Michael* Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Two wins in a row? I want my Sunderland back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RafSecret Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 BVB dead last in the Bundesliga, who would have guessed they'd be 18th place out of 18 teams? I must say their fans have managed to hold it together for quite sometime but it's becoming genuinely unfortunate that they're at a constant losing streak. Something isn't right, they've got a pretty good coach, some very good players but it's not coming together. James Rodriguez is out for two months thanks to a broken foot, Ramos won't play and neither will Marcelo in the Derby, plus Pepe and Modric are still injured. Those on the bench can finally get a chance to go on the field at least? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SympathysSilhouette Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 Anyone see the Steven Defour thing during Liege/Anderlecht at the weekend? Absolute madness.The irony is that it was one of the calmer/less incident-filled Standard-Anderlechts, outside of the crazy banner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 BVB dead last in the Bundesliga, who would have guessed they'd be 18th place out of 18 teams? I must say their fans have managed to hold it together for quite sometime but it's becoming genuinely unfortunate that they're at a constant losing streak. Something isn't right, they've got a pretty good coach, some very good players but it's not coming together. The Augsburg performance was absolute sewage, it made my blood boil to levels not seen since rediscovering my Sasa Curcic Villa away shirt in the back of a cupboard. You can't help feel bad for (Less Than) Ciro Immobile because he least gives off the impression that he gives a damn but his forlorn expression when something goes wrong (meaning approximately fifty times a chuffin' game) feels like it's destined to be the abiding image of the season. His toe curling, inadvertent cushioned back pass when mere yards from goal in stoppage time nearly brought up my dinner. Then again, at least Augsburg are genuinely a good team, a loss against nothingmen Freiburg at the weekend would feel truly apocalyptic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael* Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 Do I look like I feel under pressure? When I get home I'll take my wife for a nice meal somewhere, have a nice bottle of wine, then in the morning wake up and take my dogs for a walk. My life's very good. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30867193 Amazing what a couple of weeks and the continuation of a losing streak can do to your knees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael* Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 James Rodriguez is out for two months thanks to a broken foot, Ramos won't play and neither will Marcelo in the Derby, plus Pepe and Modric are still injured. Those on the bench can finally get a chance to go on the field at least? Promises to be another interesting weekend in La Liga. Victory for Ancelotti at the Calderon would almost certainly kill off whatever lingering title hopes Atleti still hold, while a home win would allow Simeone back into the frame and give a turbo boost to Barca, who could end the round just a point off the top. Provided of course, that they can negotiate an awkward trip to a snowy Bilbao. I'll be flipping a coin on Sunday - heads Bilbao/Barca, tails AFCON final. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael* Posted February 8, 2015 Share Posted February 8, 2015 What with it being awards season and all, congratulations are surely in order for the producers of 'Harry Kane', the heartwarming underdog story of a plucky young lad who, on account of defying expectations, scoring a lot of goals, 'facking running about a bit' and (most crucially of all) being English, becomes a media darling. The actor playing the central character shows great commitment to his role, although the writers will have to be mindful in future of keeping the plot grounded and not making the storylines too far-fetched. Perhaps look for someone to lodge a £40m bid for him in the shark-jumping second sequel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael* Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Two wins in a row? I want my Sunderland back! Note to self: be careful what you wish for! I've always said, I can live with being outclassed. Last night, we were beaten by an inferior team with a vastly superior work ethic. It was the type of game that any side worth their salt would have had wrapped up inside half an hour, but we seem incapable of making fast starts. Yet another case of one step forward and two steps back, every time we try and capitalise on an opportunity to slingshot ourselves up the league and away from danger, we unravel completely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Finally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael* Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Finally.The fans deserve a collective medal for watching what their team turned into under Lambert. His time at Norwich yielded a side jumping with craft and positivity, but his spell at Villa seemed to mirror that of Martin O'Neill at Sunderland. Martin became so entrenched in a mindset of not wanting to lose that his cautiousness started to bleed into the way we played. As the months ticked by, he got more and more negative, leaving the squad devoid of confidence. That kind of decline can be hard to stop once it starts, although there's still a very decent team in there if someone can get Benteke firing on all cylinders. Who would you like to see come in, Fred? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Well, it's Mad Timmy Sherwood on a three year contract but in truth there's been no desirable, obtainable candidate ringing in my ears all these months. I don't get excited by new managers and this time will certainly be no different, we all know he's a rogue Cockney gunslinger with wide eyes and a fast tongue, which is unappealing in itself but none of that is likely to determine our fate either way. Good luck, Timber, you're going to need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 Dortmund beat Mainz with a glimmer of genuine authority while Lord Sherwood of Cockney evokes Churchill to sink lunatic Nigey Pearson's Leicester. Anyone but Arsenal, Liverpool, West Brom and most of all, Bradford in the quarters! Oh and van Diagram's billion dollar snooze XI, I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael* Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Well, it's Mad Timmy Sherwood on a three year contract but in truth there's been no desirable, obtainable candidate ringing in my ears all these months. I don't get excited by new managers and this time will certainly be no different, we all know he's a rogue Cockney gunslinger with wide eyes and a fast tongue, which is unappealing in itself but none of that is likely to determine our fate either way. Good luck, Timber, you're going to need it. I was surprised when Sherwood ended up landing the Villa job, as I'd expected someone a bit more, well... not Sherwood. But as cringey as that whole 'proper football man' act can be at times, his record in the Premier League really isn't too shabby. If his ego is part of a package deal that helps him rake in some points, then so be it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael* Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 You can always count on Sunderland to do a Sunderland. Defeats like the one to Bradford are such well-trodden ground for us that I wouldn't normally be too concerned, except that Gus seems to be feeling the pressure and is starting to sound somewhat erratic. It was the fans, then it was the Valley Parade pitch (granted, it resembled a ploughed field), now it's the press. Watch out ball boys - if we lose to West Brom at the weekend, it might be your turn! Also, the media's point blank refusal to call Wayne Rooney out for diving is an embarrassment. Next thing you know, they'll be moaning about the standard of officiating while failing to see the direct link between the two issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Gus condescendingly telling off supporters for supposedly wanting the return of the Reidy/Quinny/Super Kev axis definitely spoke of a bitter man spending too much time with the thoughts inside his head. Annoys me the same way when commentators routinely decry half empty stadiums for fixtures that have been moved to inconvenient kick off times to suit the money making practices of their employers. Make that connection or shut up about it.At least Kevin Kilbland had the temerity to call Wazza Roo a diver, obviously not daunted by the thought of being barred entry from some future charity golf day. Hodgson would probably feel obliged to defend Rooney whatever the case while P. Neville is in every sense 'all jawline, no teeth'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael* Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 It's a bit of a sad state of affairs when Zinedine Kilbane is your most sensible analyst. Rooney wasn't impeded and his intention was quite obviously to wangle the penalty. Unfortunately, the ridiculous 'evasive action' arguments put forth by the likes of Hodgson and Neville are exactly what perpetuates the farce. Claiming that John Terry was having a stonker as PSG rained shots down on Courtois's goal was pretty comical too. Afterwards, ITV even highlighted how poor Chelsea looked at the back, with Ibrahimovic repeatedly given time and space to turn and face the defence. John Boy was nowhere to be seen for most of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Wouldn't be surprised if the entire 'debate' was nothing more than thinly veiled marketing for Break Your Leg or Dive, a forthcoming Saturday night game show on BBC One hosted by Gregg Wallace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael* Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 ^ Today was an improvement on recent weeks, which admittedly isn't saying much. It could have been so different had the referee been strong enough to stand up for what was right (and oh, you know, applied the rules of the game properly), but the bottom line is that it was ours to win and we lacked that bit of craft needed to open them up. Meanwhile, we really have reached peak Liverpool. Rodgers claiming his team's potential to win a tournament that they've already been eliminated from in straightforward fashion, everybody else moaning about an alleged protocol breach which actually resulted in a win against seasoned European opposition. Also, Lampard and Gerrard both turned their hand to punditry this week, but can they co-exist in the same studio? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Well if that doesn't finally put to rest the tired neutral notion that Ron Vlaar is actually brilliant then I don't know what will. Three years of average to below average service with a good World Cup sandwiched in between doesn't cut it with me, for a man allegedly made of concrete he seems awfully paper based most of the time. Needless to say everyone else was pretty much rubbish too, same old dreary performances from our assuredly not too good to go down motley crew. Can't see Tim putting up with that bored looking burger vendor we allow to aimlessly walk around the pitch every week. Oh, wait that's Agbonlahor, a man who supposedly 'bleeds claret and blue'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael* Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 From peak Liverpool to maximum Arsenal. Although the defeat to Monaco might have happened partly because Arsenal were rubbish, it was also because Monaco aren't. A deserved poke in the eye for the media's assumption of Premier League superiority over anyone who isn't Real Madrid, Barca or Bayern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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