Rival watch

  • Please bear with us on the new site integration and fixing any known bugs over the coming days. If you can not log in please try resetting your password and check your spam box. If you have tried these steps and are still struggling email [email protected] with your username/registered email address
  • Log in now to remove adverts - no adverts at all to registered members!
You can't seriously think you were hard done by at Villa. I doubt even Mourinho believes that deep down.

Anyway, I think too much is being made of the incident. Whether it was the ref or the lino who got it wrong, it's a freak incident and nothing bad happened out of it really. I've seen some say that Marriner should've taken Chamberlain's word for it which is bollocks, the refs shouldn't trust a players word. They'll happily swear blind to the ref that they made a legitimate tackle, didn't touch the ball before it went out for a goalkick, etc so how can the ref just take his word at that point. If it had turned out to be some elaborate ploy by Arsenal to get an injured player sent off instead of the right man and the ref believed them he'd have been utterly humiliated. When it's an opposition player correcting him and they have no conceivable advantage to gain from it then fair enough but that's very rare too.

Nailed on red card not given when Ramires was through on goal changed the game. It doesn't change the fact we didn't deserve to win, but it's a game we'd never have lost had a competent official been in charge. From start to finish it was complete guesswork from the officials and the inconsistencies were there for all to see.
 
"It was a nailed on penalty and nailed on red card for intent alone. We all agree it was the right decision but the wrong man,
wouldn't have changed the result though."

It would have, if they put Oxo cube in goal after the penalty was awarded, even with 10 vs 11. :)
But yeah, even without the red, they were looking at 11 vs 11 and still 3-0 down with less than
20 mins gone.
 
And for more season weirdness :

Spurs win today and that will be the first time we have been 13 pts off the
leaders with 7 games to go.
 
Out of interest who do you guys fancy for the league?

Looking at the remaining fixtures, I'm taking a punt on Spurs <ok>
 
"Out of interest who do you guys fancy for the league?"

Chelsky.
Too much games in hand pressure on Citeh now, even without CL involvement.
And their run-in now involves just sweeping away small clubs.
 
"Out of interest who do you guys fancy for the league?"

Chelsky.
Too much games in hand pressure on Citeh now, even without CL involvement.
And their run-in now involves just sweeping away small clubs.


I also think Chelsea will win. But with both Chelsea and City coming to Anfield, and us having 5 of our last fixtures at home - Liverpool could surprise everyone.

Saying that I'd be over the moon if we got 3rd <ok>
 
Out of interest who do you guys fancy for the league?

Looking at the remaining fixtures, I'm taking a punt on Spurs <ok>

City.

Had Chelsea taken even a point it would have changed the complexion of things entirely. Because of the superior GD we now need City to slip up at least twice in 10 games and better City's result at Anfield.

This week is defining week in the title race. If Liverpool slip up in either of their home games I think we can rule them out. City need 4 points minimum from United and Arsenal.
 
I also think Chelsea will win. But with both Chelsea and City coming to Anfield, and us having 5 of our last fixtures at home - Liverpool could surprise everyone.

Saying that I'd be over the moon if we got 3rd <ok>

The thing is Liverpool decimated Everton and Arsenal at Anfield and swept aside United even with a severely depleted XI but Chelsea and City will be the first time since Southampton where Liverpool face a midfield as combative as their own. I even think Spurs will give you guys a good game next week.

I think City 1st and the winner of Liverpool v Chelsea for 2nd (Chelsea 2nd if it ends in a draw)
 
Chelsky have 7 small clubs to deal with.
Citeh have to play 4 of the top 7, as well as win their games in hand.
I know which fixture list I'd rather have.
 
"It was a nailed on penalty and nailed on red card for intent alone. We all agree it was the right decision but the wrong man,
wouldn't have changed the result though."

It would have, if they put Oxo cube in goal after the penalty was awarded, even with 10 vs 11. :)
But yeah, even without the red, they were looking at 11 vs 11 and still 3-0 down with less than
20 mins gone.

11 v 10 they shut off the game and packed the midfield + led to Chelsea inevitably taking their foot off the gas. I genuinely believe the margin of victory could have been greater 11 v 11 as Wenger was forced to change it tactically at H/T.
 
"11 v 10 they shut off the game and packed the midfield + led to Chelsea inevitably taking their foot off the gas."

Yet you still scored another three regardless.
 
Chelsea fans should be ashamed of their club. You nearly killed this bloke:

[video=youtube;yJzTlk4XZiw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJzTlk4XZiw[/video]

Go now Wenger, before you finish the poor old bastard off! <laugh>

Playing with no holding player against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge was certainly brave. Obviously by brave I mean stupid.
 
We don't tend to care about things when it's not affecting our team directly, I guess that's the tribal nature of football. But if I were a Palace fan I'd feel hugely aggrieved about the extra extra time that went against them in which they lost the match. It's bad enough that happened but we all know it isn't consistent (is anything?) because another ref wouldn't have played it, and the extra time would have been calculated differently. Also I didn't see it, but heard that the ManC penalty against Fulham (first goal) was soft. Was it? People say that it doesn't matter because City would have won anyway. But that's not the point is it? Anyway not so long ago there was the Chelski West Ham match in which if a penalty had gone to Chelski and they subsequently won 5-0 everyone would have said that they would have won anyway... except that the final score was 0-0, which shows that nothing is certain and we should be careful about assuming our predictions will come true. The best teams are already good, they don't need the ref helping them too!
 
Seeing that clip really gives credence to the poster who stated the Goons are a slightly
higher-level version of Spurs now. Everything that guy said, from injuries to mullerings to meh
strikers, has been Spurs this season.
 
You could see that it wasn't working after about a minute, too. Nobody pressing in the midfield and they play like that at the back? <doh>

Thing is Wenger never learns and tactically he hasn't a clue.

You'd think he'd learn from playing a high line against Bale/Lennon, Aguero, Hazard/Schurrle/Salah, Sterling/Sturridge/Suarez and worst of all Messi down the years but I guess not.

Yesterday was the most one sided game I've ever seen from a supposed title contender v a supposed title contender. Even the United 6-1 at Old Trafford when Dwight Yorke ran riot wasn't as bad as that IMO, nor was City's 6-1 at Old Trafford. Chelsea literally could have scored double figures yesterday.
 
Chelsea fans should be ashamed of their club. You nearly killed this bloke:

[video=youtube;yJzTlk4XZiw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJzTlk4XZiw[/video]

Go now Wenger, before you finish the poor old bastard off! <laugh>

Playing with no holding player against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge was certainly brave. Obviously by brave I mean stupid.

Poor ****er, he actually seems like a decent enough bloke that speaks sense. Shame Wenger is gonna end up killing him :(
 
Thing is Wenger never learns and tactically he hasn't a clue.

You'd think he'd learn from playing a high line against Bale/Lennon, Aguero, Hazard/Schurrle/Salah, Sterling/Sturridge/Suarez and worst of all Messi down the years but I guess not.

Yesterday was the most one sided game I've ever seen from a supposed title contender v a supposed title contender. Even the United 6-1 at Old Trafford when Dwight Yorke ran riot wasn't as bad as that IMO, nor was City's 6-1 at Old Trafford. Chelsea literally could have scored double figures yesterday.


Playing that way can work, but if you give the ball away in midfield as often as The Goons did, you'll get buried by fast counter attacking - like we USED to have, and Liverpool and you guys currently do.
 
I would trust Jose to play teams with high line tactics. Because he is pragmatic, not dogmatic.
When the right players are fit and available, he would consider it.
When a particular type of opponent threat appears, he would not play it.