English Premier League thread

IMO Carlo did a wonderfull job with an ageing team.
I also think Hiddink will come.
He is preparing an elegant exit as national coach of Turkey: he said himself that if Turkey don't win their next two matches against Austria and Belgium, he will consider himself a failure and will resign...


I have a feeling that the most important moment of this season (and the turning point)was off the pitch: the sacking of Ray Wilkins. From that moment on, things went downhill for Chelsea.

Ancelotti is the victim of the fact that Chelsea did not want to invest in new players for an ageing squad. And when they decided to invest big (Torres) they took the balance out of the team and gave the coach a player who he didn't need.
 
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:LOL: Shocking decision, Chelsea aren't far off, all they needed was to restructure their side by getting 2 top signings.

Someone like Sanchez, Pastore and even Neymar who are comfortable as an inside forward cutting in and scoring and creating and along with that get a deep playmaker like Banega or Modric to replace Mikel who does nothing and they'll be a force.
 
Alex McLeish has resigned as Birmingham manager via email.

:LOL:
 
What an idiot. On the other hand, mostly it's the manager that get sacked in a silly way, now it's the other way round...so why not?
 
They decided not to interview McClaren due to fan backlash so he goes after this guy instead? It doesn't make sense.
 
Mc Laren is a very good manager. I'm pretty confident that he would have had the time that was given to both Eriksson and Capello, he would have been the best of the three. He did well at both Twente and Boro.
Wolfsburg was not a success, but that team went completely downhill after he was sacked.

PS: Did not now it was Mc Cleish, always thought the guy was called Mc Leish.
 
gerd said:
Mc Laren is a very good manager. I'm pretty confident that he would have had the time that was given to both Eriksson and Capello, he would have been the best of the three. He did well at both Twente and Boro.
Wolfsburg was not a success, but that team went completely downhill after he was sacked.

PS: Did not now it was Mc Cleish, always thought the guy was called Mc Leish.
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You're right, typo on my part :)
 
Shteve's a better manager than McCleish but their reputations in this country probably say the opposite.
 
Does anyone here apart from me think Jarvis is a decent player? I'd rather see him playing for a better club, maybe push his potential further.
 
I agree Lami, IMO he is more than decent. He deserves a better team, but at times Wolves were playing good football last season...
 
I think he's decent, again its harsh to criticize him if I've only seen him play 4-5 full games. but he did seem to be he main concern for opposition defences
 
gerd said:
I agree Lami, IMO he is more than decent. He deserves a better team, but at times Wolves were playing good football last season...
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Yea they were. I did enjoy some of their performances all season, and couldn't help at times but think this fella should play elsewhere and put his skills to the test, see how her performs around a better bunch.
 
He was very good earlier on last season, although when teams caught onto the fact he was a dangerman and set-up accordingly, he was a bit subdued.
 
He should go to Villa. To replace Young or potentially Downing.

Would be good for him and club.
 
Lami said:
Does anyone here apart from me think Jarvis is a decent player? I'd rather see him playing for a better club, maybe push his potential further.
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Linked with Liverpool a lot during January, obviously nothing ever came of it though.
 
What do you people think about the Mc Leish saga and the reaction of both sets of fans...
I think the way Villa fans react is completelhy ridiculous. I don't rate Mc Leish high, but being opposed to him because he comes from Birmingham is ridiculous..the Guardian called it "lazy tribalism"...i agree with that.
 
I think Villa fans are more concerned with the fact their board appointed a manager who has relegated their bitter rivals twice within the last three years, rather than this being simple, petty tribalism.

But Villa fans got what they deserved for opposing the appointment of McClaren.
 
Villa fans are like that. They had a go at David O'Leary, unfurling a banner saying, "We're not fickle, we just dont like you", they had go at O'Neill for walking out, unfurled a banner saying, "Had enough. Houllier out", last season.

Personally I don't know if McLaren will ever be a credible manager in England again, as his image has been tarnished so much in the press, which is a little unfair on him, although is "Dutchglish" didn't help himself. I'm also not sure that he plays the sort of football a lot a fans desire in the Premier League, and he is coming off a rather poor spell in charge of Wolfsburg, which has undermined his sucess in the Netherlands.

I think Maarten Jol would have been a good choice but Fulham have beaten Villa to him.
 
It seems as if Villa are a club going downhill (whereas Fulham is going uphill). That comes as a surprise to me...a couple of seasons ago it seemed as if they would threaten the big four...and now they spend quite some time fighting releagation. On top of that they will loose important players and have a fairly average and uninspiring manager.
 
So true I remember Villa being such a force . Looking back they were more of a hiccup though. 1 season proves that plus, the board never back the manager enough (Oneil)and once a manager feels that it`s down hill. Young n downing leaving blows the roof off the building imo.
 
Yeah Villa are on the down and it's a real shame.

I'd be really opposed to the McLeish appointment as well but it's happened now.... might as well get behind the man but it's a weird one indeed. Not only does he not deserve the job but he's coming from direct rivals, nobody likes him in Birmingham anymore. Not Villa fans and certainly not Birmingham ones. At last the two sets of fans have something they actually agree on then. :D :LOL: Both hate him!
 
Villa were in a really good position in 09 but the problem was O'Neill spent lots of money poorly and didn't like a squad game. he really got the backing from the board to break the top 4 but didn't use it well.
 
YoungGun_UK said:
Villa were in a really good position in 09 but the problem was O'Neill spent lots of money poorly and didn't like a squad game. he really got the backing from the board to break the top 4 but didn't use it well.
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What is O'Neill doing now? Is he still out of job? It's very quiet around him. I always liked him as a manager...but i agree that he did not buy the right players for Villa.
 
I actually think he did buy the right players for the most part including the likes of Young who gave great service and are now being sold for profit and overall did a very good job.

But as soon as he quit, you know things would go downhill and they have...

Yes Gerd, still out of a job. Waiting for the right team and opportunity. He's linked to every single job since his resignation from Villa but he's obviously a very picky man, I'd be the same.
 
I thought Young was a Villa youth product (and i think the same about Barry, Agbonlahor).
If they aren't youth products than he has indeed bought the right players (considering he also bought Milner, Laursen and that good Spanish defender).

I was thinking about Carew and Heskey, who weren't the best pieces of trade he did.

It seems to me that he has a rather bad image for most of our English friends in here...


PLF, i have a feeling Newcastle could be strong next season, they have bought good players and are linked with good players...(oh and when i predict something similar, the that team will face relegation...i put a spell on teams without wanting to...i had high hopes for Hull's second season too...and i also thought West Han had a decent team last season). What are your thoughts on Newcastle for nest season?
 
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Who have they got so far apart from Cabaye? I have been a little out of the loop but they've got 1 great player in him who could well have been Cesc' replacement at Arsenal for example and Wenger's been after for awhile but on the other hand have lost Kevin Nolan whose simply inspirational! Captain, star player and unlike Cabaye doesn't have to do any adjusting and was already one of EPL's most effective.

And some say Barton might leave as well. Now Nolan and Barton are hardly most people's two favourite players but the two of them were Newcastle's best players last season along with Enrique and Tiote closely following and a HUGE part of keeping them up.

I don't rate Pardew as manager either. Probably one of the worst in the EPL. He's really a 2nd division manager really, has just got lucky to be in a big job in EPL right now probably due to friendship with fat Mike Ashley. Otherwise he's done nothing to merit this job and if you look at his previous experiences and how he's done, it's amazing that he's coaching Newcastle in EPL.

Oh in regards to Ashley Young, no Gerd, don't you remember him playing for Watford and shining in their sole EPL season a few years back under young manager Adie Boothroyd who at the time was being tipped for great things? Villa actually paid quite a lot of $$$ to get him then. But it was a wise investment as Young got better and better and helped club with great performances and ultimately earn them profit as well.

I think they'll struggle to be honest. They have a few really good players in that squad but overall, the balance might not be right and the good players are foreigners who could probably care less about Newcastle and see them as little more than the company who pays their hefty paychecks. I don't expect guys like Cabaye or Ben Arfa to put their bodies on the line for them in line of duty and this could be a problem.

EDIT: By the way, Carew was a decent purchase I thought. Sure he's been crap over last 12-18 months but at beginning, he was quite effective and actually helped the team a lot. Heskey didn't cost much and brought a lot of experience and has been injured a lot. Martin O'Neil did pretty well overall even in terms of acquisitions in my opinion and yeah Gareth Barry and Agbonlahor are Villa youth products. Not Young though. By the Spanish defender, I'm assuming you mean Carlos Cuellar formerly of Rangers and Osasuna.
 
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