22-08-2005 20:07									#391
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Against a squad which looks like they aren't meant for the Premiership at all, who went down in a man with 15 minutes to go? Pool only had 6 shots on goal in that game.

And obviously you've never seen an Italian football match, where a team with more shots and possession can get dominated by the other team, based on defensive play and counterattack.

Though don't take my word for it:

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report?id=184245&cc=5901

quote: Benitez said: 'We did not play with any fluidity, but after an international week when lots of the players have been involved in 90 minutes of matches, it is important just to win.

And of course Chelsea played Wigan on the road, while Liverpool was at home against Sunderland .

The point is that you are criticizing Chelsea for their performances. Chelsea's match against Wigan was no worse than Liverpool's showing against Sunderland. And Arsenal is quite a bit tougher to play against than 'Boro, believe it or not.

	22-08-2005 20:24									#392
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The Wigan game was an awful performance.

The Arsenal match was boring but professional. They didn't have a real goalscoring opportunity all match.

We weren't rampant but we controlled the game and we had better chances than Arsenal. We got the 'lucky' goal because we captialised on their brief lapse and got the ball into the danger area. A draw would probably have been fair (we drew twice in the league last season) and I'd have taken a draw before the game.

Arsenal are still a very good side. So I don't think the performance was as bad as you make out. Wasn't perfect but it was effective.

	22-08-2005 20:31									#393
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Wenger is right, Drogba shouldn't be allowed to be at that place, though nobody on Gunner's active roaster could stop him one-on-one, plus the fact that that was a free kick that was allowed to be kicked quickly instead of waiting for the whistle. Robben still sucked, though.

	22-08-2005 20:58									#394
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I was surprised he started with Crespo after the way Drogba battered Senderos in the Charity Shield.

	22-08-2005 20:59									#395
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that's the luck thing mike, you've got 6 points from performances which might have left you with just 2 on another day.

	22-08-2005 21:16									#396
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That luck can be the difference between being Champions and not, and it evens out over the season.

That said though, the better the team the more often they get lucky.

	23-08-2005 08:07									#397
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quote: Originally posted by MikeH I was surprised he started with Crespo after the way Drogba battered Senderos in the Charity Shield.

Crespo did win the match against Wigan for Chelsea.

	24-08-2005 19:31									#398
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Looks like Michael Owen is on his way to Newcastle (or maybe not).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foo...rem/4179194.stm

I suspect Benitez will be pleased since he clearly doesn't want Owen back. I wonder what odds you can get on Shearer being made player-coach and Souness being shown the door by Christmas?

	24-08-2005 19:37									#399
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Man, the rumor has been Owen to Newcastle for so long, I'm not going to get my hopes up. Something will derail it, like Fat Freddy offering too little (like he did for Luque).

quote: I wonder what odds you can get on Shearer being made player-coach and Souness being shown the door by Christmas?

Without another striker? Pretty good...

	24-08-2005 23:59									#400
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I doubt that we've offered too little, since it's a club record (ie, more than £15m), and Real have accepted it. Now it's all down to whether Owen will come, or more precisely, whether Liverpool can afford whatever we've offered.

I'd love Owen to come though.

	25-08-2005 01:00									#401
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I didn't specify to WHO he'd offer too little. FF would probably try to lowball Owen .

Owen, however, has talked only about a loan to NUFC. We'll see if that changes.

	25-08-2005 01:43									#402
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I bloody hope so!

:desperate:

	25-08-2005 01:53									#403
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Same here... If Owen agrees to a straight transfer then we'll be reasonably ok even if we have no more changes (upper half of the tier). It'd be Owen with Shearer up top with Ameobi and Chopra (if they ever get healthy) backing up. Milner can move back to midfield.

Of course we'd still have to get more strikers, but it wouldn't be so urgent as it is now.

	25-08-2005 01:57									#404
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As urgent as a new centre-back then.

	25-08-2005 03:58									#405
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No real surprises in the Champions League Qualifiers, an injury struck Everton not managing to get past Villareal.

	25-08-2005 05:17									#406
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quote: Originally posted by duke o' york As urgent as a new centre-back then.

Now, now... lets try to get a freaking GOAL first!

	25-08-2005 05:30									#407
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i really don't know what michael owen is thinking if he goes to newcastle, saw the highlights against bolton, and they just looked low quality all round. very ordinary defending, nothing really being created by the midfield, poor service to and little support for alan shearer. if they don't sign a couple of decent players soon i wouldn't be surprised to see them scraping around the bottom of the table come april/may.

chelsea looked very good tonight, but then i suppose everyone does against west brom second half subs were duff, robben and crespo!

arsenal looked brilliant going forward, but shaky at the back, so about the same as normal really, terry henry is now just 1 goal off ian wright's club record one thing i've got to ask, how is neil alexander keeping tony warner out of the side at cardiff and why aren't we in for him!

	25-08-2005 05:36									#408
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The main problem with the side, aside from lack of striker and LB is the fact that Emre's been hurt. So Faye is in instead of him. Huge dropoff. We looked decent against Arsenal and he's been out since then.

Owen may wish to come because no one else in England seems to want him.

	25-08-2005 05:49									#409
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i really rated faye when he was at pompey, i just can't understand why he's failed to make an impact at newcastle. but tbh your central midfield is proably your best area, what's lacking is just about everything else! i would say your main problem is a lack of creativity, against a ten man west ham newcastle failed to score, but more worryingly, they barely created an opening, alan shearer is a great finisher, but he needs service and some support.

a couple of other things, everton have made a bid for owen, but it's not as large as newcastle's, and he may be reluctant to go there. but it's just getting ridiculous now, owen was a snip at £12 million and he's still great value at £16 million, so why none of the big three are in for him i really don't know.

and also pascal cygan scored his first goals(!) since march 2003 today, which was around the time arsenal last scored a header

	25-08-2005 06:26									#410
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The creativity thing is key. That's why Emre is so important. But even with him, we haven't seen the ball get to the front. It's not good.

With Owen, who knows. He is a good buy at 16 mil, but seemingly every squad in England has hit their limit, outside the Magpies. It's very strange.

	25-08-2005 06:43									#411
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A transfer for £15m is okay, but for a 1-year loan is way too much.

	25-08-2005 20:33									#412
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CL draw:

GROUP A
Bayern Munich
Juventus
Club Brugge
Rapid Vienna

GROUP B
ARSENAL
Ajax
Sparta Prague
Thun

GROUP C
Barcelona
Panathinaikos
Werder Bremen
Udinese

GROUP D
MAN UTD
Villarreal
Lille
Benfica

GROUP E
AC Milan
PSV Eindhoven
Schalke
Fenerbahce

GROUP F
Real Madrid
Lyon
Olympiakos
Rosenborg

GROUP G
LIVERPOOL
CHELSEA
Anderlecht
Real Betis

GROUP H
Inter Milan
Porto
RANGERS
Artmedia Bratislava

(Top seeds in bold, British teams in capitals)

Group stage begins 13/14 September.

Liverpool and Chelsea in the same group - that's going to be fun (not).

	25-08-2005 21:07									#413
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like the look of our group, shouldn't be too many problems there (famous last words )

liverpool and chelsea, should be interesting.

	25-08-2005 21:18									#414
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I know Chelsea were favourites at 11/2 before the groups, Liverpool were 25/1 (!), dont know about now.

	25-08-2005 21:25									#415
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quote: Originally posted by Urban Ranger A transfer for £15m is okay, but for a 1-year loan is way too much.

Silly Ranger... they aren't going to pay 15mil for a loan! If Owen doesn't agree to transfer, they'll have to work out a different loan agreement.

--

Btw, with CL group stages, how many per group make it out?

	25-08-2005 21:36									#416
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2 go through to the knock out stages, the 3rd place team goes into the UEFA cup, the 4th placed team goes home.

	25-08-2005 21:36									#417
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Don't you think you should have still beaten West Ham at St James without Emre when they only had ten men?

	25-08-2005 21:38									#418
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quote: Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui Silly Ranger... they aren't going to pay 15mil for a loan! If Owen doesn't agree to transfer, they'll have to work out a different loan agreement.

Souness has ruled out a loan completely.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foo...rem/4184994.stm

	25-08-2005 21:43									#419
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quote: Originally posted by Maquiladora Souness has ruled out a loan completely. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foo...rem/4184994.stm

Just saw that... makes sense really. I mean then they'd have to hash over loan terms and by that time, the window is closed. Owen has to agree to come to NUFC on a transfer or stay as 4th forward on a team that only starts 2 of them, at least until January.

	25-08-2005 21:45									#420
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Yeah but Owen is about as desperate not to go to Newcastle as Newcastle is to sign him...

Imagine his rather being a 4th stringer than signing for the Magpies - the ultimate humiliation!