Bloody Football!

[JenniferParisHusband]

That he didn't reach for the salt at least suggests he is aware of the campaign to reduce the salt content in our food. Bad as the incident was the Match of the Day team spent too much time on it -as usual Suarez needed several shots at goal before scoring one, in the 7th minute of extra time and after blatantly hand-balling it -he claimed the sun was in his eyes so he raised his hand to shield them and -would you believe it?- the ball struck his hand! In the meantime Gareth Bale showed in the other game why he must be in contention for Footballer of the Year, but Spurs continue to blow hot and cold and I daresay we will end up with the usual suspects in the top four. Let's just hope United crush Villa and send them down with QPR and Reading.

Good call on Bale, looks like he's the big winner.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/0...93S01B20130429

[Stavros]

I think it is cultural, biting someone is just too weird. I think Suarez will leave anyway, Bayern Munich have shown an interest in him according to the papers, and on the weekend's evidence Liverpool can win without him. It has been overall a poor season in the Premier League, too many teams with no motivation, summed up by the 0-0 draw between QPR and Reading. Even though it is too early to write down the Spanish teams, the organisation and drive of the Germans, so common in their national team, is making their club football exciting to watch. In fact Bale deserves his honours (in spite of his diving exploits) for showing so much enthusiasm for the game, as well as skill. Question is who will join those two uninteresting clubs in the Championship- Wigan, Villa or Newcastle?

[robertlouis]

It's all going mad right at the end. Newcastle 0, Liverpool 6. Then last night, Villa 6, Sunderland 1. Whatever next?

And who's joining Reading and QPR in the Championship next season?

[beaufont]

Has to be Wigan for me, although they have been playing well recently - tough away game at Arsenal to come as well as the FA Cup Final on their mind's

Would be good if they win their game in hand & another team loses their bottle. Their game at home to Villa on the final day could be very interesting

[up_for_it]

It only took 73 years but the Germans are invading London.

[JenniferParisHusband]

I don't get the Rafa hate at Chelsea. I'd love to have Rafa back at Liverpool, but people in London just hate this guy. Beat ManU today in a game they weren't supposed to win, he has them in 3rd place & up a minimum of two spots in the tables from last year, 3 if Arsenal collapses at the end, 4 if City drops their last 2, and have 3 games to do it in where Arsenal and City have 2, guaranteed to play in Europe next season, had a great plan to help them come back and beat Basel after going down to them.

What more do Chelsea fans need the man to do? Don't get me wrong, as a Liverpool guy, I'd love to have Rafa back. But I just don't get the hate.

[Stavros]

I was going to admit that Rafa has done well at Chelsea, particularly by giving David Luiz a more central role where he has excelled, whereas before he was an erratic player....and then he dives to get someone else (another Brazilia!) sent off and smirks when the cameras are on him. I think Chelsea will remain in the top 4, it seems now to be a tussle between Arsenal and Tottenham.

[Stavros]

A momentous 18 hours in football: Wigan come close to saving their necks and putting Newcastle on the block, then their defence falls to pieces -if they are incapable of maintaining a lead over Swansea, maybe they don't deserve to be in the Premier League, although I would prefer to see Newcastle drop out, if only because they got rid of Chris Hughton saying they wanted a manager -Alan Pardew!- who would 'take Newcastle to the next level'....indeed!

Alex Ferguson, the basis of results, has an awesome record, and will be remembered for building -and re-building- teams that are hard to beat, and which win matches. Yet, I wonder what he has contributed to the game itself: Hugh MacIlvenny some years ago produced a two-part documentary in which he explored how three Scots born within 10 miles of each other -Jock Stein, Matt Busby and Bill Shankly- around the time total football was being developed in Europe, changed the way football was played as a team game, as well as their skills as managers of men and club organisations. Ferguson is obviously a great manager, but was he ever a major thinker in terms of footballing strategy? Is the game any different now from the day he took over? Perhaps his best decisions rested on choosing the right players, although he made some awful mistakes too.

Successor: for the long term, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

[robertlouis]

A momentous 18 hours in football: Wigan come close to saving their necks and putting Newcastle on the block, then their defence falls to pieces -if they are incapable of maintaining a lead over Swansea, maybe they don't deserve to be in the Premier League, although I would prefer to see Newcastle drop out, if only because they got rid of Chris Hughton saying they wanted a manager -Alan Pardew!- who would 'take Newcastle to the next level'....indeed!

Alex Ferguson, the basis of results, has an awesome record, and will be remembered for building -and re-building- teams that are hard to beat, and which win matches. Yet, I wonder what he has contributed to the game itself: Hugh MacIlvenny some years ago produced a two-part documentary in which he explored how three Scots born within 10 miles of each other -Jock Stein, Matt Busby and Bill Shankly- around the time total football was being developed in Europe, changed the way football was played as a team game, as well as their skills as managers of men and club organisations. Ferguson is obviously a great manager, but was he ever a major thinker in terms of footballing strategy? Is the game any different now from the day he took over? Perhaps his best decisions rested on choosing the right players, although he made some awful mistakes too.

Successor: for the long term, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

I think - and hope - it will be David Moyes.

[robertlouis]

Just heard that Man Utd fans are going to give a minute's applause for Fergie's career in the 98th minute of their next game.....