# 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:** 17
**Author:** ![Discordia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Discordia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Discordia)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/321 "2009-01-06T08:14:29Z")
I’m sticking to my guns that two “big” names will be relegated. Tottenham, Newcastle, Citeh, West Ham, Middlesborough, Blackburn. Maybe West Ham don’t count, looks fairly likely administration is their next port-of-call, which in their situation is almost automatic relegation. As long as Stoke join them, so I never have to witness those thugs “playing” football, I shall be happy. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/322 "2009-01-06T15:02:22Z")
> [@Discordia](#): > > Maybe West Ham don’t count, looks fairly likely administration is their next port-of-call, which in their situation is almost automatic relegation. You don’t think the Premier League will let them cheat again to stay up? ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/323 "2009-01-06T15:03:26Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > I don’t think there’s any danger of City being relegated. I didn’t think there was any danger of City getting stuffed by Forest, either. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/324 "2009-01-06T16:00:27Z")
> [@villa](#): > > I didn’t think there was any danger of City getting stuffed by Forest, either. :smack: Nowt like kicking a bloke when he’s down is there? ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/325 "2009-01-06T16:20:02Z")
Well I could aim at kicking you when you were down, miss totally, and slip over on my arse. Kind of like a City striker. ---
**Author:** ![Discordia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Discordia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Discordia)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/326 "2009-01-06T16:36:48Z")
> [@villa](#): > > You don’t think the Premier League will let them cheat again to stay up? You never know, I don’t know of any world class Argentinians willing to play illegally for them though, a necessary part of that diabolical plot! After looking into them a bit more, Good God. Half the freaking Premiership clubs are literally insolvent. Complete disaster coming up the moment the billionaires get bored/lose all their money (already happened to West Ham of course). ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/327 "2009-01-06T17:06:45Z")
> [@villa](#): > > Well I could aim at kicking you when you were down, miss totally, and slip over on my arse. Kind of like a City striker. Hah. I absolutely refuse to get into an arguement with someone who has deserted these Sceptered Isles. Churchill would have had you shot;) ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/328 "2009-01-06T17:38:22Z")
I am aware, of course, I have cursed Villa to an ignominious 4th Round exit… If only life were as easy as Fifa 2009, where Villa currently are top of the table with 14 wins and a draw out of 15 games, and just put a 5-1 shellacking on the 'Pool at Anfield. Truth be told, I have a major soft spot for City. Churchill, on the other hand, can kiss my fat, pasty ex-pat arse. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/329 "2009-01-06T17:52:10Z")
I hope you realise that your remarks about our “Winnie” have set in motion the most terrible actions and have sealed your fate. A team of trained Ninja Assassins are at this very moment assembled and ready to fly to Virginia to kiss your fat pasty ex-pat arse with nunchucks, razor wire and hot pokers around which are wrapped coils of barbed wire. I’m sorry old man but you asked for it ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/330 "2009-01-06T17:55:01Z")
I have Winnie Immunity, acquired from years of annual pilgrimages to Nye Bevan’s statue in Cardiff. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/331 "2009-01-06T18:33:52Z")
Quite obviously you’ve failed to keep up with current legislation. Para 2(b) of the ex-pats acquired immunity manual (revised) clearly states: _Any or all Britons who have left the country to live abroad are no lomger protected under the immunity statutes_. So there ---
**Author:** ![Theodore\_Striker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Theodore\_Striker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theodore_Striker)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/332 "2009-01-06T18:56:25Z")
> [@villa](#): > > Well I could aim at kicking you when you were down, miss totally, and slip over on my arse. Kind of like a City striker. You are absolutely wrong… because that would mean a City striker would have the ball at his feet, instead of being played through the air by a center back who has as much grace and touch as a stump legged donkey. But I digress. Bridge was a solid City buy, really what they needed, even if he is a Chelski cast off. Latest rumor is YaYa Toure from Barca, what does everyone know about him? **chowder** what is your feeling on Leslie the red right now? ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2009, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/333 "2009-01-06T18:58:23Z")
> [@Theodore\_Striker](#): > > instead of being played through the air by a center back who has as much grace and touch as a stump legged donkey. Didn’t Tony Adams retire? ---
**Author:** ![Discordia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Discordia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Discordia)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/334 "2009-01-07T03:14:30Z")
> [@Theodore\_Striker](#): > > You are absolutely wrong… because that would mean a City striker would have the ball at his feet, instead of being played through the air by a center back who has as much grace and touch as a stump legged donkey. > > But I digress. > > Bridge was a solid City buy, really what they needed, even if he is a Chelski cast off. > > Latest rumor is YaYa Toure from Barca, what does everyone know about him? > > **chowder** what is your feeling on Leslie the red right now? Toure is a good holding midfielder who makes nice runs, he’s a good dribbler. See the third goal against Mallorca. Dunno why he’d leave the club playing easily the best football in Europe for a relegation candidate though! ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/335 "2009-01-07T08:27:44Z")
> [@Theodore\_Striker](#): > > **chowder** what is your feeling on Leslie the red right now? The ex-red you mean. IMO I think he’s possibly bitten off more than he can chew, time will tell ---
**Author:** ![Theodore\_Striker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Theodore\_Striker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theodore_Striker)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/336 "2009-01-07T16:16:13Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > The ex-red you mean. That is very true, and I honestly think that part of his history has no bearing on his performance with us. I tend to agree with you on him being in a little over his head right now, but I am trying to be patient, since he has not had much of a chance at making the team his own. Toure sounds like the kind of calm dirty work player that City could use. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/337 "2009-01-07T19:09:39Z")
We’ve had a fair number of ex-reds at City. Denis Law springs to mind (he of the back-heel goal) 😃 Peter Schmeical,McIlroy, Coppell and so on and so forth. They know which is the nicest club to work for, perhaps not the most successful, but far and away the nicest So far as MH is concerned, I think the fact that he has so much money at his disposal is a bit of an off-putter to him. If you get my drift ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2009, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/338 "2009-01-10T18:00:25Z")
Bloody ridiculous to have 22 games PPd that were supposed to have been played today. This is the UK fergawdsake, we get ice…often. So what about making it mandatory that all football clubs have to install undersoil heating, especially those in the premier like Fulham and Portsmouth This way we avoid the bloody fiasco that happens whenever there’s a bit of frost. ---
**Author:** ![rayh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@rayh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayh)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/339 "2009-01-10T18:15:47Z")
Lastest from [BBC transfer gossip](http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/gossip_and_transfers/7821678.stm) (via the Daily express) is - > [@](#): > > Newcastle striker Michael Owen has agreed in principle to join Manchester City in the summer for around £90,000-a-week, if he stays fit between now and the end of the season. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2009, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150/340 "2009-01-10T19:06:50Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > Bloody ridiculous to have 22 games PPd that were supposed to have been played today. > > This is the UK fergawdsake, we get ice…often. > > So what about making it mandatory that all football clubs have to install undersoil heating, especially those in the premier like Fulham and Portsmouth > > This way we avoid the bloody fiasco that happens whenever there’s a bit of frost. I was quite surprised to see that there were Premier League grounds that ended up with postponements. I would agree that a club in the Premiership should be able to protect their turf via underground pipes or wires, and proper covering of the pitch. Clubs further down the misnamed Pyramid, of course, are more likely to suffer from the viccisitudes of bad weather. Oh, yes, today’s game at St. James’ Park reminds me: I would NEVER want to be the person assigned to cover Craig Bellamy. Not only is that dude FAST, he’s an annoying little terrier of an SOB. :eek: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-football-season-2008-09-forecasts/459150.md?page=18)