All EPL talk in here...

Chelsea have bought well, very well, but Mourinho needs to utilise the best of his players, rather than parking that bloody bus.

Great squad they have, but Man Utd will be stronger this season.

As for City, have they even bought anyone?

Then there's Liverpool who sold the only thing elevating them from being good to world class.

Last but not least Arsenal - buying well, Sanchez is a good signing.

And it seems Arsenal won't stop buying there. Khedira and Balo again mentioned in some papers.

Don't forget United, I'm very keen on seeing how LvG will do there.

Wenger calls interest in Balo a total 'fabrication'. Denied it outright.

Good luck in NY.

Class act, wish him luck in the states.

Despite their City links and City looking strip, I might follow NYCFC. I don't have an MLS team and them being NY based makes sense with my other teams.

He's going back to City on loan apparently for a few months anyway!

Torquay have Gateshead next Saturday when the real thing starts all over again, I'm not even sure I can be bothered

Villa close to signing Aly Cissokho, isn't this the guy that failed a medical with Milan because of his teeth?

Yep

You know, in a way it's a good thing we didn't sign him. I remember Galliani praising him as the best young LB in the world when he was supposedly ours. But then he failed at Lyon, failed at Valencia, and with all due respect Kurt, he's ended up at Villa.

Failed at Liverpool too.

We're a relegation threatened EPL team, he's not good enough for us. Says a lot about him and how Milan dodged a bullet.

You can make more than 3 subs in the Community Shield game?

It's officially considered a friendly and not a competitive game.

Like the Uefa Super Cup, Club World Cup, Spanish Super Cup.

Really? That's weird. Super Cups are official games everywhere else.

Yeah I'm not sure why. I can't remember who it was that was signed in the summer, played in the Community Shield, then was sold not. There was talk the sale couldn't go through because you can't play for 3 clubs in 1 year, but it was said it's not an official match so doesn't count. Seems odd to me too.

Villa in talks to sign Carlos Sanchez for £4m. Would be one of the signings of the summer at that price, was one of the World Cups better players!

Quite a bit of talk that the Community shield game might be one played internationally in the near future. Not surprised, still see the EPL becoming like the NFL with a couple of meaningful International games.

Massive signing for Villa really. More of his World Cup performances and the long wait for a DM to replace Petrov will be well and truly over!

Good to have the EPL back tomorrow.

Moyes first league game in charge was a 4-1 win away at Swansea. So if this holds up and United lose at home, van Gaal could be in trouble. United do look horrific.

Did they actually make any improvements to the squad? They look the same as they did last season...

And what is up with the formation Van Gaal is using, they look so awkward out there

Herrera looks questionable at the moment, all I've heard is praise for him. He seems to not want to be tackled too, goes over and complains every single time.

Januzaj and Young have been the only decent-ish players for United.

They signed Herrera who, as Ash mentioned, looks crap so far. The only other notable signing was Shaw, who's injured. Fletcher, Lingaard, Jones, Smalling and Blackett aren't good enough.

Stupid to play a 3-5-2 when you got rid of your 2 regular starting CBs and didn't replace either.

the player that contributes 100% of Uniteds talent on the field equalises.

I don't understand why they have players like Fletcher and Jones on the pitch, for us one can understand having duds like Muntari and the like, we don't have any actual money to spend. But United? They reportedly gave Van Gaal an unlimited budget to work with this summer and yet they still have these kind of players starting games for them, their midfield is probably worse than ours if you count Mata as an attacker.

There are top players like Khedira and Di Maria not wanted by Real, Reus has a buy out they can easily activate, they could easily improve their squad with the resources that they have at their disposal

I stand by my opinion that United last season just weren't good. Moyes should've done a better job, but the team was shite. Carried by a great manager in SAF.

The team is far worse than last year too without Vidic & Evra, even Rio is an improvement on some of those defenders.

Aside of Januzaj & Rooney in fits & starts that United team is horrendous.

Also Herrera looks bang average, but he's little & Spanish so you can't criticse.

van Gaal, record breaker. Last opening day defeat at home - 1972.

These kinds of players don't work in England IMO.

It's and well and good being technically gifted, but shying out of tackles, not really being a ball winner, lack of pace and running - you're going to get out-battled by very average players.

Nervous for Villa game after what Stoke did to us last season. I expect a loss especially with their home record over the years, but can always hope!

I don't think it's just the lack of quality players, Van Gaal's 3-5-2 won't work with the players he has. You need a strong midfield, strong wingbacks and 3 tough as nails CBs, one of which has to be very good on the ball to make that system work, he has none of those. Even more, you need players that are tactically smart enough to make it work, Jones and the rest of the gang are certainly not that.

Are you trying to tell me Ashley Young is not a defender!?

Was he actually playing as a wingback? It looked so awkward and unbalanced

Yeah, then 2nd half he was playing as an actual left back. WTF!?

They lost, again?

Phenomenal effort and win. Winning at Stoke is no simple task, very few do it. Brilliant. Cissokho was solid at the back, great going forward. More of the same please.

Pitch invader takes Spurs free kick


I love how all the players turn and watch to see if it goes in.

Utd linked with a £100M bid for Di Maria. Money has no value any more in football. None at all.

'Want that player? Sure! Let's just throw as much money at them as we can'.

Unless you're Milan of course.

Yup, that's why this sports has little remaining equity for me. There are much more interesting things to do in life than waste time with this money contests. In a perfect world Di Mario would be a €20 million player. That is why I only occasionally watch football these days, if only for the underdog thrill. The Atléticos and Dortmunds of the world.

And fans who support these (and other) lesser clubs, even in this day and age, have my full respects. Kurt and Ash are two examples here, there are many more that cry for even smaller clubs. I'll always stand beside them, instead of gloryhunters and the new generation that fails to understand that there is a world outside the big teams.

Because, ultimately, at this rate, the sports itself is going to be affected. It already is, in some ways.

I can't see this happening, I see a knee-jerk coming but not this. If they're going to throw £100m at people they may as well go after Cristiano again. That's paper nonsense though if they're projecting that as a transfer fee.

United are an odd one at the moment, everyone was expecting a big surge of transfers and they've actually been pretty poor again. Shaw was an ok buy but for £30m+? That's ridiculous. Herrera I'm still yet to be convinced by and again I think they overpaid.

They are still an illustrious club I don't buy this whole they aren't in CL now so no one wants to go there. We're still in a generation where Manchester United have been and continue to be one of the biggest clubs globally in the world, they still have a lot of allure. Something is going on in the background though, most likely the Glazer's just aren't putting money back into the club.

That team needs a lot of financial backing at the moment, it did with Fergie and it certainly does without, everyone could see that at the weekend. I can't see how their Exec can be so poor to not get anyone of note, all Cesc, Vidal, Di Maria, Kroos, Bale, Cuadrado, Strootman even dare I say it Cristiano have slipped through the grasp. You could be the worst salesman in the world and get people to United as long as you have financial backing.


Yeah, I feel for Dave who has a season ticket to the park to watch the local pub b-team

Massive respects to him!

Chelsea are seriously stacked this season!

Cesc pass/Schurrle goal

In a perfect world Di Maria would be a £500,000 player and the world record would have stopped at £1M. Since Clough signed Francis it opened the floodgates.



HEY! Kurt supports a team who won the European Cup! Rangers haven't even made the final And never will. Did make the Uefa final in 2008 mind you. But nowadays we're in the Scottish Serie B having clawed our way back from its equivalent of Serie D. THAT'S support! Hence tonight I rather enjoyed an 8-1 win

As for Ash, aye, that truly is dedication.

Or insanity. Or both. I think you need a bit of both to stay loyal in football.

A few of my friends support Tamworth, I've been there for a few games. They got relegated from the Conference this past season. Most of them support Villa as well though, sort of cheating.

Former Cardiff manager Malky Mackay has been found to have sent sexist, homophobic and racist texts to people within the club regarding players, agents and the like.

Harry "Rent-a-quote" Redknapp gave his opinion. "He’s not murdered anyone, he’s not a rapist or a paedophile." Oh okay, thanks Harry. I wasn't aware those were the only 3 crimes you were allowed to be punished for. Harry Redknapp is my least favourite famous person in the World.

Redknapp is a well-intentioned buffoon. He's a nice guy and straight up, fairly, anyway, but he doesn't half seem off the pace with some things.

PS MacKay - slimeball, lowest of the low. Glad he's a tim.

Table doesn't lie. Villa top. Best side in England.