***Official Premiership, FA Cup, Carling Cup, Champions League etc. Thread***

[whodat]

UCL groups are set... while United has some long trips, but I like the match ups. Chelsea should progress pretty easily. Chity... They get a tough group every year. Arsenal has their hands full as well.

Group A: Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, Malmo

Group B: PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United, CSKA Moscow, Wolfsburg

Group C: Benfica, Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray, Astana

Group D: Juventus, Manchester City, Sevilla, Borussia Monchengladbach

Group E: Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Roma, BATE Borisov

Group F: Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Olympiacos, Dinamo Zagreb

Group G: Chelsea, Porto, Dynamo Kiev, Maccabi Tel Aviv

Group H: Zenit Saint Petersburg, Valencia, Lyon, Gent

[whodat]

Just read this on epsfc.com...

Finally, Group C offers perhaps the most exotic newcomer, FC Astana. Born in 2009 out of a merger of two Almaty-based clubs (Alma-Ata and Megasport), they decamped some 600 miles to the newly built capital of Astana. That no doubt will present a challenge for Benfica, Atletico Madrid and Galatasaray, the three sides drawn to face them. There's the travel time (eight hours by plane for the Iberian clubs), the time difference (four hours), and the fact that games will likely kick off at 9 p.m. local time, when the average low temperature in November is between minus 10 and minus 15 Celsius, or 14 and 5 degrees Fahrenheit. You'd expect Benfica and the new-look Atletico to be favored, but that trip to Kazakhstan is a guaranteed X factor.

Under 20F?!?! Damn that is cold, plus the ball will feel like a rock and the pitch like asphalt. There are precautions when it gets hot, does the same thing exist for extreme cold?

[jrkarger]

Originally Posted by whodat

Just read this on epsfc.com...



Under 20F?!?! Damn that is cold, plus the ball will feel like a rock and the pitch like asphalt. There are precautions when it gets hot, does the same thing exist for extreme cold?

I mean they might blow away the snow so you can see the lines

http://static3.businessinsider.com/i...31.22%20pm.png

[whodat]

Originally Posted by jrkarger

I mean they might blow away the snow so you can see the lines

http://static3.businessinsider.com/i...31.22%20pm.png

That game was a f-ing joke too. Granted the US won, but you can't play in those conditions. This isn't rugby or American football. Plus, I don't think Tim Howard could enforce the Tuck Rule if a ball slipped through on him.

[jrkarger]

Originally Posted by whodat

That game was a f-ing joke too. Granted the US won, but you can't play in those conditions. This isn't rugby or American football. Plus, I don't think Tim Howard could enforce the Tuck Rule if a ball slipped through on him.

tuck rule.

Well, Howard did use the Jedi Rule in 2010...

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4114/...089d49fa_b.jpg

[whodat]

Originally Posted by jrkarger

tuck rule.

Well, Howard did use the Jedi Rule in 2010...

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4114/...089d49fa_b.jpg

that is great.

[panini2001]

The return of Tony Pulis in about 20 minutes on a dreary day here at the Brit!

[DaveHead36]

Some interesting matches played today. Liverpool imploding against West Ham. I was able to watch the Chelsea and Crystal Palace match today. Palace deserved to win that match.

Interesting to see the long added times today. 7 minutes in the Liverpool match and I think 8 in the Bournemouth match. Never seen one past 5 before.

[bartender_man]

Liverpool gonna Liverpool

[whodat]

Originally Posted by panini2001

The return of Tony Pulis in about 20 minutes on a dreary day here at the Brit!

And a triumphant return at that.

[DaveHead36]

Originally Posted by bartender_man

Liverpool gonna Liverpool

Aside from the season before last, they do this all the time. We always lose points from teams that we should be stealing 3 points from. No excuse to lose 3-0 to West Ham at Anfield. I think they said West Ham hasn't won at Anfield since September 1963... To put in perspective, Kennedy was still president and the Beatles had just charted their second ever #1 hit in the UK. They had yet to chart in America.

[bartender_man]

Originally Posted by DaveHead36

Aside from the season before last, they do this all the time. We always lose points from teams that we should be stealing 3 points from. No excuse to lose 3-0 to West Ham at Anfield. I think they said West Ham hasn't won at Anfield since September 1963... To put in perspective, Kennedy was still president and the Beatles had just charted their second ever #1 hit in the UK. They had yet to chart in America.

Yeah they really should have won the title couple years back when they had Suarez, now-like you said, they do this all the time. Does not surprise me at all.

[whodat]

Well that was one of the more unpredictable weekends in the BPL in some time. Chity taking advantage as the rest of the league stumbles to build an early lead. Chelsea did the same thing last thing and used the cushion in route to the title.

[2steppinKJ]

I love Deadline Day...

https://twitter.com/HeathrowAirport/...rc=twsrc%5Etfw

[whodat]

What a f*cking debacle the De Gea transfer has become. Blame all the way around, but in the end United will get screwed the most. Real won't take De Gea in the winter window, especially if he is not eligible for UCL games, they will run it out and get him free next summer. Couple this crap with DiMaria's comments about his relationship with LvG and you wonder if his tenure will be looked back upon in any sort of favorable light. Success always comes at a cost, and not not every player will get along with their manager, but when you run out great player after great player you have to sit back and see what is the constant. As always, time will tell.

[42graystreet]

Chelsea paid 32 million pounds for Eden Hazard. He was the 2-time French player of the year. Man U just paid 36 million pounds (rumored to be more with incentives) for a kid who's played one full season at Monaco and returned 12 goals.

In what for world we live. ~LVG

[whodat]

I hear you Chad. If Martial pans out and obtains the heights that have been set (next Henry comparisons are pretty high), then people will look back on it as shrewd buy. But as with so many of these buys they flame out under the expectations, injury, get sold again or a combination of all three. Guess time will tell.

Regardless, and as painful as this is for me to admit/say, at this point the league is Chity's to lose. This may also be the year they go deep in the UCL as they can focus more on Europe with a nice lead in the BPL. They have done well in the transfer window, have good depth and are playing with confidence right now. Just killing me to write any of that.

[whodat]

Quiet around these parts lately. Is it the international break, end of summer, taking a little break? Was looking over the MLS teams and stats this morning and surprised to see that for all the hoopla that NYCFC created with their signings, none of them have done anything since they arrived. For a team trying to make a huge splash, they are currently out of the playoffs and going no where fast. Not that I would shed a tear if they fell flat on their face, but for a team looking to garner a fan base in NYC, you better start winning or you will end like the Mets and Jets, the 'other' NY team.

[Ascf33]

This weekend is the best sports weekend.

[DaveHead36]

Probably quiet due to internationals and also end of silly season.

Speaking of internationals though, England qualified for Euros at the weekend and Rooney became England's all time goal scorer today.

Watching the match on tv totally flashed me back to being at Wembley... Ugh, I miss that atmosphere. Nothing like it in all of sports.

[TapNorris]

I got to go to a Valencia game at Mestalla last month vs. Monaco. I am definitely more appreciative of the sport and its fans and the way it's played. One of the coolest sporting experiences of my life. Forever a Valencia CF fan!!

[DaveHead36]

Fucking hell, Liverpool were completely deserving of that score line. Aside from the Benteke shot, the rest was woeful. They showed far too much respect for United. I give it two more results like that and Rogers could be gone.

Also, wtf is up with Chelsea???

[bartender_man]

Originally Posted by DaveHead36

Fucking hell, Liverpool were completely deserving of that score line. Aside from the Benteke shot, the rest was woeful. They showed far too much respect for United. I give it two more results like that and Rogers could be gone.

Also, wtf is up with Chelsea???

Expected the Pool to lose, did not expect Chelsea to lose again. Real crazy. Also I see City has yet to even concede a goal this season. I think I read that right....

[whodat]

Crushing opening game for United in the UCL group stage. Lose of Shaw will have wider impact as the defense that was so unsettled last season was showing great cohesion this season. Now, you not only lose a solid back but a player that thrived in LvG attack style from the wing. Guessing Blind will move the spot vacated by Shaw, and Rojo will move to the central area with Smalling. McNair is an option was well in the middle or Valencia on the outside.

[Ascf33]

the Shaw injury is nasty

[42graystreet]

Originally Posted by TapNorris

I got to go to a Valencia game at Mestalla last month vs. Monaco. I am definitely more appreciative of the sport and its fans and the way it's played. One of the coolest sporting experiences of my life. Forever a Valencia CF fan!!

Cool story. My cousin just saw a game there and had the same reaction. Must be a special place. (Go big red!)

Originally Posted by DaveHead36

Also, wtf is up with Chelsea???

Who knows. Glad to get a nice win in the Champions League. Makes me think we have a chance against Arsenal on Saturday. I've got a friend from here in Minneapolis who is also a big Chelsea supporter. He left today for London. Going to see the Arsenal game at Stamford Bridge. He's very excited (and worried).

[DaveHead36]

Interesting that FIFPro are filing a lawsuit to do away with transfer fees, limit the number of players at a club and do away with loans.

I could see how this could be a good thing for smaller clubs, only if a cap is put on weekly wages. Otherwise you're just going to see large clubs offering obscene wages.

The full article in detail is here:

http://www.theguardian.com/football/...-fifa-brussels

[whodat]

Originally Posted by DaveHead36

Interesting that FIFPro are filing a lawsuit to do away with transfer fees, limit the number of players at a club and do away with loans.

I could see how this could be a good thing for smaller clubs, only if a cap is put on weekly wages. Otherwise you're just going to see large clubs offering obscene wages.

The full article in detail is here:

http://www.theguardian.com/football/...-fifa-brussels

Saw a mention of this on ESPNFC this morning but didn't look at it. Interesting info and could signal a massive shift in how player movement and contracts work. Part of the transfer fee trickles down to the lower clubs that helped nurture a now star player.

Part of Schweinsteiger's transfer fee is trickling down to the club he started with as pre-teen/teen. They are getting some $150-200 in total. For them that is equal to a few years of an operating budget. Those clubs are not going to let the transfer setup change without those payouts still in tact.

[panini2001]

Well that was an interesting Saturday. No need to panic yet!

[whodat]

Stoke is in the bottom 3, a place you never want to be at any time of the season.