Official 2012/13 Premier League thread

[Starvinho]

Arsene Wenger says Jack Wilshere could be playing again within a month. I'm sure he's been saying the same thing for the last 6 months...

[Colly]

Did he expressly state playing football? He might have meant Monopoly.

[brenchill]

The story that has broken today about AVB considering Lloris as the No. 2 goalkeeper is hilarious.

[Pesci]

Was a pretty strange position of the pitch to be so obsessed with improving when time was running out, I think. AVB's youth movement makes sense a lot of the time but they should have made Moutinho their #1 target because Brad Fridel's still acknowledged as one of the best goalkeepers in the league. It has to have been a decision wholly or almost wholly motivated by age, which is strange when Brad's played so many games in a row and isn't showing signs of slowing down.

[EddieG]

I guess Friedel is going to end his streak sometime soon with Lloris in.

[stokeriño]

If AVB had taken more press conferences on FM12 rather than palm them off to his assistant, he'd know that new signings do not like that kind of talk.

[Jimmy]

It makes complete sense, though. Brad is getting on, and while he is incredible, it would've been silly not to sign Lloris. There aren't a big number of top quality goalkeepers on the market - and what's to say another team wouldn't have bought him in January or next summer. Sometimes you've got to get the right replacement when he's available. But still, the guy has to have the right attitude and surely respects Brad's ability. Or so you'd think.

[Pesci]

It made sense to sign Lloris but I don't think it made sense for Levy to spend so much of his time on the deal when the Moutinho deal needed to be pushed on. I think the Modric-sized hole in your squad was more of an issue than a goalie who's old but has a phenomenal injury record in the last few years.

But I guess it depends on what style of football you play as to the type of players you need. That fact that Moutinho was close to signing tells me that AVB at least wanted somebody with that kind of composure on the ball in his team, though.

Edited September 4, 2012 by Pesci

[Jimmy]

Oh, I completely agree with that. Thought people were questioning the signing of Lloris, my bad.

[Lineker]

Tom Huddlestone's red card has been rightfully rescinded.

[Katsuya]

Twitter is saying that Sky Italia have reported that Liverpool have offered Del Piero a contract.

[therockbox]

I can't imagine a Juventus legend ever signing for Liverpool.

[9 to 5]

Ian Rush did.

[Pesci]

To be fair, it was like a foreign country over there...

[Lineker]

Newcastle United striker Demba Ba has been banned from driving after his car was twice seen speeding.

The Senegal international was charged with failing to supply information on who was driving on both occasions.

South East Northumberland Magistrates Court banned the 27-year-old for six months in his absence.

Police would not release details of the vehicle involved, locations or speed, but did confirm that there had been two "speeding offences".

The court was told the player had failed to attend two previous hearings and ignored police letters sent in November 2011 asking him to confirm who was driving his car on the two occasions in question.

The former West Ham player, who lives in Ponteland, Newcastle, was also fined £1,000, told to pay £85 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.

Newcastle United declined to comment on the case.

[Baddar]

You could say that he's been ba-rred.

[Lineker]

-1 for Baddar.

[Sam]

Why is baddar stealing Myke's rubbish jokes?

[Crybaby Bunting]

He'll have to travel by Ba-cycle now!

[Matt]

Someone get GhostMachine in here to improve the standard of comedy.

And Pesci, I assume Moutinho's deal fell through because he wanted in excess of £80k per week (or whatever Tottenham's wage budget is). I can't see it being anything other than that.