Official Premiership Thread

I didn't think the Emirates deal ran out this season. Hmm...

The Chosen1 wrote:What about a return for El Tel?

It's been rumoured. Big time. But back as DoF, not manager. And at least he has some knowledge of Spanish football culture which might help in working with Ramos. Plus he was IIRC Britain's first Director of Football when he helped Sugar buy out Scholar.

Commolli is justifiably being the one linked with the axe as he has final say and the story goes that a deadline day deal for Milito was only scuppered because of his wage demands - something Commolli knew would be an issue but didn't tell Levy about.

My only worry is that the 12 games we appear to have given Ramos takes us either to the half-way point, which would be too late, or if it means all competitions, then it's long enough to go out of all 3 cups.

And the plan was Asharvin and Pavlyuchenko as a pairing - they've played well together before and woould have helped each other settle. As it is, workrate is fine, final ball is iffy, defence is solid, but we just have too many attacking players who don't want to shoot or are low on confidence and luck.

The Real JK wrote:I didn't think the Emirates deal ran out this season. Hmm...

It's not the emirates!

ShowStealer wrote:

The Real JK wrote:I didn't think the Emirates deal ran out this season. Hmm...

It's not the emirates!

I know that silly boy! Though it does look remarkably like it!

Was just trying to join in

The Real JK wrote:

ShowStealer wrote:

The Real JK wrote:I didn't think the Emirates deal ran out this season. Hmm...

It's not the emirates!

I know that silly boy! Though it does look remarkably like it!

Was just trying to join in

You've certainly been working on your lying lawyer skills since the forum went down!

ShowStealer wrote:

The Real JK wrote:

ShowStealer wrote:

The Real JK wrote:I didn't think the Emirates deal ran out this season. Hmm...

It's not the emirates!

I know that silly boy! Though it does look remarkably like it!

Was just trying to join in

You've certainly been working on your lying lawyer skills since the forum went down!

I do know what the Emirates looks like.

The Real JK wrote:

ShowStealer wrote:

The Real JK wrote:

ShowStealer wrote:

The Real JK wrote:I didn't think the Emirates deal ran out this season. Hmm...

It's not the emirates!

I know that silly boy! Though it does look remarkably like it!

Was just trying to join in

You've certainly been working on your lying lawyer skills since the forum went down!

I do know what the Emirates looks like.

two punchlines here, one from smash's past. choose your favourite:

classic smash: Yeah, the stadium with the giant "Arse" outside (and a load more inside)

Generic JK dig: You mean you've been there? Some of your posts, you could have fooled us

The Real JK wrote:

ShowStealer wrote:

The Real JK wrote:

ShowStealer wrote:

The Real JK wrote:I didn't think the Emirates deal ran out this season. Hmm...

It's not the emirates!

I know that silly boy! Though it does look remarkably like it!

Was just trying to join in

You've certainly been working on your lying lawyer skills since the forum went down!

I do know what the Emirates looks like.

Yeah, it has a completely different roof, doesn't have Coca-Cola written on it and isn't in Portugal!!

I just watched some clips from the last series of Harry and Paul.

I now really want to see a real manager call the referee a tit!

Well, we've got a couple of boobs in charge...does that help?

Get Paul Whitehouse to say it and it might. It's the way he delivers "I feel the referee is a tit" and you can picture almost Mourinho or Wenger saying it!

Ok, so spurs strength is playing on the ground, Stoke's is their height....

So far, Stoke had a clear chance playing on the ground and Spurs had a shot blocked with direct route play...

And when that identity crisis was resolved:

Bale was hauled off the ball before the red card challenge in the route one penalty incident

Spurs passed the ball about and an offside Bent slots the ball home.

So if the correct decisions had been made by the ref, we'd still have a pretty chance-less 0-0!

Not good enough

What's your excuse for not being at the game?

I had a choice:

1. Accept a free ticket from work, one of 15 season tickets from Stoke Chairman Peter Coates to bet365, run by.....uhhhhmmm....Peter Coates. This would have meant sitting in amongst the home support. Now we had a bad reputation 30 years ago, their support had a bad reputation about 30 days ago...

2. Get a ticket for the away end from the club. As I work for a betting company, it's rare I wasn't working when we played, so even the Lillywhite membership package was basically money for nothing, so I hadto wait for general sale. The club website advertised the game as "availiable to Bronze/lillywhite members" for 3 weeks after their application dealine. The day I found out about that deadline and that I might have been able to get one, they updated hat and EVERY OTHER GAME FOR A MONTH as simultaneously sold out. My parents had already arranged the money for the ticket for my birthday a few days ago. Gutted

I can't even go out to a pub to watch - I'm not sitting in a stoke pub watching stoke get outplayed surrounded by drunk stoke fans who may or may not be banned members of the old "naughty forties"...

Have some cans and a widescreen TV though.

And we really are looking the better side now

Bloody West Ham, most of the time I would be happy to see them beat, but at the moment I will cheer on anyone who plays Hull but no one seems willing to beat them.

Aw crap!

Did hutton just get booked for Sonko kneeing Sorensen in the back of the head???

Certainly his clash was a 50-50 challenge on a loose ball - it's Sonko who caused him to grab his head

----------------------------------------------------

This ain't looking good for Corluka. took a bad blow to the face - maybe two - in that exchange and they've got more bboards than a Newquay surfing shop out there now. Woody seemed to indicate the jaw, but from the recovery position and the extra oxygen tanks that came on I'd say he's been out cold, possibly swallowed his tongue.

Not good.

That's a you-tube moment if ever I saw one!

What the fuck is happening to spurs! Dawson sent off now?!

The ref became really jumpy after the Sorensen and Corluka injuries - every time someone was even nudged the whistle went off. He was bad enoigh beforehand, but after those he became ridiculous.

Dawson played the ball, his red was disgraceful - but so was his reaction.

Overall, they deserved the win today - rightly or wrongly they made the most of the extra man.

And because of a rota issue, I've now got to back in tomorrow. Boy, that'll be fun...

Oh dear...

Saw levy reach for his mobile after the second red. Could well be "bye bye Ramos" tonight

And why can't sky pundits admit the ref was an overzealous jumpy bar steward. Even Andy Gray could see that and said as much.

I just saw the replay of Dawson's challenge. Might not have been malicious, but his studs were up, missed the ball, and could have broken the man's leg. Straight red in my book.

I thought that was a definite red card. Dawson's reaction was nothing short of disgraceful and if I were the FA I would whack another couple of games onto whatever ban he gets.

Morton won yesterday so it looks like just Spurs and Grimsby without a league win to their name this season.

Yeah, Dawson's reaction, as I said, was disgraceful, but he did play the ball - they showed the replay a few times straight away. He played it but then the foot rolled over the top of it. As they said - whether there was intent in THAT was a question only Dawson could answer, but he did play the ball first and as such it was in principle a fair challenge. it was the aftermatch due to momentum where the contact occurred.

Reminds me of Stevie Carr giving away a penalty against Liverpool a few years back at anfield by playing the ball...

Cant beleive how shit Spurs are this year Gari, you have a good team, glad that Hutton is back for yas tho

As the Chuckles would say: Oh dear, oh dear.

He was class today. Only put a foot wrong when trying to cross the ball, which got better over time. Ring rust which will shake off in time.

He, King, Woody and Bale will be a top back line when all available. Why King, who was fit and available didn't play, could be the difference between Ramos staying and going. If it was that a physical game like this might not suit him given his injury status so why risk him, then maybe he has a justifiable argument, but if it was to save him for midweek in the UEFA then no way will the fans accept it and the catcalls will just get worse.

Gomes is still a better keeper than Robbo was last year behind them - a great "impulsive" keeper - good shot stopper, expressive and not afraid (as proven todey even when in pain) to come out into a group to punch the ball. Only worry remains the one I always had about him - he punches when he should catch.

The problems are twofold...The midfield is too lightweight. Zokora plays only because he is, to coin a phrase, the best of a bad bunch as DM. Thud needs to become more composed and more physical, O'Hara is too small to dominate physically, and contra to popular opinion Zokora's distribution is excellent this year - he's just too often out of position and clumsy in the tackle.

And the other is Bent. Well, not Bent per se, but the fact that nonse of the newer guys seem to be able to play with him or off him. Modric hasn't settled and hasn't clicked with him, Pav has struggled to do anything of note and doesn't support him, BVentley is hit and miss with through balls to him, Campbell only works with him when he moves to the wing and crosses to him. Dos Santos isn't getting a chance, Peckhart could be recalled but is another big power striker, the kids have no experience. He has 4 goals this season, is on target to trouble 20 for the season, but whe he does it tends to be from mistakes or deflections into his path, not from cohesive support play.

For the next game, for me, this has to be the line-up we look at:

...................Gomes
Hutton.....King.....Woodgate.....Bale
......Huddlestone.....Zokora
Bentley .......................... Campbell
..................Modric
.................. Bent

Gives extra protection to Modric and thus a more solid line-up, and a free role behind Bent may work better for him. Campbell is capable of good crosses and support play from the left, and Bale and Bentley provide the deadball and precision passing. If it still doesn't work, there's an obvious swap of Campbell and Modric to give a flat pair up front, as well as Gio being available for the free role or O'Hara for more defensive work.

I heard on the radio that King can only play one game every 3 weeks,that's not much use.

That's more how often he has played. he supposedly is ok for every other game, maybe one every 2 weeks at hectic times, and it is supposed to be improving gradually