I think Howard's a good keeper, and whilst Everton are a good team, I think a lot of that is down to Moyes because they have so little money to play with. If/when Moyes goes I fear Everton will drop like a stone (or like Villa)
Rumors about my dear Forest who looks set to keep Billy D but we do need a mini clearout... Dele Adebola is gone and about bloody time, he was a league 2 version of Emile Heskey. Moussi is set to follow and good because he always gives the ball away but I would like to keep Tyson despite his injury problems but a move to Derby or Leicester looks likely. Paul McKenna could be off back to relegated Preston and we would get left winger Keith Treacy in exchange as he wants to leave. I hear hes a good player at a bad club + Forst need wingers. Earnshaw it seems wants to stay at Forest because he's settled but were willing to offer him less money on a 2 year deal and it seems his other offer from Leicester is only 1 year though better money. He's a great forward when played and I would love him to stay. The player I would love to get is Under 21 star soon to leave Chelsea midfielder "Jack Cork" hes plays the holding role very well and impressed the Forest fans at the City Ground this season but Burnley might have first rights to a deal.
We can tell you're a big fan of Forst Adebola did a job for you, despite his limitations. Amazed Billy is staying...
Forest keeping Billy is the best news I've had all day! On the flip side apparently we're looking at signing half the SPL.... QPR at it again - cheapest matchday ticket price next season is £47, average is £77 and the platinum season ticket price is £999. Oh dear.....
Good Lord, that's expensive! And they just got into the PL, yes? Over here, College Football (of the American variety) has got fleecing the fans down to an art. To get the privilege of getting on the waiting list for season tickets, you must make a donation to the University (the bigger, the better). After ten years or so, you then pay a seat reservation fee and, on top of that, you pay face-value for 8-9 home game tickets ($54 per game now, probably $70 by the time you reach the top of the list). My dad has season tickets in a 102,000 seat stadium, and I just don't have the stomach to ask him how much he pays for those tickets! Sorry for the diversion, back to your regularly scheduled football discussion.
^^Angel, well the names we're being linked with in the SPL sound good at least. I think what I like is that we seem to have a list of targets and multiple options, and for once it seems we have a plan B if we don't sign plan A! I see Forest are stalling over giving Earnshaw a new deal and there's talk of him heading north. Can you imagine how many goals he'd score in the SPL! I mean let's face it, even Kenny Miller was a super star up there... ^ Quo Vadimus, wow and I thought footy tickets were bad!
Looks like Dave Jones is staying too, but it sounds like it's more because we can't afford to let him go! On the plus, Bellamy has indicated he might play for us for free! I'd love to have Earnie back down here. Man, what a class act he is. Especially compared to Bothroyd. No way we can match the wages though.
There seems to be a lot of "We can't afford to sack you." going around. I like Jones but I think it'd probably be best for him and Cardiff that there was a change. Maybe you'll both luck out and West Ham will offer him the job. I bet Bellamy's agent loves him
at my university, the student prices are half of what the general public tickets cost. At the Texas A&M vs Arkansas State game a few years ago, it cost students 35 dollars to go to the game (think liverpool vs northampton in terms of who should win, and who actually won). For conference games, general admission tickets would cost up to 100 dollars for our rivalry game against texas. of course, there are usually only 7-8 home games a football season, compared to at least 19 home games for EPL.
I actually ran into (Not literally, there was secruity) the UEFA Cup last Tuesday in Hyde Park when I met up with Rhubarbodendron.
No, college sports are still for college students. Watching them, on the other hand, that's a whole other story. Yeah, student tickets were really cheap when I went there, but I had to graduate eventually.
It looked like Utd did stay home for the most part to me. I hardly noticed there was even a second team besides Barca on the field. But nothing against Manchester United, Barcelona is football in perfection at the moment.
United is a weird place because despite debts of around £450 million (down from £700 million in 2005) they have apparantly £170 million sitting in a bank account doing nothing but collecting interest. The money is said to be from the insane amount of brand deals the Glazers have done over the last few years and Ronaldo deal so its time Fergie spent... Buy's Maarten Stekelenburg Phillip Lahm Jack Rodwell Ashley Young Wesley Sneijder Stekelenburg is a more experience and cheaper option than De Gea plus Lahm would sort out the right back issue Utd have. It does seem Ashley Young is heading to Utd for around £15 million and of course I think short of camping out at his home, Fergie has made it quite clear he wants Sneijder. They can use Carrick + money to lure Rodwell and sell other players like Diouf, Macheda, Berbatov, Brown, Kuszczak and Obertan. Also loan out players like Bebe, Morrison, Corry Evans, Gibson and Fabio who need games under their belts. I would also retire Paul Scholes because the time has come.
^ more big money players and replacements aren't what is required for them to compete - it's having a manager or coaches around him with a keen tactical mind - someone who can adapt to the flow of how the game is going, and be able limit the opposition yet not nullify your own strengths - rather than what we've seen in the past 2 encounters from Ferguson.
^ While Fergie had me shouting to make his 3rd sub in the form of Michael Owen for ages, I still think axing the most succesful football coach in modern history is probably not the right option. Fergie won't leave till he wins a 4th European cup now, after losing the last 2 after wining the first 2, he will make Roman's obession at Chelski look like childs play. I refuse to believe Pep is a world class coach because Barcelona play for themselves they need very little direction. Also when Barca do begin to struggle Pep seems lost at sea like in the Copa Rey Final and last season CL Semi Final with Inter...even the Chelsea CL semi when the ref saved Barca after Pep just ran out of ideas.
Imo Barcelona obviously won't win every game every time, football just doesn't work like that, but they will always be the favourites for the foreseeable future, regardless of who Man United buys or who their manager is. Barcelona is years ahead of everyone else, and not just in talent but also in tactics, something that hasn't happened in decades imo.
Barcelona dominating the CL will be bad news for the cup because despite all the hype around them it gets boring to watch one team dominate. This fairplay thing UEFA are on about having annoys me because it helps the big club stay the big club because the amount of money needed to challenge them won't be allowed so how are non top 4 clubs supposed to catch up? Look at Spurs, they have spent alot of money but broke into the top 4 and the last 8 of the European Cup and there club is stable but Uefa won't allow that top happen anymore. I enjoy watching new teams break into the CL because with this current seeding system the CL is quickly becoming boring... I yurn for the days when we had group stages with Utd, Barca and Bayern Munich in the same group.
I firmly advocate an open draw for all cup competitions. The FA Cup is all the evidence you need for why it's better than seeding. I just watched Huddersfield lose 3-0 to Peterborough despite being on top for the entire second half and the scoreline being 0-0 in the 78th minute. Bizarre game.