Somehow, despite all the negativity surrounding my club this time around and the fact that we will most assuredly not be winning the league this season, I am highly excited for tomorrow. Because what's not to be excited about? It's the new season! :D
Week One
Saturday 8/13 10:00am EST
Blackburn Rovers v Wolverhampton Wanderers Fulham v Aston Villa Liverpool v Sunderland QPR v Bolton Wanderers Wigan Athletic v Norwich City
12:30pm EST
Newcastle v Arsenal
Sunday 8/14 8:30am EST
Stoke City v Chelsea
11:30am EST
WBA v Man Utd
Monday 8/15 3:00pm EST
Swansea v Man City
Come on Arsenal!
-- "It is important that supporters and everyone at the club remembers that the cannon on the chest is more important than anybody."
I think Mancini will get sacked after his team implodes on itself and never really challenges for the title, much to everyone's hilarity. And I think Arsenal will struggle early on, but AW will right the ship and get us back into fourth place late on in the season. I do think that our focus on top four will probably detract from any potential cup run, and silverware shall evade us yet again.
-- "It is important that supporters and everyone at the club remembers that the cannon on the chest is more important than anybody."
I do not get why people rate Chelsea so highly. I think Man City will finish above them for sure. Can't say anything about Arsenal, if Wenger uses Fab money we should get some good players but lol Arsenal and spending.
naye predicts the 2011-12 season (remember these; laugh) 1 united 2 city 3 chelsea 4 arsenal 5 liverpool 6 spurs 7 everton 8 fulham 9 stoke 10 aston villa 11 newcastle 12 bolton 13 sunderland 14 west brom 15 norwich 16 wigan 17 qpr 18 blackburn 19 wolves 20 swansea
Top 6 is set in stone, just a matter of the order.
1) Man Utd 2) Man City 3) Chelsea 4) Arsenal 5) Liverpool 6) Spurs
Absolutely no transfer activity that matters. We're lucky our game has been postponed, it buys us more time to buy someone. Everyone else has strengthened, so we won't be doing anything, short of a very convenient set of flops. We're still better than the rest of the dross though. Man City are an x-factor and could finish as low as 5th or 6th - or they could win the league by miles. I have them finishing second. Arsenal in 4th more or less on principle, since even without Fabregas or Nasri they're still better than Liverpool.
Liverpool are a big x-factor as well. I don't buy that Kenny Dalglish is this magic, miracle-working manager. There were a lot of factors in place for Liverpool to improve greatly. The traditional "new manager" boost for one - and then that was augmented by signing Suarez, the new owners and the general optimism surrounding the club. You don't walk back into modern football after a decade and "get it" immediately.
He was playing 3-5-2 for christ's sake. That isn't "revolutionary" or "innovative" as the media and MotD tried to tell me, that is an old, outdated tactic that was left behind...at about the time Dalglish left management, actually. Completely obsoleted by lone-striker systems. If he does that again, through the course of a season? lmfao. Don't think he'll play that formation with Downing, mind, but you never know.
There's certainly a lot more reason to be more optimistic about Liverpool than Arsenal so far this summer. They've strengthened whilst arguably Arsenal have only gotten weaker. Of course there's money to be spent now and still time to buy players, but these are pre-season predictions after all! As it stands, Spurs probably have a stronger team than Arsenal, but with a few necessary additions (several decent defenders, a creative midfielder, a combative midfielder, possibly another striker), they'll be right back in contention.
1. Man United 2. Chelsea 3. Man City 4. Liverpool 5. Tottenham 6. Arsenal 7. Everton 8. Sunderland 9. Fulham 10. Stoke 11. Bolton 12. Aston Villa 13. Newcastle 14. West Brom 15. Wolves 16. Blackburn 17. Norwich 18. Wigan 19. Swansea 20. QPR
The middle to bottom of the table could finish in any order and I wouldn't be surprised. I think Man U will win and the top six will be quite close to that order.
--
Praise the Black Turtle, Game of the Decade Guru Champ. (Well, I never promised creativity, did I?!)
Also I think it's Wigan's time to go. They've had a great go in the league, but I would expect this year to be their last. The promoted clubs this year are relatively strong.
Villa to be back in the mid-table duldrums they were pre-O'Neill - MacLeish is a good, but not great, manager, and certainly not on O'Neill's level - I don't think they'll be in trouble, but I don't think they'll be posing much of a challenge. N'Zogbia was a very shrewd signing though, given that he has the ability to be a viable replacement for both Downing and Young.
Dalglish never "left" football though. He hadn't held the position of manager for 10 years, sure, but he was still actively involved in the game i.e. more than just a pundit etc. That's why taking charge had such an immediate reaction. If it was all 'feel-good factor' that was needed, Shearer might have kept Newcastle up.
Luis_Sera89 posted... There's certainly a lot more reason to be more optimistic about Liverpool than Arsenal so far this summer. They've strengthened whilst arguably Arsenal have only gotten weaker. Of course there's money to be spent now and still time to buy players, but these are pre-season predictions after all! As it stands, Spurs probably have a stronger team than Arsenal, but with a few necessary additions (several decent defenders, a creative midfielder, a combative midfielder, possibly another striker), they'll be right back in contention.
They will not sign that many players in three weeks. imo.
From: Luis_Sera89 | #015 Dalglish never "left" football though. He hadn't held the position of manager for 10 years, sure, but he was still actively involved in the game i.e. more than just a pundit etc. That's why taking charge had such an immediate reaction. If it was all 'feel-good factor' that was needed, Shearer might have kept Newcastle up.
There was no feel-good factor when Shearer joined us. It was a desperate move to get the fans on-side with 8 games left and we were in the relegation zone.
Luis_Sera89 posted... Dalglish never "left" football though. He hadn't held the position of manager for 10 years, sure, but he was still actively involved in the game i.e. more than just a pundit etc. That's why taking charge had such an immediate reaction. If it was all 'feel-good factor' that was needed, Shearer might have kept Newcastle up.
No, because Newcastle were falling apart behind the scenes when Shearer was appointed. He was a window-dressing appointment. Psychologically Liverpool had a hell of a lot going for them when Dalglish came in, and when you add that to the actually tangible benefit of two big-name strikers coming in, I think it's very obvious why they improved.
And he wasn't a manager, so it doesn't matter what position he held. I expect Jamie Redknapp still watches as much football as Dalglish does, but he would probably have all the tactical input of a gnat (given his room-temperature IQ). If you are a manager you are constantly in touch with the changing attitudes of players and the tactical shifts in the game. If you are not a manager, you aren't. Very simple.
Last year I didn't fear them at all, this year I kinda want us to add stuff cos Liverpool have been doing the right stuff, locking up players getting their guys early for pre-season and buying young.
I think you do him a disservice by saying his methods and tactics would automatically be outdated just because he wasn't a manager in that time. His knowledge of football, according to multiple sources, is phenomenal, arguably on par with that of Ferguson; and that had been maintained all these years, because he wanted to return to the Liverpool job. Obviously time will tell how successful he is though, but realistically, with the money spent, and the players brought in, they really should be finishing in the top 4 this season. Especially with the latter half of last season giving time to bed in. Only United scored more points from January onwards, and that was without Gerrard and Carrol for the majority of that time period.
Call me out if you think I'm biased, but I think that's fairly factual.
Experience as a Manager is not everything, otherwise Hogdson wouldn't have failed so badly.
Some clubs just have that one guy fit the club better, its like Van Gaal, he's one of the very best in the world and the stuff he's done with is incredible. But his failures are just as catastrophic when he and the team didn't mesh well.
They are facts, but facts with a considerable slant on them.
The second half of last season is placebo until proven otherwise as far as I'm concerned. A new manager boost when you have very little left to play for is routine.
And I'm not questioning Dalglish's knowledge of football, I'm questioning his level of knowledge of football management. Now. I do not believe a manager can simply walk back in after a decade and so thoroughly outclass someone like Roy Hodgson, who is actually a good manager (whatever you might think), without there being other factors affecting it. Sorry.
--
"I'll tell you Sess' placement in an hour" - l3fty "OK, Ryan f***ing Seacrest" - Sess
Can you explain why Pep Guardiola who has less experience than Jose Mourinho was able to triumph in the league? Mourinho was allowed to make HIS signings and was given the freedom to play HIS guys something that makes mourinho already more remarkable than the previous guys who were forced to play the star players.
you look at both teams they pretty much have equal amounts of talent.
"Can you explain why Pep Guardiola who has less experience than Jose Mourinho was able to triumph in the league? Mourinho was allowed to make HIS signings and was given the freedom to play HIS guys something that makes mourinho already more remarkable than the previous guys who were forced to play the star players.
you look at both teams they pretty much have equal amounts of talent."
Barcelona have a better TEAM and one that has been playing together for longer.
HA! There, thats the thing, Liverpool's TEAM has gotten better and the core's been given more time to play together than other squads which have rehauled like city.
XIII_rocks posted... "Can you explain why Pep Guardiola who has less experience than Jose Mourinho was able to triumph in the league? Mourinho was allowed to make HIS signings and was given the freedom to play HIS guys something that makes mourinho already more remarkable than the previous guys who were forced to play the star players.
you look at both teams they pretty much have equal amounts of talent."
Barcelona have a better TEAM and one that has been playing together for longer.
I'm a Real Madrid fan, and the reason why Barcelona is better than Madrid is one man; Xavi.
Mediocre sounds bad, but people are talking about Liverpool like they've bought Eto'o, Xavi, Marcelo, Iniesta and Schweinsteiger or so. Adam and Henderson are good, but nothing special? Enrique is a very good left back in a time when left back is a dying race, and Downing is ok.
From: Ryo8889 | #036 Mediocre sounds bad, but people are talking about Liverpool like they've bought Eto'o, Xavi, Marcelo, Iniesta and Schweinsteiger or so. Adam and Henderson are good, but nothing special? Enrique is a very good left back in a time when left back is a dying race, and Downing is ok.
Liverpool have brought in players good enough to be Top 4 in the EPL. Not to win the Champions League, no-one's denying that.
Anyone but Man United winning the league is a pipe dream, man. No one is knocking them off with how they've strengthened and how good Fergie is at motivating and creating tactics. I would be absolutely ASTOUNDED if we were able to beat them one time this year. Don't see it happening though.
-- "It is important that supporters and everyone at the club remembers that the cannon on the chest is more important than anybody."
1. Man Utd 2. Chelsea 3. Man City 4. Liverpool 5. Arsenal (assuming Nasri and Fab go)
And yeah Man Utd do lack a midfield dynamo. I think Fergie will take a gamble and use this season to try blood Cleverly and assess whether Anderson is going to cut it or not. Remember Anderson played decently towards the tail end of last season.
He probably knows we're favourites for the title with or without that midfielder and realistically we aren't going to win the CL unless we're really lucky. So it's not a huge gamble.
If things are going terribly in January he might bring someone in.
--
Crucifying my Oracle average one match at a time