It's more psychological than anything. When your playing at home you'll have played their dozens if not hundreds of times, have the same seat in the dressing room, know your way around and be more comfortable. The atmosphere is more Partisan and in some cases hostile as well. The only teams of late I've seen that have been completely unaffected by opposition support and away disadvantage were Arsenal (01/02 & 03/04) and Chelsea (04/05 and 04/06) where they actually thrived off it
Records are there to be broken! I'm not too worried, at all, we've looked good in the last 4 games, 2 of which were against City and Arsenal, teams which both you and spurs will find hard to play against. so after 4 games to be only 3 points behind spurs is hardly tear-your-hair-out time
Agree but we will fair better than Spurs against City and Arsenal IMO. I don't see Spurs having too many problems with the lesser teams if I'm being honest. If they beat QPR that will really kick start their season (until they lose to United the following week anyway).
United are nothing to shout about. Give us a competant ref and we'll stand a chance. Not convinced you will be better to be honest. If RDM plays shutdown like he did against better teams last season you might get good results but I think you'll need to improve to outplay them, if that's the way you try to play.
I've given up hoping Spurs will beat United now. The games at Old Trafford are simply a comedy show rather than a football match. I've physically rolled on the floor laughing at the decisions that have gone against you lot there namely the Mendes "goal" and Nani "goal". I wasn't too fussed about the Gomes/Carrick incident as I badly didn't want Liverpool to win the league that year, which would have happened had Spurs and Villa beaten United. I don't know how you lot keep your cool, if decisions like that had gone against us I'd be in a mental home I'm confident we'll take points off City this year, same with Arsenal. We are nowhere near at 100% yet. Things could well change but we both go to the Emirates shortly and I can't see Spurs getting anything there, I could see us getting a point. We will fare better against City you will probably fair better against Arsenal. I wouldn't be surprised to see Spurs lose to Arsenal at the Emirates but beat them at WHL. Could see both our league games with Arsenal ending in draws tbh. Who knows, a lot can and will change.
Chelsea games are fast catching up for **** decisions We're far from the only club to get ****ed over by the ref at OT though.
Your not, there was a time from about 2002/03-2007/09 where we got screwed over by the ref every season. What decisions in Chelsea games? Lampard and Mata had 2 perfectly good goals given
I think Hazard adds a different dimension to them, this season. He looks very dangerous. Keep him quiet, and you've got a chance, IMO. but, that may be easier said than done.
Agree but we have other potent attacking options which we haven't utilised. We've gone from not having the players to play 4-3-3 to now not having the players to play double pivot. I feel 4-1-4-1 is the way to go for us
I'm glad that this thread has been resurrected. At it's heart is the very firm recognition that I was not wumming when, in pre-season, I predicted that 'Pool would struggle this season and could even find themselves in a relegation battle. Four games in, and with no win, 'Pool are in a relegation battle. Yes, I know it's early days, just yet, but the signs are certainly not good. And they say that "you can only beat the team they put in front of you," but 'Pool have demonstrated that that saying is just so much bollocks, because they actually can't. I've been accused of having something against the Mousers, but that is something I have always denied. It doesn't bother me that they organise street parties on Mersyside whenever they win a game (no parties for a while now, eh, lads!), dancing to Gerry & The Pacemakers, or that they find Tom O'Connor funny. Each to his own, I say. No, what it is - all it ever has been, for me - I feel it important that the Mouser is forced to gaze into the mirror of reality so that he might gaze upon the brutal truth of 'Pool's plight and thereby be freed from the chains of delusion. Hence my "Mouser Watch" threads. It's a tough job, folks! Even I under-estimated the crippling extent of the Mouser delusion. Remember how, in pre-season, the Mousers were, to a man, singing the praises of Roy Rodgers, and lap up all that bollocks about "winning the ball back in 7 seconds"? It was laughable at the time, but - four games in - it's astounding that the Mousers fell for it. More importantly, though, is the fact that the Mousers, themselves, are gradually realising that they have been taken for a ride by their Championship manager, and that they have been fed a crock of 5hit by their Yank owner. So - as I say - I'm glad that this thread has been resurrected. Not for my sake, but for the sake of the Mouser and the continuing quest to save him from delusion. PS: if there are any Mousers out there who would like to contribute to this thread (in a constructive non-wumming fashion), I'd certainly be glad to hear from you. In particular, do you believe that relegation this season would actually be a positive thing for 'Pool? Look what it did for the Toon.
Look up, Hiag. I have already made my constructive comment. The irony here is that you are deluded thinking that there is a strong chance we will get relegated on our current form and not you too, a form which puts us 3 points behind you. So, if you're only 3 points ahead of relegation hopefuls I'd say that puts you lot firmly in the battle too. Please discuss. And no delusions about how great you think you will be this season, let's base this on current facts and your impressive record of one win against the mighty Reading.
AVB had an unsettled squad for his first three matches, but with a settled squad for our fourth against Reading we all saw a very different Spurs. I'd like to think that our game against Reading is going to be more representative for the rest of the season than our first three games. However, I am a very fair-minded person and, as I posted on our "Defoe" thread, I'm going to give AVB another ten matches to prove to me that he knows where he's going with us. In that time, I will neither overly criticise nor overly praise us. I cannot be any fairer than that. As for 'Pool, I cannot see that you have any excuses. I said you would struggle, and you are struggling. I foresee that you will continue to struggle. Rodgers is not the quality of manager any club would look to in order to mount a serious EPL campaign, or have any expectation of securing a top 5 slot. That was my opinion from the moment his name was mentioned as a possible manager for you, and nothing that has occurred since his appointment has given me any cause to alter my opinion. Sorry.
So you give AVB excuses for his piss poor start with a top 4 squad but dismiss Brendan's start with a side that finished 8th and had a load of duff players that needed shipping out. Yet BR got us playing some fantastic football already and bar two defensive mistakes we'd have had City, yes the champions, beaten quite easily.
No. I'm not giving AVB any "excuses" He'll have no excuses after Reading. As regards Roy Rodgers, he was giving it large to the media and to you Mousers about how he was going to make you "great" again, but there have been absolutely no signs of it. None. Don't shoot the messenger. You Mousers are very good at shooting the messenger, which is why you ban so many people from your board.
