The 2011/12 Gary Speed Memorial Thread

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Ugh Newcastle gone ahead to continue their weirdly inflated league position. Have they had the easiest start to the season?

Arsenal

Sunderland (a)

Fulham

QPR (a)

Aston Villa (a)

Blackburn

Wolves (a)

Spurs

Wigan

[Guest mr. potato head]

Dunno about the easiest start, but clearly the coolest.

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Oh yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah

[Crybaby Bunting]

I don't think Newcastle's position is 'THAT' inflated. I think we have a first team that's about as good as Spurs right now, the problem is that we don't have a squad anywhere as deep as Spurs so we're screwed once a key injury comes out of nowhere.

Overall I think we could end the season around 6th if we miraculously ended up with no key injuries... but Newcastle isn't Newcastle without injuries so we'll probably end up around 9th-11th :/

[Summers]

You honestly and genuinely think that your starting 11 is as good as Spurs?

[Adam]

A first 11 as good as Spurs?

Not quite sure what's happened at Bolton this season, but dear me are they in trouble.

[jack95]

I'm really relieved for Steve Bruce and Mick McCarthy, who are two of my favourite Premier League managers, but I'm desperately concerned for another two I'm big fans of, Owen Coyle and, to a greater extent, Roberto Martinez. I just hope the fans and board of Bolton remember what things were like in the Gary Megson era, and for Wigan the loyalty that Martinez showed to them in rejecting the Villa job.

[The Future]

Would hate to see Owen Coyle sacked he's a really good manager whose completely changed how Bolton play for the better.

[Plubby]

Well they did draw with Spurs...and the Spurs' basically second-string central defence pairing

[Colly]

You honestly and genuinely think that your starting 11 is as good as Spurs?

Given that we're bedding in a lot of new players and haven't even settled on a first eleven yet we certainly weren't outclassed last Sunday. We do need to sort out who plays on the wings (Obertan has to drop out) and bring Santon in, but middle of defense and midfield I'd fancy us against anyone outside the top 4. Well, 3 I suppose, we are top 4...

Just out of interest, when will our league position not be false? Isn't everyone's false until after the 19th round of fixtures? We've drawn against Arsenal and Spurs and got points against everyone expected to be around and above us. Even if we lose against all three big clubs in November (which would surprise me, football being football we'll nick a point against one) we'll still likely be on 20 odd points by the end of November which could easily still be enough for the top 6.

We were awful today though...

[Jimmy]

Yeah, it doesn't mean too much until everyone has played each other once. Yeah, the Newcastle 11 aren't as good as Spurs' 11 - and I do think Spurs will definitely finish about Newcastle this year. But Pardew deserves credit for making his eleven play really, really well together. On paper the Newcastle team shouldn't be doing anywhere near as well as it had so far. Cabaye was a fantastic bargain and I actually quite like the squad they've got. If they don't fuck it up, I could definitely see a top 7 finish on the cards.

[EddieG]

BELLAMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

[Gazz]

I think Newcastle could probably finish as 'best of the rest' in 7th, we could maybe nick 6th if Arsenal keep being shit.

[Berober]

Or Norwich. Who have equalised.

[IAceI]

4,400 Sunderland fans get to go happy for a change. A win at last but it says something about Bolton's horrendous defence. But they pass it around prettily so that's okay..

[Hobo]

That was pretty typical of Liverpool this year. Start good, trail off for a bit after half time. Should've won. Downing was horrible. It's no surprise that the Norwich goal came down his and Enrique's side. Neither were fantastic.

[Dynamite]

Only caught the last 20 minutes or so of the Liverpool game but that was a very entertaining period. For someone who had money on a draw, the Carroll header at the end and then Ruddy's save in the last minute was some tense viewing.

Edited October 22, 2011 by Dynamite

[therockbox]

That was pretty typical of Liverpool this year. Start good, trail off for a bit after half time. Should've won. Downing was horrible. It's no surprise that the Norwich goal came down his and Enrique's side. Neither were fantastic.

Our inability to keep the ball and put any sort of meaningful pressure on the opposition when they have it is going to come back to haunt us time and time again this season. Happened against Sunderland, Man United and now today.

We're an expensively assembled Blackpool at the moment.

[Cymbols]

Roy Hodgeson can fuck off with his comments in his post match interview.

[Liam]

Not that any of the Villa fans in the thread have used it as an excuse, but I think the poor red card was balanced out by the poor decision not to send off Hutton. He won the ball, sure, but as they said on MOTD, in this day and age, that is a red card tackle all day long.