Extra-early Wednesday Football Thread
Newcastle no longer for sale:
- Chris Hughton officially our proper manager
- Mike Ashley to start investing in the squad again
- St. James Park NAMING RIGHTS to be sold
:(
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The first two are bad enough
The third is one of the most sickening things I've heard in my 20-odd years as a Newcastle fan. I really really hope this doesn't happen. I don't think it's too big an exaggeration to say he's selling the soul of the club. What the fuck will it be? St. John Lewis Park?
Well, 'investing in the squad'
obviously isn't the bad part. I should've read properly before the knee-jerk!
the Fenwicks Dome
Bollocks.
To answer your and Soapy's points...
1) Newcastle are no longer for sale because they couldn't find a buyer. Simple as that. Not even at £50m.
2) Bad move. He's doing a very good job, why ruin it. Should've left it as it was. It it ain't broke-ish, etc...
3) Not sure you need it unless you go back up. The Championship isn't a case of splashing out on players, you need a team, and you've got the makings of one for that level. A striker in January, maybe, not pretending to know the ins and outs of your squad, but you should have enough.
4) Naming rights makes complete sense. It absolutely shouldn't matter to football fans who sponsors their ground. To the hardcore support and c*nt on the street it will still be SJP, nothing to worry about. Not sure how much you'd get, but i suspect it would be eight-figures a year, go for it. Means nothing. Doesn't disrepect the history of the club in the slightest. Our fans still call Eastlands 'Maine Road', given we're not sponsored, but if we were i wouldn't give a shit. The problem is that the sides sponsored are normally shithawks, like Wigan, but fuck them. Most important thing is what happens on the pitch. Would Arsenal fans give a shit about their ground being called 'The Emirates' if they won the title? No.
a striker, yes
and another defensive back-up player (the others all have fitness/discipline problems at the moment) probably.
although really even with what we've got there's only Brom and likely Gordy's Boro likely to seriously challenge us for a top 2 finish.
i said the other day that we'd probably see at least one more season of mike ashley. the summer will (almost certainly) see promotion on the back of a good run of form which might perk up some demand (not £100m).
expect to see plenty of "shoes off if you love the toon" chanting outrage about the naming rights thing. it doesn't seem out of place on new grounds but St.James has been that for yonks and it feels wrong that it could be the Dunlop Arena or Broon Park come the end of the season
Him taking the club off the market
isn't a surprise in the least. I think most of us have seen this coming for weeks. It's just a blow that the man who has caused a good deal of the most recent farce surrounding our club is still here for the foreseeable future. A man who (admittedly in the face of massive hostility from the fans) has been massively disrespectful towards the people who put money in his tills every week.
I'll admit Hughton is one of the few people associated with NUFC to have shown any kind of dignity in recent months. But he's not a football manager. He's not the person to take the helm and I don't think he's strong enough to knuckle down if things start getting a bit ropey later in the season. Just to be clear, I don't regard Alan Shearer as some 'Messiah' type cure to all our ills. Obviously he's not. He's got 8 games of managerial experience and a relegation under his belt. However, talk of Shearer is irrelevant really anyway as I think he's unlikely to work at NUFC while Ashley is in control.
The naming rights thing: An emotional reaction on my part. I see the clear commercial benefits it brings, but the bottom line is, it just doesn't feel right, y'know?
That was totally my longest post ever. It's a tough job being a Newcastle fan.
I think the naming rights thing is a bit different when it's an existing stadium
As I said a few weeks ago I couldn't care less that our ground is called the Emirates, because it's brand new so while it feels slightly tacky it's not flying in the face of the club's history. If they'd tried to rename Highbury I'd have felt very differently about it though.
I'd imagine Newcastle fans feel pretty disconnected from their club under Ashley as it is, so something like this will likely get a big reaction.
Highbury
is now called Highbury Square
You should try supporting Southend...
Cheating.
Football threads before 7am don't count.
has anyone else seen Owen's goal from earlier as well
that was really nice. tidy. good work.
Wow.
This was an early football thread.
Tom Huddlestone scored a volley.
Well done Pompey.
I don't know if Stoke were playing their under 16s but scoring 3 months worth of goals in 1 evening isn't bad work.
Shame about Posh getting diddled 2nd half at Ewood Park.
Mark Kirby leaves Hendon for Enfield Town. Top man, top player, bit fat.
Gresley FC 8 (EIGHT) - 2 Radcliffe Olympic
That really is all.
you were reading the scores from the 1952/53 season.
Seriously, Gresley scored 8 (eight) last night.
SERIOUSLY.
I love the FA cup
Kettering won 1 nil with a 125th minute winner having missed 2 penalties, another penalty turned down for a handball in the build up, our goalkeeper knocked out but had to play on, a goal ruled out, 3 goal line clearances and still they almost won it with a shot that hit the inside of the post and bounced out. All for a long trip up to Hartlepool where we'll get a beating.
Pretty dull fare then?
It was a pretty dreadful match
One of those nights that nobody could score no matter how easy the chance. Ashikodi's 2 penalties were dreadful and he even 'did a Gallas' after the second and sat on the penalty spot for a few minutes while the game carried on around him.
ashikodi is a useless arrogant piece of shit
no doubt he'll get kicked out of your club when the manager realises.
Aaron Lennon's out of saturday's NLD...
whilst Defoe is suspended, meaning that we'll be putting out the slowest team in history. Our chances have surely gone from slight to slighter. Bentley had a blinder last night by all accounts so hopefully can turn it on on sat as well...
Is this confirmed? (Lennon injury, not how Bentley played obviously)
Not that it makes an ounce of difference who plays for either side of course, being as it'll be the same error-ridden type of game it always is. Winner being the one who best takes advantage of the other's fuck ups.
apart from jenas, the rule proving exception.
Yeah, on SSN this morning apparently...
We def could have done with his pace, to give us an outlet, if nothing else...
fucking stoke.
Alan Green....
condemning the police last night without knowing any details of what they were doing or why. Muppet.
i think it's high time alan green was removed not only from broadcasting, but also from wider society
can't stand the guy. hope his voice box falls out
massively this....
Just fucking commentate on the game alan, don't give us your 'controversial' opinions on everything that's happening in the world you massive bellend.
things alan green does
1) talks about himself like an arrogant, obnoxious prick
2) slags off referees far more than any other commentator, also like an arrogant, obnoxious, self-important prick
3) slags off his commentary position and the club hospitality like a self-deluded, oxygen-starved, arrogant, obnoxious, self-important prick
my favourite moment recently was when Austin Healey of all people was laying into him on Fighting Talk. more slagging off Alan Green on national radio please, and add TV and newspapers to that more please!
isn't he on fivelive?
why listen to that shit at all?
Because - Alan Green and 606 aside - its sports coverage tends to be better than every other radio station's?
Exactly...
Ingham, Fletcher, McNamara, Forsyth and Jones are all superb commentators. Green is just a (very) bad apple...
plus they have Stuart Hall as a summarizer
anyone who doesn't like Stuart Hall or finds him annoying has NO SOUL
football commentary?
i don't have a tv?
I don't really listen to football on the radio
unless it's a West Ham match and there is absolutely no other alternative but usually that's on BBC london
see also:
when he says 'wakey wakey!' like some all-kowing cuntfuck.
Austin Healey is a reprehensible human being
But he is a fantastic analyst on the beeb's rugby coverage
Great Paso Doble as well.
I have no idea how good his analysis is
Every time I hear his voice or see his stupid, square face I'm consumed by hatred and miss what he's saying.
Presumably he has a little image of himself which he moves around the screen to demonstrate how he would have done it better
He's a fucking bellend,
Of United's game last night, he commented that it was scenes reminiscent of Millwall v West Ham earlier in the season. Get over yourself, a couple of Barnsley fans ran on the pitch, and a small minority of dickhead United fans trashed the catering place in the fan. Hardly a riot.
...
and he wasn't even aware of the problems in the stand, only the two Barnsley fans that went on the pitch.
sounds more of a riot inside the ground than what happened at the West Ham v Millwall
game
this Newcastle needing to strengthen the squad business
is just a bit odd really. Newcastle have the strongest squad in the championship by a country mile. making it a little bit stronger's going to make close to hee-haw's difference. if a squad made up of half premier quality and half top level championship quality players can't get promoted...then no newcastle team ever will
They should save their money for the premiership
There's no point spending huge money in the championship. I mean QPR have gone from relegation certainties to top 6 for the grand total of around £10 million over three seasons. The championship is about buying smart
One for those that 'love' Real Madrid
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/8329227.stm
i can guess without opening this is about Alcorcon?
muwaahahahaha
also: "Reports suggest Pellegrini could lose his job if Real lose to Getafe at the weekend or are beaten by AC Milan in the Champions League next Tuesday."
yeah, changing managers all the time. that'll REALLY get players in a good frame of mind!
Bring back Ramos
what odds on Benitez....?
</oh god, he's not opened this one again has he?>
I really can't see
Benitez's tactics going down very well at the Bernabeu. If they didn't like Capello, they're not going to like Rafa.
11/2
Seems like Wenger might be taking the Carling Cup vaguely seriously this season
Likely starting line up vs Liverpool;
Fabianski
Eboue
Silvestre
Senderos
Gibbs
Coquelin
Nasri
Ramsey
Vela
Bendtner
Eduardo
Not sure whether it's him realising that we need to win something, no matter what it is, this season, or just that we actually have a pretty big squad when most of them are fit. Either way there's oeuf all over his face if that team loses at home.
This would be the strongest Carling Cup team we've fielded in some time
It would have been great to go (tickets were on sale for a tenner I think) but I'm going to miss the game unfortunately because I'm seeing Phoenix tonight.
There is never anything unfortunate about seeing Phoenix
so he should.
it's your best chance of silverware.
Not to mention guaranteed European Football next season
Shouldn't turn our noses up at that
Hull are in some deep doodoo
Hull City have been warned their uncertain financial position threatens the club's "ability to continue as a going concern". The club's accounts, filed five months late to Companies House, say that in the event of relegation the Premier League club will need to generate a £23m surplus just to meet their existing liabilities.
The grim forecast from the club's accountants, Deloitte, emphasises the need for a financial overhaul during the next 12 months to safeguard Hull's future. Although the figures for their first season in the top flight will not be available until next year, the independent auditors' report, with its stark warning, does cover the club's current financial situation.
In the accounts for the year ending 2008, which were due on 31 May but only filed this month, the club made a £9,764,850 loss during a period that culminated in winning promotion to the Premier League.
Most telling, though, is Deloitte's prediction that Hull will need to raise an additional £16m should they retain their Premier League status this season and a further £7m again if the club, currently ensconced in the bottom three, slip back into the Championship.
The report proposes that Hull might seek to recover those sums through a combination of player trading, commercial activities and/or a cash injection. However, Hull have already sold their best player, Michael Turner, who joined Sunderland for around £6m this summer, and there are few other significant assets within Phil Brown's struggling squad.
It is significant that the auditors, in these latest accounts, do not suggest that the Essex-based property investor Russell Bartlett, who took over from Adam Pearson in 2007, will invest further in the club to make up the shortfall, as often is the case with football benefactors.
"These forecasts demonstrate that in order to operate within the company's finance facilities Hull City AFC will need to generate a surplus £23m during the next 12 months through player trading, match day and commercial income and/or through additional finance raising," the report said.
"In the event that the club retains Premier League status for the 2010-11 season, the additional funding required for the 12-month period will be in the region of £16m. This is reduced as a result of the guaranteed level of Premier League distributions that will be received ...
"As is common with all football clubs, Hull City AFC will make player purchases and sales during the course of the season to manage the company's cash flow as and when required. The directors acknowledge that player purchases and sales are uncertain in terms of timing and quantum and some uncertainty exists over the availability and quantum of additional facilities should such be required.
"These conditions indicate the existence of a material uncertainty which may cast significant doubt about the company's ability to continue as a going concern."
Although Hull supporters might point to the pot of gold that accompanies winning promotion to the Premier League as a reason to believe the accounts for the year ending 31 May 2009 will be more encouraging, much of the money is likely to have been swallowed up in salaries and transfer fees. Paul Duffen, the Hull chairman, claimed last month that the club had spent £19m buying players in January and the summer, while receiving at most £10m from the sales of Turner and Sam Ricketts to Bolton Wanderers.
Duffen also said at that point that "there are no problems here, the club is properly financed" when questioned about why the accounts had not previously been filed with Companies House.
He went on to say: "We are in discussions with our auditors about the wording of the notes to the accounts." No one at Hull City was available to make any comment last night.
Portsmouth have been banned from registering any new players
good news for Tommy Smith
Tommy Smith has been fucking brilliant since he joined Pompey.
"fucking brilliant"?
REALLY "fucking brilliant"?
REALLY FUCKING BRILLIANT!
Bolton linked with Ricky van Wolfswinkel
Van WOLFSWINKEL.
No matter how much they pay for him they'll make it back in shirt sales.
Imagine the scramble amongst the opposition to swap shirts with him at the final whistle.
Van Wolfswinkel.
Posh did indeed get a bit of a diddling last night.
Getting your keeper sent off in the first half is never going to help. It looked like a definite sending off last night, but the clip I saw on SSN this morning made it look a tad harsh. Posh played well though...
George Boyd needs to stop being too good though, or he'll be long gone in January...
He's on fire at the moment isn't he?
Boyd that is. A class act.
Lovely finish last night from Boyd.
It's a shame Posh are struggling. Is it a case of trying to play too much football? Leicester have hoofed it to fifth place in comparison.
To an extent.
Last year we could pass it round the majority of teams. This year we're still trying to play that attacking football, with two up top and two wingers, but thats leaving our fragile back four exposed, who are then getting torn apart.
We're scoring enough goals, just letting too many in. We didn't really strengthen in the summer either, and our budget puts us a long way behind the majority of CCC clubs.
We'll be alright.
Yep.
Despite the fact he's incredibly slow (which I thought might be a problem at championship level), he's making the step-up look really comfortable.
He gave Salgado the complete run around last night in the first half, and then came inside and did the same to Givet.
Much as we're not in dire needs of funds coming in, if he carries on like this we'll have some bids to contend with in January, I'm sure.
why are they called Posh?
What is the origins of that nickname?
There's two stories I think
1)They wore a new kit once. Someone said it looked 'posh.'
2)An old manager said he was looking for 'posh players for a posh team'
Don't know which one is actually true.
christ
both are pretty awful
Pretty much
Some quick googling also reveals there used to be a pub near the ground called Port Out, Starboard Home.
Our previous nickname was much better. The Brickies.
Man Utd beat Barnsley 2-0
QPR beat Barnsley 5-2
Now,, feel free to correct my logic here, but I'm pretty sure that makes us better than Man Utd
Your logic is correct.
You're the best team in England.
We're technically the European Champions after demolishing Barca 0-1 in the Nou Camp.
Using that logic then
Liverpool are European Champions after Man United beat you at Old Trafford and Liverpool beat United on Sunday.
Great stuff
Isn't this a better world now?
Your use of demolish is reminding me of FM match reports
"Man City thrashed Reading this afternoon 2-1"
I'm playing as Man City on FM08 at the mo. Good craic. I've built a young, and now amazing squad, but now I've got the money to buy some real big boys. Should I, or should I continue my commitment to youth?
worst thing about Man City on FM09:
when their £300m team beats your inferior Liverpool and it gets labelled as a massive upset.
I haven't played FM09, but I've heard Man City are a royal pain in the arse in it
I think I'll just wait for the new one to come out
On Friday.
yup
i pre-ordered it on steam, thinking "i can set it downloading at midnigiht on friday, so it'll have finished just in time for me waking up hungover saturday lunchtime to play." then i work out it doesn't become available til like 4pm friday, thus fucking up my weekend. FUCK YOU, STEAM
:(
But you get a free copy of outrun or something too don't you?
Mine's coming in the post whenever postie feels like delivering, although fortunately I've not had to pay for it this year :)
Do you know if it's playable without the disc again?
Think so, yeah
Zavvi are doing it for about £17 with free delivery if you did want to buy the disk
yeah, free copy of outrun
tbh i've not even looked to install it yet, but it's there waiting for me if i ever fancy a car racing thing
And it's here :)
i hate that on fm09
if you take a midtable team and get them up around the uefa spots City automatically upset all your players waving wads of cahs at them until they become upset, refuse to play for you, then get benched and play no games once you're eventually forced to let them go.
sounds pretty realistic tbf
Pavlyuchenko to QPR on loan
In the most ridiculous rumour I have heard all season
you missed 'sol campbell to spurs' ?
Villa and Silva are apparently leaving in January.
Please please please don't let them go to United, Valencia.
Barca or the Italians can have them. But not United.
Moving on, our kids will be more up for tonight than Arsenal's. On the back of raping United without our only player - and scoring the second without either of our only two players - they'll feel unstoppable. Maybe Lucas can even maintain his not-bad form from last week.
What sort of line up are you likely to go with tonight?
Pretty much full strength minus Gerrard, Torres and Mascherano?
Will that Dalle Valle (?) kid be playing? Apparently he was the only one to emerge with any real credit from the Youth Cup against us, but seems like Spearing's ahead of him now.
I was at the Emirates game, he didn't do much there
thought Buchtmann (young German left back) was the only one who showed any real promise in a Liverpool shirt. I know a couple of Finnish guys who reckon Dalla Valle's their next great hope though. N'Gog's a certainty to start up front, so I'd be surprised if Dalla Valle started, could make the bench though.
On the Valencia thing
Still can't imagine Villa going anywhere other than Madrid. Supposedly it was virtually done in the summer and he's said he doesn't want to play outside Spain. With Benzema being a bit hit and miss so far it seems all set for him to go there.
Pity as he'd be excellent in the Prem, but good because it would be playing for United or Chelsea
Weymouth to enter administration.
Inevitable and pretty much guarantees relegation (puts them 16 points away from safety already, with only 6 earned so far). What I'm struggling to understand is how they're still making a loss every week.
Phil Brown has left Hull according to Andy "Two Phones" Burton
http://twitter.com/footballandy
Daily Mail website said it was imminent
Now also being reported by those trustworthy "Sky sources".
Has he popped up to Leeds to do a spot of shopping?
Oh I know, it's that 'Buy One session get one free' offer isn't it, up at Biff Tanning.
between Pompey's transfer ban and Hull's imminent implosion
what are the odds on all three new clubs staying in the Premier League this season?
calum davenport been charged with assault
over the incident he got stabbed in both legs in
Hull need to make a surplus of £23 million to stay afloat
Or £30 if they get relegated, so I read
16m and 23m are the figures I think.
Even so having sold players like Turner they're not in a great state. They could sell players like Altidore, Giovanni, Ghilas maybe for a few million each.
good luck selling Altidore when
he's on loan from Villareal
Whatever
Hope they disappear back to the depths of League One where they belong. Never forgiven them for their fans and stewards goading ours about the fucking London bombings
...and jimmy bullard...
........anyone?
remember when everyone said Wenger should sign him
they can have Ferdinand if they like.
Might make a few quid by flogging him.
newcastle fans in 'not happy' shock
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/newcastle_united/8330033.stm
i still stand by calling the naming rights thing being pretty shit.
people say that it's not selling the soul of the club, but i don't think that argument holds water, especially with a ground like this and a club as mawkish as ours.
new grounds fine but this one has been in use for over a hundred years.
Are there going to be any football clubs left in business by next year?
Calum Davenport charged with ABH:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8330403.stm
All a bit weird.
I fancy our chances of getting David Villa & David Silva.
Valencia won't want to sell to another Spanish club.
If they do move to a non-Spanish club i can't see it being anywhere other than England.
Chelsea can't buy.
Valencia won't deal at £50m.
Liverpool are skint.
Arsenal don't sign good player, THEY MAKE THEM.
Bound to come to the blues. Won't be guaranteed of places, but still...
* players
you forgot United chief
erm, no, i didn't.
"Valencia won't deal at £50m".
Market forces. If there are other clubs willing to pay much more they won't go at that price. You'd be talknig more like £65m, which the Glazers won't sanction. I doubt either player would like to to move to City, but if we're sat there waving £75m in reddies you'll have to match the bid or go home.
Tough to say what sort of money United would be prepared to spend
But I really doubt that they'd baulk at that sort of money if Fergie really wanted them. There's virtually £65m left from the Ronaldo fee once you take the summer signings away.
Can't see it.
Debt repayments need to be met.
Maybe you're right, I'm just guessing
But if the financing of the Glazers' debts was intefering with the football side of things I'm pretty sure we'd have heard about it. Tough to imagine Fergie staying quiet, shit he'd even tell the beeb
Adebayor on Michael Johnson...
"I have been very pleased to see Michael Johnson back in action. I did not really know a lot about him before, but when I came here a few people told me that he was a great, great player.
He's coming back from injury but now I have seen him in training, and I like his style of playing. He's very calm, even when it gets difficult he keeps calm, takes the ball and does what he think is the right thing. I've always admired that kind of player.
If he can get back to 100% he will be important for us like Cesc is for Arsenal, or Iniesta is for Barcelona".
Turmoil in Humberside
to add further suffering it seems that club chairman Paul Duffen and Phil Brown are well in the thick of it. For months they've been pulling the wool over supporters' eyes about finances and the sale of players, but the backlash has been building up since the transfer window. The shit has truly hit the fan..
Is Brown definitely gone then?
Don't understand how they can be quite so fucked financially, unless they're paying some mental wages. Not like they've spent massive amounts on transfers, even for a relatively small club, is it?
Either way I think it's probably safe to assume that despite what Brown and Duffen said they were never anywhere near signing Owen or Negredo in the summer
was most likely all guff
seems the club's owners are massively in debt. As much as he makes me cringe I have to feel some sympathy for Brown to be in the situation he's in, especially in regards to the sale of Turner and Ricketts. But the club are shelling out £30M on players wages and their transfer fees...The wool has been pulled over many people's eyes and the lies that have come out of the club have added further fuel to the fire which is sure to burn Duffen and Brown's arses. They can't hide anymore and should probably do the right thing and resign well Duffen at least, but the worrying thing is that if Hull are relegated then the club will go into administration.
Brown still in a job!
I reckon the chairman's gonna go though... Seems the club needs a massive investor ASAP.
I think all these clubs in debt should be relegated immediately.
Funnily enough, i vague memories of Duffen saying Hull were one of only three completely debt-free clubs in the Premier League.
yes that's true
HCFC were supposed to be the club in the Premiership with the least amount of debt. Seems all that was a load of bollocks then. The chairman has been lying for ages about how financially prudent the club has been, but since the recent revelations the sale of Turner and Ricketts in the summer seems to make sense now.
Liverpool and Scunthorpe double pays 50/1
Arsenal have shortened from 2.25 to 1.96 on Betfair.
Liverpool drift from 3.3 to 4.2.
Gerrard and Torres out for Pool, Aquilani in the squad, don't know if he starts.
I've got a feeling both of those could win, actually.
We've not had our yearly cup humbling at the hands of someone shit yet. I can see Liverpool going through, but maybe not in ninety minutes.
We couldn't get beat by Scunthorpe, on our own patch, could we? Could we? Laters.
no i don't think you will
but I've wasted a pound on it.
The arsenal line up up there ^^^^ is not strong enough to beat even a shit liverpool team. it doesn't have any defenders in it.
We must have drafted in some last minute defenders huh
this celtic game streaming on the bbc site is rubbish
these guys would have to fight to get a play-off place in our league
actually i quite like it now
it's like a nice distraction to keep my eyes occupied while i wait for the text updates from the real football to refresh
to habitually slag off either side of the Old Firm
you need to be a supporter of a team which has done something of note, maybe in youre own lifetime. Your team haven't won the league in over seventy years or the FA cup in over fifty years. Every time you slag off Scottish football I just remind myself of these figures
i remember us beating Barcalona and Juventus in europe
and as consistent top 6 finishes in the premier league as any none-big four club has ever managed
and how hard is it to win trophies in scottish football when there's only been two team in it for the last 20+ years
funny that as I can remember Celtic beating Barcelona
and Juventus and also being European finalists, as have Rangers, in the last decade
shush
we're just going through a sticky patch soon we'll be BACK WHERE WE BELONG
o my
lovely football there from arsenal.
looks like lpool might bring on eccleston. looked class against our reserves
even better from insua
frick knows how that crept in
no way did celtic not score there
Ashley is either the thickest millionaire in the world
or he just does not give one solitary shit. Renaming St James Park as The Tampax would be the single greatest example of popularity suicide in the history of football
City struggling against Scunthorpe. There's a surprise
Hmmm
Is it mildly depressing that even in the League Cup the quarter-finals include Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, Man City, Spurs and Villa - hardly surprise city is it for a competition which the big teams don't take very seriously!
portsmouth please
or arsenals kids.
man city in the final.
really great match.
think liverpool were unfortunate not to bring it into extra time - thought voronin actually performed pretty well at times (though abysmally too). aquilani looked encouraging.
arsenal should have had a penalty
and were the better team by a long way though
Michael Johnson.
Shed a little tear there, must admit.
If we can get and keep this boy fit he'll go on to be the best midfielder in England, i shit you not.
david bentley looks good in the carling cup...
True.
Though i must say that i think he's the most naturally talented of England's options on that side, after Joe Cole.
Playing week in, week out, he'll give you more than SWP, Lennon, Beckham, Walcott or Milner, in my opinion.
Spurs've ruined him.
true say
him and Miami are gonna be big players
The Impaler's gonna be shit hot.
Johnny Evans is still in his pocket from the Slovakia skinning of Norn Iron.
Two footed, plays on either wing, bag of tricks, give him two years and every full-back in the country will be shitting themselves of that lad.
i think it's fair to say he's better than Messi
The sound of Nick Halling doing actual commentary
is quite surreal.
he's better at narrating, definitely
he's got a "detached" voice, i'd say.
holy shit
danielkelly and i were sitting in front of the most annoying people at the chelsea game tonight. don't think they even watched the game, they were too busy talking about trips to zambia and trousers. they thought it was alright to keep their feet on the top of our seats too.
anyway good game, another battering of a terrible team. worried about the game on saturday but we should get through it, unless bolton miraculously get lots better and come out with a better attitude than they did tonight.