The European football thread

[Muppetus Galacticus]

I think they'll play it like a normal home game. They have a good record against the bottom teams.

[bababui]

Originally Posted by Muppetus Galacticus

I think they'll play it like a normal home game. They have a good record against the bottom teams.

Dangerous course. You need brass balls to play any kind of an attacking style. I hope Wigan can pull out a win and UKHS can finely breathe a sigh of relief. Just score that first one early, Wigan.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by bababui

OK..how bout Cole? Wigan have been very poor defensivly down the stretch. Does it make sense to name Baines all League when he hasnt been able to deliver when it counts?

Just because a team as been poor at defending doesn't mean EVERY player should be classed as poor, you only have to look at Ben Foster (Watford) and Scott Carson (Charlton) both at teams who have been relegated but both have been highly rated this season.

[Muppetus Galacticus]

Is Foster still on loan or did he sign for Watford?

[ukhotstove]

Let me put you straight, I have NOT said Sheffield United will risk getting relegated what I DID say was if Man Utd are beating West Ham say 2-0, 3-0 then I can see Sheff Utd taking their foot off the pedal. And as for corrupting the spirit of the game well too late West Ham have already done that.

[bababui]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

Just because a team as been poor at defending doesn't mean EVERY player should be classed as poor, you only have to look at Ben Foster (Watford) and Scott Carson (Charlton) both at teams who have been relegated but both have been highly rated this season.

Apologies. UKHS, would you really take Baines over Clichy? He has had a very good year under very trying circumstances.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by Muppetus Galacticus

Is Foster still on loan or did he sign for Watford?

Down on the team sheet for Watford for tomorrows game but next season be back at Man Utd and will be Uniteds #2, Kuszczak who is United's #2 at the moment will be going out on loan next season.

[Muppetus Galacticus]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

Let me put you straight, I have NOT said Sheffield United will risk getting relegated what I DID say was if Man Utd are beating West Ham say 2-0, 3-0 then I can see Sheff Utd taking their foot off the pedal. And as for corrupting the spirit of the game well too late West Ham have already done that.

Do you see any difference between the rich bigwigs of a football club doing something dodgy, and the actual players/manager allowing a team a better chance to beat them? As long as no money changes hands, is the potential throwing of a game just as bad?

[Muppetus Galacticus]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

Down on the team sheet for Watford for tomorrows game but next season be back at Man Utd and will be Uniteds #2, Kuszczak who is United's #2 at the moment will be going out on loan next season.

I wouldn't wish injury on anyone but it would be good for him if van der Sar picks up an injury for him to really shine.

[bababui]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

Let me put you straight, I have NOT said Sheffield United will risk getting relegated what I DID say was if Man Utd are beating West Ham say 2-0, 3-0 then I can see Sheff Utd taking their foot off the pedal. And as for corrupting the spirit of the game well too late West Ham have already done that.

You did say that. But I have to agree with MuGa and argue that any letdown in effort on the pitch will only give the game a black eye. I do agree that the whole West Ham fiasco has given the game a black eye. But at least it wasnt anything that happened on the pitch. Surely, as a Wigan supporter, that kind of a win wouldnt be satisfying.

[bababui]

Sorry, UKHS. Didnt mean to piss you off.

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by bababui

Apologies. UKHS, would you really take Baines over Clichy? He has had a very good year under very trying circumstances.

Baines as been Wigan's player of the season, I did say I was a bit biased in putting him in the team but if he was at one of the big four and playing exactly the same way then people would be having an orgasm over him.

He's also scored two superb goals for Wigan this season that if they had been scored by Ronaldo would have had about 4 pages on this thread talking about them, unlike about the 2 posts which I put up about them.

This is what get's me about Premiership football and it's not a chip on my shoulder it's the fact there's a snobbery not only from the top four teams but also from supporters who never give respect to players unless they are playing for a top 4 team or in the Champions League, if a player for example Man Utd runs 20 yards and smashes a shot from 30 yards into the net then it's a superb goal and people wet their boxers over it, a player for example Watford does the same thing and it's an ok goal.

I could put a list up a mile long were this season players from less fashionable clubs have been outstanding but not got the plaudits they deserve, Matthew Taylor at Portsmouth scored from nearly the half way line hardly a word mentioned on here about it, also scored a couple of other cracking goals this season and he's a defender.

David James outstanding this season but again not playing for a fashionable club so doesn't get mentioned, not even sure he got mentioned on here despite breaking the Premier League's clean sheet record.

Another player never mentioned who's had a superb season is Mikel Arteta at Everton but again doesn't play for the big four so isn't a fan fav, football doesn't revolve around the glory hunting big teams that play in the Champions League every season, the life blood of football are teams like Watford, Wigan, Blackburn, Newcastle and even the likes of Bury, Oldham, Coventry and so on.

[Muppetus Galacticus]

I noticied Arteta and had him in my fantasy teams

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by bababui

You did say that. But I have to agree with MuGa and argue that any letdown in effort on the pitch will only give the game a black eye. I do agree that the whole West Ham fiasco has given the game a black eye. But at least it wasnt anything that happened on the pitch. Surely, as a Wigan supporter, that kind of a win wouldnt be satisfying.

If West Ham had done nothing wrong then Sheff Utd and Wigan not busting a gut to drop each other in the crap and playing out a result that suited both of them would bother me, but why should it bother me when West Ham cheated and it doesn't matter if it was on or of the field or else what's stopping a team doing the same thing in the future or even worse.

[ukhotstove]

Southampton 1 (1) v (1) 2 Derby County

Championship Play Off Semi Final 1st leg

St Mary's Stadium, Southampton

Capacity 32,689

Southampton.

28 Bialkowski
2 Ostlund
21 Baird
3 Pele Booked 23 mins.
22 Bale (56 mins Skacel)
17 Belmadi
23 Viafara
24 Guthrie
29 Surman Goal 6 mins, Booked 32 mins.
15 Jones (55 mins Best)
4 Saganowski (87 mins Rasiak)

Substitutes
1 Davis
27 Best
7 Skacel
9 Rasiak
16 Cranie

Derby County.

43 Bywater
24 Mears
23 Moore
5 Leacock Booked 9 mins.
4 McEveley
12 Macken (77 mins Teale)
22 Oakley Booked 28 mins.
25 Pearson Booked 23 mins.
10 Fagan
9 Howard Goals 35 mins, 58 mins pen.
18 Johnson Booked 31 mins. (90 mins Nyatanga)

Substitutes
1 Camp
2 Edworthy
27 Teale
7 Jones
30 Nyatanga

Ref: M Jones
Att: 30602

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by Muppetus Galacticus

I noticied Arteta and had him in my fantasy teams

I put him in too late to help me, way behind in the fantasy competition, even thought about making one of the defenders my captain and praying he scored an hat trick or something

[Muppetus Galacticus]

Originally Posted by ukhotstove

I put him in too late to help me, way behind in the fantasy competition, even thought about making one of the defenders my captain and praying he scored an hat trick or something

If you picked Matthew Taylor you might be in with a shout

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by Muppetus Galacticus

If you picked Matthew Taylor you might be in with a shout

I did have him but picked him at the end of his hot streak made a boo boo though with the Wigan players, Camara's just been plain terrible this season and the back four have conceded more goals than anybody thought they would. I'm predicting a win for AFC Springfield next season if the Off Topic league is run again, doesn't yahoo have a fantasy football game ?

ps not the NFL version.

[Muppetus Galacticus]

They sure do http://uk.premiership.fantasysports.yahoo.com/

Goes down to tomorrow on if I can win the OT League (2nd place -12), but I'm 97 points up in the CIFC league

[ukhotstove]

Originally Posted by Muppetus Galacticus

They sure do http://uk.premiership.fantasysports.yahoo.com/

Goes down to tomorrow on if I can win the OT League (2nd place -12), but I'm 97 points up in the CIFC league

I was closing the gap in the OT league a few weeks ago but the last couple of weeks pretty much scored the same points as the teams above me, plus think the top team outscored me by 20 points last week so that kind of put the final nail in the coffin.