That was a (free) hotel room.
At the very exclusive and glamorous Irish Nursing Home Awards 2013. Hosted by that TV3 weatherman.
Can we win the title ?
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That was a (free) hotel room.
At the very exclusive and glamorous Irish Nursing Home Awards 2013. Hosted by that TV3 weatherman.
Me too.
I'm ok with not winning the title this season. We must have CL footy next season.
Of course, as I said in another thread, if we take 16 points from the next 18 it all changes.
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Hey JJ, I just think Jose will tweak his side a little in January. They're not far off now despite a couple of bad results.
I also think they'll both be in the next stage of the CL. Big name player's, I think both teams will respond to the atmosphere that goes with latter stages of Europe. This will then translate to their league form.
Just an opinion - I'd be happy to be wrong.
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Paul Parker
[article=http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/paul-parker/forget-mourinho-negative-chelsea-stylish-arsenal-win-title-152910267.html]Liverpool are all about the front two of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge. We've seen Arsenal nullify the front two recently, and that is their biggest problem. Who do they fall back on if those two stop firing? There was never going to be a problem in a 4-0 win over Fulham. Not when Philippe Senderos was in the back line.
Liverpool won't win the league, but they have the opportunity to do it because all the other teams are dropping points. This is certainly their best chance since Rafael Benitez finished second in 2009, and arguably a better opportunity than Benitez had. If he was still in charge, I think Liverpool would have their best chance to win the Premier League since they last won it in 1990. He manages teams well. I wasn't his biggest fan, but he proved his worth again by doing a terrific job at Chelsea last year.[/article]
[article=http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/paul-parker/forget-mourinho-negative-chelsea-stylish-arsenal-win-title-152910267.html]Liverpool are all about the front two of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge. We've seen Arsenal nullify the front two recently, and that is their biggest problem. Who do they fall back on if those two stop firing? There was never going to be a problem in a 4-0 win over Fulham. Not when Philippe Senderos was in the back line.
Liverpool won't win the league, but they have the opportunity to do it because all the other teams are dropping points. This is certainly their best chance since Rafael Benitez finished second in 2009, and arguably a better opportunity than Benitez had. If he was still in charge, I think Liverpool would have their best chance to win the Premier League since they last won it in 1990. He manages teams well. I wasn't his biggest fan, but he proved his worth again by doing a terrific job at Chelsea last year.[/article]
It would take us having come through the games against Everton Spurs City and Chelsea without tumbling down the table, which is what I expect to happen. If we are still top 3 on the first of Jan we can talk about a title challenge. Something tells me they arent having these discussions on the Southampton or Everton forums.
I get your point - I think i'm getting carried away that even after 11 games (or however many we're at now), we aren't already 7 points adrift of the top 2/3 which it feels like we are most seasons!
Once Jan arrives, we will be in a position to properly assess our chances, and hopefully by then, some of our rivals will continue to stumble/ under perform.
Is anyone else worried that we need at least 3rd to make the Champions league? We won't be seeded in the qualification stages, we have a manager and a team relatively inexperienced to champions league football, we could end up facing a very decent team, and struggling, maybe even an English team may win the thing again. Thats why, in my opinion, we really need to get to 3rd, I'd bite your hands off for fourth right now though.
I don't think we need to wait that long to decide. If we take 16 from 18 then we're in with a shout.
I still say we won't win it and, IMO, it's Chelsea or City. But they've not got it right so far and if we achieve 16 points by christmas we could have a nice little break on them.
TBH I think united are looking worrying. RVP has rediscovered his scoring boots recently. He and Rooney are carrying them cause they've got little else but it just underlines how valuable two genuine match winners can be.
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Couldn't agree more - which is why we are in it big time.
Title winning teams over the past 10 years (for example) have had EITHER one top scorer (20+ goals) or 3/4 players getting 10-15 a piece. We have TWO that should hit 20+ each which should convert to winning games we otherwise wouldn't (a la United last season). To say we are not in it is a mentality drawn from the past few seasons which, even though we do not have as strong a team as City or Chelsea, disregards the importance of currently the best striking force in the PL.
I'm afraid I'd just be happy to dine at the top table for a few years and rebuild our European profile. Fourth for a couple of y6ears and a few forays into the KO stages of the CL would set us up very nicely.
If one or two of the likely challengers looked particularly strong I'd understand the "I'd take 4th" mentality but as things stand at present all the main protagonists look vulnerable and I think the current bookies odds of 6/1 accurately represents our chances. Given that we have a one in 6 chance of ending our 20+ years drought I'm saying "Fuck taking 4th now!", we really have decent chance of winning it this season.
On a sidenote:
[article=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2502753/Premier-Leagues-unpredictable-start-good-omen-Arsenal.html#ixzz2kcCI2g2N ]The last two occasions the league was this tight in the post-1992 era, Arsenal went on to win the Double.
In 1997-1998, they made a flying start, collecting six wins and five draws from their opening 11 games and were enjoying a single point lead over Blackburn and United come mid-November.
But at that stage of the season, there wasn't much between them and Chelsea, Leicester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Derby beneath.
Cue an unforgettable title race in which Arsenal overhauled United's 12-point advantage to win their first Premier League. They added the FA Cup too for good measure when they beat Newcastle.
Similarly in November 2001, when just six points split the top eight from pace-setters Leeds United down to Tottenham at the 11-match marker.
At this moment, Arsenal sit fifth, beneath Leeds, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Newcastle.
In a similarly-timed burst to that in 1998, Wenger's team hit the summit in early April and clinched the championship with a 1-0 win at Old Trafford on May 8.
As they did four years earlier, they added the Cup by beating Chelsea in the final at Cardiff.
So unpredictable starts to the Premier League do tend to end up in Arsenal's favour but only time will tell if they can repeat the trick this season.[/article]
[article=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2502753/Premier-Leagues-unpredictable-start-good-omen-Arsenal.html#ixzz2kcCI2g2N ]The last two occasions the league was this tight in the post-1992 era, Arsenal went on to win the Double.
In 1997-1998, they made a flying start, collecting six wins and five draws from their opening 11 games and were enjoying a single point lead over Blackburn and United come mid-November.
But at that stage of the season, there wasn't much between them and Chelsea, Leicester, Liverpool, Newcastle and Derby beneath.
Cue an unforgettable title race in which Arsenal overhauled United's 12-point advantage to win their first Premier League. They added the FA Cup too for good measure when they beat Newcastle.
Similarly in November 2001, when just six points split the top eight from pace-setters Leeds United down to Tottenham at the 11-match marker.
At this moment, Arsenal sit fifth, beneath Leeds, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Newcastle.
In a similarly-timed burst to that in 1998, Wenger's team hit the summit in early April and clinched the championship with a 1-0 win at Old Trafford on May 8.
As they did four years earlier, they added the Cup by beating Chelsea in the final at Cardiff.
So unpredictable starts to the Premier League do tend to end up in Arsenal's favour but only time will tell if they can repeat the trick this season.[/article]
I hate being a downer, but what odds on us beginning to stutter as the Chavs, Utd, City, Arse and Spurs get their shit together and us ending up finishing 5th, sixth or seventh? Evens? Worse?
Well we're the about the same price to finish outside the the top 6 as we are to win the league i.e. 6/1.We're Evens for a top 4 finish. I'd be surprised if we didn't finish top 4 and the lowest possible finish IMO is 5th, I don't see Spurs, Everton or Saints finishing within 6-8 points of us..
Regarding the closeness of the contest this season, below is an entirely feasible table after the next round of games:
Arsenal - 25
Soton - 25
Chelsea - 24
Liverpool - 23
Man Utd - 23
Everton - 23
Spurs - 23
That would require Soton to win at Arsenal, Everton to beat us, Spurs to win at Man City, Chelsea to win at West Ham and Utd to win at Cardiff, all of which are viable results on current form.
Imagine that, 2pts covering 1st to 7th after 12 games.
Spurs can't score, Southampton cannot possibly sustain a challenge over 38 games and Everton are..well, Everton and will inevitable be introduced to the Martinez-managed mid season slump favoured by Wigan. If we don't make the top 4 this season we never will.
Arsenal - 25
Soton - 25
Chelsea - 24
Liverpool - 23
Man Utd - 23
Everton - 23
Spurs - 23
That would require Soton to win at Arsenal, Everton to beat us, Spurs to win at Man City, Chelsea to win at West Ham and Utd to win at Cardiff, all of which are viable results on current form.
Imagine that, 2pts covering 1st to 7th after 12 games.
Spurs can't score, Southampton cannot possibly sustain a challenge over 38 games and Everton are..well, Everton and will inevitable be introduced to the Martinez-managed mid season slump favoured by Wigan. If we don't make the top 4 this season we never will.
Asking at this moment is much like asking before the season has started. We'll have a much much better idea of how its going to go at the end of December, when all our tough away games are done.
If we've done well in those, and we're only a couple of points off top, or are top, this place will be buzzing and we'll all be over the moon and plenty will think it's really going to happen. If December has been crap, and we're back down to 6th etc, then this place will be suicidal and we'll be seeing threads about whether we should get rid of Rodgers.
If we've done well in those, and we're only a couple of points off top, or are top, this place will be buzzing and we'll all be over the moon and plenty will think it's really going to happen. If December has been crap, and we're back down to 6th etc, then this place will be suicidal and we'll be seeing threads about whether we should get rid of Rodgers.
Man, I wish I had that iron-clad confidence that you've got. The fact remains that as well as coming ahead of Spurs who have just spent a bajillion pounds, we need to beat one of - Man U: Chelsea: Man City: Arsenal. To my mind, that's easier said than done, despite early season form. It is no doubt reflects poorly upon me, but I'm like the coward who deals early on deal or no deal. I'll deal for fourth, yes sir.
A bit of a rubbish answer, but at the minute, yes we can certainly win it. We'll know a lot better after the next six matches, and then again at the end of January. One thing I know is that we can't afford to stutter at all. If we drop to 10 points behind the leaders, our chance is gone. We don't have the ability to be able to claw back points like other teams do, yet anyway.
I'd be pretty happy with third at this stage though.
I'd be pretty happy with third at this stage though.
T
the_khl
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It is completely wide open. Arsenal have looked the best team overall but against United last week it was obvious they still are lacking depth and quality too.
Chelsea and Cty hasn't looked convincing at all despite the one odd good game now and then and we have looked very vulnerable in terms of injuries. Much more so than the rest.
Spurs are not looking their best either and Boas seems to not know his preferred team yet. Will cost them points along the way.
So bottom line for me is, we can win it. Perhaps. I really don't know.
But how great is that! I mean normally at this stage we are talking about winning it - perhaps - Season next.
Chelsea and Cty hasn't looked convincing at all despite the one odd good game now and then and we have looked very vulnerable in terms of injuries. Much more so than the rest.
Spurs are not looking their best either and Boas seems to not know his preferred team yet. Will cost them points along the way.
So bottom line for me is, we can win it. Perhaps. I really don't know.
But how great is that! I mean normally at this stage we are talking about winning it - perhaps - Season next.
T
the_khl
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Come May we will be almost certain.
I don't think United will finish ahead of us and I think Arsenal will fade in the 2nd half of the season. I think, although it's unlikely, if we can finish ahead of City and Chelsea we'll win the league.
this is a bit of a "If you find a medal on your neck in May, you're a champion" kind of prediction!
You sir are a pussy!
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