there'd be a decent chance that he'd come back at some point, but I guess Fergie's retirement pretty much killed that chance. Still kind of surprised he re-signs so quickly after Bale coming in.

makes perfect sense to me, he was probably upset at no longer being the most expensive footballer in the world anymore

RM probably upped whatever offer for salary they had