melmacian_saint

Has Guly ever managed to get past a full-back since the Championship?

Why are people blaming Yoshida??? If anyone Wanyama just flew into Gardner with no intent. What a strike though. Perfect shot.

Not the same and don't think it will be as bad but the PL clubs are showing many of the signs that led to the decline of the Spanish league. Floating in money, many had extravagant nouveau riche shareholders and managerial changes were (in some ways still are) extremely often even in teams that weren't doing very badly. Eventually you had expensive, good-on-paper teams full of imports from other leagues (mainly from South America) that really didn't add that much, ditto for coaches (Spanish managers were never really in charge of signings or other club aspects than tactics and team selection/training , the trend in England shows a similar behavior with head coaches being appointed rather than "managers"), and a national team that was underachieving despite the success of the league where some of the stars were indeed Spanish (read England today). Eventually some odd relegations happened (read Celta Vigo, Zaragoza, Betis, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Real Sociedad), debts accumulated and when the call came a vast number of clubs crumbled Pompey-style. A warning if there every was one, not that Scudamore will care. Meanwhile the football agents (i.e. the property developers of the pre global recession) rejoice. Not for long.

Back from injury. He is in the Benfica "B" team squad for this weekend's game.

Several countries have that rule, although it usually concerns locally formed players (i.e. have played at age level in the said country for at least 2/3 years). Meaning there is no actual issue with discrimination et al. but it makes clubs favour "local" produce.

The gap is too big these days, particularly in terms of the technical ability, unlike in the times of the Svenssons, Niemi (via Scotland) or Lundekvam where fitness, strength and stamina were king. The leagues up there are only marginally above the professional threshold. Good market for the likes of Celtic and 2nd-tier leagues like the Dutch, Belgian or slower-paced leagues like the Italian (weather surely a factor?), where many of them actually step up, making them a good option but a much higher cost. Apparently a good place to go for many lower league pros in the UK (think some clubs even send a few players up there on loan)? Cornelius I feel not given enough chances particularly at 20 years of age on the back of an early season injury but I would be skeptical of these 3 Norwegian signings Solskjaer made. Molde must love the PL big spenders.

He is currently (not) playing for Benfica's reserve team. A lot of hype when he went to Arsenal but he is really not that good. I even think he was given way too many chances at Espanyol. Saying that we're said to be in for Yoshida's brother. Cortese is fuming at home because it was the missing link to domination in the Japanese market that he couldn't find.

It's true that Crouch wasn't adequately marked, but come on, it's straight into the heart of the 6-yard box. Boruc was very slow to react, reacted badly (seems to just dive out rather than meet the flight of the ball) and it does seem like it came off him.

Not a great 2nd half and our good start just fizzled out too soon. If anyone is wondering why Schneiderlin isn't making the French team yet, the answer is those who start these days can shoot, he can't! Same goes for Cork. Even then, Jack is clearly our most in form player, although I do agree that today Steven Davis was our MOM. He has the energy, is as neat as you can find in the PL and on a chart his performance line could be drawn with a ruler comfortably above the middle point across the whole season, but our front players apart from him left the pitch on 25 minutes. Stoke are still a terrible team. I see no difference between last season and now in terms of the well-known direct long pass, boring game of theirs, apart from having a worse manager. They and WBA are still my two favorites for relegation.

Fulham, West Brom and Stoke. I don't think that Stoke have that much in them despite today. Their football has not changed, Odemwingie has let success get the best of him and Mark Hughes is simply not a transformational manager, the way QPR stayed up with him was ridiculous as proven later on last season. West Brom well, Clarke couldn't turn them around, I can't help but think that there are a lot of one season wonders in that squad (either that or Hodgson patented their form). Pepe Mel was probably the most overrated manager in Spanish football, and despite selling half of the team that Betis side is really not that terrible, despite results not really having improved. I am very much convinced that WBA won't give him the background support we gave Pochettino, so I can't see anything changing for them. I can't understand the sale of Shane Long either... Norwich will never be better than this under ****pants Hughton but the man himself has enough nerve to see it through. Same with Laudrup who will pick up a couple of wins as Swansea sleepwalk to the end of the season. Crystal Palace is a tough one for me. Pulis has changed the place but the squad is still the same. I trust him to keep improving them when they get stuck. Out of the named 3 I feel Cardiff for all the fireworks may actually not have improved that much. Will be an interesting one though, they've got some signings with a lot to prove there (Zaha for a start) and Solskjaer has the authority of a successful ex-player. I think Sunderland are actually going to pull out of it quite swiftly, cup boosts included. Poyet has shown ambition and the team are buying it.

We do create enough. It's just that Rodriguez needs 300 chances to score once.

Wanyama and Schneiderlin are not having a great one..

Chambers naive there on Hangeland.

He is gifted, but his fitness and attitude let him down more often than not.

Strange signing which looked good on paper but seems like it was a folie de grandeur more than anything.

Making the most out of Clyne's fitness woes, still think he panics a bit and is sometimes caught on his back. On the right track though, and he looks brave so it's definitely looking good for him!

Pulled out according to what I read recently. Spanish clubs look decent given their broke ownership status but it's when you look at a maximum TV income of 40 million (and that's Valencia and Atletico, the rest get no more than 30) against 100 of Barça and Real Madrid (this is fixed BTW, i.e. they could finish bottom and still get the same) that you book your return flights. I suspect that eventually the two powerhouses are going to go equally bust.

Marcos Rojo. Not that good, a bit of a mentalist in terms of aggression and under no circumstance should play at CB in the Premier League. LB maybe but he does not have the pace or the discipline.

Good stuff, we are now officially on course to become the Southampton Saints....

It's all temporary. You wait for Brighton to finish below 10th and Bournemouth to only just avoid relegation and you will never hear it again.

I like Bournemouth, and I can imagine a few ST holders at SMS being at Dean Court today.

This Arter fella has been missing chance after chance...

For all the other games! Bournemouth playing quite well but Liverpool lead...nice to see Dean Court so full.

Speaking of Yeovil, anyone ever been there? I have the image of this blueprint rural town with its church, post office and pub about it...

I love how some people are trying to blame Fonte, and how he actually tries to do his job and be a defender in the PL despite his natural talent not being an exact match to perhaps that of Osvaldo. If there ever was any proof of an anti-Fonte agenda...