• Welcome to the Cricket Web forums, one of the biggest forums in the world dedicated to cricket.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join the Cricket Web community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.

*Official* English Football Season 2012-13

BoyBrumby

Englishman
Can't win tho, can they?

Few years back we were beating the better sides and being kicked off the park by the likes of Stoke or Notlob or Brum and some charlie (Scaly, usually) would come in and say the players are all foreign milksops who don't like it up 'em, Mr Mainwaring.
 

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
See I think a big part of the reason they turned things around after losing at Spurs was because they only played dud teams. They did have United at home but played very badly and were lucky to come away with a point.

It was a good run and they deserve a lot of credit for stringing together so many good results at a critical time, but I think Arsenal fans are reading too much into it. They were mostly functional performances rather than spectacular ones, your sort of 1-0 wins away to QPR, Newcastle or Fulham. Not to take anything away from the achievement but it's not as much of a reason for optimism as most of the Arsenal fans I've spoken to seem to think.
I see your point, but you can only beat what's put in front of you tbf. As I say, would have been interesting to see what it would have been like if they had played a few more good teams once they really turned the corner. IIRC we disagreed over the quality of the performance against Utd as well, but will leave that one alone.

I think part of the reason for all the optimism is because these functional wins are something Arsenal fans are not familiar with, it was always these sort of fixtures that ended up being days to forget. The fact that they're now being turned into decent wins is unusual and really positive. Had the Arsenal team from 2, 3 or 4 years ago been tasked with a run in like the one this year, I very much doubt they would have risen to the occasion like the current crop did.
 

grecian

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I see your Shandy Carroll and raise you Juan Sebastien Veron and Fernando Torres. :laugh:

Well, in the end, Fergie recouped much of his money for Veron. Chelsea utterly stupid. Often think it was a key point in Prem history, Fergie was on a run of very poor buys, but he used the money he got from that sell to make very good ones.

Well, Torres, just scored more than 20 goals, scored in two Euro finals.

Both of them were performers on a World stage too, not great, but not the same league as Carroll, unproven, fat and just **** really.
 

Uppercut

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Can't win tho, can they?

Few years back we were beating the better sides and being kicked off the park by the likes of Stoke or Notlob or Brum and some charlie (Scaly, usually) would come in and say the players are all foreign milksops who don't like it up 'em, Mr Mainwaring.
Haha well either is a problem. You need to do both to compete for the title.

The 'don't like it up 'em' thing was bollocks anyway. They had a great record against Bolton and no one else did much better against Stoke.
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
Well, in the end, Fergie recouped much of his money for Veron. Chelsea utterly stupid. Often think it was a key point in Prem history, Fergie was on a run of very poor buys, but he used the money he got from that sell to make very good ones.

Well, Torres, just scored more than 20 goals, scored in two Euro finals.

Both of them were performers on a World stage too, not great, but not the same league as Carroll, unproven, fat and just **** really.
Not defending Geordie The Wonder Horse, but I'd put his BMI up against Torres's, tbf.
 

The Sean

Cricketer Of The Year
With two-and-a-half years to his name at Newcastle, Alan Pardew is now the second longest serving manager at any Premier League club.

I wonder if there has ever been such a gap between the two longest-serving managers in the top division?
 
Last edited:

Uppercut

Request Your Custom Title Now!
I see your point, but you can only beat what's put in front of you tbf. As I say, would have been interesting to see what it would have been like if they had played a few more good teams once they really turned the corner. IIRC we disagreed over the quality of the performance against Utd as well, but will leave that one alone.

I think part of the reason for all the optimism is because these functional wins are something Arsenal fans are not familiar with, it was always these sort of fixtures that ended up being days to forget. The fact that they're now being turned into decent wins is unusual and really positive. Had the Arsenal team from 2, 3 or 4 years ago been tasked with a run in like the one this year, I very much doubt they would have risen to the occasion like the current crop did.
Yeah I guess they didn't play badly, I just wasn't impressed. I kind of thought that if you can't beat United at home when they have nothing to play for, they're visibly hung over and you get two big referee errors, when will you beat them?

You're right about the second part for sure, as Brumby alluded to you've now got the opposite problem. That's where I think losing RVP hurts the most, he was always lethal in big games (and still is now for United).
 

sledger

Spanish_Vicente
Mark Viduka was probably the worst in this regard that I have ever seen. The guy could barely move (or at least chose not to). Better forget about him jumping for a header as well, that was a definite no-go area.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
If I pretend that the Barnes/Parry era never happened Ronnie gets into the top ten. Bah. Even as it is he's top 30 after just over a year. Madness.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
I dunno but everytime Mr Barnes analysed a game he took the goals out of it

'Forget about tactics' he said after a 0-4 home defeat. Yes, evidently.

'We don't have anyone with pace. Except Kitson Bain. All he has is pace.' Inspiring.

'There are no bad players,' well except for all of the ****e he signed.

Fat useless **** and then we had the era of #3inthebox

Why oh why did we ever sack Ronnie :cry: set us back years
 

Jarquis

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I struggle to think who they could attract who would actually be a step up from Pulis tbh. I don't especially rate Pulis anyway - suspect he's more of an effective manager, rather than a good one - but I doubt they will be able to appoint anyone who will actually be really capable of improving the club beyond what they have already achieved.
He's a **** manager and a ****. I, for one, am very happy he's currently unemployed.
 

Jarquis

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I don't know what composition the top 4 will be (heck, I wouldn't even be surprised if United don't make top 4) but I took your question as: what is the best you think Liverpool could do, that isn't a ridiculous punt? So, top 4. I imagine that from top to bottom of the organisation that is also going to be the expectation.

Without getting into specifics, I think a lot of things worked against us this year and we're not going to remain 10 points inferior to the top 4 sides. I think for a team like Arsenal/Tottenham it is going to need something more significant to improve from the level they are whereas for us I believe just a strong defensive record (basically when Carra forced his way back in the team) will improve us hugely in the standings.

We also have a lot of young guys where I think just the experienced gained last season is going to help them next season. Where last season it looked like we really lacked depth using some of our young ressies for important fixtures, those same players now look like reliable squad members at least for next year. We'll see.
I wanna hear some of these things that worked against you.

Liverpool's most common XI last season had an average age of 27(Doesn't include Coutinho or Sterling). You've literally got a handful of young players and that's giving you a guy like Jordan Henderson.

The equivalent XI for Arsenal is a full year younger on average and that's without Wilshere and the OX.

The idea that you're going to make up the ground on Arsenal just because your players have a year's extra experience is complete and utter horse****.
 

Top