The Round Ball Game

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

nah there is only one top cat at les bleus and his name is Didier!

well done Foxes; but the result of the day had to be Burnley scoring two to draw at the Etihad! as Garth Crooks said on Final Score a bad day for City in that they drew at home to a bottom club as Chelsea drew away to a top six outfit ..... i hope he has a point!

[eighthobstruction]

Only one point though....

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

... one point can win the league!

[AmpH]

Spending the festive season with family in the North, we fancied a bit of live fussball yesterday and decided to go and watch a former local team ' The Shrimps ' away at the mighty Hartlepool !! Naturally we stood in the away end with the other 300 or so travelling supporters and an enjoyable time was had when 2 goals from the Shrimps' diminutive no 7 secured a deserved win. My 10 year Godson ( who I must report with much regret and embarrassment is a manyou fan ) was particularly unimpressed with Hartlepool who he described as " the worst team I have ever seen ". Sadly, for the long suffering home supporters, he was probably right

It was hardly a great game, but an enjoyable festive afternoon out and my Godson can now add Victoria Park, Hartlepool to the other grounds ( Old Trafford, Villa Park, Britannia ( Stoke ) and Burton ) where he has now seen live fussball.

[cloughie]

Spending the festive season with family in the North, we fancied a bit of live fussball yesterday and decided to go and watch a former local team ' The Shrimps ' away at the mighty Hartlepool !! Naturally we stood in the away end with the other 300 or so travelling supporters and an enjoyable time was had when 2 goals from the Shrimps' diminutive no 7 secured a deserved win. My 10 year Godson ( who I must report with much regret and embarrassment is a manyou fan ) was particularly unimpressed with Hartlepool who he described as " the worst team I have ever seen ". Sadly, for the long suffering home supporters, he was probably right

It was hardly a great game, but an enjoyable festive afternoon out and my Godson can now add Victoria Park, Hartlepool to the other grounds ( Old Trafford, Villa Park, Britannia ( Stoke ) and Burton ) where he has now seen live fussball.

Careful, you'll upset Anton!

[eighthobstruction]

... one point can win the league!

Ah point the way Calum ....I seek light beyond obscurity....in a league of my own....

[John Wright]

Cheers Rob

Coventry City 0 Chesterfield 0. Lions share of possession and chances.

Yeah, we need points badly.

.... some great post match interviews today, especially Nige and Jose.

The Prem starts getting interesting now!

[antongould]

Careful, you'll upset Anton!

The 10 year old sounds a reasonable judge.......

[EdgeleyRob]

Liverpool 4 Swansea 1. A cracking game by all accounts with a couple of bizarre goals.
Fulham 0 Brighton 2. A win at last takes the Seagulls out of the relegation zone.

[jayne lee wilson]

The first half put us to sleep , at the second we were wide-eyed in wonder... at Adam Lallana's so precise aiming of his shoulder at the Swansea keeper's clearance... then, just in case we thought that was sheer luck, he provided a brilliant finish for No.3... but man of the match had to be Coutinho, as lively and creative as we've ever seen him since last season's classic 3-2 against City.

Emre Can as an elegant, ball playing left back? Eureka! Our defensive problems are over! ... All he needs now is a Hansen to partner him...
We're playing well, our game is back (where did it go? Into shock in the departure lounge...) - imagine this team with an actual striker in it like, y'know, Sturridge or that Uruguayan guy...

Liverpool aren't quite in the passing-master-class of Chelsea, who were mesmerising against an amazingly resilient Southampton. Into the top 4 saints, then hawk around for an oil billionaire...!
Thank god for the Londoners though, otherwise the Premiership would be yet another Manchester derby.
I should hate Van Gaal but... he has his charms, doesn't he?

Yeah and about unjustly maligned Cesc Fabregas... what IS it with some refs, that they think it has to be EITHER a penalty OR a booking for a dive?!... Who makes up these dumb rules anyway!? I guess it's that Blotter on the Qatar landscape....

[teamsaint]

but man of the match had to be Coutinho, as lively and creative as we've ever seen him since last season's classic 3-2 against City.

.

we were having a chat about him at home a couple of days ago, ( me and the oldest lad, who knows much more than me about current football).
I think Coutinho is a wonderful footballer to watch, but he really does need to up his consistency if he wants to match his ability with his performance level.
But he was indeed brilliant tonight. You just want to see him take matches by the scruff of the neck, rather than potter about prettily on the fringes. Perhaps he needs more responsibility, and i suppose as Stevie G withdraws that may come(.and then Real/Barca come knocking......)

AL is proving what a great player he is, and is a joy to watch, even in the wrong shirt .
People used to ask me back in the L1 days how good he was, and I ( and I think many Saints fans) felt confident he would make a good PL player, but i couldn't confidently say more than that.
Mind you, in our defence, it had been 5 years since we had seen any PL quality players, so judgement perhaps temporarily impaired!

As for the Fabregas " penalty scandal", JM might usefully take a look at what his own defenders get up to when defending corners....... amongst other things....and a pity that Matt Targett's performance , brilliant apart from one slip.. was overshadowed by JM's media blast.

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

yep handy to have a sheltering lee when Jose gets the megaphone out ....les bleus are not scoring enough goals but he would not want that to be the headline eh?

neat pair of articles on tactics in the graun

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/dec/30/tactical-review-of-2014-tiki-taka-exile-counter-counterattack

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/dec/29/tactical-review-of-2014-three-at-the-back-back-in-fashion-football

[cloughie]

yep handy to have a sheltering lee when Jose gets the megaphone out ....les bleus are not scoring enough goals but he would not want that to be the headline eh?

neat pair of articles on tactics in the graun

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/dec/30/tactical-review-of-2014-tiki-taka-exile-counter-counterattack

http://www.theguardian.com/football/...shion-football

Nor are les bleus de Sheffield but 1-0 was enough to give us our first double of the season.

[EdgeleyRob]

I'd welcome him, as would many at Selhurst - local boy and Palace hero - but I can't see how it could be made to happen.

Well Gurney,the word on the street is that your man will be in charge on new year's day.

Nor are les bleus de Sheffield but 1-0 was enough to give us our first double of the season.

Beat me to it cloughie,the Owls 1-0 win at Wigan means the forum football year ends on a high.

[cloughie]

Beat me to it cloughie,the Owls 1-0 win at Wigan means the forum football year ends on a high.

Mine certainly does I feared the worst after the Fulham result. At the beginning of the season I would have taken starting 2015 in 10th position!