[GraemeA]

Quite a lot of nasty cynical tackles from the Germans. But I guess thats why they win everything.

[moose]

Spot on from Lovejoy:

http://www.shortlist.com/sport/article/tim-lovejoy-column-10-09-09/1

Hmmm... personally I still fear the result when we play a team that can retain the ball and spread play about the pitch effectively.  At the moment we have a forward who can't score, a right-back who can't defend, and we're playing our central/right-sided attacking midfielder out on the left.   The sight of Spaniards in the last friendly, stroking it about whilst we ran about chasing shadows, still comes to mind everytime I hear hyperbole about "THe Best League In The World (TM)" .  Still, it's worked so far, so mustn't grumble.  Nice to see Aaron Lennon do well too although I still suspect the game plan largely consists of hoping to win penalties to preclude a need for accurate crossing!  Whenever I see a player  do well who Leeds were forced to sell it's like a little dagger in the heart (Woodgate, Lennon, Ferdinand, Robbie Keane, James Milner... hell even Bowyer and Robinson are still playing in the top flight). 

[Jaspersharpe]

You "lived the dream". Get over it and imagine what it's like supporting Brighton. 

Yeah I'm in no way getting over excited but it is nice to see England play football as England should. Over the last ten years or so we have generally had talented enough players but have been restricted by whichever muppet has been in charge of them. The blame must lie with the FA when you look at the catalogue of idiots who have been given the manager's job.

Hoddle - A man who is stupid but who thinks he is intelligent is the most offensive type of person. Hoddle is a nasty, self obsessed fool who was always more concerned with burning everyone else off on the training pitch than the success of the team. He ignored Le-Tiss and dropped Gazza for that reason. He also always wanted people to think that he knew exactly what he was doing and had some grand plan when in reality he didn't have a clue. The way he treated Beckham at the 98 World Cup (played in every qualifier then dropped because Hod said he "wasn't focussed") and then hung him out to dry when the shit hit the fan was nothing short of disgraceful. Nobody was more happy than me when the idiot came out with his karma/disabled people nonsense and was sacked. Offensive remarks aside, the cock should have been given the push for his inability to string a sentence together. Remember he described people with disabilities as "them people". CUNT.

Keegan - Er. Good old King Kev. Why anyone ever though that waving your arms about and getting over emotional was enough qualification to manage the national side I really don't know. All Keegan ever achieved in club football was to fail to win the league despite spending of Chelsea type proportions at Newcastle. The "12 points clear" season on its own should have been enough for him to never get another management job in football not reason for him to be given the biggest job in the country. People say "at least he had the decency to admit he wasn't up to it". I say he should have had the decency not to have even tried.

Sven - "We qualified for every major tournament". Well whoopeedoo. With the most talented bunch of players England had seen for many years reaching their prime, surely all it needed was a tactical genius to mould them into a devastating team, finally capable of bettering Robson's 1990 side. Unfortunately we got Sven. After Keegan, everyone thought we'd enrolled the services of a technical master for Sven's first few games but in reality, a ten year old with a couple of weeks experience on Kevin Toms Football Manager would have seemed God-like in comparison to King Kev. All Sven did was pick the same players in the same positions with the same instructions and if something went wrong (injury, suspension, being behind in the quarter finals of a major tournament) he didn't have a clue what to do. Plan A was so set in stone that there was no hope of a Plan B. I vividly remember the entire pub screaming at the tv for him to DO SOMETHING! in the second half against Brazil in 2002. 2-1 down against ten men, we had Sheringham on the bench and desperately needed a bit of invention and skill but Sven seemed like the only person on the planet incapable of realising that it might be an idea to bring him on. The fact that that fuckwit Crozier rewarded him with an improved contract (which made it virtually impossible to sack him) only made it more obvious that the FA were clueless (and that Crozier is Scottish).

McLaren - If it wasn't already apparent that the FA were a bunch of idiotic halfwits they decided to spell it out for us by appointing Sven's replacement. I could write a 10,000 word essay on the disgrace that was the decision to give Steve McLaren the England job but suffice to say, I stopped supporting England for the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign. My mates and I agreed that it would be worse for England to qualify, limp to another quarter final and Mouldy (I read a description somewhere of McLaren as looking like a mouldy piece of pork pie left over at a wedding buffet) be given more time in the job than to fail to qualify and get rid of him. Fortunately we failed miserably and McLaren had the humility to fall on his sword........er no he didn't actually, he had to be sacked, the tit. The only good thing to come out of Mouldy's reign was the joke "What's nine inches long and dangles in front of a cunt? Steve McLaren's tie".

So, now we have Capello who (unlike Sven and McLaren) appears to be treating the likes of Cashley, Fat Frank and good old Steevee Geee like the children they are and it looks like it's paying dividends. Cole is the perfect example of everything that's wrong with football but, when he played for Arsenal, he was possibly the best left back in the World. Since his KERCHING to Chelsea he's generally been mediocre and for England fucking shocking but Capello seems to have kicked the spoilt little twat up the arse and I had to (begrudgingly) admit that he was back to his best on Wednesday night.

If Fabio can work that miracle then I'm willing to believe he has a chance of working the bigger one. So far so good.

Shit, that wasn't supposed to be such a big post, sorry!

[tomtom]

Good post, and would write more but off climbing 
Anyway - Argentina seem to have got Keeganitus with Maradona's appointment (they do both have curly hair and are short I suppose).... and Cashley - Hiddink's & his Mrs are the reason he's been playing well... Chelski's most improved player ever since Guski came along and since he got rumbled for his impotent drunk shag attempts etc..

Its like Moose said in a post about betting on football a while back - look for the odds that are determined by peoples emotions rather than the cold hard stats/probablilities. For years England have appointed with their hearts (Sven aside - and I would consider him a B+ performance overall) when the should have just gone with the best person with the best track record...

T

[Falling Down]

Great post Jasper...

I remember when England were getting thrashed by Northern Ireland and McLaren was stood on the touchline. Ian Wright was in the studio literally screaming and shouting 'Who's the manager?".. "What's he doing?".  I was in a pub in Scotland being laughed at.

Having suffered (fu)King Kev at City I hope he has the decency to stay out of the game for good now.

City v Arsenal tomorrow.. should be a good 'un especially if Tottenham do the Rags over.

[Jaspersharpe]

Should be two cracking games. Shame Arshavin's injured but Cesc is back so there's still a bit of quality in the Arsenal midfield. 

Would watch em on the internet as I'm sure they'll be on but I'll be staggering around Doncaster racecourse with wads of the bookies cash stuffed in my pockets.

[GraemeA]

Sunderland v Hull should be interesting, what with all of the inter-club transfers recently. Should also be a good test of whether we are relegation fodder this year.

[tomtom]

Sunderland v Hull should be interesting, what with all of the inter-club transfers recently. Should also be a good test of whether we are relegation fodder this year.

Yup - I'm feeling tense already at the prospect! A chance to see whether we are not the relegation fodder that we seem to be at the moment! Any team news from the Sunderland end?
From 'ull it seems like our 'star' striker (Who's not scored in the EPL since the opening game of last seaon) 'First touch' Folan is not in the squad as he's in talks with either Newcastle or Boro (I'm sure that'll make you smile! I'll be happy if he goes..).
So it looks like we'll be starting up front with Van Driver of Hessle Inc. and Altidore (if he's not jetlagged) or Ghilas... Probably a start for SssssSonko as well.

I hope the HCAFC fans give Turner a good reception - he's a top player, will be sorely missed. Though of course I hope he has a nightmare and lets a few in!

I shall be glued to my radio on Saturday PM....

[Falling Down]

Would watch em on the internet ...

I ordered Sky+ HD in a lapse of spending discipline after a couple of bottles of wine

Get's installed on Monday but I think the card arrived today that'll let me watch the games on the interweb.

[tomtom]

Would watch em on the internet ...

I ordered Sky+ HD in a lapse of spending discipline after a couple of bottles of wine

Get's installed on Monday but I think the card arrived today that'll let me watch the games on the interweb.

Thats a fairly hefty wine induced lapse of fiscal discipline  good effort!

[GraemeA]

Sunderland v Hull should be interesting, what with all of the inter-club transfers recently. Should also be a good test of whether we are relegation fodder this year.

Yup - I'm feeling tense already at the prospect! A chance to see whether we are not the relegation fodder that we seem to be at the moment! Any team news from the Sunderland end?
From 'ull it seems like our 'star' striker (Who's not scored in the EPL since the opening game of last seaon) 'First touch' Folan is not in the squad as he's in talks with either Newcastle or Boro (I'm sure that'll make you smile! I'll be happy if he goes..).
So it looks like we'll be starting up front with Van Driver of Hessle Inc. and Altidore (if he's not jetlagged) or Ghilas... Probably a start for SssssSonko as well.

I hope the HCAFC fans give Turner a good reception - he's a top player, will be sorely missed. Though of course I hope he has a nightmare and lets a few in!

I shall be glued to my radio on Saturday PM....

Ahem!!

[tomtom]

I need an 'i'll get my coat' emoticon..

[Mrs Falling Down]

Hello.. this is Mrs FD   

I was at Eastlands today, what was the UKB verdict on the game?

[GraemeA]

Adebayour to be banned by the FA for the stamp?

[tomtom]

Adebayour to be banned by the FA for the stamp?

Yeah, 3 matcher for the stamp - but nothing for the running over to the crowd... Whilst thats a bit silly, I can see why he did it. He just ran over and celebrated - a real fuck you moment (without saying that..)  - which I think is fair enough in some ways. After all its not like he ran over and bared his arse at them (which would have been funnier) or pulled up his shirt to reveal 'up your arse cocksuckers' or something..

For how to behave when you score against your old club, look no further than Michael Turners non-celebration in front of the Hull fans on Sat, which showed that he has respect for (and from) the fans...

[Falling Down]

He's definitely looking at a ban for the stamp.  Shame as it has overshadowed the best City performance I've seen years...

[tomtom]

He's definitely looking at a ban for the stamp.  Shame as it has overshadowed the best City performance I've seen years...

Yup - city have looked really solid this season - only 2 goals shipped?? Looking forward to the Manchester Derby - that could be game that makes this season for you guys.. I still think you could be on for a top 3 this year. (Its Chelski's this year I feel...)..

I'm already eyeing the base of the table, and am moderately encouraged by Wolves, Burnley and Pompeys starts.. its a matter of spotting 3 teams worse than us..

[moose]

Anyone else really annoyed by fans who try to justify near-rioting after an opposition player has celebrated in front of them.  Those bleating phone calls to the likes of 606 "you can't blame me for ripping up seats and throwing coins, I was provoked".  What a load of bollocks, for Christ's sake they're adults not toddlers.   If somebody can't control themselves when a scorer comes within fifty feet of them, they shouldn't be allowed out on the streets, let alone be unashamedly trying to excuse their actions.  "I can't help myself, I'm creature of pure emotion with no faculty for higher reasoning, the sight of stranger in nylon shorts waving his arms reduces me to such a state of unthinking rage that nobody around me is safe".  Fucking tossers.

   

[tomtom]

Good post moose - I agree - as does this (good) article. Are Martin Kelner in disguise?? 

[galpinos]

Totally agree Moose. One comment on 606 was "becuase of his actions a steward and photgrapher have been injured. If he hadn't have taunted us.......". It's as if these people think that a liitle provocation (as tomtom said, he didn't exactly do anything bad) exonerates them and gives them an excuse to turn into a braying Mob. Spoony was the only person on R5 talking sense yesterday.

[Jaspersharpe]

Whilst I agree completely it doesn't change the fact that Adebayor is a fucking prick. Or that he deliberately stamped on Van Persie's head. Twat.

On a lighter note, you can't imagine how happy photos like this one make me.....

http://www.seagulls.co.uk/javaImages/b1/d2/0,,10433~7066289,00.jpg

It's starting to actually look like a stadium!

[lagerstarfish]

http://www.seagulls.co.uk/javaImages/b1/d2/0,,10433~7066289,00.jpg

That is one of the finest looking freestyle motocross stadiums in the South of England.
You must be looking forward to the first show.
 

[GraemeA]

It's starting to actually look like a stadium!

My garden shed! (My garden shed!)
Is bigger than this! (Is bigger than this!)
My garden shed is bigger than this!
It's got a door, and a window!
My garden shed is bigger than this!

[Jaspersharpe]

If you've ever been to The Withdean, you'd understand!

It will look like this eventually.....

http://cdn.bleacherreport.com/images_root/image_pictures/0137/9314/falmer_feature.jpg

[tomtom]

It's starting to actually look like a stadium!

My garden shed! (My garden shed!)
Is bigger than this! (Is bigger than this!)
My garden shed is bigger than this!
It's got a door, and a window!
My garden shed is bigger than this!

Is that what the Black and Whites sing when they're down at your place?