This is where you cleverly sum up the 03/04 Premiership season for me in a few concise sentences

Message Bookmarked

Bookmark Removed

...Because I'm far away and I have been all season and it's impossible to keep up but I want to know what's going on. Do not understimate how little I know about what has taken place, I am genuinely clueless over the table, transfers, Europe, Euro qualifiers, everything.

Thanks!

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Saturday, 24 January 2004 23:30 (twenty-two years ago)

incomplete

― run it off (run it off), Saturday, 24 January 2004 23:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Steed Malbranque.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 24 January 2004 23:36 (twenty-two years ago)

The picture is still far from vivid.

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Saturday, 24 January 2004 23:38 (twenty-two years ago)

it's the year when Chelsea's ££millions was ridiculed (you can't buy success... you have to form a team and a team spirit...) and then everyone changed their mind (its a 3 horse race... Chelsea have made an immediate impact on the premiership... they're in with a chance of the title, the FA Cup, Europe, everything!) and then changed their mind back again (Man Utd are too strong for them... Chelsea's best hopes of silverware this year is in one of the cups... maybe you can't buy success after all)

― run it off (run it off), Saturday, 24 January 2004 23:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Man U are at the top? How are the newly promoted teams doing? Who might go down?

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Saturday, 24 January 2004 23:39 (twenty-two years ago)

most likely to go down are Leeds, Wolves and Leicester. It sort of makes sense because they're the bottom 3 at the moment, but they were the three teams I picked on the first week of the season to go down. It wasn't that clever, Its just a coincidence really. It's just that I work in Wolves and its as cess pit, I studied in Leicester and its a town without ambition, and one of my closest friends is a Leeds supporter and I wanted to see him suffer.

― run it off (run it off), Saturday, 24 January 2004 23:43 (twenty-two years ago)

Liverpool going down the tubes.
Chelsea thriving under Russian billionaire. Just spent £8 million on a Czech goalkeeper (!). Ranieri for rthe chop soon.
Man Yoo and Arsenal currently swapping 1st and 2nd. Saha from Fulham to United for £12 mil, Arsenal brilliant but too reliant on Henry.
Bolton doing well. Jay Jay continues to lavishly entertain everyone.
Charlton occupied 4th spot for last few months. Leeds in major trouble, given extra time before administration imposed.
Wolves beat Man Yoo at Molineux last week. Strachan leaving Southampton at the end of the season.

― pete s, Saturday, 24 January 2004 23:44 (twenty-two years ago)

The Spurs carnival refuses to leave town. Pleat is caretaker after Glen's sacking in October, started badly but doing the business for us lately (notably beating Liverpool 2-1 at home). Linked with 20 managers, O'Neill at first, then Curbishley, and finally Trappatoni.

― pete s, Saturday, 24 January 2004 23:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Tottenham are leading the way at 11th place. Desperately need a new manager.
Liverpool are going down the tubes at 5th. Manager is holding onto his job by his fingernails.
Blackburn and Man City are sinking fast. Managers are looking over their shoulders.

― run it off (run it off), Saturday, 24 January 2004 23:53 (twenty-two years ago)

This is good.

How about Europe?

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Saturday, 24 January 2004 23:54 (twenty-two years ago)

Arsenal Chelsea and Man Yoo all throught to knock-out rounds.
Arsenal beat Inter Milan 4-0 at their place.

― pete s, Saturday, 24 January 2004 23:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Steed Malbranque.

-- Dom Passantino

yes!

― Stringent Stepper (Stringent), Sunday, 25 January 2004 01:12 (twenty-two years ago)

I got that CL result wrong. Here's the real one and some others.

Some Champions League Results sept-dec 2003

Inter Milan 1 Arsenal 5
Chelsea 2 Lazio 1
Lazio 0 Chelsea 4
Chelsea 0 Besiktas 2
Besiktas 0 Chelsea 2
Rangers 0 Man Utd 1
Man Utd 3 Rangers 0
Monaco 8 Deportivo 3

Rangers and Celtic went out.

English fixtures in last 16

Porto v Man Yoo
Celta Vigo v Arsenal
VFB Stuttgart v Chelsea

― pete s, Sunday, 25 January 2004 03:20 (twenty-two years ago)

In the interests of completism, and though it has nothing to do with the Premiership, I should point out that although Celtic and Rangers both went out of the Champions League at the group stages, Celtic remain in the UEFA Cup, whereas Rangers, er, don't.

― ailsa (ailsa), Sunday, 25 January 2004 14:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Man U, Arsenal, Chelsea battle for title. Everyone else is 4th, except for Leeds who are obviously doomed thus leading to football's complete demise as well as eating of whole of Yorkshire by dragons.

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Sunday, 25 January 2004 16:58 (twenty-two years ago)

meanwhile in Division 2 Queens Park Rangers are about to surrender their automatic promotion place to Bristol City and then lose the play-off final in Wales for the second year in a row to a Welsh club.

― stevem (blueski), Sunday, 25 January 2004 17:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Err ..but I can't see Wrexham making the play-offs Stevem - notwithstanding reformed coke fiend and former Lane failure Chris Armstrong's goalscoring exploits at the R's expense.

― darren (darren), Sunday, 25 January 2004 17:41 (twenty-two years ago)

was Armstrong really a 'Lane failure'?

― stevem (blueski), Sunday, 25 January 2004 18:16 (twenty-two years ago)

not really, he was just injury prone.

― jel -- (jel), Sunday, 25 January 2004 18:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Name a single Spurs striker in the past fifteen years that wasn't a "Lane failure".

(Except Jurgen, obv).

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Sunday, 25 January 2004 18:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Robbie Keane
Freddie Kanoute
Teddy Sheringham
Gary Lineker

― jel -- (jel), Sunday, 25 January 2004 18:24 (twenty-two years ago)

No real anti-Armo animosity here Jel. I was just never a fan of his. Then again, my view on our forwards has always been a bit perverse. I still think Rebrov could have been a Spurs legend, given time and half a chance of a decent run at a Kiev-style role alongside Sir Les.

― darren (darren), Sunday, 25 January 2004 19:54 (twenty-two years ago)

and most importantly, Bristol Rovers look comfortable in mid-table in the 3rd. They'd been in relegation danger the last two years, so it's a big improvement, but manager Ray Graydon has just resigned, for reasons that are obscure to me.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Sunday, 25 January 2004 21:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Maybe he wants to go and see some Premiership games at the weekend?

― run it off (run it off), Sunday, 25 January 2004 21:25 (twenty-two years ago)

What has happened to Robbie Fowler?

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Monday, 26 January 2004 02:02 (twenty-two years ago)

He's still with Man City. He played today along side Anelka (Man City vs Spurs, FA cup). Looked decent if slower than ever. He's got about 6 goals or something so far this season.
(final score btw 1-1, replay at White Hart Lane).

― pete s, Monday, 26 January 2004 02:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Fowler has become a one-man falsedawnfalsedawnfalsedawn(etc)

― run it off (run it off), Monday, 26 January 2004 09:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Fowler is at Man City, along with fellow Spice Boy Steve McManaman. Both of them are resolutely failing to make any impact on the season whatsoever. Just like Jamie Redknapp at Tottenham (who is injured, obv).

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 26 January 2004 09:32 (twenty-two years ago)

and fellow fellow spice boy David James

― run it off (run it off), Monday, 26 January 2004 09:33 (twenty-two years ago)

This thread reminds me of when a friend phoned from American at the end of last season and asked what was going on in the Premiership. I replied "well, Glenn Roeder's had a stroke and West Ham are 3rd from bottom and need to win their last three games to stay up, and Trevor Brooking has stepped in to singlehandedly save the club from relegation having never managed before and has bought Paulo Di Canio in from the wilderness and he looks like he might just keep them up and..."

My newly Yankified friend got quite excited by that.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 26 January 2004 09:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, David James is at Man City as well, although he hasn't played yet, because this season's City keeper, David Seaman(!!!) injured his shoulder and that's it - end of career. HA HA!

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 26 January 2004 09:35 (twenty-two years ago)

... [just to finish your story] and then they were relegated!

― run it off (run it off), Monday, 26 January 2004 09:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Common consensus is that this is a rubbish Premiership season - if not the worst ever. Loads of 0-0 draws, although it's getting better. About eight points divide the relegation zone and the UEFA cup places - just about anyone outside the top four or five could conceivably still be relegated, they're all inconsistent enough. Although Leeds and Wolves look frankly doomed.

But WOLVES BEAT MAN UTD 1-0 LAST WEEK!

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 26 January 2004 09:42 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah, rubbish. So when Man U win it, we'll all tell them they won the worst Premiership in history and it serves 'em right! hahaha

― run it off (run it off), Monday, 26 January 2004 09:46 (twenty-two years ago)

didn't James have a game for Man City t'other week, i assumed he wasn't playing yesterday because he was cup-tied...

exeter city are just outside the play-off places in the conference after a great 2-0 win at dagenham and redbridge on saturday.

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Monday, 26 January 2004 09:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, what the hell, have the table!

Premiership table
Mon Jan 26
Click on a team for full coverage

1 Arsenal 22 28 52
2 Man Utd 22 25 50
3 Chelsea 22 23 46
4 Charlton 22 8 37
5 Liverpool 22 8 33
6 Newcastle 22 7 33
7 Fulham 22 2 31
8 Southampton 22 3 30
9 Birmingham 21 -6 30
10 Bolton 22 -7 29
11 Tottenham 22 -5 27
12 Aston Villa 22 -6 27
13 Middlesbrough 21 -6 25
14 Everton 22 -4 24
15 Man City 22 -2 23
16 Blackburn 22 -4 23
17 Portsmouth 22 -8 22
18 Leicester City 22 -7 20
19 Wolves 22 -24 19
20 Leeds United 22 -25 17

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 26 January 2004 09:54 (twenty-two years ago)

where are you getting this idea about worst season in ages from? is this just your Spurs bias? it strikes me as having been a pretty good one with about 12 teams vying for a place in Europe and an interesting relegation battle. haven't noticed that many 0-0s, no more than the norm surely.

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 26 January 2004 16:45 (twenty-two years ago)

any season which gets halfway thru and seriously retains the prospect of Charlton in the Champions League = BEST PREMIERSHIP SEASON EVER IN FACT

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 26 January 2004 16:46 (twenty-two years ago)

OK, so, it goes something like this: *salutes as team disappear and Mozart's Requiem kicks in*

― @lex K (Alex K), Monday, 26 January 2004 16:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey, I didn't say it was my opinion...

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 26 January 2004 16:53 (twenty-two years ago)

fuckin pundits

― pete s, Monday, 26 January 2004 16:54 (twenty-two years ago)

that 'worst premiership ever' schtick was just part of a circulation war. It's not meant to be taken seriously

― run it off (run it off), Monday, 26 January 2004 16:56 (twenty-two years ago)

And as weve seen in recent games involving Man Yoo, Bolton, Arsenal, Leicester, Wolves, Spurs, Chelsea, Newcastle, Charlton and Fulham it is absolute bollocks.

― pete s, Monday, 26 January 2004 17:00 (twenty-two years ago)

One more club in the title race does not a competitive league make.

With teams desperately playing to avoid relegation, fear of fuck up is greater than reward for daring, so attritiuonal football dominates.

― Dave B (daveb), Monday, 26 January 2004 17:03 (twenty-two years ago)

apart from Leeds and Wolves, every team in the Premiership is averaging more than a goal a game. This isn't nil-nil-land

― run it off (run it off), Monday, 26 January 2004 18:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Bb-b-but there have been more nil-nils this year than ever before haven't there? If so, it is nil-nil land.

But I don't find nil-nils boring. I was at York-Huddesrfield and 0-0 would have been a perfect and very fitting result and I would have been in no way disappointed. Sadly, Huddersfield goit 2 late uns. Daylight robbery. Or rather sundown robbery.

― Dave B (daveb), Monday, 26 January 2004 19:24 (twenty-two years ago)

boo hiss!

@d@ml can't be arsed to patronize the Maddog In The Fog at the crack of dawn...

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 26 January 2004 19:26 (twenty-two years ago)

three months pass...

so is this the first time ever that on the final Premiership weekend of the season there is not ONE genuinely meaningful match taking place? everything seems to have been decided.

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 13 May 2004 10:17 (twenty-two years ago)

How about increasing it to six points for a win, just to spice things up?

― Japanese Giraffe (Japanese Giraffe), Thursday, 13 May 2004 10:53 (twenty-two years ago)

alright

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 13 May 2004 11:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Stevem you forget that there is still a UEFA place to be decided.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Thursday, 13 May 2004 11:08 (twenty-two years ago)

i was under the impression both 5th and 6th place got UEFA spots for some reason

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 13 May 2004 11:09 (twenty-two years ago)

No, it's because Millwall will get the 6th place due to them playing Man U in the FA cup final.

― Billy Dods (Billy Dods), Thursday, 13 May 2004 11:13 (twenty-two years ago)

if it was 5th and 6th, it would still be possible for bolton to overtake newcastle, i think.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Thursday, 13 May 2004 11:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, but a 10 nil win is unlikely.

Abolish goal difference!

― Mikey G (Mikey G), Thursday, 13 May 2004 11:16 (twenty-two years ago)

the sixth spot often gets a uefa place because the winners of the two cups are often in the top five innit.

― CarsmileSteve (CarsmileSteve), Thursday, 13 May 2004 11:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Rush goalie!

I'm not talking about using a Canadian rock band in nets, natch.

― Mikey G (Mikey G), Thursday, 13 May 2004 11:18 (twenty-two years ago)

(bolton are only 2 points behind newcastle. they can still realistically come 6th, but 6th is not much different to 7th, ie. no uefa spot either)

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Thursday, 13 May 2004 11:18 (twenty-two years ago)

OK, you're right. Only difference is cash. About £500,000 per place.

― Mikey G (Mikey G), Thursday, 13 May 2004 11:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Three UEFA Cup places = FA Cup winners, League Cup winners, 5th place in Premiership. If FA Cup winners are already in Europe via some other route, that place goes to the runners-up; if the runners-up are already in Europe that place goes to the Premiership. If the League Cup winners are already in Europe, that place goes to the Premiership.

Hence last season where 6th-placed Blackburn qualified (5th-placed Liverpool won the League Cup), Southampton thanks to losing to CL-qualifying Arsenal in the FACf and Manchester City due to being lovely fluffy non-contact pure-hearted modern-day Gandhis.

xpost

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Thursday, 13 May 2004 11:21 (twenty-two years ago)

yeh i forgot about the fair-play thing which benefitted Ipswich too did it not?

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 13 May 2004 11:25 (twenty-two years ago)

yup. ipswich got it the season they were relegated.

― weasel diesel (K1l14n), Thursday, 13 May 2004 11:26 (twenty-two years ago)

I think Ipswich got in as of right in 2000-01, finishing 5th (only three CL places for England then but Lpool also won the LC and both FAC finalists were CLers).

xpost (forgot about the following season)

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Thursday, 13 May 2004 11:27 (twenty-two years ago)

And they beat Inter Milan! Alan Armstrong says my brain. About the 88th minute.

― Mikey G (Mikey G), Thursday, 13 May 2004 12:28 (twenty-two years ago)

You must be logged in to post. Please either login here, or if you are not registered, you may register here.