Meanwhile west ham have won again. can someone please wake me up once normal transmission has resumed. On the other hand, please don't

**spills cold water on face** there ya go

Yeah, oh well, although losing to Chelsea was hardly unexpected. Still, the fact we could finish this season in the top half is all I could realistically ask for. Actually prefer it if we finish just below the Europa qualification spots.

^^ didn't know the prem still played this weekend!

did any of you guys see the barcelona / psg game from the last CL round? i finally got to it.

it wasn't exactly a display of tactical fireworks, but seeing goals from everyone you would expect was nice. neymar's shot, particularly-- beautiful.

Didn't catch the PSG/Barca game but yeah, there's loads of football over the christmas period in England. Full league fixtures on Boxing Day, today/tomorrow, and on New Years Day.

is because its meaningless competition that will take away energy from next year's domestic campaign?

still i thought west ham played pretty well against chelsea. hit the post there at the end. I was certainly pulling for them!

i had visitors the past couple of days and missed out!

i'll keep an eye out. any games coming up you'd recommend?

It's such a drain on resources. Teams with bigger squads can handle it but smaller ones like West Ham can't afford to split their interests. And yeah, they were a bit unlucky against Chelsea, and yesterday against Arsenal, but realistically those aren't the games that will define our season. It's more important that we keep on beating the teams at our level than stealing upsets against the more heavyweight sides.


In terms of New Years Day, nothing really leaps out. Arsenal v Southampton could be interesting but nothing to get that excited about. You'll have to wait till 31st Jan for the next really unmissable game, when Chelsea play Man City.

man city now in 2nd place and have been getting better lately, haven't they? (judging by the CL, they have).

if so then-- what is this "burnley" i see they just tied with? :eek:

Man City were building up some momentum and capitalising on a few slips by Chelsea but, in true Prem style, they were sucker-punched by no-hopers Burnley. Still think the title is a straight fight between them, with MU and Arsenal being the other CL qualifiers. But besides the actual title race, and the regular upsets, this could end up being a fairly predictable season. No big names falling into the relegation zone and the usual suspects gravitating to the top places. Interesting enough from week to week but I get the feeling the big picture will end up being business as usual.

Crazy that Dortmund are still in crisis. I really thought they'd turn it around by now. All the reviews are saying they're getting plenty of shots off but no goals. Lots of statos scratching their heads. You could compare their situation with Liverpool's. They lose a couple of key players and they're struggling in the league but even they're not that bad. Even with Balotelli on board. Dortmund's decline might end up being the football equivalent of a crop circle. Everyone has a theory but none of them really add up.

Yay! Geek time!

http://www.theguardian.com/football/...shion-football

bundesliga played their last match on the season around the 20th if i recall and won't meet again until the last days january so they will be encased in amber in crisis mode for a bit of a spell. dont know what will happen during the transfer window. good news is that reus is due back after the winter break and with proper medical care so will most everyone else--it's not just the key players but everyone else who was meant to replace them.

i think it boils down to the fact that besides injuries their target men have been such failures. i'd recommend an exorcism. don't know what else could work.



many many many thank yous. since zonalmarking sold his soul to the gambling industry i've been utterly deprived.

Oh is that where he buggered off too? Fair play for making something that was essentially a hobby, but the gambling world? Lame.

While there are no games that leap out at me as having the potential to be classic game of football, I can't believe that you're coming close to marking the FA Cup 3rd round down as missable - just for tradition's sake, Yeovil v Man U and AFC Wimbledon v Liverpool have to go down as unmissable events in English football! And who wouldn't love to see Crystal Palace knocked out by Dover, or West Brom by Gateshead?

Wow, is that true? I know he writes for The Guardian sometimes but nothing about gambling. Maybe he gives odds on whether managers will play certain formations.

You're right, but I was assuming el symbols was more interested in key games between the big clubs.

Meanwhile, the mystery of all mysteries: Pardew to Palace?

And probably on some ludicrous 16 year contract this time.

I can understand him wanting out of Newcastle but Palace??

probably a good assumption-- wanna see an epic battle. but if the fa cup has mighty battles too then why not.



zonalmarking is just a bunch of tweets these days but here's where you'll find his long form writing--and he's quite prolific

https://betting.betfair.com/authors/michael-cox/

I suspect he has some romantic notion of going back there and saving the team in a wave of glory. Kind of like what Warnock wanted and failed. How the fans must be wishing for the days of Tony Pulis again.