It could still happen. Arshavin's transfer happened weeks after the deadline didn't it?

8/31/2011 6:01:53 PM

Didn't remember those details exactly but I just saw the same thing on the Guardian

Sky's saying they agreed a fee for him. Oh well, good business for Chelsea - Meireles for 12 is way better value than Modric for 40

[Edited on August 31, 2011 at 6:07 PM. Reason : .]

8/31/2011 6:03:32 PM

Hahah best photoshop of the transfer window

http://twitpic.com/6e55j3

8/31/2011 6:07:18 PM

hahahaha

8/31/2011 6:07:40 PM

as a lille fan, i am not happy about getting joe cole unless they're only paying 10 percent of his wages.

8/31/2011 6:19:41 PM

Not sure why Meireles wanted Chelsea though, other than wages. Mikel, Ramires, Lampard, Mata, Kalou, Malouda... not exactly open for a spot either.

8/31/2011 6:22:48 PM

Finally optimism for Arsenal

8/31/2011 6:28:43 PM

Yeah, I think you're right it seems the Meireles deal was cooking for a while and the written transfer request was to get rid of the loyalty bonus and also to help LFC save face in the deal.

I was fine with losing either Aquilani or Meireles but definitely not both. Now all that midfield depth we had is gone, and we're back to counting on Gerrard to play more than half the season. Any way we can recall Aquilani lol? The Italians are on strike anyways...

8/31/2011 6:36:16 PM

Since Dalglish took over:

In: Carroll, Suarez, Adam, Henderson, Downing, Enrique, Coates, Bellamy

Out: Torres, Insua, Poulsen, Degen, Cole, Aquilani, Meireles, Babel, Konchesky, Kyrgiakos, Ngog


That's some serious transfer dealing. Some of the out's are loans that Liverpool will have to deal with again later but damn.

8/31/2011 6:53:49 PM

Odds Bellamy scores double digits this season and bumps Carroll down the bench? I can see Suarez teaming up with him well.

Good signings for Arsenal, I think. Not the most ideal but Wenger should still have a decent sized sum to buy again in January if needed since he only spent just shy of £50m for 7 players. Good experience (2 national team captains and 3 more capped at senior level) will make for a good stopgap until the younger players mature more and can start to carry the team. I don't think the team today will win the league but they should do ok in UCL and qualify again next year.

8/31/2011 7:32:14 PM

Quote :

"qualify again next year"

not so fast, my friend. We got this.

8/31/2011 8:15:14 PM

Quote :

"Not sure why Meireles wanted Chelsea though, other than wages."

Villas-Boas had him at Porto (and didn't want to sell, management accepted the bid anyway I think) so he's familiar with him, and Meireles is familiar with the Prem, so there's that. Meireles also showed he had a bit of creativity while at Porto so he could provide that, and I think he'll link up play well at Chelsea.

8/31/2011 9:21:58 PM

Yeah but it seemed like he was developing a nice partnership with Suarez, Lucas, etc. already

8/31/2011 9:23:28 PM

Didn't Liverpool management flat-out reject his request for a better contract after his Player's POY season? He mighta been pissed about that still.

He also had Henderson starting ahead of him, for no good reason really. Selling Meireles also accommodates Gerrard when he gets fit as it lessens the logjam.

And Kenny seems to be trying to build a more UK-centric squad.

8/31/2011 9:29:00 PM

all good points, I concede.

8/31/2011 9:56:27 PM

arteta to arsenal for 10 mil. like a more frail version of fabregas, so he'll fit in perfectly with the rest of them.

8/31/2011 10:48:19 PM

was always as arteta fan

Quote :

"We've got that Double feeling, Oohh, that Double feeling, We've got that Double feeling, 'Cos it's on, on, on..."

8/31/2011 10:53:39 PM

Arsenal goes from relegation prospect to title contender in 24 hours.

8/31/2011 11:06:47 PM

9/1/2011 12:02:27 AM

.....

9/1/2011 12:53:50 AM

Hahahahaha what planet is on??

Quote :

"this being my first year actually following the EPL closely, this shit is insane compared to the rumor-mongering that goes in American sports."

Welcome to being an epl fan. Theres a reason I don't really follow other sports anymore - this one is all drama all the time. It's fuckin great.

9/1/2011 6:44:20 AM

^ hell yeah, nice to have something to follow year round too. It's also a bitch sitting through commercials in other sports after watching so much soccer

9/1/2011 8:02:18 AM

Quote :

"Theres a reason I don't really follow other sports anymore - this one is all drama all the time."

Yeah and it's classy European drama too, none of this "thugs bringing guns into the locker room" crap (well, except maybe Ashely Cole's pellet rifle ).


I think Arteta is a good signing if he stays healthy. The midfield wasn't hurting as bad as everyone thought, it looked bad at Man U because so many people were out, but there is quite a bit of depth there already. Wilshere will eventually fill the shoes of Fabregas, either this season or in the next couple years. Ramsey is strong in the middle too. I'm mostly glad that Mertesacker and Santos got signed, there needed to be more maturity and size in the back.

Santos - Vermaelen - Mertesacker - Sagna ...that's a strong back line.

9/1/2011 9:29:37 AM

HOW BOUT THAT TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

9/1/2011 9:55:39 AM

Not a bad window for them...picked up Parker which is a good signing and cut a lot of dead weight. They will be busy in January.

9/1/2011 10:03:15 AM

It's pretty crazy that a team the quality of Liverpool, Arsenal or even Chelsea (though that is a longshot) won't qualify for the CL this year.

9/1/2011 10:05:04 AM

Any transfer window where you get to dump Peter Crouch's worthless carcass is a triumph.

9/1/2011 10:14:46 AM

Quote :

"Levy blundered saying "no deal" for Modric....then when bid got huge , he ran out of time to spend . Harry would ve sold earlier and spent"

Ian Darke knows what's up

9/1/2011 10:59:11 AM

He still should have taken that for Modric even if it was late.

When a team tiptoes idiocy to acquire a player (Andy Carroll comes to mind) we should capitalize on that and be ready to spend in January. He let his ego and spite cost the club in the end.

9/1/2011 11:27:59 AM

Torres should come to mind before Carroll.

[Edited on September 1, 2011 at 11:29 AM. Reason : because, you know, that's why it happened like it did]

9/1/2011 11:29:23 AM

You know your club is in bad shape when they:

a) deal away, arguably, their best player

b) only get £10 mil for him

I guess with the injuries and his age (29), it's not a terrible deal, but at the deadline I think they could've gotten closer to £15 m. Not like we'll be able to spend it anyway

#sadevertonfan

9/1/2011 11:06:51 PM

^^ u right

I just wanted to jab Pool fans while getting my point across and there aren't any chelsea fans to offend here

[Edited on September 2, 2011 at 5:50 AM. Reason : .]

9/2/2011 5:50:04 AM

^^ Surely they will find a way to spend £10m when they have over £40m in debt

9/2/2011 7:58:29 AM

ZM transfer report cards (if I didn't list your team here, it's because you most likely cheer for a bitch team so click the link yourself)

I agree with him mostly, though I do think 4's a bit harsh on Arsenal.

Quote :

"Arsenal -- 4/10 "Imagine the worst situation: We lose [Cesc] Fabregas and [Samir] Nasri. You cannot convince people you are ambitious after that," Arsene Wenger said earlier in the summer. Fabregas' departure was expected, but Nasri's came as a blow, as he had been tipped to be Arsenal's new creative force. Having been linked with Juan Mata, it was a disappointment to lose him to Chelsea -- Yossi Benayoun on loan was something of a consolation prize, and while Mikel Arteta is a good player, his form has dipped over the past 18 months. Andre Santos, Per Mertesacker and Park Chu-Young arrived late in the day, and Gervinho remains the most significant addition to the squad. Another good summer in terms of net spend, but Arsenal has lost real quality. Aston Villa -- 4/10 It is hard to escape the feeling that Villa has gone backward. Shay Given is a like-for-like replacement for Brad Friedel in terms of position and ability, and Charles N'Zogbia is a good addition, but he can't replace Ashley Young or Stewart Downing. The promise of Marc Albrighton should make up for that. Villa has made money, but that will count for nothing on the pitch. Chelsea -- 8/10 It all seemed so quiet for Chelsea until the season actually started. Then, Juan Mata arrived. He is set to become the creative hub Chelsea has lacked for years. He was joined by Belgian wunderkind Romelu Lukaku. Both are the younger players Chelsea so desperately needed, but both are able to have an effect immediately. Barcelona youngster Oriol Romeu is another interesting buy -- a more physical midfielder than we're used to Barca producing and maybe perfect for the deep-lying role. Raul Meireles is versatile, functional and a hard worker, but his arrival at the last hour of the transfer window is a strange one, as Andre Villas-Boas was happy to get rid of him when at Porto. Everton -- 2/10 No major arrivals, which didn't look so bad until the news from the final day of the transfer window, when both Jermaine Beckford and Mikel Arteta left the club. Beckford had a decent first season, and while Arteta's form dipped over the past couple of seasons, the loss of a key player with no replacement is a big blow. Hopefully, it will give the chance for youngsters such as Ross Barkley and Jack Rodwell to step up. Denis Stracqualursi arrives as the top scorer in the Argentina first division, but the last man to move to the Premier League with that accolade -- Wigan's Mauro Boselli -- didn't score a single goal. Liverpool -- 8/10 Roy Hodgson's flops have left. - Christian Poulsen, Joe Cole, Paul Konchesky and Milan Jovanovic are unlikely to be missed by anyone at Anfield, and they've been replaced by a bunch of fresh players with Premier League experience. The early signings of Jordan Henderson, Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing got the headlines, but Jose Enrique was a particularly astute buy, especially at a time when Europe lacks quality left backs. Craig Bellamy provides pace and energy. Center back Sebastian Coates shows Liverpool had its scouts out at the Copa America, where he had a very good tournament. Manchester City -- 8/10 Sergio Aguero is the Premier League's most exciting newcomer, while Samir Nasri adds yet more technical quality, and Gael Clichy has endured a poor couple of seasons but might well simply need a new start and a fresh challenge. In all, City has made itself a contender for the title. There are only two caveats. First, Vincent Kompany still lacks a top-class center back partner, with Joleon Lescott and Kolo Toure a little shaky and newcomer Stefan Savic an unknown. Second, Shay Given's departure means City doesn't have an established backup goalkeeper. This might well be irrelevant, but an injury to Joe Hart would be an issue. Manchester United -- 9/10 United's three main signings -- David de Gea, Phil Jones and Ashley Young -- were all wrapped up before the window officially opened, which allowed the squad to settle quickly. De Gea hasn't covered himself in glory so far but will become a fine keeper, while Jones looks at home and Young has surprised even his biggest admirers. The one question mark about United is experience. Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, Edwin van der Sar, John O'Shea, Wes Brown and Owen Hargreaves have all left in the past year, and don't discount how important that influence is around the training ground. Tottenham -- 6/10 A slightly underwhelming summer in terms of recruits, but let's remember that the main aim for the window, keeping Luka Modric, was achieved. Last year, Spurs seemed a lone striker away from a complete team, and the arrival of Emmanuel Adebayor could turn out to be a masterstoke -- on his day, he's a superb player, and the nature of his loan deal means that if he causes any dressing room problems, he can be ditched at no cost. Brad Friedel was a free transfer but is an improvement on error-prone Heurelho Gomes. And the acquisition of Scott Parker to join Gareth Bale means Spurs have both the current Football Writers' Player of the Year and the PFA Player of the Year at the club."

http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/6913691/english-premier-league-transfer-window-report-card-club-club-michael-cox

[Edited on September 2, 2011 at 8:29 AM. Reason : .]

9/2/2011 8:28:15 AM

Fantasy Question: Who do you start up front? Mata or Adebayor?

9/3/2011 5:36:21 PM

Mata.

9/3/2011 6:10:46 PM

Fletcher played the whole game for Scotland today and looked awesome, bagged a goal and an assist. Can't wait to get him back in the ManU squad.

9/3/2011 8:51:54 PM

Wilshere out until November

9/4/2011 1:15:23 PM

that's a big blow

9/4/2011 1:35:44 PM

yep

9/4/2011 1:41:36 PM

Every year this shit happens. Some guy is supposed be out for a week, then it's a few weeks, then a few months, then he's finally getting back into the team in May.

9/4/2011 1:45:24 PM

Gary Neville with a good article about liverpool losing deliberately to hand Chelsea the title in 09/10

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2033387/Gary-Neville-I-sat-toilet-West-Brom-knew-I-playing-game.html

9/4/2011 5:04:37 PM

Classic United fan. It must have been out of their hands that they lost. Blame it on Liverpool.

Also, fuck Gary Neville.

9/4/2011 6:35:27 PM

9/4/2011 6:38:06 PM

Quote :

"It must have been out of their hands that they lost. Blame it on Liverpool."

I remember reading boards and hearing fans call in to TalkSport where Liverpool supporters were hoping for Gerrard to get a hat-trick of own goals rather than ManU get the record breaking 19th title.

Liverpool were still in contention for a Europa spot though so they probably didn't lose intentionally but if there was ever a situation where they would put in a less than 100% effort it would be to keep ManU from winning the league.

[Edited on September 4, 2011 at 8:22 PM. Reason : /]

9/4/2011 8:19:32 PM

9/4/2011 9:23:53 PM

9/4/2011 10:13:11 PM

Like I said, classic United fans...

9/4/2011 10:28:02 PM

Yeah, we're all like that.

Seriously though, I know we poke fun at each other in here when one team beats another or whatnot, but there is some serious hate on all things United. What gives?

Lol, also check out this sweetRyan Giggs card I found in my moms attic last time I was at home.


[Edited on September 4, 2011 at 10:40 PM. Reason : Pic]

9/4/2011 10:29:21 PM

Quote :

"but there is some serious hate on all things United. What gives?"

They win. A lot.

Same thing happens to Duke, the Yankees, the Patriots, etc, etc. Plus SAF mouths off a lot (much of it I agree with so it's not necessarily a bad thing).

I don't hate them, but I don't actively root for them unless it's against Man City.

Re: Wilshere. Again, I'm sorry. Misdiagnoses, general injury problems, getting caught in a Ponzi scheme... these things happen to teams I root for.

9/5/2011 9:57:23 AM