taken from the mirror: sorry if been posted already. twats.
"But it was a disgraceful display by a Middlesbrough team who looked like they could not be bothered ahead of tonight's FA Cup replay at Old Trafford.
Gareth Southgate's men deserve criticism for the way they rolled over in a fixture that had such an important influence on the relegation fight.
And the FA deserve criticism too for scheduling Boro's seasondefining replay today just 48 hours after a league programme.
The common sense route would have been to play the quarter-final replay last Wednesday, or even over this weekend, instead of this Premiership game.
But instead City faced opponents who rested Jonathan Woodgate and Mark Viduka, had Julio Arca out injured and then had Emanuel Pogatetz carried off injured in the ninth minute. If Pearce's side survive by three points in May they will look back to the easy ride here that got them out of a rut, and it will be new audio books all round.
England winger Stewart Downing said: "It was a bad game. City were there to be beaten. There was no spark in the match, nothing.
"City looked like a poor side. You could see why they're in the position they're in, but we just didn't have any drive."
Southgate apologised, saying: "I have to take responsibility and that sent the wrong message, that is my responsibility. We had more than an eye on Monday."
I can see where people are coming from but I would expect Pardew to do exactly the same thing if we were in the FAQF and had a less important league game to play 48 hours before it. Boro have already got 36 points and only need 7 more points to be almost assured of safety so they don't need to worry about anyone else. We got ourselves into this mess so we have to rely on nobody but ourselves to get out of it.
Besides, how many teams have we probably helped to send down with some of our shocking end of season performances over the last couple of years. Christ, losing 4-1- at home to WBA, that was well out of order!
This sort of sh*tty, cynical treatment of a league fixture really hacks me off. I blame the FA/Premier League for allowing this to happen.
Twenty years ago, deliberately fielding a weakened team was a really major issue. Since Wenger and Fergie started fielding second stringers in the some cup games and also rotating players around Euro games, it seems that the authorities just turn a blind eye to all of this. I can just about cope with them p*ssing around for cup games but for league games, they should re-emphasise the need always to play the best available team.
The problem is though Bing - how on earth do you enforce it? All you need to do is say that player A has got a sore hammy and player B has a dead leg and how can it possibly be proved otherwise?
to be fair - we gifted Boro 6 points this season ourselves, that miserable display under Lesley & the shocking home defeat. Failure to take many if any points off mediocre teams like Boro, Fulham & Watford has been a major dissapointment
It's not right, but it's unfortunately part of modern football.
And it may yet work in your favour, if Liverpool make the champions league final, I do not think for one minute you will face Liverpool's stongest 11 at anfield on the final day of the season. You may well need something from that game, will you be complaining then?
It's also worth pointing out that if Spurs reach the uefa cup final, they will do so 3 days before they visit the valley...can't see them going in for any crunching tackles under those circumstances.
[cite]Posted By: AFKA Bartram[/cite]you're clearly getting concerned SoS !!!
I do think it will go to the wire AFKA, and if I'm honest you lot look the most likely to stay up. That said Wigan, Man City and Sheff Utd know that they can effectively save themselves by going to war in the games with Charlton, and I think it's very unlikely you will all 3 games.
Like i said it's going to the wire.............unlike our size 0 play-off hopes!!
Very interesting points sos .... as it is we will have all the points we need to stay up by St George's Day. But we'll be more than happy to pick up some more!
[cite]Posted By: Ormiston Addick[/cite]The problem is though Bing - how on earth do you enforce it? All you need to do is say that player A has got a sore hammy and player B has a dead leg and how can it possibly be proved otherwise?
It isn't easy I suppose but the way to solve that is for the FA/Prem is to rigorously check up on the injuries by getting their medical team to visit after the game. If clubs knew that they were going to check up, they wouldn't so easily come up with a pack of lies. They already do this now in internationals where they ask for their medical team to check on so called injured players.
Arsene Wenger's argument for his flexible selection policy is that every player in his squad is great so anyone of them fulfils the criteria of "best". This is such nonsense as to be laughable. If he doesn't play Henry in a FAPL game, because he wants to rest him for a Champions League game, how can he argue that he's played his best team?
Hey look the clubs aren't going to want to do this but the governing board of football should make a stand here. I cannot really see any difference between playing ineligible players and not fielding your strongest team. In both scenarios results are affected by putting out "dodgy teams". In the first case you gain an advantage to the detriment of other teams in the division. In the second you provide an advantage to the team you are playing to the detriment of other teams in the division.
In essence this was the rationale for the original rule (which I assume still applies in theory) of always being under a duty to play your best team.
The big clubs have too much influence in these things at a FAPL level and now the smaller Prem clubs think they can do likewise. It cons the public, weakens the competitiveness of the best league in the world and will costs clubs who are relegated partly by this action, millions of quid.
Comments
did you see them all smiles & handshakes before hand
grrrrrrr
Smoggy grots.
"But it was a disgraceful display by a Middlesbrough team who looked like they could not be bothered ahead of tonight's FA Cup replay at Old Trafford.
Gareth Southgate's men deserve criticism for the way they rolled over in a fixture that had such an important influence on the relegation fight.
And the FA deserve criticism too for scheduling Boro's seasondefining replay today just 48 hours after a league programme.
The common sense route would have been to play the quarter-final replay last Wednesday, or even over this weekend, instead of this Premiership game.
But instead City faced opponents who rested Jonathan Woodgate and Mark Viduka, had Julio Arca out injured and then had Emanuel Pogatetz carried off injured in the ninth minute. If Pearce's side survive by three points in May they will look back to the easy ride here that got them out of a rut, and it will be new audio books all round.
England winger Stewart Downing said: "It was a bad game. City were there to be beaten. There was no spark in the match, nothing.
"City looked like a poor side. You could see why they're in the position they're in, but we just didn't have any drive."
Southgate apologised, saying: "I have to take responsibility and that sent the wrong message, that is my responsibility. We had more than an eye on Monday."
Besides, how many teams have we probably helped to send down with some of our shocking end of season performances over the last couple of years. Christ, losing 4-1- at home to WBA, that was well out of order!
Twenty years ago, deliberately fielding a weakened team was a really major issue. Since Wenger and Fergie started fielding second stringers in the some cup games and also rotating players around Euro games, it seems that the authorities just turn a blind eye to all of this. I can just about cope with them p*ssing around for cup games but for league games, they should re-emphasise the need always to play the best available team.
And it may yet work in your favour, if Liverpool make the champions league final, I do not think for one minute you will face Liverpool's stongest 11 at anfield on the final day of the season. You may well need something from that game, will you be complaining then?
Who?
;o)
I do think it will go to the wire AFKA, and if I'm honest you lot look the most likely to stay up. That said Wigan, Man City and Sheff Utd know that they can effectively save themselves by going to war in the games with Charlton, and I think it's very unlikely you will all 3 games.
Like i said it's going to the wire.............unlike our size 0 play-off hopes!!
It isn't easy I suppose but the way to solve that is for the FA/Prem is to rigorously check up on the injuries by getting their medical team to visit after the game. If clubs knew that they were going to check up, they wouldn't so easily come up with a pack of lies. They already do this now in internationals where they ask for their medical team to check on so called injured players.
Arsene Wenger's argument for his flexible selection policy is that every player in his squad is great so anyone of them fulfils the criteria of "best". This is such nonsense as to be laughable. If he doesn't play Henry in a FAPL game, because he wants to rest him for a Champions League game, how can he argue that he's played his best team?
Hey look the clubs aren't going to want to do this but the governing board of football should make a stand here. I cannot really see any difference between playing ineligible players and not fielding your strongest team. In both scenarios results are affected by putting out "dodgy teams". In the first case you gain an advantage to the detriment of other teams in the division. In the second you provide an advantage to the team you are playing to the detriment of other teams in the division.
In essence this was the rationale for the original rule (which I assume still applies in theory) of always being under a duty to play your best team.
The big clubs have too much influence in these things at a FAPL level and now the smaller Prem clubs think they can do likewise. It cons the public, weakens the competitiveness of the best league in the world and will costs clubs who are relegated partly by this action, millions of quid.