5/22/2011 12:55:31 PM

STOP COUGHING INTO THE MIC, JESUS

5/22/2011 1:02:54 PM

I love the celebrations for finishing 16th and 17th. LOL. Awesome stuff.

5/22/2011 1:06:21 PM

Quote :

"hey now Conky controls me. 4245 Posts user info edit post World Class from Owen. 5/22/2011 12:43:16 PM "

lol nice

5/22/2011 1:08:47 PM

Blackpool in Europe though due to fair play table!



SILVER LINING

5/22/2011 1:11:17 PM

Don't drop the trophy, Nemanja.

5/22/2011 1:22:11 PM

damn, Carrick's wife is hot

5/22/2011 1:28:10 PM

JTMONEYNCSU - Manchester United - Prediction: 2nd
d7freestyler - Manchester United - Prediction: 1st
heelfan - Manchester City - Prediction: 3rd
Ernie - Leeds - Prediction: Back in the EPL in 2 or 3 years
McWinger03 - Aston Villa - Prediction: 5th
aimorris - Liverpool - Prediction: 4th
NyM410 - West Ham - Prediction: 14th
hey now - Everton - Prediction: 7th
kiljadn - Manchester United - Prediction: 3rd, Blackpool - Prediction: 16th
mizzo - Liverpool - Prediction: 4th
wolfdawg4 - Arsenal - Prediction: 2nd, Blackpool - Prediction: 20th
amac884 - Wolves - Prediction: 13th, Arsenal - Prediction: Invincible
timmy - Arsenal - Prediction: 2nd or 3rd
CalledToArms - Arsenal - Prediction: 3rd
blanks - Manchester United - Prediction: 2nd
God - West Bromwich Albion - Prediction: 7th
Jabbo - Manchester City - Prediction: 4th
cyrion - West Ham - Prediction: 13th
FriendlyFire - Arsenal - Prediction: 3rd
elduderino - Everton - Prediction: 5th
KASPIRITUS - Newcastle - Prediction: Lucky to stay up
rezanator - Liverpool - Prediction: 6th
ToastyMuffin - Tottenham - Prediction: 6th
Opstand - Birmingham City - Prediction: 6th or 7th
Ribs - Tottenham - 4th
Turnip - Newcastle - 10th


bolded correct picks, underlined "surprise" relegations


[Edited on May 22, 2011 at 2:12 PM. Reason : u]

5/22/2011 2:11:12 PM

FUCK WIGAN

5/22/2011 2:22:44 PM

Quote :

"Opstand - Birmingham City - Prediction: 6th or 7th "

OUCH

Quote :

"hey now - Everton - Prediction: 7th"

5/22/2011 2:28:52 PM

Ancelotti is gone. Roman at it again.

5/22/2011 2:58:42 PM

Didn't get to watch any games today but my prediction (really more of a hope) for Blackpool was wrong, as was that prediction for Birmingham. That's why I don't gamble, I suck at that kind of stuff

Arsenal blew it this season. Couldn't even seal up 3rd...wtf.

5/22/2011 3:27:12 PM

Quote :

"In 2005, Liverpool finished 37 pts off 1st and came 5th (and won Champs Lge). This season Blackpool/B'ham 41 pts off 1st and are relegated"

from Oliver Kay at the Times

shit's crazy

5/22/2011 8:02:10 PM

^^Arsenal's results since the Carling Cup fiasco: LWDLLDDWDDLWLLD

5/22/2011 10:37:44 PM

Also, this could be HUGE if true. Cristian Ceballos signs with Spurs.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/922562/tottenham-hotspur-sign-former-barcelona-starlet?cc=5901

[Edited on May 23, 2011 at 5:53 AM. Reason : bring on Hulk]

5/23/2011 5:40:22 AM

Latest EPL sex scandal:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/8531175/Ryan-Giggs-named-as-Premier-League-footballer-in-Twitter-injunction-row.html

Quote :

"The identification came just hours after the High Court had refused to allow journalists to name Manchester United player Giggs, who was alleged to have had a sexual relationship with reality TV star Imogen Thomas. "

5/23/2011 11:58:36 AM

That's been bubbling for months.

5/23/2011 12:18:22 PM

^^^ and ^
Huge from the standpoint they may get a nice chunk of change for him if he develops some after year one or two and they decide to ship him off. But, do you think he will make a huge impact on the pitch for the Spurs within 3 years?

5/23/2011 12:25:26 PM

honestly I had never heard of the kid before today, and I don't think a move to Spurs under Harry Redknapp is in his best interest.



If you look at the youth players who have come in there, the only equivocal success story I can name is Gareth Bale. Harry Redknapp is not the sort of manager who can teach these kids how to play the game and advance. Kids like Giovanni dos Santos came in needing someone to take them under their wing, and he's arguably regressed. I know there's the whole "Harry used to coach at West Ham" argument, but if you look at the players who were youth players under him, they didn't come into their own as players until they started playing for someone else. Lampard at Chelsea, Rio at Leeds, Joe Cole at Chelsea, Carrick at Spurs/United.


Redknapp is an average manager who has little to no tactical acumen and rides the wave of his players' ability. Every single success he's had has come down to the players desire and talent. He takes credit when it goes his way, and he singles out and berates when it doesn't. That's the absolute worst way you want to treat a youth player.

5/23/2011 1:23:56 PM

^ oh fuck off

He showed great tactical acumen multiple times this year, particularly in our biggest matches of the year in the Champion's League. He showed nuts and played an open game while trusting his players to defend their ass off when the moment called for it. Moving Bale to mid, getting the most out of our embarrassing front line while hiding them as best as possible. Finding players like Sandro who no one knew at the beginning of the year and by the end of the year are wanted by big clubs all over the planet. I could go on...

I'm going to put it this in all caps so you can read it clearly.

EVERY SPURS TEAM HE HAS MANAGED HAS OVERACHIEVED EXPECTATIONS

The whole team and what he has been given in terms of its talent is clearly greater than the sum of its parts. He plays the mental part of the game so well. Propping players up to believe that they are better than they actually are so they go out and play over their head. Maybe tearing them down when he thinks they need a fire light under their ass. I got no problem with it. We went from the relegation zone to a yearly top 4 contender under his watch. So call it what you will, but he's a great manager in my eyes. I would think you would know all about managers that excel with mind games considering your personal god SAF might be the best at it.

Quote :

"But, do you think he will make a huge impact on the pitch for the Spurs within 3 years?"

I would expect to see him some after January when he starts to become acclimated with the day to day of being a footballer in the EPL. Maybe sooner depending on injury.


btw, Gio is a terrible example. He's a distracted player and doesn't know the meaning of hard work. Those 5 goals for Racing really set the world on fire this season. All he needed was another manager to succeed though

[Edited on May 23, 2011 at 4:19 PM. Reason : .]

5/23/2011 4:14:40 PM

What happened to the TWW fantasy league? After the final day it disappeared from my sidebar...I guess they disband all leagues after the final game? Not that it matters, there were only 6 of us and I think only 3 paying attention after the first couple weeks, but I might have come back to win it on the last day by a couple points and wanted to check.

5/23/2011 4:29:46 PM

^

Quote :

"1 Vuvuzela FC 2,703.00 2 Tacos y Chicharitos 2,654.00 3 nick bout to lose again 2,570.50 4 Mizzo FC 2,392.00 5 Slade! 2,135.00 6 Bojangles Sweet Tea 1,852.50 7 Moyes' Boyes 0"

http://uk.premiership.fantasysports.yahoo.com/football/group/11981

I started paying attention again a few weeks ago. I always forget about checking Yahoo. Oops.

5/23/2011 4:39:52 PM

yeah I haven't changed my lineup since september

the only fantasy sport I've ever been able to stick with is fantasy football (the other one)

5/23/2011 4:41:30 PM

Dearest Ribs:





Every single one of my points is valid. He might be able to build someone up and say "YOU CAN BEAT THEM" but if he has no tactics - which he doesn't - then he is going to get found out eventually - which he was. I like him as a person, and I think he's hilarious, but Harry Redknapp is a mediocre manager that gets way more credit than he deserves. He had a team that beat a woeful Inter side and managed to scrape by by the skin of their teeth against Milan. Every Spurs fan from here to the moon thought they had the real deal, but everyone continues to gloss over the fact that when it gets down to the nitty-gritty, he's always at a loss for what to do. Don't get mad at me for calling a spade a spade, bro.

5/23/2011 6:34:25 PM

Redknapp is a poor man's Brian Clough. His skills lie in motivating and man management. Tactically I wouldn't say he's inept but he's certainly no tactician.


...and don't fool yourself into thinking he discovered Sandro. Tottenham weren't the only club after him but they had first option b/c of an agreement with Internacional.

5/23/2011 6:47:04 PM

Ribs you know I usually got your back but not so much on this one


I like Redknapp - he's a good motivator, his teams are entertaining and attacking, and you're right, his teams generally win more than they lose. But I'm not sure he's the best manager for a young player who will be 3rd or 4th on the depth chart to develop technically

[Edited on May 23, 2011 at 7:08 PM. Reason : .]

5/23/2011 7:08:05 PM

he just does not have a good record for developing talent *shrug*

5/23/2011 7:41:37 PM

Since team woma has a whole lot of time to kill this summer (and no one wants to debate where Messi might sit in the greatest players of all time argument ) I'll try to start this out with a little game based on the above convo

Rank me your top 5 managers in the EPL while omitting your club's manager from the ranking as to not skew anything. It can be anyone and not necessarily a top of the table type guy. Maybe you like his style or motivational tactics or his nack for developing young players (lol) Jadn could even throw someone like Holloway in there as long as he backs it up with some merit.

1) SAF - pretty obvious choice

2) Wenger - on tough times recently, but such a long history of sustained success, albeit trophyless, lands him here

3) Pulis - love Stoke's style. They're a bit like the Ravens in the NFL where they play stout defense and drag you into the mud to play an extremely physical game. I dread playing that side so my respect shows with this ranking.

4) Dalglish - I really liked the way Pool came on after he took over. I guess my only knock is let's see if he can sustain success and actually challenge next season. Only time will tell on that one.

5) Moyes - More with less kind of guy. Squeezes every drop of talent out of what he is given. It does get annoying when he is constantly using the lack of funds excuse. I'd probably be saying the same thing in his position though I guess.

After debating that 5th spot, it made me realize how there really aren't too many "great" managers in the league right now. I'm not a Mancini believer at all and he almost got that 5th spot for crying out loud.

5/23/2011 8:27:25 PM

1. Moyes - would be strong if he had money to spend and luck with his players staying healthy. Seems like a class dude on top of all that

2. Ancelotti - I like his system, think he could do a lot better without an owner forcing his hand and a squad that wasn't over 40 in average age

3. I guess I'll put 'Arry here

you right about there not being a lot of good managers though. Obviously my list is guys that I like and not just coaches I'd get if I wanted trophies (yes SAF would have to be #1 but fuck him)



[Edited on May 23, 2011 at 8:33 PM. Reason : King Kenny is #1 tho]

5/23/2011 8:28:57 PM

Managers you would consider the best in the league and why you consider them that way. Whether it is talent development, success, master motivator, tactical genius etc

[Edited on May 23, 2011 at 8:36 PM. Reason : basically set your own criteria]

5/23/2011 8:31:09 PM

well I guess Ancelotti isn't a coach anymore so I can't use him. Hiddink goes #1 to the list if they get him because his teams are always fun to watch and he is a cool motherfucker

5/23/2011 8:36:00 PM

if we're doing managers we like but not necessarily managers we'd most like to run our team then i'd say (in no particular order)...

David Moyes: built Everton into a respectable club from the ground up
Ian Holloway: plays attractive football; hilarious
Roberto Martinez: Wigan are shit but i think Martinez is one of the good guys and tries to play attacking football.
Mark Hughes & Steve Bruce: ManU

best managers in the prem excluding Sir Alex?
1-5 arranged however...
Dalglish
Ancelotti (included even though he got canned)
Wenger (although i think he's not nearly as sharp as he used to be, dude gets more insane every year)
Redknapp
Moyes


[Edited on May 23, 2011 at 8:47 PM. Reason : best]

5/23/2011 8:42:39 PM

IMO Roman made a stupid move firing Ancelotti. He was a good manager and lead the club on a killer run in 2011. If you asked in November where Chelsea was going to finish on the table no one would have said second. And to go down against MUFC in the Champions League, who are easily one of the top 3 clubs in Europe (maybe even the world) this year, is not some kind of upset. The Torres purchase was a flop but I wouldn't be surprised if that was all Roman himself.

Stupid move, he's impatient and meddling. My only thought is that he was hoping the rumors of getting Mourinho back are true.


As for the manager rankings, I really think Owen Coyle has to be up the list. He's one of the best at cultivating young talents right now. Look what he did with Sturridge this year and Wilshere last year. He's groomed Stu Holden into the future core of the USMNT midfield. Great manager all around despite their FA Cup blowout this year.

5/23/2011 8:48:21 PM

Chelsea finishing 2nd had as much to do with Arsenal shitting the bed as it did their run, but I generally agree with you that he got a bad deal

Coyle would have been considered for my list a few months ago but they reaaaaaally fell apart (I mean, they finished only 7 points from the bottom 3) and that 5-0 drubbing really looks bad as it was their most important game of the year. Sturridge and Elmander are both gone in the summer too so I think they're going to struggle next year too

5/23/2011 8:52:56 PM

I love how you laugh off my point because it doesn't suit your fucking argument. The facts are there, homey. Y'all ain't playing in europe this season. It's down to your fucking coach. Get the fuck over it.




as for your list?


1. Ancelotti - if Roman hadn't decided to fuck up the flow by tossing Torres in, they'd have made a good run at winning back to back. By far one of the best coaches in the game and it's too bad he got sacked.
2. Dalglish - He makes shit happen. You can't deny it. Smart purchases. Hindered only by a lack of depth this season. PLAYS YOUTH PLAYERS INSTEAD OF SQUANDERING THEM
3. as much as i hate to say it, Mancini - he plays the counter better than anyone else in the league. Too defensive most of the time, but that's how Italians play.
4. Holloway - Keeps the wage bill down, plays a swashbuckling style. Doesn't know how or when to get his players to defend though.

5/23/2011 9:18:19 PM

Quote :

" love how you laugh off my point because it doesn't suit your fucking argument. The facts are there, homey. Y'all ain't playing in europe this season. It's down to your fucking coach. Get the fuck over it."

First off, get the fuck over yourself. I recall at one point and time you were actually a decent contributor to this thread and now you're pretty much a prick and joke to all that come here and watch you get mad over dumb shit. Everything you say has to fit this little agenda inside your head and we all take everything you say with a grain of salt anyway. I have this picture of you being a front running asshole similar to any Carolina fan that has no idea what mid table fans feel year in and year out because you're in the mix every year. If you're not first, you're last type of asshole. Yes, Spurs doesn't have the greatest manager in the world, or the greatest players, or the greatest stadium, or the greatest anything really, yet they still grind out successful, highly entertaining seasons.

So back to this little "argument" where you took a run at the manager of my club and then got all butthurt when I came to defend him. You stated your opinion and I stated mine. The only difference is you treat your opinion as if it were fact and rage against anyone that dare have a difference viewpoint. If someone took an unprovoked run at Fergie you would be screaming bloody murder for pages and pages and would never drop it until the other person became so frustrated and bored that they would just quit posting about it altogether.

Like aimorris said in the other thread, get some fucking perspective.

I'm sure you're going to come back with some hate filled bullshit which I will be happy to read and gain amusement from, but I won't responding and getting drug down in the mud with you anymore.

5/23/2011 10:16:39 PM

Let's go Liverpool

5/23/2011 11:19:41 PM

^I like this guy. He knows what's up.

I'll have to think about a list of coaches tonight and post tomorrow. Interesting points made so far.

5/23/2011 11:27:14 PM

GLOSS OVER THE FACTS


IGNORE TWO OTHER PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT MY STATEMENTS


TYPE A PARAGRAPH ABOUT HOW I DONT CONTRIBUTE ANYTHING OF VALUE JUST BECAUSE THE FACTS BACK UP MY POINTS AND YOU ARE EXTREMELY ASSHURT


FACTS ABOUT HARRY REDKNAPP ITT:

1. Has won the Johnstone Paint trophy. In 1984.

2. Has won the FA Cup with Portsmouth. In 2008.

3. Got Spurs to the Champions League in a soft year after Liverpool decided to shit the bed.




HE HAS A PROVEN TRACK RECORD OF NOT DOING SHIT TO DEVELOP PLAYERS. HIS REPUTATION IS ONE OF A WHEELER-DEALER.


GET ASSHURT IF YOU WANT TO. IT'S A FUCKING FACT. STATS DO NOT LIE.

I didn't even attack you to start, so you're the one who needs to get the fuck over themselves. I've got a perspective - it's one of you being an absolute bitter shithead right now because I was plain and forthcoming with a hard reality that you're too goddamned bitter to fucking accept.


and honestly if you want to sit there and talk like I don't know what the fuck I'm talking about - Spurs have been knocking on the UCL door since the days of Martin Jol. They've fucked it up a few times because Levy won't let the managers manage. That team has had all sorts of talent come in the door and be squandered. Harry Redknapp comes in and has enough charisma to get the team to play together and hit the same level they were at 5 years ago and all of a sudden he's fucking Brian Clough or Jock Stein? Get the fuck off it. The dude is fucking mediocre and his LACK of a pedigree is more than enough example of that.

[Edited on May 23, 2011 at 11:55 PM. Reason : front runner. right. because that has everything to do with your bitter anger.]

5/23/2011 11:38:49 PM

mad

5/24/2011 12:17:35 PM

I'm not the one who shit their britches here because someone pointed out that some kid who might sign for spurs will sit behind 4 other players and never see the field as long as 'arry's around.


so again, I reiterate:


*shrug*

[Edited on May 24, 2011 at 12:48 PM. Reason : .]

5/24/2011 12:44:19 PM

what award did Bale win?

5/24/2011 1:12:21 PM

PFA Player of the Year I think?

5/24/2011 1:14:43 PM

http://www.goal.com/en/news/12/spain/2011/05/24/2502037/atletico-madrids-david-de-gea-says-goodbye-to-team-mates

Looks official. I'm kinda disappointed, was hoping for a more established keeper.

5/24/2011 5:44:22 PM

Should have gotten Gomes

or Friedel, who will be a damn nice #2

5/24/2011 5:45:40 PM

I read in the Guardian that Liverpool have already offered Friedel a 2yr contract to back-up Pepe.



[Edited on May 24, 2011 at 5:56 PM. Reason : remembered where i read it]

5/24/2011 5:49:30 PM

yeah I know, that's why I said that

5/24/2011 5:58:48 PM

Arry to Chelsea? Rafa to Spurs?

my head to going to explode

5/26/2011 12:33:45 PM

Quote :

"Blackpool in Europe though due to fair play table! SILVER LINING"

Fulham made it over Blackpool.

5/26/2011 12:34:36 PM

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu




I thought they were still trying to determine who the second team was, though?

5/26/2011 7:16:04 PM