*Official* English Football Season 2008-2009

[Tom Halsey]

Yeah I'd have kept Pique personally, fairly obvious he wanted to go though, back to his home town club, can't really blame him for that, or the club for letting him go I suppose in those circumstances. We're well stocked for the future in both fullback positions (the De Silva twins, plus, personally I rate Simpson as well, although his development has slowed of late). Centrally, I think Evans has what it takes, was very good indeed against Chelsea, so there are promising signs, although I wouldn't want him playing every game yet. Would like another centre half in the future, as Rio is about to hit 30. Rio's the oldest of our current back four (assuming Brown as our first choice right back rather than Neville, which is admittedly debatable) and he's still good for a few years yet IMO.

Our youth policy of late though has left a lot to be desired though, so I'm not really banking on any of them, though they are promising prospects.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Yeah I'd have kept Pique personally, fairly obvious he wanted to go though, back to his home town club, can't really blame him for that, or the club for letting him go I suppose in those circumstances. We're well stocked for the future in both fullback positions (the De Silva twins, plus, personally I rate Simpson as well, although his development has slowed of late). Centrally, I think Evans has what it takes, was very good indeed against Chelsea, so there are promising signs, although I wouldn't want him playing every game yet. Would like another centre half in the future, as Rio is about to hit 30. Rio's the oldest of our current back four (assuming Brown as our first choice right back rather than Neville, which is admittedly debatable) and he's still good for a few years yet IMO.

Our youth policy of late though has left a lot to be desired though, so I'm not really banking on any of them, though they are promising prospects.

Ah yes, I forgot about the Da Silva twins. Rafael is clearly highly thought of, I can't remember the name of the other one but he's supposed to be good as well. Simpson is on loan somewhere, isn't he? Blackburn is it? I would think you'll be alright, but I wouldn't place too much faith in your youth system these days. It's dried up somewhat, especially when you compare it to the ridiculously strong youth team Arsenal have.

 

[Matteh]

Apparently the De Silva twins, the one that was good is now playing crap because he's in England and the one that was crap is now about as good as the one who's playing like crap.

 

[GIMH]

Everton's miserable season continues.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Apparently the De Silva twins, the one that was good is now playing crap because he's in England and the one that was crap is now about as good as the one who's playing like crap.

Errrr, what?

 

[Tom Halsey]

Everton's miserable season continues.

Hahaha, yes, shame.

Their defence seems to have gone to pieces, not sure why this is tbh.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Ah yes, I forgot about the Da Silva twins. Rafael is clearly highly thought of, I can't remember the name of the other one but he's supposed to be good as well. Simpson is on loan somewhere, isn't he? Blackburn is it? I would think you'll be alright, but I wouldn't place too much faith in your youth system these days. It's dried up somewhat, especially when you compare it to the ridiculously strong youth team Arsenal have.

Yep, our problem has been that we sell off our prospects, for example Pique. Still, we made a nice profit on him.

Essentially the De Silvas are cut from the same cloth, they are both very very good going forward already, but raw... but still exciting prospects all the same. Fabio in particular may well have a future as a winger rather than a full back, that's also potentially true of Rafael, I hope they both make it as wing backs however as we're already well stocked on the wings. Simpson I'm becoming less enthusiastic about, but there's still hope IMO.

 

[Matteh]

Errrr, what?

Read Phil Vickery's blog. Best thing on the BBC Sport website.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Everton's miserable season continues.

Not too many embarrassing slipups apart from that. Kudos to St Patrick's A for holding Hertha Berlin tho, as well as Metalist Kharkiv who trounced Besiktas, and Feyenoord who turned around a 0-1 deficit on Gotland.

 

[Tom Halsey]

Portsmouth potentially in the **** here, if you ask me James has been poor, but still, really if they nick a goal that should see them through.

If you ask me the selection was a bit strange, five defenders essentially, three defensively minded midfielders, and Defoe and Crouch... asking for it a bit.

 

[sledger]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/7649109.stm

Always rated this guy as a player itbt, would have been good enough to play for a really top level club, but looks like he's a decent bloke as well. I know he will have already earned enough money to live happily on for the rest of his life, but this is a really great gesture imo, the likes of which I have never heard of ever happening before, others should take note.

 

[Loony BoB]

Read Phil Vickery's blog. Best thing on the BBC Sport website.

Yeah, like that blog too. But he didn't say either were crap. He said it was interesting that Fabio was the better of the two beforehand and now Rafael has had more first-team chances, that's about it. Fabio has actually been injured, which explains why the leftback hasn't had so many opportunities - not to mention that it's a bit easier to get ahead of Brown/Neville these days than it is to get ahead of Evra, who I consider to be by some significant distance the best fullback at United.

EDIT: Wow, a year for free. That's something you don't see anymore, and I hope it catches on. Either that or a year's wages to charity instead of themselves. That kind of thing needs to be seen more in the higher class players, I reckon, if the general public are to ever see them as true non-money-grabbers.

 

[Craig]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/7649109.stm

Always rated this guy as a player itbt, would have been good enough to play for a really top level club, but looks like he's a decent bloke as well. I know he will have already earned enough money to live happily on for the rest of his life, but this is a really great gesture imo, the likes of which I have never heard of ever happening before, others should take note.

Yeah, like that blog too. But he didn't say either were crap. He said it was interesting that Fabio was the better of the two beforehand and now Rafael has had more first-team chances, that's about it. Fabio has actually been injured, which explains why the leftback hasn't had so many opportunities - not to mention that it's a bit easier to get ahead of Brown/Neville these days than it is to get ahead of Evra, who I consider to be by some significant distance the best fullback at United.

EDIT: Wow, a year for free. That's something you don't see anymore, and I hope it catches on. Either that or a year's wages to charity instead of themselves. That kind of thing needs to be seen more in the higher class players, I reckon, if the general public are to ever see them as true non-money-grabbers.

Former Inter left back Francesco Coco was going to play for free on his final year of his contract which would of expired at the end of this season IIRC, but with so many injury problems and the fact Roberto Mancini did not rate him, meant his career was over and is now trying to be a movie star ( ). Alvaro Recoba IIRC was going to do the same, but is now running around for some rubbish Greek club.

 

[TT Boy]

Kinnear losing the plot with the press…

Transcript here - http://china.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=894134

Audio (censored) available from here - http://www3.talksport.net/

 

[sledger]

Kinnear losing the plot with the press…

Transcript here - http://china.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=894134

Audio (censored) available from here - http://www3.talksport.net/

What an absolute joke, thought the reputation of Newcastle could scarcely be tarnished any further than it already was, but guess I was wrong.

FFS someone like him should know a hell of a lot better than to go off on one like this, everybody knows that the press are always going to write stories along the lines of which they have about him, don't know what he's so shocked about.

Got to Lol though, terrible club, terrible people.

 

[Majin]

JK: I'm not going to tell you anything. I don't understand where you are coming from. You are delighted that Newcastle are getting beat and are in the state they are? Delighted, are you?

NH: Certainly not. No one wants to see them get beaten, why would we?

Take most exception to this quote, only seeing Arsenal lose is more satisfying than the Geordies losing tbh.

But yeah the whole thing is hilarious

 

[grecian]

To be fair, Kinnear's clearly trying to get a "nobody likes us and we don't care", thingy going on. The geordie fans actually seem to be rallying behind it on boards and phone-ins. Can't be fun being a national joke, and the players and fans do need something to help the fightback.

I'm not sure this is it, but there's little to lose in this situation of high-farce.

 

[Uppercut]

Former Inter left back Francesco Coco was going to play for free on his final year of his contract which would of expired at the end of this season IIRC, but with so many injury problems and the fact Roberto Mancini did not rate him, meant his career was over and is now trying to be a movie star ( ). Alvaro Recoba IIRC was going to do the same, but is now running around for some rubbish Greek club.

A few Inter players (inc. Recoba IIRC) voluntarily took big pay cuts when the team was in major financial trouble. Also Daniel Tommassi, when he was playing for Roma, refused to be paid fully for a season when he was seriously injured and took a minimum-wage salary for the period. Great gestures.

 

[SpaceMonkey]

To be fair everything he said about those press guys was spot on. You could tell the interview was going to be awesome from the first 3 lines.

Joe Kinnear: Which one is Simon Bird (from The Daily Mirror)?

SB: Me.

JK: You're a c**t.

Awesome

Few more links about it:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/footb...ute-rant-at-the-daily-mirror-115875-20767990/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...-conference-and-read-it-in-full-Football.html

2nd one has the audio and transcript (censored).

 

[grecian]

"****ing day off", has already become my fall-back insult-retort.

Bit o' class.