English Premier League 2013/14

Post by **rgan** » October 15, 2013, 8:36 am

As EVER The Comedian

Post by **stattointhailand** » October 17, 2013, 2:05 pm

Nice to see that there are some people around who are trying to make the game affordable again to the working/dole classes.

Kevin Miles, chief executive of the Football Supporters' Federation - which has campaigned for fairer away ticket prices - said: "The FSF is delighted to welcome the announcement by Newcastle United of their offer of a reciprocal pricing agreement for tickets for away fans at Premier League fixtures. This is a significant breakthrough in turning the concept of affordable prices for away fans into a reality, and Newcastle United, West Bromwich Albion and Swansea City are to be commended for taking a lead in this area.

"We would urge all other Premier League clubs to follow the lead of these clubs, both by taking up this offer and by extending similar arrangements to other fixtures too."

Today's announcement is part of Newcastle United's commitment to keeping football affordable, with the club just last month named by the BBC's independent Price of Football survey as the cheapest day out in the Barclays Premier League for the second successive year.

With adult match tickets starting at just £15 for adults - the cheapest in the top flight by a full £5, a day out including a match ticket, official matchday programme, cup of tea and a pie comes in at just £23.20 - also making it the cheapest day out at any Football League club in the North East and Cumbria.

In addition, Newcastle now have Europe's largest family enclosure for the 2013/14 season with a capacity of 8,200. A combined adult and child season ticket starts at just £483.

http://www.nufc.co.uk/articles/20131017 ... 70_3498468

Post by **mathusalah80** » October 17, 2013, 2:51 pm

Statto,
I agree the club is to be commended on its forward thinking financal restructuring and repricing, in readiness for next seasons much anticipated Championship title chase debut . :-"

$\:D/$ $\:D/$ $\:D/$

Post by **BobHelm** » October 19, 2013, 9:21 am

Some good looking matches today to look forward to.

Early kick off must be a bit of a worry for Toon fans. Pool have looked a much more balanced side since the got Sturridge up front. It still looks possible that Madrid will come in for Suárez in January as they are looking poor up front. Until then though it is looking very good for the reds but a loss today could be the start of the gloss coming off the season.

The Gunners, Chelsea & Everton should all carry on with victories today as they have home ties against opposition that they will expect to beat.

United have a tricky home tie against a Southampton side that are playing good attacking football. There could be goals from both sides in this one - so a nil nil draw has now become odds on favourite..

Local derby in the Midlands could be a tight affair as well. Mark Hughes seems to be succeeding in moving Stoke away from a set piece driven hard to beat side to one playing some more attractive football. The Baggies have their foot on the gas though & look like being a handful for anyone this season.

Will Gus have had time to make changes?? You have to believe that The Black Cats can't be as bad as they started the season. Swansea is a tough place to go & get a result though & they have in form players who can score as well.

The late game could spring a surprise as well. The Hammers is not the sort of side that Citi will relish taking on. Sam will have done his work & West Ham are unlikely to give anything away (except maybe free kicks). That could be the problem though Citi have talent to squander but they have yet to look the business consistently..

Post by **Macca** » October 19, 2013, 9:30 am

BobHelm wrote: Citi have talent to squander but they have yet to look the business consistently..

Sure picked the right game to show what they're are capable of

Bookies are quoting Southampton at 6/1 for todays match. Might even be some United fans tempted by that one.
Hopefully RvP will finally find his form from last season. Hope the young Januzaj will get another run out.

Post by **mathusalah80** » October 19, 2013, 10:44 am

As instructed by Macca,

I repeat:

Bravely going where others fear to tread. Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton & WBA to beat Newcastle, Norwich, Cardiff, Hull, Stoke tonight.
The individual player I am most looking forward to seeing again is WBAs' Berahino. The media & MU supporters hysteria over Januzzi's 45 minutes & 2 goals against currently the worst club in the EPL, has been well over the top. Hopefully the lad will receive the care and nurturing for which MU is justly famous. A progressive 'score' you might want to keep a watch on is Chelsea (4 strikers) 2goals v Sturridge & Lukaku 14goals .
Whoever would have thought, even in the recent past, a home match against Southampton, would have been approached with such trepidation and uncertainty among the MU faithful. I think the so far unseen quality of several of the main players will finally shine through and, temporarily at least, ease their worries with a narrow win.
Swansea has both a team and a manager, of which I am an admirer, but the team has already shown some worrying inconsistencies and has not yet reached the levels of performance achieved last year. Laudrup will be aware a convincing win and performance against Sunderand will go a long way towards removing the spectre of involvement in a relegation battle. I expect him to be a happy little manager at afternoons end.
Maybe not on paper, but to me WHU v Man.City will not turn out to be the 'walk in the park' City and their fans will be confidently expecting. The homely little ground. the not so homely supporters, a team fresh up from the clawing and fighting for every minute and every point in the Championship, led by the legendary Big Sam whose EPL football experience, tactical knowhow, player management skills and 'infighting' ability are second to none, could prove just that bit too intimidating for the City team.. The environment, particularly being squeezed on a small pitch with less time to think and move, with doubts planted by a less than an outstanding seasons start, and with a manager still learning the special nuances of the EPL, suggest this will be the match of the weekend; or a burst balloon and no bubbles for WHU. Ya pays yur money, and yur takes yur pick

Much as I would love to, I still cannot join in the general thinking that Spurs are top four contenders.

I continue to see a group of ,mostly average, international players eleven of whom are put on the pitch and then left, rudderless, to exercise their individual skills to the best of their ability. I see no evidence of a settled style of play or cohesion. So also the lack of a strong on pitch leader and of a top class midfield playmaker, is plainly evident. AVB continues to appear naive and fail to demonstrate any special football coaching and managerial skills of the level one would expect in a top football coach. His shortcomings were cruelly exposed by one of the Masters last weekend. Faced with Big Sams unusual 1-4-5-1 formation , seemingly, AVB didn't see or understand the formation or the tactic, failed to react, ( probably because he didn't know how

:-"

), and came back down to earth with a hard loud bump

. The sad news for AVB is that there are a few more 'Big Sams' laying in wait for him, starting on Sunday with the up and coming Paul Lambert.

. I think Spurs will have done well, if they come away with a point.

So far, have been unable to choose which of Fulham & Stoke will be joining Sunderland & Crystal Palace in the Championship next season. Inclined to the view that, if Fulham fail to beat this very poor Palace side, then they will complete the makeup of the dreaded three.

Post by **BobHelm** » October 19, 2013, 8:44 pm

FULL-TIME - Newcastle 2-2 Liverpool

Great early game that Newcastle will wonder what went wrong.
Went into an early lead & then disaster just before half time when a pull back results in an equalising penalty & a sending off.
Then actually go back ahead in the second half before Pool level it up.
Pool will say that they had most of the second half game, but so they should being a man up.
Pool go back to the top of the table & Newcastle go above Manchester United by a point - they would have gladly taken that at season end for the last 5 years..

Post by **Macca** » October 20, 2013, 6:26 am

A late late goal sees Southampton earn a point at OT.

The pressure mounts on David Moyes as United slip further behind the leaders, even at this early stage of the season the chances of United successfully defending their title look slim.

I was frustrated, again, by the decision making by Moyes. For once Nani was having a good game and keeping Shaw from going forward. Then taking of Fellani, the defensive midfielder, was mind boggling.

At this rate it wont be long before the manager gets the dreaded backing from the board. The Glaziers would never have sacked Ferguson, however they have sacked the head coach at their baseball team 3 times in 5 years.

No pressure Mr Moyes.

Post by **BobHelm** » October 20, 2013, 8:17 am

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The first Gunners' goal was, according to many, The Team Goal of the Year.
They rather steam rolled over poor Norwich.

If that was true of the Arsenal goal then it would be difficult to describe the first two goals in the Chelsea game.
The first, to the visitors, was a real comedy of defensive errors. There cannot be many goals that have 4 touches end to end for a goal when only the first & the last were by the side that scored..
If that was bad the equaliser was even more shocking. In fact, according to the laws of the game, it was not a goal at all. If it had been correctly disallowed then who knows what the result would have been.

I watched the Everton game, the first time that I have seen Hull this season.
They seemed a tidy enough side, if a bit reactive to what Everton were doing, but played tidy enough football. They will probably feel that they deserved something from the game, I think Everton just about did sufficient to win a fairly entertaining game.

United 1 up at home. In the past game over. Indeed they had sufficient chances to kill this game many times & failed. Southampton are a nice footballing side but not a lot more. If you want a place in Europe these are the sort of sides that it is vital to get 3 home points from....A season to write off but hopefully one where the January window will bring in what is necessary to challenge again next season.

Stoke will feel this was a very good home point for them. They needed to stop the rot & a local derby against a side in more than a bit of form is a hard way to do it.

It went quite well for Sunderland for nearly an hour as they gave the Swans as good as they got. Then they conceded, heads dropped, belief went & they were 2 goals behind & out of the game within 2 minutes.
The wags were saying yesterday that maybe it was a thing of foresight to appoint Gus, because of his First Division promotion battling experience.

They may well be right, 1 point from 8 games does not look good.

First away win of the season for Citi. Not an easy one for them either but they have snuck up to fourth without reaching the heights. They can only get better which is unlikely for the teams currently above them. Will certainly be the only threat from Manchester for the title...

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Should be a game a bit more suited to Spurs than the last one..

Spurs have won 4 nil in their last two visits here but if Christian Benteke is fit to play & Villa can keep 11 men on the pitch this time it might not be as easy as that!!

Post by **Zidane** » October 20, 2013, 12:46 pm

Southampton are a decent side and,the way United are playing,I had this down for a draw.
But,for the life of me,I cant understand why Kagawa isnt featuring.Uniteds midfield is mediocre,at best,and he would be ideal playing behind the two strikers.
Just 2 years ago he was Bundesliga Player of the Year but if he doesnt get game time I reckon someone will snap him up in the January transfer window,which would be a real shame as he's never been given a fair chance.

Post by **Macca** » October 20, 2013, 1:31 pm

Zidane wrote:Southampton are a decent side and,the way United are playing,I had this down for a draw.
But,for the life of me,I cant understand why Kagawa isnt featuring.Uniteds midfield is mediocre,at best,and he would be ideal playing behind the two strikers.
Just 2 years ago he was Bundesliga Player of the Year but if he doesn't get game time I reckon someone will snap him up in the January transfer window,which would be a real shame as he's never been given a fair chance.

One of my pre season predictions was that Kagawa would be Uniteds player of the season. Some of that was due to the anticipated Rooney departure and he would be link man behind RvP.
Moyes clearly doesn't rate him, bit like Hazard and Jose, and with the WC coming up I can see him looking for regular football elsewhere when the window opens.

I can't see Moyes playing Rooney, RvP and Kagawa in the same team, especially whilst Carrick and Fellani are looking so poor.

On a positive note good to see another fine performance by the young Belgium, Kosavon, Albanian future England star.
Also happy to see Evans back, for me the CM partnership should be him and Vidic.

Post by **BobHelm** » October 21, 2013, 6:52 am

FULL-TIME - Aston Villa 0-2 Tottenham

All a little too easy for Spurs, who have now won 3 away on the trot without conceding.
Villa will have better days..

Crystal Palace V Fulham 20:00

Tonight. Palace really do need a win & this is one that they must have earmarked. Equally the pressure will be right back on Jol if the visitors do not get 3 points from this game as well...
Might not be a classic to watch but it could be vital as far as who spends the season at the bottom.

Post by **BobHelm** » October 22, 2013, 7:10 am

Crystal Palace 1-4 Fulham

Bad night for Palace. The dream over much before it has even started you have to think.
Already 5 points from safety & next weekend they are the early game at home to The Gunners.

Post by **BobHelm** » October 26, 2013, 8:57 am

You have to fear for Palace in the early kick off. No manager is probably a good thing for him. To start off a reign with a thrashing is not the best thing to do. Better to take over next week & have some time with the squad. Next two games are not exactly easy either, The Baggies away & The Toffees at home..Looking grim for Palace & rosy for The Gunners. However that is just the sort of game that can some times embarrass.

The two Pool games are probably the pick of the 3 o'clock stuff.

Villa away for Everton could be an entertaining match. You have to feel that the home side will need 90 minutes out of a fully fit Benteke to make a game of it though. Without him they are a bit toothless up front. Martinez is making a fine fist of the job at Everton, but they do not exactly score for fun either.

The Pool game could be a classic. West Brom like to attack, are set up to do that & can score. Pool struggle against sides who play tight & need an open game to get the best out of probably the best forward partnership in the league - Sturridge & Suárez. It could be a real thriller to watch.

I suspect that the same will not be said about the other two 3 o'clock kick offs.

United look nervy once they have taken the lead & seem to go into a negative mode. Stoke will be difficult to break down but are not yet a side to be concerned about - in the normal course of events..

Two contenders for the drop & two managers who must be top of the bookies list of the next to go.
It will be unfair for either if that happens, but football is hardly ever fair..The loser of this game will not last long in the job I fear.

The manager who, a couple of weeks ago, looked a certainty for the sack sends his side to Southampton in the late game. It will be a tough outing for Fulham as the Saints look an excellent footballing side. I fancy that they may have flattered to deceive with their league position & will be back down to earth with a bump come season end..

Post by **Zidane** » October 26, 2013, 9:55 am

Dont forget the clocks change in the UK this weekend,so tonight will be the last of the early kick offs starting at 6.45pm over here and the 3pm kick offs at 9pm Thai.....all matches,including the late kick offs and Monday night matches will be an hour later from tomorrow till the end of March !

So for your Saturday nights entertainment before this happens,might I suggest.....
Crystal Palace v Arsenal 6.45pm Thai
Manchester United v Stoke 9.00pm Thai
Southampton v Fulham 11.30pm Thai

I'm going for 1 home win,1 away win and 1 draw but in which order,readers ?

BTW....I think Southampton are a decent enough side and will finish in the top half,Bob !

Post by **Macca** » October 26, 2013, 10:09 am

Mr Moyes might need a set of ear plugs today not many fans can be more sarcastic and vocal than those from Stoke, anything other than a good win will see him getting a load of abuse.

On a more pressing, fantasy footy, issue do I sign Llana or Januzaj?

Post by **stattointhailand** » October 26, 2013, 10:14 am

Well I know at some grounds the crowd are said to be almost like a 12th man, but I really think this is taking it a bit far .....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-24669218

Perhaps we should give the Queen (Head of the Church of England) a "Toon" shirt

Post by **BobHelm** » October 26, 2013, 11:02 pm

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Well no thrashing for Palace & they made life difficult at times for the Gunners, but the result is the same. 3 points Arsenal, 0 to Palace.
Everton had fun away & Pool had fun at home as they both ease to wins against potentially tricky opposition.
United manage a win at home, just & they had to score 3 to do it & were not infront until the third. But 3 points is all that counts..
A draw at Norwich which really does neither side a favour &, I gather, the score does not reflect the game which was full of chances...

Post by **pienmash** » October 26, 2013, 11:09 pm

stattointhailand wrote:Well I know at some grounds the crowd are said to be almost like a 12th man, but I really think this is taking it a bit far .....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-24669218

Perhaps we should give the Queen (Head of the Church of England) a "Toon" shirt

Always one of my favourite fixtures in the EPL ,, the Mackems v the Magpies ,,, alas Sunderland will need more than the popes intervention to avoid the drop this season ,,, still its a funny old game and Greavsie says .... 3-1 to the Geordies

Post by **Macca** » October 27, 2013, 6:44 am

A much needed win for United and up till 75th minute it was looking highly unlikely.
With the exceptions of Rooney and De Gae it was poor performances all round.
Fans have been crying out for Kagawa to get more game time and he was so ineffective through out.

Nani gave a classic display to highlight why so many United fans despise him. So many times in great positions and unable to find a team mate or chose to take a wild shot when other options were available. Rightly booed off.
Smalling looked a nightmare at right back and his confidence is zero.
As soon as Nani and Smalling went off the game changed.