Football Focus

[maxxi]

The Spanish connection is the main reason RB was appointed and Guardiola would be able to make all sorts of demands re transfers and time to reorganise if he wanted the job - that's if RA wants Chelski to play the 'beautiful game'.

He's (RA) won the trophy he wanted now so maybe he was so irked by the criticism Chelski got that he would be willing to let Pep have a couple of seasons the revolutionise things - like all billionaire megalomaniacs he wants to be loved :)

Mancini must surely be on his way whether he wins at home or not - they were miles off qualifying for the knockout stages when the Gooners did it for the 13th consecutive season - and there are no signs that Mancini is on the way to creating a CL winning team.

[Jah Lush]

Meanwhile back in Rome where visiting English fans have come to expect a chivving from the locals. Lazio's Ultras are at it again. I expect nothing will be done about it and the culprits will get away with it...again.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20442906

[????]

Mick Mac Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I hope Rafa has found his marbles again, as he had

> clearly lost then towards the end of his Liverpool

> days.

>

> It's a great opportunity for him, despite

> Chelsea's bad treatment of managers, as he has not

> exactly been in demand since leaving Liverpool.

>

> Good luck to him.

er, Milan, Mick?

[Jah Lush]

Inter Milan was two years ago so, he does make a good point.

[????]

..er, 'since leaving Liverpool'.....

[Otta]

Snapped up after leaving Liverpool by the top club in Europe at that time.

6 months later sacked with a somewhat blemished rep IMO.

[red devil]

FA have said Mark Clattenburg has no case to answer...over to you Bruce Buck

[Alan Medic]

So I heard. Good. Hear that Mikel has a serious charge over this now.

Given the unlikely marriage between RB and Chelsea, how about the one between Neil Warnock and El Hadji Diouf? He once called him a sewer rat and has since signed him for Leeds and calls him a matador. Any others?

[El Pibe]

FA can't really win this.

I personally think it was all a diversionary tactic, but the FA will inevitably be accused of sweeping it under the carpet, whitewashing (boom boom) and hypocrisy.

Anyway, glad for CLattenburg, though he'll never hear the end of it, mud inevitably sticks.

[StraferJack]

"but the FA will inevitably be accused of sweeping it under the carpet, whitewashing (boom boom) and hypocrisy. "

Not by any significant number I don't think... I think the bulk of mistrust will be directed at the current crop of Chelsea players and whatever odd hierarchy exists there

[maxxi]

Agreed - mud will stick where it should - on the team who's representatives have already been found to encourage untruths and doctored evidence.

[StraferJack]

And let's take a moment to look at that recent/current crop of Chelsea players

By even the mercenary standards of 2012 premiership standards, they take some beating don't they. I think they willed themselves to win the fekkin CL to spite managers, media, fans

If they had a supportive manager for a couple of seasons they wouldn't have roused themselves

Talented maybe, odious certainly

Do winners always have to be nice guys? No, but when you have such a concentration of egos, a concentration to surpass they brashest foxtons, then judgement is warranted

[red devil]

Week 9 Fixtures.

This week's Coupon Buster is QPR to win at Man Utd...

Sunderland v West Brom

Everton v Norwich

Man Utd v QPR

Stoke v Fulham

Wigan v Reading

Aston Villa v Arsenal

Swansea v Liverpool

Southampton v Newcastle

Chelsea v Man City

Tottenham v West Ham

[Parkdrive]

underland 1 v West Brom 2

Everton 2 v Norwich 0

Man Utd 4 v QPR 0

Stoke 1 v Fulham 0

Wigan 3 v Reading 1

Aston Villa 1 v Arsenal 3

Swansea 1 v Liverpool 1

Southampton 2 v Newcastle 2

Chelsea 2 v Man City 1

Tottenham v West Ham

[Ladygooner]

Sunderland 2 v West Brom 3

Everton 2 v Norwich 1

Man Utd 6 v QPR 0

Stoke 1 v Fulham 2

Wigan 1 v Reading 2

Aston Villa 1 v Arsenal 3

Swansea 2 v Liverpool 1

Southampton 2 v Newcastle 1

Chelsea 1 v Man City 3

Tottenham 2 v West Ham 1

[Rhinestone Cowboy]

Sunderland 1 v West Brom 0

Everton 1 v Norwich 0

Man Utd 4 v QPR 0

Stoke 0 v Fulham 0

Wigan 0 v Reading 0

Aston Villa 1 v Arsenal 1

Swansea 1 v Liverpool 1

Southampton 0 v Newcastle 1

Chelsea 1 v Man City 0

Tottenham 2 v West Ham 0

irons

[Rhinestone Cowboy]

MARK HUGHES has been sacked as manager of QPR.

R's owner Tony Fernandes dropped the axe ahead of Sparky's return to Manchester United tomorrow.

Harry Redknapp is the hot favourite to replace the Welshman at Loftus Road

[red devil]

Just like the buses, nothing for ages then 2 in succession, Hughes sacked.

Strange timing, the day before a match, perhaps a deflectionary measure incase they take a tanking.

Over to you 'arry...

[Otta]

Harry wouldn't actually say he was interested on MOTD last week out of respect for Hughes. It was very clear that he was interested though.

I find Hughes really difficult to like, so quite pleased really. Agree about the timing though, very odd. Perhaps they wanted to spare him the final humiliation of a thumping at United.

[DaveR]

Sunderland 1 v West Brom 1

Everton 2 v Norwich 0

Man Utd 5 v QPR 0

Stoke 1 v Fulham 0

Wigan 1 v Reading 0

Aston Villa 1 v Arsenal 2

Swansea 1 v Liverpool 1

Southampton 2 v Newcastle 1

Chelsea 1 v Man City 1

Tottenham 2 v West Ham 0

[maxxi]

It's one game they were sure to lose in any case so it might free up the players enough to 'have a go' if they'd been feeling oppressed by Sparky's tactics. Makes for a more interesting coupon buster now...?

Sunderland 2 v West Brom 2

Everton 1 v Norwich 2

Man Utd 1 v QPR 2

Stoke 0 v Fulham 2

Wigan 1 v Reading 1

Aston Villa 0 v Arsenal 2

Swansea 1 v Liverpool 2

Southampton 1 v Newcastle 1

Chelsea 2 v Man City 3

Tottenham 1 v West Ham 2

[????]

Sunderland 0 West Brom 1

Everton 2 - Norwich 2

Man U 2 Qpr 1

Stoke 1 Fulham 0

Wigan 2 Reading 0

Aston Villa 1 Arsenal 2

Swansea 1 Liverpool 2

Saints 2 Newcastle 0

Chelsea 1 Man City 2

Spuds 1 Irons 2 Yaaaaaaaaaaaay

[Otta]

Sunderland 1 v West Brom 2

Everton 1 v Norwich 1

Man Utd 3 v QPR 3 (you never know...)

Stoke 2 v Fulham 0

Wigan 1 v Reading 1

Aston Villa 0 v Arsenal 3

Swansea 1 v Liverpool 2

Southampton 2 v Newcastle 3

Chelsea 3 v Man City 1 (Torres hatrick... Yeah right)

Tottenham 2 v West Ham 2

[Jah Lush]

Sunderland 1 West Brom 1

Everton 2 Norwich 1

Man Utd 5 QPR 0

Stoke 1 Fulham 2

Wigan 2 Reading 1

Aston Villa 2 Arsenal 3

Swansea 2 Liverpool 1

Southampton 2 Newcastle 2

Chelsea 2 Man City 3

Tottenham 2 West Ham 2

I'm going to White Hart Lane on Sunday. I'd like to predict a win for Spurs but but our form is very patchy at the moment and can see the Hammers getting something out of this game. (BTW - if you're reading this Parkdrive you haven't put your predicted score in for this fixture).

As for Mark Hughes. It's been a long time coming. I guess the owners are thinking - do we trust him in the next transfer window? - He spent a lot of money and most of those signings haven't worked out and the results haven't come either. Get someone else in and see how that goes. A similar thing at Chelsea. Though they started playing the sexy football that the owner craved, they were shipping goals at the other end of the pitch. They've missed Terry at the back but Benitez will tighten things up and make them difficult to beat again. First thing I'd do is drop David Luiz. For the money they paid for him I think he's been rubbish..

[Mick Mac]

Sunderland 2 West Brom 1

Everton 2 - Norwich 0

Man U 4 Qpr 0

Stoke 2 Fulham 0

Wigan 2 Reading 0

Aston Villa 1 Arsenal 3

Swansea 2 Liverpool 2

Saints 1 Newcastle 2

Chelsea 2 Man City 0

Spurs 1 West Ham 2