I guess the Gunners were saving something for the Champion’s League qualifying on Wednesday, but I’m happy we took a point.
Chelsea beat another hapless opponent. They face Everton away next week, their first decent challenge.
Liverpool vs. Manchester City tomorrow will be interesting.
I cant comment on West Brom’s other signings, but Samaras has probably reached his natural level at the mid to lower end of the English Premiership. I would not expect any great things from him if I were a West Brom fan.
Context was that earlier in this thread I had West Brom likely being relegated. I no longer think that is as likely, Samaras as part of that equation. But I agree they have strictly mid-table aspirations.
How was your opinion affected by the Baggies’ draw at Southampton yesterday? For my part, as an interested Saints observer, I was very disappointed at Southampton’s midfield play; I was pretty much counting on three points at home versus WBA. I know it’s a long season and teams improve or vice versa over the long months but I can see the Saints entering April needing to pull some upsets a la Sunderlin to stay up.
I see
I didn’t watch that match, to be fair. But I think West Brom will not be relegated. My other early picks for likely relegation were Leicester and Burnley, neither of which has shown too much of being able to hold their own in the top flight, Burnley especially. Leicester, however, did pull of a tie at home against Everton, who don’t suck, and weren’t utterly hopeless against Chelsea (although still very much outclassed). Their keeper had 8 saves, saved their bacon he did (Kasper Schmeichel), in the dubious sense that they could have lost 6-0 and not merely 2-0.
QPR looked pretty dire against Spurs this weekend, and also lost at home to Hull City. So they’re now on my relegation watch list.
Southampton and Sunderland haven’t been brilliant–Sunderland with two draws, the second against Manchester United at home might mean something–but have not been awful, either, it seems like. But I haven’t seen their matches, except for highlights of Sunderland v. ManU and Southampton’s away loss to Liverpool.
Crystal Palace have zero points so far, but I think they won’t be horrible, despite losing at home to West Ham. One never knows. It’s early, as you say. They probably should be on the list. I have my eye on Stoke as well. We’ll see.
I guess here’s my current relegation watch list, in order of worst to worstest:
Stoke
Leicester
Crystal Palace
QPR
Burnley
Newcastle only have one point, but they’ll undoubtedly improve. Their loss to Man City was simply that they were outclassed, but I think they will keep their heads in the top of the middle. Best of the mediocre, we’ll say.
Sorry about the mispost. Meant to say that I see Jules Andre has already received some helpful suggestions about picking a team as an American, but perhaps the best way of all:
I see that you are in Tuscon, which is a big enough city that most of the big clubs probably have fan club chapters there. Find one that meets to watch games at a pub convenient to you and drop by to see if you find the crowd friendly. Worked for me, and now I follow the LEAGUE LEADING SPURS!!! (going to say that as often as I can while I can :D)
Manchester United bounced out of the Capital One Cup by losing 0-4 to MK Dons, a League One side. Basically every facet of their game was completely awful. Louis van Gaal’s tenure not starting off very well.
I saw about the last 40 minutes of this on replay last night and it could’ve been even worse. Welbeck, Janusaj and Da Gea (pardon spelling errors on any of those) were the only close to A-teamers in the lineup while I watched but still, Man U.
They have opened the checkbook this week, though, Di Maria and Vidal, two excellent midfielders, are on the way. Will they be enough?
Depends what you mean by “enough.”
Enough to avoid relegation? Well, that wasn’t too likely to begin with, but sure.
Enough to stay in the top half of the table? Certainly.
Enough to qualify for the Champion’s League next season? A bit of a long shot, wouldn’t you say? Maybe, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Enough to win silverware or the League trophy? Don’t make me laugh! 
But it’s awfully early still. I’ve already been on record as stating that ManU’s demise has been overstated, even by Van Gaal with his “our confidence is smashed” after the first game. As much as I wouldn’t mind seeing them take a humbling sojourn for a season or two in the Championship, that’s not going to happen, and ManU will be back for real, sooner or later.
Well, City’s got an interesting group in the Champions League, eh? (I assume we don’t need a separate thread for the Champions League?) I’m happy for my friend who bestowed City fandom on me, though; we met in St. Petersburg, but he’s in Moscow now. Hopefully he’ll be able to make it to a match to be in the away supporters’ section (which, to extrapolate from the ice hockey game I went to in SPb, will be completely surrounded by militsiya and a significant buffer of empty seats). Should make it out, though not a sure thing. Depending on when the Moscow matches fall, could be a factor in Premier League play as well.
Chelsea, on the other hand… do we have a term for the opposite of a “group of death”? The group of life?
It’s a bit early as well to say Vidal is on his way to Manchester. United have opened the checkbook, but Juvenus has kept saying no. Rumor is that the last offer was 43mil Euros and Juventus flatly rejected it. It seems that MUFC is turning their attentions to Carvalho instead.
Usually we call it “the group Chelsea drew.”
Burnley earn a point at home against Manchester United, who debuted their new signing Ángel Di María, and they have a total of 2 points after three games in the Premier League. This, after a drubbing from League One powerhouse MK Dons, a terrifyingly bad 4-1 loss, means perhaps Van Gaal was correct after all when he said “our confidence is smashed.” Self-fulfilling prophecy?
I wouldn’t have believed it, but I sure am enjoying it!
Most of the other games today are still to finish, but it looks like we might see some interesting and unexpected results*.
*Such as a badly outgunned and out-hustled Spoke possibly beating Manchester City? Stoke are away and up 1-0 at 77 minutes despite only 26% possession! O The Drama!
And that’s it! Full time, Manchester City 0-1 Stoke! Well done, Potters.
In other news, a massive firefight between Newcastle and Crystal Palace, about to finish 3-3.
Swansea were very convincing in their 3-0 drubbing of West Brom, and are (temporarily?) at the top of the table!
West Ham 1-3 Southampton. QPR 1-0 Sunderland.
Great stuff today!
(And that’s with Everton v. Chelsea still to come…)
Saints! Looked a little bit like last year’s lineup today. Dominated midfield in the last hour against a club that thumped them pretty good up there last year.
Fair play to Stoke; they put up a heck of a defense, and when they got their chance, they went for it and Hart let it past. At least there’s the consolation of United’s horrible, no good, very bad season continuing.
Rather wish I’d went to see that Crystal Palace game; we’ve got a game each Saturday on the big screen at a local movie theatre, and that was the one for this week.
Ok, educate the new fan: I keep hearing people talking about players having “caps”. It came up w/ the whole thing about Rooney being named England’s captain, and just now listening to the Chelsea game an announcer mention John Terry having 78 caps. I know this isn’t the thing you wear on your head, since footballers would never do anything to hide their glorious manes. So what is it? (I’m figuring this is a straightforward question w/ a straightforward answer, so not starting a new thread.)
It does in fact refer to a cap you wear on your head. In the old days, players used to be given a ceremonial cap for each international match they played in, embroidered with the date and teams of the match. It’s entirely symbolic now, but the terminology stuck.
I’m not sure it is entirely symbolic now. In 2006, Wayne Rooney got his caps stolen
Maybe England don’t give them out for every game, but it’s be nice to think players get one on their debut, World Cup, Euro games.