Official Premier League 2010/11 thread

[Hobo]

Nah, that's clearly Howard Webb's job this week.

[Lineker]

Defoe has done his ankle in again in the Dubai camp. Not that he was scoring at all but with the masses of injuries we already have we need all the bodies that we can get.

[Lineker]

Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe will return to training as soon as Spurs fly back to England from the club's warm-weather training camp in Dubai.

The 28-year-old, who missed eight weeks with ankle ligament damage earlier this season, broke down during a session in Al Ahli's Rashid Stadium on Sunday.

But an X-ray has revealed Defoe has suffered no serious injury apart from "soft tissue irritation".

Spurs manager Harry Redknapp is already missing six key players through injury.

Hope he doesn't start anyway. Horrendous form. As much as I can't stand him, Crouch should be starting. Or Pav.

[Guest viperlike]

The game against Chelsea is such a big game tomorrow night for United. If we win that game and then against Liverpool i just cant see us not winning the league this year. Rooney to make it 5 goals in 5 games i say!

[Lineker]

Well, if viperlike says so...

[Starvinho]

viperlike knows his stuff

Rooney won't be making it 5 in 5 against Chelsea, he'll be making it 7 in 5

[Sam]

He'll get sent off.

[Starvinho]

Just come across this, it's not about the Premier League but don't know where else to post it. (Maybe we need a general football thread??)

Deportivo Pereira defender Luis Moreno kicks Atlético Junior's owl mascot during match

Panama defender Luis Moreno is facing sanctions after he kicked an injured owl that had landed on the field during a match for his Colombian club Deportivo Pereira against Atlético Junior.

The owl, which serves as mascot for the Atlético Junior team, was being treated Monday at a local veterinary clinic in Barranquilla. The bird was expected to recover and had only a minor fracture to its right leg.

Fans of the Atletico Junior team shouted "murder, murder," after the incident on Sunday. The owl had landed injured near the corner of the field when Moreno walked over and kicked it about three metres. He said he did not know the bird was a good-luck charm for the opposition.

What would possess anyone to kick an injured bird at any time is beyond me. The words nob head come to mind...

[Pesci]

What a horrible piece of shit

[Adam]

Jesus...that's shocking. Although how did the owl get on the pitch on the first place!? Still...why did he kick the poor bird!?!?

[YI]

Hahahahahahahhahaaa

I'm sorry, but that just looked fucking funny.

Edited March 1, 2011 by YI

[maninblack]

Maybe he was traumatized by an owl when he was a kid.

A really big owl.

[stokeriño]

Predictions for tonight: United will play for a draw and get a draw.

As you may recall, recently Liverpool came to Stamford Bridge playing for a draw but sneaked a win, and they're a worse team than United. So although you may not think it, really my prediction betrays a sense of optimism.

[Starvinho]

I personally think that we can afford one draw out of Chelsea and Liverpool, and obviously a win out of the other. In my opinion the Liverpool game will be a harder one for us (more for the occasion rather than the quality of teams), so I'm hoping we play for a win tonight. My prediction is it will be a close game but we'll nick it with a 1-0.

[Baddar]

Chelsea-Utd is always a game that gets me excited.

It isn't always the spectacle of an Arsenal-Chelsea/Arsenal-Utd, but I like that. One lapse in concentration at a corner, one defensive error, one wrongly awarded free-kick/offside decision (eh, EH! ) could decide it.

And it wouldn't surprise me one bit to see Torres grab his first goal for Chelsea tonight.

[DavidMarrio]

The story behind the owl is that it's supposed to be like a lucky charm/mascot for the team in red. Absolute fucking cunt though that defender for doing that, see if he picked it up and moved it there'd be nothing wrong but you dont go about punting injured animals.

Torres will give Vidic nightmares it always happens Still i'd rather it end a draw

[Pesci]

I think United will win. Who will I be cheering for? Eh, I guess it has to be Chelsea.

Though the lack of importance of this match is actually kind of sad. I was going through the options in my head - cheer for Chelsea because if they win they or Arsenal might pip United to the title? Not happening. Cheer for United because if they win Liverpool might finish above Chelsea? Not happening. It basically just defaults to cheering for Chelsea because I hate United more, and it's depressing that that's all I have invested in a Man Utd/Chelsea match at this stage of the season :/

Edited March 1, 2011 by Pesci

[HailtotheYo]

unlike everyone else in the world (at least on here), I think Arsenal can still win the title ... 4pts back and even on games ? ManU is going to drop points going forward (maybe not many, but enough to make up 4pts). I think Arsenal can do enough to take advantage. I know I shouldn't given the past few years where they've been set up to do this exact thing, but for some reason this year I actually think they can.

I think it was Stoke I was having the conversation about Sczcseny with ... and he illustrated perfectly in the CC Final what I thought about him. He simply isn't ready for those kinds of situations yet.

Yeah, RVP has come on strong (and now looks like he might be hitting his yearly injury) but this year our scoring is much more spread than in the past. I think this will help us should we be thinned out (yet again) by injuries down the stretch. With more people scoring (hopefully) the squad won't be looking for someone to take over.

Meh, I know I'm a fan of the team and all and my glasses are certainly a better tint towards the club than most everyone else but I just don't see 4pts as being a brick wall at the beginning of March.

[Baddar]

I agree with HttK - United will drop points.

...but so will Arsenal. Probably more than United, that's the problem. Looking at the run-in, things look pretty good for Arsenal, but that's the case most years, yet they still find a way to bugger it up.

[Pesci]

I've just been conditioned to realise Man Utd don't fuck up when they're in the lead at this stage. They're like a pitbull with a poodle's neck between its jaws - there's only one outcome.