The Barclays Premier League Thread 2013/14

[Dan]

It's only 3 points, whatever the score. If we beat all the average teams over Christmas we'll easily be in Champions League places.

Spurs look like they've regressed from last season performance wise quite a bit though, and even more so from the season before last.

[Lineker]

Any team was going to regress after losing a player of Gareth Bale's calibre.

Anyway, least we're still above Utd. Silver linings etc.

[Hobo]

Just realized... if Chelsea beat Arsenal and we beat Cardiff next week, we'll be top of the league going into Christmas. Who would have predicted that at the start of the season?

Liverpool fans everywhere?

Though for once, they might finally be right.

I do love this post-Ferguson bizarro world though. It's mental.

AVB getting sacked would be unfair. A post-Garth Bale Spurs with seven new players needs time.

[Jimmy]

Was always going to take time with the amount of players we have to integrate. Arsenal stuck by Wenger during Arsenal's poor performance last season and they finished 4th. I just think we need to have more balls with our team selections. Lamela needs more game time if we're going to make the most of him.

The referee fucked us over today. We were poor, Liverpool deserved to win, but any number of decisions could've changed the momentum of the game. I'm already looking to the response on wednesday. A good revenge against West Ham could be huge for us. The Lane needs to see a good performance. I just hope AVB's in charge by then. There's no other available manager I'd want. He can totally turn this around.

All that said, well played Liverpool. Their pressing game is great. Suarez is what Bale was to us last year, they have a side that totally compliments him. Henderson is changing my mind every game I see - I only said a month ago he wasn't special. He was today. Has to be in the England squad if he can keep it up.

[Lineker]

Was always going to take time with the amount of players we have to integrate. Arsenal stuck by Wenger during Arsenal's poor performance last season and they finished 4th. I just think we need to have more balls with our team selections. Lamela needs more game time if we're going to make the most of him.

The referee fucked us over today. We were poor, Liverpool deserved to win, but any number of decisions could've changed the momentum of the game. I'm already looking to the response on wednesday. A good revenge against West Ham could be huge for us. The Lane needs to see a good performance. I just hope AVB's in charge by then. There's no other available manager I'd want. He can totally turn this around.

All that said, well played Liverpool. Their pressing game is great. Suarez is what Bale was to us last year, they have a side that totally compliments him. Henderson is changing my mind every game I see - I only said a month ago he wasn't special. He was today. Has to be in the England squad if he can keep it up.

This is the main thing. We sack AVB, and then what, exactly?

[King Ellis]

Time to put Kaney and Nerf on ignore for a few days

wheyyyyyyyyyyyy

[GoN_]

You can always sign "the best manager in the portuguese league", Jorge Jesus. He could work miracles.

[Hobo]

The league is insane this year and even letting in all those goals Spurs aren't far off of Liverpool.

[GoN_]

Benoit Assou-Ekotto ‏@AssouEkotto 10m

What a game tonight....happy to see my man @E_Adebayor (LOL)

Also, AVB's reaction to the red card:

[MJB]

AVB getting the sack would be shit. I don't care about the scoreline once it's clear we're behind. I'd rather lose by 5 and try and get it back then lose by 2 and shut up shop.

I do get this, but then again, Spurs didn't even try to get back into it at 2-0.

[Jimmy]

I'm bored of this, though. If it was the reverse result, it'd have been everyone laughing at Liverpool's title chances and Spurs would've been right in the mix. It's too tight in the top 8 to be writing everyone off. A few weeks ago it was Arsenal's title to win, now it's City's. Liverpool were out, United were out, now it's all changed. I hope there's some perspective from the Spurs board.

AVB getting the sack would be shit. I don't care about the scoreline once it's clear we're behind. I'd rather lose by 5 and try and get it back then lose by 2 and shut up shop.

I do get this, but then again, Spurs didn't even try to get back into it at 2-0.

Well, we'd used all 3 subs. There was no changes we could make. I hardly think the plan was to have Chadli as a number 10 chasing a game. My only criticism of AVB is starting two players with injury doubts, but I guess that's down to the medical team and the players to correctly inform him if they're okay or not.

[Jimmy]

"Suarez isn't a player who goes down easy."

I'm not saying Suarez dived. It would have hurt, I think his reaction is completely genuine, but come on.

[METALMAN]

Bwahhahahahahahahahahahahahaha

[GoN_]

[METALMAN]

You guys being so keen to keep AVB is a fine example of how awful Spurs fans are. The two thumpings notwithstanding, do you honestly see enough promise to make you want to stick with him? Do you really want to see even more of his compact and boring football?

[The Lusophone]

"Suarez isn't a player who goes down easy."

I'm not saying Suarez dived. It would have hurt, I think his reaction is completely genuine, but come on.

Clearly the boot has burst his appendix or something. Suarez would never go down like that without reason to...

[Lineker]

You guys being so keen to keep AVB is a fine example of how awful Spurs fans are. The two thumpings notwithstanding, do you honestly see enough promise to make you want to stick with him? Do you really want to see even more of his compact and boring football?

Yes. When we're not shit, we're brilliant

[METALMAN]

Provided the opposition is of a lower level than West Ham. :/

[Nerf]

You're usually shit

[Hobo]

The Suarez who dives and does stupid things only really appears in games where he gets frustrated. The presence of Coutinho and Sturridge usually helps him because he feels he can trust them and doesn't try to do everything by himself. It drives him bonkers to be around players who can't do what he needs them to do, so he dives and bites and does silly things.

It's not something he does every single week.