New year

Now that we've (finally) regained a place in the top four I'm hoping we'll have the class to stay there. As I mentioned before (somewhere) I reckon The Arsenal and ManU are top four, not sure which other two teams will join us.
Meanwhile, more defensive problems - imagine four full-backs out injured and now we've lost Vermaelen for a few weeks. Who can we find to temporarily fill in at left-back - not Wayne Bridge surely?
When can we expect to see TH playing for The Arsenal again - against Leeds in the FA Cup? TH scores a hat-trick against Leeds, that'd be good!
Methinks 2012 will throw up a few shocks - like yesterday's results at Old Trafford and Fulham (that's Stamford Bridge, Fulham) - good innit, football???!!!

jpr60 wrote:Now that we've (finally) regained a place in the top four I'm hoping we'll have the class to stay there. As I mentioned before (somewhere) I reckon The Arsenal and ManU are top four, not sure which other two teams will join us.
Meanwhile, more defensive problems - imagine four full-backs out injured and now we've lost Vermaelen for a few weeks. Who can we find to temporarily fill in at left-back - not Wayne Bridge surely?
When can we expect to see TH playing for The Arsenal again - against Leeds in the FA Cup? TH scores a hat-trick against Leeds, that'd be good!
Methinks 2012 will throw up a few shocks - like yesterday's results at Old Trafford and Fulham (that's Stamford Bridge, Fulham) - good innit, football???!!!

I would say Man City will be one considering they will be finishing above you.

Couple more wins and Ades and JAY will be claiming Villa are dead certs for the top 4. Especially if they sign a 16 year old frenchman.

Going back to the original post off this thread...... Well that was very short lived wasn't it... Still fifth aint to bad is it... at least its a euro place

What a strange week it has been for results.

Seems like one is is wanting to take advantage of others dropping points.

Chance for Manu/Man City to pull away again

MrMagoo wrote:What a strange week it has been for results.

Seems like one is is wanting to take advantage of others dropping points.

Chance for Manu/Man City to pull away again

Makes you wonder if they are capable to be honest.

MrMagoo wrote:What a strange week it has been for results.

Seems like one is is wanting to take advantage of others dropping points.

Chance for Manu/Man City to pull away again

Issa funny old game, in it?

Certainly makes for an interesting season

FrenchSpur wrote:Going back to the original post off this thread...... Well that was very short lived wasn't it... Still fifth aint to bad is it... at least its a euro place

Indeed.. it looks like no one wants to finish 4th.. Looks like you Spuds have a top four place booked up.. Down to Liverpool Arsenal and Chelsea to grab the last spot it seems..

ADRIAN_1976 wrote:

FrenchSpur wrote:Going back to the original post off this thread...... Well that was very short lived wasn't it... Still fifth aint to bad is it... at least its a euro place

Indeed.. it looks like no one wants to finish 4th.. Looks like you Spuds have a top four place booked up.. Down to Liverpool Arsenal and Chelsea to grab the last spot it seems..

Chelsea look like they've got all sorts of problems. I can't see them doing much this year.

ADRIAN_1976 wrote:

FrenchSpur wrote:Going back to the original post off this thread...... Well that was very short lived wasn't it... Still fifth aint to bad is it... at least its a euro place

Indeed.. it looks like no one wants to finish 4th.. Looks like you Spuds have a top four place booked up.. Down to Liverpool Arsenal and Chelsea to grab the last spot it seems..

Dont go saying that.... We could do our usual slip up and end up lucky to be in the Europa.... Maybe not this year but we sort of come to expect something to happen...

Anyway its nice to be able to have a dig at the goons and I shall make the most of it while it lasts.....

Arsenal look in a better place than Chelsea to get a top 4 spot IMO. They look capable of winning 5/6 in a row, Chelsea don't.

jpr60 wrote:Now that we've (finally) regained a place in the top four I'm hoping we'll have the class to stay there. As I mentioned before (somewhere) I reckon The Arsenal and ManU are top four, not sure which other two teams will join us.
Meanwhile, more defensive problems - imagine four full-backs out injured and now we've lost Vermaelen for a few weeks. Who can we find to temporarily fill in at left-back - not Wayne Bridge surely?
When can we expect to see TH playing for The Arsenal again - against Leeds in the FA Cup? TH scores a hat-trick against Leeds, that'd be good!
Methinks 2012 will throw up a few shocks - like yesterday's results at Old Trafford and Fulham (that's Stamford Bridge, Fulham) - good innit, football???!!!

I reckon Man U, Citeh and Spurs are top 4 certs but difficult to call out of Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal who will get that last spot.

Well, I'll stick with ManU and The Arsenal as Top Four (and I don't give a toss who the other two are)!
Mind you, with a ref like we had against Fulham yesterday it looks as though just about anything might happen.
I know it's difficult but I truly believe the level of refereeing is actually diminishing, year by year. There were several piss-poor refereeing decisions/non-decisions yesterday - Senderos tripped Gervinho in the box in clear sight - nothing, Riise pushed Walcott over, two-handed from behind then ran off with the ball again in full view of the ref - nothing - it's as if the ref doesn't know what he's doing (similar to the previous match against Wolves). It's pretty frustrating and difficult to retain respect for these blokes - still, "what goes around" I suppose.

jpr60 wrote:Well, I'll stick with ManU and The Arsenal as Top Four (and I don't give a toss who the other two are)!
Mind you, with a ref like we had against Fulham yesterday it looks as though just about anything might happen.
I know it's difficult but I truly believe the level of refereeing is actually diminishing, year by year. There were several piss-poor refereeing decisions/non-decisions yesterday - Senderos tripped Gervinho in the box in clear sight - nothing, Riise pushed Walcott over, two-handed from behind then ran off with the ball again in full view of the ref - nothing - it's as if the ref doesn't know what he's doing (similar to the previous match against Wolves). It's pretty frustrating and difficult to retain respect for these blokes - still, "what goes around" I suppose.

So the better team didn't win then..... As for your manager moaning about the decisions that went against you I think he has a cheek. The amount of times he never saw it in the past when you got away with murder is just beyond the pale.

Your ot gave up in the second half and were beaten fair and square.

The ref was awful yesterday, but if Arsenal should have killed Fulham off in the first half.

Ezekiel 25:17 wrote:The ref was awful yesterday, but if Arsenal should have killed Fulham off in the first half.

Seems to me that the stock reason for losing these days is to blame the ref....

FrenchSpur wrote:

Ezekiel 25:17 wrote:The ref was awful yesterday, but if Arsenal should have killed Fulham off in the first half.

Seems to me that the stock reason for losing these days is to blame the ref....

See I didn't say that the reason we lost yesterday was the ref, it was cos we didn't bury Fulham first half and our defence was poor (keeper coming and not getting, or not getting properly plus make-shift left-back out of position). However, a contributing factor to our only having a one-goal advantage at half-time was through rank bad refereeing (missed a clear penalty - not even a might-have-been, a clear trip in the area) and that standard of refereeing went throughout the match. What I'm saying is that nowadays most refereeing is poor. In the old/older days there were a couple of decent refs, a couple of iffy refs - you knew them by name at the time - nowadays I cannot think of who is a decent ref. I thought Webb was OK at first but he cocks up on a regular basis just like all the rest. I no longer know the refs by name, they're all sh!te!

jpr60 wrote:

FrenchSpur wrote:

Ezekiel 25:17 wrote:The ref was awful yesterday, but if Arsenal should have killed Fulham off in the first half.

Seems to me that the stock reason for losing these days is to blame the ref....

See I didn't say that the reason we lost yesterday was the ref, it was cos we didn't bury Fulham first half and our defence was poor (keeper coming and not getting, or not getting properly plus make-shift left-back out of position). However, a contributing factor to our only having a one-goal advantage at half-time was through rank bad refereeing (missed a clear penalty - not even a might-have-been, a clear trip in the area) and that standard of refereeing went throughout the match. What I'm saying is that nowadays most refereeing is poor. In the old/older days there were a couple of decent refs, a couple of iffy refs - you knew them by name at the time - nowadays I cannot think of who is a decent ref. I thought Webb was OK at first but he cocks up on a regular basis just like all the rest. I no longer know the refs by name, they're all sh!te!

I think it is all down to having TV cameras at the games. You get to see it in slo mo all the time. I think the standard of Refs is a lot higher then in days past.

FrenchSpur wrote:

jpr60 wrote:

FrenchSpur wrote:

Ezekiel 25:17 wrote:The ref was awful yesterday, but if Arsenal should have killed Fulham off in the first half.

Seems to me that the stock reason for losing these days is to blame the ref....

See I didn't say that the reason we lost yesterday was the ref, it was cos we didn't bury Fulham first half and our defence was poor (keeper coming and not getting, or not getting properly plus make-shift left-back out of position). However, a contributing factor to our only having a one-goal advantage at half-time was through rank bad refereeing (missed a clear penalty - not even a might-have-been, a clear trip in the area) and that standard of refereeing went throughout the match. What I'm saying is that nowadays most refereeing is poor. In the old/older days there were a couple of decent refs, a couple of iffy refs - you knew them by name at the time - nowadays I cannot think of who is a decent ref. I thought Webb was OK at first but he cocks up on a regular basis just like all the rest. I no longer know the refs by name, they're all sh!te!

I think it is all down to having TV cameras at the games. You get to see it in slo mo all the time. I think the standard of Refs is a lot higher then in days past.

You must be dreaming! Refs have always been dodgy (IMO - never liked 'em when I played either) but today they haven't a clue. Perhaps it's cos they have to think a bit now (& I'm including the linesmen here too) e.g offside has become so effin complicated - "Was he the one who was offside when the ball was played or was it the other one?" - but in the general course of a game I sometimes have the impression the ref doesn't know what he's seeing (are they listening to instructions/remarks from the assistants whilst they look non-plussed at a clear infringement, waiting to have it confirmed before they act?). The last couple of games this appears to have been the case, where clear fouls have occurred, in full view of the ref and he's done nothing. That Joey Barton sending-off yesterday was a bit similar - the ref apparently saw Barton and Johnson go head-to-head but allowed play to continue before sending off Barton for what he'd seen a few moments before. Why didn't he blow-up straight away - was he awaiting confirmation of what he'd seen (and if it didn't come he'd have let play continue)? I don't know but they're a mess - in the old days they'd have a word, the better ones would have some respect and, for the most part things would develop under control. Today it's every man for himself (and perhaps that's another factor - there's a lot of players out there conning refs left, right and centre - Barton's ace at that so if he's been conned this time all well-and-good in my book).

I think refereeing standards have declined, and if you think it's bad in the Premiership, you should see some of them in the Championship. In the more extreme cases, they really do influence the outcome of games, to the point where you almost begin to wonder about corruption. There really must be a better way.