# UK football, season 2008/09, forecasts **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 7, 2008, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150 "2008-08-07T12:09:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2008, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/201 "2008-11-01T21:35:35Z")
I didn’t say I was a _perfect_ psychic. 😛 I’m really surprised that Arsenal bit it today; next week won’t go well for them, either, if everyone’s on the injured list as it seemed at the end of their match today. ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/202 "2008-11-02T01:00:48Z")
> [@chique](#): > > I’m really surprised that Arsenal bit it today; next week won’t go well for them, either, if everyone’s on the injured list as it seemed at the end of their match today. Sad to say, I wasn’t surprised at all. You can see the players’ confidence after Wed. night’s match is still shattered. As soon as Stoke scored their first, I thought to myself “We will either come back and score 3 or 4 goals, OR we will huff and puff for the remaining 80 minutes to no avail–possibly getting an equalizer, but just as possibly conceding another goal or two.” I figured whatever the outcome was, it would demonstrate what this Arsenal side really had inside itself–or didn’t. It’s clear, anyway, that this Arsenal side are still too young, still haven’t found a decent replacement for Patrick Vieira (who left 4 seasons ago!) in a defensive midfield position, _still_ haven’t found a decent goalkeeper, and our central defense is a.) too short, and b.) too prone to lapses in judgement, professionalism, and leadership. Not to mention the lack of a inspirational captain (Gallas isn’t fit to tie the boot-laces of Vieira, Adams, etc.–although he didn’t play today, Gallas has been, IMO, a significant liability to the team’s overall morale and performance the past season or so). It’s not that Arsenal haven’t faced these or related problems in the past, but the combination of all of these factors has dealt a powerful blow. Wenger really needs to get this sorted out… but next week, potentially without Sagna, Walcott, or Adebayor, and definitely without van Persie (silly boy), against Man United… I don’t feel very confident about it. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/203 "2008-11-02T12:27:28Z")
Ah well, nice while it lasted. Now starts Liverpool’s slide to 4th place. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/204 "2008-11-02T15:51:38Z")
> [@Wallenstein](#): > > Ah well, nice while it lasted. Now starts Liverpool’s slide to 4th place. :rolleyes: I doubt that very much my friend. Even as a Man City supporter I can see Liverpool winning the premiership ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/205 "2008-11-02T17:57:13Z")
woohoo! unlucky chowder. Sure is a relief to get off the bottom. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/206 "2008-11-02T18:11:41Z")
Oh crap ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/207 "2008-11-02T20:11:23Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > I doubt that very much my friend. > > Even as a Man City supporter I can see Liverpool winning the premiership Nah, we’re overdue for our Autumn Nightmare[sup]TM[/sup] wherein we drop points to rubbish teams we should otherwise nail, then stage a decent but too-late recovery over xmas. It normally would have started with Portsmouth last week, but we decided to leave it for a _really_ dire team just for fun. ---
**Author:** ![Discordia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Discordia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Discordia)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2008, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/208 "2008-11-02T20:25:16Z")
Liverpool got what, 3 lucky results with people getting sent off and coming from behind? They’ve been kinda crap in many games, no surprise they finally lost one. Why Arsenal struggle, from a guardian blog > [@HalfAYard](#): > > It was Gallas at Birmingham last season. > It was Man Utd knocking them out of the FA cup. > It was Clichy crying in the dressing room. > It was Adebayor butting Bendtner. > It was Adebayor wanting to leave. > It was Fabregas wanting to leave. > (It was Viera, always wanting to leave) > It was Spurs grabbing an unlikely draw. > It was Gallas (and Van Persie) smoking. > It was “they don’t like it up 'em”. > It was Wenger’s stubborness. > It was Wenger’s short-sightedness. > It was Wenger’s obsessiveness. > It was not replacing Vieira. > It was not replacing Flamini. > It was not replacing Gilberto. > It was not replacing Diarra. > It was not replacing Campbell. > It was not replacing Tony Adams. > It was not replacing Henry. > It was not replacing Pires. > It was not replacing Lehmann. > It was letting David Dein go. > It was not letting David Dein back in. > It was the lack of leadership. > It was the lack of height. > It was the lack of ‘plan B’. > It was the lack of spending. > It was the lack of English grit. > It was the lack of experience. > It was the quiet atmosphere in the Emirates. > It was the cold nights up North. > It was the lack of mental tougness. > It was the pending implosion. Seriously though, Denilson needs to stop attacking and become a DM. Or Wenger needs to buy one, either works. Fabregas is vastly better at creating than Denilson, but he’s spending half his time defending these days. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/209 "2008-11-03T13:46:02Z")
> [@Gotterfunken](#): > > Not to mention the lack of a inspirational captain (Gallas isn’t fit to tie the boot-laces of Vieira, Adams, etc.–although he didn’t play today, Gallas has been, IMO, a significant liability to the team’s overall morale and performance the past season or so). Couldn’t agree more with this (as a Man U follower) - the funniest thing is that he was replaced by Toure, who is even worse! ---
**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/210 "2008-11-10T15:06:48Z")
Blimey. 2-1, despite the Six minutes of Fergusion-time and a Ref who might as well have been wearing a Man Utd shirt. Wasn’t expecting that! ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/211 "2008-11-10T21:10:09Z")
Neither was I. Arsene might’ve yelled at his players just right, eh? 🙂 I think 'Pool is going to finish up in second place just on the basis of goal difference. The bottom half of the table is grouped in the 11-14 point range which could make for an interesting end-of-season race for the bottom if that keeps up. And… **chowder** is off sulking someplace. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/212 "2008-11-10T21:11:33Z")
I probably should have mentioned that Keane isn’t an appendix anymore. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2008, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/213 "2008-11-11T08:03:44Z")
I’m saying nothing ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/214 "2008-11-15T13:25:12Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > So what is Tottenham’s real trouble? Is it possible that Juande Ramos isn’t cut out to manage in the Premiership? > [@Chez\_Guevara](#): > > Spurs have sold Robbie Keane and Dmitri Berbatov since last season, a partnership responsible for 46 goals. The replacements haven’t performed well. The club operates a structure whereby the manager reports to a sporting director, _viz._ one Daniel Comolli, and I’m not sure how much influence Comolli had in the signing of these new players. > > Tottenham’s predicament cannot be entirely the fault of Ramos. Well, of course pending the visit today to Craven Cottage, it would seem that the trouble with Tottenham was entirely due to Juande Ramos. Certainly the form of the club since the arrival of Harry Houdini has been spectacularly better, without any significant change in personnel. I simply had a sense that, whatever Ramos’ merits as a coach might be, his attitude, and maybe his lack of English, didn’t result in the players wanting to put out for him. Sometimes, it’s just an attitude issue. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/215 "2008-11-15T17:48:28Z")
> [@chique](#): > > Neither was I. Arsene might’ve yelled at his players just right, eh? 🙂 > > I think 'Pool is going to finish up in second place just on the basis of goal difference. > > The bottom half of the table is grouped in the 11-14 point range which could make for an interesting end-of-season race for the bottom if that keeps up. > > And… **chowder** is off sulking someplace. 🙂 Sulking?. That’s putting it mildly me owd cock.😉 Anyways, as I said upthread, Liverpool are a hot bet to win the premiership this season. Given that the Arse have all but blown it all that remains is for those red buggers at mould trafford to lose just a few games and it’s all done and dusted ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/216 "2008-11-15T20:57:56Z")
Funny, you don’t mention anything about that OTHER London team, you know, the ones that wear some funny bluish color… 😃 Personally, I’d not lay too many odds against Villa managing to stay in the top three or four this year. O’Neill is an amazing coach… ---
**Author:** ![fortytwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/217 "2008-11-15T21:38:33Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > … > Personally, I’d not lay too many odds against Villa managing to stay in the top three or four this year. O’Neill is an amazing coach… I wanted him to be the English manager after Sven instead of McClaren, purely objectively as I’m not English. I thought he would do a very good job. Now on a personal note I’d like to mention my team’s performance today in beating Norwich at Carrow Road. I hope **Gorilla Man** is suitably impressed. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/218 "2008-11-16T08:55:47Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > Anyways, as I said upthread, Liverpool are a hot bet to win the premiership this season. On the X-Files, Fox Mulder had a poster on his office wall that said “I want to believe”. So I do, because that’s my job, but **Discordia** made a good point up there. Ugly wins are worth the same three points as classy wins but this early-season, late-game scrambling doesn’t really fill me with hope, and the boardroom drama does absolutely nothing to relieve my innate pessimism. And **DSYoungEsq** can have a seat in the corner just for bringing up the Russians. Punk. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/219 "2008-11-16T13:11:31Z")
Ok, I’ll take my punishment and go sit in the corner, but while I’m there I’m going to have to contemplate the truly amazing statistic of only 4 goals allowed in 13 games, and a goal differential of +28 (meaning they AVERAGE winning by 2 goals a game!). Folks, that’s scary good. :eek: Today will be interesting because the first game has two in form teams playing, and the second game has two teams suddenly having troubles playing. If either Everton or 'Boro have any real pretensions, they need to win a game like today’s fixture. I’m really more interested to see how Hull do. Losing the game last week was not a good sign for them. If they can’t win at home against a City squad that is wandering in the wilderness without an apparent star to guide their bark, then maybe the start to the season was just youthful enthusiasm and next year will see them again in the second division. Now for MY note from the lower tables: Leicester and Leeds both seem to have finally turned things around. Leicester look likely to move up for sure, Leeds I think will at least make the playoffs. I’ve been a Foxes fan since Keller was their 'keeper, and I always felt bad for the fans of Leeds after the financial meltdown there. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/220 "2008-11-16T13:36:02Z")
And nary a mention of Burnley or Drogba hurling coins at the spectators 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150.md?page=12)