On the Eve of the new Season...

[vansmack]

Lambert's pretty competent as manager.

He gets a lot of attention.  Just about every article I've read about Norwich has been more about him and his disintegration of last years team and less about this years team.

[Frank Gallagher]

I'm only a casual EPL fan and I've rooted for Norwich since I was a kid growing up in Lakenheath AFB.

What do you all think the Canaries chances are of surviving relegation this year?

Holt's been fairly prolific and the team made plenty of offseason moves to help bolster itself. Lambert's pretty competent as manager. I think they can finish 16th or 17th but they were just in League 1 two years ago!

I can't say if the Canaries will stay up but I hope they do. Same with Swansea.

In my perfect football world teams would be exempt from relegation for the first season after promotion to the premiership. This would give them a chance to benefit from the revenue of the premiership and build a team strong enough to survive.

[lagas]

interesting

"Of more long-term concern to Mourinho could be the damage to his own career. The Manchester United job might once have been his to turn down but will such a famous old institution want to be linked with a coach who dragged Madrid through the mire in an everything-goes pursuit of major honours?"

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/is-mourinho-still-worth-the-trouble-2340124.html

[Frank Gallagher]

interesting

"Of more long-term concern to Mourinho could be the damage to his own career. The Manchester United job might once have been his to turn down but will such a famous old institution want to be linked with a coach who dragged Madrid through the mire in an everything-goes pursuit of major honours?"

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/is-mourinho-still-worth-the-trouble-2340124.html

I don't think Mourinho ever had a hope of the United job. But who knows? You're right that he has no chance at this point.

[godsshoeshine]

upshot of a derby win at 9 am: more celebration time

[Frank Gallagher]

Manchester United youth team 3 -0 Tottenham Hotspur


YIKES!!! Doesn't bode very well for the rest of the premiership eh?

 

[godsshoeshine]

looks like joey bartons reign of terror might finally be over

[Frank Gallagher]

looks like joey bartons reign of terror might finally be over

I would've taken him at OT anyday.....

[godsshoeshine]

good thing fergie is smarter than you

[Frank Gallagher]

good thing fergie is smarter than you

Fergie is probably the only gaffer who can control him.

That's what I was thinking. He's a solid player but needs a tough manager to keep him under control.

[vansmack]

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW

GROUP A
Bayern Munich, Villarreal, Manchester City, Napoli

GROUP B
Inter Milan, CSKA Moscow, Lille, Trabzonspor

GROUP C
Manchester United, Benfica, Basle, Otelul Galati

GROUP D
Real Madrid, Lyon, Ajax, Dinamo Zagreb

GROUP E
Chelsea, Valencia, Bayer Leverkusen, Genk

GROUP F
Arsenal, Marseille, Olympiakos, Borussia Dortmund

GROUP G
Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk, Zenit St Petersburg, APOEL

GROUP H
Barcelona, AC Milan, BATE, Viktoria Plzen

[Frank Gallagher]

Shitty's European campaign will be short lived then!!!

Arse are done too.

Who the hell is Otelul Galati?

[vansmack]

Who the hell is Otelul Galati?

Nice enough chap, but United should be able to beat one guy.

[Frank Gallagher]

Who the hell is Otelul Galati?

Nice enough chap, but United should be able to beat one guy.

I work with a Romanian chap. He tells me their league runs on politics, and just steps over the match-fixing line now and again. Think the English FA telling the refs who should win the Premiership then leaving it up to them.......

[godsshoeshine]

i figured whoever got dortmund was going to the hardest group

also, i still hate the league cup