English Football Thread! 2007-2008 Season

[DK]

I had a look around the Premier League one and got a team set up and everything and it was simple enough and pretty good. We interested enough to start a league on it or no?

[Loony BoB]

I say go for it. It's better than the various ones I tested out last season, including Metro, which was the best of the lot for 2006-07.

Of course, I've not tested out Metro this season yet... so uhm *dunno*

[Cz]

And now Arsenal have no widemen. Yes, Walcott, van Persie, Hleb and Rosicky can play there, but it isn't their preferred posi<b></b>tion. Unless Denilson can play there! I forgot his posi<b></b>tion. Cz, old boy, remind me.

He's not a natural wide player, though he's capable of playing there. So you're absolutely right, we're severely lacking in width.

I'd like us to buy a replacement for Ljungberg, and it's not as if we've ruled out a move for anyone, but I think Wenger will try and adapt one of our existing players to fill the gap (hey, it worked with Kolo Touré). Obviously Hleb and Walcott played plenty of games on the right last year, without neither being particularly successful. I think he might try playing Eboué as an orthodox right sided midfielder, since he's always been much better going forward than defensively, and he's probably a better crosser than Hleb or Theo. I'm not thrilled about the idea, but it might do the trick.

[Loony BoB]

Bye Smith! You always dreamed of regular first team football for United, now you can have it!

Hi, Tevez! Nice to see you training at Carrington!

[Psychotic]

Thank smurf that Tevez nonsense is over! To me, the major transfer news in Manchester is Bojinov and Elano joining City - I've seen 'em play and I like what they have. If their players can adapt to the Premiership, they will be pushing hard for those UEFA spots. Mind you, are are probably a good 7 or so other teams who will be doing the same.

[blim]

Just thought i'd make my predictions on this season

Premiership:

1: Man U (i hate em but i think they are stronger than last season and i cant see anyone stopping them)
2: Chelsea
3: Liverpool (i think they will be nearer but not quite there yet, maybe next year)
4: Arsenal
5: Tottenham

Relegated: Derby, Sunderland and West Ham

And i think Brentford will get relegated to the conference

[Loony BoB]

Seriously. I feel a bit sorry for the three teams coming up - they've not had the most amazing signings and the teams that stayed up all look to have improved in big ways. At least, the vast majority have.

Then again, it'll be interesting to see how quickly Sven can get his eight new signings (and whichever others he goes for!) to gel in with the rest of his sqaud.

[Burtsplurt]

The Premier League and West Ham are shysters and crooks. If they owned Tevez, they wouldn't be getting just 2m for him. I'm not really sure how they've managed to get away with that.

I'm becoming increasingly disillusioned with top-flight football and the way increasingly dubious figures with massive amounts of money are ruling the game. Colonel Gaddafi for Derby, if I'm not mistaken (which I am).

[Loony BoB]

Personally, I wouldn't care if they were all crooks. So long as the football was entertaining and there is no matchfixing etc, I'll be happy. The PL is where it all goes wrong, though. It should be run by the FA... although from what I've seen of them they aren't much better.

[Psychotic]

I thought the Tevez deal was like the Mascherano one. Pay a fee to have him on loan for a while, then an option to buy for £(whatever)m at the end of it. Allegedly the Tevez fee is £30m and the Mascherano fee is somewhere around £10m. If it's true, think I know who got the better deal~

[Loony BoB]

From what I've read, the Tevez deal is "worth" £30m all up. The first two years of salaries adding up to £5m, the option to buy him all up being somewhere between £15m and £20m and then when you throw in the extra £7.5m for salaries on the three years he'd be contracted to us for should we buy him, it'd be £5m + £7.5m (12.5m) in salaries and then £15-20m for the purchase... all up, between £27.5m and £32.5m.

If that makes sense. However, these things we'll never know. All I know is that we got a crapload better a deal than Chelsea did for the man from Ukraine.

EDIT: And I reckon a much better deal than £26m for Torres, that's for sure. I hear so much about him but whenever I watch him play I can't put him above £20m, and even then that's just based on potential rather than visible awesomeness. But yes, Mascherano for £10m is great.

[Psychotic]

Torres was £20m, though. (well, £20.2m) Speaking of, the lad scored his first goal for Liverpool today in his first start, against the mighty Shanghai.

[Loony BoB]

Torres was £20m, though. (well, £20.2m) Speaking of, the lad scored his first goal for Liverpool today in his first start, against the mighty Shanghai.

No, he was reportedly £26m just like Tevez is reportedly £30m.

[Psychotic]

£26m was the figure thrown around by the media before it happened. Since then they've all said £20m. To quoth the Wikipedia:

It was revealed during the Liverpool press conference that the fee stood at €30 million approximately £20.2 million

EDIT: You can find videos of said press conference on YouTube so yeah.

[Loony BoB]

Strange, the reference for that statement is a bad link. And the article of that name in Sky Sports doesn't say anything about a statement, and they say in his profile he moved for £26.5m :S

I suppose it doesn't matter anyway considering we never really know what gets bandied about in these things. Carrick a prime example... God knows how much we really paid for him in the end. I'd expect it to be closer to the alleged £18.6m (which includes performance related stuff) than the original £14m, though.

EDIT: Did this post before seeing your edit.