*Official* English Football Season 2011-12

[TT Boy]

I'm pretty sure Moneyball was about paying small amounts of money for quality players, as opposed to blowing every last penny in the piggy bank on ****e.

Damien Comolli prompts the statistical revolution at Liverpool - Ben Lyttleton - SI.com

 

[TT Boy]

I'm still a fan though, his immense quality gets him into far more good opportunities than anyone else and that's what really rubs in how ****ty his finishing can be. Wouldn't hesitate to have him at United, Hernandez is going through a bit of second season syndrome.

He was useless yesterday but tbf to him he is playing for Manure because it’s what he does from 5 yards out and United created nothing for him yesterday. Welbeck was even worse. Awful game. Sunderland were decent value for a point.

 

[Uppercut]

He was useless yesterday but tbf to him he is playing for Manure because it’s what he does from 5 yards out and United created nothing for him yesterday. Welbeck was even worse. Awful game. Sunderland were decent value for a point.

His first touch has gone to **** for some reason, was hopeless on Wednesday night too when the rest of the team were functioning pretty nicely. Still not playing as badly a Berbatov though, can't believe this time last year he was an actual footballer.

Horrid game yesterday but the defence was a million times more solid than it has been lately so we'll definitely take it going into an international break. There's still an air of negativity around United after the derby mauling but I'm pretty sure we're still doing a fair bit better than we usually are at this stage of the season, and we've got a lot of the nastier games out of the way. If only Citeh weren't killing it...

 

[The Sean]

Horrid game yesterday but the defence was a million times more solid than it has been lately so we'll definitely take it going into an international break. There's still an air of negativity around United after the derby mauling but I'm pretty sure we're still doing a fair bit better than we usually are at this stage of the season, and we've got a lot of the nastier games out of the way. If only Citeh weren't killing it...

That's just it, we were told how early in the season that despite all United's goals that they were conceding more shots per game than any other club - after the City spanking a few scrappy 1-0s was just what we needed, and Vidic has made such a difference coming back. Current performances are pretty dire, but if in August you'd offered 26 points from the first eleven games then I think we would all have taken it.

The only problem, as you say, is that City are in simply astonishing League form and seem to be able to move up a gear at will as soon as they're under any semblance of threat. It's bloody fantastic to watch from a footballing point of view, but I can't ****ing wait for it to stop.

 

[Furball]

Hmm. I guess it's not as dire as I'd heard as there seems to be no scenario where the tax will actually be paid in full, encouraging a deal. Thanks for the explanation. Even if you do go into admin you'll still be top, yeah? That's fairly impressive.

Problem with admin isn't the points penalty, which at the moment would just bring us back to the pack, it's the selling of assets that would occur. Which means players.

 

[The Sean]

The second of that double save from Al-Habsi is surely one of the saves of the season. Shame Wigan's defence didn't actually get around to helping him out at any point.

 

[cpr]

Re Rangers - HMRC are getting a bit shirty with football clubs and all their games. Looking at changing the legislation that means Football Clubs cant prioritise itself over its tax bill, because the state is losing out massively in administration cases.... Recall reading they are going after football in general soon anyway, all sorts of loopholes and strange practices going on in the sport.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

I'm pretty sure Moneyball was about paying small amounts of money for quality players

That's not really right. It's about identifying sections of the game that are undervalued (originally, it was On-Base Percentage in baseball) and therefore signing players under their actual monetary value to a team.

 

[roseboy64]

Do you think I genuinely thought you'd cry? Result was flattering, I agree. But we were still the better side regardless, and it's the first time in my lifetime that we have been. We've beaten you before but generally gotten lucky (2008 for example) to do so. This means so much to City fans because for the first time in most of their lives, we were better and got what we deserved.

I don't care about the title, I don't expect success and am happy with what I have. This talk of a marathon and not a sprint is fine and I agree, I also said nothing about the title and whether I think we'll win it. In the end, from where we have come from I couldn't care less about what we win (or don't win) from here. I wish we could've drawn the Barca-Milan group as a 3-seed. I teared up watching us run out against Napoli. Supporting such a ridiculous club for so long (comparitively speaking considering the length of my life), all of this is a bonus. I don't care if we don't win the league and I don't care if we don't make it out of the group stages of the Champions League.

Yeah agreed you were the better side.

Fair enough on the second paragraph. Was really about people saying end of an era and stuff like that.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

The end of an era thing was more a media arc than anything (though bluemoon blew up and so did redcafe), and fair enough as it's their job to postulate on the game and "what it all means".

 

[cpr]

It is an end to an era. An era of City being awful and an embarrasment to this fair city. I for one shall mourn it.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

 

[Ikki]

I'm still a fan though, his immense quality gets him into far more good opportunities than anyone else and that's what really rubs in how ****ty his finishing can be. Wouldn't hesitate to have him at United, Hernandez is going through a bit of second season syndrome.

It also overlooks just how many chances Suarez creates for himself. He actually had two wonderful shots saved by the Swansea keeper. He has missed some sitters though.

Carroll was a poor buy and I called it back then. Having said that, people are putting forth names that simply wouldn't come to us because we lacked CL football and we were only starting to make our march back up the table. His wages are much cheaper than the superstars that could have come and that balances the costs a little.

I think he can be a very good forward depending on the setup. For us, I think he makes us play worse when we look really good when we have Suarez and Bellamy/Kuyt on. I don't think he is a good partner for Suarez in terms of fashioning chances for the Uruguayan. Suarez makes some brilliant runs and if he had a partner (like Forlan) with some vision and ability it'd be really good. Wouldn't mind stealing Berba from you guys.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Carroll hasn't looked match fit to me since he moved from Newcastle. He wasn't quick but he didn't look like he was permanently stuck in treacle either.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Liverpool
* Luis Suarez has now had 51 shots in the Premier League this season but has scored only four goals.
* Stewart Downing has had 15 shots in his last four PL games without hitting the target once.
* Liverpool have hit the woodwork more times (10) than any other PL team this season.

Sums up Liverpool so far this season.

 

[Nate]

You missed

*Liverpool have been using the 4-4-2 and it's AWFUL.

 

[duffer]

Better team:

Arsenal 2003/4
---------------------------Jens-------------------------------

Lauren-----------Sol---------Kolo---------------A.Hole


Freddie---------Paddy------Bert----------------Bobby

-----------------------------God------------------------------

----------------------------Thierry---------------------------



United 99/99
---------------------------Schmeichel-------------------------------

Neville-----------Stam---------Johnsen--------------------Irwin


Beckham---------Keane------Scholes-------------------Giggs

------------------------Cole---------Yorke--------------------------


Chelsea 04/05


-------------------------------Cech-----------------------------------

Ferreira-----------Terry---------Carvalho-------------Gallas


--------Tiago-------Makelele----------Lampard------


Cole---------------------Drogba----------------------Robben


All three of those teams in the league in the same season; who wins?

 

[Jarquis]

Last night Talk****e were claiming Aguero is better than Bergkamp was. I lolled.

 

[The Sean]

Butt over Giggs on the left wing?

 

[Pothas]

Arsenal for me although do wonder how ridiculous that United side would have been with Shearer instead of Cole.