4117 réponses à ce sujet

[Druss99]

The Rock and Mick Foley are due to appear on RAW tonight for a 3 hour special. It will be 3 hours of ass kissing I imagine.

It would, theres been a few on Nevermind the Buzz****s where people have stormed off or just sat there huffing. Amy Winehouse being drunk and some guy who thought he was a rockstar but was no one really trying to act the rebel spring to mind. Few times while doing punditry I thought people were going to snap, Souness often looks on the verge of hitting someone. Richard Keys and Redknapp both looked like they were going to feel his wrath.

I think its all the passing that goes nowhere while the other team sit back. Its hard to put my finger on it.

'Arry will no doubt bleet about that when he comes back. Ofcourse when he does the media will fawn that he is back and we missed him. Apparently someone has been comparing Suarez to Messi. Hhmmm...

Man City may have done more harm than good offering him the olive branch of saying he only refused to warm up. He bloody admitted he refused to go on on tv. Thats going to drive me insane if they keep ignoring it. In any case he missed the deadline and refused to come back to the country, apparently they have only been able to contact his representatives. I hope City sack him and FIFA land him with a lifetime ban, what he is doing could cause irrepairable damage to the game if he gets away with it.

I like how Capello's glasses look like a big angry eyebrow. The press conference was maddening, media are informed that Terry can't answer questions on anything to do with the allegations because its a legal matter. But they just keep asking and asking and asking. After being told for the final time that they won't be discussing it "Do you want to talk about it John?" was the very next question bloody hell. The press officer looked like he was going to beat his head off the desk.

[OBakaSama]

Ah...heard that Foley was back in some capacity. As fun as some of the old guard can be, as they were part of the more successful era of wrestling, if they continue bringing back the old guard it feels like...TNA?

Hm...never really watched that. I am reminded of the Bee Gees storming out on Clive Anderson though. Still wonder if anyone will snap though.

Saw the headline. Er...not that Suarez is a bad player, but...compared to Messi? What were they taking at the time?

Surely FIFA could charge him with damaging the reputation of the game. Assuming they are sensible.

The press don't seem to understand simple English. I know they're after a story, but they are starting to sound like the paparazzi or something.

[Druss99]

Yeah its like a cheap gimmick, I've heard people complain that everytime Hogan, Flair or Sting come out in TNA they get their asses kissed endlessly. WWE does the exact same thing every time someone comes back. Its very hard to keep any sort of interest.

I remember Mike Summerbee going a tad nuts when United beat City 4-3. His rage was kind of hilarious.

I just read the headline too and automatically thought "Bloody Scousers." Apparently he picked up a bit of a niggle in that match. My Dalglish prediction is looking good.

Apparently City aren't even going to discipline Tevez. Theres so many conflicting stories its unreal. I think the PFA are close to abandoning him now too. It could get hilarious or maddening. He is approaching Skeletor levels of villainy.

The press are like wolves with the smell of blood in their nostrils, snapping and biting at the beady eyed swine.

There was an entire show on SSN tonight dedicated to Englands victory over Spain. They had Guilam Ballague on who kept trying to tell them that Spain aren't that good and have had problems scoring. They didn't listen. Steve McClarens startling baldness was somewhat distracting too. John Salako appears to be a bit of an idiot.

[OBakaSama]

Haven't seen enough of TNA to comment. My own concerns would be how capable they are in the ring. For some reason I think that due to their ages their abilities are somewhat diminished. The way some of them go...well...I'm picturing the character Christian seems to have been given and they keep saying "one more match" to the bookers and promoters or something.

Hm...wasn't that long ago I think. At least it still rings a bell.

It seems that Welbeck has been withdrawn now owing to a muscle sprain. With Owen also out, not that he's played a great deal this season, Man Utd's forward line looks a little weakened. Perhaps Berbatov will get a game. If Suarez is out...I wonder how Liverpool will cope. Carroll up front by himself. Come to think of it, who else do Liverpool have up front?

A bunch of different stories again. According to one, Tevez's representatives are claiming their are no further disciplinary issues; I find that hard to believe myself. Seeing that he has Joorabchian...does he need the PFA? (I would go for Hordak. Skeletor was his underling and even fought Hordak with He-Man and She-Ra in the Christmas special....)

*Heh*

Oh dear. That sounds....bad. Did they make England to be the best in the world?

[Druss99]

The whole Mick Foley thing was odd last night, they basically just brought him out to build up Cena and the Rock like they need anymore. It was all a bit meh. Though I vaguely recall laughing. TNA is a strange beast, they let these ancient guys put the rising stars in the shadows which is not what they brought them in for.

Depends on if United have any midfielders back from injury and Rooney can go back up there. Berbatov has been playing more recently so him and Hernandez could start up front. Theres also Diouff and Macheda who were supposed to be going out on loan but haven't. Kuyt? I think thats it.

Hordak? I don't remember no Hordak. Wouldn't Joorabchian be Hordak? I haven't seen any mention of it today at all.

No they accepted England aren't that good(everyone but John Salako who remains an idiot) but it was still kind of painful to watch. It was just awkward like England winning a world cup is one of the most important things in the history of the world. From the brief moments I saw tonight England appeared to play quite well. Rodwell missed a sitter. Why is there always a small box in the top corner with strobing lines when ITV show football? Anyone know?

I saw this http://www.football3...ay-33m-for-Bale and laughed. Then I realised they are starting again, I recall Levy going a bit mad when he accused United and Liverpool of tapping up Spurs players. Will he do the same to Barca? I hope so.

AVB denied his FA charge of misconduct. Hhmmm can't see that going well for him.

[OBakaSama]

Well, the old breed seem to want to stay in the spotlight. Maybe it's a money thing. TNA have some good wrestlers there but...well...I think some question WWE's disciplinary measures, but TNA's seems almost non-existent by comparison.

Hm...forgot about Rooney having been slotted into midfield for a game or two. And Kuyt probably is the only other striker for Liverpool that comes to mind.

Hordak was the main villain in She-Ra. *Cough*

At least there's some sense there then. Trying to make a bad situation look good is...a tough job. Well....maybe not bad, just not particularly good I suppose. After the win over Sweden as well....I can imagine some losing perspective right about...now. I always thought the small white and black strobing box was to indicate an advert break myself; at least I think back in the day it had that purpose. Maybe they're trying to hypnotize us into thinking England are capable of winning the World Cup or something.

Well...it is Barcelona. Would be interesting to see what happens in the reverse case...actually...something like Fabregas I suppose.....

I didn't realise there was interest in Blackburn. Not exactly the most attractive club at the moment I think.

EDIT: crikey. Suarez to be charged? Wow. Somewhat unexpected, though
after his 'confession' of sorts.... Wonder how things will look for
Terry now.
Break out the popcorn!

Modifié par OBakaSama, 16 novembre 2011 - 10:35 .

[Druss99]

Yeah the WWE seem to suspend alot of people for breaching the wellness policy but TNA let Jeff Hardy wrestle despite being arrested more than once for posession of drugs and being charged with intent to sell drugs. Hell youtube his match with Sting where Sting had to end it fast because Jeff was stoned off his head. Yet he is still employed there.

I think Cleverly and Young are both back now so Rooney might end up up front again.

I recall She-Ra herself but not much of her show. I miss he-man/she-ra chocolate bars...

You mean it comes up when there should be an ad break? I thought it was something to do with not being allowed to show it full screen or something.

I expect it to run and run but Levy to be the first to try and take action against Barca.

Yeah that took me by surprise, I don't think they are even filling their stadium are they?

I don't think they can charge Terry until after the legal investigation. I wonder what evidence they found against Suarez other than him admitting it. It seems theres surprise but after what he said last week he kind of gave the game away.

[OBakaSama]

Yep. I think they have several at the moment. And I did check out the Sting-Hardy match. I feel sorry for the fans, and Sting was openly critical of Hardy at the end of that one. Rightly so as well. Very strange employing policies have TNA.

Ah...that's good news then.

I don't remember those. All I keep thinking is "that was only 10p when I were a lad".

Back in the day I think it was supposed to be. Goodness knows now though. It might be the full screen thing you mentioned, Druss. I'm sticking to the hypnosis hypothesis meself.

*Heh* Would be interesting to see if anyone really goes through with a tapping up case. I don't recall many if any. A lot of complaining to the press, but no real action.

Goodness knows. Even if they were filling in the stadium what is there to attract investors? Bob's managerial record? Seems doubtful. How well are the books balanced? All clubs have debts don't they? Just seems to me how manageable that debt is. I mean...Newcastle would be a better investment, and with Moyes at Everton they aren't really a bad prospect either (though I believe finances aren't that good if they can't get a loan).

True, seeing the police is involved in Terry's case. But...doesn't that sort of make the FA's investigation sort of...redundant? After all the police would have done it, and I can't see the FA holding greater authority than the police in such matters.

[Kimosabe]

Is anyone here following the new soap in football called Ajax?
Earlier this year Cruyff wanted that Frank de Boer got more saying in the daily business of Ajax, the board of directors didn't want this so they quit. Then Cruyff himself became part of the board and brought along some other people that the old board didn't want, Edgar Davids among others. In the following months the other board members kept wanting to make decisions that Cruyff didn't want so they started to have meeting behind his back, when Cruyff realised this he tried to bring in a friend of his as the new director but the board refused. This went on for a while and now the board and Cruyff can hardly be in one room together so the board came up with a genius plan to try and force him to quit: they got Louis van Gaal to be the new director without Cruyff knowing about it. Cruyff and Van Gaal can't stand eachother and Cruyff said in the past multiple times that he would never work under Van Gaal. But it gets even more interesting if you think that Van Gaal was the technical director a while back and got fired after a few months after which he said that Ajax didn't respect him and that beeing imployed there was below his standards and that he would never return back there.
Now Cruyff treathens to resign and he has the dissilusional believe that the entire board and Ajax itself will fall apart when he does. He does have support but not nearly as much as he thinks. So its going to be interesting to see if he really resigns or that he convinces himself that he is too important for Ajax to leave and continue this soap

[Kaiser Arian XVII]

So, after a month or more, I took a look at the statistics. Arsenal seems that made a finish to its fails, and Van Persie at least does his job well.
Werder Bremen is doing good too, or all the Bundesliga is in Epic Fail except Dortmund, Bayern München and Werder!
Inter has disappointed me ... and Real Madrid is advancing right.

[Druss99]

Bloody hell. We don't get much news on the Dutch league here, I don't think they even show it now but I'm not sure. But I did hear about the board quitting in an argument with Cruyff. Isn't Edgar Davids known for being a tad mental? I heard quotes from Van Gaal blaming Eriksson and Capello for his inability to land an international management job for some reason. Can't Ajax just fire Cruyff? Can't they vote against him? It seems like a mental situation.

Speaking of crazy old men. Is there much fuss in Europe about Blatters comments on racism? The English seem to be going nuts over it and blowing it way out of proportion. They want him sacked apparently, nothing he said in the past was sackable but this is? All it really is is a very old man known for saying mental things saying something in his second language thats not as mental as some other things he said in the past. What he said just boils down to "Things happen in the heat of the moment on the pitch and should be forgotten at the end after a handshake." which is a fair enough concept anyone who's ever played the game knows its true. The English seem to be acting like every word he says is a FIFA policy too, if that was true then why haven't all the other mad ideas he produced come to fruition? Its all getting tiring, especially Rio Ferdinand making a dick of himself and coming across as racist but being backed by the media anyway. Also Tokyo Sexwale, what a name.

I got Space Raiders the other day for 20p, I was amazed.

Spurs accused United and Liverpool of tapping up Carrick and someone else when we were signing him. It was because of apparent media comments but I think it was proved that Sir Alex hadn't said anything and I'm not sure about Benitez. It ended up with both teams having to pay Spurs a donation to the Spurs Foundation in order to stop them pushing through the charges/get them to shut up. Theres clear evidence that Barca are saying things so I expect Spurs to put in a complaint if they aren't too busy spying on Karen Brady.

I dunno, because Blackburn are former champions? Its a mystery. Everton apparently can't compete financially because they need a bigger stadium and the recession means no loans are available. Newcastle really depend on the debt, wasn't there a huge problem when Ashley took over? I think he was also asking for a very high price if memory serves.

Be hilarious if the cops charge Terry but the FA don't...

[OBakaSama]

That is quite a soap opera at Ajax then. Goodness, things sound as if it's a bit of a mess. (Understatement of the year?) Bringing people in in that manner always feels a bit...dodgy to me.

If van Persie stays fit then Arsenal should have a decent shot at getting back up in the top four; the fight there is a lot more intense this year I believe. Which reminds me of Fabregas' comments regarding van Persie; telling him that now is the time to leave if he doesn't want to finish his career at Arsenal.

Would like to know too. I'm guessing it didn't get the same attention because it's in English. Essentially his comments are as you stated, Druss. For the most part it is enough to forgive and move on. One would almost think that it is a concerted effort by the English to try and force a change to FIFA as a result of this latest...kerfuffle. 'We' seem to be calling for his resignation, but that would likely only give FIFA's top brass the idea that 'we' want to rule the game 'we' want to. Just take Blatter like Prince Philip and enjoy the gaffes; that's what I intend to do. Despite Blatter's position of power...it's interesting just how many of his ideas and proposals actually get shot down; some people in FIFA have sense.

"That was only 10p when I were a lad."

Maybe they can get Barcelona to cough up some dough. Still...that whole spying business associated with the Olympic Stadium deal...it's just....I don't have the words to describe it.

Ah yes, back in the day when Blackburn were the club with all the money. Twas a long time ago. Still makes little sense now if the prospective buyers are looking at history. But yeah, Ashley was asking for a lot for Newcastle when he first put it up for sale. No-one would have paid that amount, whatever it was. If Ashley still intends to sell I wonder what price he has in mind now.

Being sensible I would really doubt that would happen; and yet dropping that mindset I really wouldn't be surprised if that happened.

And just read this concerning Bob's situation from the man himself: "The majority of fans have been 100 per cent behind the lads, there has been a very small section at home that have been a bit negative."

Haven't the protests been about him and not the players?

[Barhador]

Not sure if this is posted before, but I find it pretty hilarious

If you look at the seeding for Euro 2012, we can some pretty interesting combinations like

Spain, Germany, Portugal and France = Group of Death
or even better...
Spain, Italy, Greece and Ireland = Group of Debt

[Druss99]

Yeah I saw that on SSN although they replaced Portugal with England obviously and didn't mention the group of debt lol. When does the draw take place? I think it could be time for the Dutch to win a tournament, I'm leaning towards them or the Germans to put my money on in the summer.

Exactly OBaka, instead of coming across as genuine outrage it feels more like people with an agenda using racism to further their cause. Didn't the English try to boycott the FIFA vote and no one joined them? The FA and media really need to learn that they have very few allies in world football and aren't the super power they think they are.

I was amazed they aren't 75p like alot of crisps seem to be these days. Back in my day you could get 7 packets and a bag of bacon fives for that price. I remember the first I actually had to ask "How much are your 10p crisps?" and it was a genuine question.

Ha Barca cough up cash. The spying is ridiculous and leaves a bad taste, theres no way they can get the stadium after all they have been up to and they really need to be punished heavily if found guilty.

I think Ashley will be asking for even more now. Venky's were apparently at the match today, Blackburn seem to be constantly close to disaster but scraping through, they are like an episode of Party of Five, what will go wrong in next weeks episode? Tune in to find out.

Being sensible you'd think Terry would have been dropped years ago for various antics and Shearer would have been charged for kicking Neil Lennon square in the face...

Bob, master of spin and meat it seems.

I'd say interesting results today but none of them really jump out as being noteworthy. The Swansea - United match didn't have much happening much like alot of Saturday night matches and I only caught the last few minutes of Norwich - Arsenal.

[OBakaSama]

Missed that article. Still unsure whether I'll bother watching the games when they come around. Internationals almost put me off the game entirely. Might catch a few highlights though depending how things go from here on out.

It seems that way, but with so many people jumping in it just seems a wee bit out of proportion. England don't have a monopoly on the game because the English invented it; though I think some people in charge still think, or believe, that they do. That's a bit worrying actually.

Tis been a long time since I bought a packet of crisps; everything is cheaper if buying in those multipacks. My own daftest was..."how many is a couple?". As for what I've heard I'll go with..."which is the one on top?"

Indeed. The spying seems really....well...given the whole News of the World thing as well....really not the smartest thing to do.

He most likely would, but given their apparent status I'm sure he can justify it to himself. And could Blackburn sell tickets using that for advertising?

Hm...good point.

Spin and meat. For some strange reason I've now got the image of a pizza base made of meat instead of dough....

Well...Norwich apparently scored first in their 2-1 loss to Arsenal. At least we're scoring goals against quality opposition; gives the fans some hope for the battle ahead. Man Utd seem to be grinding results out as they can; though one would hope they discover their killer instinct.

Is it just me or is Bolton just incapable of sustaining any momentum? Another loss? Not looking good at this moment in time.

[Druss99]

Yeah I've very little interest in it myself, although I like watching the bandwagon jumpers who had no interest before qualification but as soon as the team qualify they are the biggest fans in the world, watching them slink off and claim no real interest as soon as the team goes out is most gratifying. Especially when you continually question them both during and after the tournament.

Sooner or later FIFA are going to crack down on the FA for their behaviour.

Ha. In my defence the 10p crisps were now 12p...

I think protests against Kean are the best thing they have for tickets at the minute.

Is Van Persie the best striker in the game at the minute? Aye United seem to be in a bit of flux, we need a new midfielder and are being linked with a few but I suspect Sir Alex still won't sign one. We could use a leftback too. Evra has been off form for ages and Fabio is too injury prone.

Bob got lucky with that bizarre corner goal on saturday. The ref may have been distracted by him twirling a large ham.

Indeed. Bolton did lose their two best strikers but time for Coyle to sort it out must be running out.

AVB must be running out of time too, Chelseas defence is a shambles. Luis isn't a defender and Terry is allover the place, he has become hilarious to watch. I'm not sure why he won't play Alex he is apparently fully fit. Gary Neville described Luis yesterday as looking like he was being controlled by a 10 year old with a playstation controller.

[OBakaSama]

Those are the people who break out all sort paraphernalia in support of their team, right? Hm.....will probably find a nice quiet corner to sit down in...and probably rock back and forth.....thumb in mouth.....

I do wonder whether they will though. Despite FIFA's strong stance against government, or political, involvement in football this latest spat has been more politically driven than most. Didn't they ban a country from their competitions because the government got involved a short while back? I would have thought they might have sanctioned England to some extent, or are they a money drawing team and they're erring on the side of caution?

Ah...then that justifies the question.

Van Persie is looking impressive this season; the team are also getting into their stride it would seem. (Still think it was good that Norwich managed to score one against them.) Man Utd don't seem to do much business during the January transfer window, do they? I can't really recall many signings. Maybe it can be put down as a team building venture.

Goodness knows why that goal stood. I saw it on MOTD2 and it made no sense whatsoever; definitely shouldn't have been given. Wigan were definitely denied in that game by a really dodgy decision as far as I'm concerned. And I'm thinking a lasso made of sausages myself....

Well...Sturridge was only ever on loan, so they knew he was unlikely to stay around. The other would have been Elmander. There was a fair amount of time to find replacements I would have thought seeing they pretty much knew they wouldn't be around for the current season. Poor planning I would say; or the money isn't there.

Hm...certainly seems that way at Chelsea. And we have to wonder whether Abramovich is going to wield the axe again. I'm under the impression things sort of fell apart after Ray Wilkins was sacked, and they haven't really recovered from that. The team is also creaking up in age as well which doesn't help. A lot of those players are now on that downward slope of development, some deteriorating more than others; Terry being the 'obvious' choice. And I would think it very much depends on the 10-year old in control.....

[Druss99]

Aye the people that are suddenly the biggest fans in the world but when its just qualifiers or something they don't want to know about football at all, most of them will actively berate you for "not getting behind the team" too.

I think they banned a few countries, I recall reading somewhere recently that a country was allowed back in after their government backed off. I think they will be sanctioned but not straight up sanctioned more like blacklisted.

The last January signings that I can think of for United were Vidic and Evra neither of whom started off well. I'm probably missing someone though.

They should change the rule to something like "the ball is kicked out of the quadrant" before its considered in play again. Then again its not like this happens every week. It was just a bizarre decision that could end up costing Wigan dearly. The ref went at it ham fisted and proved to be a silly sausage...I'll get my coat...

Who did they bring in? Tuncay is a good player but I don't know if he has been getting on, whats his name from Liverpool looks a bit crap.

I think the Chelsea players are kind of used to it if they go into a bit of a flunk then they don't have to worry about getting the blame because the manager will most likely be sacked and they can start over with a new manager. The way Terry is playing I'd be looking to run directly at him any time I got the ball, no one is covering behind him, he has never had pace and he can't seem to tackle recently. Running at him seems likely to either get you in on goal or get you a freekick, although given what he gets away with your probably unlikely to get the freekick.

It seems Warnock has been talking 'Arry up for the England job because they are the best of friends. He was on live on SSN last night to be asked about Beckham(ofcourse) and claimed he was just off the phone to his good mate 'Arry. Ofcourse then Sky Sports were licking the arse of 'Arry when he came back telling him how great it is to see him back.

Beckham has been doing the media rounds already with his usual "I still want to play for England" nonesense. He will drag out this whole contract thing for months to squeeze every bit of publicity out of it. I wouldn't be surprised if at the end he just signs with the Galaxy again and it was his plan all along. I liked when Warnock said he wouldn't get in the QPR team.

When did Vinnie Jones become some sort of authority on football? He was insignificant when he played so why is he given a voice now? SSN had him on asking his opinion on Blatter and a pile of other subjects.

[OBakaSama]

On the refereeing thing: somehow I don't see that happened due to all the bureaucracy needed to get something changed; also...it would mean that referees and assistants having to pay attention which they are currently struggling to do as it is.... *Ahem*

I really don't recall who they brought into the club. N'Gog seems to be the player you're thinking of. The worry about some of Liverpool's then young talent is that they don't seem to really develop the way others expect them to. Can't think of the Dutch lad's name now.... I always had the feeling that any prospective young player going to Liverpool have their talent sucked out of them leaving them an untalented mess. Liverpool haven't developed many good players in recent years. Anyway, back to Bolton; they also have Kakuta on loan as well. Looking at their squad it isn't small, but the quality is lacking a bit. Also...I think Lee is still out injured? I remember him being pretty good before his injury, so maybe they're also missing a bit of creativity in midfield as well.

I think it's a possible scenario at any club really as the players collectively have more power in the club than the manager; besides it's just easier to fire the manager than 'sack' the team. Chelsea do have a habit of it though, and Hiddink is getting mentions again. I had thought that Chelsea's place in the top four was fairly assured, but...things don't seem to be going well and it looks like other teams are having a real go for those Champions League places. It's starting to look like third and fourth are up for grabs now.

Given that's how they conduct interviews and stuff I'm glad I'm missing them. A bit soon for him to be back I thought, and then there are the...'views' that Aston Villa were rather obliging about it as well. Looking at the score that isn't too bad, but I see a lot of negative comments regarding how Villa played in that game.

Twas a funny comment by Warnock concerning Beckham, and given the pace of the league and all that it's a fair point. Beckham left years ago and is getting on a bit now. Though I still see the headline of PSG still being interested....

I take it that they just wanted another person to slate Blatter on camera myself.

Looks like the FA has been busy dishing out fines to managers. I think I read Pulis was going to appeal; wonder if AVB intends to do the same.

[Druss99]

Well the 5th official or whatever they are called behind the goal could keep an eye on it. They don't seem to do anything else.

Liverpool used to be the strikers graveyard until Torres bucked the trend. Now they are the young talent graveyard. I can't think of any Dutch players other than Kuyt, it wasn't the French guy Le Tallec?

I think Eagles is the like for like replacement for Lee but I'm not sure. Lee did look a good player.

Chelsea were apparently up to more dodgy defending tonight, they could well go out of the CL, infact three of the four teams could go out. United looked very dodgy against Benfica except for one 15 minute period in the second half.

I only saw a bit of the Spurs match it just seemed like a nothing match, with only one team really bothering. It does seem a bit soon for him to be back but then he is the iron gerbil.

I think the bottom line is Beckham stopped going anywhere for footballing reasons years ago, it can be argued he stopped doing anything for footballing reasons while still at United. He will go wherever offers the best money and PR opportunities. PSG could be handy if they get into Europe and he can always get across to London for his big interviews and exlusives.

Blatter came out today and said what appeared to be I'm not a racist, deal with it. SSN attempted to twist it again into him saying theres no racism in football. But no one seems to have bitten so far other than a bunch of people claiming that England won and they are the bestest at not being racist. Gordon Taylor used almost those words too.

I could swear Sir Alex and Wengers fines were alot higher than the £12k AVB got. Do you know what Pulis' fine was?

[OBakaSama]

Oh...them! You know, I forgotten they even existed in the game...such are their apparent contributions to the game. At least it creates more jobs....

Hm...it's bugging me now, will have to resort to Google...Babel; that's the lad I was thinking of. Again, a bright prospect snapped up by Liverpool and amounted to...not a lot (be harsh to suggest nothing). I recall that Arsenal were supposed to have been interested in him before he went to Liverpool; and while Arsenal tend to find it hard to keep their best talents after a while their development of young players is pretty good overall I think. Imagine Babel having the chance to develop at Arsenal.

Perhaps. Chris Eagles has done pretty well. Seemed to be more of a big fish type of player as it were, though it seemed to suit him.

Well...they conceded two headers. Goodness knows why their defence...actually, given how poorly Chelsea have been playing of late perhaps it shouldn't really be a surprise. I do wonder how long AVB will get to turn things around though as I just can't see Abramovich being patient with the team's current performance.

*Heh* Iron gerbil. Do gerbils have wheels? I was thinking the media could be the wheel.

It's part of the reason why Ferguson let him go to begin with, wasn't it? That Beckham no longer focused exclusively on the football. He is said to have stated that he won't go to another Premier League club having been at United (or was it because that Warnock said he couldn't get into the QPR first team? Hm....), so his destination, assuming he doesn't decide to call it quits (though I guess he'll put that off until after the Olympics), would have to be overseas. With what you said in mind, Druss, that looks very much like PSG at the moment. Will have to do the wait and see thing.

Hopefully this nonsense will blow over soon. I vaguely remember seeing the headline but didn't read the article; but there doesn't seem to have been a follow up to it at the time of writing. I suppose one could claim that England have a high profile campaign against racism in the 'Kick it out' initiative; but....well...there are other arguments as to why that is the case which is off-track for this thread (think historically).

Pulis got £10k apparently. Sort of in line with AVB's but not a great deal really when it comes down to it.

[Nattfare]

How very sad, was going to check for the latest news only to read that Gary Speed has passed away.
It all points at suicide as he was found hung in his home.
He was a great player and a real legend in the toon and had a lot mor to give to football at an age of only 42.

R.I.P. Gary.

[OBakaSama]

Agreed. Condolences to his family and those he leaves behind.

Have to admit that was a shocker to find that out; I would have thought he died through some accident, but hanged? Seemed a bit out of the blue.

[Druss99]

Apparently goal line technology is coming in for the start of next season. Thats the goal anyway, it has to be able to give a clear result in less than 1 second. Which seems like an extreme ask.

Babel was one of the brightest prospects in Europe before he went there, most of the top teams were after him. I note that when they loan out their failed players they tend to go to Champions League clubs, it almost pays more to be a failure there.

I don't think gerbils have wheels, I also have no idea where i got iron gerbil from but I see it sticking around.

Aye Beckham got sold because he wasn't as good as he thought he was and wasn't worth the distraction. Remember when he got hit with the boot and drove into training with his hair tied up so the camera's could see his cut? Theres rumours it was Keane and not Sir Alex who hit him.

I thought Kick it out was Europe wide, didn't realise it was just in England. They will milk the Speed thing for a while, but I did note some middle class white guy was bringing up the lack of black managers again.

Kean has signed a revised contract of the same length as the original. Pay rise? There was more chants from the away fans yesterday to get him sacked so he wished them a happy weekend and hopes they buy plenty of turkey and ham for the festive season. Odd man.

I expect Sir Alex will be getting a ban or a fine for questioning that ridiculous decision yesterday. I have no complaint about the ref getting it wrong if he had infact gotten it wrong, but for the linesman to butt in and claim he was positive it was a foul when it clearly wasn't? Bloody hell.

[OBakaSama]

Yeah, read about that. Should be interesting to see how it works. I can see why they would want near instantaneous results though to try and keep the flow of the game going.

Fail at Liverpool; shine somewhere else. Sounds like a tagline to draw in prospective new players. "Made a hash of your footballing career at Liverpool. Don't worry! Statistics show that our failed players excel when they leave us for another club. Liverpool has many benefits for all you prospective young world class players. Join Liverpool! Liverpool: The springboard for a bright career in football. *Quick and hushed voice* Actual results may vary."

Shame on the lack of wheels for gerbils. The iron gerbil has had it easy since his return. Hm...I think that should be 'Iron Gerbil'..... Oh well......

I remember the flying boot incident. Vague memories of the hair being up; clearer after you mentioned it. From what I read, moving along a little, it looks like it will be to stay in America or go to PSG.

Hm...did a quick check (I just assumed it was in England); and it does seem to be predominantly English. There doesn't seem to be much European input for that. Also sponsored by the PFA, FA and Premier League. The website also notes that Kick It Out also participates in European initiatives and other authority bodies like FIFA. Europe has its own programme to deal with prejudice and discrimination.

Er...Bob gets a payrise. Hm...odd. At least he's not letting the fans hamper his progress at the club; and they've probably put in a few Christmas orders there as well. Christmas hampers aren't cheap looking at the prices around here, so perhaps that's why Venky's kept him on. It looks like the protests are gathering strength now with strongly worded letters being sent to Venky's. What does a strong word look like anyway? And how is it different to a weak word?

He probably would. Will wonder just what the punishment is and if a fine how it compares to the recent set of fines given to Pulis and AvB. It was a daft decision by the 'assistant referee' who, quite frankly, couldn't assist.

Balotelli was being somewhat...'entertaining' as I think he's trying to rebrand himself having got himself sent off against Liverpool. I do think that Skrtel made a sixteen course meal, excluding soup, starter and dessert, of the contact to gain Balotelli his second yellow card. Though again, how wasteful were Liverpool's players in front of goal? They need to learn how to shoot.

Pretty chuffed Norwich beat QPR. Season is now full of optimism.

Somewhat amused that AC have spoken to Tevez's representatives about a move; and they want him to undergo a psychological test. Gee...is being a git a psychological condition? I'm sure that will be near the top of the list amongst other diagnoses I have in mind. Though I suspect it will only confirm what most people know by now anyway.