**OFFICIAL Association Football 2012/2013 Season thread**

[Rageman]

Premiership made the right choice by going with NBCSports and saying goodbye to ESPN and Fox.
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/0 ... er/198140/

STAMFORD, Conn. – August 18, 2013 – NBC Sports Group kicked off its exclusive coverage of the Premier League on Saturday with three live matches -- Liverpool-Stoke City and Arsenal-Aston Villa on NBCSN followed by Swansea City-Manchester United on NBC. Live match coverage continued today on NBCSN with Crystal Palace-Tottenham and Chelsea-Hull City.

Saturday’s NBC telecast of Swansea City-Manchester United drew the highest overnight rating (.8) in U.S. history for a Premier League opening weekend match.

Additional notes on Saturday’s coverage:

NBC Sports Group’s three live opening-day Premier League telecasts averaged a .5 overnight rating – up 67% from last season’s opening Saturday three-game average (.3 average for one match on ESPN and two on Fox Soccer)
Washington, D.C. topped all U.S. markets for local ratings of NBC’s Swansea City-Manchester United telecast. Following is the top ten:
Washington, D.C. (2.2)
Tulsa (1.9)
Austin (1.8)
Seattle (1.4)
Buffalo (1.4)
Los Angeles (1.2)
Philadelphia (1.0)
Cincinnati (1.0)
Orlando (1.0)
Hartford/New Haven (0.9)

Fans streamed more than four million minutes of Premier League action via NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices and tablets. This is the first time ever that all Premier League games are available at no extra cost (to fans with NBC Sports Network) via live stream.

This the first time that all Premier League games are available on television on the networks of NBCUniversal and the Premier League Extra Time bonus television package. Extra Time is available at no extra cost to fans who receive NBC Sports Network through their cable/satellite/telco providers.

[Hellsinkey]

Moyes is embarrassing. Or desperate.

First missing out Fellaini's buy out clause, now he's trying to buy him for only 1 mil more than Everton paid for him. Also he offered the same amount for Baines that was previously rejected. No sale- no wonder. Does Moyes think he's clever?

[Rageman]

Moyes is the Sammy Hagar of managers?

ManHagar United?

[Hellsinkey]

He clearly has a small team mentality. He thinks he would get a bargain on Fellaini. Why would they sell him for less than his buy out price was? He's not in the position to bargain now. Trying to add Baines to that deal is sad. He has really embarrassed this transfer season.

[MickeyG]

United are now relying on Baines and Fellaini to force moves.

[pieceofme]

United are now relying on Baines and Fellaini to force moves.

Lame.

[Tenacious_Dio]

Premiership made the right choice by going with NBCSports and saying goodbye to ESPN and Fox.
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/0 ... er/198140/

STAMFORD, Conn. – August 18, 2013 – NBC Sports Group kicked off its exclusive coverage of the Premier League on Saturday with three live matches -- Liverpool-Stoke City and Arsenal-Aston Villa on NBCSN followed by Swansea City-Manchester United on NBC. Live match coverage continued today on NBCSN with Crystal Palace-Tottenham and Chelsea-Hull City.

Saturday’s NBC telecast of Swansea City-Manchester United drew the highest overnight rating (. in U.S. history for a Premier League opening weekend match.

Additional notes on Saturday’s coverage:

NBC Sports Group’s three live opening-day Premier League telecasts averaged a .5 overnight rating – up 67% from last season’s opening Saturday three-game average (.3 average for one match on ESPN and two on Fox Soccer)
Washington, D.C. topped all U.S. markets for local ratings of NBC’s Swansea City-Manchester United telecast. Following is the top ten:
Washington, D.C. (2.2)
Tulsa (1.9)
Austin (1.
Seattle (1.4)
Buffalo (1.4)
Los Angeles (1.2)
Philadelphia (1.0)
Cincinnati (1.0)
Orlando (1.0)
Hartford/New Haven (0.9)

Fans streamed more than four million minutes of Premier League action via NBC Sports Live Extra, NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices and tablets. This is the first time ever that all Premier League games are available at no extra cost (to fans with NBC Sports Network) via live stream.

This the first time that all Premier League games are available on television on the networks of NBCUniversal and the Premier League Extra Time bonus television package. Extra Time is available at no extra cost to fans who receive NBC Sports Network through their cable/satellite/telco providers.

My problem with NBC is the number of games they air. Fox had Fox Soccer and Fox Soccer Plus, so it seemed like there were always two games on at the same time. At least you had a choice in what to watch. Online streaming is nice, but I'd rather watch the games in 42" hi-def.

[MickeyG]

I never bothered with Soccer Plus, and now I can dump Fox soccer, or whatever they've changed it to as they've moved the CL to Fox sports 1 which used to be speed. So this is great for me as I now can stream a game from NBC's website in good quality instead of having to find one on a shitty, dodgy website from Eastern Europe, if the game I want isn't on tv.

[Tenacious_Dio]

I only got Soccer Plus because it came with the NFL Red Zone package. Fun while it lasted, I guess.

[ShearMagic]

He clearly has a small team mentality. He thinks he would get a bargain on Fellaini. Why would they sell him for less than his buy out price was? He's not in the position to bargain now. Trying to add Baines to that deal is sad. He has really embarrassed this transfer season.

Is Moyes really the guy behind making the offers?

[Hellsinkey]

Him and Ed Woodward.

[MickeyG]

Ha, ha City.

[Hellsinkey]

Ha, ha City.

They got owned.

Today is the first real test for Moyes. I hope Chelsea doesn't get a lead in 6 points even at this early stage.

[shocked_the_monkey]

Fergie-era United would've won that game 8-0. MOYES OUT!!!!

[Hellsinkey]

Rubbish game. Mourinho tries to prove a point by starting with no strikers (hello Rooney). And why the hell doesn't Moyes let Kagawa play.

[MickeyG]

United seemed solid defensively, but I wonder how much of that was down to boring Chelsea. The last few years under Fergie United have looked vulnerable against teams like Chelsea that can load the midfield with quality, but that didn't happen.

At the other end of the pitch, Rooney tried hard but otherwise United were very blunt. No quality out wide. United desperately need Nani and/or Zaha out wide to provide some spark. Maybe some kind of 4-3-3 variation using a mix of the forwards available might work, but I like creativity out wide and I'm not seeing it in this lot.

[Rageman]

GROUP A: Manchester United, Shakhtar Donetsk, Bayer Leverkusen, Real Sociedad

GROUP B: Real Madrid, Juventus, Galatasaray, FC Copenhagen

GROUP C: Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain, Olympiakos, Anderlecht

GROUP D: Bayern Munich, CSKA Moscow, Manchester City, Viktoria Plzen

GROUP E: Chelsea, Schalke, Basel, Steaua Bucharest

GROUP F: Arsenal, Marseille, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli

GROUP G: Porto, Atletico Madrid, Football Club Zenit, Austria Vienna

GROUP H: Barcelona, AC Milan, Ajax, Celtic

All of the English teams are grouped up with German squads.
Group F is the group of death . . . Group H is pretty tough
Group G is the most wide open . . . possibly Group C

[Hellsinkey]

F is the most even, could be anybody.

[shocked_the_monkey]

F is the most even, could be anybody.

I'd be surprised if Arsenal win any of their away games and TBH I can see Dortmund beating them at the Emirates as well. Ignoring the players, Naples, Dortmund and Marseille are pretty intimidating stadiums. I think the Emirates might actually be the smallest....

[MickeyG]

Poor from United today, but I think they deserved a draw. No cutting edge, but lots of possession. Liverpool were shite too, and 3 wins for them overblows how good they are.

Hopefully some signings are made tomorrow.

[Hellsinkey]

Worryingly, Moyes thinks this squad is enough. Not with him it isn't. It's bad when you have to do with Giggs and Young for most of the game. Rooney's out, so where the fuck was Kagawa? It's only day 3 though.

[MickeyG]

It's the kind of thing Fergie would say, and then unveil a new signing. Moyes isn't Fergie though, and will get owned if he doesn't come up with the goods results wise. He's probably learned from the Rooney debacle where his words were taken out of context with that playing second fiddle to RVP bullshit. He'll be careful what he says and most of it will be lies no doubt.

[pieceofme]

Poor from United today, but I think they deserved a draw. No cutting edge, but lots of possession. Liverpool were shite too, and 3 wins for them overblows how good they are.

Hopefully some signings are made tomorrow.

Yeah pretty much. It's going to be Fellaini who I rate as mediocre to decent. Certainly that signing will not worry the European super powers.

Worryingly, Moyes thinks this squad is enough. Not with him it isn't. It's bad when you have to do with Giggs and Young for most of the game. Rooney's out, so where the fuck was Kagawa? It's only day 3 though.

And where the fuck is Kagawa!!!

Supposedly he is knackered from competing and didn't have enough training or some bullshit like that. I'm drunk but it is on those lines. Maybe. But still unless he is injured where the fuck is Kagawa!

[MickeyG]

Read today that Kagawa possibly has a chronic long term injury that won't go away.

[Hellsinkey]

Transfer window is closing. Thank fuck for that. Moyes acts like a midtable manager and tries to get people at last minute. Probably paying more for Fellaini than he could have.

[pieceofme]

Transfer window is closing. Thank fuck for that. Moyes acts like a midtable manager and tries to get people at last minute. Probably paying more for Fellaini than he could have.

Thats because he is.

[CliffByford]

Happy that we've captured Matt Phillips and, especially, Benoit Assou-Ekotto - a few Prem clubs seemed to have missed a trick there. Not happy that Palace are in for Andy Johnson, we need him. Palace are signing shit loads of players, most of them pretty average.

Would've been funny if they ended up with a frontline of failed Arsenal strikers.

Also, big LOL that Moyes is sweating over getting the Belgian Screech lookalike whilst Wenger's cruised in and got Özil, albeit at a massively inflated price.

[pieceofme]

Happy that we've captured Matt Phillips and, especially, Benoit Assou-Ekotto - a few Prem clubs seemed to have missed a trick there. Not happy that Palace are in for Andy Johnson, we need him. Palace are signing shit loads of players, most of them pretty average.

Would've been funny if they ended up with a frontline of failed Arsenal strikers.

Also, big LOL that Moyes is sweating over getting the Belgian Screech lookalike whilst Wenger's cruised in and got Özil, albeit at a massively inflated price.

Quality signing. But yeah definitely over-priced. But if Bale is worth over 80 million it doesn't seem to bad!

[MickeyG]

Sounds like a comedy day for United today with this Herrera fiasco. If it's as fucked up as it sounds then Woodward should walk. Very embarrassing.

Props to Arsenal picking up Ozil.

[pieceofme]

We got Felliani for 27.5 million.

His buyout clause was 23 million. Talk about a panic buy and a complete gong show.