No surprises here...
- Thread starter Anubis
- Start date
Flight
Full Member
Villareal v Arsena
Porto v Mancs
LFC vrs Chelsea
Barca v Bayern
First team listed plays home leg first.
Winner of LFC v Chelsea plays winner of Barca vrs Bayern in semi.
Worst possible draw for Chelsea and LFC, best possible for the Mancs. Don't think the Mancs have ever played an English team in the CL, over two legs ?
Porto v Mancs
LFC vrs Chelsea
Barca v Bayern
First team listed plays home leg first.
Winner of LFC v Chelsea plays winner of Barca vrs Bayern in semi.
Worst possible draw for Chelsea and LFC, best possible for the Mancs. Don't think the Mancs have ever played an English team in the CL, over two legs ?
Treebeard
Ranger of the North
I think the Arse v Villareal game could be the best tie footballing wise but yeah, looking forward to the Barca v Bayern tie out of the others.
I think the Liverpool v Chelsea tie at this point is good for the competiton overall as well.
Predictions?
Villareal v Arse - I think Arsenal will just about struggle through. Mainly because we haven't applied ourselves well in games against so called lesser teams this season. Should still have enough to go through.
Porto v ManU - Comfortable aggregate win for ManU.
'Pool v Chelski - Head says Liverpool but Chelsea have looked a lot more solid recently. I guess a lot of it depends on Gerrard playing.
Barca v Bayern - I think Bayern may well be to solid for Barca. 1 goal aggregate win for Bayern.
I think the Liverpool v Chelsea tie at this point is good for the competiton overall as well.
Predictions?
Villareal v Arse - I think Arsenal will just about struggle through. Mainly because we haven't applied ourselves well in games against so called lesser teams this season. Should still have enough to go through.
Porto v ManU - Comfortable aggregate win for ManU.
'Pool v Chelski - Head says Liverpool but Chelsea have looked a lot more solid recently. I guess a lot of it depends on Gerrard playing.
Barca v Bayern - I think Bayern may well be to solid for Barca. 1 goal aggregate win for Bayern.
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Anubis
The Doggy Chimp
I would have bet everything I owned on Liverpool getting Chelsea and Man United getting Porto. Too predictable.
Arse are coming into a bit of form now their injuries are easing so i would expect them to win against Villareal in a good tie.
Man United will beat Porto easily.
Liverpool - Chelsea is 50/50 and could go either way.
Barcelona to beat Bayern Munich by the odd goal.
Arse are coming into a bit of form now their injuries are easing so i would expect them to win against Villareal in a good tie.
Man United will beat Porto easily.
Liverpool - Chelsea is 50/50 and could go either way.
Barcelona to beat Bayern Munich by the odd goal.
Flight
Full Member
Maybe not.
Interestingly, Rafa has had �16mill year, net, to spend in his five years here. That's �1mill a year more than Villa or �2mill a year than Sunderland.
Only the second time this year our first eleven have been out. 5-0.
Janie
Full Member
Putting things into perspective 
Martin took over from a Villa team who David O'Leary had just finished the season in 16th place - The team was tiny and aside from Barry worth nothing (since then I think it's been 10th, 6th and currently 5th under O'Neil).
I believe Rafa took over from Gerard Hollewteywj who had just finished 4th and had huge squad of players : Lets look at how much of Rafa's net spending comes from the sale of players he inherited :
Murphy - 2.5
Owen - 8.5 (plus Nunez who was sold for 2)
Doiuf - 3.5
Diarra - 2
Baros - 6.5
Traore - 2
Kirkland - 3.5
Warnock - 1.5
S-Pongel - 2.7
Cisse - 6
Riise - 4
Finnan - Unknown.
That's 45 Million+
Then take into concideration how much Rafa has wasted on players in his 5 years, how many players he's brought and sold on after they failed - his record in the transfer market is patchy at best - that 45 million certainly covers alot of sins.
So yes O'Neil's net spending is pretty high but he inheried a horrible tiny threadbare squad - and he hasn't wasted to much on bad signing (Shorey maybe).
Also throw in Liverpool are a top team meaning they can move to sign the best players in the world (you honestly think Torres would have signed for Villa?). You can also add Villa are full of English players and Rafa has barely signed one in 5 years (Crouch, Carson...both sold on) and Leicester has just put in an offer for Hobbs
Martin took over from a Villa team who David O'Leary had just finished the season in 16th place - The team was tiny and aside from Barry worth nothing (since then I think it's been 10th, 6th and currently 5th under O'Neil).
I believe Rafa took over from Gerard Hollewteywj who had just finished 4th and had huge squad of players : Lets look at how much of Rafa's net spending comes from the sale of players he inherited :
Murphy - 2.5
Owen - 8.5 (plus Nunez who was sold for 2)
Doiuf - 3.5
Diarra - 2
Baros - 6.5
Traore - 2
Kirkland - 3.5
Warnock - 1.5
S-Pongel - 2.7
Cisse - 6
Riise - 4
Finnan - Unknown.
That's 45 Million+
Then take into concideration how much Rafa has wasted on players in his 5 years, how many players he's brought and sold on after they failed - his record in the transfer market is patchy at best - that 45 million certainly covers alot of sins.
So yes O'Neil's net spending is pretty high but he inheried a horrible tiny threadbare squad - and he hasn't wasted to much on bad signing (Shorey maybe).
Also throw in Liverpool are a top team meaning they can move to sign the best players in the world (you honestly think Torres would have signed for Villa?). You can also add Villa are full of English players and Rafa has barely signed one in 5 years (Crouch, Carson...both sold on) and Leicester has just put in an offer for Hobbs
Flight
Full Member
The punditry reaches a new low. On Sky after the Villa game one of the major talking points was why Rafa doesn't smile when we score. Then they had an ex player on to interview him and all they asked him was, 'What do you make of Rafas body language when we score.'
Like Lemmings Setanta went on about it on their Football Matters show last night. This morning there are articles in a number of newspapers following the same line. Expect to see more of this in the coming days and weeks.
I hope the rumors are true about Sky Shaking up their football coverage and punditry at the end of this season - supposedly Keys and Gray are gone.
Like Lemmings Setanta went on about it on their Football Matters show last night. This morning there are articles in a number of newspapers following the same line. Expect to see more of this in the coming days and weeks.
I hope the rumors are true about Sky Shaking up their football coverage and punditry at the end of this season - supposedly Keys and Gray are gone.
Agravaine
Professional Slacker
On the bright side, Jamie Redtwat came out with his best bit of punditry ever on Sunday:
Jamie Redtwat: Steve, Jamie here. It must have been difficult when you lost Palacios and Heskey earlier in the season. How tough was it losing those players?
Steve Bruce: You should know, it was your Dad's fault.
Jamie Redtwat: Err......no, no.......lets not start that again.
Steve Bruce tries not to piss himself laughing.
Jamie Redtwat: Steve, Jamie here. It must have been difficult when you lost Palacios and Heskey earlier in the season. How tough was it losing those players?
Steve Bruce: You should know, it was your Dad's fault.
Jamie Redtwat: Err......no, no.......lets not start that again.
Steve Bruce tries not to piss himself laughing.
Flight
Full Member
Its a bit sad when I'd rather listen to two ex Arsenal players talking about our games, than two of our ex players. Keown and Dixon are probably the two best pundits out there. Actually they are probably the only two worth listening to - they constantly provide tactical analysis instead of spouting cheap tabloid rubbish.
Agravaine
Professional Slacker
I like Andy Gray. Not saying he's an awesome pundit or anything but he's entertaining enough.
I'd sooner talk to my dog about football than listen to the fuckwits on Sultana try to discuss/commentate on it. Shame the tossers keep getting our matches but I can't wait to cancel at the end of the season in the hopes they ask me why I want to leave.
This is comedy genius.
I'd sooner talk to my dog about football than listen to the fuckwits on Sultana try to discuss/commentate on it. Shame the tossers keep getting our matches but I can't wait to cancel at the end of the season in the hopes they ask me why I want to leave.
This is comedy genius.
Janie
Full Member
Its a bit sad when I'd rather listen to two ex Arsenal players talking about our games, than two of our ex players. Keown and Dixon are probably the two best pundits out there. Actually they are probably the only two worth listening to - they constantly provide tactical analysis instead of spouting cheap tabloid rubbish.
Keown is terminally dull though. Dixon is better but all he ever does it talk about Arsenal and his undying manlove for Wenger.
Steve Claridge is the best
Jaime Redknapp is a top, top, top, top, top pundit.
Anubis
The Doggy Chimp
I agree with Keown and Dixon being good and unbiased (this makes a good pundit - knowledgeable and unbiased - listen to Viv Richards when he's talking about cricket for example) pundits. Gray is a jerk, and being the bitter Evertonian has never had a good thing to say about the red side of Merseyside. I think Sky and Setanta have taken the "typical British press" approach of being very pro one particular team (even to the extent that when they have a game they are announced in a loud manner while all other teams on the billing are not), but it's been like this for years and years. The press have a dislike for Liverpool, not sure why but perhaps it's the manager's actions, excuses, moaning and tripe he does sometimes spout to them - so when they actually do something exceptional it is always the fault of the other team for not trying or being poor. Teams like Everton and Villa get very little coverage on MOTD.
Anubis
The Doggy Chimp
Keown is terminally dull though.
Steve Claridge is the best
QUOTE]
Yes, I like Claridge but he does say absolutely to everything which is sad...
Flight
Full Member
If by top you mean the worst out there then I agree.
Gray has actually been complimentary about us this week. I suspect he has got wind of the 'rumors' he is being replaced.
Flight
Full Member
That is a classic. Ronaldo should have been sent off twice over on Satdee. Manc backlash against refs finally finding some bottle against them.
Watched the Manc - LFC and Manc - Fulham games a few times each and the funny thing is the refs were actually lenient. The decisions are all nailed on and, in each case, they displayed massive petulance and should have had more players sent off.
Janie
Full Member
He's certainly one of the very worst in terms of relaying any factional or tactical information back to the listener (Maybe Ian 'up the tempo' Wright was as bad). But David Pleat is the worst, he's just useless and slightly creepy with it.
I don't think press hate any team more than any other as a general rule. I'm pretty sure all fans of the top 4 think there team is unfairly targeted, just from the simple fact they get alot more written about them.
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Flight
Full Member
Todays Daily Mirror :
The real reason why Rafa Benitez looked so grumpy following Liverpool�s thrashing of Aston Villa?
So why was he seen skulking around Anfield on Sunday afternoon muttering about how his reborn, rampant players hadn�t actually performed very well at all, and should in fact have scored more goals?
Could it be that Rafa doesn�t actually want Liverpool to win the Premier League?
Could it be that the Champions League is of such paramount importance in his mind that a tight, tense title run-in could actually jeopardise his side�s progress in Europe?
Nah, of course not. That really would be the behaviour of a man cracking up, right?
Todays Daily Mail :
With Real Madrid, Manchester United and Aston Villa steamrollered in the last three games and 13 goals in the bag to boot, Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez could be forgiven for having a smug look on his face.
But his perfectly-clipped goatee/tache combo is not framing as much as a semi-grin - he's been in the game long enough to know it's a maraton not an esprint so what's there to smile about just yet?
Sports coverage in this country couldn't be any poorer. They just follow each other like lemmings.