...::[The Footy Desk]::... (Part 1)

[Nlwt]

City played better than Arsenal for the vast majority of the game but I don't think they battered them. Yes, they scored 6 but Arsenal made mistakes which lead to 3 of the goals. Pellegrini makes me laugh, thinking 6 goals wasn't enough and there should have been at least 4-5 more.

[Crokey]

He made me laugh when he said that (besides Arsenal) there are 5 or 6 teams challenging for the title "... Everton, Southampton, Chelsea, Tottingham, maybe I forgot one of them..."

 

You did Manny, you did

[Vercetti42]

6-3 to City. Arsenal fans can now shut up and get back to reality.

[Nlwt]

He made me laugh when he said that (besides Arsenal) there are 5 or 6 teams challenging for the title "... Everton, Southampton, Chelsea, Tottingham, maybe I forgot one of them..."

 

You did Manny, you did

They always said that City fans weren't a clever bunch...

[Crokey]

Well I've dusted off the history books and the last time we scored 6 against Arsenal was... never. The previous record was a 4-0 away win at Woolwich Arsenal in the 1912/1913 season.

[rhyn]

Well I've dusted off the history books and the last time we scored 6 against Arsenal was... never. The previous record was a 4-0 away win at Woolwich Arsenal in the 1912/1913 season.

Amazing what half a billion quid can do eh?

[Nlwt]

Noticed there's games on 26th December and 28th December, United are away at Hull on the 26th and away at Norwich on the 28th. f*ck me, and without RVP.

Edited December 14, 2013 by NathanT

[Vercetti27]

well we have an easy 3 pointer at home to chelsea on the 23rd so it won't take us long to get back to winning ways

....lol

[Nlwt]

West Bromwich Albion have relieved Steve Clarke of his duties and placed him on gardening leave with immediate effect.

Edited December 14, 2013 by NathanT

[Banks.]

Can I just ask why City can't fill the Etihad against Arsenal? Weird that they are playing the league leaders yet they can't fill it.

 

I think Negredo is a quality striker but that f*cking beast thing is annoying.

Edited December 14, 2013 by Tommy.

[Prometheus]

Noticed there's games on 26th December and 28th December, United are away at Hull on the 26th and away at Norwich on the 28th. f*ck me, and without RVP.

City in the 26th and Chelsea three days after for Liverpool, both away.

 

...lol?

 

Can easily see Liverpool winning both games obvs

Edited December 15, 2013 by Prometheus

[Nlwt]

Football on boxing day is always an interesting one:

 

 

Yes, United lost miserably that day, but where are Citeh....?

[Hodgey.]

Football on boxing day is always an interesting one:

 

 

Yes, United lost miserably that day, but where are Citeh....?

 

Ipswich where sh*te that day

[Max]

So were we, we got tonked 2-8 by Blackburn at home. Disgraceful.

 

West Brom are mad to sack Steve Clarke...although having said that I want Big Sam gone more than anything in the world right now.

[D4 Damager]

Pretty sure there's a logicial explanation for most of those results, if not for all of the gaudy scores. 2 days later the reverse fixtures were played and quite a lot of the results are now reversed.

 

Chelsea 1-0 Blackpool

Man Utd 5-1 Burnley

Ipswich 4-2 Fulham

Everton 0-3 Leicester*

Bolton 3-0 Sheff Wed

Blackburn 1-3 West Ham

 

The explanation for lots of the bigger scores could be that teams arranged before the games to play a weakened side in the first match in exchange for being allowed to win the second. This seems especially possible when you consider that Ipswich managed to beat a team that beat them 10-1 just 2 days before and score 4 goals in doing it, when they were a team of historically bad proportions. It also seems strange that many of the larger scores are suddenly reversed while most of the more competitive matches remain competitive with none of them being decided by more than 2 goals in the return fixture and 1 of them being another draw.

 

A couple of other random points:

 

Stoke beat Liverpool 3-1 in their return match however this wasn't a double-header as the game on the 28th was abandoned and rearranged for the end of the season, by which time Liverpool had already won the titles so probably weren't arsed about a game away at Stoke.

 

The Leicester Everton game was a first game win that was replicated in the second game. However in the next year a couple of people connected with Everton were banned for life from football for their involvement in a betting scandal, as were a couple of people from Sheffield Wednesday, and a few retired players and lower-league guys. Two of those banned were England internationals, and numerous other players were under heavy suspicion but nothing was ever proved aside from this one instance. As at that time money was a lot tighter at the top of the game here is it much of a stretch to suggest that players were conspiring to fix certain games? These doubleheaders would be prime targets as each side could get a win each and nobody would be worse off.

 

Then again, I'm slightly pissed -- been at the Ally Pally -- so these may just all be coincidences and I may just need to go to bloody bed as it's nearly 3AM and I have work soon...

Edited December 15, 2013 by D4 Damager

[Vercetti42]

Football on boxing day is always an interesting one:

 

 

Yes, United lost miserably that day, but where are Citeh....?

 

United lost because they were a completely new team. The Munich Air disaster had taken place just 3 years before that.

[Max]

The Munich Air Disaster was 5 years before and is no excuse for that beating. Just accept it AceKingston, sometimes even United lose and lose badly.

Edited December 15, 2013 by Max.

[Banks.]

We were in a transitional period then

[Vercetti27]

not sure why we didn't play on that day, we were in the first division.

 

must be the the tv scheduling, typical sixties tv corporations ruining our beautiful game!

[jln22]

So Hodgey be prepared to change your avatar today lol

[Joseph Cooke]

Football on boxing day is always an interesting one:

 

 

Yes, United lost miserably that day, but where are Citeh....?

6-1...sounds familiar.

 

Champions League Draw tomorrow. Not sure what time. Excited tho.

[Nlwt]

^So does 'Division 2'....

 

What's this deal between jln22 and Hodgey then?

[Banks.]

^So does 'Division 2'....

 

What's this deal between jln22 and Hodgey then?

I think if Soldado scores a hattrick against the scousers then Hodgey has to wear a Soldado avatar.

[Nlwt]

A soldado hat-trick in the Prem? Yeah because that will happen. I'd rather put money on Phil Jones bagging a hat-trick.

 

Darren Fletcher on the bench?

Edited December 15, 2013 by NathanT

[Banks.]

United: De Gea; Rafael, Jones, Evans, Evra; Valencia, Cleverley, Giggs, Januzaj; Rooney, Welbeck.

Subs: Lindegaard, Ferdinand, Fabio, Young, Buttner, Zaha, Fletcher

Fletcher on the bench!

[jln22]

If Soldado scores twice he has to use a Soldado avatar for one week.

 

Btw...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2523817/Tottenham-striker-Roberto-Soldado-reveals-wife-lost-baby-expecting.html

[Banks.]

What a player Danny Welbeck is. His movement is f*cking world class! Underrated imo.

 

2-0 United!

[T0X1C]

If Welbeck scores a hat trick get your affairs in order because the world is ending today. Bendtner, Chamakh and Torres were the three horsemen here to warn us.

[Shoumaker]

If Welbeck scores a hat trick get your affairs in order because the world is ending today. Bendtner, Chamakh and Torres were the three horsemen here to warn us.

Except that, Welbeck is actually a good player compared to Chamakh or Bendtner. Torres just got f*cked over due to injuries.

[T0X1C]

His goal scoring return is abysmal, though. This is the 1st time he's scored in the league in 4 months. It's all well and good having the quality but if you're inconsistent it means absolutely nothing. Hopefully he's turned a corner now but if he continues to have month long gaps between good performances then he needs to be moved on.

Good goals today.