2013-2014 Premier League Thread

[12ozLongneck]

I guess we have enough people on here that give a shit to do a thread for this.

NBC Sports Network's coverage is kicking ass.

Spurs put the Bale money to good use and I'm excited about the new look team. Would have been even better if Chelsea hadn't manged to pull the rug out from under Spurs on Willian.

F Arsenal. F Chelsea.

[Drew Corleone]

City shat the bed today.

[Drew Corleone]

Guessing we can use this for all soccer talk.

Chelsea-Bayern (UEFA Super Cup) yesterday was crazy. Chelsea had it wrapped up and BM equalised in extra time of extra time, and then won on PKs on the last kick.

[12ozLongneck]

Number of goals through three games for Tottenham that were not the result of a penalty kick: 0.

[Drew Corleone]

So they finally sold Bale. Any indications on who they're going after with that money?

[12ozLongneck]

So they finally sold Bale. Any indications on who they're going after with that money?

As far as spending the money, they got

Lamela for 27 million
Soldado for 26 million
Paulhino for 17 million
Erickson for 11 million
Chadli for around 5 million

during the transfer window. That's a nice haul. I would imagine the leftover money goes towards their new stadium.

Good win for Spurs on Saturday. Nice to see Sigurdsson get one in after being close several times in the first 3 games.

[BevoisaSoxFan]

Chelsea not looking so hot.... Surprising.

[12ozLongneck]

Just finished watching the DVR-ed Spurs game. Wow. What a fitting end to the shitfest that was the last sports weekend. That team cannot find the back of the net to save its life.

In other news, how are you enjoying Sunderland fandom and life at the bottom of the table, Evan?

[eochs]

After the last 4 years of the Horns I feel right at home with my team earning 1 point out of 21... Seriously, possibly the worst team in the history of sports right now... I watched the Man U game this weekend and the cats were up 1-nil at the half, but it looked like they didn't belong on the same field as Man U... In the second half Man U scored twice to put it away 2-1, and the score did not reflect how bad Sunderland played... Haway The Lads!

[12ozLongneck]

If somebody who had never seen a soccer game watched this week's Spurs/Everton game, I wouldn't blame them one damn bit if they never watched another game ever again.

1. Scoreless tie
2. Maybe 3 legit scoring chances the entire game
3. 9 minutes of stoppage time courtesy of an injury where the affected player wound up staying in the game

Spurs were on their heels pretty much the entire second half. This team is frustrating as hell to watch this year.

[12ozLongneck]

So as the season has gone on, I've recalibrated my expectations from "Grab 4th Champions League spot" to "Europa League again!" to "Uhhh.. Finish in the top half of the table?"

[Drew Corleone]

I didn't get to watch yesterday. Looked like a good one.

[12ozLongneck]

I tapped out when City put goal number 5 in around the 55" mark.

[12ozLongneck]

Not Premier League, but:

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/blog/ ... eague.html

[Drew Corleone]

The Shaggy contingent thinks SA gets it over Austin. At least that has been the argument for some time.

[12ozLongneck]

Now that Mack Brown is gone, I can turn my hate to AVB.

[12ozLongneck]

Random Premier League thoughts:

A good week for Spurs. After a 3-0 beating of Hull (Only the second time they've scored 3 all season I think) and a very surprising 2-1 victory over Man U, Spurs have managed to climb back into 6th place and the goal differential is now barely negative. I'll take it.

It's always sad to pass a Champions League match on the channel guide and think "Oh yeah... That's really none of my business. When is Europa League on??"

[Drew Corleone]

After that disastrous start I thought Spurs were cooked already, though then again, City was down as low as 6-7 at one point. EPL doesn't really seem to hit its stride until December.

Getting Adabayor back helped, right?

[12ozLongneck]

Adabayor being back has certainly helped, but the main thing this week has been the fact that people have been in the right place to make plays. Also, it just seems like their luck has turned. For most of the season, they've been getting good shots off but those shots have wound up tagging the crossbar/posts or the goalie has been in perfect position to defend them.

[12ozLongneck]

Drew - Per our conversation last night: Tottenham Hotspur goal differential: -1.

[12ozLongneck]

Newcastle's goalie seems like he sucks.

[12ozLongneck]

Austin soccer related. Never gonna happen, but:

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase ... id=1519010

A pro team, and a soccer-specific stadium. It's no secret that those twin goals have long been at the top of the wish list for the Austin soccer community. And there was some serious action on that front this week, as: A local project group stepped up its efforts aimed at building a stadium and bringing in an MLS franchise; the existing Austin Aztex franchise reiterated its long-stated plan to move up to the pro ranks and, yes, get a stadium built; and Mayor Pro Tem Sheryl Cole took the lead in preparing a City Council resolution in support of such efforts.

The current flurry of activity was kicked off by Michael Wilt, who has a history in local development, planning, and Democratic Party circles, and is one of the principles in a group which incorporated on Wednesday as Austin FC, LLC. Among the various contacts he's been making, he's talked to several City Council members about how the city could aid the process – though he vows he won't be asking for any local public funding.

[Drew Corleone]

I like the suggestion one of the guys made on the Shaggy thread... find a place to build a stadium and look at getting an NASL team, like SA did. I absolutely think Austin could support a MLS team.

[Drew Corleone]

Crazy weekend in EPL.

City goes down a man early and still grinds out a 2-0 win over Hull.
Chelsea absolutely melts down late against Aston Villa.
Liverpool drives Man U's nail a little further with a convincing 3-0 win that saw Stephen Gerrard miss a Hat Trick by about 3 inches (both goals and his near miss were from PKs).

I saw Arsenal topped Tottenham but I didn't watch any of it.

I also watched Toronto top Seattle in MLS. Was a pretty entertaining game, but even with some of the league's best guys the quality was a clear level (or two) below what you'd see from any of those teams listed above.

[12ozLongneck]

Yeah. Blanked 1-0. Should have been worse. Spurs played the backline way the hell up and Arsenal got behind them several times and couldn't connect. Would have been a great week to pick up at least a point.