Go on, I'll ask the question!

[ATCO]

I know there are lots of footy fans on here of various shades and persuasions.

I follow the footy a bit, unfortunately my team was relegated this season.

Currently stuck in Central Africa, but as they are all Premier League mad here all the bars have multiple TV screens showing the games.

Generally its Man U, Arsenal or Chelsea.

So although I would have preferred to see Bolton verses Stoke, I was obliged to live with Man U, Arsenal and Man C and track as best I could Bolton's game on the internet.

So, Man U despatch Sunderland 1-0, ahead of the end of Man C game.

Bolton are cheated out of a win at Stoke with some highly dubious referee decisions, been plenty of those this year, but in truth I think we blew it twice previously when we allowed Wigan to win 1-0 at Bolton and then blow a 2-0 lead against WBA with only 15 minutes to go last week. You cannot do that and not expect relegation.

But my question is all about Man C. QPR with only 10 men (Barton should be banned for life the moron) are 2-1 up, away, to supposedly the best team in the league and its injury time and they know Man U have won. It looks all over for them. But wait, there seems to be discussions going on between players. Yes I know they rabbit at each other all the time, but this has a different look. How's about, 'Brother Cisse. Bolton haven't won, your safe, pass the word around your team, we need a result here, can you help?'

Then passes start to go astray, mistakes are made and Man C score not once, but twice, in injury time, having looked dead and buried. Hmmmm.

Is it a fantastic team of players, or a fix?

[R33_GTS-t]

Man U's fault for being so hated. A bit like backmarkers taking longer to let Alonso past.

[Bajie]

It wasn't fixed.
Rangers needed to win to stay up and when they scored, after defending so well after Barton got his marching orders, they only ran out of steam at the end.
Funny though, on paper [the stuff money is made of], Man Chitti should have had the premiership sewn up in November.
Its a funny old game.
Having said that, Barton did play for City. Apparently he is the only player they are not trying to sign this summer ....

[ATCO]

Come on!

Professional Premier League players cannot prevent two goals, in two minutes, in injury time?

I'm convinced if Bolton had beaten Stoke, QPR would have won the game.

[Mookistar]

the atmostphere was bonkers tho, and i think the QPR players lost thier head.

i personally thiny Fulop for West Brom needs looking at. He was awful against Arsenal, almost as bad a Grobellar

mook

[ATCO]

Well given the current second time around 'investigation' in Italian Serie A, clearly arrangements do occur.

More so I guess with a Club owner who has almost a bottomless pit of money to draw upon and an opposition group of players for whom the result is now meaningless and for the others its priceless.

It is clear that having brought Tevez back and tolerated Balotelli, Mancini had to deliver and the players would have known that.

Don't know if its true but Ferguson was telling his players to wait on their celebrations as 'strange things' could happen, when they had won and City where 2-1 down with only injury minutes left. Maybe the big yin communist knew all the time.

[Simonh]

didn't betfred pay out early on Man U winning again?

[Nickgtr35]

brill game, i was on the edge of my seat and do not support either. Don't think it was fixed though. Great footie season just happy my team Swansea survived.
Mook I guess that you are supporting Bayern then?

[Bajie]

What is the benefit of Arsenal being in the Champions League over Tottenham?
Or Chelsea over Tottenham/Newcastle though.
If at the beginning of the season I thought the top three being ManUre, Chelski and ManChitti. I thought Arsenal would not make Champions League.
But over the course of the season all the teams managed to do an Arsenal by constantly shooting themselves in the foot.
If you want to argue it as being fixed, you really have to look at things over the course of the season.
On final day, the results were surely not unexpected? Seriously, did you even think QPR would go ahead against City? If taking a backhander, surely they would have just laid down while losing. Nobody would have cared.
And, if having taken a backhander, surely then they would have accepted whatever fate befell them at the final whistle.
Just my thoughts.

[Mookistar]

I'll defo be cheering on bayern. I think Chelsea could do with some time in thebeuropa league. Lol

[ATCO]

Originally Posted by Bajie

What is the benefit of Arsenal being in the Champions League over Tottenham?
Or Chelsea over Tottenham/Newcastle though.
If at the beginning of the season I thought the top three being ManUre, Chelski and ManChitti. I thought Arsenal would not make Champions League.
But over the course of the season all the teams managed to do an Arsenal by constantly shooting themselves in the foot.
If you want to argue it as being fixed, you really have to look at things over the course of the season.
On final day, the results were surely not unexpected? Seriously, did you even think QPR would go ahead against City? If taking a backhander, surely they would have just laid down while losing. Nobody would have cared.
And, if having taken a backhander, surely then they would have accepted whatever fate befell them at the final whistle.
Just my thoughts.

Champions League has never been an issue for a Bolton fan, although Big Sam got us into Europa League one year.

Agreed about results across the whole season, however its the critical last games that provide final deciders. If you wanted to be pedantic, then City effectively 'won' the league when they got the 6-1 result at Old Trafford, it was made more interesting because of how first they, then Man U threw away big point leads.

With regard to QPR, you forget the dynamics of the their game and what was going on at Stoke. I agree, no one expected them to win at City, maybe that was the City players problem, they expected to win, especially after QPR went down to 10 men. Fact is, all credit to QPR players, they dug deep and did the business, probably aware Bolton were 2-1 up so they needed to win and were delivering. It was only when it went 2-2 at Stoke and finally game ended that they knew the result for them did not matter any more. However, it did for City and the 'miracle' unfolded. Mansoor (or whatever he is called) now owes them a big favour.

[RSVFOUR]

sounds like sour grapes because bolton went down to me.

following your train of thought maybe QPR knew they didnt need to win cos they had bribed the ref in the Bolton game . No more far fetched than your thoughts.

[wildboy]

Although I think QPR didn't care once they heard the Bolton result, I don't think it was fixed. Too many chances thrown away during the season by utd themselves to even think about blaming someone else.
Oh, and I'm a utd fan

[ATCO]

Originally Posted by RSVFOUR

sounds like sour grapes because bolton went down to me.

following your train of thought maybe QPR knew they didnt need to win cos they had bribed the ref in the Bolton game . No more far fetched than your thoughts.

Not at all. Had concluded we where going down since January! Yes, all the excuses can be trotted (if you pardon the expression) out about extensive injury list, loss of quality ( and loan) players, bad referee decisions and so on. But fact is much of that was before season started and Bolton do not have the biggest of squads in first place. They could have bought in some players, but not the richest of Clubs either and suspect management thought they had enough available without. Especially since after first game we where top of league. Then reality began to bite, and a defence leaking like a seive. The tell tale signs where all there long ago and I looked at fixture list and thought, cannot see where we can make 37 points, assuming that is the 'safe' point. Even that turned out to be 'unsafe' due to the awful GD we had. It was a credit to the Coyle and the team that they actually played themselves into a potential 'escape' position, even if that was partially thanks to other teams failing. In the end, we did not win enough, and threw away too many points. So unless others are even worse, relegation is inevitable.

Regarding the Ref at Stoke, don't know. There seem to have been a number of 'bad decisions' this season. Is it getting worse or are they just being picked out more? For sure the Stoke first goal was a foul and should have been disallowed. Only the Ref can explain why it wasn't. The penalty, looked very soft, but they have been given before this season. As the pundits and managers often say, some of these flaky decisions have got huge financial implications for teams so why isn't something being done about it? Goaline technology is a step in that direction. It is unreasonable to expect a human being (assuming all refs are!) running around a pitch in the fast pace things are played at these days to see everything and get every decision right. Even with linesman and fourth official assistance. Reality is, a bad decision can cost a team a Champions league place (£M's), relegation from EPL (£50M+ and players) or promotion.

For the life of me, I cannot understand that with all the camera's at grounds these days and technology available why they do not use it to the full by having an e-official reviewing an event. The game will not be stopped for long and is it not best to get it 'right' when so much can be at stake? The arguement that it cannot be 'rolled' out across every Club in all leagues as its too expensive is ridiculous. Start at the top and do what you can. You don't deny medical care to patients because you might not be able to treat everyone, do you?

If nothing else, it would push players, and referees for that matter, to be as close to honest as possible and being SEEN to be so.

[Jamerio]

HAHASPORT is your special friend for watching premier league matches.