Slightly Anaemic Football Thread
Nothing seems to have happened much since last we convened. Burton moved 17 points clear at the top of the Blue Square Premier.
Quite a lot happening tonight around the leagues. A full-ish Football League programme and 4 matches in the Premier League. Pick of the games is probably Spurs v Stoke. Man United meanwhile will look to break records with another clean sheet at The Hawthorns.
There's a South London derby at The Valley tonight as Charlton take on QPR. A relegation 6 pointer at Carrow Road where Southampton travel to meet Norwich. Reading meet Wolves at the Madjeski in a promotion 6 pointer.
The bottom 2 meet in League 2 at Dean Court whilst at the top of League 2 there's a mouthwatering clash between Bury and Bradford.
Rangers take on Falkirk in tie CIS Cup Semi Final as well.
Loads of rumours around. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/gossip_and_transfers/7852725.stm
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If Chelsea could please tell everyone enquiring about Ivanovic to fuck off
and accept any offer they get for Malouda, that would be brilliant for me.
I can't believe they would even entertain
selling Ivanovic. Particularly with Alex still on their books.
Harry Redknapp's quest
to reclaim the past glory days of Tottenham Hotspur, the 2007-08 season, continues. The mind boggles.
Hello Carlo Cuddicini though, :)
I see he's complaining that Sunderland
have tapped up Bent, whilst simultaneously declaring how much he "likes" Robbie Keane. I hope this is some sort of masterful post-ironic statement on his behalf.
Clearly a lie
Nobody would 'tap up' Bent
You mean the blatant tapping up of Robbie Keane?
I don't even know anymore
I'm too blinded by my rage towards him.
West Ham have signed Savio Nsereko
for an undisclosed fee, thought to be between £6mil - £9mil. The media is still reporting the club are in financial trouble which seems a bit contradictory. So far the transfer window has been going well for the club, the mass exodus of star players hasn't happened with only Bellamy leaving which seemed more his choice than the clubs. A lot of fringe players have been sold for quite good fees so far it's looking good*
*West Ham to sell their spine, bladder and lower intestines of the team in the next 24 hrs.
It's not that contradictory
Because we sold Bellamy for about £12-14m. So we've made between £3m and £8m without the squad getting any worse.
i very much doubt that Reading will pay £1m for Davies
and i also doubt that anyone else paid attention to that snippet.
Clough to get his first win tonight, I can feel it.
I'm going to Gillingham/Lincoln if I can get out of work in time tonight.
glamour.
Monday: Harry Redknapp buys new player.
Tuesday: Redknapp denounces all Spurs' players as shit and demands more money for signings.
Repeat until transfer window closes. Spurs slump around lower half of table until the summer, when Harry can finally "Get rid of the dead wood."
I used to really like Redknapp
but the last 6 months or so he's pissed me off so much. Such a contradictory man!
I particularly like
the fuss that was kicked up over Liverpool publically tapping up Robbie Keane, only for less than 6 months later Spurs to be, erm... trying to publically tap up Robbie Keane
if by 'lower half'
you imply we wont be relegated, I'll see this as somewhat of an achievement.
I don't think that Spurs will be relegated.
Not due to the efforts of Bagpuss, but because I think that there are at least three teams who are even worse than them. And yes, Boro, Portsmouth, WBA, Stoke - I'm looking at you.
Are you going to the Borough game tomorrow? Should be shit!
It's the first league game in about a year that hasn't sold out. Double loyalty points though!
Don't forget Newcastle
look Mr Redknapp,
If i have to put up with one more person at work saying "oh, have you heard that? Apparently Spurs have made a £9m offer for Oyvind Leonhardesen", or "Check out Sky sports news, Dean Richards to return in £90k a week shocker!",
I'm going to cry. Just stop ruining stuff.
or bring back
Mauriccio Tarrico
As much as i love Robbie Keane...
having him return now we have defoe, would be a bit odd. I'd like to see defoe and pav given a chance together...
Also, i love the sensationlism around 'arry at the minute. Journalist asks harry whether he'd like robbie keane. Harry replies that he'd obviously be lying if he said he wouldn't like him in the team. Whole world wets themselves because this will have unsettled keane. I think the fact rafa hates keane's guts and never plays him probably unsettles him a little more, no?
He could say just 'I don't comment on players at other clubs'
and leave it at that. He doesn't.
he is a class A bastard
Yeah, but who cares?
If him saying he likes certain players unsettles that player, than you'd have to ask serious questions about that player's desire to stay at his current club. It's completely different to meeting with the player and trying to coax him. If Martin O Neil had said he wouldn't mind frank lampard in his side, everyone would be commending his honesty!
There's a bizarre witch-hunt mentality on these boards that's at times amusing, but mainly a bit dumb. See also: the non-rating of John Terry and Steven Gerrard through hatred.
It really isn't just on these boards you know.
...ok, but i perhaps expected a little more rational discussion here...
I think everyone's had enough of being rational.
When every day there's a new story about how Harry The Saviour has talked about a new player he's said he 'Likes the look of' or said how crap he thinks the players he has at the moment are - after saying how good they were when he first arrived - it starts to get a tad tiring.
Also, he signed Chimbonda and he really is a mercenary chump.
...it starts to get a tad tiring...
yet folk post about it all the time. I can't see how it bothers folk that much, but there you go. Also, a lot of discussion takes place without having heard the comments etc., and thus are often totally misinterpreted...
I'll agree with you re: shimbomber though...David Pleat will be happy at least.
I wonder how he'll try and pronounce Palacios...
it bothers people because it's a very underhand way
of unsettling players. Granted a lot of managers do it but not to the extent that Redknapp has been doing it lately.
There was a great thing James Richardson said on the Guardian's Football Weekly Podcast.
Someone asked why they were chasing Kenwyne Jones for £16mil when they had allegedly been offered Lyon's Fred on a free.
James Richardson said "Well there's no percentage in free is there". Miaoow.
Arshavin move stalls over wage demands
Jesus wept, we've agreed a fee and everything.
not entirely surprising
when the slump in the pound means his current wage at zenit is £100,000 a week
i bet he's muck after all this too
a horrible player, going from one horrible club to another
with that many wankers involved, there's bound to be issues.
Oh my aching sides!
We're now denying that we've agreed a fee. Fuck knows what's going on
Some guy was on Sky Sports News this morning claiming that we've offered him 80k a week (?!), but that Arshavin's demanding we take care of a clause in his contract that means Zenit get £3m for him leaving during his contract
I'm surprised you guys are in for Arshavin
I mean he's a great player but don't ou guys have more pressing positional concerns?
Very much so
We need a defensive midfielder above everything else. Not necessarily him, but somebody in the Palacios mould would've been ideal
Any new experienced midfielder is alright by me though. When you see the problems we've had in opening up teams like Bolton and Portsmouth this season, then I guess there could be some argument for a bit more craft in there. But it's a lot of money that could be spent much more wisely, in my opinion
Also, we need a centre back too
If veloso is available to Bolton for £12m
then perhaps the money we are spending on Arshavin could be better spent.
Im excited about having Arshavin but I think, in agreement with most Arsenal fans, that we NEED a defensive midfielder and buying both is probably out of the question.
The trailer is out for 'The Damned United'
Obviously it won't be as good as the book and all that but it's worth a look...
http://timesonline.typepad.com/blockbuster_buzz/2009/01/the-damned-unit.html
I really really really want this to be good.
Please be good.
I have my fingers crossed like you wouldn't believe.
It won't live up to the hype that I've put on it myself though. It can't.
I just hope that the charachterisation of
Clough doesn't turn into a parody.
The trailer seems promising.
with every day that passes,
i want spurs to go down more and more. and i'm not one of the arsenal fans who wants them to go down every year. they are just getting ridiculous.
Under Jol they were probably one of my favourite Premier League sides.
I've never really disliked Redknapp before either.
But I'm just finding him so dislikable I'm starting to want Spurs to go down too.
I miss Jol
but frankly I can see where Harry is coming from. We have been turned from team with potential to shitfest in record time.
It's not so much criticising the team.
It's the continual tapping up of players mixed with continual denials of tapping up players. For example saying something along the lines of "we really want Downing but obviously we respect Boro's decision if the don't want to sell" in a way that shows them not respect of Middlesboro at all and increases the pressure to sell...
Basically I'd be fine with him if he had the decency to shut up and conduct transfer business in private.
We've already played Charlton twice this season
Adn we're not from South London!
Oh my...
yet another error. I meant Palace. Please forgive me.
Lewes vs Torquay tonight
I should imagine that the Gulls will bring more than the two we had at Plainmoor. On a better pitch I'd expect to be demolished, on our pitch they'll probably just sneak it. After 588 minutes without scoring a league goal will we break our duck tonight? Can't see it.
19 mill for RSC
too much but not quite TOO much. Big Sam needs to fuck off with his £40 million valuation (!). In fact, if we end up going over 20 i'll be very disappointed. In fact, why are we still trying to buy him? Other fish in the sea and all that
might as well buy Arshavin as well, just for shits and giggles
Last season
was the first season Santa Cruz scored more than 5 league goals in a season. £19million seems quite a lot of money for him. Still, he will provide City with a target man up top which is something they seem to be missing.
very true
he may well be a one season wonder, but i'm hoping that Hughes can get the best from him. Some players just seem to perform under his management, i'm not sure if it's his style of coaching or personality or what. On the flipside, some players seem unable to perform for him, i.e. 90% of the Man City squad
no pre match introduction for chimbonda then. (like Defoe had)
Has your club ever signed a player that is strongly disliked by a vast majority of the fans?
Yes...
On a few occasions. Mark Pye, Lee O'Leary (for a 3rd time) to name two. We're normally won over if they get their heads down, keep their mouths shut and work hard.
I give pascal till the end of the season.
I like him
Except we hounded Mark Pye out of the club within under a week
What about West Ham's £9million purchase?
3 in 17 for Brescia(?) apparently...
I mentioned it up there.
Looks to be a very exciting young player
he's a deep lying striker
and Brescia have one of the best youth setups in Europe
He plays on the wing for Brescia
colchester are playing northampton tonight
i'm hoping for a win for the u's obviously, but a 1-1 draw would be good too as i'll win myself some good money. i think our lack of strikers currently, mixed with our vastly improved defence will mean we score one but limit northampton to one after they scored 5 at the weekend.
deep, man. deep.
Might be at Charlton v Palace tonight
in fact, I will be when I buy tickets.
I have a bad feeling about the game though, if they roll us over it will be the lowest point of the season (have there been any high points?!)
Plymouth away
so this is a yes to tonight then?!
Redknapps Media Strategy
apologies if already posted
http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/4852/arry2tc2.jpg
Brilliant :D
£15m?
:(
Also, I want Veloso :(
In Scottish football news Inverness Caledonian Thistle have just broken the record for earliest in the season a side's ever had a relegation confirmed.
It baffles me how Terry Butcher keeps getting employed
Kenwyne Jones has signed a new deal at Sunderland
Pretty chuffed with that
'Reading midfielder James Harper is poised to join Middlesbrough in a £5m transfer this week. (Mail)'
I'd accept that in a flash, no way he is worth more than £2-3m. Can't wait to thrash Wolves later, hope they bring along another hilarious banner http://tinyurl.com/cfgk5k
Away to Norwich.
At least it isn't at home. There are only a couple of days of the window left, I can't believe that no-one has come in* for Drew Surman or Adam Lallana.
3 Saints players that are out on loan scored for their teams this weekend - that didn't hurt at all.
*also can't believe that they haven't been forced out
Nice to see Jones has signed a new deal.
Harry Redknapp seemingly can't illegally tap up the whole of football.
I see Thomas Gravesen has retired. Not surprised. His missus is fit, and filth. I'd rather spend all week at home with her than playing for Celtic ressies, in all honesty. One of my favourite players in his pomp, but never really looked much cop after leaving Everton.
I'll be very disappointed in Robbie Keane if he sulks off back to Spurs with his tail between his legs. Benitez is a muppet, some of his decisions are baffling, not quite sure how he has the nerve to call David Moyes defensive when he's been one of the managers responsible for the 4-5-1 culture that's swept the Engligh game in recent years, and his decision to ommit proven players from a matchday squad just strikes me as madness, especially considering David N'Gog's hardly likely to do much. Keane should knuckle down, though, rather than admitting he's not good enough for a top side. The reports linking him with us are quite probably wide of the mark. I'd rather of had him than Bellamy, but not sure you could play the both of them, and a targetman, and Robinho.
Lastly, can some clubs hurry up and bid for Vassell, Benjani, Jo, Ball, Elano, Mills, Gelson, Hamann, Dunne & Ben Haim. We don't need them, thanks.
I actually agree with most of that
Out of the list of players ... I'd take Dunne and Ben Haim
Just leave Bellamy out
Gravesen left us
in August of last year - apparently got a payout in excess of a million to leave!
Predictions for tonight/tomorrow, anyone?
Sunderland 1 Fulham 0
West Brom 0 United 1
Pompey 1 Villa 2
Spurs 1 Stoke 0
Chelsea 2 Boro 1
City 2 Newcastle 1
Wigan 1 Liverpool 1
Blackburn 1 Bolton 0
Everton 1 Arsenal 1
West Ham 2 Hull 1
i think there'll be a few more draws
normally are on midweek games after heavy weekends, people willing to settle for a point
Also, i'd poo myself with joy if Spurs lost to Stoke
The current Boro team are one of the worst footballing sides in Premier League history
They'll score from every set-piece they get. Even goal kicks.
I'd take 1-0
Not sure how great Fulham are on the road. For some reason I'm really looking forward to going home tonight and watching a midweek soccer special with Ian Payne.
If we beat Hull, I'm going to go as far as to say we're safe
and it's pretty extraordinary. Would love it if we do.
Harper signs new 3 year deal
to replace Given ?
this will take him over the 20 season mark
Nige 'The Hammer' De Jong is going to fuck the Premier League up.
I wouldn't kick off with him anyway.
A cheeky one tonight for the Unbeatable Invincible kiK Betting System Extraordinaire.
£4 on Spurs, Birmingham, Brentford, Gillingham & Altrincham pays £83.16
Pot currently stands at -£40 after 3 weeks. This is the corner.
Bellamy: 'I've never left a club on better terms than i did at West Ham'.
Says it all really.
he's a tool
Deeply curious stuff from Craig Bellamy this morning.
Talking about his move to Manchester City, the charming young Welshman said:
"I have never been outside the top six in my whole career and I want that to carry on."
Errrr, what?
Apart from last season, when West Ham finished 10th. Or 2004/5 when Newcastle finished 14th. Or 2000/1 when Coventry were relegated. Or even between 1996 and 2000 when Norwich were in, errr, whatever they used to call the Championship.
'mentally' he's never been outside the top six...
because he's a winner, as Hughes keeps telling us.
Trophies won - 1 (the Scottish Cup)
* I'm not giving him the Champions League.
South West derby tonight
Argyle vs Brizzle Shitty. To say I'm not confident is the understatement of the year so far. I wouldn't even mind a home draw, as long as we bloody well score a goal.
I can't predict City's results this season.
I always assume we're gonna draw against Argyle. And in fact most City-Argyle games I can recoolect have ended in draws (the first game I ever saw ended Bristol City 1 Plymouth Argyle 1, fact fans).
Despite Argyle's poor form I'm gonna predict 1-1 again.
Reading v Wolves
is where I'm off to, a nice win for Reading would be very much appreciated after the piece of shit that we served up away at Swansea and a win tonight would hopefully set us on the way for a win away at QPR on Saturday which should be a fun day out.
Our back 4 looks a bit odd tonight, no Ivar which is a suprise.
'greed
still, seems to have done ok thus far
Baggies v United line-ups
West Brom: Carson, Hoefkens, Pele, Donk, Robinson, Zuiverloon, Borja Valero, Koren, Brunt, Simpson, Fortune.
Subs: Kiely, Cech, Bednar, Kim, Dorrans, Filipe Teixeira, Morrison.
Man Utd: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, O'Shea, Park, Carrick, Giggs, Ronaldo, Berbatov, Tevez.
Good to see Rio and Nemanja back together, think we should have too much for them. Why is Bednar on the bench? And has Borja Valero been any good so far this season? I seem to remember he was their club record transfer.
Nah, he's been rubbish
I'm having to miss this tonight
since I'm off to see Sky Larkin instead. That's pretty much the line-up I would have gone with though, now Anderson's injured. Would make a refreshing change if we could just get through tonight without picking up any more injuries.
sky larkin are pretty shit
you should've stayed in.
actually a pretty strong team
considering the amount of injuries picked up in recent weeks. Another clean sheet would be nice.
West Brom v Utd delayed for 15 minutes.
Ronaldo couldn't get his head through the door. Labourer on way.
Just had my first bet for ages (Betfair)
£5 treble on United, Stoke and Sunderland tonight, returning £110. Stoke haven't won away this season but Spurs are pretty dire.
As above...
A cheeky one tonight for the Unbeatable Invincible kiK Betting System Extraordinaire. £4 on Spurs, Birmingham, Brentford, Gillingham & Altrincham pays £83.16
When picking your acca's...
Do you avoid any teams or have any other criteria except good form and good league position and so on?
I used to check team news.
and watch out for stuff like derbies, managerial changes, upcoming/recent fixtures etc, but generally just form & league tables. There's not much skill to gambling. Most weekends you can go through the leagues, especially League One & Two, and it's mostly home wins. You're probably as likely to pick a winner by just picking three or four random homes, in all honesty.
There are some teams - Tranmere, Sheffield Wednesday, MK Dons, Plymouth, Crewe, Huddersfield, Peterborough, Barnet & Rochdale are teams that've cost me more than once.
.
"There's not much skill to gambling. Most weekends you can go through the leagues, especially League One & Two, and it's mostly home wins. You're probably as likely to pick a winner by just picking three or four random homes, in all honesty."
"I'll carry on picking sides each week to prove that over the season you could win hundreds, if not thousands of pounds."
Bookmakers - how do they make their money?
Horses & Roulette, mainly.
Any bookie would tell you they pay out more money pro-rata on football than anything else.
Just had £5 on United, Stoke, Pompey as well - £160 return
Villa have been treading on thin ice in recent weeks.
hmmm
i know what you're saying there, but i think they'll still get a win. Too much bad feeling around Pompey, by all acoounts they were despicably bad at the weekend. I gots Villa, Sunderland, Utd and a draw in the Spurs - Stoke game and another bet with Bristol City, Swansea, Reading, Leicester and Bournemouth.
Luton just scored, cunts
went for
united, spurs, villa draw.
Spurs 2-0 up
No winnings for me now.
West Brom just had a chance, and now have a corner through the work of Jay Simpson.
Nice finish,
naff defending.
Villa could go joint top tonight :-O
Would be amazing.
Just shows what can happen if you get the right manager who can give players confidence. They really don't have many top players, but O'Neill has them playing. He's done it everywhere he's been. That's why he'll get the United job when Baconface retires.
Heskey!
Boo Spurs though, why don't they ever realise just how funny they could be? The big teases.
Serious question...
when was the last time Spurs played well?
I'll guess at 2005.
Zapsta-bait
Does it have to have been for the entirety of a match?
"a brilliant free-kick from at least 27-yards"
John Salako's brilliant.
Rob Styles having a stormer again, then?
"Get that on target and you can't miss"
How much does Andy Gray get paid?
only a couple minutes to go
shame birmingham won, but still a great result considering only 1 of our 1st choice back 5 was playing
game over
only 2 points off Wolves with a much better goal difference, it's gonna take a spectacular fuck up to not make the play-offs at the very least
Spurs lucky by all accounts.
Good for 20 minutes first-half, Stoke bossed it for the last hour. Guy on local radio just said a draw would've been fair.
you realise
this is bullshit, and not far off saying West Brom deserved a draw. Tootle off and concern yourself with your Brazilian disciplinary issues yeah?
All accounts?
From the BBC's review: "A superb three-goal first-half display earned Tottenham a deserved win over fellow relegation strugglers Stoke." So all but one then, yeah?
well done villa
think that's 6 wins out of 7 (the 1 being a draw against arsenal), 8 wins out of 11 (11 unbeaten) and 6 wins in a row away from home. That's pretty impressive form from a (previously) non top 4 side.
and well done emile on your debut, beautiful strike, looking like an inspired signing already at that price.
port vale 3 - 0 chester
spurs 3 - 1 stoke. it has been a very good night indeed!
Just got back from The Valley.
Went with a mate to watch the Charlton Palace game. Shit game, good atmosphere, good result (not that I support Charlton, but when in Rome...).
There's hope for CAFC yet...
Oh well, at least our best player hasn't been arrested on suspicion of rape.
stephen ireland?
Good point.
No, not Stephen Ireland.
Basically three of our lads were in a nightclub in Leeds a couple of weeks ago. A few days later a girl goes to the police saying that infront of hundreds of people she was attacked by our highest-paid player.
well...
that's as good a reason to ditch training as any other