Official Premier League 2009/10 thread

[IAceI]

To be honest I'm quite liking Cech looking like a giant after eight.

[METALMAN]

I missed the game itself which is a bit of a shame because it seemed pretty entertaining. I'm now trying to keep up with the shootout using the text updates on bbc.co.uk. >_>

I hope Chelsea win.

EDIT: yay Evra missed!

Edited August 9, 2009 by Cnut the Great

[stokeriño]

Really weak penalty from Evra.

Wow, I can never get used to Chelsea winning penalty shootouts...

[IAceI]

Four very good penalties from Chelsea as well.

I think they maybe just edged it on a whole and deserved the win, but it was an entertaining match for something is generally a borefest. Hope Ancelotti gets the most out of Drogba this season because I think people are forgetting what a phenomenal player he is.

[Hobo]

Somewhat saw Chelsea winning if it went to penalties.

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

I think that officially makes Giggs to worst penalty taker in the history of football. Have we still not realised that a Giggs penalty means an instant miss? And I could only laugh when I see Evra stepping up.

Good game, really enjoyed it. Huge reason to worry about VDS, because Foster didn't look anything like a number one keeper out there. Hopefully the Nani injury isn't too serious either.

[stokeriño]

To be honest, Foster didn't look at his best for much of the game.

Do we get to hear Sir Alex ranting and raving to the cameras now?

Edited August 9, 2009 by stokeriño

[METALMAN]

The ghost of Moscow 08 is laid to rest!

[Crybaby Bunting]

Wayne Rooney must be pissed, he delayed the result by about... five minutes?

[Baddar]

I did like how the four United subs came out on the touchline just after the Chelsea goal. It looked like Ryan Giggs was leading a posse to go fuck some people up (as amusing as that concept is).

And as for the goal itself... If United hadn't been given advantage while Evra was down and played on, I would agree that Chelsea were being cunts. But since United did play on and lost the ball, how can they then try and claim some moral injustice? If United's attack taken from the advantage had taken the next three minutes being dinked around the Chelsea six yard box while Evra was still down, would they have been called cunts then? If they don't care about their player, why should Chelsea suddenly do it for them?

Long story short, the 'rule' is a grey area that could probably do with addressing at a national level.

My gripe with the situation was that refs were told before to play on unless it was a facial /head injury. Minutes before he stopped a Utd attack, in the final third, when Ballack got trod on. Evra went down holding his face and when Chelsea attacked he allowed them to carry it on. It's what makes the rule a farce and just plain stupid.

That said, I'm glad it was won by a shootout and not an 'incident' because the game itself was very enjoyable, unlike most Chelsea-United games.

Edited August 9, 2009 by Baddar D

[Marcos]

I did like how the four United subs came out on the touchline just after the Chelsea goal. It looked like Ryan Giggs was leading a posse to go fuck some people up (as amusing as that concept is).

And as for the goal itself... If United hadn't been given advantage while Evra was down and played on, I would agree that Chelsea were being cunts. But since United did play on and lost the ball, how can they then try and claim some moral injustice? If United's attack taken from the advantage had taken the next three minutes being dinked around the Chelsea six yard box while Evra was still down, would they have been called cunts then? If they don't care about their player, why should Chelsea suddenly do it for them?

Long story short, the 'rule' is a grey area that could probably do with addressing at a national level.

My gripe with the situation was that refs were told before to play on unless it was a facial /head injury. Minutes before he stopped a Utd attack, in the final third, when Ballack got trod on. Evra went down holding his face and when Chelsea attacked he allowed them to carry it on. It's what makes the rule a farce and just plain stupid.

That said, I'm glad it was won by a shootout and not an 'incident' because the game itself was very enjoyable, unlike most Chelsea-United games.

What the ref should have done, would have been to stop the game straight away, even with United playing the advantage with it being a face injury. Stop the play, let Evra have his treatment, old school drop ball would be the way I would have played the event.

Although I don't see how United fans can be complaining, if you had went on to score from that incident, then their is no way you would be saying that the game should have been stopped due to an injury. You played on the ref didn't stop you, Chelsea intercepted, the ref didn't stop them.

[Crybaby Bunting]

To be absolutely fair, I've seen the replay about three or four times and it just looks like Evra got winded at most. I have no idea how the face injury happened, unless you count running into someone's shoulder as malicious ¬_¬

[The Quasi Juice]

Let's be honest, the only reason Evra stayed down that long was because Chelsea had the ball and had some space. Ofcourse he's going to keep rolling around when Chelsea attack.

[AJ]

I have no problem whatsoever with the second Chelsea goal, they're well within their rights to keep playing under the 'rules' as they stand. I just hope as Andy Gray suggested that some clear cut official guidance materialises in the near future. Otherwise you just know it's going to keep happening and become an ongoing cause of confusion and controversy over the season much like the nonsense that is the active/inactive offside rule.

Still, regardless of that whole situation, I'm disgusted with Ballack's malicious forearm which was clearly no mistake.

[AJ]

[Sam]

Yeh Ballack should have got a booking at least for that, it was a surprisngly entertaining game for Man Utd - Chelsea, they're not reknowned games for their quality but it was a good game. Looking forward to the start of the season again

[stokeriño]

I keep forgetting that it's this Saturday...despite the Community Shield, start of the Football League, my work's Fantasy Football auction tomorrow and all these things... Clearly, I'm just too absent-minded.

Hull at the Bridge. If we don't take all three points from that, I'll be stunned.

[9 to 5]

I wonder if we will have any fit players by kick-off. >_>

[Guest Ringmaster]

Time for predictions!

1. Chelsea

2. Man Yoo

3. Arsenal

4. Liverpool

5. Everton

6. Spurs

7. Sunderland

8. Aston Villa

9. Man City

10. Blackburn

11. Fulham

12. West Ham

13. Bolton

14. Stoke

15. Wigan

16. Wolves

17. Brum City.

18. Burnley

19. Hull

20. Pompey.

Ancelloti's going to carry on doing what Hiddink did and it'll work, Chelsea won't be as impressive as under Mourinho, but it'll do the trick. The Mancs will still be okay because they'll have their solid defense. Arsenal's defense will be better off without Toure and if Arshavin plays like he can, then they'll do well, especially if they sign another midfielder. Liverpool are going to struggle without Alonso because it disrupts their system. I don't see Aquilani doing well immediately (if at all) and Lucas just isn't as a good. Then, Everton will keep doing what they're doing, Spurs will do okay with Redknapp moaning about bare bones within two weeks tops, Sunderland have goals and a two-man midfield of badassery that will see them do well, Villa's gonna go drop back because the defense is dying and so's their midfield (unless someone is signed) and City, well, I don't see them doing well. Not with Hughes who's tactics can be described as dodgy at best, not with Adebayor/Santa Cruz who've each had one good season all their lives and not with Tevez, who runs and doesn't score.

Then, at the bottom. Wolves are staying up because they've got goals, Brum should stay up because I genuinely think Benitez can get them around 10 goals and because the other teams are shit. Burnley should put up a fight but meh and the other two, they're shit.

[Adam]

The Pre-Season Predictions Thread says hi!

Although, I think your prediction isn't far wrong at all, I think Wigan & Liverpool will be higher but generally that looks about right-I can't see anyone not in that bottom five there being in the relegation scrap.