Official Premier League 2010/11 thread

[Lineker]

Footballer Marcos Alonso could face trial after a woman died in a car crash in Madrid.

The Bolton Wanderers defender crashed a BMW into a wall near Real Madrid's former training complex, not far from the Bernabeu, on Monday morning.

One woman suffered fatal injuries and another was seriously hurt. Mr Alonso's brother Miguel and former Real Madrid teammate Jaime Navarro were also hurt.

Mr Alonso, who was uninjured, allegedly failed a breathalyser test afterwards.

Police have not revealed what the breathalyser and subsequent blood test showed.

Mr Alonso, 20, appeared before an investigating judge at a closed hearing on Monday evening.

The judge will have to decide if the player caused the accident and the girl's death. If the judge rules he caused the crash he could face a trial accused of involuntary manslaughter.

In a statement, the court said: "Magistrates' Court number four in Madrid yesterday released the footballer Marcos Alonso Mendoza after naming him as a 'formal suspect' in an alleged crime against road safety, a crime of intoxication, of accidental killing and causing accidental injury.

"In addition the judge has removed his driving licence as a precaution and he is banned from driving in Spain for the entire period of the court process."

Mr Alonso, who joined Bolton Wanderers from Real Madrid last summer, was at home in the Spanish capital on a weekend break.

It is understood he had been on a night out with his brother and Mr Navarro when they met the two women.

The emergency services said the car crossed into the opposite lane, overturned and collided with a wall.

One woman, who has been named only as Barbara, received severe head injuries and died 30 minutes after arriving at hospital.

The other, Teresa, suffered injuries to her thorax and is described as being in a serious condition.

Miguel Alonso also remains in hospital with three broken ribs and bruising to his lungs.

Mr Navarro broke his collar bone and was later released from hospital

[therockbox]

I'm not saying Liverpool didn't have a shocking start but I think the blame on Hodgson is wrong. There were clearly a lot more issues at the club when he took over that meant that [almost] any manager coming in was sure to have a difficult time getting anywhere with them.

Of course, and he would have been cut some slack because of the problems in the boardroom if it wasn't for all the mistakes he made pretty much right from the off - saying he hoped we didn't lose our opening pre-season game against Al-Hilal, then re-iterating that by saying he hoped we didn't lose 6-0, marginalising players like Agger and Reina, telling Reina he wanted him to be more 'English' and bringing in a part time goalkeeping coach to replace the full-time one he'd had previously (it was at this point mistakes started creeping in), desperately trying to sell the likes of Lucas and Agger, his comments before the Northampton game where he described them as 'formidable opponents', his comments after the Northampton game where he blamed the players, calling them the 'B team', refusing the praise Jonjo Shelvey for a fairly promising cameo in that game, failing to defend his players when they accused of cheating by rival managers (is it any wonder at this point they might not have liked him?), worrying in public about what 'his friend' Alex Ferguson thought of him, his digs at the fans' protests just as the anti-Hicks & Gillett campaign started to gain some traction in the media, his constant talk about how the Liverpool job was just reward for his many years of hard work as a manager, his snide comments about Norwegian and Danish football when both countries, whether you like the 'gloryhunter' aspect of it or not, have a sizable Liverpool fanbase, and his constant references to the LMA Manager of the Year award as if that tinpot trophy somehow justified his appointment as boss regardless of what happened on the field.

On top of all that (and that's just off the top of my head), there was his complete and utter inability to change from a formation that exposed every weakness in our squad, from players' individually to those we actually had available. He said he wouldn't change because it was a system that had served him well for 35 years, which ultimately summed him up. He couldn't or wouldn't adapt, so it was only ever going to end in tears.

[Matt]

Hodgson is a quality manager but it was never going to work for him at Liverpool, there was too much pressure and expectation on him from the media and the Liverpool fans never saw him as the big name they needed. He made mistakes as Liverpool manager but I think those mistakes mainly came from the fact he was always up against it.

[Pesci]

People need to stop reading The Sun.

[therockbox]

It wasn't necessarily because he wasn't a big name, he just never felt like a Liverpool manager. Right from the off it seemed like he viewed us as one last big job before Capello left England, then he could fight it out with Redknapp.

He's a good manager, up to a point. When the pressure's off he does well, which he's proving again with WBA. At Inter, perhaps his biggest club job other than us, he took over a team that had finished 6th the season before, finished 7th in his first season, and even though he had a decent enough second season the fans hadn't really took to him, and he lost them completely when they lost the UEFA Cup Final.

From outside the club there was almost no pressure on him whatsoever. When things went tits up it was all Benitez's fault, a line which was used almost every week, whereas if he'd have come in and done 'well' (and well this season was seen as improving on last season's league finish and perhaps a decent run in one or two of the cups) then he was a genius.

In fairness he was hung out to dry by those in charge of the club at the time. It happened under Benitez as well, there was nobody looking after the PR side of things so the manager became the focal point for everything. The difference was Benitez always seemed to be looking out for the best interests of the club, which annoyed the owners and Purslow but kept the fans on side, whereas Hodgson always seemed to be throwing blame in every direction, as long as it was away from him. Comments like the ones made about Al-Hilal were only broadcast (as far as I'm aware) on the official Liverpool channel, which is ridiculous. Somebody should have been making sure those interviews never got out, instead the club broadcast them for everyone to see.

Once NESV came in the writing was on the wall, he'd lost the fans completely and he didn't have it in him to string together a run of results that would have allowed him to have stayed until the end of the season.

[DavidMarrio]

People need to stop reading The Sun.

This.

Also really I thought Hodgson wouldn't ever last long and only got the job because of media pressure because of guiding Fulham to the Europa League final and winning manager of the year. The media loved Roy whereas if it was Rafa who was doing it they'd be tearing him to shreds in the paper. Realistically he was always going to be a stopgap, he wasn't going to be a long term manager he was there to hopefully stabilize until new owners came in and then could evaluate.

I have nothing against the guy but he wasn't the right man for the job. I am happy though that he's having success with West Brom which I believe is the right type of club for him.

[Lineker]

Here's an interesting column from the BBC's Dan Roan about whether the Glazer's deserve more credit for Utd's current success than they're getting.

Thoughts?

[Starvinho]

The only thing that ever pissed me off about the Glazer's was that they put the club into big debt. With our club the way it is it's obviously a massive business and a money making machine, and for it to be anywhere near debts like we have is just unacceptable. I've also felt over the last few years that because of this we haven't had enough money to buy quality players when there was a need to, and we've had to settle with promising youngsters. Granted we have been lucky with Smalling and Hernandez but when Tevez and Ronaldo left there was a big void and that's maybe what cost us success last season.

All that said though there seems to have been some corner turned and talk is there is big money to be spent this year, if that happens then it's obviously progress. Also I've always respected the fact that the owner's have give Fergie freedom over the team, they don't seem to get involved in those areas and that has let Fergie get on with trying to win, unlike at other certain clubs who owner's seem to have a big influence on the team.

[IAceI]

From what I can see as an outsider looking in then they're doing well in that they let Fergie get on with it (as the post above states) and that's ultimately what you want in a chairman, someone to undersign the cheques and leave the football to the football brains.

People like a hate figure though, someone they can direct their anger and dislike towards for any failings or short comings.

And to be honest, while I'm sure it's valid, I think a lot of people get swept up in the whole Glazer Out thing and stuff (some of the chants and stuff you hear, wanting them dead etc. urgh) but fair play to the FC United of Manchester fellas who got a new team up and started. Dare say there was a lot of people who, at first, give it the big 'un with their "Yeah, we'll get our own club and be out of here. You won't see any more of MY money... Oh shit they actually started a club? That's not Champions League.. I need my trophies.." etc. And bottled it. And then there are those who'll have made no qualms about it, probably don't know who the Glazers are but still maintain to be Man Utd fans. (Basically, the sort of people I hang out with it seems )

Although it's going to be pandemonium when Man Utd take on Norwich next season with the fans colours.

[britneyspearsisgod]

I don't ever get the arguments about Man Utd. The fact that the Glazers only seem concerned with utilizing Man Utd as a cash cow, to me, seems misplaced. Man Utd built THEMSELVES into that mold on the back of the success throughout the 1990's. In fairness to the Glazers, whilst they have lumbered the club with debt, it's leveraged debt. It's not like they won't be able to make it back - they are more than able to earn that debt back. If a club like Bristol Rovers (my team that I support, who are currently £4m+ in debt) did that, it would take some master plan to make it work. Man Utd, for better or worse, have made the most out of their situation and made it work very well.

Same we can't do that at Bristol Rovers

[METALMAN]

At the very least, the Glazers are an improvement over shagger Edwards. >_>

[Lineker]

@AlanSmithy17

Alan Smith's now ex-fiancee has hijacked his twitter page!

[Colly]

I've heard its the same details as someone previously pretending to be Smithy himself, so I'd take it with a pinch of salt. Might be wrong though, not a Twitterer myself.

[Gazz]

Alan Smith lose possession?

Now there's a rare idea...

[Lineker]

Birmingham City owner Carson Yeung's overall stake in the club has dropped from 24.9% to 23.3% after £3.63m was raised by selling shares.

The Premier League club revealed in April it has debts of £27.27m.

Birmingham won the Carling Cup in February but will need to provide assurances about its finances to play in the Europea League next season.

A statement said 6.43% of Birmingham International Holdings has been sold to people unconnected with the club.

And, this afternoon, Henry Winter tweeted that Newcastle's Mike Williamson broke his arm in training this morning.

Edited May 5, 2011 by Lineker

[stokeriño]

Ancelotti has been named Premier League Manager of the Month for April (the second month in a row), thus jinxing us in the next match to more doom than we were already doomed. Apparently.

Chelsea fans like to jump on any opportunity to prophesy doom, you see.

[Starvinho]

Ancelotti has been named Premier League Manager of the Month for April (the second month in a row), thus jinxing us in the next match to more doom than we were already doomed. Apparently.

Chelsea fans like to jump on any opportunity to prophesy doom, you see.

I thought they might have give it Hodgson after what he's done at West Brom, I don't think Chelsea have lost or even drawn in April though thinking back. Who got player of the month?

[stokeriño]

We drew against Stoke (immediately after Carlo won MOTM for March - THE CURSE! THE CURSE! ) but won our other five league games.

Dunno about player of the month. I got this off the Chelsea website and therefore assume that it's not a Chelsea player... Can't find anything on the PL website so I guess Chelsea got word early.

[Meacon Keaton]

It was Kuyt ^_^

...or was it?

[stokeriño]

It was Kuyt ^_^

...or was it?

Well the LFC site seems to think so. Apparently the only solution is to check the website of every PL club one after another...