The Round Ball Game

[EdgeleyRob]

Liverpool throbbing with emotion all week... after the City result tonight, the hope sharpens, the agony deepens... whatever happens at Norwich how on earth do we all cope till the Chelsea game...? May be even more intense than last Sunday... heavens.

Both our immediate neighbours are mad-keen, often have a garden party and even klaxons or vuvuzelas sounding off on a Big Sunday. It was remarkably quiet after the Man City game...

Talking to a so called football fan at work today,he is sick of hearing about Hillsborough,beggars belief !!

[BBMmk2]

OMG, what a **&^&*()!!!!!

[gurnemanz]

I've got another team to hate following Cardiff's absurd attempts to deprive Palace of the three points we won down there. Not content with losing badly they are now playing the bad loser. Quite neutral about their fate previously, I will be now be very happy to see them go down.

[teamsaint]

I've got another team to hate following Cardiff's absurd attempts to deprive Palace of the three points we won down there. Not content with losing badly they are now playing the bad loser. Quite neutral about their fate previously, I will be now be very happy to see them go down.

Sunderland played an in eligible player at SMS, but got away with a tiny fine.

[antongould]

Sunderland played an in eligible player at SMS, but got away with a tiny fine.

He was only a small player.....

[cloughie]

I've got another team to hate following Cardiff's absurd attempts to deprive Palace of the three points we won down there. Not content with losing badly they are now playing the bad loser. Quite neutral about their fate previously, I will be now be very happy to see them go down.

...and they made the mistake of sacking a good manager whilst you had the wisdom of taking on one with the track record of keeping ordinary sides in the Prem.

[aeolium]

...and they made the mistake of sacking a good manager whilst you had the wisdom of taking on one with the track record of keeping ordinary sides in the Prem.

Yes, Tony Pulis does deserve praise for what he has done to save Palace from the drop and take them up to mid-table, but I don't think it should be forgotten what a wretched style of football he made Stoke play - the worst in the Premiership imv - and how Mark Hughes has turned that team around to be one capable of playing attractive football.

[teamsaint]

Does anybody else think there has been a rise in truly dreadful tackles in the PL over the last couple of years.

And Stoke have been worse offenders than most........

FWIW, despite their poor results, i thought Palace were playing some decent football before Pulis took over.

[aeolium]

Does anybody else think there has been a rise in truly dreadful tackles in the PL over the last couple of years.

And Stoke have been worse offenders than most........

Not really, ts, though there do seem to have been a lot of strikers flinging themselves down on the ground when they haven't been touched.

I suppose having grown up watching teams like Leeds and Chelsea in the early 1970s when games were more like battles and there was much mud, blood and sweat, I tend to think of today's footballers as rather cosseted. Just have a look at film of the 1970 FA Cup final replay between Leeds and Chelsea (not for the faint-hearted) if you want to see the difference. Players like Ron Harris and Norman Hunter would have given forwards who dived a real reason to put their faces in the mud. Eventually of course there was a public outcry at the sheer brutality that was taking place (e.g. when Maradona was butchered by the Italians in the 1982 World Cup) and forwards started to get some protection. Perhaps they get a bit too much protection now.

[teamsaint]

Not really, ts, though there do seem to have been a lot of strikers flinging themselves down on the ground when they haven't been touched.

I suppose having grown up watching teams like Leeds and Chelsea in the early 1970s when games were more like battles and there was much mud, blood and sweat, I tend to think of today's footballers as rather cosseted. Just have a look at film of the 1970 FA Cup final replay between Leeds and Chelsea (not for the faint-hearted) if you want to see the difference. Players like Ron Harris and Norman Hunter would have given forwards who dived a real reason to put their faces in the mud. Eventually of course there was a public outcry at the sheer brutality that was taking place (e.g. when Maradona was butchered by the Italians in the 1982 World Cup) and forwards started to get some protection. Perhaps they get a bit too much protection now.

I grew up watching Ted Bates' " Ale House Brawlers" battling with guys like Hunter, Tommy Smith and Chopper, so I know what you are talking about.

I would agree that some of the stuff that goes on smacks of cosseting,(penalties for the merest contact,) but I just seem to have noticed a lot more bad "over the top tackles" in the last year or two. Perhaps the pace of the modern game makes those tackles worse.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

there is a growing recognition in the broadsheet sports columns that Pulis is giving Palace an attractive style of football now and securing their place in the Premiership

Yannick Bolasie, Jason Puncheon and even Cameron Jerome and Marouane Chamakh have made thrilling contributions that prove Pulis has done more than just make Palace solid and hard to break down.

and way to go Pompey a football coop!

[teamsaint]

I wouldn't believe everything you read in the papers, Jazzer.........

[Beef Oven!]

I wouldn't believe everything you read in the papers, Jazzer.........

How did the Eagles do today?

[EdgeleyRob]

Easter round up (part 1).

Bournemouth 2 Sheffield Wednesday 4. Late goals,Championship footy assued,if only the Owls had been in this form all season,what might have been.
Huddersfield Town 1 Brighton 1. Late equaliser,in the last play off position.
Coventry City 1 Swindon Town 2. Conceded a 90 minuter,not yet safe.
Wolves 6 Rotherham United 4. Scored twice in the 90th and 96th minutes,League 1 title in the bag,bar a mathematical disaster.
Wimbledon 2 Newport County 2. Salvaged a point fron 0-2 down,safe.
Oxford United 0 York City 1. Super win v a play off rival,7th and in the zone.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle 0 Aberdeen 0 . A decent point against the 2nd placed side,5th.
Tamworth 1 Hereford United 0. Another bad day,especially v the 2nd bottom team,not looking good,21st.
Stockport County 0 Altrincham 0. Quite a decent game despite the scoreline,non scoring run goes on and on and on.
Aston Villa 0 Southampton 0. Remain in 8th place.
Chelsea 1 Sunderland 2. So the incredible home records goes,bizarre post match interview with Murinho,must win at Liverpool ?
Newcastle United 1 Swansea City 2. Concede a 90th minute pen,5 defeats on the spin,9th.
West Ham United 0 Crystal Palace 1. Unbelievable,5 wins on the run,MID TABLE !
Leicester City 1 QPR 0. Another win will secure the title.
Burton Albion 3 Hartlepool United 0. Only 2 points above relegation,but should be safe with a better goal difference.
Portsmouth 3 Bristol Rovers 2. Outside the relegation zone,but only on goal difference,very tight at the bottom of L2.
Kilmarnock 1 Partick Thistle 2. Up to 10th,out of the danger zone.
St Mirren 2 Hibernian 0. Up to 8th despite having 'big Jim'sent off in the 1st half,let's hope they and Partick can stay clear of the relegation play off spot.
Chester City 0 Wrexham 0. Usually a fierce derby this,I went to one many years ago,like a mini war,and that's just the fans,safe.
Staines Town 3 Chelmsford 1.Well beaten,plummeting down the table.

No Truro City game yesterday or today as AFAIK.

Part 2 on Monday,watch this space.

[johncorrigan]

Easter round up (part 1).



St Mirren 2 Hibernian 0. Up to 8th despite having 'big Jim'sent off in the 1st half,let's hope they and Partick can stay clear of the relegation play off spot.

Not much better news awaits the return from the islands and the Highland radio blackout than news that you're 2-0 up and the big man's been given his marching orders, unjustly it would appear for once, with an hour to go. Still seems like there was little danger there. Delighted.

Thanks for the fine round up Rob, as always...big surprise the Chelsea result but they've done poorly against lower teams...is this extra pressure on Liverpool to get a result v Norwich? Interesting stuff really!