The official thread for the Premier League 03/04

[SmellTheCat]

Who will the new champion??
My guess... Manchester United... but I could be wrong since there are too many changes...
Only a week to the start of the Premier League!! YAY!
:D

[muffins]

It will be Manchester United I'm sure. We could do with a new winner like Liverpool or Newcastle.

Oh and the BBC have won the Premiership rights back so for the 2004-2005 season "Match Of The Day" will be back. Yay!

[SmellTheCat]

I don't know.... I think that Chelsea has a great chance to win it this year... with all the money that has spent on new players.

[Dreamer7]

Chelsea weakness or test will be how these new players fit and and for them to work as a squad. Too many individuals/prima dona will be detrimental.

Right now, way too early to say...haha. :p

[muffins]

Chelsea could do well but I think their players need time to gel together. On the other hand, because of all the the new signings other clubs may not know how they will play so Chelski will have a surprise factor. Unfortunately, Liverpool have to play them first.

[Dreamer7]

So anyone wants to predict who is going down? Somehow I think Leeds will be one of them, haha.

[muffins]

Perhaps the teams that were promoted. I hope not because I don't like it when teams go up and down and up and down. I hope Fulham don't struggle though because I want Chris Coleman to have a good season as the youngest manager in the Premiership and the only Welsh one!

[Dreamer7]

Countdown - 2 days left!

[muffins]

I know I can't wait. It'll be a nervous weekend for me because Liverpool play Chelsea and I want Newcastle to have a good start so I'll worry about them but also Wales play next Wednesday in a qualifier for Euro 2004 and I'll be worrying about any injuries that the Wales players might (and I'm sure they will) sustain. Andy Melville has already been ruled out.

[SweetGal]

I can't wait for the new season to start!!! I'm really excited, although I don't have the sports channels so I'll have to make do with the Premiership on ITV. I totally want Newcastle to win this season, but I don't think the chances of that happening are great even though I think we'll do good overall. My prediction is that as this season progresses it'll pretty much be a 3 horse race between Arsenal, Man U and Chelsea as to who's gonna win and I would preferably want Arsenal to win out of those 3 :)

[muffins]

Me too, although now Chelski have Joe Cole I hope he does well there.

I'd love Newcastle or Liverpool to win it, I think Newcastle have a better chance acutally because you had an amazing season last season. In all the pre-season talk on the TV no-one has mentioned Newcastle as a real contender. Maybe they won't go the whole way but have they forgotten they are the only team that pushed Manchester United all the way until the last few games and had them sweating?

[SmellTheCat]

Well my favorite of course is Manchester United... BUT... there are good chances that Chelsea,Arsenal and Newcastle will win it too!
Last season was great!!! I hope that this season will be the same and even better.

[muffins]

Well the season is well and truly back now. Here are today's Premiership scores:

Barclaycard Premiership
Fulham 3 - 2 Middlesbrough
Blackburn 5 - 1 Wolves
Man Utd 4 - 0 Bolton
Arsenal 2 - 1 Everton
Leicester City 2 - 2 Southampton
Portsmouth 2 - 1 Aston Villa
Birmingham 1 - 0 Tottenham

Good start for Portsmouth, Blackburn and Chris Coleman(Fulham manager). At the moment the top 4 look like this.:
Blackburn
Manchester United
Fulham
Arsenal

I bet it won't stay like that for long!

[Dreamer7]

T4P!

Not bad, even the promoted teams are doing fine.

[kev316]

Originally posted by Dreamer7
T4P!

Not bad, even the promoted teams are doing fine.

Not Wolves though :p

I'm so glad the football season is back :D

[muffins]

Leeds play Newcastle, Liverpool play and Chelsea and Charlton Play Manchester City today. I can see the first two matches. I'm very nervous about the both of them, especially the Newcastle game because there are two very important Welsh players playing and Wales have to play this Wednesday.

*Edit* Here are today's results.
Leeds United 2-2 Newcastle
Charlton Athletic 0-3 Manchester City
Liverpool 1-2 Chelsea

Let's not talk about that last results LOL. I'm glad Shearer scored twice for Newcastle though.

[wild and free]

COME ON YOU TOFFEES!!

Hoorah for the new season!!!

I just found out that David Moyes lives about 10 minutes away from me...we drove past his house the other night lol!

[muffins]

My dad is an Arsenal fan and he went to the match yesterday with Everton and said that Everton played well and that their goal was very good.

OK, I'm a Liverpool fan but good luck to Everton. It was nice to see them do well last season. Maybe because I live in south Wales and not in Liverpool that I don't feel like Everton are rivals, I think Manchester United are.

[SmellTheCat]

Well Manchester United have played really good.
I've heard that Chelsea have played really good too.

[muffins]

I want to forget about Chelsea LOL. I see this season going like last season for Liverpool. Cardiff also lost but at least Swansea and Wrexham won.

[SweetGal]

Argh, I wasn't totally happy with Newcastle's performance... in the first half they seemed quite 'messy' and didn't seem to play very well, they only picked up later on in the second half when they really had to. They should have been playing stongly right fro the start rather than waiting until they really needed the goal. If they play like that again next week Man U r gonna kick their ass!

[muffins]

Aargh! They have Manchester United next week? If that's on the TV I don't think I'll watch it. Too many painful memories from the last time they played.

[kev316]

Yep, Saturday morning on Sky Sports

[muffins]

Part of me wants to watch and another doesn't. Sweetgal, what should I do?

[muffins]

Here are today's results:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/results/default.stm

Yay, Cardiff City won and Earnie scored!

[muffins]

Arsenal gave a masterclass to Middlesbrough and anyone else who watched on how to play football. They won 4-0 and Wiltord got two with Silva and who else but Henry getting the other two. Liverpool drew with Aston Villa. There were lots of chances but the goalkeepers had good games.

[Dreamer7]

Poor Wolves, bad start for them, lost 4-0.

Man City top the table for now after 3-2 win against Blackburn.

[SweetGal]

Newcastle 1 - Man United 2......

.... Newastle didn't do that bad!! We gave a better performance than last time (I think), it would have been great if we had won but I never expected them to.

[kev316]

Portsmouth go top after beating Bolton 4-0.

Charlton 2-2 Everton
Leeds 0-0 Southampton
Leicester 0-0 Middlesbrough


Wolves have a nice and easy trip to Old Trafford tomorrow night ;)

[muffins]

Well, Manchester United only won by one goal and it could have easily been a loss if Camera had taken a few of his good chances. If they continue to play like they did tonight they will get a few results. Don't know what is going on at Liverpool. Can't even win at home to Tottenham. Geez. I hope we aren't another Leeds in the making. Arsenal also won and remain top.

[kev316]

I don't know whats up at Liverpool. They are already 7 pts off the pace and have a tough game at Everton on Saturday, who are playing really well at the moment

[muffins]

Don't remind me. I think Houllier tried to dispell criticism that they don't attack enough by putting five attackers on like that which is silly because they'll all get in each other's way and you need the creativity from the midfield. The way to disprove that they defend to much is to put two strikers on and give them better service rather than just lobbing the ball up to them.

[Dreamer7]

That is why sometimes I find it weird why Houllier when in desperate to win a match, he will take off the midfielders and throw in all the strikers. Maybe he thinks 'wow 4 midfielders seems treathening'??

[Dreamer7]

Well Liverpool won this time. It doesn't seem quite like a derby though.

Newcastle lost to B'ham. 1-0 again because of (well not exactly) a penalty.

[muffins]

Hmmm, it is a derby but a little friendlier than others, well between the fans I think. I'm glad Michael scored two and that Kewell scored. I'm happy. Arsenal go three points clear as they win and Manchester United lose. Anyone think Birmingham could finish in the top half this season?

[Dreamer7]

It was sure friendlier, coz usually there would be a lot of bad blood.

B'ham has been doing well since the end of last season. I think being almost relegated and having bouncing back well, motivated them a lot, I don't know if they can but I think they will be safe.

[muffins]

As long as Robbie Savage keeps running the opposing team ragged they should be OK LOL. Well, obviously there's a bit more to it than that! No Premiership this weekend because it's internationals. OMG, Italy play Wales and I'm soooooo nervous. I don't wanna be whooped.

[muffins]

Here are today's results:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/results/default.stm

Liverpool won! Yay! Owen got two and Kewell got the other. Out of the 7 goals Liverpool have scored in the league, Owen has scored 5 of them, Kewell the other two. Arsenal slipped up and really should have lost as the penalty was the result of a dive by Pires. Henry had to take it twice and put it in different directions both times, I said "Anyway you like!" LOL!

[muffins]

Birmingham 2-2 Fulham
Manchester City 4-1 Aston Villa

:( Milan Baros has broken his ankle and Jamie Carragher has broken his leg. God help us if we have any more serious injuries or we'll have to call Neil Mellor back from West Ham. Things always seem to come in threes.

[kev316]

That tackle on Carragher was nasty

[db44]

My kind of Man. Utd. game. Shutout by Timmy, all (both) goals bu Ruud! :D

[muffins]

For once, I don't care that Manchester didn't lose. I'm more concerned about Jamie and Milan. I hope they'll be OK. Jamie will be out for at least siz months. The tackle on him was very bad but I don't think it was intentional. He deserved to get sent off though. Milan was just unlcuky with the way he fell, no-one's fault.

I was happy however that Owen scored two and Earnshaw scored 4 for Cardiff in their 5-0 win over Gillingham. No Cardiff City player has scored 4 in a match since 1971, a decade before Earnshaw was even though of! The record books aren't safe with this guy around! He broke two club goalscoring records last season!

Tonight, Leicester thrashed Leeds 4-0.

[Dreamer7]

I think this season will be tight! Well hopefully, it will be more interesting this way.

[muffins]

I hope so. It makes for a much better season. I'd love to see five teams or more in real contention for the title.

[muffins]

Chelsea are top. If they can keep this up they'll be real title contenders. Newcastle I'm afraid are well behind. Liverpool won and apparently played attractive football! Yay!

[kev316]

I think Chelsea have the best squad of players in the league. Their buys also seem to have settled in pretty quick.

[Dreamer7]

I agree, Chelsea really look very good against Wolves. They are real title contenders this season.

[muffins]

LOL, the table looks kinda odd. Manchester City are right up there!

[kev316]

Hmm so i just watched the Man U & Arsenal game. So where do I begin? I think a draw was probably a fair result in the end. Not too many chances in the game. The last 10 minutes were quite eventful,. The sending off was correct IMO. Even though Viera didn't touch Ruud the intent was there. I thought the penalty decision was 50-50, maybe a little harsh and then Ruud misses his 3rd pen of the season. The reaction of some of Arsenal's players when Ruud missed the pen and at the end of the game were unacceptable IMO even though things can get heated in these big games.

Also Middlesborough beat Everton 1-0.

[muffins]

Vieira did kick out but Nistelrooy did climb all over him and kinda kick him too. And anyway, it wasn't a straight red, it was a second offence and Patrick's first booking was not a booking. The penalty just was not a good decision. Then some Arsenal players started having a go at Ruud and although it was wrong I can't say I feel sorry for him, although he didn't react which is to be applauded. I think Keown was gloating and accidentally hit Ruud with his arm but Lauren and Cole pushed him with intent. They'll be done for that. The referee was bad I thought, the same one at the Community Shield and Andy Gray agrees with me that he shouldn't have officiated today's match. My dad was f'ing and blinding, he was not pleased. It will be interesting to see if it kicks off against Liverpool, with us being in the same room. I think my mum will want to go out that day.

[Dreamer7]

Not a nice match, everyone gets a big fat zero for being unprofessional, only few tried to stop all the silly arguements. It really seemed more like a gang fight at the end, at least Ruud left some sense to just walk away. A draw seems just fair enough, though Man Utd could have scored on a few occassions.

[kev316]

Originally posted by Dreamer7
only few tried to stop all the silly arguements.

And Keane was one of those! Normally he would be right in the thick of it lol

After seeing the replay Ruud's challenge was a bit wild, so I can see why Viera was annoyed. Still that mess at the end was silly and shouldn't happen with these top pro's.

[muffins]

It shouldn't. Henry was probably up the other end of the pitch and didn't get involved. It was funny to see Keown appluading the Arsenal fans at the end. I think he was really pleased to get a draw. I don't usually like Keane but he is going up in my estimations, he has calmed down a lot recently. I applaud him for trying to stop it. I think Arsenal miss Tony Adams, after he recovered from his alcohol addiction he mellowed and became a very calming influence. He could have helped yesterday's situation. Plus he was a great defender. If that happens against Newcastle this week you can bet Bellamy will get involved and possibly Robert. If it happens against Liverpool Gerrard will probably be involved too LOL. I hope it doesn't happen because I want the football to be talked about, not other situations. Plus, I think Arsenal will be hit heavily by the F.A. so they'll be looking to calm down a bit, I hope!

Some of the players should take a leaf out of Cardiff City's Robert Earnshaw's book. Adie Williams from Reading was comparing the strikers Earnshaw and Jermain Defoe because he has marked both players in the last few weeks. He said that they are both good strikers but Earnshaw probably has the better temperament. Defoe was sent off on the weekend and Adie was saying that he tried to wind Earnie up with a few choice words but all he did was smile, ignore him and walk off. Just like everyone should! Don't you agree?

Who agrees with me though, that the referee was pretty pathetic? I mean, he should not have refereed that match given what happened at the Community Shield and Mike Reilly shouldn't ref any more Manchester United games either!

[lallybrooky]

I thought the referee was more about right in everything, although I don't think he should have been refereeing both this and the Charity shield.

I was disgusted at Arsenal's behaviour at the end, it was very unprofessional and thuggish and with all the problems with fans being violent, it does not set a good example (i.e. England v Turkey coming up). I expect that the FA will come down hard on them based on their recent disciplinary problems. Wenger seems to think that everything is a conspiracy and has not once criticised a player's actions, which is awful. Other teams, including Man Utd have dealt with such problems, which was evident with Keane not being as tempramental.

Viera, IMO he had it coming, throughout the match he was involved numerous times in fouls and the first yellow card was not just for the tackle, as he had already been involved in some late tackles. He also began to walk away from the referee which didn't help him. The second yellow, it doesn't matter if contact was made, he was retaliating. Ruud was clumsy but also got booked for it, so there are no excuses for Viera's kicking out.

[muffins]

Arsenal's record is poor but some of those cards, like a few years ago, weren't deserved. In recent matches they have been deserved. Perhaps Wenger wants to sort his players out privately and not in the public eye.

[lallybrooky]

He needs to sort out his players, period.

Many of the players have a nasty streak, i.e. Parlour and Viera. Viera has had 8 red's in his Arsenal career. ANY other club would fine and drop players for that kind of behaviour. At Arsenal hooliganistic players seem to be supported and everything is blamed on the referee or the FA. Even ex-Arsenal players think that it needs sorting out and if it gets much further, I wouldn't blame the FA wanting to take more of an action. Violence should not be permitted.

[muffins]

A few months ago me and my dad were talking about diving and dad said that most foreign players realise when they get here they can't go around doing it, they get it kicked out of them one way or the other. I mentioned Van Nistelrooy and my dad said he'll get it kicked out of him too. I read something interesting today that reminded me of that conversation. Someone wrote in talking about this situation and that although she(a neutral) was disgusted by the behaviour by the Arsenal players but that it's no surprise that this has happened to Ruud because of his over-reacting and diving. Maybe it had to take something like this to stop him and others from doing it. I hope Ruud doesn't do it anymore, and that goes for everyone else too!

[kev316]

I dont think Viera's a dirty player at all. He has learned to control his temper much better in the past few seasons. The game itself on Sunday was far from dirty. It just came down to pure stupidity at the end of the game. The sistuation has been blown up by the media simply because it's Man U & Arsenal IMO. Anyone remember Leeds and Spurs incident from a few seasons ago? That was much worse compared with what happened on Sunday as kicks and punches were thrown in that game.

[muffins]

If anyone remembers Liverpool v Arsenal matches from a few seasons ago you'll know that a lot worse has happened. I don't think parlour has a mean streak in him.

[Dreamer7]

The game itself wasn't that bad but the end spoilt it all. Arsenal sure needs sorting out and Wenger needs to stop 'protecting & defending' his players too much. Ruud was also very disappointing.

[lallybrooky]

I think Ruud jumped back a bit late, BUT

If I was kicked at, my reaction would be to jump backwards, so as to protect myself. It only really looked a bad jump back when it was in slow-motion.

And whatever it says, there was intent, which is a second yellow.

[muffins]

It was bad what happned but I have seen a lot worse! I'd say the little Buffon, Hartson and Bellamy thing at the Italy Wales game was worse than this LOL! OK, maybe I'm exaggerating now. But one Italy player started having a go at Bellamy and he walked away so Buffon started on him and him and Hartson ended squaring up to each other LOL! Handbags at 30 paces! I've seen games where there are real brawls in the middle of the pitch, they actually hit each other! Lehmann is now accused of pushing the assistant referee.

[Dreamer7]

This is really bad for Arsenal, now I wonder if all this is going to affect their performance badly in future matches. About 5 players will probably get fine or even suspend.

[muffins]

It probably will. Wenger is going to be made fun of now saying that this isn't a conspiracy against them, it isn't because what happened was bad. But I think Wenger's point was that if the Arsenal players do something wrong they will get picked up on it. Apparently Ruud stood on someone's foot and it went unpunished.

BREAKING NEWS: Six players have been charged by the FA, including two Manchester United players.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/3128290.stm

[Dreamer7]

It is kind of true, once you got this bad reputation, it is hard to get rid of it. I think Wenger needs to stop saying that though, his players must prove that they can control their actions and are not as bad as they seem.

They updated the news, now it all seem like a court case or something!! Heh.

[muffins]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/3139798.stm
Arsene apologises!

I also heard that he could get fined for his comments after the match about Ruud. I'd be disappointed if he did because he was only saying what a lot of people think. I thought we lived in a free country!

[Dreamer7]

It will be ridiculous to fine him for what he said. He did not outright slam Ruud or anything from what I've seen from the post comments. :o

[muffins]

Well, he did call him a cheat. He didn't exactly compliment him!

[muffins]

What a good game! My dad was a little breathless afterwards! If it had been a fair result it would have been a draw because both sides played well. Bernard's goal was the best but it was definitely a penalty for Arsenal because Jenas handled the ball, I'm not sure what he thought he was doing; inexperience I guess. Newcastle await their first win in the Premiership while Arsenal gave a good response to the week's events.

[Dreamer7]

Can't believe Newcastle haven't got a win yet.

[muffins]

I know. They are going to want to pick up or they could be this season's West Ham. Some people say Robson should retire. Let's just say I respectfully disagree!

Liverpool lost today 3-2 to Charlton! It was a good match but I'm so disappointed. Liverpool are down to 8th now. Smicer scored first then Lisbie scored twice. Then Owen scored from a penalty, as cool as you like. But Lisbie completed his hat-trick with a stunning goal. It was then a good last few minutes with Liverpool trying to clinch an equaliser but it didn't happen. Congratulations to Lisbie because the some Charlton fans have booed himin the past.

Here are this weekend's results:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/results/default.stm

[Dreamer7]

I think either Tottenham or Leeds will be this season's West Ham. The 3rd goal Lisbie scored was fantastic.

[muffins]

Liverpool v Arsenal this week. One of the fixtures I look forward to every season. Something interesting always happens.

[muffins]

Newcastle have denied that Bobby Robson has quit the club.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/newcastle_united/3152834.stm
They can't afford to let him go!

Liverpool are without Murphy for this weekend's game against Arsenal.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/3151332.stm
I knew injuries came in threes!

[muffins]

I'm gutted! Absolutely gutted. I thought we'd win today. We should have won, we were the better team. Arsenal won 2-1. To be fair, Pires's winner was spectacular. To make it worse, Owen twisted his shin muscle(it was horrible to see)and could now be a doubt for England this Saturday. A lot of negative things have been said about Arsenal recently but a good bit of sportsmanship was shown today. Ashley Cole went over to see how Owen was because he was near him and Henry then came over to see how he was and was asking how he was and talked to Owen while the docotr was on seeing to Owen. He tried to continue but he couldn't. Owen doesn't go off unless he's really injured so I'm very worried. But it was nice of Ashley and Thierry.

Here are the rest of today's results:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/results/default.stm

Newcastle won! Yay! Finally! Apparently the Newcastle fans were singing Robson's name before the match kicked off which is good to hear.

[muffins]

Middlesboro were beaten 2-1 by Chelsea. According to my dad, who watched the match, Chelsea didn't deserve to. Oh well, they keep up to pace with Manchester United and Arsenal. Aston Villa are currently playing Bolton.

[muffins]

Aston Villa were held to a 1-1 draw with Bolton. Here's how the Premiership looks after this weekend's games:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/default.stm

[Dreamer7]

I saw the match between Boro and Chelsea and yes, Boro were the better team especially for the 2nd half. Chelsea gave away a lot of possession but good header by Crespo, he managed to squeez the ball into the net. Imo Boro blew it just like Liverpool the day before.

[muffins]

Yes, but we were playing Arsenal. LOL. I'm just trying to find excuses. Fact is, we blew it!

[Dreamer7]

Arsenal will be playing Chelsea soon. Wow, like 3 tough matches in a row for them.

[muffins]

Hmmm, they do have tough matches. Well they drew with Manchester United, beat Newcastle and beat Liverpool so they should lose to Chelsea LOL! I would hope for a draw, I don't want the top teams pulling further away from Liverpool.

[Dreamer7]

LOL! I think it could be a draw but I'm leaning towards Chelsea for a win. At least Liverpool isn't like where Newcastle is, heh but again these teams won't be written off, still very early in this new season.

[muffins]

Yes. But about 4 teams above Newcastle are on 7 points and, Newcastle are on 6, and then quite a few on 8 so a few wins, draws and losses and Newcastle could go shooting up the table. It'll be a little different for Liverpool I think.

[Dreamer7]

Chelsea top the table for now, though they just got a draw.

[muffins]

They had a game in hand so now they've played exactly the same amount of Premiership matches as the other top teams. Alpay has been given a few days off by Aston Villa, I think this is wise considering what took place on the weekend because some player and maybe even fans will be out to get him.

[Dreamer7]

Arsenal players have admitted their charges but Man Utd's Giggs and Ronaldo denied them. Erm, sorry but on TV I did saw Ronaldo getting himself involved among the Arsenal players and pushing them.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=280440&cc=4716

[muffins]

I saw Giggs pushing Lauren I think and him pushing him back. Alpay may actually go and play for someone else now.

[muffins]

Here are today's results:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/results/default.stm

It had to be Berger who scored against Liverpool, didn't it? The ex player, like Anelka did for Manchester City last season.

[Dreamer7]

^I was thinking about that too.

Looking at the table now, after 9 games, to me it seems like Arsenal, Man Utd and Chelsea are the only ones in for the title chase.

Man Utd still are at their usual form, which is strong. Arsenal have put the FA charges behind them. Chelsea, I think needs to stop rotating thier squad too often or they aren't going to do much and the manager might even get sack.

[muffins]

Yes, it does seem to be developing into a three horse race even at this early stage of the season. Newcastle jumped a load of places yesterday, the bottom half is quite tight. Today's results:
Birmingham 0-0 Aston Villa
Leicester 1-2 Tottenham Hotspurs
Everton 0-0 Southampton

[muffins]

Craig Bellamy has to have knee surgery again which puts him out of action for a while and may be even for Wales' play-off against Russia.

[Dreamer7]

Does Spurs really dislike Gleen Hoddle? Lol, they seem to be doing ok right now.

[muffins]

Newcastle did what they specialised in last season - coming from behind. They were 2-0 down against Fulham on Tuesday but came back to win 3-2. They are now 10th and 1 spot higher than Liverpool.

[Dreamer7]

Both Newcastle and Liverpool won. Chelsea top the table for today after Man Utd lost. And WOW Wolves came back 0-3 to win 4-3, wtf was Leicester doing! And look where Wolves is at now on the table. The bottom half of the table is crazy. ;)

[muffins]

Glad to see Micahel Owen back and scoring. Good goal, clinical finishing. Arsenal drew 1-1 with Charlton today and the last time I checked Tottenham and Middlesboro drew 0-0.

[Dreamer7]

Hey are there any more football fans here? Seems like there are only us, muffins. ;) Oooh kev316 is back. Lol.

[muffins]

Whatever happened to SmellTheCat?

[kev316]

I've been quite busy with work lately

[kev316]

Hmm Leeds still seem to be in bad financial situation. They're now £78m in debt after they made a £49.5m lost this financial year. An all time record!

[Dreamer7]

^That is really BAD. I wonder how they can survive really, I bet in no time Smith and Viduka can bid farewell. Besides the way Viduka has been playing, it seems as though he is not interested in playing for Leeds. I can see Leeds going down, well at least it takes off the pressure of being in the EPL. Money is almost everything now, look at Chelsea. Very bad management.

[kev316]

Relegation for Leeds would be disastrous. They'd lose a further £20m, which would probably put them into administration and that means an automatic 10 point deduction.

[Dreamer7]

Wow, that is bad. Is it possible for Leeds to collapse?

[kev316]

I fear for them if they go down. After todays result they are now bottom.

[muffins]

It really doesn't look good for them. I think Viduka has been either disciplined or axed after he was late for training twice. Liverpool won today and move up 3 spots to 7th.

[Dreamer7]

Unless some billionaire come to rescue them, it will likely be goodbye. But who would want to risk the money?

[muffins]

Well, I'm sure Roman Abramovich wouldn't miss a few million as he is a billoinaire! My dad was reading about Roman the other day. Apparently he owns a house with land of 425 acres! I was like "Woah!" He also lost his parents when he was quite young. I'll ask my dad more about him later.

[muffins]

Charlton beat Birmingham tonight 2-1. Birmingham are riding quite high in the table.

[Dreamer7]

If I were that rich, I won't spent those millions just to clear debts incurred by others though, then again I don't know what it is like to be that rich, lol.

[muffins]

Middlesbrough striker Malcolm Christie has broken his leg and Vieira will be out of action until December.

[Dreamer7]

Is it me or is the EPL a bit bland this year? :confused:

[muffins]

Um, well, not bland but it really hasn't kicked off yet has it? Oh well, I'm sure it'll get better. I always look forward to Newcastle v Liverpool matches and there hasn't been one yet this season so I can't wait for that.

[muffins]

Arsenal beat Tottenham 2-1 today to remain top of the table. Charlton beat Fulham so they move into the top 4.

[Dreamer7]

I read in my papers that Henry faked an injury, was it really fake, coz I didn't get to watch the match.

Leeds got trashed 6-1, oh dear that was horrible.

[muffins]

No, he looked to be in real pain. Accidentally someone caught him on the throat and it must have caught his breath or something because he looked in distress and was holding his throat, like he was gasping for air. He flopped onto the floor off the pitch and the medical staff got him. His leg was jumping and my dad(who went to the match)said that people thought he'd swallowed his tongue. After a few minutes he was OK, just a bit shaken up. He looked to be complaining that the guy got away with it but I really think it was an accident but I think Henry was understandably a bit shaken up.

[Dreamer7]

I don't know, I have to see it to judge. Anyways, wow Chelsea trash Newcastle 5-0! Who expected that!? And Leicester beat Man City 3-0. Still very much a 3 horse race.

[Dreamer7]

All the top 3 clubs win again. Now I believe there is a 9-point gap between the 3rd and 4th position.

[muffins]

Newcastle won 3-0 today and move up to sixth place. It's pretty safe to say Liverpool won't win the title now as they only drew with Middlesbrough and are in 9th place. Saw Bergkamp's goal for Arsenal and it was a good goal. It started at the other end of the pitch!

[muffins]

Tottenham beat Aston Villa 2-1 earlier today.

[glamour-gal]

news on everton:


Everton boss David Moyes admitted he had breathed a huge sigh of relief after seeing young guns Wayne Rooney and James McFadden inspire his side to a win over Wolves that lifted his side out of the relegation zone.

After five games without a win, there was mounting concern that Everton could be in for a season-long relegation battle having got to the brink of Europe last term.

But that looked distinctly unlikely on the evidence of Saturday's 2-0 win at Goodison Park.

"That was much better, I can rest a little easier after that," Moyes said.

"In that first half Wayne Rooney was outstanding, as was James McFadden. It was a far better display than we have managed in weeks.

"After the way we had played in our previous match in losing at Blackburn, we needed a performance like that.

"It had been suggested that I would be happy with a scrappy 1-0 win after the way things had been going.

"But I have always wanted more than that, a performance every time, and that is what the lads produced.

"In the first half we were outstanding and we could have had a lot more goals.

"In the second half we had to grind out a result because they came back at us, but we were much the better side."

Wolves manager David Jones felt his side were punished for squandering possession too easily.

"We are the sort of side in a league like this that we have to be playing at our maximum to survive. We cannot afford to play like that and make it easy for our opponents. Had we played like that and gave the ball away so easily against Manchester United or Arsenal, we would have been severely punished."

Everton went ahead through Tomasz Radzinski's 25-yard drive in the 16th minute and forward Kevin Kilbane headed a second three minutes later.

[Dreamer7]

I thought Everton should have performed much better as they did last season.

[glamour-gal]

Originally posted by Dreamer7
I thought Everton should have performed much better as they did last season.


yeap, me too!
esp my friend is sad about it, 'cause he's a huuuuge everton fan.....

[muffins]

I think Everton have a few injuries so hopefully when they come back they'll start to do well again. Usually, most teams have a less than great season after a season they did so unexpectedly well in.

[glamour-gal]

yeap, that's right.

[muffins]

Fulham beat Portsmouth 2-0 on Monday night and are now 5th in the league.

[Dreamer7]

Match of The Week

Manchester United vs. Chelsea

:D

[glamour-gal]

...lol.... :)

[muffins]

Well, I'm off to actually watch a match this weekend. Aston Villa v Southampton. Liverpool play Bolton this weekend and Owen is a doubt as he's pulled a muscle in his thigh apparently. Fulham play Arsenal. Arsenal are unbeaten in the Premiership this season. Could Fulham stop their run?

[Dreamer7]

I think Owen is out for like 3 weeks. I doubt Fulham can stop Arsenal though, Fulham's form has been kinda on and off.

[muffins]

Arsenal v Fulham ended 0-0 and was possibly the best goalless draw I've ever seen. Arsenal played some beautiful football at times and had no less than 24 attempts on goal. However, Fulham goalkeeper Van De Sar, was like a magnet to the ball. He deservedly got man of the match; he really did pull off some great saves. Towards the end Fulham tried to sneak a goal but it wasn't to be so it finished evenly. A fair result, I think because Arsenal played some lovely football but lacked a bit of finishing quality and Fulham(especially the goalie)defended really well but didn't look like scoring much.

Then, Chelsea beat Manchester United 1-0. The only goal was a penalty and I still haven't made my mind up whether it should have been or not. Maybe I will have to consult the intricacies of the rule book to decide. :P

[Dreamer7]

Sadly there were no open goals. That I think that is a penalty, Keane's leg was trailing and it caught Cole. Lucky I watched only the first half, as there were no more goals and I was so sleepy.

[muffins]

Liverpool won too. :) Yay!!!! Gerrard, Kewell and Heskey(great goal) scored.

[Dreamer7]

^Yeah and they won without Owen. :p ;)

[muffins]

Yes lol. My dad joked that without Oen they'll probably go on an unbeaten run lol.

[Dreamer7]

Sheikh confident of Leeds rescue deal


Leeds United look set to avoid going into administration thanks to sheikh Abdulrahman bin Mubarak Al-Khalifa.

The Bahrainian has been courting potential investors from the Middle East and is confident that sufficient finance can be raised to assist the debt-ridden Premiership club.

'It is very important the fans know I have the club at heart, and my intentions are to move forwards because it looked like administration was just around the corner,' Abdulrahman told BBC Radio Leeds.

'We have a team working, negotiations ongoing and a consortium ready if things go according to plan - and that is, I hope, to avoid administration.

'That is the main target, unlike some comments that said I was waiting for administration like a vulture.

'I am not a vulture; I am a fan and have suffered like all the fans have suffered and hope to help it work.'

Leeds hope to announce that talks initially brokered by chairman John McKenzie, and followed up by chief executive Trevor Birch have finally proven beneficial.

It is believed that American bondholders, who are owed £60million, have agreed to free up funds which will allow Leeds to trade in the short term.

Meanwhile, on the field, striker Mark Viduka has urged the current board to make Eddie Gray the full-time manager.

Last Saturday at Charlton, Gray helped mastermind Leeds' first win since October 4 - and their first clean sheet since August 26.

With United's current finances preventing them from naming a permanent successor to the sacked Peter Reid, Gray remains at the helm for the time being.

Viduka said: 'Eddie has put a lot of energy into the side. He's a winner, and there's nobody who loves this club more than he does.

'He's as good as anybody else in the game as a coach, and the players are working very hard in training.

'I hope we can build on the win we achieved at Charlton and remain positive throughout the team.'

[Dreamer7]

Some of the results for the weekend

Liverpool 1-1 Newcastle

Man Utd 4-0 Aston Villa
Easy job for Man Utd here, got the goals.

Leeds 1-1 Chelsea
Leeds probably gave their best performance ever. Also Chelsea tactics were wrong in the first half, Lampard looked tired, that poor guy has played every match and why was Duff playing in the middle?

Leicester 1-1 Arsenal
Late goal cost them the points.

[muffins]

Liverpool are up to fifth :) and Fulham won so they stay in fourth spot. Never mind the 3 horse title race, the scrap for fourth spot is much more interesting lol! Liverpool, Newcastle, Fulham, Charlton and a few others are all vying for that coveted fourth place.

[Dreamer7]

Chelsea isn't doing well as they should be in the EPL. Man Utd got an easy win over their City rivals. Isn't it such as waste winning against Man Utd and draw & lose their next 'easier' matches.

[Dreamer7]

Arsenal goes top.

[Dreamer7]

Heard that Owen is out until next year, well next year isn't that long though just 2 weeks more.

[glamour-gal]

more owen news for you:



Owen out until January

Liverpool FC striker Michael Owen will miss the Anfield club's Christmas fixtures after suffering a setback in his recovery from a thigh injury. Owen has not played since he tore a thigh muscle in the 1-0 win against FC Steaua Bucuresti in the UEFA Cup second round on 27 November and will not return now until the new year.

Costa undergoes surgery
Another player who will spend Christmas on the treatment table is the TSV 1860 München defender Rodrigo Costa, who will undergo surgery on a groin injury tomorrow. The 28-year-old, an ever-present in the 1860 back line this season, has been playing with pain in his left groin for several weeks.

Schober extends contract
Goalkeeper Mathias Schober has extended his contract with Bundesliga club FC Hansa Rostock until 2007. The Hansa captain, who made his 100th league appearance for the club against 1. FC Köln on Saturday, had been attracting interest from VfL Bochum 1848 and BV Borussia Dortmund.

Two more years for Møller
Danish champions FC København have handed former Denmark striker Peter Møller a two-year contract extension until summer 2006. "I am happy to play in , where I hope to be able to end my career at a high level, as this will probably be my last contract," said the 31-year-old. Møller has been back at København since 2001, following a first spell from 1993-95.

McKenzie stepping down
Leeds United AFC chairman John McKenzie will not stand for re-election to the club's board at their annual general meeting on 23 December. It is understood McKenzie is stepping down to avoid a potential conflict of interest if, as has been reported, he spearheads a takeover bid by a group of wealthy Chinese investors.

Weaver faces year out
Manchester City FC reserve-team goalkeeper Nicky Weaver is facing a knee operation, which could leave him sidelined for up to 12 months. Weaver first began struggling with knee problems two years ago and manager Kevin Keegan said: "If I am honest we are probably going to have to forget about him for a year. That's where we are at with him at the moment. He is definitely going to need some sort of operation."

[muffins]

Arsenal are top, even though Fulham lost they are still fourth and Newcastle are fifth. Liverpool are in either 8th or 9th spot. I think Houllier is feeling the pressure. He could get sacked if things carry on this way.

[muffins]

Chelsea beat Fulham and Arsenal drew with Bolton. Arsenal are joint top I think. Chelsea and Arsenal are level on points and goal difference. I'm pretty sure Manchester United will beat Tottenham so they'll go top tomorrow. Wolverhampton v Liverpool and Birmingham's games were called off.

[muffins]

Manchester United beat Tottenham 2-1 and go top. Southampton beat Portsmouth 3-0 and go fourth.

[muffins]

The result between Manchester City and Leeds United finished 1-1.

[muffins]

Arsenal beat Wolverhampton 3-0 today, Henry scoring two, but Manchester United won 3-2 against Everton so they are top. Newcastle drew with Leicester and Liverpool won 3-0+ against Bolton, yay! *parties* Charlton beat Chelsea 4-2, good game that was.

+edit - I'm sorry, the score was actually 3-1. Anyway, Liverpool still won, yay!

[Dreamer7]

Poor Chelsea, they got tons of homework to do. Bad X'mas for that big boss. :sick: They must have miss Duff.

[muffins]

Yeah, poor Claudio, I like that guy. Charlton were very good but to be fair to Chelsea, after they went 4-1 down they did show fighting spirit to try and come back. The got a consolation goal but it was too big a task for them to do. The comeback kings are Newcastle and Manchester United, lol! Anyway, Liverpool's Chris Kirkland is injured AGAIN because he's broken his finger. Not good when you're a goalkeeper, hehe. Manchester United have a few injury worries with Jon O Shea and Silvestre I think.

[Dreamer7]

Why doesn't Liverpool play Dudek? Does the manager not like him just because of that one incident a season ago?

Lampard should be rested, I think he is the key player in midfiled but he needs a rest if they want to challange for the title. Look at Man Utd, they do rest their key players and it does help.

[muffins]

Manchester United won over Middlesboro 1-0 to stay top in which they had Fletcher sent off. Liverpool drew 2-2 with Manchester City. Anelka and Fowler scored for City, both ex Liverpool players, noooooo! Fulham lost and lose their fourth spot to Charlton. Chelsea won and remain third. Newcastle lost 1-0 to Blackburn and slip into seventh with Liverpool going up into sixth. Wolverhampton beat Leeds 3-1 but I'm not sure if much changes down the bottom, but Tottenham have slipped into the third relegation spot.

[muffins]

Arsenal beat Southampton 1-0 and probably deserved to win my more. They are now just 1 point behind leaders Manchester United and are unbeaten in the first half of the 2003/2004 season in the Premiership. There was controversy at the end when at the final whistle Arsenal's goalkeeper Jens Lehmann threw the ball and Kevin Phillips' head.

[Mattio]

Originally posted by Dreamer7
Lampard should be rested, I think he is the key player in midfiled but he needs a rest if they want to challange for the title.

NO WAY! I'm a Chelsea fan, and even though he's played in every single game, Lampard is still our best player week in week out. He was again today.

[Zodiac]

As a fellow Blues fan I gotta agree with Matt. It's too unsettling to the side to use the rotation system every game so the backbone of the team must be kept pretty much the same and that means keeping key players such as Lampard and Makelele in the side game in game out. I don't think we can really afford to rest them, especially as we're now four points adrift of Man Utd.

[Dreamer7]

I just thought he looks tired some games back, thats why. ;)

[kev316]

Wed Jan 07 2004
Bolton (0)1 - 2(2) Man Utd


Chelsea (0)0 - 1(1) Liverpool


Everton (0)1 - 1(1) Arsenal


Middlesbrough (1)2 - 1(0) Fulham


Man City (1)1 - 1(0) Charlton


Newcastle (1)1 - 0(0) Leeds United


Southampton (0)0 - 0(0) Leicester City


Tottenham (3)4 - 1(0) Birmingham


Wolves (0)2 - 2(1) Blackburn


Tue Jan 06 2004
Aston Villa (1)2 - 1(0) Portsmouth

[Dreamer7]

Well now Chelsea are 7 points adrift Man Utd.

[Zodiac]

*shakes head* well that's our premiership challenge over for another year then...we've fooked it up at exactly the same point that we did last year.

[Dreamer7]

Well I won't say Man Utd will be the winners again, though it does look likely, thus far they have been very consistent. Anything can happen in football ya.

[Zodiac]

The thing that sets Man Utd apart from the rest is experience. They've done it all many time before whereas a team like Chelsea need time to achieve that kind of consistency. Sure, all it takes is a couple of slip-ups on their part and we're back in the hunt, but they don't tend to make too many mistakes ;)

[Dreamer7]

The gap closes back to 5 points after Man Utd's draw with Newcastle. Man Utd are still top with 50 points.

[muffins]

To be honest, I'm more interested in the scrap for fourth spot between Newcastle, Liverpool, Charlton and Fulham. I was so glad Liverpool beat Chelsea, I don't think Houllier would have lasted another defeat lol! Also, congratulations to Paul Jones on keeping a clean sheet on his debut for Liverpool last weekend! Funny how Arsenal are unbeaten in the Premiership this season and yet still aren't top!

[glamour-gal]

EXCLUSIVE

By Simon Baskett


DAVID Beckham believes Nicky Butt would be a huge success at Real Madrid.

And the England captain insists his unsettled former Manchester
United team-mate would hold down a regular first-team place at the Bernabeu.

"Nicky Butt is a great player and he's been a great servant to
Manchester United," said Beckham.

"He's a player that can play at the highest level. I haven't spoken
to anyone about it but if he comes to Spain of course he'd fit in. He would strengthen any midfield in the world."

Butt (left) put in a transfer request last week and Beckham added: "I personally think United are wrong to let him go because he's a homegrown talent and that's hard to come by.

"I'm sure anyone in Nicky's position would like first-team football
and to play all the time because he's a fantastic player. But it's up
to him to make that decision. I'm sure he would make the Real first team. I'm sure he'd get a chance in any team."

Real coach Carlos Queiroz, formerly No.2 to Sir Alex Ferguson at
United, would not comment on the chances of Madrid making a bid. But he said: "Butt is a great player, a very nice guy and I like him very much. He's a wonderful professional."

Meanwhile, Sir Bobby Robson ruled out a £5million move for Butt
because he feared unsettled Hugo Viana would do a runner from
Newcastle!

Toon boss Robson is one of Butt's biggest fans but a swoop for the England man would be the last straw for £8.5m Viana just days after Robson vetoed his loan move to Sporting Lisbon.

Robson pins Newcastle's future on players such as 21-year-old Viana and he knows Butt's arrival would inevitably drive the Portuguese ace out of Tyneside.

The best Viana can hope for is a place on the bench against Fulham tomorrow, but he is central to the club's long-term plans - and that means talk of a Butt deal is a non-starter. Robson said: "I've always liked Butt but is he coming here? No.

"He does not come into my thinking because we have got Hugo, and if I brought in another midfield player I'd have to put him on the train!

"Butt is a players' player, and in other circumstances I would not
hesitate in making a move. But Hugo Viana is the future and the
decision not to move for Butt is an affirmation of what we feel about him.

"We can overload ourselves with midfield players. We have Lee Bowyer coming back, we have Jermaine Jenas and Kieron Dyer, who can slot in anywhere, and we have Gary Speed who is good for at least another year.

"Speed's form is the reason Hugo can't get into the team. But his
turn will come and that's why I have blocked his loan move. He just has to bite the bullet."

Robson is not ruling out a swoop for a striker or defender during the transfer window but his chairman's cheeky bid for Leeds' Alan Smith last week is unlikely to develop if the Elland Road club stays out of administration.

[muffins]

Thanks for posting. :) Today, Chelsea drew with Birmingham and Arsenal beat Aston Villa 2-0.

[Dreamer7]

Hmm Butt at Real Madrid...not a bad one. Butt is quite aggressive so I think he can fit there.

Well I think it will be a two horse race now. Not that Chelsea still can't win but they seem to need real pushing to do well. Did anyone saw those goals Henry scored? I heard they were controversial? Arsenal still unbeaten.

[glamour-gal]

yeah, butt wouldn't be bad for real..... let's see.....

[muffins]

It was a definite free kick for Arsenal and Henry took it really quickly, the goalkeeper was still arranging the wall and the next thing he knew the ball had slid into the back of the net. Can't blame Henry for it really, he saw an opportunity and took it. And the referee was not in breach of any rules if he asked Henry if he wanted 10 yeards or a quickly taken free kick(Henry said quick free kick)and apparently you don't have to blow the whistle or make the opposing players stand 10 yards away when a quick free kick is taken. The penalty was a bit dubious but nothing to do with Henry, he just did his job and smacked it into the back of the net. Newcastle beat Fulham 3-1 Monday night and go up to fifth.

[muffins]

Liverpool went 1-0 up against Wolverhampton through a Cheyrou goal only to end up drawing the match 1-1, 90th minute equaliser from Wolves. Dammit!

[Dreamer7]

We're better that United - Henchoz


Last season the gap between Manchester United and Liverpool was 19 points and today it is the same - but Stephane Henchoz still insists that the Anfield men are superior to the Old Trafford champions.

Liverpool have trailed in United's wake for 18 months, having got to second spot in the championship - one place ahead of United - in May 2002.

But the Swiss defender is still defiantly claiming that - man for man - he believes Liverpool have better players.

Henchoz, just back into the Anfield side after injury, maintains a strong belief that Liverpool can perform to an even higher standard than the current champions.

Henchoz told the club's LFC magazine: 'I feel that if you were to take each player individually and compare them with Manchester United's, then, I'm sorry, I do not think we are any worse than them.

'If you were then to take four players from the bench, I would still have the same impression.

'You should realise that I am talking about players being at the top of their form, because I have seen our players at the top of their form.'

He adds: 'In fact, when each player is on top form I would even go so far to say we are superior to Manchester United.

'That is why I do not understand the last season and a half. It is possible that we have not had all XI players playing at their peak.'

And there Henchoz has hit the nail on the head, with consistency and remaining injury free has cost Liverpool dearly over the months.

But at least boss Gerard Houllier has been able to welcome back too more of his injured stars this week.

Milan Baros, who had not played since September following a broken ankle, completed 63 minutes of reserve action against Newcastle yesterday while Florent Sinama-Pongolle - out for six games with groin trouble - lasted an hour before coming off with cramp.

And Danny Murphy, left out of the side of late, scored a tremendous long-range goal to secure a 1-1 draw.

Liverpool had Baros, Sinama-Pongolle, Murphy, John Arne Riise, Igor Biscan and Djimi Traore on show.

And Baros could have pushed himself closer to a first team recall after just one outing, despite Houllier speaking recently of his concern about the Czech's fitness and likelihood of needing several comeback games.

The chances of him featuring at Bolton on Saturday have shortened, with Houllier saying: 'Milan has been phenomenal in training recently, and he has reminded us of exactly what we have been missing from him for five months.

'I think he has overcome the psychological aspect of his injury now.'

Liverpool have now confirmed that their UEFA Cup away second leg clash with Levski Sofia on March 3 will be played in Bulgaria's national stadium, with a capacity of 54,000 and not the club's own ground. The kick-off will be 8.10pm British time.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=290318&cc=4716

[glamour-gal]

thanx for posting!

[muffins]

Wow! What a day in the Pemiership! There was a goalless draw between Southampton and Fulham and Blackburn beat 'Boro 1-0. But the rest of the Premiership was mad! Liverpool came from behind twice to draw 2-2 with Bolton. Arsenal were drawing 1-1 with Wolves for a while but ended up winning 3-1. Manchester United were 3-0 up at half time against Everton but Everton a la Man City drew it back to 3-3 until van Nistelrooy spoiled the Blues' party and scored again to win the game 4-3 for United. It was a close one at Tottenham against Portsmouth with the Spurs winning 4-3. Ph-ew, what a day! Oh, and I have to say congratulations to Gary Speed who today made his 400th appearance in the Premiership, more than any other player. His side, Newcastle, won 3-1 against Leicester.

[glamour-gal]

thanx so much for posting muffins!!
now i know what's going on!

my friend will be more than happy to hear about everton !! even they lost, i guess they did a great job, didn't they??

[Dreamer7]

Yes, I must say great job to Everton, it is not easy to comeback 3-0 down, more so against a club like Man Utd. Great day too, probably the best one. Now we shall we if Chelsea can keep up.

[muffins]

Chelsea narrowly beat Charlton 1-0 but it could have been more. Some Charlton fans began to sing to Claudio Ranieri "You're going to be sacked in the summer." Claudio turned round and said "No, no. In may." Hehe. I think he's great. In what was an anti-climax for Manchester City, they drew 0-0 with Birmingham and Taylor brought off some great saves.

[Dreamer7]

Ranieri does seems to know he will definitely be going at the end of the season. He can be pretty funny. I think I read somwhere where he says he is Thinkerman not Tinkerman. :p

[glamour-gal]

Originally posted by Dreamer7
Yes, I must say great job to Everton, it is not easy to comeback 3-0 down, more so against a club like Man Utd. Great day too, probably the best one. Now we shall we if Chelsea can keep up.





:D

[glamour-gal]

Originally posted by muffins
Chelsea narrowly beat Charlton 1-0 but it could have been more. Some Charlton fans began to sing to Claudio Ranieri "You're going to be sacked in the summer." Claudio turned round and said "No, no. In may." Hehe. I think he's great. In what was an anti-climax for Manchester City, they drew 0-0 with Birmingham and Taylor brought off some great saves.



oh really???
sounds like a funny guy! :)

[glamour-gal]

By ERIC BEAUCHAMP

DAVID BECKHAM has admitted he would have no problem linking up with Peter Kenyon at Chelsea.

Instead of ruling out a return to the Premiership with the Blues,
Beckham has even hinted it could happen when he is ready because of the enormous respect he still has for the new Stamford Bridge chief executive.

It was Kenyon who headed Manchester United's secret operation to sell the England skipper behind his back last summer, after Alex Ferguson decided he wanted him out.

But Becks, 28, holds no grudge against Kenyon for helping to end his love affair with United.

The Real Madrid star said: "He is a really nice man.

"I worked well with him when I was at Manchester United and would have no problem doing it again." Kenyon, who has only just begun his new role with the Londoners, has already made it clear he would be keen to team up with the midfield ace once more by bringing him back to this country.

He revealed his interest in seeing a `Blue Becks' by telling SunSport exclusively at the weekend: "Any club would like to see David Beckham wearing their shirt. He is that type of player."

England's captain was away on holiday when he was stunned with the news that United had agreed a £25million deal to offload him to Barcelona.

He will never forget how Kenyon confirmed his worst fears about his irreconcilable feud with Fergie and made it clear he had no future at Old Trafford.

Beckham added: "He was honest enough with me and I respect him for that. I have always had a good relationship with him. He is one of the people that I spoke to about me and Alex Ferguson."



KENYON ... has Becks' respect


Once Becks knew he had to go, he made sure he got his own way and joined the Madrid giants instead.

The England hero has proved a major hit in his six months in Spain so far. He helped Real stay top of La Liga thanks to a 2-1 win over Malaga on Saturday night — even though he played with diarrhoea.


Despite Kenyon's interest in him and talk already mounting of another move, Beckham insists he is in no rush to quit the Bernabeu.

He declared: "Working with Peter Kenyon for so many years was very good and I enjoyed it. But I have said I am a Real Madrid player.

"He is there to do a job, obviously. When I signed my contract and things like that, I spoke to him and he treated me very fairly. For that reason he will always have my respect.

"There will always be speculation about whether I'm going to move back to England. But I have only been here in Spain six months.

"I am enjoying my football and I don't want to move anywhere else yet. But it's his job to sign players.

[Dreamer7]

T4P again.

I don't think Kenyon was much involved in getting rid of Beckham. It was all Alex Ferguson's idea, and yeah to me he is bigger than Man Utd. Anyways, I don't think Beckham will go back to play in the EPL at least not in 5 years time and he will be like 34? Haha. ;)

[glamour-gal]

do think the same, it was all about ferguson!
becks will never ever come back- i guess! :p

[Dreamer7]

Man Utd lost to Boro 2-3, Chelsea closes gap with a 2-0 win over Portsmouth and Liverpool moved into 4th place with a 2-1 win over man City. Arsenal are leading with a 5-point gap.

[muffins]

Gordon Strachan has quite his Southampton managerial position 3 months earlier than he said he would. He had said that he'd be leaving at the end of the season. There are rumours that Glenn Hoddle might replace him but it's safe to say that would not be popular amongst the fans considering what happened last time.

[glamour-gal]

what happened to wayne rooney???
just heard something on tv, but i didn't catch it.... any ideas? :confused:

[muffins]

Supposedly he spat at a woman in a night club but his agent denies it.

[Dreamer7]

Some said it was that lady who spat at her, anyway hope it is not a big deal, Rooney should not be getting these type of press right now.

[glamour-gal]

ok, thanx for telling me!

[muffins]

No, it wouldn't be good. He's already had enough criticism this week because he hasn't played as well as he did last season.

[glamour-gal]

well, i guess these kind of headlines aren't good for anybody!!!

[muffins]

Manchester United drew with Leeds 1-1 and Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1 so Arsenal extend their lead at the top to 7 points but the teams still have to play each other at Highbury. Newcastle won on a controversial penalty decision to move into fourth spot. Leeds are still bottom.

[Dreamer7]

To think Man Utd draw and lost to the bottom clubs. I too believe the title is in Arsenal hands now, like last season it is for them to lose.

[muffins]

Arsenal are playing well but everyone can have a blip and I don't see them going unbeaten this season. All it'll take is a few losses or draws and Manchester United will be right back in it especially if Manchester United beat Arsenal, a match which I'm going too! Woohoo!!!!! First of all thought, I'm going to see Arsenal play Charlton this Saturday.

[muffins]

Trading in Leeds United shares has been suspended. This comes after a takeover bid was pulled out.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/leeds_united/3489898.stm

[muffins]

Manchester United drew with Fulham and Arsenal beat Charlton 2-1 so Arsenal are now 9 points clear but I still think it is far from over. Chelsea beat Manchester City 1-0 and are now level on points with Manchester United but go above them on goal difference. Today, Leeds drew 2-2 with Liverpool and Portsmouth drew 1-1 with Newcastle.

[Dreamer7]

It's all Arsenal's now. I am surprise Chelsea were better than Man Utd in goal difference, those matches without Rio really took its toll.

[muffins]

I'm not going to write Manchester United or Chelsea off, that would be dangerous. It is Arsenal's to lose now though.

[muffins]

Birmingham beat Bolton 2-0 and move into fifth in the table.

[glamour-gal]

Mar 7 2004

FRANK Lampard has urged David Beckham to join the Roman Revolution and help turn Chelsea into Europe's biggest club.

Lampard makes no secret of his desire to play alongside Beckham - and believes they could forge a world-beating midfieldpartnership for club and country.

The Chelsea star said: "I love playing with David Beckham for
England. He is a top-quality player. And I'd also love to play with
him at Chelsea.


Lampard, 25, hasn't given up hope of nicking the title. But with the Gunners nine points ahead, Lampard knows Chelsea have to rely on a huge slip-up at Highbury.

[muffins]

Well, considering Chelsea have as many points as Manchester United and as I'm not writing Manchester United out of it then I can't write Chelsea off either. There are still many points up for grabs and football is a funny old game. Arsenal could make a big slip up and if they lose to Manchester United then the title race would be wide WIDE open again. I think Arsenal know it's far from over.

[Dreamer7]

But man Utd still have to play Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. If they can win their next three matches then the hope may be still there. I doubt Arsenal is doing to slip up, they should have more or less learn their lesson from last seson, even though the players seem rather big headed now. Ha. :p

[muffins]

Lol. I would hope the team had learnt their lesson from last season but there's always a chance they could slip up. I believe that Henry deserves to win the title on his own hehe!

[muffins]

Arsenal won 2-0 yesterday and Chelsea also won. But Manchester United were beaten 4-1 by Manchester City(great fourth goal by City!)and Liverpool and Newcastle lost. Charlton won so they are in 4th spot.

[Dreamer7]

Oh dear! Arsenal are now 12 points ahead of Man Utd! And only how matches are left?

[glamour-gal]

do you think the rumours are true that david wants to go to chelsea??

[muffins]

I'm not sure how many games are left. Chelsea are nine points behind Arsenal. Apparently, some Manchester United fans are calling for Fergie's head. I don't think that's the answer!

[Dreamer7]

Originally posted by glamour-gal
do you think the rumours are true that david wants to go to chelsea??

I don't think it is true. I cannot see him moving back to England in such a short period. He did say he is happy at Real Madrid and still want to play for them next season. Hmm maybe Fergie will call it quits, then he comes back to Man Utd? :p I am just day dreaming!

[glamour-gal]

yeah, i guess there're just some rumours!
maybe the premier league missed him that much??? who knows...



Real Madrid are confident that David Beckham is staying at the
Bernabeu, despite rumours circulating within football that Chelsea are to embark on another spending spree.

Jorge Valdano, the Real Madrid director of football, told Sky Sports' Revista de la Liga , 'We are happy with the situation.

'He is so very important for the media and there is no way for the
club to balance out that power. It is something that has worried us because we would like him to live a more normal life, but it is
difficult to be Beckham and normal.'

[muffins]

Liverpool beat Portsmouth 3-0, with Owen getting 2. YAY! :)

[muffins]

Manchester United drew with Arsenal 1-1 and Chelsea won so the deficit is now 7 points between the two London clubs. Charlton lost to Aston Villa and Newcastle lost to Bolton so Liverpool retain 4th spot after their draw with Leicester.

[Dreamer7]

The gap between 1st and 4th is REAL big. :p

[kev316]

^ It has been for a while now I think. The top 3 are currently in a different league

[muffins]

Newcastle climbed into fourth position for at least today as they beat Everton 4-2. Newcastlearegreat at scoring goals but I think the thng holding them back from being closer to the top 3 is their defence. It's improved but still could do with strengthening. Here are the rest of today's results:

Fulham 0 - 0 Birmingham
Middlesbrough 2 - 0 Bolton
Newcastle 4 - 2 Everton
Wolves 1 - 4 Southampton
Tottenham 0 - 1 Chelsea

Chelsea are now within four points of Arsenal.

[muffins]

Aston Villa drew 1-1 with Manchester City and Liverpool thrashed Blackburn 4-0 with Owen getting two goals. :) They now overtake Newcastle into the number 4 spot.

[MrsShaneWest]

man i cant believe Liverpool actually won a match! lol ;) Go Reds!!

[Dreamer7]

Chelsea are catching up and putting pressure on Arsenal! If Arsenal slip up, that will def. be the slip up of the year...seems like their players are feeling the fatigue.

[muffins]

I think it all depends on this weekend's fixtures against Liverpool at home and at Newcastle away at St. James's Park on Friday and Sunday respectively. Both will be hard matches and both teams want to be in the Champion's League next season. Plus, for Arsenal they are must win games with Chelsea breathing down their necks and they will want to bounce back from the disappointments of this week. With the games coming so close together it will be a real test of character. Henry also looks doubtful.

[muffins]

Well, Arsenal beat Liverpool 4-2, Liverpool were even ahead twice. My dad went to the match and said it was a great match. Owen's goal was good from a great pass from Gerrard but that was outdone with Henry's solo brilliance. He beat about 4 or 5 players to slot the ball home, great goal. I'm unhappy Liverpool lost but I'm not really sure what you're supposed to do to stop Henry short of fowling him! He scored a hat trick and Pires ot the other. Chelsea were held to a 0-0 draw by Middlesboro and Birmingham lost to Manchester United 2-1 yesterday. Today, Arsenal drew with Newcastle 0-0 and are now 7 points clear. Liverpool and Newcastle are equal on points but Liverpool have a better goal difference that keeps them fourth.

[muffins]

Here are Monday's Premiership results:

Fulham 3 - 4 Blackburn
Portsmouth 3 - 1 Birmingham
Middlesbrough 3 - 1 Southampton
Tottenham 1 - 1 Man City
Wolves 1 - 2 Bolton
Liverpool 0 - 1 Charlton
Aston Villa 3 - 2 Chelsea

[muffins]

Manchester United narrowly beat Leicester 1-0 and Leeds draw 1-1 with Everton.

[Dreamer7]

It's battle for 2nd place, 4th and being relegated.

[muffins]

I think the battle for fourth spot could come down to the last game of the season between Newcastle and Liverpool. It keeps changing all the time it's so intriguing. I won't rule out Charlton though.

[muffins]

Well, Arsenal thrashed Leeds 5-0 on Friday, Henry getting four and Pires scoring the other. Henry is the first player to score a hat-trick in 2 consecutive games for 53 years so well done to him. Chelsea could only manage a draw and Manchester United lost to Portsmouth. Newcastle drew and so did Liverpool.

[muffins]

Manchester United beat Charlton this evening with goals from Saha and Gary Neville.

[muffins]

Congratulations to Norwich who have just been promoted to the Premiership after a nine year absence! Well done to them and good luck for next year because it will be tough for them. They get promoted because Crystal Palace beat Sunderland 3-0.

[muffins]

West Brom will be joining Norwich in the Premiership next season as they won today. Congratulations to them!

Here are today's Premiership results:

Leicester City 1 - 1 Man City
Leeds United P - P Portsmouth
Postponed - now being played Sun, Apr 25
Man Utd 0 - 1 Liverpool
Southampton 1 - 2 Bolton
Fulham 2 - 0 Charlton
Everton 0 - 1 Blackburn
Middlesbrough 1 - 2 Aston Villa

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssss!!!!!!! Liverpool won!!!! Yay! :)

[muffins]

It's official. Arsenal are the Premiership Champions for the 2003/2004 season, Well done to them for a thoroughly deserved title. They really have played awesome football this season. Newcastle did them a favour by beating Chelsea 2-1. The Blues went ahead quite qucikly from a Joe Cole strike but Ameobi struck for the Magpies to make things even. Then, Shearer launched his bid for goal of the season with a tremendous strike from outside the box I think. A great goal, please try and see it if you can. Then Arsenal went 2-0 up at Tottenham with goals from Vieira(yes, really, Vieira hehe)and Pires. In what looked like a whitewash for the Gunners Spurs surprisingly got back into the game with a good goal from Jamie Redknapp. Then they pulled it back to 2-2 with a controversial penalty kick from Robbie Keane. But Arsenal held on to draw, keep their unbeaten run and win the Premiership. I saw the celebrations after and it looked like fun. I'm not an Arsenal fan but they have made me smile with their football so well done to them. In today's other fixtures Portsmouth beat Leeds 2-1 and Birmingham drew with Wolverhampton.

[Dreamer7]

As expected!! Congrats to them. ;)

[muffins]

Thierry Henry won Player's Football Association Player of the Year last night and Scott Parker won Young Player of the Year. Congratulations to both especially Henry. Was there ever any doubt?

[Dreamer7]

Nope, both pretty much as expected too. Congrats to them both. How old is Scott Parker, he seems as if he is 26 to me, lol.

[muffins]

I'm not sure how old Parker is. Today, Arsenal kept their unbeaten Premiership win up with a goalless draw with Birmingham. Manchester United lost to Blackburn and Chelsea beat Southampton. Manchester City beat Newcastle 1-0 and Leicester are relegated with a 2-2 draw with Charlton.

[muffins]

Leeds lost today, 4-1 to Bolton which I think ensures they go down. I think Wolverhampton go down too. Aston Villa beat Tottenham 1-0 and climb into fifth and Liverpool retain forth spot with a 2-0 win over Middlesboro.

[muffins]

Arsenal are still unbeaten this season...just! They drew 1-1 with Portsmouth but Portsmouth almost won it at the end.

[muffins]

On Saturday Chelsea drew 1-1 with Manchester United which means Chelsea definitely finish second and Manchester United finish third. Liverpool took a step closer to Champions League by beating Birmingham 3-0 and Newcastle could only manage a draw with Wolverhampton today. Arsenal are still unbeaten with a 1-0 win over Fulham. The season is nearly over. *sobs*

[Dreamer7]

Yeah, the season is over. Newcastle drew with Wolves, so Liverpool is more or less guranteed 4th place, I believe. Now we shall move on to the Euro 2004. :)

[glamour-gal]

RIGHT!!!! - euro we're coming!!!!!!!!!!

hehe, i should change my 'location' into something really good.... let me think about it...

[muffins]

For Newcastle to get forth spot they must beat Southampton and Liverpool I think. This will be hard considering Newcastle have only won 2 away matches this year.

[muffins]

Seems Liverpool is in demand! First it emerges the Thai PM wants to invest around £60 million in Liverpool and then some other person comes along and wants to do the same only with more money!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/3697713.stm

[muffins]

Newcastle could only manage a 3-3 draw with Southampton, thanks in large part to Soutampton's Northern Irish goal keeper who made his Premiership debut; he was man of the match. This now means Newcastle can't qualify for the Champion's League. I like Newcastle but Liverpool even more so I'm happy for Liverpool. :)

[muffins]

Liverpool have rejected Steve Morgan's bid to buy into Liverpool. I kinda wanted him to get it.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/3709775.stm

[muffins]

Wow! Arsenal have done it! They have gone the whole season unbeaten! Congratulations to them. Newcastle drew with Liverpool to claim 5th spot!

[glamour-gal]

congratz to arsenal!!!!

[db44]

I was at a bar with a bunch of Gunners fans to watch the game. Nobody seemed to care when Leicester scored... I guess they felt the lowly opponent could do nothing. After the game there was singing, dancing and champaign, all here in NYC!

[glamour-gal]

i'm sure arsenal will be glad to see that even in the states are loads of fans :-)))

great to hear that you had a good time!!

[Dreamer7]

Does Arsenal do any pre-season tours? I haven't heard any.

[db44]

Chelsea and Liverpool are joining Man Utd. on a tour of the U.S. this year, but no Gunners.

[muffins]

I'm not sure. Keep a look out on www.arsenal.com

Did anyone see their trohpy parade? It looked like so much fun!

[glamour-gal]

will have a look right now!
nope, haven't seen it.

[muffins]

Like the old David Beckham thread, this thread will be dead soon. Bye thread! Hehe. It's been an interesting season and I've really enjoyed it. It took a while to get kicked off but once it did it really kicked off! Congratulations to Arsenal for winning the championship and for staying the whole season unbeaten. What a fantastic ahchievement which we may never see happen again in the English Premiership! Also, congratulations to Fulham for exceeding all expectations this season. Fulham were favourites to go down and Chris Coleman was the favoruite to be the manager who was sacked first this season. Well done for proving them wrong! :music: