2012-2013 Premier League Thread

[VinatieriDefinesClutch]

And Villa are officially safe!!! Now to keep Benteke and find a sturdy center midfielder.

[andyt]

So here is an interesting problem the BPL might face. If Chelsea plays to a draw and Arsenal beats Newcastle by 1 goal, Chelsea and Arsenal could be in a dead tie for 3rd. Since it's the difference between the Group Stage and Playoff round in the Champions League, they have to resolve the tie. If points, goal differential and goals scored are all equal, they have to play it off. Head to head results aren't used in a tie break situation.

So here is the problem...they might not be able to play until July. Wembley isn't available at the end of May due to the Champions League Final, the Championship playoff and an England/Ireland friendly. Even if they could find another venue, Chelsea is in the US for matches against Man City May 23 and 25. June 3-13 is a FIFA International break. The UEFA U21 championship starts on June 5. The Confederations Cup with Brazil, Spain and Nigeria starts on June 15 and runs until the end of the month. So now we're in July, except UEFA requires that official entry documents be submitted by June 3.

http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/14...ay-off?cc=5901

[jeffbear]

And Villa are officially safe!!! Now to keep Benteke and find a sturdy center midfielder.

I think holding onto Benteke is an absolute MUST, even if Randy has to reach into that mousetrap of a wallet to pay him over market wages.

[Cali Ed]

The final results and tables

16:00	Chelsea	2 - 1	Everton
16:00	Liverpool	1 - 0	QPR
16:00	Man City	2 - 3	Norwich
16:00	Newcastle	0 - 1	Arsenal
16:00	Southampton	1 - 1	Stoke
16:00	Swansea	0 - 3	Fulham
16:00	Tottenham	1 - 0	Sunderland
16:00	West Brom	5 - 5	Man Utd
16:00	West Ham	4 - 2	Reading
16:00	Wigan	2 - 2	Aston Villa

So the much-talked about "playoff" never shaped up, as Chelsea bagged the three points to finish 3rd clear of Arsenal. And Spurs got pipped by the Gunners to the last Champions' League spot.

Glad to see Jamie going out on top. Just wish that bullet he hit in the 2nd half had found the top corner instead of the woodwork.

West Brom and ManU had a fun match, huh? WOW!


The final tables?

POS		LP	CLUB	P	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	PTS
1		(1)	Manchester United	38	28	5	5	86	43	43	89
2		(2)	Manchester City	38	23	9	6	66	34	32	78
3		(3)	Chelsea	38	22	9	7	75	39	36	75
4		(4)	Arsenal	38	21	10	7	72	37	35	73
5		(5)	Tottenham Hotspur	38	21	9	8	66	46	20	72
6		(6)	Everton	38	16	15	7	55	40	15	63
7		(7)	Liverpool	38	16	13	9	71	43	28	61
8		(8)	West Bromwich Albion	38	14	7	17	53	57	-4	49
9		(9)	Swansea City	38	11	13	14	47	51	-4	46
10		(10)	West Ham United	38	12	10	16	45	53	-8	46
11		(12)	Norwich City	38	10	14	14	41	58	-17	44
12		(15)	Fulham	38	11	10	17	50	60	-10	43
13		(11)	Stoke City	38	9	15	14	34	45	-11	42
14		(14)	Southampton	38	9	14	15	49	60	-11	41
15		(16)	Aston Villa	38	10	11	17	47	69	-22	41
16		(13)	Newcastle United	38	11	8	19	45	68	-23	41
17		(17)	Sunderland	38	9	12	17	41	54	-13	39
18		(18)	Wigan Athletic	38	9	9	20	47	73	-26	36
19		(19)	Reading	38	6	10	22	43	73	-30	28
20		(20)	Queens Park Rangers	38	4	13	21	30	60	-30	25

[Cali Ed]

BTW, very much looking forward to the Championship play-off next Monday. Here's hoping Crystal Palace makes it back. After nearly being wound up a couple of years ago, a return to the Premier League would be fantastic for the club, its new owners and its supporters.