You don't have to go back that far for goal barges being awarded, it was a speciality of Alan Clarke in the 70s. Shame he couldn't get near the Polish keeper in 73, he played far too well that night with the ball and forgot about the keeper for once, doh >_< = Very good England team missed out on Germany based world cup which had the best quality football of all. >_< >_< >_<
United are kicking the fat, flabby arse of Martin Jol.
Arsenal are flying high, but Liverpool certainly weren't hammered yesterday. At the moment I can't see Arsenal slipping up unless they suffer an injury crisis to their defence or attack. If Wenger doesn't strengthen in those areas in January it could come back to haunt him.
What a turn around for the Arse, they look like they may have just clicked back into being a top team again after all their ineffectiveness of the past 8 years. And Liverpool's similar rebirth handed a reality check, they have the goal scorers now but not the midfield creators they need for them. A class midfield signing or two still required by Rodgers.
But only ten games gone and the gooners have to hope Chelsea and Man City keep misfiring for a while. Arsenal look fantastic right now but you sense they're still a bit flimsy and both Chelsea and MC are anything but flimsy. They have to keep up this run till Christmas to stand any chance of the title. They'll need at least a 10pt lead by then.
Quote: Ben @ 3rd November 2013, 9:28 AM GMTAt the moment I can't see Arsenal slipping up unless they suffer an injury crisis to their defence or attack.
Oh I can, I can see the form of some brilliant but psychologically flimsy foreigns imploding by some minor little thing said or by intense media scrutiny of their indulgent private lives or indeed by their very pretty but rather sluttish girlfriends having steamy flings with amoral and cunning Chelsea players. Well, one hopes... 
Liverpool are another team who don't really have strength in depth. Coutinho has come back to the fold, but one or two injuries to key players and they'll be flapping. This is where City and Chelsea will be able to race away.
Quote: George Kaplan @ 1st November 2013, 2:16 PM GMTKyle Walker scares Tottenham team-mates for Halloween:
Now, that Leeds team in the early 70s was scary. Billy Bremner, Norman Bites Yer Legs Hunter, etc.
Interesting comments from posters on Arsenal.
I don't understand the dramatic change in Ramsey. It started before Ozil. Every week, I've been expecting him to go into reverse but so far he has been fairly consistent. Somehow, I still feel a bit cautious there.
It has, though, been good fortune. What would be the position without him when so many were injured?
The next dilemma is who to leave out up front and in attacking midfield. Walcott was poor early on and SC wasn't great. Then there's Podolski. New injuries make other choices easier, eg Monreal for Gibbs if needed.
Quote: Horseradish @ 3rd November 2013, 4:48 PM GMT
Now, that Leeds team in the early 70s was scary. Billy Bremner, Norman Bites Yer Legs Hunter, etc.
And their goalie Gary Sprake was a dirty bastard too. He'd go for the ball with his studs up so noone would challenge him.
Quote: Chappers @ 3rd November 2013, 6:19 PM GMTAnd their goalie Gary Sprake was a dirty bastard too. He'd go for the ball with his studs up so noone would challenge him.
And certainly his hands weren't too clean - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsni_46VDGY 
Typical of Leeds under Revie. I'm sure that's who inspired ferguson.
Quote: Chappers @ 3rd November 2013, 8:12 PM GMTTypical of Leeds under Revie. I'm sure that's who inspired ferguson.
That's a very good point. I hadn't made that link.
I only started watching football in 1970.
Is that Brian Moore doing the commentary? He was a real gent.
Can't help thinking though that there should be a happy middle way between his mild tut-tutting on an incident like that and the three day drama of post-analysis we get today.
Moore came to our school for a Q and A circa 1975. The only moment he looked very slightly irritated was when it was suggested he was biased towards West Ham. The Big Match did seem to focus on a lot of their games but he gently reminded the audience of his Gillingham connections.
I was reading earlier that the first televised top flight live game wasn't shown til 1983. How did you people survive with just Match of the Day? Did you actually go to the games or something?!
Quote: Ben @ 3rd November 2013, 8:28 PM GMTI was reading earlier that the first televised top flight live game wasn't shown til 1983. How did you people survive with just Match of the Day? Did you actually go to the games or something?!
We had MOTD and then on ITV in London The Big Match on a Sunday lunchtime. That featured the main London games. I used to subscribe to Shoot football magazine and had the league ladders from there and earlier The Sun. We had fantasy leagues with pen, paper and dice too. Wish I'd seen their potential!
I was first taken to Highbury in 1971 and on a very small number of special occasions until 1974. Then it was senior school, I had no money and the importance of exams was emphasised so I didn't set foot inside a football ground again until 1982. That was my first year at uni and I had two thirds of a student grant.
I was the only person in the immediate group who had worked for a year and so the only one with a car. The clapped out mini van got us to Hull, Man Utd, Sheffield Wed and Middlesbrough in the first year and we walked regularly to games at Bootham Crescent. From the late 1980s, I was a regular at Arsenal and went to see other London teams on occasions out of curiosity. Have also been to half a dozen matches in Europe.
Do you have an opportunity to go to games? It is just so expensive now. I haven't been to any matches in the last three years. The last was when Oxford beat York at Wembley - 16 May 2010. And I don't have Sky.
Quote: Ben @ 3rd November 2013, 8:28 PM GMTI was reading earlier that the first televised top flight live game wasn't shown til 1983. How did you people survive with just Match of the Day? Did you actually go to the games or something?!
I remember writing an article around that time condemning the advent of live televised football. My argument was that if you had live games on TV nobody would go the actual game.
Quote: Horseradish @ 3rd November 2013, 8:37 PM GMTDo you have an opportunity to go to games? It is just so expensive now. I haven't been to any matches in the last three years. The last was when Oxford beat York at Wembley - 16 May 2010. And I don't have Sky.
Well, the opportunity is technically there, but it's just a matter of cash unfortunately. I guess I don't have to go to Old Trafford, I could wait til they're playing in London (which is only an hour away). However, I'm led to believe that away tickets are rather hard to get.
They had European games live though didn't they?