Football Season 2014 - 2015

Goo, Goo, Gooner!!! 

Uhhhh.....   

Hats off to PSG, playing one man down, but still winning on away goals at Chelsea.

On replay, it did not look like Ibrahimovic deserved the red card. There was certainly a lot of acting and cheap shots by both sides throughout the match.

Am sure there will be lots of questions about why Chelsea didn't do a better job of pressing the advantage. Was their strategy to sit on the lead, or was it simply a lack of energy?

Was very entertaining to watch Thiago Silva go from zero to hero in overtime!

I'm just glad that a team that plays attractive attacking football won, and against the odds

Agreed, Hook. I didn't think it a red card. Ref acted too quickly.  Chelsea's negative approach to the game was disappointing but not surprising.  PSC deserved to go through. 

It looked to me like a yellow. It was a clumsy, aggressive move, but Ibrahimovic pulled both legs back and the actual contact was minimal. As one announcer quipped:  "And the Oscar goes to......Oscar!"  

With apologies to SteveJ, it has to be 'hats off' to Burnley this evening.  Their endeavour and organisational skills enabled them to shade the game. Man C had a good call for a pen near the end but the replays showed why the ref probably thought why the defender got a toe on the ball.

Great result for Burnley in their fight against relegation but, if I'm honest, it's a bit of a pity as a win for Chelsea tomorrow will take a lot of interest out of the race for the title.  Still, don't you just love the Premier League where results like this are a possibility every week? It's easy to see why the PL is so popular around the world. 

Did Chelski win today?

Yes, Mr Mole, an impressive performance by the Saints at Stamford Bridge today.  Chelski still six points clear with a game in hand though. 

Sunderland have just sacked Poyet. Maybe the Black Cats will take Hippo Head off our hands...

I'd heard some suggestion on Sky Sports yesterday linking Big Sam to the Sunderland job in the event that Poyet left.  I guess there must be something in it but why would Sam go to the North East (being a Midlands man) and, worse, take on team in a relegation fight when WHU are comfortably in the top half? Seems odd to me. Will Sunderland offer him a load more money than he is getting from Gold & co?

Even if Sam is minded to leave the Hammers, I would have thought he would be better doing that at the end of the season with his reputation intact.  If he goes to Sunderland and they go down his reputation will take a dive and he could be sacked himself.

MDS - he played for Sunderland; he is detest by a large section of the WHU faithful; his relationship with the owners, Sullivan especially, is said to be tricky.

Most of all, his contract with WHU is up in May, and neither side has yet made any indication that it will be renewed. So he is pretty much a dead man walking at the Boleyn anyway. I heard we'd have Teddy as interim manager before signing Bilic or Moyes.

If I were BFS, I'd go for it - at least I'd be appreciated by the Mackems.

Ah. That's making more sense to me now, Kevin.  I didn't know Sam played for the Black Cats.  Didn't know Teddy fancied management either. He was certainly a clever and thoughtful player whose thinking compensated for his lack of pace.  Bilic would be a good call. 

Meanwhile Sunderland's hope for survival must be based on QPR, Burnley and Leicester being even more rubbish than them. Burnley's win at the weekend might have spooked their owners even more than the lamentable collapse at home to Villa.  

So it's Advocaat for the Black Cats and Big Sam continues to pursue his brand of 'beautiful football' at the Hammers. 

Sadly. But hopefully not past the end of the season.

Have they more than a snowball's* chance in hell of staying up?

Chris

* with acknowledgment to one of Ken Bruce's listeners on R2, this morning.

I think he has the Bols to do it...

Can I suggest you make Roberto Martinez an offer he can't refuse. I can guarantee he'll bring you the beautiful brand of football the hammers where known for.

Unfortunately it will only be available in your own half.

Don't care. Most of us can't wait to see the back of that arrogant fat gum-chewing Dudley clogger.

Bring back Curbs!

I know Man City pretty much blew it in their home leg against Barcelona but I must say their effort this evening was pretty woeful.  Even missed a penalty. On a brighter note, Joe Hart was magnificent. Best I've seen him play.

Red card after 38 seconds.  Is that a record? For a player of Gerrard's experience it was pretty unforgivable. Terrific goal by Mata.  

Bit of a gap at the bottom on the PL now.  The regulation places will probably be decided between the teams currently in the bottom six.  Hull will take some encouragement from their performance against Chelsea.  Coming back from 2-0 at home was some effort, even if the equaliser was a gift.

Enjoyed the Ipswich v Bournemouth game on TV this evening.  Must say I was impressed by Bournemouth: well organised, moved the ball quickly, always looked a threat.  They justify their position in the Championship and were well worth their point against the Tractor Boys.  

Agreed, Chris, but unless City get all three points against resurgent Palace tomorrow it's three clubs fighting over 2nd, 3rd and 4th.

Meanwhile what a big, big result for the Black Cats this afternoon. Well done. Their hold over the Magpies continues.  

So ..my voice is still recovering from yesterday's victory (again) over the great unwashed ..having witnessed a truly traumatising SAFC performance against Villa in the last home match - this was a whole different ball game ..erm but still football if you get my drift! .....it's still too early to say if Dick should be offered the unholy chalice (i.e. managing Sunderland) because as pleased as I was with the result NUFC were truly awful yesterday (you should hear the radio phone-ins up here!) :-)
..Palace next ..which will be much tougher!