The Barclays Premier League Thread 2014/2015

[Baddar]

And Keown romps home in the "useless pundit" stakes.

Claiming that Smalling should have started because he scored two goals.

"PLAY YOUR BEST PLAYERS"

That balls up between Smalling and Herrera in the 2nd half was almost laughable. I probably would have laughed if I wasn't already so pissed at the performance by that point.

[Colly]

Finally saw Van Gaals handouts. Big Sam must have been pissing himself.

Also Burnley's tinfoil kit is horrible.

[Whisper]

And Keown romps home in the "useless pundit" stakes.

Claiming that Smalling should have started because he scored two goals.

"PLAY YOUR BEST PLAYERS"

That balls up between Smalling and Herrera in the 2nd half was almost laughable. I probably would have laughed if I wasn't already so pissed at the performance by that point.

It's a sad state of affairs when Paddy McNair at right back looks our most solid defensive choice...

Still, despite another poor performance, we're third and have lost just 1 in 18. Glass half full and all that.

I'd like to see the 442 we played in the second half a bit more though. Except with Rooney and Falcao up top, and Blind and Herrera in the middle.

Hell, give Wilson a run in the team even. Anything but Falcao/RVP together.

[The Lusophone]

Falcao at this point has in no way justified paying £40 million+ for him in the summer. We'll probably do it anyway though because obviously we need all the strikers.

[brenchill]

Man Utd actually buying Falcao would be glorious.

[stokeriño]

The drive from the media to push the idea that Ivanovic 'bit' someone last night has me dumbfounded. Even I cannot believe that anyone would claim/believe something that so patently didn't happen.

So amongst the kerfuffle of Barry getting his second yellow card (having survived at least one "last chance" on a second yellow before), a bunch of players get their handbags out, Ivanovic bearhugs McCarthy and drags him away from the confrontation. In this motion he ends up turning around and there's what I would call a 'head graze' the middle of said dragging. You know, like barely half as much in it as the one that Gerrard did on Costa in the COC semi final and no one said a peep about. Or Tim Howard did to Azpi in the reverse fixture back in the autumn. Or...you know, a thousand others that get rightly ignored.

So a bite? BITE?!? God only knows.

(Some say that the same motion is a bite *and* a headbutt, which to me seems to run afoul of basic physical limitations...)

Anyway, the referee sees the whole thing, dishes out 3 or 4 yellow cards in total and that's the end of it. Or not, according to the press.

Not Gerrard's head graze. Not Vertonghan's choke. Not Pearson's choke. Not RVP's elbow. Nope, this is the 'crime' (to use pundit terminology) that is spinning the headlines.

I await Ivanovic's inevitable three game ban, as put into motion by whichever cock-monkey in the FA whose job it is to pick up the Daily Mail and implement whatever they say should happen.

[Baddar]

I can't help but like Falcao, despite the fact he's under performed.

And thinking positively, as "shit" as this long ball team have been, we've still scored more and conceded less than certain sides that I needn't mention.

Rooney as a CM/DM/3rd CB needs to stop, and stop right now, though.

[brenchill]

Id imagine Rooney will be off if there's much more of that.

[Lineker]

The drive from the media to push the idea that Ivanovic 'bit' someone last night has me dumbfounded. Even I cannot believe that anyone would claim/believe something that so patently didn't happen.

So amongst the kerfuffle of Barry getting his second yellow card (having survived at least one "last chance" on a second yellow before), a bunch of players get their handbags out, Ivanovic bearhugs McCarthy and drags him away from the confrontation. In this motion he ends up turning around and there's what I would call a 'head graze' the middle of said dragging. You know, like barely half as much in it as the one that Gerrard did on Costa in the COC semi final and no one said a peep about. Or Tim Howard did to Azpi in the reverse fixture back in the autumn. Or...you know, a thousand others that get rightly ignored.

So a bite? BITE?!? God only knows.

(Some say that the same motion is a bite *and* a headbutt, which to me seems to run afoul of basic physical limitations...)

Anyway, the referee sees the whole thing, dishes out 3 or 4 yellow cards in total and that's the end of it. Or not, according to the press.

Not Gerrard's head graze. Not Vertonghan's choke. Not Pearson's choke. Not RVP's elbow. Nope, this is the 'crime' (to use pundit terminology) that is spinning the headlines.

I await Ivanovic's inevitable three game ban, as put into motion by whichever cock-monkey in the FA whose job it is to pick up the Daily Mail and implement whatever they say should happen.

Ivanovic only bit because Suarez passed the rabies on to him. It was only a matter of time.

[stokeriño]

Shit. Chiellini needs to be put into quarantine a.s.a.p.

[DavidMarrio]

It's the anti Chelsea propaganda machine working overtime.

[brenchill]

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ivanovic+bite+mccarthy

No bite.

[stokeriño]

No shit.

[Lineker]

Sacked Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert says managing the struggling West Midlands club turned out to be "the toughest challenge" of his career.

Lambert, 45, left Villa on Wednesday after the club slipped into the Premier League relegation zone.

In 25 top-flight games this season, they have managed just 12 goals.

"The club's owner, Randy Lerner, warned me that I was embarking on the toughest challenge of my working life and he was not wrong," said Lambert.

[brenchill]

A tough challenge, maybe, but it was still one he failed miserably at.

[Thrilla]

In the most important news, there is only 20 points between the top four (Berober, Moses, Stoker and Myself) in the Fantasy League now.

Also, The Mirror are saying Jurgen is a candidate for the Villa job. They literally just throw any names out at this point, don't they?

[stokeriño]

I've had a couple of shitty weeks in the PL FF. The only person scoring me consistent points is Harry Kane but I can't bring myself to ever make him captain. It just wouldn't be natural.

[Colly]

The drive from the media to push the idea that Ivanovic 'bit' someone last night has me dumbfounded. Even I cannot believe that anyone would claim/believe something that so patently didn't happen.

So amongst the kerfuffle of Barry getting his second yellow card (having survived at least one "last chance" on a second yellow before), a bunch of players get their handbags out, Ivanovic bearhugs McCarthy and drags him away from the confrontation. In this motion he ends up turning around and there's what I would call a 'head graze' the middle of said dragging. You know, like barely half as much in it as the one that Gerrard did on Costa in the COC semi final and no one said a peep about. Or Tim Howard did to Azpi in the reverse fixture back in the autumn. Or...you know, a thousand others that get rightly ignored.

So a bite? BITE?!? God only knows.

(Some say that the same motion is a bite *and* a headbutt, which to me seems to run afoul of basic physical limitations...)

Anyway, the referee sees the whole thing, dishes out 3 or 4 yellow cards in total and that's the end of it. Or not, according to the press.

Not Gerrard's head graze. Not Vertonghan's choke. Not Pearson's choke. Not RVP's elbow. Nope, this is the 'crime' (to use pundit terminology) that is spinning the headlines.

I await Ivanovic's inevitable three game ban, as put into motion by whichever cock-monkey in the FA whose job it is to pick up the Daily Mail and implement whatever they say should happen.

Jonathan Pearce wouldn't shut up about it on MOTD, mentioned in commentary and was the theme of both his managers interviews. Utterly bizarre.

[Thrilla]

Yeah, I really struggle to make a non-Chelsea player my captain (Usually Costa, currently Hazard) so it must be much harder for you >_>

Should have gone with Aguero or Kane this time though.

[Plubby]

I've had a couple of shitty weeks in the PL FF. The only person scoring me consistent points is Harry Kane but I can't bring myself to ever make him captain. It just wouldn't be natural.

Will it feel better when he's captaining England in a year or two?