4117 réponses à ce sujet

[Druss99]

Rolo?

Poor Sandra...

Mourinho seems to be lucking out again, one of the most expensive squads in Europe and at a time when Barca seem to be getting tired and are suffering poor form. Real could win the league by default.

I'd say Ruud Van Nistlerooy but I'm biased in that he was my favourite player and I hated Ronaldo who was the reason he left.

I think its probably a mixture of both, the whole Captain Lionheart thing was mostly a media concoction then his marketing latched on. I think it depends on if The Iron Gerbil is found guilty, most peoples opinion of Terry probably couldn't get much worse. The FA left themselves in this position. Can they take him to the Euro's considering what he got up to at the World Cup when stripped of the captaincy? Surely he has to be dropped, its not like he is even a world class defender. Probably will go to Gerrard but I've seen calls for Scott Parker, Gerrard might not even make the squad with his injury problems.

Damn, too late, he is registered in my mind as Jimmy Longfriend.

Well even though Rangers are offering the possibility of silverwear and CL football I'd question the SPL's ability to turn any players head. I'd also question Rangers ability to make an acceptable offer.

I'm guessing City are taking a strong stance given their refusal to pay him and the fines imposed. I'm more intrigued by FIFA's stance, will it become a moral outrage if Barca or Real want him and City won't accept a lower offer? Surely they should be threatening him with a worldwide ban for this, it brings the very nature of contracts into question. But when Ronaldo was at United, Blatter was making claims that Ronaldo was basically a slave and he would look into it because we wouldn't sell to Real Madrid.

[OBakaSama]

Now that reminds me of that slice of chocolate cake I had the other day. Did wonder whether that was indeed the last Rolo as well.....

One person too many in that marriage. Wait a minute.....

Looks that way. If that's how it works out he is indeed a lucky fellow. Well...maybe not lucky as such, jammy perhaps.

All I remember from van Nistelrooy's final days was that he became disruptive; over what I had no idea though. Shame if that's the case. Man Utd never had a striker like him since.

Terry's had one too many incidents to his name to really even hold onto that image that's been built up around him; goodness knows how he (and his people) manage to maintain it. Mind you, Shearer always kept his Mr. Nice Guy (not the Jackie Chan film....) image despite his...on the field actions. Gerrard isn't exactly great either in that respect. I will admit that trying to find a moral role model is probably out of the question given modern times, so we should go for the least worst. Parker is an interesting suggestion; wouldn't argue against such a decision myself. Wonder if anyone will suggest Joe Hart. I am expecting the call for Lampard to be captain though.

Oh well, that's his 'loss' then.

Lambert stated that what Rangers offered was not close to the figure he would have had in mind for Holt. Not sure if it was national or just regional but the other week there was an item on TV about who is better value for money: Torres or Holt. In terms of goals Holt has scored more than Torres over the last three seasons. Have they started to forcefeed Torres Lindt yet?

Blatter was a bit too involved in that situation (recall reading that he supports Real). Plus it shows just how much weight we should give to Blatter's views on things in football that goes beyond the sport. I suppose it would depend on how much his favourite team wants Tevez. Truthfully I would doubt any other industry having people like Tevez operating for them; people like that would be blacklisted surely. This is where football is so different to the normal jobs and roles the normal everyday supporter has, and that growing chasm of football being this entity which has left its fans behind as it were. Occasionally there is still the odd mail in the F365 inbox suggesting he suffers from depression but until the day that diagnosis is confirmed and we all start to review our past stance of him I will still think he is simply a bit of a git.

Actually, imagine footballers finding clubs is like the normal job application. Sending in a covering letter, writing a CV and/or completing an application form. Imagine the part where it asks why you left your (then) employer. Wonder what Tevez would have to put for his.

Oh...looks like The Iron Gerbil's trial is coming to an end; or at least the questioning has ended. Now we turn our attention to the jurors unless there are more concluding statements to be made.

[Druss99]

I'm getting Jan Janssen vibe from that...

Mourinho's entire career has been based on cheating and luck.

RVN had a training ground bust up with Ronaldo due I think to him becoming increasingly fed up with Ronaldo's refusal to cross and continued attempts to go it alone(understandably fed up if you ask me). Then RVN said something like "Go cry to your daddy" meaning Carlos Queiroz, but Ronaldo took it to mean his actual dad who had died and burst into tears. Sir Alex took Ronaldo's side and basically that was the end for Ruud. So it was Ronaldo's greed that caused Ruud's downfall, kind of.

I think we can agree that the England team is generally full of scum. I've seen Hart, Parker and Barry bandied about because they aren't utter tools. I suppose we are back to asking what a captain actually does.

I think Holt is unquestionably better value for money so far. Infact I don't think Torres can ever overtake him considering what promotion was worth to Norwich and Holt's part in that. How much did Holt cost?

Uh oh match starting I'll finish this later...

F*ckin hell, three clear fouls in the box, one professional foul just outside the box and we only get two of them. Every time we play Chelsea its the same story, Howard Webb waited until we were 3-0 before giving us anything. Whats with all this De Gea nonsense calling him a beleagured keeper and claiming he is a calamity. He had a bit of trouble with corners against Liverpool but he was hardly a disaster, what do people want from a 20 year old?

So Rio Ferdinand was being booed because a member of the public saw Terry apparently aiming racist abuse at Anton Ferdinand and then reported it to the police. This is reason to boo Rio Ferdinand? Is that what was happening today?

Indeed, it boggles the mind why anyone would take a chance on Tevez but football recruitment makes no sense. It's a strange insular world that cannot be comprehended by mere mortals. In that situation are agents like recruitment agencies?

I think The Iron Gerbil's trial finishes on Tuesday.

Modifié par Druss99, 05 février 2012 - 06:10 .

[OBakaSama]

Mourinho: I'm sure there's something to be said about thumbs as well...

Hm...that's a tough spot. Can sort of see why Ronaldo was favoured in that incident with hindsight, though still highly unfortunate. That sort of selfishness seems to have stayed with Ronaldo's play though which does highlight a lack of teamwork.

I think some will point to leadership which Terry is apparently really good at, but with the current stuff going on that might just lead to a fractured dressing room. The public writ large would probably suggest being a role model. In truth it's somewhere in between the two. Certainly wouldn't want a thug/criminal to represent your country in prestigious events which is understandable, though they still need to be able to do the job of leading the team they are captain of. Oh, and be the team's spokesman/representative in interviews and stuff. Beckham as England captain didn't really do a great deal as such and the team weren't exactly worse for it.

Holt definitely was less than £1m, might have gone to Norwich for £400k though I have seen suggestions that it was £900k. In terms of value that probably can't be beaten considering how well he's done for Norwich.

Seems like a cracking game, awaiting MOTD2 tonight. With de Gea I suspect people expect him to be the finished article because he wears the No. 1 jersey. In general I would suggest that the goalkeeper position is where mistakes are magnified because there aren't often they can be rectified, and mistakes are costly; last line of defence and all that. It's no wonder that goalies play practically every game and backups rarely get to play as managers don't want to take that risk. It's a tough one. Mind you, with Lindegaard out for a few weeks de Gea will play regardless.

From what I've read that seems to be the case. Rio Ferdinand got booed because he happens to be Anton Ferdinand's brother and is somehow guilty by association. Which is a better excuse than fans just being racist. Mind you, these are Chelsea supporters we are referring to and we know what some of them have been capable of in the past and the consequences of their actions.

Since I get the thought that recruitment agencies are evil I would have to answer 'yes'. I'm starting to think of some of the things that might be written on such a covering letter: will kiss badge on shirt whenever I score a goal with lots of enthusiasm to show my love for the club.

Only a couple of days then it would seem for The Iron Gerbil to learn his fate.

Rather chuffed with Norwich's performance considering the injuries in the first half. Somewhat concerned what that might mean if the injuries are bad though. Fingers crossed.

[OBakaSama]

I have to admit to being rather befuddled by this about Samba at Blackburn. Wasn't it the club's decision to not let him go, and now Bob wants a resolution? Where a resolution could have been found before the transfer window shut if they did not reject his transfer request. Nice to know they're all pulling in the same direction then....or that 'logic' also prevails at the boardroom level and not just supporter level......

Oh...and Capello disagreeing with the FA about stripping Terry of the England captaincy. I think the Euros will be as successful as the last tournament England were in at this rate. Oh, and further to the whole captaincy debate this was quite amusing.

Cheerful start to the footballing day anyway.

[Druss99]

That sort of play highlights Ronaldo being nowhere near the best player in the world. Heard rumours about him coming back to United, not something I'd really like to see.

How can Terry be seen as a role model though? I think the whole leadership thing is another media myth about Captain Lionheart the brave leader of England against those dirty foreigners. Interesting piece indeed by John Nicholson who normally just talks complete crap, I do agree with it yet I'm still disgusted when Ferdinand or Rooney are named United captain. Odd.

Indeed, even his goals last season to get them up would have been more than enough value for money considering that even if Norwich go down this season they still get parachute payments for another couple of years.

De Gea hasn't really made any complete howlers since the start of the season, he dropped a couple against Liverpool but got away with them. Even Van Der Sar and Schmeichel dropped the odd clanger. Because United bought him though he will be forever under pressure.

Seems that was the case indeed, the FA complains to UEFA/FIFA when other nations fans are hurling racist abuse. So why no punishment for Chelsea or Liverpool?

Recruitment agencies are evil, I've had nothing but trouble in every job I've had through them. I could see players refusing to play extra time because the agency only contracted them for 90 minutes.

The Iron Gerbil is missing the match tonight because weather screwed up his flight, SSN think this is a massive huge story and him searching for taxi's is exclusive footage.

What injuries? I didn't see MotD.

I don't even know where to start on that whole Bob thing. Whats he gonna do? Beg Samba to play? Its gotten ridiculous....again.

Capello seems bemused by the whole thing....again. He probably thinks the English are a bunch of drama queens.

[OBakaSama]

I read that Ronaldo wanted to come back to the Prem, at least that's what the headlines suggested (haven't actually read that much today). As you say, that selfishness doesn't make a great player or at least not a good team player.

It's was during his article that he compared the Italian method of selecting the captain of the team, which I assume is also what Capello would be more familiar with as well. And it makes sense as well. I'd like to think that that player got that many caps because they were good enough, or at least not completely rubbish in their position, to have played for their country that many times. I quite like that. Ashley Cole as captain? Sure, why not. Hardly matters in a sporting sense, though I suppose it does depend on how the manager uses the captain and here we will be going into sporting influence. Thinking back to Sir Alex Ferguson and Roy Keane back in the day, Keane was SAF(yep, I'm using that abbreviation now)'s representative on the field; chiefly to ensure that SAF's instructions were carried out on the pitch. At least that's how I remember it. Now, if a manager has that in mind for their captain then the role would be more easier if the captain was someone who the others would take instructions from (and look up to as well). This doesn't mean they have to be this greatly moralistic person, just respectable enough that others will do as told and is recognised as a person of authority on the pitch. Certainly the thing I recall hearing many a year ago that an international team needs eleven captains on the pitch, as they should all be capable of raising their game and their teammates' during testing circumstances. In such a situation then 'a' captain is unnecessary. (Also, during the Galactico period of Real I also distinctly remember that it was mentioned they had three captains, Raul and....Hierro I think was another, can't remember the other name.) Though for some players the captain is the person they look to for guidance on the pitch. I remember when Tony Adams was no longer England captain but the players would still seem to defer to him; now there's a natural leader. Anyway...er....yeah, I think that had something to do with what you wrote, Druss.

Indeed, and hopefully we won't be needing those parachute payments.

Any player for a big team will be scrutinised more I believe, it's just part of the 'baggage' that comes with playing for such a team. Most important part is whether the player can weather that initial storm of criticism. De Gea will improve in time as long as he can handle the scrutiny.

Perhaps in such a case it would require Man Utd to make a complaint? The FA are the authority to handle the case in this situation so I'm not sure how they'd go about reporting it to themselves as it were. Though it would mean they are proactive, but I seriously doubt they'll ever be proactive.

You think they'll cover injury time? Imagine players walking off saying "sorry, gaffer, it's in me contract that I can only be on the pitch for ninety mins. Oh, and I'm supposed to get a Jaffa Cake after the game as well."

The Iron Gerbil searching for a taxi is newsworthy....riiiiight. Times like that which informs me that I'm not missing anything from those channels I can no longer view.

I missed it too as I fell asleep during the opening matches...one of them days again. Daniel Ayala and Zak Whitbread both went off in the first half due to hamstring problems. Cue a shuffled deck of players (er.....). Still rousing stuff though to go through that and win the game. I was told that we went down to ten men but it seems that info was wrong though.

'Blackburn' and 'ridiculous'. Never thought I'd see those two words in the same sentence. *Cough* It makes no sense really. Samba gave an honest reason as to why he wanted to leave and it was rejected, and now they're worrying about him having an effect on the team?

I am of the opinion that Capello is rather bemused about how the English play football and why we can't seem to learn any technique whatsoever; a far bigger problem in the long run than any talk of the England captaincy. He hasn't had to deal with too many prima donnas, has he? What is potentially damaging is how his stance would effect his ability to manage the team if at all. Certainly not a good thing when there is a fundamental divergence of opinion.

[Druss99]

The Iron Gerbil's trial should be over today. As much as we've had a laugh at some of his quotes, I wouldn't fancy predicting what way that will go.

I thought there was a bit of that with Keane but with also a large hint of "Disapoint me and I'll kill you in your sleep." I think the problem I have with footballers offering leadership and guidance on the pitch is that so many of them seem self obsessed. I can't help but think back to the World Cup when Lionheart himself lead that mini rebellion, to me that screamed "Look, look. I'm still incharge around here." Then there's Scholes who apparently has a massive calming influence on the dressing room and on the pitch with hardly saying a word.

I can't see Norwich going down, 3 wins or 9 draws should do it. I'm not doing all the permutations...

Good point on the reporting lol.

There would be a schism too between the players employed by the club and the agency players, with the club players convinced the agency ones are after their jobs.

It was a massive story, I'm not sure what exactly he could offer at the last minute preparation wise. I assume the team would have been set up and ready to go from Sunday unless they delay naming it until the last minute or were waiting on injured players. Maybe he gives motivational speeches or something but speaker phone could have sufficed. Spurs looked tired and sloppy in the second half. Suarez....erm I'm not sure what to make of that booking, he clearly knew Parker was there when he swung his boot. They only showed the replay once though.

Are they Norwich's first choice centreback partnership? I vaguely remember Whitbread from PES years ago, he was fairly young and developed into a pretty good player if I recall correctly.

Yeah if they weren't going to play Samba then why keep him? Does Bob hope he will just dedicate himself to the cause until the end of the season? It's a fair enough thing to expect but doesn't seem to be working out too well so far. I think its fair to remember Bob's lack of experience at times like this.

I honestly don't know what's going on there with Capello. He said Terry is still captain to him so this could get interesting. I think part of him may really regret taking the job.

Dalglish making comments tonight again that Suarez shouldn't have been banned. I'd have some sympathy if they complained about the length of the ban but this whole victim mentally has gotten ridiculous. Sky's commentators were less than partizan too.

[OBakaSama]

Really does depend on the jury it would seem. Though I wonder why a jury is needed in such a case; I would have thought a judge could have made the decision themselves for something like this. Never understood the legal system but...well....looks like it comes down to who had the most convincing arguments.

That's probably true in respect to Keane; handy to have though. With Terry's revolt...well...I recall something Mourinho mentioned about how he wants his captain when he left Terry. Memory tells me that Mourinho left Chelsea partly due to Terry, or the players, but that he himself had taught Terry to stand up to the manager. In a way it might be Mourinho's fault how Terry acts as captain. Scholes seems to me to be calm and collected, so that should hopefully rub off on those around him.

We've got a good chance I believe. The spirit is there, and assuming Holt hasn't had his head turned I think we'll be fine, maybe even fine and dandy.

Agency players: they will also be the ones on a rolling contract of some sort and be subject to termination with no notice as well. The club players will probably be convinced they're after their jobs, and their women....*Cough*

Goalless draw I see from the results. Disappointing from Tottenham's point of view I suppose given their general play this season. As for Liverpool...probably par on course given their own form at home this season as well. At least they can claim they haven't lost at Anfield much. I hear the clash on Parker was obvious and one of those 'how did they miss that?' type incidents. Conspiracy theories abound...?

Ayala recently returned from injury; I think he would have played more games otherwise. Whitbread has played half the games this season so a first team regular. Doing well enough I think, though there's always room for improvement. Hm...getting hopes high again....

I think the old 'lack of experience' thing can only work for certain things and circumstances. While I think Bob is inexperienced as a manager he has had a fair bit of experience of being a coach. Surely as a first team coach he would have understood team dynamics in order to have worked with the players. There are also common day equivalents to Samba's professed position which I think was used at one point like 'irreconcilable differences' in marriage; at the very least it seems that was what Samba was going for. (As for Torres' sniping on his leaving Liverpool I would assume it was somewhat similar as well.) It would take someone very persuasive to turn that situation around. Perhaps Bob believes that Samba is an adult and can be professional and still give his best; though Samba has declared that he could no longer perform to his best in the circumstances. It was just a very bizarre decision to make. Love or loathe The Iron Gerbil, with players he likes he can get them to perform; and he managed that with Modric. Maybe if Bob just thows Samba back on the pitch rather than having him on the bench it might be better for Samba's mentality, and ignite his love of playing rather than allowing him to be focused on non-footballing matters.

England manager; poisoned chalice. Perhaps Capello does. I think this is one of those instances where the manager feels undermined, which given how it has come about is understandable. This could be a car wreck situation though if things aren't sorted out quickish.

Nice to see that Dalglish hasn't lost his touch with regards to the Suarez incident. *Cough* Unless they can prove conclusively that everything was factually wrong they should really just drop it (or at least provide one shred of proof that something about the case was factually wrong); having belief is one thing, having blind belief is just damaging. The way things have been handled though I doubt the club will have much in the way of dignity at the end of all this.

[Druss99]

Terry has effectively cost England their one unarguably world class commodity, Capello. Now the press can push for their English born and bred manager to lead them to the glory and domination they so truly deserve. When he inevitably fails they can tear him a new one in the summer. I don't know wether to laugh or be disgusted by the whole thing, on the one hand I'd love to see The Iron Gerbil be given the job and fail but on the other I'd hate to see him get it after his disgusting self promotion for the job while Capello was still incharge.

The Suarez on Parker incident was...I dunno it looks obvious now but I wasn't sure after one replay, I needed a couple. Having seen it a few times though I feel he clearly meant it, he knew exactly where Parker was because he pushed him into that position and if his eyes were so on the ball then surely he knows that his kick is going nowhere near the ball. Sky seemed to be showing obvious favouritism as if afraid of Dalglish complaining about bias against so they showed bias for them. Anyone else and there would be a pile of replays.

I think the Iron Gerbil just got lucky with Modric and the whole saga will start over again in summer. I imagine it depends more on the player than the manager, there's also the fact that Samba already asked to leave but they persuaded him to stay with promises that they have not lived up to and made the club even more of a farce. Not sure how Bob is gonna reconcile those differences, perhaps it was Venki's call because it looks like a really bad decision.

Now Dalglish wants a line drawn under the whole Suarez thing and everyone to move on, after he got the last word in. I thought everyone was moving on until he opened his mouth again the other night.

[OBakaSama]

The Iron Gerbil for England manager.....I'm not sure what to make of that. Given how Capello allegedly responded to the stripping of the England captaincy from Terry case it seemed to be coming, and I can sympathize with that: he was no longer in control of the team. So Capello was/is understandably peeved to say the least. As for The Iron Gerbil going free...*urgh* I don't know where to begin on that; I suppose the case against him was just too poorly argued and for the wrong thing. Anyway...I digress. If The Iron Gerbil does get the job and when England go crashing out of the tournament (I don't fancy our chances) then he can always blame the "previous administration"; that excuse will be readily accepted, and probably be made for him, even outside of politics. It's sort of funny to see the whole mooting for so-and-so to be the next England manager given the timing. As such my suggestion would be, as much as I don't like the man for no particular reason....Neil Warnock. He's not attached to a club at the moment which would save the FA some cash anyway.

Ah...so one of them type of incidents, huh? I heard about the push on Parker before the kick, so...well...doesn't exactly look good in hindsight then. All the more reason to think that it was all rather suspect. Suarez really doesn't seem to be a very pleasant chappy...

Yeah, I'd have to agree with that; it is about Modric as much as anyone else (though I think it would be the sort of thing that The Iron Gerbil would have down on his CV: "able to persuade want-away players to stay and have the season of their life" assuming he can write...which he admitted he can't). Will be interesting to see who will be after some of Tottenham's players this summer (was still surprised that Bale wasn't linked to any clubs, or I don't remember any news on it, after his performance against Inter the other year). But...that's a good reminder on Samba there, Druss. He had requested to leave before after Allardyce was dismissed; I suppose the first set of promises were made about then. Whoever created the mess of keeping him at the club it's Bob's to deal with now.

He'll keep sniping away as far as I'm concerned. Couldn't we just have the press boycott him?

[Druss99]

I still think its all Terry's fault, wether he is guilty of racially abusing Ferdinand or not he should have realised that his position as captain with the questions over him was untennable and was a disruption for the manager, the rest of the squad, the FA and the media. He should have done the right thing and stepped down. Instead it was all about him and he clung on to the captaincy forcing this situation that we now have. I can see why Capello walked too, surely the FA should have at the very least if they weren't going to consult him then inform him before they stripped Terry of the captaincy, as far as I'm aware that didn't happen. The media are looking to appoint their buddy The Iron Gerbil because its easy stories, they know he can't resist talking to them and he will feed players to the wolves to protect himself, again easy stories. You're 100% right on the previous regime blame too. I think if they are going to insist on going English then Stuart Pearce is the man for the job. What's the odds on the Euro's starting with The Iron Gerbil incharge and a midfield combo of Gerrard and Lampard lining up? Dunno if you've seen this...http://www.football3...98696/John-Nich

Having looked at it again...Look where Suarez is looking when he swings his boot... its the replay near the end thats telling.

I've heard a few Spurs fans saying Modric is actually having a poor season, he's looked pretty good any time I've seen him though. It could be argued he is putting himself even more in the shop window, I'd cream myself if United signed him. Bale is being linked with Barca and was linked with the Milan clubs and Man City I think. Just nothing major ever came of it, think he signed a contract and ended speculation. Kean now says Samba will play when fit so there's a chance it will just blow over but someone created a disaster of a situation there for if they get relegated then they might not get as much for Samba.

Is Dalglish just trying to deflect from that kick? Either way the FA or the club have to do something to draw a line under it.

[OBakaSama]

I would agree that Terry's actions essentially forced the situation into what it was. The way the FA acted didn't help situations either seeing what happened the first time round with Terry's...indiscretions. Mind you, for whatever reason Capello really did like him as his captain having reinstated him after that kerfuffle.

Forgot about Stuart Pearce (shame on me). Question is: is he ready?

So...Carragher tried out for the WWE with his wrestling skills in his own penalty area. Suarez is...what? trying out for UFC?

I thought Modric has looked really good this season, with the exception of that initial blip of when his head wasn't right. I'm sure the other clubs will be after him especially if the media has stories of 'never say never' about joining certain clubs. Good luck to Bob on getting Samba up to form after all this; I suspect he'll need it.

Could be his way of handling such matters, a diversionary tactic as it were. Hm...if only he'd divert in the right direction....

[Druss99]

I'm of the belief that Capello prefers Terry as Captain because of the disruption he caused at the World Cup when he was stripped of it. It's just easier to have him as captain than not, I don't think Capello really thought it mattered that much.

Pearce isn't ready but the Iron Gerbil isn't good enough and theres not many other options. Atleast it would give Pearce even more tournament experience and would be a long term appointment. What's The Iron Gerbil going to do that Peace can't? We already know he doesn't really do tactics. England aren't really good enough to be considered anything like the favourites so they may aswell begin the long term plans instead of a short term big money appointment like The Iron Gerbil.

Suarez looks a bit like Ralph Machio's ugly brother, maybe he wants to be the new karate kid?

Modric talk is still going on, it will get worse when the season ends. Be interesting to see how long it takes Samba to get "fit".

And if only he wasn't doing it all the time, you should youtube some of his interviews and press conferences. The man can simply be described as "a right b*tch".

[OBakaSama]

Sounds like the ready-made excuse. Good to have at times if you almost want to fail.

Seeing the situation the England camp is now it might be a good idea to essentially scrap any hope, whatever there was anyway, and use the Euros as a learning exercise for Pearce. I agree on the long term plan, though I hardly expect the FA to do that. See the Sun's headline regarding Pearce? (Only read the linked article today.) It does look very suspicious how the media are doing this.

Hm...I would err on the side of caution seeing that got remade fairly recently with Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan (couldn't they have called it the kung fu kid?).

Depends which clubs like to work through the media I suppose. As for Samba...I read that his teammates aren't too pleased with him at the moment.

I'm not entirely sure that I dare to search for Dalglish's interviews and stuff. I be scared.....

Oh, read that Giggs is to stay on another year. Crikey. What are the chances that Scholes stays beyond the end of the season?

[Druss99]

I saw that story, is there no shame? How desperate are they to get The Iron Gerbil incharge? Its not like they struggle for stories coming from the players, do they need him in the job that badly? Sir Alex even said it yesterday, The Iron Gerbil is the right man for the job and the media have made sure of that.

I don't think that bothers Hollywood anymore, the day when the remake and original are being filmed at the same time isn't far off.

Hadn't read that about Samba, interesting.

Scholes rolled back the years again today, reminds me of the start of last season when he was great then became a liability again, Giggs was a bit dodgy today. I wouldn't be surprised to see Scholes play another year. Kind of annoyed it only finished 2-1, we seemed far too content to just keep the ball and not go for more goals when we were completely bossing the game.

I'm sure Suarez will make headlines for refusing to shake Evra's hand in the pre-game handshake, if he meant that then f*ckin hell. Having watched it several times though the pair of them seemed to hesitate and wait for each other, at the last minute Evra seemed to decide he should make the first move but it was too late and Suarez moved on. Thats what looked like possibly happened, although Evra's hand was down for everyone then he raised it when they put their hand out, its hard to tell from the angle Sky showed exactly what happened. Liverpool are claiming Evra refused the handshake but it seems like if it was anyone it was Suarez.

Dalglish's reaction in the interview was a disgrace as per usual. Evra will be in trouble for his celebrations I suppose. The cops apparently had to be called for fights in the tunnel at half time and full time.

[OBakaSama]

It really is scraping the bottom of the barrel journalism...and I'm not sure if I would really want to call that journalism. The Iron Gerbil certainly seems to have enough support for anything; I half suspect someone has put in an application for deification on his behalf.

Gee....that might mean we don't know which is the rubbish version...oh wait, yeah, we do. Or do we? Hm...confusing myself again, need medication.

I think it was on Ceefax, well...I still refer to it as Ceefax...the red button stuff on the BBC channels. I can see that happening if Samba becoming disruptive.

Sounds like it should be a cracking MOTD tonight. I heard Norwich managed to beat Swansea as well so things are looking up indeed.

That sounds like it could be another headliner. Would have thought both managers had told them what to do in that situation even if it is just for show. Given that the moral right is with Evra, at least I think that's how most people see the case in general, then Suarez isn't going to come out of this well. (And reading a few of the articles on the SkySports website...it's not looking good.)

That sounds like something to be wary of on MOTD tonight then.

[Druss99]

If ESPN's commentary on the Spurs - Newcastle match is anything to go by then MotD will be bloody sickening. Apparently The Iron Gerbil scored all five goals and saved a couple of penalties. As MotD starts I can see its going in that direction...There's only one Harry Redknapp is the message from FA headquarters apparently. I was of the impression the FA were putting together a list. This is beyond sickening.

I always forget about the usefulness of the red button.

The word "immense" was used to describe Grant Holt's performance today.

Having viewed Dalglish interview again its not as bad as I first thought, it actually makes sense in context, if he genuinely didn't know it happened. But thats questionable at best. It's the club and Dalglish's fault really, they have Suarez convinced that he is the victim here and that he has the right to call Evra the word that we cannot say. Although on the other hand Suarez apparently told both Dalglish and the PFA that he would shake hands, so he has been caught lying again. Sir Alex said it though, if Liverpool truly believed he was innocent then they would have appealed.

[OBakaSama]

The Iron Gerbil loving is rather sickening. Cringeworthy as well. OK...just sickening. Did you come across an article about his use of tactics from van der Vaart? The Iron Gerbil sounds very del Bosque in that he just picks the team...and that's the tactics sorted out. Now...will such a method translate well to the international stage? Where managers actually have tactical acumen? Given that I wonder if there will be a lynching after another failed campaign... As for the list the FA are drawing up, maybe it only has one name on it. Shearer said he was the only man for the job. Maybe this is a covert way of saying "no-one else is daft enough to be England manager, so give it to him"? Probably wishful thinking on my part....

Tis a useful thing; still the first thing I check out when having brekky.

The boy done good. I think I can put aside the fear of his head having been turned after that match. Norwich now sitting in eighth which is pretty impressive all things considered. High enough to seemingly be out of the danger zone of relegation; low enough to not create too much expectations. Here's me hoping fans don't get it into their heads that we should be pushing for a European place or anything....

It's interesting seeing that on MOTD, because Dalglish refused to speak about non-footballing matters (if only he had taken that stance much earlier); and then they showed the SkySports interview. To me there is a possibility that it was a Wengeresque dodge, which is understandable (how many times has Wenger been called daft for not seeing something over the years?). There is a possibility that he didn't know, but what appears to be certain is that Suarez was acting against the advice and stance of the club he plays for after all the announcements this week. That act of not shaking Evra's hand was purely Suarez, and Dalglish can only flimsily cover for him. The way the club handled the original incident certainly didn't help and they kept building the victimised mentality which they have propounded so often, and with Dalglish's sniping as well that just added to it. The most questionable part of his comments is that he stated that Suarez can't be blamed "for anything that happened here today", which by implication means that Suarez can't be blamed for his own actions. Yes, I do get pedantic with language use in such circumstances.

From the replays of the non-shaking what I would add is that Evra's hand was perhaps lower than the usual position to shake hands, but it was there. Suarez, as far as I could tell and personally interpret, didn't even try to shake his hand; he went straight past Evra. That in itself seems to demonstrate Suarez's complete lack of understanding of the situation he is in. Firstly, the official consensus (i.e., from the FA's point of view and the conclusion of that incident) was that Evra was the victim; it would have been Evra's right not to shake Suarez's hand given that. Secondly, as the official offender, Suarez had already gained a questionable reputation with regard to racial issues (correctly or incorrectly). For his own interests and reputation he had to shake Evra's hand to show the world that what happened really was a cultural misunderstanding as he claims it to be. Shaking, or offering to shake, Ferdinand's hand, Valencia's, etc. doesn't mitigate that, or it doesn't mitigate that enough. Thirdly, this isn't a Bridge-Terry incident where both parties essentially knew they wouldn't shake hands. It wasn't a big deal because it was understood that the wronged Bridge didn't want to shake hands, and Terry was intelligent enough to accept that Bridge wouldn't want to shake hands, or moved in such a way as to not cause an incident. The sort of understanding and camaraderie that Suarez was trying to claim that he had with Evra in the original incident. Conclusion: Suarez is an idiot.

I'd be very surprised to see Suarez at Liverpool next season, because even if Dalglish wants him to stay (and it's questionable if Dalglish does if Suarez did go behind management's back regarding the handshake, thus showing disrespect to the management and the club and contrary to what had been agreed) I can't see the board or owners wanting him to stay for the sake of the club's reputation which I can see would be taking a battering (they were already warned by that guy in Europe about the original incident damaging their reputation). I don't question his footballing ability, but his presence now is worse than that of Tevez at Man City, who by contrast isn't damaging the club's reputation, and even less tolerable as a fairly neutral fan looking at these matters.

Anyway...have to admit that the matches were pretty good stuff. Saha hitting a brace, and Adebayor played pretty well; they certainly played very well together. At this rate Tottenham may be forced to come up with the transfer fee for Adebayor given how he seems to fit the club at the moment. Norwich's win over Swansea was good as a supporter. Everton looking good against Chelsea with Pienaar back at Everton (still wonder why he left in the first place to be honest), and he fitted straight back into the side; plus they beat Chelsea. Henry scoring the winner before he leaves Arsenal; all very fairy tale like. As always the relegation battle is hotting up and getting exciting as well. Oh...and Pulis' musings on what constitutes a tackle; very philosophical and it will be interesting to see how that turns out.

*Phew* Waffling over.

[Druss99]

I'm taking the day off from considering The Iron Gerbil, its absolutely sickened me watching how this has unfolded. I'm not even English, I can't imagine what its like for English fans who don't want him. But apparently there are none of them anywhere, the whole country is going to join together and hold hands, praying for the day The Iron Gerbil steps up to lead them to glory. Apparently Joe Harte is the best keeper in the world now too. Hhmmm...

Whats that you need now for garanteed safety? 2 wins from 13 games? I'd say Norwich are effectively safe especially when considering the teams below them. Hopefully Lambert is given the money to fend off second season syndrome.

Luis Suarez: Official Offender. I thought that too about Evra's hand hence my flimsy explanation yesterday but having seen other angles his hand was like that for everyone, Suarez didn't even move towards it. But now Liverpool, Dalglish and Suarez have all apologised(none of them to Evra), as much as I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt.....it seems...I dunno. Wouldn't they have apologised before now? What exactly are they apologising for? Suarez said last night that things aren't as they seem, yet apologises today, who put the pressure on? Fear of the FA or the American owners coming under pressure in the US media? Its a bit suspicious to me.

That idiot The Copper Rat kept going on and on about the handshake should have been scrapped yesterday, it was the only point he had and he kept repeating it over and over and over again. Ignoring the fact that Suarez said he would shake hands as did Evra so there was no reason to scrap it.

I think Adebayor's wages are a bigger problem than the transfer fee. I reckon the FA will ignore Pulis like they do every call for consistancy. Good luck to him though atleast he's doing something, but something tells me this has been tried before with the FA.

Wolves took a bit of a hammering today. Big Mick could be in bother, some bizarre defending.

Tevez is coming back to England on Tuesday and wants to play for Man City again, it was anounced after the City game. I suspect a ploy to get him released from his contract if they don't let him play.

I heard that a Dutch court ruled that Ajax can't hire Van Gaal because Cruyf said no. Interesting.

[OBakaSama]

Yeah, two wins should be enough and I'm sure will bag a few draws as well. I think the games against Wigan and Wolves are games Lambert will target to get the wins for safety. Hm...next league game is at Carrow Road against Man Utd. Hm.....should prove interesting seeing that Norwich tend to give most teams a game.

This pretty much sums up the whole reputation of Liverpool thing I think. What's interesting to me is that even the translation of a Uruguayan paper suggests he deliberately ignored Evra's hand. As much as some people are defending Suarez's right to not shake hands that he did not realise the significance of it on this occasion is just blind stupidity. His apology is better than his last one, despite all this 'you don't know the full story' thing. That Dalglish had to apologise as well suggests someone higher up in the hierarchy has gotten fed up in some respect with the antics surrounding how Suarez is being handled. Perhaps it is the US media, but that only highlights just how damaging to Liverpool's standing this defence of Suarez has been. Whoever went about allowing Suarez to be defended in the manner that the club have done really should be disciplined by the top brass.

Hm...forgot about wage demands.

I doubt Pulis will get any joy in what he's trying to do with respect to the whole 'defining a tackle' thing, and even if he can it won't prevent referees from being in a bad position. Unless retrospective punishments are brought in it's a bit futile. Still be an interesting intellectual pursuit as people such as myself kick back in an armchair and muse about the nature of a tackle. I'm sure something about fishing and the proverbial meat and two veg could be added in there....

Big Mick has been in trouble for most of this season I think. I think expectations were higher this season. The second season is always tricky.

Hm...I thought we could forget about Blanka. You're probably right there, Druss; it's likely some sort of 'I'm available to play and not playing, I demand to be released from my contract' ploy no doubt cooked up by a certain personage.

Really? I now expect Kimo to make an appearance to update us on the situation.

[OBakaSama]

Over here it seemed like everyone is setting up The Iron Gerbil for deification. He's not a candidate for the England job; he's the only man for the job. Plus the media's smearing of Pearce about something almost 20 years ago belies their intentions. Coupled with van der Vaart's comments about The Iron Gerbil's (lack of) tactics I doubt that he will do any better in the job than any other person.

Norwich are sitting in eighth at the mo. We are looking stable; mustn't get complacent though. Holt did good after Ranger's bid.

It's that lack of teamwork that prevents C. Ronaldo from being a great player like Messi; no doubt that he's a good player and the arrogance (?) he has makes him the player he is. Man City would probably be the team who can afford him (Financial Fair Play rules depending), but to me Man City's team there seem to work well together; there is a team there rather than a group of individuals who happen to play together. Not sure how a personality like his would fit in.

I don't get to see much football, only highlights...and only if I manage to stay awake.

Ah...I remember seeing that episode of Doctor Who, it was one of the specials. I don't remember the details though such is my memory.

Without wanting to repeat too much of what has been discussed already I'll simply 'say' that while it is within Suarez's right to not shake someone's hand, Liverpool had stated prior to the game that he would, and given the wider context of what had happened between him and Evra it was irresponsible of him to not shake Evra's hand. Suarez had to show that it was indeed just a cultural misunderstanding as he claimed to those who were watching. Not only had Liverpool not conducted themselves in a proper manner in public, but it seems they also failed to address the issue privately with Suarez. The New York Times had an article on it which seemed to have finally prompted Liverpool to act in a proper manner.

Starting to wonder who was measuring the 'airs on 'is chest.

With the way Chelsea are going I am wondering how much patience that Abramovich has before he decides to get rid of AVB. I sense he goes for the flavour of the month manager myself. Gee...perhaps he should get The Iron Gerbil in....

Tis indeed a nice goal, thanks for sharing. That certainly went all over the pitch before in the back of the net....hm....doesn't make as much sense as I thought.

When (not if at this rate) The Iron Gerbil becomes England manager, I think the main saving grace is that he can't 'bankrupt the club'.

EDIT: Big Mick's gone...

Modifié par OBakaSama, 13 février 2012 - 12:03 .

[Kimosabe]

I don't know if you were still following it but the soap at Ajax is finally (almost) over.
The court decided that the appointment of Van Gaal wasn't in the good spirit of Ajax and thereby illegal, so it has been reversed.
The supervisory board volontairly resigned because otherwise they would have been forced and this way doesn't involve even more political rules.
This means that the meeting of the stockholders can decide the new supervisory board, that will be pro-cruyff.

I had not heared that Ronaldo wants to go to the premier league but I can't see how any club or manager wants to have him... Sure he has skills but he's only good when there is no team around him. He's getting boo'ed for very good reasons.

Suarez..
I'm glad he left for Liverpool so that we don't have to deal with him over here. And thats all I'm saying about him, everything has been said.

And before I take my leave again:

Come on Yellow Army!
(I hate to admit it but we are 15th in the standing, terrible, terrible 2nd half so far...)

Modifié par Kimosabe0, 13 février 2012 - 07:55 .