PL 2015-16 Chat

Agreed Spurs had a lot of possession but did little with it, they just weren't really on form. As usual a bit of luck was involved, that early goal was a good header but should really have been stopped, and as said Kane later missed the ball a yard from the goal line so could easily have been a different story.

I wouldn't mind Noble being in the England squad, I guess West Ham have a reputation of playing a certain way that they haven't shaken off yet. But the England squad is often mystifying, why the hell has Rooney been in it for the last 5 years :lol:
 
Cazza said:
How Hodgson can continually ignore Noble is simply beyond me. Against Alli, Mason, Carroll and Dier, he was by far the standout, yet they're all picked for England. If him, Cresswell and Antonio played for Spurs, Arsenal or Man U, they'd be in the England squad for sure.

I disagree, sort of, and agree. Noble is a very good PL player, but I don't think he's international standard, and I think Uncle Woy realises this. Yeah, he does at least deserve a chance, and god knows enough other, often inferior, players have had a chance. But deep down, I just don't think he's good enough for International football. Ohh and I mean against decent opposition, anyone could play against San Marino and look good.

As for players getting picked for England because they are English and at a "big" club. 100% agree with you there. It's gone on for more years than I can remember.


edd_jedi said:
But the England squad is often mystifying, why the hell has Rooney been in it for the last 5 years :lol:

Absolutely spot on!


Ohh and gutted for Chris Brunt. He's a Norn Iron legend and one of our better players (we really don't have many). After all his years of plodding round Europe taking hiding after hiding it must be soul destroying for him to see his chance of playing in a major tournament ripped away from him. He's 31, miracles don't happen twice. We won't qualify for the next WC and by the time Euro 2020 comes about he'll be done.
Sometimes football can be very cruel.
 
Rooney shouldn't evan get back in the Man Utd team in my opinion let aloan England side and anyone who says Rooney was in good form before he got injured, good point. But that's classic Rooney bangs in 7 goals in 7 games then you don't see him for another 2 months, but still manages to live off those 7 games until next time, plus were winning without him.
 
I kind of understand the England squad (and probably other international teams) having a couple of "celebrity" players to help raise the teams profile - Gascoigne and Beckham probably both overstayed their welcome by a couple of years. But I just don't see how Rooney fits in to that category. He has no personality and hasn't been anywhere near as good as either of the above over the years.
 
I've always said he is the definition of a form player. On his day he is genuinely brilliant, but those days are fewer and fewer and the gap between them gets bigger and bigger every year. Clearly that's nothing to do with his smoking and the fact he looks a stone over weight.
 
edd_jedi said:
I kind of understand the England squad (and probably other international teams) having a couple of "celebrity" players to help raise the teams profile - Gascoigne and Beckham probably both overstayed their welcome by a couple of years. But I just don't see how Rooney fits in to that category. He has no personality and hasn't been anywhere near as good as either of the above over the years.

He's there for his looks! :wink:
 
I'm not suggesting that Spurs bossed anything; or deserved more. I have no feeling we should have won and have no axe to grind either. Losing to West Ham (thanks to the other results) means nothing to me today. It could of course have meant an awful lot more... no team can keep winning for ever.

It was more a statement of frustration at how, on the top level, the stats show a great performance, but they also show (as the score line is afterall the thing that matters here) that in the 34.8% of the match that West Ham had the ball, West Ham actually did something with it (they scored for a start), the stats also show that despite spending the majority of time in the West Ham half, the stats suggest that Spurs can only have done 'an Arsenal' and not actually made any in-roads on scoring themselves and were therefore subsequenty stopped (presumably by Mr Noble) at the crucial point irrespective of having had c2x the amount of time on the ball than West Ham.

Did I watch the game, no. Having spent over a decade as a WHL season ticket holder, visiting almost all PL grounds in the process too, I simply can't bear TV coverage. The amount of times I'd come home from a match I'd actually seen and then watch the game again through the joys of SKY or MOTD and be exposed to what can only be described as a lie was beyond count... I almost never watch football on TV, I can't, the coverage is a total sham and invatriably never actually shows the game. TV football is less reliable than statistics it focusses on either a player they chose to give exposure to or a theme they wish to address or highlight for the game... it's too agenda driven. It also suffers from a screen being a set size, a pitch doesn't fit, the runs off the ball are rarely seen, the true skill and tactics are always overlooked. Funnily enough the best TV coverage I can relate to died out in teh late 70's /early 80's (?) with The Match.. whole pitch in view, no glamour, no superstars or wannabe's, just footie, bare and raw!

International selection is a minefield... why did Ian Wright not play every game when he was in his pomp? How does Wayne Rooney start any games ever? How quickly does an international career come and go... Andros Townsend for example was exposed, he was on phonomenal form for a 3 month spell in the PL, popped up in an international or two, looked like a League 1 player apart from a few fleeting minutes of bright and exciting play. Wilshere vs Alli... Alli has this season scored more PL goals than Wilshere in his whole career, who would I choose if fully fit tomoorow... even as a Spurs fan... Wilshere. Will Wilshere though ever actually be fullly fit and play at the all encompassing midfield maestro level he (again fleetingly) showed, probably not. The players you mention, I'm sure are great in the West Ham team (sorry I don't them that well), but as noted by another above, are they actually International players.. possibly, possibly not.
 
Yeah, agree about TV coverage- I try to watch every game live (I did this last night). Then, watching MOTD later, sometimes it's like a totally different game and I'm left scratching my head at the so called 'highlights'.

I don't think England have many, if any truly world class players. Maybe Hart? Rooney certainly isn't. The thing that frustrates me about the Noble situation is seeing players like Mason, Dier, Carroll (Tom), Cleverly and even Phil Jones picked in front of him. As one of the commentators said yesterday, he's nearly always good and sometimes outstanding. He's also been playing consistently well for many years now and was a very successful U21 Captain. He just doesn't play for the right club.

He should've had an opportunity at some stage and is playing out of his skin this season. I think he'd definitely good enough to at least be in the squad, but agree that (like most of the current team) he probably would come up a little short against the top sides like Germany and Spain. I really don't think England have anyone who could consistently go toe to toe with teams like that. It's a shame that English football is in this state.
 
Cazza said:
It's a shame that English football is in this state.

It all goes in cycles.
Spain were utter shite for decades. They didn't qualify, or if they did they made up the numbers, then all of a sudden they are the best in the world. Germany went from brilliant to shite (that Euro 2000 team was atrocious) and then back to brilliant again.
Italy aren't great ATM. Holland just missed out on the enlarged European championships. Portugal are a one man team, having had their 'golden generation' about the same time as England did. Turkey made a WC semi final, now they are no more than average.

In 5-10 years England will have another great crop of players. No country dominates consistently for long periods.

Obviously, the above is a generalisation. Utter shite for Germany is still a lot better than most countries will manage, but you get my point.

Ohh and could be worse, you could be a Norn Iron fan, we just made our first major championships for THIRTY ****ING YEARS!
 
Phew, never enjoy the London derbies and that was the usual roller coaster. Can't complain with a draw, I would have taken that before the match. Arsenal were unfortunate to go a man down but their first goal was lucky, didn't reflect the game up to that point. As usual both goals Spurs conceded were stupid and easily avoided, they really need to shake this weakness of being under threat every time the ball goes in their half. And another result that suits Leicester, the luck is certainly going their way.
 
That was a great game - Spurs were fantastic in the 10-15 mins after the sending off but just couldn't keep up that intensity. Draw probably fair and suits Spurs better than Arsenal for sure
 
itfciain said:
That was a great game - Spurs were fantastic in the 10-15 mins after the sending off but just couldn't keep up that intensity. Draw probably fair and suits Spurs better than Arsenal for sure

Fantastic game mate. I'm so glad I stayed in to watch it :D
 
Oh dear Everton, that's got to hurt! Things are going West Ham's way at the moment.
 
Indeed! We were woeful for 3/4 of the game, but the subs worked a treat and we just kept going. We certainly have a different mentality this year- in previous seasons we would've gone on to lose games like that 4-0, especially against Everton, who always seem to have our number.
 
Looking at the bottom of the table it's already between just 4 teams IMO, can't see Swansea getting sucked back in. You never no though, if Newcastle change managers, but I can't see it. I still have a bad feeling that Man City will win the league.
 
Yeah, although really, it's between 3 as Villa are gone. North East derby next w/e is massive, if Newcastle lose that they in deep deep ****.
 
Leicester can't throw it away now can they...

The fixtures left suggest one truly hard game for them in Chelsea on the final day and that is more likely than not going to mean nothing to the Londoners... other than the opportunity to not let Spurs,Arsenal or City win if it gets that close. I'm not suggesting they'd throw it, but it would be unlikely to be played at full form and passion if a win by them meant the other three would win the league surely.

Arsenal on the other hand are looking more likely to fall from the top 4 than ever. West Ham and Man Utd threatening to get in there and Man City with a gam in hand on the three above them.
 
Absolutely blinding result for the Irons, I was jumping around like a loon when that 3rd goal went in. Couldn't believe it. What a result for Leicester Arsenal and Tottenham drawing. I hope they win it now. I think Arsenal are ****ed, lost 2 drawn 1 in a week, won't win it like that. Don't think Tottenham will do it either, got some tough games coming up. Come on you Irons!! Top four would be a sweet finish.
 
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