How the season is shaping up

[Thalamus]

Big game for Liverpool next week...can we rise to the challenge

If we fail to get a result then we need a big favour from our bluenose friends.

[jacko1]

With a game in hand having played 9 away games including Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Villa, Citeh and Redknapp's Spurs to seven home games. Come on Jacko, get a bit of a clue. Liverpool have spurned the chance to be a fair few more points ahead of the pack. He's right, you have to agree with that.

You still use too many smilies by the way.

maybe but we are talking about the best team in europe aint we?and with the best player in the world, so taking all things into consideration maybe thier not as good as they/you like to think,at the end of the day we are top of the league, even giving utd 3 points for thier game in hand we would still be top,yet we are shit?doesnt make sense does it mate?yeah we've made mistakes at home but we have made up for that with our away form,who was it said the league doesnt lie?forget about utd then why aint chelsea/arsenal above us?oh i see we have had the easiest set of fixtures of them all heh get a grip man.and all without a smiley.

[Imran]

But damn it I liked those days! My heart cant stand a tight race anymore!

Yeah, but at least you have that privelige! We have been nowhere near!

Also why do people keep on talking about Liveprool fans saying this is our year??

No chance, every Pool fan I have met thinks Chelsea are gonna runa way witht he title this year.

Nothing this weekend made me think otherwise!

No chance Liverpool are gonna win the title, based upon the last few Home results, same old story settling for draws with lesser teams. I think its all aout match winners and Liverpool and Arsenal dont have the quality of match winners that Chelsea and Utd have, albeit I think Utd have more in Tevez, Berba, Rooney and Ronny.

Oh well heres hoping Rafas revolution prove me wrong!

[BBK]

hmmm and we are still 6 points ahead of you,dont say much for you then does it

maybe but we are talking about the best team in europe aint we?and with the best player in the world, so taking all things into consideration maybe thier not as good as they/you like to think,at the end of the day we are top of the league, even giving utd 3 points for thier game in hand we would still be top,yet we are shit?doesnt make sense does it mate?yeah we've made mistakes at home but we have made up for that with our away form,who was it said the league doesnt lie?forget about utd then why aint chelsea/arsenal above us?oh i see we have had the easiest set of fixtures of them all heh get a grip man.and all without a smiley.

I recall last year someone here claiming that United were overrated because of the bad start to the season, and look what happened. Quite honestly I believe we are playing well below our capabilities, for whatever reason. I don't think Berbatov is fitting in at all, Tevez looks half the man he did last year, and Ronaldo wants to fall over and then leave the pitch at every opportunity. Its not looking overly good for us, but like I said earlier in the thread, and Walter made clear, you look at where United have dropped points and where Liverpool have dropped points and to me it suggests we are in a good position to catch and overtake. All our hard away games are done - Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Villa, Citeh, and yes, we dropped points in every one of those games. But we've only dropped 2 at home so far this season, and if we keep up our home record when those 5 sides come to visit then we will win the league again.

Btw if you think scoreless draws against Fulham, West Ham and Stoke, and being 2-0 down to Hull are just mistakes thats of course your opinion, but its one I don't agree with. Personally I would classify them as major fuck ups. Thats 8 points dropped there that by anyones standards you should have won, and lets be honest, if you were 9 points clear at the top, and 15 ahead of United, we would pretty much all be in agreement that it was your season, or at least yours to throw away. As things stand, 4 draws at home in succession against sides well below your calibre is 8 points lost and that will tell at the end of the season.

The league does not lie - but we're not halfway through yet, and I've seen it telling many fibs before now

[ant3b]

I feel sad.. MY poor team...!!

[pratman]

lets all remember how well united play in the second half of any season, yes they are going to be overloaded for games in january, but its fair to say that liverpool will be caught by bth cleseal and manunited, the reason i say this is that liverpool has dropped all these points againts teams that will be finishing very low in the league at HOME, this is before any of these teams have even begun fighting relegation, now liverpool have to go to these grounds and get restuls against teams that will be 'up for it' against the big teams and liverpool just cannot handle the hutle and bustle of the lower teams that like to get stuck in.

i still think that this championship will be just between man united and chelsea, liverpool i think have just been fortunate with how long they have stuck around at the top, but once they drop off the top of the league i dont see them getting back to the top.

one other thing, wasnt it just great to see carragher scoring in his own net this weekend, i loved it

[BBK]

one other thing, wasnt it just great to see carragher scoring in his own net this weekend, i loved it

quite honestly he does it so often now its beginning to get a little dull!

[jacko1]

I recall last year someone here claiming that United were overrated because of the bad start to the season, and look what happened. Quite honestly I believe we are playing well below our capabilities, for whatever reason. I don't think Berbatov is fitting in at all, Tevez looks half the man he did last year, and Ronaldo wants to fall over and then leave the pitch at every opportunity. Its not looking overly good for us, but like I said earlier in the thread, and Walter made clear, you look at where United have dropped points and where Liverpool have dropped points and to me it suggests we are in a good position to catch and overtake. All our hard away games are done - Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Villa, Citeh, and yes, we dropped points in every one of those games. But we've only dropped 2 at home so far this season, and if we keep up our home record when those 5 sides come to visit then we will win the league again.

dropped points are dropped points mate doesnt matter where you drop them,yeah we've dropped points where we shouldnt but also took points where we wouldnt of in previous seasons,oh and having played all your hard games away doesnt that also mean you still got to play your hard games at home?all those teams you mentioned are capable of taking points of you at home as well.it just makes for a very interesting season and imo whoever starts to fire on all cylinders first can go on and win the league,but as you well know top is top and thats all you can aim for how you get there doesnt matter and at the moment just remind me who is on the top?

[BBK]

dropped points are dropped points mate doesnt matter where you drop them,yeah we've dropped points where we shouldnt but also took points where we wouldnt of in previous seasons,oh and having played all your hard games away doesnt that also mean you still got to play your hard games at home?all those teams you mentioned are capable of taking points of you at home as well.it just makes for a very interesting season and imo whoever starts to fire on all cylinders first can go on and win the league,but as you well know top is top and thats all you can aim for how you get there doesnt matter and at the moment just remind me who is on the top?

Agreed, all Im trying to say is the table may be a little misleading where United are concerned because we've played all those teams away, which are generally points you would accept losing, if you catch my drift. Losing at home to Liverpool isn't embarassing at a footballing level because they are a good team, its the personal hurt! Less so with Chelsea and Arsenal, you lose to those teams and you can at least say that they are great sides. Not sure you can say the same about some of the teams you've lost points to at home, esp. when United have beaten 3 of the same teams (yet to play Fulham).

I do think you are right about whoever is the first to fire though. It could be Torres, it could be Drogba, it could be Ronaldo, but what I think we know is that ONE of those players will recover from their injuries in time to fire their team to the title. I just hope the extra fitness of Ronaldo will tell

[Thalamus]

Utd fans make me laugh. As soon as Liverpool are top of the league then its "Liverpool are lucky" or the "league is misleading" statements yet when Utd or Chelsea are top all we hear is "the league never lies".

Go figure

[WalterPill]

No, it's not that at all. It's just that home advantage REALLY does count and should be taken into consideration when you're analysing a season up to a certain point and gauging how it's going to pan out for its remainder. To disregard that is, quite frankly, a little shortsighted/moronic.

[BBK]

Utd fans make me laugh. As soon as Liverpool are top of the league then its "Liverpool are lucky" or the "league is misleading" statements yet when Utd or Chelsea are top all we hear is "the league never lies".

Go figure

Whilst I agree with what Walter says I do understand what you are saying, and it does seem a somewhat cheap argument. In defence, I can't ever remember any of the top teams having a run of away games like that in their first 15 or so games. Add that to our fixture congestion we are going to be a long way behind, and I'd rather have the points on the board than the games in hand.

[DelTrotter]

channel 5 have the World club championship dont they?
this could be there only stumbling block for Utd .
Carrick has impressed me immensely hes Utds Pirlo apart from the free kicks of course, but he can shoot when he wants!!

is this Tosic got his work permit yet??

[pratman]

channel 5 have the World club championship dont they?
this could be there only stumbling block for Utd .
Carrick has impressed me immensely hes Utds Pirlo apart from the free kicks of course, but he can shoot when he wants!!

is this Tosic got his work permit yet??

Tosic has got his work permit but the papers were saying that he is now no longer agreeing terms to now its all on him whether this deal goes through in january or not, but they did appeal and the appeal was a sucess.

So tomorrow morning channel 5 have the games on cuz i know the first game is due to kick off on thursday morning

[BBK]

Yup 10:30 on channel 5 tomorrow morning, can't wait. Should be a walk in the park, and of course it won't be.

Tosic is stalling on personal terms, apparently he wants more than we are offering, who knows. Could all be total paper bollocks for all we know.

[BBK]

Just wanted to bump this. This season is going mad, I don't think my heart can take much more. We have no idea who is going to win the league this year - currently 4 teams are within touching distance, will probably be 5 when Arsenal play Hull later. And its even closer at the bottom - 10 teams are within 3 points of the bottom, just incredible stuff. Simply the most exciting league in the World.

[DelTrotter]

Simply the most exciting league in the World.

its so boring now thou, i see the premier league being what serie A was like during there boom in the 80's /90's

Just too much money involved now and the beautiful game is being turned into defensive battle. where set pieces are the key needs asmiley for yawn!!
Barca's mantra is the greatest thing in the world. "were here to win but also to entertain you!"

This is Liverpools last chance to win this league for a good long while!! If they dont now its gonna be another 10 years or more!!

[BBK]

I agree to some extent Del, but which games do you think are defensive battles? Yes, maybe the smaller teams go to places like United, Liverpool, Chelsea etc hoping to hold out for the draw, but I don't see those big teams going out to play a safe game, hoping to snatch a single goal then sit on it. Yes, United have had a lot of 1-0 wins this season, but they haven't played a defensive game in any of those, they have been attacking throughout, just been very poor at doing so! Look how Chelsea went at Stoke yesterday, it was attack after attack, similarly with Arsenal at Hull.

I don't think we will ever see the Italian mentality slip into our game.

[Lighty]

needs asmiley for yawn!!

:emot107: that'll have to do there are lots in the smilies list you know

[DelTrotter]

I agree to some extent Del, but which games do you think are defensive battles? Yes, maybe the smaller teams go to places like United, Liverpool, Chelsea etc hoping to hold out for the draw, but I don't see those big teams going out to play a safe game, hoping to snatch a single goal then sit on it. Yes, United have had a lot of 1-0 wins this season, but they haven't played a defensive game in any of those, they have been attacking throughout, just been very poor at doing so! Look how Chelsea went at Stoke yesterday, it was attack after attack, similarly with Arsenal at Hull.

I don't think we will ever see the Italian mentality slip into our game.

right been scanning the stats (ESPN is god) through the last few seasons and definetly scores between the top teams and small teams are decreasing. That can be put down to the smaller teams adopting the 'Bolton' style maybe and putting ten men behind the ball and hoping for some luck. so games are definetly becoming more tactical and defensive as you pointed out. But the games involving the top teams, (i need to check the stats on where the goal was scored from) but my initial reaction is that more and more of the goals between the top teams are from Set pieces which is boring lets be frank!! but more research is needed tbh.

La liga is the greatest league , it provides the best quality and best football IMO.

Real Madrid for an outside bet for Champions league get on it