itt liverpool not winning things; sandbox i love football

                                                                                           http://i.imgur.com/EebZg.jpg

Bayern-Koln, Ribery sent off, quite ridiculously, after 30 mins
1-Ribery falls theatrically in the box
2-Koln defender angrily gestures for him to get up
3-Ribery aims a weak ass punch at defenders back(doesn't connect)
4-Goes forehead-to-forehead with defender
5-Ref books both players
6-As they are walking away after receiving their respective yellow cards, Ribery grabs defender by the throat in front of the referee
7-Ribery sent off!

So stupid!

It was 0-0 at the time and Koln were playing an ultra negative 3 CBs with 2 wing-backs pushing up against Robben/Ribery, leaving Podolski v isolated up front. After the sending off they didn't change and still continued to sit back looking for the draw. 10 man Bayern calmy passed the ball around, dominated possession, and carved them open multiple times in the 2nd half. Ran out easy 3-0 winners (at 2-0 Koln took off Podolski and moved one of the CBs to CF instead!)

Cowardly performance from Koln. I don't like Podolski, but he's right, he is too good for them.

Haha, sounds great. I hate that though, the little team getting the upper hand and yet still end up pulverised.

ppl interested in futbol books might enjoy this, put out by a friend and featuring the writings of several other friends and acquaintances:

http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2011/12/16/the-very-best-of-pitch-invasion/

Amazing photos on that site:

http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2011/11/23/remembering-the-rich-history-of-stadion-dziesieciolecia-warsaw/
http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2011/11/18/a-lost-theatre-of-dreams-bosuilstadion-royal-antwerp-f-c/

that site is a treat, thanks dan!

http://content.mcfc.co.uk/~/media/Images/Home/News/Team%20News/2010%2011%20season/SWP%20Ravens2.ashx

dude would tip the scales even with two and a half swps against him

anyone remember the hype around owen coyle? that was stupid huh. (and i admit to being involved in it.)

They've got no money, it's not entirely his fault, they've been outspending their means for years.

Big story today though is Woodgate being hauled off after one conceded penalty, one unrelated booking, and fifteen minutes.

They are absolute rubbish though.

Aw what, Stoke are winning now? This is turning into the scenario I was fearing before the Fulham game:

Win and there's a huge top/bottom split that likely won't be bridged again this season; lose and there we are in the middle ground, could go either way, season of transition type-of-thing.

Ooh Odemwingie, what a beauty. I knew this was the game with most potential.

Shit.

woodgate should have walked with two yellows and a penalty conceded in the 1st half last week iirc

been shopping, been having a bad day, got a text from Elliot telling me were only 1-0 up but played pretty well first half, got home, checked score.

My feed reckoned Kean was on a four-point ultimatum from today and the Bolton game on Tuesday. If he does go, inevitably the 'post-Kean bounce' game is v Liverpool on Boxing Day.

with the 'post-Kean lull' game even more inevitably at Old Trafford a few days later

Cheer up lads, Utd could be back in the Champions League before you know it

You better not be, that's all I'm saying. That'd be the most dispiriting thing ever.

Yeah, even i don't want it to happen

What what what?

Manchester United could in theory be reinstated to the Champions League after Fifa threatened to suspend Switzerland over the case involving Sion.

The Swiss FA has been given a deadline of 13 January to follow Fifa's instructions on the registration ban imposed on Sion or face a suspension which would also result in Basel being expelled from the Champions League. That could potentially see Sir Alex Ferguson's side back in the competition while another option could be that Bayern Munich, Basel's last-16 opponents, are given a bye.

"Should this deadline not be respected, the Swiss FA will be automatically suspended from 14 January 2012 onwards," the statement said.

If suspended, Switzerland – due to host Argentina in a friendly in February – would not be able to play any international matches. Euro 2012 would not be affected, however, as Switzerland did not qualify for the finals.

The warning follows a complex legal battle in which Sion defied Fifa and Uefa statutes by taking its case over a transfer ban to a civil court.

The case began when Sion signed six players in the summer while still subject to the transfer ban for poaching a player from an Egyptian club in 2008. The six players took their case to a civil court in the canton of Valais, which ruled they could play. Sion subsequently fielded them in the Swiss league.

Some of the players appeared in a Europa League qualifying tie against Celtic. Sion won the tie but were then expelled from the competition by Uefa who ruled the players were ineligible. Sion then obtained an injunction at another court in the canton of Vaud, where Uefa's headquarters are based, ordering European soccer's governing body to reinstate them to the competition.

However, this injunction referred the matter to the court of arbitration for sport which on Thursday ruled in favour of Uefa. In the meantime, the injunction obtained by the players in Valais canton was also overturned by a higher court.

Fifa now wants the Swiss League to award 3-0 defeats against Sion in every domestic match in which any of the six players were fielded. "The executive committee decided to give a final deadline of 13 January to the Swiss FA to enforce the registration ban imposed on Sion … and to sanction the attitude of the club repeatedly trying to circumvent this decision in a legally abusive manner," said Fifa.

"As a consequence, all matches in which the relevant players participated shall be declared forfeit or three points shall be deducted respectively."

shame abt billy sharp's kid. never like to see that happen.

uefa are pissed that swiss fa hasn't done anything to punish fc sion for rule breaking, may take it out on fc basel. i'm sure they'll find a comprimise by the end of the year.

It's the fallout from the Sion thing. They were tossed from the Uefa cup for fielding ineligible players, but won a court order in switzerland and continued to field them domestically. Fifa are now threatening to suspend Switzerland, I think for the heinous crime of letting the actual courts rule on football, unless Sion are retrospectively deducted all points from those games. If that happens, Basel get dumped out the CL.

Utd-Bayern does have significant lol potential right enough.

That would be embarrassing, tbh, but I can't see it happening.

Wigan seem fairly tidy, but in the same way that you might see an eight-year-old doing his karate moves really well. Sooner or later Chelsea will go in for a shoulder charge, or kick the ball really hard, and they will just crumple.

maybe put Celtic into the Champions League, have them win it through a series of losses reversed by administrative peculiarities.

ffs that couldn't be a clearer penalty

wigan-chelsea has been strangely engrossing.

JT's in a bit of trouble here

Ebjt injures himself kicking someone else in the kidneys.

Not quite so much trouble, then, the big girl.

recovered from a knackered acl in three minutes as opposed to the usual six months, talk about bravery.

Cech pretty much cleaned him out there, surely?

No, was actually a great tackle from Cech.

Heh xp, JT actually did get the full bravery acclaim from the commentator ("it takes a lot to knock JT off his stride") as if he hadn't been blubbing about nothing two minutes previously.

Well well

Ho ho ho!

lol cech

FFS

ref bottled it

Not sure what to make of that last shout - it was like them both tackling a patch of air that the ball never arrived at.

it was a clear foul outside the box but the ref bottled it incase he had to show a red

Fucking hell, every single youtube link in that Guardian poll of the greatest ever Premier League goals has been taken down due to a copyright claim from the Premier League. The horrible fuckers

They're all shite anyway.

Except Bergkamp's. Not a single team goal there either. Which is a shame, because it rules out goals like Liverpool's 3rd at Wolves last season, which is obviously the greatest goal of all time. Pfffff.

I mean, why do they even bother taking them down? How exactly are they losing out here?

I am quite enjoying reading all the comments blaming The Guardian for bringing the youtubes to the Premier League's attention though.

Luckily for me I watched them all before they were taken down. What was so good about Fabregas v Villa 09/10?

That's what i don't understand. Surely it's all advertising for the "product"