jre posted:

No home grown

JFairfax posted:

this has to be here:

After our draw with Southampton on Sunday, Jose Mourinho was asked by the media if his team would get another penalty in the league before the end of the season.

That was after Branislav Ivanovic was denied a clear spot-kick when his leg was scraped from behind as he charged into the box.

We were of course the recipient of a spot-kick in our last European encounter, when PSG’s Thiago Silva obviously handled in the area, but Champions League referees have spotted penalty incidents throughout, with four also given our way in the group stage.

It is in our 28 Premier League games this season where we have been awarded just two penalties. Both were for infringements on the league’s most-fouled player, Eden Hazard, and both were in home London derbies, against Arsenal and QPR respectively. The most recent was four-and-a-half months ago.

Historically, this figure seems abnormally low.

In the Double-winning 2009/10 campaign, when we were the country’s outstanding attacking team, we were awarded 12 league penalties. Those fouled included Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole, Yury Zhirkov, Salomon Kalou, Branislav Ivanovic (pictured below) and Nicolas Anelka. The following year, when we finished second, we were given eight spot-kicks.

Even in our sixth-placed 2011/12 campaign, our lowest league finish under the current ownership, the Blues were the recipient of five penalties (plus seven more in other competitions including in the victorious Champions League and FA Cup runs). There were 11 league penalties the following year when we came third.

Last season, Jose Mourinho’s first back at Stamford Bridge, we were awarded seven spot-kicks in the league, for fouls on Eden Hazard, Oscar (pictured below), Ramires, Samuel Eto’o (twice), Fernando Torres and Mohamed Salah.

So this season’s tally of two unquestionably bucks the recent trend yet our position as clear league leaders and second-highest scorers suggests we can’t be labelled anything other than an attacking side, spending plenty of time in the opposition box.

Our two closest challengers in the Premier League this season, Manchester City and Arsenal, have both been awarded seven penalties – the most in the division. City have only scored one goal more than Chelsea and Arsenal two less.

Last term, the two teams that finished above us in the league – Man City and Liverpool – were awarded more penalties than any other team bar us.

Of course, it could be that when teams have played the league leaders they have been particularly careful inside their own area. We all have plenty of recollections suggesting this is not the case however.

From the first half of our very first league game, at Burnley, a number of key penalty-box decisions have not gone our way, Diego Costa the victim that evening after being felled trying to round the keeper. He should have been awarded Shed End penalties against Liverpool and PSG recently, too.

Man United v Chelsea

At Old Trafford in late October, both John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic were wrestled to the ground (above) as they tried to attack an in-swinging free-kick in front of the Stretford End. Cesc Fabregas was then cruelly booked (pictured top) after being tripped inside the area at Southampton and four days later Tottenham escaped after handling close to their own goal.

All those were before Sunday’s incident involving Ivanovic and the previous home game against Burnley when the right-back’s goalbound shot was infamously blocked by the clearest of raised arms.

Below is a list of the penalty numbers for this season so far, and the five campaigns before:

Premier League penalties awarded to Chelsea

2014/15 – 2

2013/14 – 7

2012/13 – 11

2011/12 – 5

2010/11 – 8

2009/10 - 12

http://www.chelseafc.com/news/latest-news/2015/03/penalty-puzzle.html

JFairfax posted:

Below is a list of the penalty numbers for this season so far, and the five campaigns before:

Premier League penalties awarded to Chelsea

2014/15 – 2

2013/14 – 7

2012/13 – 11

2011/12 – 5

2010/11 – 8

2009/10 - 12

http://www.chelseafc.com/news/latest-news/2015/03/penalty-puzzle.html

JorahTheExplorer posted:

Rotherham United no evidence but hate leeds

JorahTheExplorer posted:

Millwall "Dirty Northern b*stards"[11]

TheBigAristotle posted:

Big Black Dick posted:

I have no idea what this does or is supposed to mean.

advanced statsman posted:

it's the best brand

Heskie posted:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Atkinson

quote:

Gameweek 29 was a very bad week for everyone, its not just you. So there is no need to worry, lets focus on the remaining fixtures and see who you can catch up.

Gameweek 30 will be a full gameweek, meaning there is no double fixtures or teams not playing.
Obviously there is huge tie between United and Liverpool so you may want to avoid having players from either of teams or atleast not making anyone involved your fantasy captain. These two teams usually dont score much when they play each other, its gonna be a nerve wrecking game with possibility of yellow and red cards.

As the captain I would either select Kun Aguero or Kane. City plays home against WBA but as seen last week the team morale is down and Pellegrini will have a huge job getting the players up when they get sent out of the CL tonight. Kane didnt exactly lighten up the world at Old Trafford, but I believe theres couple of games in him this weekend.

Other captain choice is Hazard. Mourinho got his boys over the champions league defeat and the ship is sailing towards another premier league title.

Transfers

Ins:
Giroud if you dont have him already. On fire striker, regained his position as main striker after injury.
DDG - yep even when he lets goals in he still makes alot of saves so you get few points.
Rooney - LVG seems to have understood where to play Rooney at last. And he will score goals here and there.

Out:
Ozil - such a fragile player. No confidence, just poo poo.
Falcao - LVG seems to hate him more and more. Really feed bad for Falcao
Sturridge - Has been found out as the average joe he is.

jre posted:

reformed bad troll posted:

What is wrong with this?

reformed bad troll posted:

What is wrong with this?

TheBigAristotle posted:

I get the feeling this is wrong thread because it owns so much (x-post from the Rooney knockout gif thread)

Draws An 8 posted:

Put it like this, if the us ever becomes like germany, the countries that would benefit are the smaller concacaf nations. In fact teams like el salvador would make the world cup, due to american-born salvadoreans playing for el salvador because the us was too deep. In fact its funny when you See american-born soccer fans who root for their parents country and not the US, don't realize that its only when the us become a super soccer nation that our rejects will then play for the other countries and help them make a world cup.

TheBigAristotle posted:

I get the feeling this is wrong thread because it owns so much (x-post from the Rooney knockout gif thread)

jre posted:

Homework Explainer posted:

after watching Being Liverpool I knew this was our team.

Homework Explainer posted:

from man ocean away.

quote:

Mesut Özil believes he will one day be crowned the world’s best player – and says rough treatment from opponents in England is making him a stronger athlete.

Arsenal’s Germany international midfielder, the subject of stinging criticism at times this season – with Paul Scholes suggesting he was just “going through the motions” – said he was sure he has what it takes to lift the trophy won by Cristiano Ronaldo in January.

Honj Steak posted:

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/mar/25/arsenal-mesut-ozil-ballon-dor




If Paul Scholes believes it, it must be true.