The EPL thread

[FFC Mariner]

Too easy and we ease into 7th.

Somewhat misleading though as we are only 10 points off a relegation place and being dragged into the mire with the smaller,weaker sides (you know like spurs).

As Sir Roy says, when we get to 40 points, we may lift our heads and play a bit.

 

[dibo]

meanwhile, liverpool are set to continue their habit of the last 20 years of looking like champs in december only to have an inglorious late season fadeout to fourth place in the league...

1-1 at JJB... farking hopeless.

change the opposition and venue, same story.

 

[ryan]

I think that might be the ball game. 7 points is probably, unfortunately, too much to make up. Very sad considering we have only lost once in the league. Too many draws is killing our chances.

 

[dibo]

it's a simple story - benitez hasn't been aggressive enough, certain players are not up to the standard required in spite of ludicrous price tags (ryan babel, i'm looking at you) or just not up to the standard no matter the price (lucas) and injuries have been costly.

on the other side of the coin, united have one of the best sides i've ever seen, able to play in any shape at any time and just can't stop winning. there's no shame in coming second to them, but it's unfortunate that liverpool finally look to be above the arse and chel$ki again only to have united spinning up some perfect storm...

*if* liverpool pull back 8 points (7 won't do - GD) it will be because benitez has got his shit back together (but there's too much on in the back rooms right now to see that happening) and because united have bottled it. can't see either happening.

all those draws and losing to tottenham on bent 'arry redknapp's first day at the lane...

Aston Villa 0 - 0 Liverpool 31/08/2008
Liverpool 0 - 0 Stoke 20/09/2008
Tottenham 2 - 1 Liverpool 01/11/2008
Liverpool 0 - 0 Fulham 22/11/2008
Liverpool 0 - 0 West Ham 01/12/2008
Liverpool 2 - 2 Hull 13/12/2008
Arsenal 1 - 1 Liverpool 21/12/2008
Stoke 0 - 0 Liverpool 10/01/2009
Liverpool 1 - 1 Everton 19/01/2009
Wigan 1 - 1 Liverpool 28/01/2009
Liverpool 1 - 1 Man. City 22/02/2009

not gonna win championships by giving 2 points to stoke.

 

[serious14]

I'm hesitant to call it this early, because the last time I did that back in '02, the Arse made up what was a 12 point gap.  However, it's getting mighty close to that point...... might even have to do a Villa and sacrifice your European spot to further your League credentials.  Although I'm pretty sure most 'Pool fans are at the point that they'd rather a League title over another Cup.

 

[Azza-Mataz]

i would've prefered a league win but i think united are pretty close to securing it now! Concentrate on Real Madrid and a 6th ECL trophy maybe??

 

[serious14]

Like you've said, you'd have preferred the League.  Are you really prepared to give it up with 36 points to go??

 

[dibo]

there's give it up, and then there's give up a realistic hope. i maintain we're more likely to be caught by villa.

 

[Azza-Mataz]

Like you've said, you'd have preferred the League.  Are you really prepared to give it up with 36 points to go??

Liverpool 1 v Man City 1

United havent been blowin' teams away but i cant see them faulting now, though im not giving up all hope fingers crossed, with a bit of luck, a healthy Gerrard, a healthy Torres, we might just sneak up there! Can we beat Man U in there own territory??

 

[Azza-Mataz]

i maintain we're more likely to be caught by villa.

I dont think so

 

[serious14]

Can we beat Man U in there own territory??

Bring the oxygen, you'll get altitude sickness......

You havn't won at Trafford since April '04 (and even then, it was a dodgy penalty  ), so you're gonna have to start breaking some hoodoo's if you wanna get serious about your league challenge.

Dibo - Villa will catch you if indeed they lose the second leg of their UEFA tie.  If not, and the kids somehow jam a flukey result, then I don't think their squad could handle it on the run in.  They'll still finish top four though.

 

[dibo]

Can we beat Man U in there own territory??

this is the problem - yes, we can beat united in their own park, but where it comes unstuck is that we'll go to fulham and drop points. i simply don't see us pulling three wins back. i do see us dropping more points.

if we could take the good, aggressive play (like coming from behind so many times to snatch wins) and spread it across 90 minutes and do it week in and week out, we could win the league. but we don't have that sort of team, far from it.

 

[serious14]

I think your squad still has many a "wtf are they doing in there" kind of player...... we had a lot of them for a few years there, and it's why we didn't win anything.  Your Kleberson's, Fortune's, Richardson's, Veron's, that kinda player.

Now look at Liverpool, and you've got Kuyt, Babel, Lucas, Riera (at time), Gerrard, and Carragher.  Too much baggage really.

 

[Azza-Mataz]

Can we beat Man U in there own territory??

Bring the oxygen, you'll get altitude sickness......

You havn't won at Trafford since April '04 (and even then, it was a dodgy penalty  ), so you're gonna have to start breaking some hoodoo's if you wanna get serious about your league challenge.

we broke chelski's hold

Can we beat Man U in there own territory??

if we could take the good, aggressive play (like coming from behind so many times to snatch wins) and spread it across 90 minutes and do it week in and week out, we could win the league. but we don't have that sort of team, far from it.

A bit like the Mariners ay Dibo!

 

[serious14]

we broke chelski's hold

This is true.  Although they're not really the Chelsea of 04, 05, and 06 these days..... Guus might be about to change that quick smart though.

 

[dibo]

I think your squad still has many a "wtf are they doing in there" kind of player...... we had a lot of them for a few years there, and it's why we didn't win anything.  Your Kleberson's, Fortune's, Richardson's, Veron's, that kinda player.

Now look at Liverpool, and you've got Kuyt, Babel, Lucas, Riera (at time), Gerrard, and Carragher.  Too much baggage really.

did you just call kuyt, gerrard and carragher baggage? gerrard's not *the* best player in the world but he's up there. kuyt is a good second string man - in combination with torres (rather than in isolation) the pair of them are f**king deadly against anyone. carra's old, but he's still playing like a champ.

riera has his moments, babel's a huge disappointment and lucas is frankly a clown. there's alonso who's in and out of games, mascherano the metronome (or just the a regular gnome, whatever...), a keeper who's equally capable of dazzling with class and complete clusterf**ks...

then you've got agger, skrtel, insua - there's a bunch of players that the other clubs in the big 4 wouldn't touch. arsenal because they're not buying the daily papers anymore let alone players and the other two because you don't buy unknowns when you can buy michael ballack or carlos tevez. chelsea can't play at that level any more, and liverpool won't make it up there without DIC dollars and the new ground.

there simply aren't the quality players to hold up the big games. without torres and gerrard we're lost.

 

[Azza-Mataz]

I think your squad still has many a "wtf are they doing in there" kind of player...... we had a lot of them for a few years there, and it's why we didn't win anything.  Your Kleberson's, Fortune's, Richardson's, Veron's, that kinda player.

Now look at Liverpool, and you've got Kuyt, Babel, Lucas, Riera (at time), Gerrard, and Carragher.  Too much baggage really.

did you just call kuyt, gerrard and carragher baggage? gerrard's not *the* best player in the world but he's up there. kuyt is a good second string man - in combination with torres (rather than in isolation) the pair of them are f**king deadly against anyone. carra's old, but he's still playing like a champ.

riera has his moments, babel's a huge disappointment and lucas is frankly a clown. there's alonso who's in and out of games, mascherano the metronome (or just the a regular gnome, whatever...), a keeper who's equally capable of dazzling with class and complete clusterf**ks...

then you've got agger, skrtel, insua - there's a bunch of players that the other clubs in the big 4 wouldn't touch. arsenal because they're not buying the daily papers anymore let alone players and the other two because you don't buy unknowns when you can buy michael ballack or carlos tevez. chelsea can't play at that level any more, and liverpool won't make it up there without DIC dollars and the new ground.

there simply aren't the quality players to hold up the big games. without torres and gerrard we're lost.

pretty well summed up Dibo!

 

[serious14]

I think your squad still has many a "wtf are they doing in there" kind of player...... we had a lot of them for a few years there, and it's why we didn't win anything.  Your Kleberson's, Fortune's, Richardson's, Veron's, that kinda player.

Now look at Liverpool, and you've got Kuyt, Babel, Lucas, Riera (at time), Gerrard, and Carragher.  Too much baggage really.

did you just call kuyt, gerrard and carragher baggage? gerrard's not *the* best player in the world but he's up there. kuyt is a good second string man - in combination with torres (rather than in isolation) the pair of them are f**king deadly against anyone. carra's old, but he's still playing like a champ.

Hook, line and sinker.  As a Man U fan, I just detest Gerrard and Carragher.  I stand my ground  on Kuyt though, goes missing far too often.

 

[marinermick]

I think your squad still has many a "wtf are they doing in there" kind of player...... we had a lot of them for a few years there, and it's why we didn't win anything.  Your Kleberson's, Fortune's, Richardson's, Veron's, that kinda player.

Now look at Liverpool, and you've got Kuyt, Babel, Lucas, Riera (at time), Gerrard, and Carragher.  Too much baggage really.

did you just call kuyt, gerrard and carragher baggage? gerrard's not *the* best player in the world but he's up there. kuyt is a good second string man - in combination with torres (rather than in isolation) the pair of them are f**king deadly against anyone. carra's old, but he's still playing like a champ.

I stand my ground  on Kuyt though, goes missing far too often.

bit like adrian and tommy

 

[serious14]

I think your squad still has many a "wtf are they doing in there" kind of player...... we had a lot of them for a few years there, and it's why we didn't win anything.  Your Kleberson's, Fortune's, Richardson's, Veron's, that kinda player.

Now look at Liverpool, and you've got Kuyt, Babel, Lucas, Riera (at time), Gerrard, and Carragher.  Too much baggage really.

did you just call kuyt, gerrard and carragher baggage? gerrard's not *the* best player in the world but he's up there. kuyt is a good second string man - in combination with torres (rather than in isolation) the pair of them are f**king deadly against anyone. carra's old, but he's still playing like a champ.

I stand my ground  on Kuyt though, goes missing far too often.

bit like adrian and tommy