*Official* English Football Season 2008-2009

[aussie]

Injuries to Foster, James & Downing are potentially a blessing in disguise for the National side, in next month's two fairly easy qualifiers next month & beyond.

- Robert Green should finally get a chance to push to be # 1 GK. Its probably the only way James could get dropped TBH.

- Downing will finally be out of the team, maybe Taylor to get called up if Capello still see's the need to have a "natural left-foot" player in the side. Although in the final 23-man squad next year, once all are fit i don't see such a player being needed.

Good signs...

 

[Craig]

Nah, he's not going anywhere. Would be beyond belief if he did.

Plus he said he doesn't like the weather, not actually the place. Hey it is pissing down with rain and blowing a gale today and I'm not a fan, doesn't mean I don't hate the Gold Coast.

 

[Loony BoB]

He was also pretty quick to defend his love for United shortly after the media went crazy over that rain comment. That was something like a year ago.

 

[Trumpers_Ghost]

I'm a Liverpool fan (although living on the other side of the world) but have a soft spot for Everton (and my favourite player is a toffee)! Does this make me scum?

 

[steds]

I'm a Liverpool fan <snip>! Does this make me scum?

Yes.

 

[PhoenixFire]

 

[Tom Halsey]

Yes.

Well in.

 

[duffer]

Arsenal's new away kit:

 

[biased indian]

Arsenal's new away kit:

????

 

[Agent TBY]

????

 

[GIMH]

What are everyone's thoughts on the mancs playing a weakened team at the weekend?

As much as I love the opportunity to have a dig at them, I gotta say I don't think their duty this weekend is to anyone but themselves. I remember in 05, we went to MK Dongs on the last day of the season and they were 3rd bottom, we had nailed 3rd and had nothing to play for, with the play-offs coming. Little rested a few players, and we went down 2-1. The next day I went on our message board and it was full of venomous Torquay fans saying we should have picked a full team. I can sympathise with them (and really wanted the Dongs to go down) but I didn't really see why we should have risked Hume missing the play-offs and therefore guarantee that we stayed down by doing our utmost for Torquay. so I can see where United are coming from this weekend, and tbh I reckon that their second string will probably kill Hull anyway

 

[fredfertang]

Well I reckon that 11 United youngster desperately seeking a couple of seats on the bench for the Barca game will give Hull an infinitely rougher ride than the usual suspects whose minds would, understandably, be elsewhere

 

[grecian]

What are everyone's thoughts on the mancs playing a weakened team at the weekend?

As much as I love the opportunity to have a dig at them, I gotta say I don't think their duty this weekend is to anyone but themselves. I remember in 05, we went to MK Dongs on the last day of the season and they were 3rd bottom, we had nailed 3rd and had nothing to play for, with the play-offs coming. Little rested a few players, and we went down 2-1. The next day I went on our message board and it was full of venomous Torquay fans saying we should have picked a full team. I can sympathise with them (and really wanted the Dongs to go down) but I didn't really see why we should have risked Hume missing the play-offs and therefore guarantee that we stayed down by doing our utmost for Torquay. so I can see where United are coming from this weekend, and tbh I reckon that their second string will probably kill Hull anyway

There are such beings

Yeah, I agree, hate Man U, but wouldn't blame them for playing a weakened team, and lets face it they could still well beat Hell. First team would be afraid of getting injured anyway, so could well be a case of "after you Claude". Youngsters and fringe players would deffo be more up for it, anyway.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Come on Hull. Just want Newcastle down.

 

[Uppercut]

There are such beings

Yeah, I agree, hate Man U, but wouldn't blame them for playing a weakened team, and lets face it they could still well beat Hell. First team would be afraid of getting injured anyway, so could well be a case of "after you Claude". Youngsters and fringe players would deffo be more up for it, anyway.

Yeah, I'd agree with that. The example I remember clearly was at Euro 2004, Czech Republic qualified after two matches and fielded a weakened team in their final match against Germany. Netherlands were raging in the build-up to the match, speaking to UEFA about how it damaged the integrity of the competition and UEFA told them the Czechs had earned the right. Czech Republic's weakened team, filled with players desperately pushing for a place in the quarter-final side, beat Germany 2-1.

Besides, there won't be a player on the pitch for United who wouldn't get into the Hull side.

 

[TT Boy]

Come on Hull. Just want Newcastle down.

 

[Craig]

What are the main reasons people have something against Newcastle?

 

[grecian]

What are the main reasons people have something against Newcastle?

Personally, I'm not that bothered. Yet maybe that's because I can remember them being a struggling division 2 (in old money) club, and City thrashing them 4-0.

Yet they have been Prem challengers and their fans are arrogant irritants, always waffling on about how big a club they are, whilst winning nowt. So it would be quite amusing to see them go down. By all accounts they haven't budgeted to go down, so they'd be screwed with players on Prem contracts without the prem money, other clubs have put clauses in their players contracts for this eventuality. So their hubris will screw them, which is always good

 

[Uppercut]

What are the main reasons people have something against Newcastle?

Their fans are the self-appointed "best in the world", constantly insisting they're a big club when they haven't won a single thing in 24342 years. They're largely a one-club city so it leads to a serious amount of delusion with no fans of anyone else around to snap them out of it. And in my lifetime they've had an overwhelming amount of ****s play for them.

 

[Loony BoB]

Two of the nicest girls I know support Newcastle, I've got little against the fans that I personally have known. The thing I have against Newcastle is how they treat their managers, and I think the club itself deserves to go down because they refuse to give them the time they deserve. Maybe it'll be a nice learning experience for them.