vyelkin posted:

Scholes ran around like a small kid in the school playground, as he has tended to do for most of his career in big games. The art of finding space and time against West Bromwich is completely different to finding space and time against some of the top clubs in Europe. Add to that his customary and clumsy fouling, and one wonders how anybody has the audacity to compare his career to that of Xabi and Iniesta.

Xabi posted:

This is pretty much spot on.

Xabi posted:

This is pretty much spot on.

Xavi posted:

In the last 15 to 20 years the best central midfielder that I have seen — the most complete — is Scholes. I have spoken with Xabi Alonso about this many times. Scholes is a spectacular player who has everything.

MrL_JaKiri posted:

All the people who think that Paul Scholes is the equal or better of Xavi, Iniesta and Xabi Alonso are dumb as gently caress.

People such as Xavi, Iniesta and Xabi Alonso.

MrL_JaKiri posted:

All the people who think that Paul Scholes is the equal or better of Xavi, Iniesta and Xabi Alonso are dumb as gently caress.

People such as Xavi, Iniesta and Xabi Alonso.

Paperhouse posted:

Selective memory and confirmation bias probably. Scholes doesn't go missing against good sides any more than the majority of other players, and has often been very good in important games.

quote:

People Who I Believe Are Ridiculously GORGEOUS


Michael Ballack: Why he’s so GORGEOUS? Well, he’s cute, perfect, a great football player (My favorite Football player), German guys are Hot, he’s looks like Kid/Men type. And Yes, it’s another one of my platonic lovers.

Xabi posted:

Source?

quote:

It's about the source of the funds. It's a bit like Andy Roddick ********ly replacing his arms with Bjorn Borg's to beat Roger Federer.

8raz posted:

Re: City's success being tarnished by money

Mohammad Shahrul posted:

It was a sad day losing to Fulham and has shocked me... Thank God it was a reserved team... So in the
cup final, we expect Gerrard, Suarez, Bellamy and Agger to be fresh I think... I hope an old weak Chelsea
team would be tired... Chelsea lost yesterday but look who were playing in that game! Torres, Sturridge,
Ramires, Ivanovic and Terry!! Not their reserves... Its an FA Cup final, so deep in my heart I hope we are
going to urinate them in the mouth 3-0, 4-1 or at least 2-0 in the full of embarrassment, glory to us.
Why? I dont know whats with you all but for me, I hate Chelsea so much. They are cunnilingus c_nt foreplay.
Then maybe people are going to call this a bit childish but, I dont want them/Torres to win anything this
year. I want them lose Champion League, FA Cup and out of fourth. Aaahh... What a feeling if thats
happening. Must be a great warmth feeling I guess for those cunnilingus c_nt foreplay Blues to lose aaalll
of the cups... Okay, back to work at office with my hot coffee... Its a nice day for me. The traffic without a
jam, driving a nice car and now, the hot coffee feels good. Much sugar. Morning to you all, my RAWK
friends...

- Love -

quote:

And regarding the live audience being 40,000 very rich people, fair enough, the club has decided it doesn't want your support, why offer it to them? It's a two way relationship, if the club prices itself out of your reach, there are lots of more reasonably priced options.

Scott Bakula posted:

I can't tell if thats a joke or really that stupid

The Anti-Semite posted:

Paul Scholes is another player that was routinely crticized in his younger days and he's the player Jordan (Henderson) reminds me most of.

belgend posted:

belgend posted:

belgend posted:

Oh Em Gee posted:

This is poo poo, if you are going to do that where is Timon and Pumbaa? The annoying as poo poo parrot and the hyenas? Poor effort all around.

vyelkin posted:

Should really have had Mourinho as Scar, plotting his downfall.

quote:

If you did see, as I did, a match in which the refereeing was of an extraordinarily low level, you have to decide if this was because the referee was grossly incompetent, or because he was biased. I do not find this too hard to judge, because I cannot believe that a professional referee can make mistakes on such a huge scale, and in such a lopsided manner, by error. Yes, a part time ref in the Conference can – I have seen it – but at this level, no. I don’t think it is possible. If you do think it can happen, well, again, you have your view, and I have mine. But I would say that such a view must cast into doubt the whole basis on which PGMOL works – for to suggest that a pro ref can be this awful through errors is to say that the whole basis of professional refereeing must be questioned in England.

You will see from this that my view is that this was a particularly awful event for the ref, and that I find it hard to believe that he was simply having a bad day. In which case the only explanation is that someone somewhere has persuaded the ref to fix the match. Of course I have no proof, there is no “smoking gun”. Proof is merely offered where match after match after match produces odd decision making against certain clubs and in favour of another. Here I am looking at one game only, and I believe something has gone wrong. I give only my opinion, not assertions.

But to follow my opinion through, where does it lead?

If the match was in some way “influenced” who would be doing that influencing? Surely not Norwich, who are too small a club to be involved in such things. Indeed if we suggest that a club like Norwich would be involved in match fixing then we suggest any club could be – and that every match is open to match fixing. Norwich have no chance of a finish in the Euro places, and no chance of relegation, so it all seems too unlikely.

So who then?

Presumably clubs that wanted to ensure Arsenal were hampered in their attempt to secure third position in the league. That would suggest Tottenham, Newcastle, and Chelsea. It doesn’t suggest that any of them have been attempting to fix referees all season but it does suggest that one of them might have thought it worth enhancing their chances now.

If you think that is all too unlikely then fine – but I do suggest you might consider: was it a fairly refereed match, or was it a badly refereed match – and if the latter, why.

There was much that I saw that was wrong. The tackle by Hoolahan (sorry I don’t know the exact spelling, my apologies) on Coquelin seconds after he came on, was utterly awful. Not just a bad tackle, but one of such intent that it deserved serious action from the ref. One full back had just been carried off, and here we have an immediate awful foul on his replacement. The intent was, I believe, clear. Watch out mate, we’ll get you as well – that was the intention behind that, and I believe a ref has a duty to stamp out such actions.

There were the numerous penalty appeals. As I say I have only seen them in real time, but certainly a couple looked sure fire penalties to me. And there was that dreadful occasion when a Norwich player went down holding his head, had two trainers on, would not go off the pitch, and then eventually, having gone off, sprinted from the goal round the pitch to the halfway line to come back on. Now, I don’t know if you have had a serious head injury in a game that has left you lying on the floor for a couple of minutes. Sadly I have, and I can tell you that the chance of getting up and running like that, after any real head injury is about zero. This was clearly an example of simulation – and the ref did… nothing.

I could go on, but it would be boring, and the ref review will do a much better job. But for me, and I stress this is my personal view having just watched the match in the stadium, it was clear to the players from the off that there was something wrong, and so the frustration and tension built up as they knew that every nudge and push would go unpunished. I think for many of the team it was a novel experience to see such lopsided refereeing.

If I am right, what should Arsenal do? Carry on regardless, knowing that there is a chance that any match can be fixed? Should Arsenal get involved in what seems to be quite a widespread activity? I think neither, and I hope that the club will be gathering evidence to give to the Premier League about what is going on, and will point out the integrity of the league is at issue here and suggest that unless action is taken they will make their views public.

If you believe the match was played fair and square under the rules, or that we just happened to have a ref who was having a singular off day, then ok that’s your view. But as I think back to the game I have just seen, it is not mine.

Blue Screen Error posted:

crappledan posted:

lmao