Here we go again. The intent is good, using a major tournament as the platform is not such a good idea.
Raphael Honigstein on the consummate late developer Luca Toni.
Last weekend in Serie A six of the top seven teams faced each other. The top three (Inter, Roma and Juventus) all won. The next four teams (Fiorentina, Milan, Sampdoria and Udinese) all suffered losses and remain locked in a tight struggle for the last Champions League spot.
Fiorentina are four points ahead of Milan and Sampdoria and Udinese are a point further behind. Down at the less glamorous end of the league seven teams are in a dog fight to avoid the three drop spots. Last weekend only Empoli (draw), Cagliari and Reggina (wins) did themselves any favours while the woes of Torino, Catania, Parma and Livorno continued.
With five games left until the end of the season this weekend has a schedule that has eight fixtures that are crucial to the title race, the last Champions league spot or relegation. Only Juventus with third place almost guaranteed away to Atalanta, and Siena (eight points above the last relegation spot) versus Genoa (comfortably in eighth) have a “who cares” look about them.
With two successive wins Inter appear to have regained some traction in a bid to win their third scudetto. This weekend Inter is in Turin to play Torino and both teams currently enjoy four point gaps – Inter on second place Roma and Torino on eighteenth place Reggina.
Torino made Walter Novellino the thirteenth (particularly unlucky) coaching casualty of the Serie A season and followed the lead of a number of struggling clubs by bringing back a former coach. In this case Gianni De Biasi who quit the team sitting firmly at the foot of the Spanish Primera Liga Levante to rejoin Torino. Novellino stepped in to replace De Biasi last summer.
Turin’s other team has the second worst home record in Serie A but only two of the sixteen home games this season have been decided by more than a single goal and both times Torino won. A new coach, a home record that is perhaps not as bad as it may appear might add up to a tough assignment for Inter especially given that they will again be missing top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic. A knee problem has caused the big Swede to miss the last three matches and the next question whether or not he will be ready for the Milan derby in a fortnight.
Roma appears to have the easier game with slumping Livorno the opposition. Livorno have only one win in their last 15 league games and one win against Roma in Rome in the same number of attempts. Livorno sunk to bottom spot after losing to Cagliari last weekend and although they still have time to escape with games against Milan, Atalanta, Torino and Empoli still to come they will have to start scoring goals more regularly. Seven goals in 15 games have taken them to the precipice.
Reggina pulled off a surprise 1-0 win over Sampdoria last Sunday courtesy o####oal from Franco Brienza. The January transfer window signing from Palermo has now scored seven times and if Reggina are to survive then the former Italy international is the most likely hero. However, considering that Reggina are one of three teams without an away win this season – and have only scored eight goals on the road - any away match is going to be problematic.
This weekend it is Milan at the San Siro and Reggina are likely to face a resurgent Inzaghi who has scored two doubles in Milan’s last two matches. No matter the outcome this weekend Reggina will maintain control of their own fate as they will face fellow strugglers Parma, Catania, Empoli and Cagliari in their final four games.
When coach Davide Ballardini took hold of the Cagliari reigns (the return of another former coach) the club had collected a miserable ten points in their first 17 games. In the next sixteen games another 22 points have been earned and last weekend Cagliari was able to jump two points above the last relegation spot by beating Livorno with a double from Acquafresca.
Another key game this weekend has the Sardinian side up against second from the bottom Empoli. Empoli (with another recalled manager Gigi Cagni) have shown signs of resuscitation with a win and a draw in the last two after a run that saw only a single point from a possible total of 21.
Despite sitting above Empoli, Cagliari are in more need of the win as they finish the season against Inter, Fiorentina, Udinese before a final round game against Reggina. Empoli have to play Genoa and Udinese then finish with Livorno and Reggina.
Further up the table Fiorentina will be hoping to continue a run of eight games that has seen them go W,L after losing to Inter. Palermo have won their last two games (another multi-manager team) but have lost ten times awy from home and only collected twelve points in 16 games. Even a moderately decent road record would have had the Sicilian team challenging for a Champions League position.
The winner of the Sampdoria vs. Udinese match will retain a credible interest in fourth spot while the loser can forget it and battle instead for a UEFA Cup spot. Sampdoria have only lost once at home this season although another six games have finished as draws. Last weekend’s single goal loss to Reggina was the first time Sampdoria have been shut out in fourteen matches while Udinese loss to Roma was their first set back in eight league games.
What is wrong with DC United? They have probably the most talented squad in the league, and they've losing games to Columbus at home. A team comprising of Jaime Morena, Fred, Luciano Emilio, and Marcello Gallardo should be able to muster up more than 1 goal a game in this league... I'm just saying
That being said, simple question, Do you think there are any MLS teams good enough that they could earn promotion from the Championship to the Premiership, and if so, dare I ask it, any of them good enough to stave off relegation?
"Manchester United defenders Rio Ferdinand and Wes Brown and midfielder Michael Carrick have agreed new contracts at Old Trafford, manager Alex Ferguson said on Friday. Ferguson told reporters at his weekly news conference that although it looked possible that Brown might have left the club, he was now staying."
Would be nice if these #'s were public. One thing I like about American sports because of the cap you find out how much everyone is making.
Also the transcript of the Grant interview after the Everton game is pretty comical.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/s tory?id=526693&cc=5739
Do you have a message for the Chelsea fans?
'You represent the Chelsea fans?'
Gers-Watched the game as well and it was quite a spectacle.
Nakamura's goal was just simply brilliant and it was even more brilliant watching the crowd respond. If you watch behind the goal, one of the ball boys(men) goes absolutely crazy!
Guess I'll listen to WSD today. I'll give the AH credit he is respectful to his expert guests. I doubt Lalas will ever come on again though. They trashed him on FFF.
"Also, those glorious 'reports in Italy' claim that Arsenal are after Palermo striker Amauri, which given that he's old enough to shave (which he doesn't do very well, incidentally) and will probably cost around £15million, seems slightly unlikely."
Normal service resumed after the bleeping mess of yesterday on this blog?
Read Donegan's artical and the Liverpool echo in full was better. The funniest thing was his comment on Jose Mourinho.
I wonder if Hicks added an 's' to his name to disguise his country upbringing?
I think D.I.C wanted to make a quick profit out of Liverpool and the yanks beat them to the draw. Once the yanks have made their profit the financial interest will have gone for the Dubai offer and they (D.I.C) will go look for another cash cow to milk. Sad but true I fear.
I just watched the Zola interview on tbe BBC site and the guy is a gentleman. Even with my red affilliations, I loved watching Zola on the ball. Awesome player. The interview is well worth a listen.
I predict that Chelsea will lose their home record on game 111, with reference to a good old Nelson.
Weather up here is fantastic. Bobby could have a sun tan for tonight's show.
Last edited by redfan4ever on April 18th at 8:56 AM.
Bobby: Judging by your scheduling comments, I gather you haven't been blessed with an assignment to Toronto's home opener against RSL on Saturday?
Nice weather forecast, TFC fans stoked after that nice win over Ruud Hullit's Halaxy. Gonna be mental. And we're gonna win. Team's shaping up nicely.
RF4E: Spurs fans don't care much for Chelski, but Zola was one of those guys you just shook your head and smiled at. John Motson of BBC once cracked me up, describng a darting, dribbly run:
"Ohhhhh, Zola. The toes were twinkling there."
And the name Acquafresca has to be a commentator's delight. Hope he keeps making a splash.
Agents are in the business of creating demand for their clients so yea the Amauri rumor is allot of hot air.
On WSD the other day they started wondering where Benzema was going to land this year but I really don't agree hes going anywhere. He signed a new deal and has verbally committed to Lyon. Next year the earliest. Same with Aguero hes not going anywhere this summer.
My quick estimate of how things might go this weekend in the BPL:
Saturday, 19 April 2008
Barclays Premier League:
Arsenal 2 v 1 Reading, 12:45
Blackburn 2 v 3 Man Utd, 17:15
Fulham 1 v 2 Liverpool, 15:00
Middlesbrough 1 v 1 Bolton, 15:00
West Ham 1 v 1 Derby, 15:00
Wigan 2 v 2 Tottenham, 15:00
Sunday's Premier League:
Aston Villa 3 v 1 Birmingham, 12:00
Man City 1 v 1 Portsmouth, 16:00
Newcastle 4 v 1 Sunderland, 13:30
I do not see many surprises this weekend save that Fulham's eagerness to catch Bolton, Brum and Reading, might lead to a lot of space for Liverpool and so I hope Benitez plays a pacey attack.
Reading will do well to get anything other than closer to the drop. Their only hope, or saving grace, is that both teams below them are away from home and should also lose.
Last edited by redfan4ever on April 18th at 11:26 AM.
If Amauri makes a move in the summer it will be to Juve not to Arsenal.
Also, you are correct Benzema is not going any where. "Benzema has extended his contract to Lyon until 2013 with a 1 year extension option. Benzema earns 400 000 € per month, which makes him the highest paid player in Ligue 1." (wikipedia) Lyon's president openly stated that the intent to signing such a contract was to secure his services until the 2010 WC. Therefore, I imagine he is banking on Benzema making a huge impact at the next WC. Once the 2010 WC is over, or right before the tournament, they will sell him for a record transfer fee and make a shi@t load of money.
there has been speculation that avram grant gave his controversial interview because he is upset about how the media is treating him. i dont believe thats why he did it. i believe he was being like that because sky influenced the prem to move the game to thursday and obviously the officials at chelsea did not like that and they made certain avram grant treated sky reporters accordingly. i believe this to be true because he gave an interview to the BBC after the game as well and he answered all their questions without any attitude. I guess its kind of chelsea's way of sticking it to the "MAN".
who chelsea should be upset with is the premier leauge for allowing SKY to pressure them into moving the game(if that is actually how it went down)
Gers4lyfe- Not sure if this is better than the game you are talking about but I have seen some youtube clips of Fenerbace(no idea how to correctly spell that). And that looks like the best atmosphere I have ever seen.
Bobby: With mounting interest shown here on all things Spurs, let's get to today's hot button subject. Your people must know.
Berbatov's agent, Skivin' Ivan Dantchev, is agitating for a move to a CL participant. Of course, he'll be leaving. Do you think Spurs would let him stay in England? Or do you think they'd insist he move to the continent?
Because Spurs have him on contract for two more years and hold the option to renew it for two more, they have some leverage as to what becomes of him. He doesn't turn 28 until next year so he can't execute a contract buy-out for a year.
Spurs fans are saying that if he's going to go this year, they should not only get whatever transfer fee he'll bring, but put the blocks to Skivin' Ivan and demand buy out money as well, in order to speed up proceedings.
Think our stroppy hero is willing to pay up in order to getaway quicker? What do you think his transfer value is worth? What do you think Spurs could extort from Berbatov and his manager? Would his value be altered by staying in England or moving abroad?
Is it too much to hope that somewhere cold and violent - Moscow, Warsaw, Belgrade, Chicoutimi - would have a contender for his signature?
Dimitar came in at £10.9m... 15+ off to Italy would be a nice capture considering his agent is hell bent on a new fat contract. He strikes me as the type of players that could become a real cancer, going from whiny but productive right now to nuclear meltdown and unplayable.
The only way I see him staying is if Ramos wants him to stay and they offer him a new deal on fat wages which doesn't seem to be the case or it would of happened or Ramos would of declared him unavailable this summer and start working on convincing him to stay. I think he definitely wants him shopped out to turn around and spend the money where he sees fit assuming Spurs trust the manager they are paying so much to choose his own transfer targets.
just got this in my mail wont be going though.
"Canada?s and Argentina?s U-20 teams are facing each other in a rematch. On the one-year anniversary of the official opening of BMO Field in Toronto, match promoter Gebka?s Co. is reuniting the two sides for an international friendly on Sunday 11 May 2008. The match will be played at 16.00 (local time)."
Well that was weird. Guess foxsports.com can't afford a few hard drives.
footie_fan: GL is done with SW, other than overseeing the brand. I'm not disagreeable to more movies either, as long as they're quality
ABG: Stop spreading lies and rumour mongering. As if DB would leave Spurs. Anything else would be a step down; fat wages, meaningless games, no one watching you play who can write. Seriously, what more could you want???
Davard: Cheers, sorry aboot the confusion. Dunno how I mistook you for Croatian. )c: It was my impression that you were a pretty fair & neutral observer, with a penchant for l'Arse. Nice to see my instincts aren't always wrong. (c:
I know sleeper's a Croat, but he/she's been missing of late
Redfan: Links are your friends. Some of us like reading good articles too. )c:
- You rejected my claim that DM's too conservative or that EFC lacks craft, but honestly, y'all don't play much better than route 1 football (at least these days). Manny and Pip had moments, but it looks like EFC runs out of ideas pretty quickly, & AJ upfront by himself is not the answer for more goals IMvhO. I know yer missing Cahill, but.....
- Paying refs more would at least improve the pool. I mean, they're wages are not very good for the pressure and training they go through to get to the top flight. Nevermind the whole bribery issue.
- Agree with all of your suggestions sans the microphones one. (c; In fact, my idea was inclusive of swapping refs from league to league
- Your argument re: Clattenburg applies to M.Riley too IMO
- re: SW: you've exceeded my level of geekdom, but I'll take some shots:
1) Luke & Leia (not together!) help, erm, create it? And they'd probly find some of lower "level" jedi-dom
2) Remind me when he 'cheated' death? By age, like? He looks old cuz he's shrivelled by hate
3) Stormtroopers 'reprogrammed', officers sent to jail, ships et al. redesignated
4) Only Han understood Chewy, and that was after years of working together. So I suppose the same applies to R2. Languages are languages - some might ask the same of Sanskrit or cyrillics too (c;
..“With mounting interest shown here on all things Spurs”.
Wha???
He is off his med’s again!
On a far more entertaining subject:
The Old Firm derby replay was a corker. I don’t know how/why FSC got the rights to it but whom ever was responsible should get a pay rise.
Even knowing the eventual outcome it was a still an enthralling match.
Naka’s goal is surely a top contender for goal of the week.
BLUE
OMG how shiite? Althoug the ref was utter shiite. How did Baletti get his card? Carvalho's, perhaps. The Portueguse got a make up call though, Yakubu spun him on the edge of the box and the "ba_stard in the black" blew for a foul by the Nigerian? Knob!
DC
Lovely evening for football in DC. DC played with their heads up their dark holes for the game. A lot of that is to do with a whole slwe of new faces trying to get to understanding each other and the rest is that they were cack.
Still DC's best shot aat winning something in the forthcoming sporting year.
RINGO
Barstewards. We are still in our funk?
The duo doing us on Setanta were serious Chelsea Bu_m boys! You can see them tossing off to the Stamford Bridge Gazette they were so sychophantic.
RF
ZOLA (some would argue too small for the PL) still remains one of the best ever in the PL. You are right as well, he is a gent. He was on the bench at a game in Naples in the 80's when Maradona was playing. The silky world dominating awesomeness of the (too short for the PL) fat cokehead rubbed of on the little Sardinian.
MMMM Neopolitan tomatoes...because every other type of tomatoe is just one of Plato's shadows in a cave!
What do make of this tidbit?
"Liverpool could be forced to sell Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel if they fail to pay back a £35.1m loan used to help buy the pair". (The Times)
Cheating. I think it's always been there. We are just more aware of it now.
Although I'm sure Ursus can get off his and critique it better than anybody! :P
CONT...
Fiorentina off the park at Goodison and losing on penalties we've been shiite. No midfield basically as the brains are not in gear and the players are not their toes.
DM isn't at fault for the last two or three games. The players seem just to turn up and little else. No fire in their bellies.
Tired?
I dunno.
Plus You saw what Hibbo and Neville bring to the side, steel , good defending and pretty much fa going foward.
Watching a re-run of how we beat Pompey 3-1 would be a better summary of Everton this season.
Miking would be good. Would player X want to be heard telling the ref that "that BLEEP, player Y is a BLEEP dive BLEEP, BLEEP BLEEP Yellow BLEEP OFF I get 100 grand a week you tosser BLEEP!" The verbals would soon stop.
SW - just watched all 6 so it's fresh. in III The Emporer talks of killing his master who learnt all sorts of evil shiite (inculding cheating death!)
He looks fubared because Samuel L Jackson zapped him with the power of the force.
SANSKRIT
Wonder what a curry menu would look like?
AMAURI
Will stay in Italy.
BOBBY"S BITS!
Raphael Honigstein
The reporter is an ####. Late developer? Does he wipe his an_us then type what he sees.
He's always been good and if you look at his goal scoring record you'll see he's alwayt known where the back of the net is - he's moved up the ranks nicely and later on in his career has played for clubs which get notice.
Bobby - that article is just utter tosh. Pick something better next time please. Perhaps one that's central premise isn't just BS.
Major Tournament
Like the intent (somewhat) Big platform big publicity big impact is Platini's thinking.
Gorn and I had a few missives on this kind of thing.
Your Serie A preview is actually quite good. Thanks!
BERBATOV
sheesh, a class act who needs a kick up the erse. I'd have him if the price was right.
CANCER
Please show a bit of taste and cease from referring to players as cancerous. We are talking about a fu_cking game here.
A bit of taste about Cancer? Its an analogy used by many people when referring to someone who can turn a dressing room upside down.
We could refer to them as AIDS instead if you like or the black plague.
Point still stands keeping someone around against their will is usually suicide in sports. If Spurs get a 15m offer this summer they should bite the hand off. If hes forced to stay it could get real ugly and the goals might dry up and his value slips. If anything do everyone in the league a favor and ship him to Man U. Even if he gets ahead of Tevez in the pecking order someone is going to get whiny and that just might be what it takes to unsettle the team next year.
Jay: Spurs were reported to have already rejected offers in excess of 25 million pounds. They want more than 30 million plus a little weasel grease from Berbatov's panting agent to let him go this year. Don't think his performance this year will have hurt his value.
ManU aren't desperate enough to pay that for him, though I bet he'd love to move there and bunk in with countryman Martin Petrov. United's the default option for Spurs to sell to in England because strengthening them helps keep cups out of Ar5ena1's hands.
Much as I support Rangers, that Nakamura shot looked like something out of the Japanese space program. Wow.
Wonder if he'll become a target for bigger clubs elsewhere. Rumbles gathering that Spurs are interested in giving Alan Hutton a tartan teammate. Alan McGregor, perhaps?
And it feels like Christmas Eve 'round this midnight. Less than 12 hours away from a cold Tuborg and the red-hot atmosphere of Toronto FC's home opener. The big city's starting to get interested and excited about what's happening with our team. GET INTO THEM, YOU REDS!!
JAY
Perhaps those who talk about cancer in relation to football could take a trip to a kiddies hospital where 3 4 and 5 year olds are bald, weak and have tubes in stuck in their orifices whilst they wait for a death they do not understand and think about how appropriate it is to describe a someone playing a game that you don't like as the disease that is killing thousands in the US and around the world.
Or maybe those with a blase attitude to cancer are content to use a limited vocabulary to NOT describe what are essentially a talented, moody, mercenary and petulant Bulgarian or a talented, rash tackling and out of position Ivorian.
It may be an analogy used by many people when referring to someone who can turn a dressing room upside down. That justification is lame, just becuase many people are stupid fu_ckwits without the brains to tie their shoes (thank god for velcro) or tell the time without a digital clock doesn't make it right.
I'd love to apologise or downplay this particular stance.
Shan't and won't.
It's football and anyone who wants to refer to some aspect o####AME as having any similarities to cancer should find a really high place and make like a bird. That would be one less contaminant in the gene-pool.
Twice a month I take the Bi_tch you see on the left to a local childrens hospital as a Therapy Dog. That scraggy B-itch wagging her tail and being petted is the highpoint of some kids' day.
Perhaps I can mention that some Arsenal supporters are likening their player to what they have fu_cking up their cells and eating away at v
Last edited by craigy_f on April 18th at 10:08 PM.
various organs, I'm sure that they, their parents and the medical staff would be appreciative of the popular "football-cancer analogy"
Of course the inner workings of Spurs or Arsenal dressing rooms is wholly an acurately described in minutae in the press so anyone who comments is surely spot on with the details.
Perhaps instead of being honest to the parents about the prognosis for their kids the medical staff can play it down and refer to an "Eboue of the Liver" or "bone marrow Berbatov". Perhaps that would make everyone feel better.
Nah, fu_ck all that, why think and use one of the bazillion better words in the English Language before I type when I can just write CANCER instead, It's much more appropriate and easy.
Well for sure Gillete and Hicks - ####_king cancers
Usmanov is the Cancer Arsenal don't want
Taylor type tackling is a cancer on the game
Clattenburg gave us some shiite decisions, he's a cancerous referee.
Owen Hargreaves is like a cancer in the midfield, breaking up the delightful attacks of his opposition like a tumour in a pancreas
Yakubu is enjolying his time at Goodison unlike the Cancerous last few months at the riverside.
Perhaps the cancerous Blatter will be removed with surgical precision when the full extent of his corruption is made public?
Perhaps we could expand the use of CANCER to everyday language.
May paperboy missed the step again, he's just such a cancer
Weather's rainy today, such a cancer when it's my week off.
My PC developed this cancerous vrirus that's fu_cking up my hard drive.
FU_CK using it as a an analogy just for troublesome footballers, let's just use it all the time. The dying kiddies won't mind, I mean their dying so why should we give a fu_ck.
Right?
BEYOOTIFUL GAME!
FLASH
When will the Ramolution include post match interviews?
The word 'cancer' is used all too often in Spanish football, particularly when talking about players who are dragging a team down. I'm very guilty of using it often.
craigy:
- As always, I defer to you in all things Blue. Just giving ye feedback. It could be any number of things, but best for you, it isn't lack of application (if'n yer given to looking for silver linings and all that). Not to say I think 5th is all yer gonna get just yet, cuz there's a good chance LFC will underwhelm tmw, but my $ would certainly be on LFC for 4th at this point
- SW: Of course the burning Mace gave him scarred him, but IYRC, The Emperor is in much worse shape when he dies than after the Windu fight. I was referring to his appearance at the end re: yer comment aboot him dying. Also I think the 'undead' thing didn't including falling miles into a heating core for a 'planet' (c;
microphones: They don't do that in many sports where behaviour is exemplary toward refs. It's not a de facto argument to me that that would work, or is even fair to footballers. YMMV (c:
- you beat me to the attitudes of some regarding cancer. Seems clear that, thankfully, not everyone has experienced it to its fullest extent. So mebbe it's not callousness that precipitates it? A gentler touch perhaps? *shrug*
Where is that Ursus anywayz? Either we're boring or he's lazy
PS: After watching the interview, I'm with Tommy. His verbal skills are a match for Kuyt's 1st touch, but out of the 3 evils I see, he's the one I'll take [flame retardant on]
Craig are you sure you just weren't offended about cancer so you could let everyone know what a great guy you are taking you dog to help out kids with cancer?
Most words have different meaings in context, I'm not argueing that cancer is not a terrible thing but getting so offended by someone using it as a metaphor is stupid. You might as well get into a fight over anything someone says that cuold be a reference to somehting that hurts some people.
Oh and I know how #### cancer is my best friends mom died of it 2 years ago that doesn't mean I need to get offended by the use of it as a metaphor...
Last edited by terrapin_turtle on April 19th at 1:28 AM.
"What do make of this tidbit?
"Liverpool could be forced to sell Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel if they fail to pay back a £35.1m loan used to help buy the pair". (The Times)
Cheating. I think it's always been there. We are just more aware of it now.
Although I'm sure Ursus can get off his and critique it better than anybody! :P"
When you put it so nicely ...
From the usual vague non-details in several articles, it sounds like LFC secured the loan used to pay the players' transfer fee with their football registrations. If LFC were to default on the loan, the lenders would in effect seize the collateral by forcing the club to sell the players' registrations to come up with the money owed (there is likely a specific provision to that effect).
Whether FIFA/ PL regulations allow an entity other than a football club to hold player registrations or not, the only value of the registrations to the lenders is the transfer price that can be obtained for them in a highly specialized and limited market. So it is to the lenders' benefit to impose on the club the obligation to realize that value on their behalf in the event of default-- instead of the usual scenario with most secured loans, where the bank simply seizes the asset pledged as security.
But this "Torres under threat of bank sale" is hogwash...
(continued ...)
Last edited by Ursusarctos on April 19th at 1:59 AM.
But this "Torres under threat of bank sale" is hogwash. There is no sinking fund or other pre-allocated moneys-- to retire the loan upon maturity-- that could be compromised by the LFC financial situation next year. When due, the loan can be paid off from current revenues at that time, or if necessary from further borrowing secured against future revenues. Only LFC insolvency would necessitate selling the players. End of story.
The LFC financial picture as a whole is a different matter, of course. And it is interesting that one article, at least, fleshed out details of the partners pre-emptive purchase rights: supposedly, they expire in late May, which, if true, could mean some serious takeover/ buyout action soon thereafter. Hopefully, on the back of a sixth EC/ CL ...
URSUS
Ta - I did think it was a tad sensationalist.
GORN
Happened when we got dumped out of Europe last time and happened this season. A reason Moyes need an extra dimension from a new number two. Some reds would rather gouge out their own eyeballs with a spoon than watch the "other shiite" in any game other than a derby! and Vice Versa. That's OK - I'll take evolution over an attitude that Neanderthal.
The ref is miked (publically - which can be painful at times) in Rugby Union.
A gentler touch - sorry lah! that's stricly not applicable to my language.
TT
I'm not and never will be a "great guy" I like a good rant every now and again. Using Cancer to describe a footballer seemed an appropriate target.
Thanks for your comments though, the blog always appreciates the viewpoint of new bloggers. What do you think of today's games in England, Italy and the US.
ATLETI
I'm sure I saw Ramos give instructions to defoe on the touchline earlier in the season so his english can't be all that bad. Although I think his reluctance is perfectly understandable. Sometimes Rafa's mangling of the language makes him appear buffoonish!
I obviously struck a nerve and wont bother but words have different contexts and meanings in different situations. I doubt Berbatov will be spreading cancer to the children of north London. He will probably just eat them instead in protest if he has to stay without getting a fat raise.
25m+? I dunno Flash his agent said they wanted CL football (which is #### they just want a big contract) and theres only so many teams with that pre-requisite. For example where would you rank him against Villa and Amauri (Huntelarr to if the guys are WSD are right) who are both on the move. The supply of strikers this summer might dip his value substantially.
JAY
Just love your Parisanship - no mention of Eboue?
I couldn't help noticing the
"but"
which generally translated means ignore what I just typed. Your request has been granted.
CANNIBALS
I do think your cannibalistic reference is actually a quite good attempt at humour (the mental images were stunning and not at all helpful for Bulgarian Tourism).
Of course when it comes to cannibalism I have no qualms about how the word is used, referenced indexed or mangled, I think you may have stumbled onto a great new theme. Let's explore it together.
THE SUN
Perhaps email the idea to the Sun.
I can see the back pages now.
"CANNIBAL CARNAGE AT WHITE HART LANE"
That would be the sort of headline to send shivers up the spine.
or perhaps we could move North a bit.
"WENGER'S CANNIBALS CAUSE CARNAGE AT EMIRATES"
Not quite as good I think.
"CHELSEA'S CANNIBALISTIC COHORTS CRUSH CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HOPEFULS"
That might work, you can just picture Grant using someone pinky bone to pick the rancid flesh from between his teeth.
ELOKWENCE
I'm sure a gent/lady like yourself is eloquent enough to continue to think outside the box. Thanks.
POST SCRIPTS
PS. The cathartic nature o####ood rant (even if it is online) is well documented.
PPS Do you think that I am a "great guy", please say yes. Please!
PPPS Enjoy the footy that you watch today.
THE PRICE FOR A CF
The market will have an affect on price for strikers in the summer (for sure), with a lot of new managers at big clubs perhaps the demand may be high as well. I do like Bobby's M
Eboue he plagues Arsenal on the field not the dressing room. Asenal in the dressing room? that’s Jens the madman Lehman. Diarra was another who was sent off because he couldn’t stop talking about how great he was and the other one who bothers me and apparently his mates is Bendtner. Some see it as confidence that he wants a shot at the first team I see it as disrespect considering for him to get a spot someone loses their spot. I think that’s where he and Ade don’t get along as when Bendtner starts talking about getting a shot it means Ade not on the pitch as they have not linked up very well all year. Two similar and un-flexible unlike Tevez and Rooney who adapt much better.
Still think 15 would be a great capture for the Cannibal as I rate Villa higher, Amauri maybe around the same and there’s always Adriano as a wild card trying to get his life back together in Brazil. Throw in Huntelarr who is a realistic mover and the unrealistic Benzema, Aguero, and even all the guys not even on our radar. Maybe the Cannibal will be feasting in north London for another season as the fee shrinks... Or they could just pay him like Darren Bent and he wont be eating anyone. I think Ramos being a good manager is keeping his cards close because he knows if the fee starts dropping he’s going to have to make nice and feed him.... maybe he can eat Chimbonda, two discontents in one meal.
I am the soccer analyst for the Fox Soccer Report and appear twice a week - every Monday and Friday at 10:00 EST. I have also been a regular contributor to the Fox Soccer Channel website since the summer of 2004. Over the last twenty years I have contributed to various radio and television programs throughout North America as well writing about the game for newspapers, magazines and websites.
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