Today's football.

[moyeslovechild]

They are a threat

We can still beat them

But they are a threat

No doubt

This should be obvious to everyone. It should also be obvious that we're a threat to all the teams above us. The points gap between the top 5 is THE indication of that.

Having said that Spurs and Utd are really close as well. Crazy season.

 

[Jamo Martinez]

He's already owned by Juventus.

Who apparently need him far less than Chelsea need Lukaku.

 

[Del]

I'm intrigued as to why you are intrigued... Though flattered, obviously.

Cook's you haven't posted much since you got the Rooney thing wrong

No it's not.

Don't you think we'd have kicked up a far bigger fuss about selling Barkley (and probably saying he wasn't for sale) than we did over Fellaini?

Fellaini was always going, he had a release clause & had been making noises about leaving for months.

Barkley is a kid who loves it at Everton. He isn't Rooney, the situation is totally & utterly different than the summer of 2004.
Both Everton & Utd are clubs in totally different places as well, in many ways.

It's just the media myth that a player 'doesn't turn down Utd', when actually plenty already have in the last 6 months.

2004 saw Everton challenging for the top four and United challenging for the title.

Explain again how things are different?

You have completely confused 2003/04 with 2004/05 mate. Not sure how, but you have.

2004 when Rooney left was immediately after Everton finished 17th, with scandals in the paper about Rooney visiting brothels. Rooney had fell out with Moyes over it, blaming him for leaking stuff to the press (later found to be untrue, and I wonder who did leak that stuff to the press, perhaps to force through a profitable deal?), plus Rooney had had an agent in his ear for 18 months telling him to move (so that the agent could pocket a vast personal profit in the process) and had a media clamouring for him to leave Everton to further his career. Plus Everton desperately needed the Rooney money as the club's finances were a mess.

2005 - WITHOUT Rooney - was when we qualified for the Champions League.

As for the club's respective positions now, they're TOTALLY different than in 03/04. We are challenging at the top. Man Utd aren't challenging for the title, they're 8th, 6 points behind us, and we've already beaten them. They also have a different manager.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Arsenal to muller Villa tonight I think

3-1 reverse perhaps?

 

[zirc]

They are a threat

We can still beat them

But they are a threat

No doubt

The remind me a bit of United last year. Suspect midfield and defence being dragged to victory by a couple of class strikers. Any team that actually has a go at them shows them up for what they are, but too many teams poo themselves at the sight of them and try to close up shop.

 

[CountyRd]

Anyone think Ronaldo WONT win the ballon dor tonight? Managed to get £50 on at 6/4 in November and didn't realise it wasn't till today. Be a decent little return the week before payday that.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

United were far more clinical and ruthless last year

That's what they're missing

Even when they score, they still look shaky

You always sense that Liverpool could be prone to a defensive mistake

That being said, you get the feeling watching us sometimes

 

[zirc]

United were far more clinical and ruthless last year

That's what they're missing

Even when they score, they still look shaky

You always sense that Liverpool could be prone to a defensive mistake

That being said, you get the feeling watching us sometimes

They are clinical though - they don't create loads of chances but the are good at finishing the ones they do. They wouldn't have scored 5 goals with Mirallas and Lukaku, for example, up front yesterday.

Did you watch a lot of Utd last year? They looked very mediocre even though the kept winning, I thought they were lucky to come away with 3 points on countless occassions.

 

[Big Fat Sam]

Problem for me - (and worry) - is that Liverpool will continue to score the goals to keep them near the top. Even without Suarez the first six games they stormed to the top of the league. Their keeper seems decent and even players like Henderson lol are looking alright. Plus obviously Suarez - who never seems to get an injury, well, ALWAYS appears to break his leg six times a game but is back on his feet 30 seconds later - is reliable and can count on him hardly missing a game until the end of the season until he decides to bite or racially abuse someone again.

Our defence looks great, and we seem to be scoring lots without Lukaku getting on the scoresheet, but he IS doing a lot of the dirty work and if he gets an injury it'll be difficult to continue our form, imo, especially with a squad lacking in quality outside of the starting XI (excluding defensive cover; they are all pyar ace).

I unfortunately see Arsenal, City and Chelsea locking out the top three in some order, then United powering on somehow with Liverpool for fourth and fifh, then us and Spurs for sixth and seventh. Hope to God I am wrong, it's just we're so used to falling at the final furlong or just simply dropping off the pace, it's become expected.

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

They are clinical though - they don't create loads of chances but the are good at finishing the ones they do. They wouldn't have scored 5 goals with Mirallas and Lukaku, for example, up front yesterday.

Did you watch a lot of Utd last year? They looked very mediocre even though the kept winning, I thought they were lucky to come away with 3 points on countless occassions.

That's what title winning form is all about to be fair

 

[Mikey_Fitzgerald]

Look at what they did to us at Old Trafford last seaosn. Went 2-0 up and killed off the game

Again, they were ruthless when it counted in the league

 

[Cookachoo]

Arsenal, City and Chelsea locking out the top three in some order, then United powering on somehow with Liverpool for fourth and fifh, then us and Spurs for sixth and seventh.

Nailed on mate.

 

[Allezfan]

We're the 4th best team in the league.

Liverpool and Man U are dangerous because of their attackers, they can score goals even when playing badly.

But I'd take us over both in a one off game.

We have games vs the other top 7 coming up. That gives us all the opportunity we need to put them behind us as long as we can keep up the pace when playing the other teams, and we mostly have been able to.

 

[PaddyG]

A Villa win would be nice tonight.

Does anybody think we could realistically get in the top 3?

 

[jaycee]

A Villa win would be nice tonight.

Does anybody think we could realistically get in the top 3?

I honestly think City,Arseand Chelsea have the top 3 places thenits abattlefor 4th place
points will be droppedby everyone so it willo tothe wire for the final CL place