desiji:

I don't quit agree with that, been living in Germany for quit a while now, and would say it is more competitive than wherever in the world, the German have perfected the issues of taking out health insurance out of your net pay which in effect helps fund a lot of researches and allow evrybody to get the best of treament even if it were to cost millions, whereas the NHS would on the long run, not be sustainable as time goes on

fact remains health care should be free. the fact that anyone can walk up to the nhs and get free treatment in the uk regardless of age, colour, sex, immigration status makes it the best in the world. if you are not satisfied with their service, go to a private hospital.

debosky:

Let's not get tied up in knots here. . . .if Arsenal can beat Braga 6-0, then a 2-0 defeat is an anomaly in my opinion. Whether that is 'enough' indication is a different matter altogether - what would be 'enough' for you? 10 6-0 defeats followed by one 2-0 defeat? I don't know.

If we are to talk 'pedigree', the fact that Arsenal is a seeded team in the UCL is enough of an indication to show that the Braga defeat was an anomaly, coupled with Braga's final position in the group table.

i don't think it's an anomaly, arsenal remain the only english club yet to win in portugal so i wasn't surprised when y'all lost.

If one of the losses was an anomaly then it is permissible.

read above!

My mistake, they lost to AEK Athens, an even smaller team 1-0.  

Regarding the 'timing' of the losses, one could also argue that Arsenal 'knew' that they only needed to win their home game against Partizan to go through, therefore could afford the luxury of losing 'inconsequential' games away from home.

by the same token, braga also 'knew' that they were always going to beat arsenal in portugal so the game at the emirates was thrown away.

dayokanu:

Ok I apologize.

Dobo is still one of the GAYYners on this forum who still have some brain droplet in his skull even if it was gotten from the goat he has been breeding with.

Ok Dobo. I am sorry, Next time dont bring a knife to a gunfight

Lets assume and agree for the sake of this discussion Anderlecht beat Milan, Babanawa beat Barcelona and Afonja warriors beat Man Utd (Even if it was on xbox360).

Continue!!

debo, do you accept dayo's one thousand apologies or not? come on debo, prove to us you ain't a doofus!

dayokanu:

Dobo,

You are one of the dangers of adult education.

Pls when did Milan lose to Anderlecht and what was the scoreline?

Secondly Milan has already qualified as group leaders by the time they played Lille, everyone knows teams dont take those games serious unlike Lille who needed the win.

Just like barcelona losing to Shaktar in an inconsequential group game

Assanal on the other hand are yet to qualify when they lost 2 back to back games, By the end of today, they might end up group winners, second or even in Europa league.

dayokanu, i have to mention this even if it kills me. i don't like the way you strike ur dagger in debo's fragile neck. debo is a gentleman who loves his club with his heart and soul. tread gently when dealing with debo. leave the fatality moves till the end, not at the start otherwise debo will stop posting on the forum.

ritchboy:

There is this general perception that a player who "leads" his teams to the CL/WC  title/final should automatically win the award or at least be in the top 3. . . I for one dont harbor such thoughts.

If we set aside the fact Sneijder played WC/CL final for a minute, was he any better than the likes of Ronaldo, Rooney, or Cesc? I dont think so.

Afterall, it is an individual award and should be based squarely on individual performances.

cesc fabregas mentioned in the same sentence with wesley sneijder? what won't i hear on this forum?

dayokanu:

No one is still bold enough to answer the question,

Why is Sneijder not in top 3 especially in place of Iniesta

because iniesta scored the winner in a world cup final - what else? that single effort is more than the effort of any footballer in the last 12 months. i wonder why cesc wasn't even on the list as the assist maker of a world cup final. by all logic, cesc should be number two instead of messi.

debosky:

One loss is permissible in UCL group games - there's no rule that says you must win all your group games before you have pedigree to win the tournament.

but arsenal have lost twice in the group stage - is that permissible?

debosky:

The fact that Arsenal mauled Braga 6-0 should be enough of an indicator.

Going back to the loss to Braga, it only happened after dubious refereeing decisions to deny Arsenal a stonewall penalty, refusal to send off Braga players for heinous tackling resulting in an injury to a defender leaving Arsenal with 10 men.

If those three factors all coming together in the same game isn't an anomaly then I don't know what is.

what about losing to shakhtar? dubious decisions and it left arsenal with 10 men too?

debosky:

^^ You can't reach that conclusion till the season ends or Arsenal is knocked out - capsice?

what pedigree have arsenal got in the champions league to claim losing to braga was an anomaly? let's debate like smart analysts now.

debosky:

I think the mangoes must've dropped and damaged your cranium when you had lessons under the mango tree.

Who is debating with you about 'anomalies' or 'exceptions'?

You made a crass statement that 'a team' that surrenders to minnows cannot win the champions league. That has been disproved with two recent examples. End of story.

Unfortunately Abe Igi grammar school doesn't offer refunds so your money has gone to waste.

and i have proven surrendering to minnows in the group stages have different tones - one could be an anomaly while the other could be true capability of the team. in the examples you highlighted, it was anomaly. in arsenal's case this season - it's the true measure of your strength.

debosky:

^^ Time will tell. . . .for all the 'pedigree' of Milan, we dispatched them with ease shortly after their victory, so don't overplay the relevance of pedigree.

Like I said, let's see what happens on the pitch.

that result is also an anomaly for milan. they have won the champions league 7 times so even if enyimba beats milan, the result will always be an anomaly. but in arsenal's case, you have to win the trophy first before we start saying your result against braga is abnormal. do you get the logic now?
when a bright student gets an "f" - it's an anomaly. when a poor student gets an "f" - it's expected. i hope you can now discern the difference between barca/milan case and arsenal's case. see why i said you skipped logic classes in your owo polytechnic?

debosky:

Barca lost to Shakhtar in 08/09 and won the trophy. Milan lost to Lille and Anderlecht in 06/07 and won the trophy.

It seems you left the remnants of your brain in university.

i was expecting this type of prattle. are arsenal now barcelona or ac milan? barca losing to shakhtar is an anomaly. same as milan in 06/07. a team that has never won the european trophy don't have the same pedigree as barcelona or ac milan. arsenal losing to braga and the likes ain't anomaly. it's the measure of your strength.

debosky:

More hot air. . . like I said, forget the group stages and focus on the knock out rounds. Losing two games will do less harm than winning in the knock out stages.

if you could lose to minnows in the group stage, what chance have you got against the giants in the knock-out stages? it seems you skipped logic classes in your university.

Mr_TA:

I simply dont trust Berbatov and Im done with him obviously I'll support him as long as he wears the man utd shirt but I really cant wait till we get rid. Neither do I trust Carrick and Anderson alone in the middle without either Scholes or Fletcher.

berbatov is our best player this season. the only reason fans don't rate him is because of his price-tag and because he plays for man utd. in any other team, berbatov will be worshipped for his creativity. he is a flop, he is the highest goal scorer in the league. above drogba, chamakh, torres, tevez and rooney. what does he have to do to be appreciated?

scholes won't play against arsenal. the boss mentioned it yesterday and fletcher has been a shadow of himself this season. i hope he gets his mojo back. carrick and anderson combination is the best we have for now. depending on what formation we play against the arses, we might play anderson, carrick, fletcher in the midfield or play two out of the three in the middle. personally, we would be too open playing 4-4-2 against the arses

debosky:

Ando is playing again now so I'm sure he can pay for a lesson teacher to teach you how to count. 

I remember Bayern dealing with Real in the CL group stages some years back yet Real went on to win the trophy. Forget the group stages I say. . . . the real footie starts in the knock out rounds.

a team that could surrender cheaply to the likes of braga and co cannot win the champions league. every match counts. uefa grades all the matches and this is why arsenal are now under bayern munich in the uefa rankings. if you get lower than the 8th position, you would lose your opportunity to be seeded in the draws.

dayokanu:

Carrick is still obviously suffering from the OLIC-somnia since April his Life has never been the same

what is olicmania? every player makes a mistake. scholes has made similar mistakes throughout his career so carrick should be forgiven.

debosky:

Lemme make mouth a bit too. . .if Fergie doesn't play Fletcher, y'all are in trouble.  

good teams are bragging, arsenal want to join mouth. how many games have arsenal lost in the group stage now? two or three?

debosky:

The stats are quite revealing. . . the data analysis shows that Nigeria is the worst 'culprit' when it comes to students remaining in the UK after their studies.

An analysis of students that came in in 2004 show that over 55% of Nigerians remain in the country, followed by Pakistan and India wit 48% and 41% respectively.

I suspect the percentage for Nigeria would have increased in latter years.

Most other countries average between 10-15% of students remaining in the UK.

this is not new to me. nigerian students hardly go back after their studies. although, majority of them get married here and convert their students visa to a british passport which is why the stats is so high.

Mr_TA:

Anderson will definitely start. Dont think Fletcher will. I know Berbatov will start but I would prefer Baba to drop him to the bench and Play Rooney up top with Carrick, Fletcher and Anderson in the middle. Nani and Park supporting.

drop our highest goal scorer against arsenal? not a chance! we drew yesterday because of carrick. i love carrick but he dithers too much on the ball in dangerous spots one time too many. he was the major culprit of the goal we conceded. other than that, united squandered too many chances. park, berbatov, anderson, rooney, etc. i hope they sort that out before arsenal.

. . . . .or why vela's name isn't included in the short-listed ballon d'or list since he's the "new messi"

tkb417:

Bebe won't play

I hope SAF won't include Scholes cos I want the same lineup against Blackburn to play Arsenal

if fletcher is fit, fletcher must play. to beat arsenal, we need players like anderson, carrick and fletcher in the midfield. nani, rooney and berba in the attack. in short, o'shea, giggs, scholes and evans must not be in the squad.

dayokanu:

I am amazed.

I think the fault lies with the GAYYners who are a little more exposed. Like Debo and Kaypumping.

Shouldnt it be their responsibility to enlighten all these dumbos they have as fellow fans?

I would definitely be embarrased to be associated in anyway with retards like those GAYYners who posted above, Maybe Dobo and co derive heavenly feelings from being the only brainy ones among retards, A rich man amongs beggars.

Local Champions.

I am sure they would wonder why Inter Milan is not above Barcelona. Retards

debosky is the culprit here. he communicates in frequency too high for his fellow gaynners. he takes pride in heavy vocabulary that is not understood by his gaynner comrades. he should hold an hourly lecture to train the asswipes in his community. kay-pumping is innocent in that he is not a regular poster and he rarely uses tongue-twisting words when basic words are sufficient. seriously, some gaynners do have 'em.

dayokanu:

How anyone be more stoopid than a GAYYner?

How is Inter Milan below? Can a question be dumber? Where was Inter Milan before last season in Europe?

Finding an informed GAYYner is as equal to finding a strip club in Mecca

some gaynners actually think because inter milan won in europe last season, they have done better than bayern munich and liverpool in the past five years and they should be ahead on the ranking table. who in this day and age does not know uefa club rankings focus on 5 seasons and not a single season? gaynners and idiocy are siamese twins.

the lack of football action this weekend has taken this thread to the sewers. from football matters to bestiality and butt-hunters - it's crazy. we should be talking about the game on saturday if blackpool weren't such a useless club. its sad i won't get to hear about bebe until he bags a brace against fabianski.

4llerbuntu:

wit reference to suara and donkey-anu's links,how on earth can any ranking, on any basis put bayern mumunich ahead of inter milan? see liverpool position sef! do u pple suffer from dyslexic amnesia of the german variant?

this has to be the most foolish question ever asked on a public forum and it's no surprise it was asked by a gaynner. if by 2010, a football fan does not know the theory behind european ranking/coefficient then i suggest you digest some cow dung. i will not even waste my effort explaining how it works for you but i strongly advise you call debosky and kay-pumping to give you a 30-day lecture on how it works.

justwise:

It will absolutely hit many foreign students, i think more foreign students will be looking at USA, Canada and other EU countries now.

america is worse. you don't get a social security number until 5 + x years as a student and students can only work on campuses. canada is the best place to be and the eu should also be okay but language barrier is another limitation regarding that.

dammytex:

But come to think of it; Xavi's team played against Schneider's team 5 times last season with the world cup inclusive. Xavi won three of those matches with Schneider winning only once at San siro. Xavi was arguable the best midfielder in the 3 matches won by him. So, going by head to head, you tell me the winner.
Xavi has survived a consistent top class performance under different coaches. It had to take the best of a coach like J.M to bring out the career best out of Schneider. Can we say this is the same Schneider we used to know, now that he is under that not-so-smart person called Benitez. If Madrid had enough confidence in Schneider, he wouldn't have been ejected the way he was.
Xavi is a player that has won it all. Everything in football that can be won by Xavi has been won; Euro, World cup, Treble, 7 out of 7 in a year.
Xavi has been hot since ages and he is still hot (you can ask J.M and Real Madrid) and if there is any footballer in the world that wants to compete with Xavi, for the Ballon, it should not be a midfielder that has been outclassed by Xavi on a head to head basis.
Thank you.

once again, you have clearly missed the point just like ibime was doing last night. what is my business with sneijder's career in real madrid? the issue is his performance in year 2010 when he outperformed xavi in the champions league and in the world cup. la liga is different from serie a so it's difficult to judge the two players based on their performances in two different leagues. no one is disputing xavi's brilliance over the years but in the year 2010, sneijder has been a better player than xavi. all the other points you made about sneijder not hot in madrid and not hot under benitez are watery. xavi has been at barca for eons so he is more settled as a player.

Ifedisky:

Posing, preening, prancing, posturing!! Well, my dear riders of a VERY HIgh Horse, Time's the essence, time's 19.45 Monday. Not before

how i wish vermaelen is fit for this game. he's really essential in the blueprint of how to violate arsenal. trust vermaelen to make a huge mistake of leaving a hole big enough to fit a spaceship in his defence. rooney, nani and js park figured him out nicely last season. i doubt djourou would be that adventurous.

debosky:

Potential 5 point gap in December? After losing to West Brom and Newcastle at home, it's a miracle things are still that close.

but that ain't the true story. you could be 8-10 points off the league leaders by january. this month, you play chelsea, man utd and wigan if we mirror last season's results with those fixtures, you would lose 9 precious points this month alone. debosky, perilous times.

Mrs, Eve:

Now I see what you mean Koyoke!  

Cougar, I see that you don't know sarcasm when you read it but let me apologize because I assumed you could decipher it effortlessly that what I get for thinking everyone is on the same cognitive level.  Please accept it for I humbly apologize.  

the smiley at the end of my sentence should have told you i was just joking. i don't know you from pluto so why should i judge you or take your comments seriously here. seriously, i was just playing your own words back to you in a joking gesture.

debosky:

Nah, just realistic. . . . .I'm too long in the tooth to miss the glaring frailties in our side at the moment.

The best thing for me is, for the first time in a while, we can actually 'afford' to lose the game and be only 2 points behind. Usually, it's lose and you're out of the race in these games.

it's a potential 5 point gap. united have a game in hand. don't be too comfortable with your position.

Mrs, Eve:

I hear ya Koyoke. You and I think alike and can understand each others joke! You ain't my husband is you? (looking in the back) Nawl, my husband don't like Gucci shoes anyways! I believe you when you said you love your wife and monogamous because we speak highly of our spouses that what people who in love and love their spouses do. So I hear ya suga! I trust my husband with my life so as he I.

but u would suck a man's willy back to the stone age if the price is right.

^^^^ he's cracking up.