DISQUS

Charles,

Based on the baseball comparison, I'm guessing you're an American like myself. One thing I learned quickly about football, and European sports in general, is that they aren't nearly as statistical as what we have here in America (this pitcher throws 95% fastballs on Wednesdays after 7:00pm, etc.). Also, I don't see how it's possible to quantify these psychological effects, especially considering there's no way to see what would happen if matches were played simultaneously.

I referenced the United - Everton match because on that day you could really SEE in their play how badly they wanted it, knowing that just an hour earlier the title became clearer. In support of the Gaffer, I can't see a single way to "prove" it, especially with statistics. This is just one of those things you'll need to see for yourself.

I'm going to have to side with The Gaffer on this one. Fantastic article, and I buy into your argument. How often do we see teams either play up to their rivals or down to their rivals? Look at United in the 2006/07 season away to Everton. Chelsea had just dropped points at home to Bolton (2-2) before kickoff, and United simply DID NOT stop, even after going down 2-0. You could tell they knew the title was theirs to be had, and they played their hearts out.

Head says Chelsea, but my heart says Arsenal. An Arsenal win (coupled with a United victory) would really make it interesting at the top again.

Good to see that Bolton's attendance figures are improving. I went to a match at the Reebok last year and was quite disappointed to see so many empty seats.

RaleighVillan, either you don't know a thing about football or just are brainwashed into thinking about things in a certain way (mainly an anti-United way).

How can you possibly say "sometimes the ref(umpire) looks the other way, especially in this case." Especially in this case!? The goal didn't count and Scholes got sent off - now he'll miss the first Champions League match against Villareal. If that's "looking the other way" then I don't even want to imagine what would have happened otherwise...

I second the notion to get Eboue on the list.

I think these are extremely negative comments made by Cook. And, foreign investors DO value the smaller clubs. Look at clubs like Leicester who have wealthy ownership.

Gaffer,

Fantastic analysis. You're spot on when you say Setanta is for the serious fan while FSC is for the casual American viewer.

As already mentioned, I was extremely disappointed Setanta didn't have a match on Setanta Extra today. Do you know if that will change next weekend?

It's also important to remember that if Ronaldo can keep up his form from last season then his on the pitch performance will be worth a lot more than any transfer fee (provided he honors his contract and this whole thing doesn't start again next summer).

Manchester United won the Community Shield preview today 2-1 over Pompey. Goals from Chris Eagles and Carlos Tevez while Defoe picked up one for Portsmouth.

I'm sure many of you - like me - aren't too knowledgeable about Hull, but there's a great article titled "One Hull of a Revolution" that reveals a lot about the club. Read it here: http://www.premiershiptalk.com/2008/07/one-hull...

This year *could* also see one of the big four threatened. Who are the threats? Premiership Talk highlights Tottenham, Blackburn, Everton, Aston Villa, and Portsmouth. Check out the article here:
http://www.premiershiptalk.com/2008/07/premiers...

No they won't win. Here's an article about why:
http://www.premiershiptalk.com/2008/07/why-live...

With Hleb leaving and now Gilberto Silva officially gone, aren't Arsenal becoming a bit short on numbers?
http://www.premiershiptalk.com/2008/07/gilberto...

Wigan just made another signing - Kapo has officially been unveiled. http://www.premiershiptalk.com/2008/07/breaking...