*Official* English Football Season 2010-11

[sledger]

It's got a really stupid away goals format as well.

Agree about the 2 legged thing - surely the point of a knockout competition is a team like Ipswich can turn up on the night, be the better side and win, thus progressing at Arsenal's expense?

Yeah, this is what I thought as well. It would surely make a better spectacle for the fans of both teams. Had it been a straight knockout Arsenal would have probably shown up and given it a real crack rather than just lolling around for 90 minutes, and in the event Ipswich won the game under those circumstances the result would be so much more rewarding. Instead they came through against an Arsenal team which looked like it couldn't be arsed, and no surprise perhaps given that they can take them back to the Emirates and really go at them in a few weeks. Well done Ipswich, played well, but what is the result of this? Effectively their players have ran themselves into the ground so to pick up a slender win in the first leg of a two legged tie in which they have an extremely difficult away return leg still to play, which they almost certainly will lose. Throw the fact that they are in a relegation battle as well and it would seem that it would be wisest to conserve the energy of their best players for what actually matters. I suppose you could argue that it could be a way to get some momentum and confidence, and given it is a semi-final they could hardly throw the game, but still.

 

[GIMH]

Have to say, not a fan of the league cup semi-final being played over two legs. Arsenal really didn't look interested tonight, just went through the motions, won't be that bothered with the defeat and will be confident of winning by a couple of goals in the return leg, which I imagine they will. The current format has given Ipswich a decent night, which granted they deserve, but isn't the concept a bit dated for a domestic competition?

The League Cup semis have always been two legs.

We'd have played Man U at Wembley in 94 otherwise

Mark Bosnich WAC

 

[Furball]

The League Cup semis have always been two legs.

We'd have played Man U at Wembley in 94 otherwise

Mark Bosnich WAC

Jog my memory, you won the first leg 3-1 conceding a very late consolation goal, and either lost the return 3-0 or lost it 3-1 and lost the shootout?

 

[duffer]

At least we're not in a relegation fight. All hail King Kenny!

 

[sledger]

The League Cup semis have always been two legs.

Yeah indeed, was just saying it's high time it was ammended imo.

 

[Ikki]

While it's not suprising to see Howard Webb's decisions favour Manchester United, he got both big calls absolutely spot on. You're clutching at straws if you're blaming the referee for that one.

Gerrard call was right for me, but then the lenience he gave Rafael...

The penalty was simply wrong...no chance. It's one thing to give a penalty for even a light touch...it's another thing to give a penalty after a light touch and the player has made a further two steps then fallen down.

Wait...it turns out there was contact:

 

[cpr]

Theres a thing called momentum, you dont fall down the very instant contact is made, unless you are called Ronaldo. If he did, it would've looked like a blatent dive, rather than a concealed one...

Either way, contact was made, letter of the law it is right, even if its very harsh and very well contrived. If you don't want to concede those sorts of penalties, don't put a haymaker swing at the ankles of a striker going nowhere.


Agree Rafael was a bit fortunate, if the Liverpool player hadn't have shied away from going for the ball, then he'd have been in trouble.... Can't call it dangerous to the opposition if said opposition runs away faster than a Frenchman at war

 

[roseboy64]

Should worry more about getting decent players in.

 

[Jarquis]

He brushed his calf and Berbatov made a meal of it, no doubt he could've stayed on his feet if we wanted to but if he did he wouldn't have got the penalty as you very rarely do unless they're as blatant as Walcott vs Leeds

 

[blahblahblah]

Roberto Mancini has admitted it is likely Shaun Wright-Phillips will leave the club in January


not so excellent career for a player of his calibre

 

[GIMH]

Jog my memory, you won the first leg 3-1 conceding a very late consolation goal, and either lost the return 3-0 or lost it 3-1 and lost the shootout?

Yep. First leg we were three up, ref gives away a dodgy free-kick to Villa in injury time and they score from it. He rang John King up afterwards, apologised for the decision and said he hoped it didn't affect the outcome.

We went two down in about half an hour at Villa Park, then Aldo goes round Bosnich and gets pulled down. That's a red, no arguments, end of discussion, except Allan ****ing Gunn, who also had us sawn off in the play-offs the season before, reckons it's a yellow. We scored the penalty, held them at 2-1, then in injury time Dalian ****ing Atkinson scores.

So it goes to pens and obviously the crackhead is the hero. ****. That was the day i started hating Australians.

 

[Uppercut]

Was loving Kenny's reaction. You can't do anything about debatable calls going against you but you can do something about your centre-backs swiping at forwards who are going nowhere inside the penalty box in the first minute of a cup tie away to your biggest rivals- how about focusing on that? Liverpool, lol.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Yakubu to Leicester on loan is a strange one.

Everton don't have many good strikers and letting him go is a weird one, also you would think a Prem club might have bought him (West Ham) to help in a relegation battle.

You always see one or two transfers that make you think and this is one of them, wonder if Moyes will replace him with Robbie Keane in a swap deal for Pienaar?

This window has been a bit boring really so far, no major deals other than Dzeko in nearly 2 weeks.

 

[sledger]

Roberto Mancini has admitted it is likely Shaun Wright-Phillips will leave the club in January


not so excellent career for a player of his calibre

I would say he's had a pretty good career given his ability.

 

[sledger]

Yakubu to Leicester on loan is a strange one.

Everton don't have many good strikers and letting him go is a weird one, also you would think a Prem club might have bought him (West Ham) to help in a relegation battle.

You always see one or two transfers that make you think and this is one of them, wonder if Moyes will replace him with Robbie Keane in a swap deal for Pienaar?

This window has been a bit boring really so far, no major deals other than Dzeko in nearly 2 weeks.

I think you can probably attribute the lack of transfer activity to the fact that there isn't really much value in the market. Lots of players who are good but not great having their names touted, but when the value attached to them is so high it's no surprise that nobody is leaping to make a move for them.

With regards to Yakubu, I can't say I'm surprised to see him being shown out. Indeed Everton don't have that many good strikers, a situation that wouldn't improve were they to keep him.

 

[Uppercut]

Yakubu was a quality forward but he's never fully recovered from that long-term injury. I can't really see him becoming a huge success at Leicester, this kind of transfer never seems to work out.

 

[sledger]

Yakubu was a quality forward but he's never fully recovered from that long-term injury. I can't really see him becoming a huge success at Leicester, this kind of transfer never seems to work out.

I would normally be inclined to agree, but a step down in terms of league quality might allow him to recapture his form somewhat. He's always been an instinctual finisher, so the style of the Championship may suit him. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out a flop as well, would be bad for him if it does mind you.

 

[Furball]

Yakubu to Leicester on loan is a strange one.

Everton don't have many good strikers and letting him go is a weird one, also you would think a Prem club might have bought him (West Ham) to help in a relegation battle.

You always see one or two transfers that make you think and this is one of them, wonder if Moyes will replace him with Robbie Keane in a swap deal for Pienaar?

This window has been a bit boring really so far, no major deals other than Dzeko in nearly 2 weeks.

January isn't a good time to strengthen your squad, it's generally a seller's market and you're not really going to get good value for money unless you're dealing with a club who's stupidly allowed one of their star players' contracts to get to 6 months before expiry.

 

[Uppercut]

It's certainly a bad time for a top-four side to sign players but there's been some big impact buys for sides fighting relegation around this time of year. Christophe Dugarry and Youri Djorkaeff come to mind.. I'm sure there's a modern-day equivalent floating around somewhere?

 

[Craig]

El-Hadji Diouf:

"I know I am an easy target, but everything Warnock said is not right. I'm not disappointed with what Warnock said, but who is Warnock? He knows nothing about me. He is not Alex Ferguson, he is not Arsene Wenger, he isn't Sam Allardyce or an important manager."

I lol'd.