English Premier League 07/08 Thread

[* J k y]

EPL Season 07/08

As Season 06/07 finished as Manchester United as winner 07/08 will begin soon and as transfer window will open soon before that. there will be massive gossip left right and centre..with new EPL Logo and Number/Lettering 07/08 season will sure be a memorable season.

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w46/martijnRuk/prem.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a0/Premierleague.PNG/180px-Premierleague.PNG

Begin

First of all who is everyone Supporting/fav Club?

[Dexter]

Manchester United


For the lst few years all i got was: "They suck, they're shit."
Which was pretty accurate, cos they hadn't won the title for four years, nor even put their hand up for the Champions League, or even domestic cups that counted.
Everyone thought United was dead, and a few of the "true" fans started going for Chelsea.
Psh, if you got a team stick with it.

And Reap the benefits!! Roar for Cristiano Ronaldo, and the incredible effort shown by every player (at times had to rely on players that don't ever first team) to power their way to the title.
They didn't have the man power to win it this season, but they won it over Chelsea's billionares and audacious spending anyway.

United bid for Essien, but Chelsea outbid em. United bid for Robben, Chelsea outbid em. United bid for Joe Cole, Chelsea outbid em.
Add to that Chelsea got Shevchenko and Ballack... and they already got the likes of Lampard, Terry and Makelele... on paper, United only had one or two who could stand up to them, and they are aging quickly, well into their 30's (for football)

But then who stepped up... That's right foo. Dream season for us. That semi-final vs AC Milan was rubbish. Gattuso should have been sent off for the extreme tackles on Ronaldo at least twice, and a definite penalty vs Rooney. One goal would have counted as double.

[/rant]

Oh well, always next year for the grandest title in the world (yes, bigger than the World cup).


But for now, we'z gotz the title. And hopefully we'll have Owen Hargreaves. Apparently there's rumours of Berbatov moving to United, but that's being furiously denied by the Spurs..

[* J k y]

oh icic a Man utd fan...what i saw is that Rooney, Ronaldo, Giggs, Scholes and Carrick forming a good attacking team while Carrick releasing from the back..man utd defo missed scholes ...and i say the main reason why man utd won this year..

i think CR7 got hammered by Gattu..so tough luck mate

yeah i think owen will come, but Berby declared he going to stay..at Spurs..and was at catwalk for their new kit lol..

united is also getting a new home shirt..man i hate "AIG" ewww

maybee kits:
http://soccerlens.com/images/UtdKit20062007alt.jpg
or
http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/3582/united076ccsj9tu0.jpg

and im a Arsenal supporter

[bobby69]

my fav club is Arsenal too!!
i love Fabregas!

[Neku]

[rant]
Wigan should of got relegated not Sheffield United, Wigan are about as good as a see through paper shower curtain. Or even West ham, they just got lucky beating Man U.
[/Endrant]

Luck sucks.

[bobby69]

yeah Blades were unlucky man....

they are going to UEFA to complain why Hammers didnt get points deducted for fielding a ineliglbe player...haha..

lets see what happens =P

[Dexter]

^ true.. they may get points deducted

and i have huge sympathy for the Blades.. well Sunderland coming up.. Roy Keane, former Man Utd captain (only 3 years ago) vs his former boss. That'll be one helluva contest

and West Ham wasn't really 'lucky,' to beat United.. United had nothing to play for, and started without their best players, namely Ronaldo, Giggs, and Scholes
also Ferdinand was missing in defence, and the players were trying not to get injured for the FA Cup final vs Chelsea this weekend

[bobby69]

yeah Sunderland gonna do good..with Anthony Stokes and Dwight Yorke for their strikers...and Keano.

hope Man utd win! cause i hate Chelsea!!!

[* J k y]

but i will feel sorry for Lucash Neil if Hammers get relegated XD

plus tevez will leave to another club also XD...muajajajjajajaja

hoping Man utd to win also

[Dexter]

Lucas Neil's contract allows him to return to Blackburn if the Hammers are relegated.
I just can't believe he went from a captain poistion at Blackburn (with players with such high quality such as Gamst Pederson <-- one of my favs, and Emerton) to a lower team.
He even had offers from Liverpool, which he declined. Apparently they didn't want him bad enough, which i understand..

edit: Did I mention? Good job starting this thread.

[* J k y]

really...i didnt know he can go back? lolz

yeah Gamst is good..haha Emerton i rarely hear about him anymore..=P
basically Lucash wanted money and he got it...liverpool gave him low wages something like 37k and west ham offered 55k...so he joined purely for money =)

yay for this thread =P...donate me 100 dollars XD

[Dexter]

Well if he wanted more money good for him, I think he deserves it..

Emerton? He played a big part in Blackburn's recent game. Viduka scored twice for Middlesborough, and Kewell played well for Liverpool, bagging himself a goal.
Aussies abroad ftw.


yay for this thread =P...donate me 100 dollars XD
I'd be rich if we followed that rule =P

[* J k y]

yes Viduka actually is doing very well with 14goals in epl...and he doesnt play every match...i havent seen emerton play for a while i wouldnt know..

Kewell played his first epl match on the last one of the season..you cant expect that to be a great season haha XD..he did do a go assist/cross and goal pk..good on him..


I'd be rich if we followed that rule =P

dam..i just need 100 to buy something =P..but no worries mate
you can rep me..but ur choice haha

im not fimiliar with these kinda stuff..

[Dexter]

You already have 931 to buy stuff. And sorry, i can't 'abuse' rep or DB's gonna murder me.
Besides, +95 rep shouldn't be given away cheaply :p


On topic: I hope Kewell plays in the Champions League, even if it's coming off the bench as a sub

[* J k y]

hmm i think its a huge gamble to play kewell in the CL...
but i think we'll probably see fowler there =P since his leaving pool
and he might come to Sudney Fc :O

[Makai_Dranix]

yeah Blades were unlucky man....

they are going to UEFA to complain why Hammers didnt get points deducted for fielding a ineliglbe player...haha..

lets see what happens =P

They never fielded an ineligible player, that was never the problem with Tevez and Mashcarano (sp?) the problem was in the way they signed the players,

From www.bbc.co.uk

"It is not explicitly against Premier League rules for a club to sign a player whose economic rights are owned by a third party - as in the case of Tevez and Mascherano.

However, rule U18 states: "No club shall enter into a contract which enables any other party to that contract to acquire the ability materially to influence its policies or the performance of its team."

When signing Tevez and Mascherano, West Ham entered into a private agreement with the companies which owned their economic rights.

The contract stated, among other things, that those companies had the right to terminate the players' contracts upon payment to West Ham of £2m (in Tevez's case) or £150,000 (for Mascherano) in the January transfer window.

By entering into that agreement, West Ham clearly broke rule U18. "

I'm glad they didn't get docked points, and i think if they got points taken off them with 2/3 games left of the season when they're fighting a relegation battle is the biggest kick in the teeth you can give a set of players who have been fighting hard to avoid relegation! I think the £5.5mil is bad enough, if it was Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd or Liverpool it would've been closer to £1mil!!! and again none of those teams would've lost points.

The matter has been settled and apart from the obvious bitterness from a team who throughout the season ON the field weren't good enough then i think nothing else should be said about it.

Onto the actual topic... I'm support Aston Villa and i see great things happening this summer, we have a board who are willing to spend money, a world class manager who (even though i'm glad he didn't) should be England manager right now, amasing youth players who have come through over the course of the last season (Gardner, Cahill, Moore and the god that is Gabriel Agbonlahor!!!)
Next season expect us to be up with the UEFA cup places, and expect us to spend a little bit of cash in July and August ^^

[* J k y]

then i dont see shef utd..anything to argue about docking points from them? XD

Villa is a good team..with recent players coming in like Carew, Maloney and Young...pretty good players there =)

man Chelsea won the FA cup!!! dam i wanted man utd to win!

[Gojira]

Damn, Manchester Utd lost in a heartbreaker... I can't believe they lost in overtime... Well, to Chelsea's credit. Lampard gave a great ball to Drogba and if he's in that position Drogba will score 9/10. Damn, that guy is a beast... how many goals did he score this season in the EPL? 32? Insanity...

Anyways, at least Machester Utd has the EPL championship... That's more prestigious anyways...

[* J k y]

yeah i didnt want Chelsea to win....dang they won 2 trophies!! XD

[Gojira]

Carling Cup is worthless... Manchester Utd won waaaaaaay more money just by winning one so its all good.

[* J k y]

i know man...

but still they got 2 cups and man utd got 1

[Dexter]

Psh. Teams can win the Carling Cup with their eyes closed. no one gives a shit bout the CC.

Only Chelsea. Heh. They needed that token to have any sort of semblence of a good season.

In the FA cup.. Last gasp goal against a United team that owned them in the second half.. they did not beat United. They merely won.


And yes, EPL > FA cup > Carling Cup

[Gojira]

@ JKY... Yeah, I know but the CC doesn't have any prestige anymore and some argue that even the FA cup is losing its importance today. Even if Chelsea had 2 cups over United's 1 winning the EPL has more weight in English football than winning 2 crappy cups. The EPL was the true test of Man Utd superiority over Chelsea.

And as Kalliades put so eloquently, Chelsea did not beat United. They merely won.

[Miyata]

Arsenal all the way. They may have had an unlucky season to start off with, but they pulled through when they really needed it. With victories both times against Manchester United in the Premiership, they truly have shown their class. But injuries have also struck the club hard.

But still, next season will be a very interesting one, with Henry hopefully uninjured, and the returnof Robin van Persie, with some major names in midfield, such as the upcoming Fabregas, next season really will be a tight one.

[Dexter]

Yep, totally agreed. Except that it was class that beat United. The first game was a lucky goal more or less.. but they're still a powerful side, and hopefully much stronger next season.


And how could you forget The Mozart of Football!!!??

Tomas Rosicky!!! My fav player.. and he plays for Arsenal..

[Miyata]

Lawl. I was rushing that post XD.

But yeah, we've got Rosicky to bang in those 35 yard-ers :p.

[Dexter]

Yep. Even if he does it against United i'd be like: 'whoa wat a goal!!! \o/ Go Rosicky!'

[* J k y]

haha his only scored 1 long range..goal as i recall..
the rest was around the box or inside...

im hoping Arsenal bringing in new players..
we're apparently linked with Richards, Ribery and Quaresma :O

[Miyata]

Ribery would be a great purchase. Wenger's been talking about recruiting him ever since the World Cup.

[Dexter]

Ribery has also been linked with United since the World cup


haha his only scored 1 long range..goal as i recall..
the rest was around the box or inside...
Around the box is still long range... unless you compare with Gerrard.

[* J k y]

Ribery also quoted wanting to work with french coach..etc etc..ierno..i dont like him..if he comes...i dont mind..
i want Quaresma..=P

well the goal he scored vs. Hamburg in CL..was the longest shot/only shot from that far for arsenal...
the rest were pretty average goals =P..

[Miyata]

Well. Let's talk about him in the World Cup. Wehn he was playing for the Czech Rep. 2 Long ranged goals in one match. And he's an excellent playmaker. How else should he show his class?

[* J k y]

although he did a few good long range...in Czech..
he hasnt done much for Arsenal goal wise...
he contributes alot...and probably would of done better if he wasnt injured so much this season..twice =P

hopefully to see a full season Rosicky the coming one..
see how the team build around Cesc..because his always there..
Cesc is probably the most important player for Arsenal atm..

[Dexter]

Oh yeah.. Cesc is the leading man for Arsenal now.. and I'd love to see a whole season of Rosicky

I'm not really a huge fan either of Ribery.. but as you say, in the world cup I liked watching him play.

Quaresmo would sure be a great buy.. I think Arsenal will be very powerful next year. Like United, they're just going through a transitional period.. and they managed to get 3rd place. Tho United got 2nd during their 3 yr transitional phase. Went to hell when Keane left..

Also Liverpool next season will be exhilirating to see.. what with Kewell's return


And you guys heard about Lampard and Terry? For a short time, they seemed to threaten to leave, since their pay was insubstantial compared to Shevchenko & Ballack

[Miyata]

Yeah. Cesc is a really really good upcoming player. He's like the anchor man for Arsenal. And he's only 19 :).

I doubt Lampard or Terry will leave, they're Chelsea. Literally. As much as Romanov can buy, if he loses those 2 players, he loses 75% of the fans with them.

[* J k y]

i think arsenal needs some key signings...and were pretty much set
with returning Henry and Persie...up front...
cesc the man!
Lampard is probably more set to leave Chelsea..read some tabloids about it...
and Terry is a maybe also..but these 2 basically carry the team..if they both leave..it will probably crumble...as flops like ballack, sheva, shaun and etc...doesnt help haha
Eto'o seems interested to join Liverpool..so you never know..pool might be dangerous

Transfers - Tabloid Talk
May 27
Manchester United are ready to make a move for Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o - Sunday Mirror

David Beckham is set for a loan move back to the Premiership next January - Various

Claudio Ranieri is set to be named Man City boss ahead of Ruud Gullit and Juande Ramos - People

Blackburn are hoping to land former striker James Beattie from Everton - People

Frank Lampard is ready to quit Chelsea after contract talks stalled - News of the World

Chelsea will move for Valencia's David Villa this week - News of the World

Spurs will make a bid for Sporting Lisbon's Nani and Darren Bent in the coming days, and could sell Jermaine Defoe to Portsmouth - News of the World

Bent, though, is wanted by up to six Premiership clubs as Charlton look for a fee in the region of £12 million - Various

Bolo Zenden is emerging as a target of Newcastle - Daily Star
Tottenham have been linked with an audacious bid for Ryan Giggs - Sunday Mirror

Robbie Fowler is aiming to seal a move to Rangers this summer - Daily Star

Norwich and Sheffield Wednesday both wanted Billy Sharp - Daily Star

Luke Young will seal a move to West Ham United this summer - News of the World

Wigan are ready to rival Sunderland for Gavin McCann - People

Liverpool and Aston Villa are set to battle for Portsmouth's Matt Taylor - Various

[M-50]

Thing I want to add as well, im an arsenal man myself and one thing I hate about the current team is that we have only managed to put it together fairly recently. But the upshot of that is that we have had so many injuries, so many new players brought in. Another thing is that with out current number 1 team our average age is something like 21 years old! our team will be good for another 9 odd years while chelsea will have to start looking to replace thier players soon as will man u and liverpool seeing as their best players are coming up to their retirement ages.
but on the other hand, cesc is awesome and so is theo when he plays.

[Dexter]

Incredible.. awesome news for next season - for Manchester United :toocool:

An official club statement said: "Manchester United is delighted to announce that it has agreed terms with FC Bayern München for the transfer of Owen Hargreaves. The player has also agreed terms with the Club and passed his medical.

"Owen will formally sign his contract with Manchester United when he returns from his holiday at the end of June and will join on 1 July 2007."

The deal ends months of speculation linking Hargreaves with a move to the new Premiership champions in what the player himself described as "football's longest-running saga".

It completes a busy 24 hours of transfer activity following the news on Wednesday that the Reds have agreed in principle to sign Sporting Lisbon winger Nani and FC Porto's attacking midfielder Anderson.


Finally got Nani, finally got Owen Hargreaves. Bring it Chelsea.

[* J k y]

yeah basically signed 2 of the best young stars in the world =O

[Dexter]

lol.. perhaps.

And how bout the stunning news... Henry left Arsenal!!!!

Biggest ****ing news for EPL. Can't believe he won't be in the EPL. That sucks hardcore. even tho he would cause our downfall (manutd) it was still awesome to watch him play.
Now Barcelona have the most potent attacking side in the world..not that they didn't already have it.. wat with Deco, Eto'o, Messi, Ronaldinho, etc

Reports are that replacing him will be the old Arsenal striker, Nicholas Anelka, though whether he's as good as he was when he left...who knows. He's been doin allright lately.

/me sighs

EPL without the man... Thierry Henry.
Just doesn't feel right.. =/

[Miyata]

:(.

The Premiership just won't be the same. Henry might have left, but he took a big chunk of Arsenal with him. There may be the man-power to cover that up, but the class and skill, is irreplaceable.

Yet, here comes Van Persie...

[Dexter]

It's akin to Gerrard leaving Liverpool. Akin to Ronaldo leaving Manutd. Lampard or Terry or Drogba leaving Chelsea....

he took a big chunk of Arsenal with him. There may be the man-power to cover that up, but the class and skill, is irreplaceable.
Exactly. I'm seriously going to miss watching him rip us apart.

At least we got to see some great world class football in the process...

[* J k y]

thanks for your praises guys...

as a gunners supporter it cut us deep for a while..

but we look forward to out future...with Wenger recently signing a new 3 yr contract with us..

[Sleven]

Anyone catch todays games?

The Liverpool V Portsmouth game was a tough for one for us (Liverpool fan) I never look forward to playing them away.

Sucks, but still a good start for us this year.

Who is everyones favourates for the title then?

[Dexter]

Yeah.. I saw the Man utd v Everton game, and the Liverpool v Portsmouth game, and the Arsenal v Tott game, and now half time with Chelsea v Blackburn.
I go for United, so hopefully Chelsea don't win..

Title favourites? Has to be Liverpool. Followed by Arsenal. Chelsea is as powerful as usual.
But Man Utd always refuses to die so...

[BamBam vi Britannia]

My favourite team is MANCHESTER UNTIED :)

i will talk about EPL later guess i g2g right now. Im shocked i didnt see this before!

[Miyata]

Manchester United Phail.

:p.

Arsenal rule.

And speaking of which; WHAT A GOAL BY ADEBAYOUR!!!

[Dexter]

After he missed a sitter =P

And yes. Man Utd FTW

And yes they phail, that's why I like em. Don't go for the team that always wins ;P

Gotta hand it to them tho, great comeback after two Draws and a Loss, to now be equal with Chelsea and Liverpool. Above chelsea on goal difference as well.

The team that never gives up :3

[Miyata]

After he missed a sitter =P

I guess he made amends then :p.

But remember, Arsenal aren't exactly the best team in the world, but their style of play beats any other in the Premiership.

[Dexter]

BREAKING NEWS [which you've all probably heard now since it's so fking HUGE]
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has left the English Premier League club, the BBC and other British media reported early Thursday, sending shockwaves around England.
Saw it on the news this morning.

can watch his last press conference here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/7003912.stm


http://www.soccerway.com/photo.php?type=original&id=11868178130&x=250

Although he was a bit of an ass at times, and the greatest rival for United, and it was due to his team that denied Man Utd many many glories, I still respected him and regarded him HIGHLY as a brilliant manager. It brought a whole new level of flare to the EPL.



His achievements also saw him voted as Premiership manager of the year in 2005 and 2006.

He NEVER ONCE lost a home game.

/me bows to his Footballing prowess

[BamBam vi Britannia]

OMG!! Now what will chelsea do?!


MOURINHO'S CHELSEA RECORD
2 June, 2004 - Appointed manager
27 February, 2005 - Wins Carling Cup 3-2 v Liverpool
30 April, 2005 - Beat Bolton 2-0 to win Premiership title
4 May, 2005 - Signs new five-year contract
29 April, 2006 - Beat Man Utd 3-0 to win Premiership again
27 February, 2007 - Beat Arsenal 2-1 to win Carling Cup
19 May, 2007 - Win FA Cup by beating Man Utd 1-0 at Wembley
19 September, 2007 - Leaves Stamford Bridge




edit: this upset could be good for man utd

[Dexter]

The billionaire at the helm will just grab another coach to take the reigns

[Sleven]

I'm thinking maybe Guus hiddink, that seems to be the name the media are throwing around.

Even though i despise Chelsea, i've always wanted Cappelo (SP?) To come to the premiership. Even though he'd probably win chelsea the league.

I'm sure Mr. Money bags will sort their current problem out.

[Miyata]

My bet is on Abramovic selling up and leaving.

Without first class eggs you cannot make a first class omelette.

xD.

EDIT:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/7004083.stm

Who would've thought it.

Grant of all people...

[Dexter]

Thnx for the link Miyata.

Hm.. it seems kind of a short term replacement IMO. Not to say he won't stay as manager for a while.. just that if anyone better shows up he's out

[Sleven]

Without first class eggs you cannot make a first class omelette.





Lmao.

Totally.

:eek13:

Well, i thought Chelsea we're going to be less obvious about this.

I can see him selling up and leaving too. I can also see some of their top players moving, this is pretty dire for Chelsea fans right now.

[Miyata]

I thought that the German coach would've got it, seeeing as there was some speculation around him and the position, but yeah, I thik we're looking at almost half of Chealsea's First XI moving if things don't change quickly.

[Dexter]

Lampard and Terry were already threatening to leave due to the pay issue.. but with Mourinho gone there's a lot of money left to hand around I imagine

[Miyata]

But more than that, a player who loves the game will leave for starting's sake, and I have a feeling Ballack's going to move very very soon...

[crs010]

Proud gunner to life especially this week thrashing Tottenham 3-1 and Sevilla 3-0 who's next and Murinho retired just because of our intimidation hahahaha

[BamBam vi Britannia]

Manchester win 2-0. A great goal by tevez. The red card that was given to chelsea i dont agree with. I think it should have been a yellow at the worst.

[CrimsonStar]

Manchester win 2-0. A great goal by tevez. The red card that was given to chelsea i dont agree with. I think it should have been a yellow at the worst.

I disagree, it was a clear red card, he needs to learn that you can't knock the ball away and then go into a 50/50 challenge with your foot raised, it's dangerous and is gonna get you sent everytime. On the subject of cards, How on earth Joe cole didn't get a red I will never know, he made no attempt to play the ball, just wanted to stop Ronaldos run and he succeeded.

Other than that it was a good display, we moved the ball well and we deserved the first, although how the referee decided we deserved a penalty I don't know, Saha made a meal of it really.

[Sleven]

Anyone see the Portsmouth score?

7 - 4.

Love the Premiership.

Good result for Liverpool today, we played like crap. Benayoun rescues us from the bench.

Arsenal win again, there really doing well.

Chelsea should of lost, lol. Drogba sent off, Terry off injured. It's really not looking good for them.

[Sekei]

Arsenal seems to be doing well without Henry...by all right he was one of the stars of the squad.

[crs010]

Loved Portsmouth win am still a Gunner and was abit shall i say disappointed with the 1-0 win against West Ham

[Dexter]

CR pulled it off again

- check my sig + sig quote

[Pyramus]

Ipswich Town FTW!!!! hahaha! *Dodges flaming toilet paper*

[Miyata]

And Arsenal still hold their position at the top of the table with a game in hand.

:D.

[Gojira]

Hmmm... I didn't know Ipswich Town even had a legit fan base... I know like one other fan of that team... Hahah, what league are the even in? The Championship? Lower?

Heheh... ANYWAYS, it was tight seeing Man Utd. finally score higher than 2 goals in last game... Finally, they are playing like last years team. I have to hand it to Tevez... He really has a lot of hustle in him... The man runs around like he's on speed. Anyways... It was a rough first half but the team really came together and played amazing in the 2nd... Look Gunners... You have some devils on your heels.

[Miyata]

True, but we also have a game in hand.

That could split us by 5 points, which proved to be more than enough from last season.

:D.

[Gojira]

Still early to tell though... What has been only what? 9 games so far? That's a loooooooong time till april/may. Bring on the Gunners!

:redbiggri

[Dexter]

Arsenal just barely won against sunderland. Van Persie. just too good

4-0 to Man Utd tho. Getting closer. Ronaldo. just too good.

btw:
http://forums.bleachportal.net/showthread.php?t=46431

check it.

[Jethro]

Aw fantastic, a premier league thread!!!

I go for Newcastle, i was rather pleased with their win last weekend.
Too bad there is an international break this week, i'll still have the a-league to watch though( its the australian league, im from australia btw)

[Dexter]

^ same. I go for Melbourne Victory, for obvious reasons

You must definitely be pleased with Viduka's performances then

[Jethro]

I am thrilled with how viduka has played so far, i was so excited when we signed him

also... GO VICTORY!!! lol, was a good win last week, this week may be hard with our depleted line up, i'm still confident though