[aLICErOBERTSfANkLUB]

Has there ever been a team so full of total wankers as the current Chelsea squad? 

Oh it's childish, and immature, I know.

But it still raises a wry smile

[Sloper]

Statement, Portsmouth FC to go into administration tomorrow morning.

[slackline]

[Dolly]

funny as fuck that

[Jaspersharpe]

Very good.

[Falling Down]

Agh... just looked at today's fixture list. Bit of a nightmare for my Fantasy side today. Wish I'd tactically subbed last weekend

[Richie Crouch]

Well I shot myself in the foot by taking out Badabayor for Zamora thinking the extra cash will be useful next week then Zamora becomes an injury doubt a few hours later so had to replace again with Bent costing a 4 points penalty for a 2nd transfer 

[Falling Down]

YYFY!!! City trounce Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.  Glad I stayed in to watch that rather than go the wall.

[Richie Crouch]

I hate fat frank. Glad City won, just wish Shay had kept a clean sheet 

Looking bleak for the Woolton wanderers now thanks to Lamps!

[robertostallioni]

[benpritch]

fuck you Shawcross, fuck you Stoke. i am fucking sick of you all you cunts.

[benpritch]

shawcross apologists lining up in the press, it's almost as if arsenal are being unreasonable to complain about their treatment by clubs whose sole tactic when playing them is to kick them to pieces.

eduardo, diabi and now ramsey. what other team suffers this way? reyes never recovered his form after his punishment at old trafford at the hands (feet) of neville et al.

so fuck all you unimaginitive neanderthals. somebody needs to be prosecuted before another (arsenal i expect) player gets their legs and possibly careers fucked up.

[Falling Down]

I agree Ben.  I've watched City play Stoke three times in the last two weeks and what happened yesterday is know surprise. Pulis tells his team to go out, kick the opposition around the park and look for a Delap throw in.  Football?  I don't think so.

[robertostallioni]

Managers are only doing what they are paid to do, win at all costs. The referees(in game) and FA(out of game) are not doing enough to protect players. Certainly, "Getting stuck into" opponents should have harsher, quicker consequences by the refs.

Managers would soon stop employing these tactics when they were down to 10/9 men after 30 minutes.

Part of me would like to see Shawcross serve a ban the length of Ramseys injury, although this may prove impossible in practise. A 3 match ban is laughable. Adebayor has a 4 match ban for pushing Shawcross in a previous match.....

[Norton Sharley]

To be fair I don't think Shawcross intended to take out the man.  He went round the ball and Ramsey's ankle was already twisting over before Shawcross played through the ball to the man.  I agree that malicious challenges deserve a severe ban but equally I don't want to watch netball! 

Surely the rules protect players already?  A foul is a foul and if it's premeditated or malicious then it deserves a booking or sending off.  Do Arsenal deserve a different rule book like Man U think they are entitled to?  I think not.

Said like a true defender.

[Plattsy]

Saw it last night and I don't think it's anything more than an accident. I agree it was late. But he went in with his laces and hit Ramsey on the shin (shin from what I could tell and like Norton says his ankle looked twisted before impact). There is nothing malicious about that. Happens a million times every weekend all over the country. It is exactly the sort of challenge for why shin guards are worn. If he'd used his studs I would have a different view but using his laces like he did he's just as likely to break his foot.

I do agree that Arsenal get more than their fair share of treatment from their opponents but that is exactly how it's always been. If you're a football team with flare and style and arrogance you'll get some. It's how football is played.

If every team had a player like Delap they'd all use the long throw in.

Full paid member of the association of defenders.

[tomtom]

fuck you Shawcross, fuck you Stoke. i am fucking sick of you all you cunts.

Having seen Stoke play at the KC twice in the PL, I can only describe them as anti football. OK how they play is all within the rules etc.. but the Long throw, set peice mentality makes the game really start stop and TBH crap to watch. Each Delap throw takes at least a minute and it really breaks up the game. It makes what should be a flowing attractive game turd. I liked Windass' way of disrupting the throw ins last season when he was 'warming up' - he got booked for the same incidend a couple of mins later 



OK, I can see why they do it - they have a good weapon in Delaps throws and as a recently promoted club theres an element of do what you can to survive etc.. (as a Hull fan I appreciate that!) but christ how can these Stoke fans stomach watching such dross every week. OK, its successfull dross and I can see winning things appeasing for a while, but it would drive me nuts (and thats me talking from my Ivory Tower of the KC!).

I dont think Shawcross did it deliberately - I think there are very few football players that are cint enough to do that - and he seemed pretty disturbed by it afterwards. But, the up and at em mentality that Stoke* take is not great. Arsenal will suffer from this because they play such lovely football (they do - they are the most attractive footballing side in the PL) so the easist way to play them is close them down, get in their faces and stop them playing.. but not broken legs...

I also think run-ups to throws should be banned - throws are throws to maintain a quick flow to the game otherwise they would be free kicks.

(* NB - Blackburn & Bolton are other clubs that I think take that attitude too..)

Hmm.. just read that and its a bit of an anti-long throw rant more than about poor Ramseys injury,.. must be grumpy-hungover-itus 

[Plattsy]

This looks like it hurt.

[Dr T]

I don't blame Shawcross - didn't look like a malicious tackle just a thuggy one
I do blame the manager/backroom staff
I suspect teams are "told" to go and be physical with Arsenal
extra physical because it's how to stop Arsenal playing football
the injuries to Ramsey, Eduardo and Diaby are all results of this
The players don't try to break legs but if they go out to be extra physical then that's what is going to occur....
I have full sympathy for Wenger's attacks on anti-football teams (quarter to half the premiership...)
Eduardo has never really recovered - he's still good but I doubt he'll ever quite be the world class striker he almost became - I guess Diaby was lucky - hope Ramsey is too but I'm not holding my breath....

[nai]

I suspect teams are "told" to go and be physical with Arsenal
extra physical because it's how to stop Arsenal playing football
the injuries to Ramsey, Eduardo and Diaby are all results of this

I know it's my team involved but I really don't think Tayor's tackle on Eduardo was a result of this, it was very early in the game and was just a clumsy challenge.  We harried and chased better teams around the field but never got over physical.

[aLICErOBERTSfANkLUB]

Managers are only doing what they are paid to do, win at all costs. The referees(in game) and FA(out of game) are not doing enough to protect players. Certainly, "Getting stuck into" opponents should have harsher, quicker consequences by the refs.

Managers would soon stop employing these tactics when they were down to 10/9 men after 30 minutes.

Part of me would like to see Shawcross serve a ban the length of Ramseys injury, although this may prove impossible in practise. A 3 match ban is laughable. Adebayor has a 4 match ban for pushing Shawcross in a previous match.....

Does this piece of what we call "evidence" change your mind about that?




(In any case, it was a 50/50 ball - they both went into that tackle determined to come out on top. There was no malice intended from either player)

[tomtom]

Fucking hell thats stomach churning. Poor Ramsey,....

[robertostallioni]

Does this piece of what we call "evidence" change your mind about that?

What is my mind made up about? And does what change what?

[aLICErOBERTSfANkLUB]

It would seem to underline it's not a reckless challenge - the video feed would suggest the Lennon was as committed to making it as was Shawcross.

Lennon appears to have broken his leg before making contact with Shawcross - making the call for punitive and excessive punishment seem ridiculous.

[benpritch]

please point me towards this video - they didn't do a replay during the match