2011/2012 Season Thread

[delboy]

Cambridge up to third in the toilet end of football (the conference) after yet another impressive result away at Mansfield. A goal down an all and came back to win 2-1. Dare I dream of trips to the likes of Notts County or Bury in the Johnstone Paint Trophy next season? Still keeping me feet on the ground but by fuck it's been a good season for me so far!

[Shaki]

Darren Mackie is a reading champion: http://www.meldrum-pri.aberdeenshire.sch.uk/page47.html

This morning I made a firm decision that I'll never move to Oldmeldrum when I have young kids.

The Dazzler's reading champion entry isn't even that bad compared to others. Katarina Szokeova says 'I think I’m a Reading Champion because I can read.' I'm a head shaking champion.

[Soda Jerk]

There's never been an England manager who's looked for skills on the ball and passing ability when picking his midfield.

True that, hence why Paul Scholes ended up playing as a winger, despite being better than Frank Gerrard and Steven Lampard, just to accomodate the latter two. Midfield back then should have been Becks, Scholes, Murphy and whoever the hell could play on the left wing back then. I don't know who it was. Joe Cole, was it? Dyer? Sinclair? I can't remember. It doesn't matter. Why would you get the left winger to cross it in when Beckham could cross it in?

[Captain America]

Liverpool after 11 games last season: 18 points

Liverpool after 11 games this season: 19 points

100 million well spent. Oh and 'King' Kenny. Clearly still an amazing manager...

[Soda Jerk]

I love to stick the boot into Liverpool, but I think statistics hide a lot in this case. Liverpool were stagnant last season, and Roy was under so much pressure to get the best out of an awful and injury plagued Torres. This season, Liverpool are playing great football but are a bit wasteful up front. I think in terms of how their football is being played, it has improved massively, but I still think they need another striker to latch onto all the good work that Suarez and Kuyt do, bringing the ball in from wide positions. I think Carroll is in way over his head, and they could do with a poacher to just latch onto a centre back and run riot. A centre back wouldn't go amiss either.

I don't know if I rate Kenny or not though. They play good football in the midfield, but he seems to make some very strange substitutions, which leave the crowd reeling. Then again, he probably knows what he's doing more than me.

[Paranoid Android]

Madrid scored 6 goals before I'd even woke up today. They're looking bloody good right now. Could very well win la liga.

[Paranoid Android]

Kenny should only ever have been an appointment for the end of last season to sort them out. They really should have used the time to hunt for a top quality replacement who could stay on for a long spell.

[waltz]

The most amazing thing you'll see this weekend

Oh, Rooney. Cannot act at all, can he? Just sounds totally unnatural talking.

[Soda Jerk]

He sounds unnatural talking even in post game interviews. Everything is separated by "errrrm" and "y'know" and he's always itching his face and head. He wasn't put on this earth to communicate. They should keep him powered down and locked up until he is needed. Like Robocop.

[Mr Owl PhD]

I love to stick the boot into Liverpool, but I think statistics hide a lot in this case. Liverpool were stagnant last season, and Roy was under so much pressure to get the best out of an awful and injury plagued Torres. This season, Liverpool are playing great football but are a bit wasteful up front. I think in terms of how their football is being played, it has improved massively, but I still think they need another striker to latch onto all the good work that Suarez and Kuyt do, bringing the ball in from wide positions. I think Carroll is in way over his head, and they could do with a poacher to just latch onto a centre back and run riot. A centre back wouldn't go amiss either.

I don't know if I rate Kenny or not though. They play good football in the midfield, but he seems to make some very strange substitutions, which leave the crowd reeling. Then again, he probably knows what he's doing more than me.

Think I'd mostly agree with that. Liverpool are playing a lot better than they were in the first half of last season and definitely have a stronger squad that's less reliant on one or two players. I'd also agree that they need a really good goalscorer - someone a bit like Hernandez perhaps. Even when Liverpool aren't playing that well (like against Swansea yesterday) they're still getting plenty of opportunities. But for the lack of a good goalscorer and a propensity to hit the woodwork and provoke man-of-the-match performances from the opposition goalkeeper, Liverpool would be right up there. It's noticeable this weekend that the top five all won without playing at all well. Liverpool played about the same and didn't win. It's fine margins that make the difference in the end. I get the feeling that Kenny's on the case though. I get more bothered by his starting line-ups than his substitutions. I'd like to see Kuyt starting most games and Kelly in ahead of Johnson. I'd be interested to see what Bellamy might do if he started ahead of Carroll as well.

[Soda Jerk]

I'm impressed with how Suarez has adapted to the Premier League. At Ajax he was more of a Hernandez sort of player, just playing on the cuff and latching onto anything coming into the box. His scoring record was ridiculous. He hasn't got it so easy in the Premier League, but he's operating very well as a wide forward, and more of a creator. His footwork is sublime and he can just dance through anyone. I don't think Carroll quite has the mobility to play on the shoulder and constantly have to bend his runs, poaching from close range, so they could certainly use a nippy striker. As good as Gerrard can be when he plays, I think they need to be looking to replace him, as he is out of the team more often than he's in it, and they still seem reliant on him, despite no one ever knowing when he's going to play. I don't see Henderson as that player, though I do hope he comes good eventually.

They have spent alot of money, and it's not been that well invested due to young English players costing an arm and a leg, but if they bring in a striker and a number 10 sort of player, I think they'd be sorted.

[keeno]

He hasn't got it so easy in the Premier League, but he's operating very well as a wide forward, and more of a creator.

I think this is why Bellamy and Suarez probably haven't been paired. Bellamy tends to drift out wide as well. Carroll doesn't do any of this touchline nonsense. You always know he will do the target man role, something Bellamy couldn't really play. He still has pace so could maybe use him as a striker to play through the middle with but Liverpool have been doing the big guy holds it up or knocks it on and little guy runs after it thing for so long it would be hard to see them changing so drastically. The last time I remember anything like that was when they had Djibril Cisse, but he was lightning quick.

[Guest Gladstone]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15532029.stm

Good to see Langfield back playing! Fucking scary a guy of that age having seizures and the like.

[ca_gere]

Didn't manage to watch my regular number of games this weekend (5+ usually)

Only caught the man city v QPR match and the second half of the Tottenham game. Both good games. Man City starting to show that steely resolve when they aren't playing well, which is an ominous sign for the rest of the league. I do think they're due a defeat though, might happen against Newcastle actually. A scrappy 0-1 perhaps. It's scary to think that their forwards aren't even performing all that well. Aguero didn't get much space and Dzeko's touch still looks ropey. Yet they've still got a load of goals. If they start firing on all cylinders Man City will be an absolute machine.

Fulham were great value, especially in the last 15 mins or so. I like Martin Jol, Bobby Z and Clint Dempsey. They seem like good guys. Hope they put a run together.

[Paranoid Android]

[Gypsum_Fantastic]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT10xoWHXBI

[Hugh_Jazz]

Arneson looking doubtful for the next league game.....injured hammy. With us joint bottom, ICT apparently getting their acts together, Fallon and Jack banned, and Milsom and Vernon also recovering from knocks.....this could be a testing month.

Thank fuck we've got a reading champion, otherwise all hope is lost.

[Skacel]

God Bless Darren "My favourite book is Lord of the Rings although I haven’t read the book I have watched the films.The book must be good because the films are so good." Mackie.

[Adam Easy Wishes]

The unfortunate thing is that (unless the St Johnstone game gets rescheduled for this weekend - which would make total sense IMO), we'll be without Fallon and Jack for the Motherwell game, which could end up a total disaster.

[Captain America]

How could it be for this weekend when all those fantastic Aberdeen players will be off on International duty?

[Soda Jerk]

Fulham were great value, especially in the last 15 mins or so. I like Martin Jol, Bobby Z and Clint Dempsey. They seem like good guys. Hope they put a run together.

No Danny Murphy love? I may have mentioned once or twice that he's the boss. Big fan of Big Bad Brad at the back too. He seems like a super nice guy to boot. He seems to love Fulham and never wants to leave, even with the likes or Arsenal and Juve being linked with him over the years. True Cottager. Jol is a good man, but I preferred Roy. Wish he never left for Liverpool. Same with Konchesky. He was solid, but Liverpool ruined him, and now he plays in the Championship. Strange.

[Paranoid Android]

Konchesky is / was definitely good enough for a lower to middle premiership side. He'll need to get his confidence back though. He really got some horrid abuse from the "best fans in the world". Much more than he deserved, just because he was seen as Roy's signing he took stick for how badly the whole team were playing. Roy is old and wise enough with plenty of experience to get over the liverpool experience and get going again. Konchesky was probably affected a lot worse and maybe getting out out of the premiership spotlight is what he needs for a bit.

[Soda Jerk]

I think Konchesky was good enough for Liverpool as well, but the whole team was abysmal when he played for them. He took a bit of a battering, which is a shame. Roy had a tough job too, which I don't think many managers would have come out of well, trying to get the best out of a players who were once considered the best in the world but were hampered by injuries and low morale. Don't think even Fergie could have sorted that mess out. Kenny's job was made a bit easier by having substantial funds to spend when he came in, but that fact is glanced over because it's King Kenny, and it is purely the presence of the King himself which has turned Liverpool around, because he is Mr Liverpool, and Hodgeson is a bad, bad man.

[Guest Gladstone]

Selling Torres was something Liverpool should have done ages ago. What did he have, one good season? That was a massive shot in the arm for Liverpool. They shouldn't have went out and bought Andy Carrol though - especially not for £35m or thereabouts. Ridiculous. They could have spent that much more wisely and been a better team for it now.

[Soda Jerk]

I'd say Torres had two good seasons, and still played well between the injuries. I'd say it was Rafa's last season and Roy's brief reign where he lost it. Still, they got alot of money for him, but somehow blew nearly all of it on a player who also had just had one good season, in the Championship.