Football Focus

[Jah Lush]

I don't know. You wait ages for a scorpion and then two come along at once.

 

[malumbu]

Sorry just catching up on two weeks of footy.

An open question - who is the best/most liked/least unwanted of the crucial three

Mark Hughes, Big Fat Sam or Pulis?

[Alan Medic]

Crucial meaning what?

[malumbu]

Its a take on the Crucial 3 - Julian Cope, Ian McCulloch and Pete Wylie, but you'd have to be over 50 to probably get that one. None of the crucial 3 have managed football teams but Julian Cope is a druid and historian.

[Parkdrive]

Mike Dean, sir you are a useless, arrogant, attention seeking c**t

[Otta]

Absolutely classic Liverpool. Win against a top 4 rival, then lose against a bottom 3 team. If Chelsea win at Spurs they're 8 points clear. Can't see anyone overturning that unless they lose a couple of key players to injury or something.

[maxxi]

Parkdrive Wrote:

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> Mike Dean, sir you are a useless, arrogant,

> attention seeking c**t

We've all seen some fairly shoddy refereeing at times (and it's often him) but this was incredible. Has he been drug tested?

['bout now]

maxxi Wrote:

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> Parkdrive Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Mike Dean, sir you are a useless, arrogant,

> > attention seeking c**t

>

> We've all seen some fairly shoddy refereeing at

> times (and it's often him) but this was

> incredible. Has he been drug tested?

And during what was our best display so far at the new gaff.

[Alan Medic]

Otta Wrote:

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> Absolutely classic Liverpool. Win against a top 4

> rival, then lose against a bottom 3 team. If

> Chelsea win at Spurs they're 8 points clear. Can't

> see anyone overturning that unless they lose a

> couple of key players to injury or something.

Things can't be that bad if you class a draw as a defeat. This table shows how the Xmas fixtures have favoured Chelsea:

Hours that will be taken to play all three festive matches

Hours taken from the start of a team's first game to the end of their third game

1 Chelsea 223

2 Watford, Crystal Palace 201.5

3 Swansea 199

4 Arsenal, Bournemouth 198.75

5 Stoke 172.75

6 West Ham 172.5

7 Man Utd 172.25

8 Burnley, Everton, Sunderland, Tottenham, West Brom 170

9 Hull, Man City 167.75

10 Leicester, Middlesbrough 167.5

11 Liverpool 143.75

12 Southampton 117

[Mick Mac]

red devil Wrote:

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> Despite the one-sided nature of the SPL, the Old

> Firm game is still a great game to watch...C'mon

> the Hoops!

I agree RD. It was a good one as it turned out. Winning after going behind, away from home, is always sweet. Great equalizer from Dembele. Rangers played well but Celtic had many more shots/corners etc so the gap was a possibly bigger than the scoreline suggests. I'd say Rangers dominated the first half hour, and Celtic the last hour.

A nice end to a year that got better and better for Celtic.

[Parkdrive]

Otta Wrote:

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> Absolutely classic Liverpool. Win against a top 4

> rival, then lose against a bottom 3 team. If

> Chelsea win at Spurs they're 8 points clear. Can't

> see anyone overturning that unless they lose a

> couple of key players to injury or something.

After tonight's fiasco I can honestly say I feel your pain Otta

[Otta]

Hull sack Mike Phelan.

[JohnL]

Swansea back off the bottom - If Palace had won clear blue water would have opened up.

[Jah Lush]

West Ham's Sofiane Feghouli has had his red card against Manchester United rescinded by an FA independent commission.

[????]

Tonight's game - I hope they both lose :)

[red devil]

I'd normally side with Spurs and have predicted a 3-2 home win, but a draw would suit us best...

[red devil]

At least I got a point...:)

[Jah Lush]

I love Deli Alli. That is all.

[Otta]

It's got "special relationship" written all over it.

[red devil]

Jah better make the most of it, Alli will be playing in white next season, not necessarily Lilywhite...

[titch juicy]

Things are a little different since our last big name departure.

The following have all signed new long term deals in the last few months:

Pochettino

Lloris

Kane

Alli

Eriksen

Dier

Vertonghen

Rose

Walker

Carroll

Winks

Vorm

And by all accounts a new Alderweireld deal is close.

[red devil]

That doesn't mean they won't leave though, just that Spurs will get more money if one was sold, and the player in the meantime gets a salary increase. Everybody's happy...until a bigger club comes calling.

[Mick Mac]

20m from the Hammers for Dembele.

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/west-ham-lodge-20m-bid-for-celtic-striker-moussa-dembele-a3433676.html

[red devil]

He looked impressive in the Old Firm game. I also thought Patrick Roberts looks a player, shame he's a blue nose...

[titch juicy]

red devil Wrote:

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> That doesn't mean they won't leave though, just

> that Spurs will get more money if one was sold,

> and the player in the meantime gets a salary

> increase. Everybody's happy...until a bigger club

> comes calling.

It was more intended to illustrate the feeling at the club at the moment.

Players love being there and love Pochettino and what he's building. All have made very positive and encouraging noises about the future. Less need to chase money and glory elsewhere.