Official Premiership 2008/09 thread

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Talksport are giving some good points - Ronaldo should have been booked for dissent after a tackle with Lennon and Scholes should have had two yellows in three minutes.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Is Howard Webb really Englands best referee

Clearly not after that performance.

Damn that Howard Webb for handing United the title in one game

And damn those Tottenham fans for being annoyed that they had all their momentum killed off in one moment!

They should be honoured to be on the same pitch as United, like Howard Webb was. It would have been rude to go to Old Trafford and not give a dodgy penalty to United.

I'm sorry Hugo, I was blinded by the foolish blasphemy of fair play.

Let us all worship at the altar of Sir Alex Ferguson.

I knew I was going to regret not putting a at the end of my post.

And please. Fair play? Old Trafford?

Don't worry, I meant to put a at the end of mine too. I was going along with you

[therockbox]

Talksport are giving some good points - Ronaldo should have been booked for dissent after a tackle with Lennon and Scholes should have had two yellows in three minutes.

I love the commentator's reactions to Scholes' persistent fouling. Anyone else (normally foreign) and they're called cynical/dirty/nasty etc., but with Scholes they laugh it off and say "aaww, the one part of the game he never learned" as if that's any excuse.

[hugobomb]

How long until Johnny turns up claiming to have meant to put a at the end of every one of his post?

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

How long until Johnny turns up claiming to have meant to put a at the end of every one of his post?

I could edit them in now if you want?! Would make the thread more slapstick.

EDIT: Bwahaha "He's done a Webb". Brilliant.

Edited April 25, 2009 by ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

How long until Johnny turns up claiming to have meant to put a at the end of every one of his post?

Never

I got the penalty decision wrong, simple as that. Maybe I was also a dick in the way I came across, apologies if I was. And I didn't see the Scholes tackles so cant comment on that, but there were decisions like that all day and even with Tottenham when Palacios went in two footed and could of injured Ronaldo if he connected, which warranted a yellow at the least. So I'm not excusing Scholes for whatever happened there, but there's no need to just pick out everything in United's game.

[therockbox]

but there's no need to just pick out everything in United's game.

Of course there is, it's the price of being champions

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

I'm just sad that there's no way Harry's post match interview will be up on the BBC website before I go to bed in five minutes.

Has he given one yet?

EDIT: Hahahaha I knew it would be worth checking the Howard Webb wikipedia entry.

"On the 26th of April 2009, Webb scored the first of Manchester Uniteds' goals against Tottenham to inspire a 5-2 victory, recovering from a two goal deficit. At the final whistle he was seen giving Sir Alex Ferguson a kiss on the cheek, before retiring to his quarters to curl his wig."

Edited April 25, 2009 by ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster

[Dynamite]

Just watched it properly and that wasn't a penalty. I think Scholes survived a red just because his first tackle came so soon after coming on. If those series of tackles had been later then he would have been off for sure. Nevertheless, I'm delighted we got the win and scoring 5 goals in one half before the Arsenal game should be invaluable seeing as it will probably be a game where we will need to score quite a few to win.

And Howard Webb is shit in every match not just the Man Utd ones. The CL match where he booked Messi for diving comes to mind as a prime example of him gambling with the big decisions in the hope that he is proved right by the replays and heralded as the greatest ref ever. I sometimes think that the FA only think he is the best ref because he's quite big and bald so therefore 'doesn't take any shit from anyone'.

Edited April 25, 2009 by Dynamite

[Mike Widdows]

In fairness Webb WAS a good ref, till we decided to start praising him... <<< I figured it was much needed

[AJ]

Don't insinuate someone else is being biased against your team or for their team because you are quite clearly the biggest homer on the entire board (except for maybe Chase). And again, momentum. If the penalty isn't given you probably don't go on to score those four perfectly good goals.

Am I the only one who can remember that he's a Juve fan?

[Matt]

Wow. Just wow. Wow. How could you even... wow.

[Dynamite]

I see Caleb Folan's been watching Pepe in action.

[Zaz]

Up there with the Pedro Mendes goal. Spurs shouldn't bother showing up at Old Trafford anymore, every time we're in with a shout the ref does something to turn the game.

[Big Red Fury]

As soon as that decision went down I said to my United supporting roomie, that's the match then. When you give United a penalty that early in the second half, with the fans roaring them on, and the opponents looking to shut up shop, the match is always going to be over because United is too good of an attacking team to not make things happen if it's just one way traffic. That being said, dodgy penalty, a couple soft ass goals, it was completely disgusting to watch and it only cements my hatred for them more.

On the plus side, City wins so wahey!

[IAceI]

Haha. I laughed, hard. Just because I was with a load of Liverpool fans who were borderline tears when Man Utd went and banged in 5 in the second half. Hilarious.

Oh and everyone, including the Man Utd fans, agreed it wasn't a penalty. But it was worth it just for Gomes' little jig after the decision.

[Lord Nibbler]

Obviously it wasn't a penalty, but I disagree with everyone saying it was an easy decision. Webb was in a bad position, and Carrick did touch the ball before he got taken out by Gomes. As the Sky Sports minute-by-minute said, it was a tight call.

I also don't think it was that much of a "turning point". The way the commentators and pundits are talking, you'd think that as soon as the penalty went in United started dominating possession and then scored a couple of minutes later. The second game came ten minutes after the penalty, and it wasn't ten minutes of attacking pressure. Spurs had about half a dozen free kicks in that time, and I don't think United had a shot on goal. It was Rooney's equaliser that gave us a huge boost and it was then that we took control of the game. I don't doubt for a second that if we hadn't been given that penalty, we still would have gone on to win.

[Baddar]

I was just glad to see Berba score.

Yes, his penalty was shit last week, but generally, his play on the ball is fucking fantastic, and was yesterday too. He must've played at least four balls through the middle which tore Spurs' defence to shreds. He's been playing balls through like that since he first signed with us as well.

I know he doesn't put in the work that Tevez does as far as running/closing down goes, but if the ball is played forward to anyone, I'm more confident that Berba is going to do something that will allow us to keep the ball and carry on the attack than anyone else in the side.

[/berba love]

[Hobo]

Obviously it wasn't a penalty, but I disagree with everyone saying it was an easy decision. Webb was in a bad position, and Carrick did touch the ball before he got taken out by Gomes. As the Sky Sports minute-by-minute said, it was a tight call.

They noted on MOTD last night that Webb had a clear view of it. There were no players obstructing his view. It was an awful call, especially in light of some above mentioned offenses that Man U got away with. Scholes, and Ronaldo both committed fouls that were not punished has harshly as they could be. I watched the game till the first three Man U goals, and Spurs played fantastically till the penalty whereas Man U got away with hacking away at Spurs players in and around midfield, a non-foul punished Spurs and got their keeper booked for getting the ball and having Carrick fall over him due to nothing but momentum. It could've been Fulham all over again if Webb hadn't been such a blatant homer.

Edited April 26, 2009 by HoboObohHbob

[9 to 5]

Blackburn vs Wigan might sound an odd game to get worked up about, but I am really, really nervous over it.