[nai]

that does paint a bleak picture. 8 players gone already, and the chief scout who apparently advised against signing odemwingie, nzogbia, Pavluynchenko and pennant.

liked tjis

poor old small heath have drawn a tough group in Europe next season. Real Trouble, Inter Administration and Rapid Decline.

[Jaspersharpe]

Ferguson is such a fucking wanker.

[Jaspersharpe]

Such a shame. I hope the money grabbing spongers who've surrounded Gascoigne since he became famous are happy:

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/uk/gazza-bankruptcy-case-back-in-court-16004001.html

[Richie Crouch]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3598759/Mario-Balotelli-throws-water-bombs-at-Serie-A-meeting.html#ixzz1NLBtqAle

Good entertainment, it'll be interesting to see what he gets up to next season 

[Jaspersharpe]

I love Balotelli! 

[Jaspersharpe]

Old Trafford, police state:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/may/25/manchester-united-fan-anti-glazer-banner

[Jaspersharpe]

You have to hand it to Blatter. He's a cunt of the highest order but he's not daft when it comes to staying in power........

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/may/25/the-fiver-fifa-manchester-united

&

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/may/25/mohamed-bin-hammam-fifa-allegations

etc

[Grubes]

Okay so its a weekend of important matches:

Saturday
League 2 play off final - Stevenage V Torquay. Personally I want Stevenage to win just because of how bad socceram is now that Helen Chamberlain is incharge compaired to the lovejoy days.
Champions League Final - FC Barcalona V Man United. I want man u to win as they are the english team. I have always had a soft spot for Manu ever since I was really young. Plus it would be great for Van Der Sar and Scholes (maybe) to end there careers by winning the champions league.

Sunday
League 1 play off final - Huddersfield V Peterborough I would like Huddersfield to win ... obviously 
The crowd for this is going to look a little lob sided I feel. Latest ticket sales for the game are Hudds 31k Posh 14.4k. Both us and Posh like to attack and are not brilliant in defense so it could be a good game for the neutral. I think I might be sick if this goes to pens like the last round and the last play off final we go to (2004 at cardiff div 3 Liam lawrence for mansfield tried to chip the keeper on his pen and sky'd it ).

Monday
Championship play off final - Reading V Swansea. I would prefer readig to win as they are the english team no other reason.

[nai]

You forgot

Saturday
Carling Nations Cup Final, RoI vs Scotland 

(watched some of Wales Scotland on Wed, Scotland looked like Brazil, Wales must be so shockingly bad as to be unbelieveable)

I'm with you except for Swansea, remember them being in the top flight in the 80s, be something different, probably good entertainment like Burnley and Blackpool have been.  But it probably will be Reading, they've got on a run at the right time.

31k is a lot of tickets, should be a great atmosphere, but it's not a nice day out remember, it's all about winning.

[Jaspersharpe]

Saw that Huddersfield were taking over 30k. Good effort that, should be a good game, best of luck.

Champions League Final? Well seeing as the only team I'd support the Scum against would be Palace I will be wholeheartedly supporting:



Fuck Ferguson , fuck Rooney, fuck Giggs, fuck Gary Neville, fuck Rio Ferdinand, fuck the retards who wear their Norwich scarves but still pay a fortune for tickets, fuck David Gill, fuck the Glazers and fuck their plastic Tunbridge Wells and Singapore fans. I can't think of much worse than that bunch of cunts lifting the trophy. Come on Barca.

 

[Grubes]

I can't think of much worse than that bunch of cunts lifting the trophy.

hmm? Really?

The referee then indicated offside against Bremner. This decision caused riots to break out
...
The violence saw Leeds banned from Europe for four years... Ultimately, this ban was never applied due to a decline in the performance of the club in the late-1970s preventing European qualification until 1991–92.

leeds lifting a trophy 

[tomtom]

Good luck on Sunday Grubes. But more importantly, your avatar blatantly shows you using heels on green traverse. #fail

Expect to feel the full force of the Stanage ethics police (Lagerstarfish) any time soon

[Jaspersharpe]

I'd missed that! Change it quickly before someone punters you! 

[rich d]

Playoffs, reading/welsh couldn't care less.
As a Leeds fan I'd love to see Huddersfax come up as they love us SO much. I can feel Grube's love through the keyboard even now! Always good to have a spicey local match, alhough to be fair nearly everyone hates Leeds so it's always a little spicey away.
Champions league final, well Ferguson's been a cunt for years and shows no signs of changing so it'll have to be the other set of play actors, plus I can't support the scum as it's against my religion.   

[Grubes]

the heel hook is out? I was getting spanked with it in  ok changed to avoid conflict .

I am a lil excited about Sunday work is busy and its not getting done more important things .. weather looks good climb tonight I guess

[nai]

Reading stuff like this makes me glad we went down:

Joe Hart had the highest shots-to-saves ratio (76.4%), though Ben Foster (75.5%) had to save more shots (169). One of the reasons Foster had to make so many saves was that Birmingham City won fewer tackles than anyone else (452. Wolves were the next flimsiest, with 482 tackles won). Birmingham were similarly impotent going forward: not only did they score just 37 goals from 38 games but they also completed fewer through-balls (14) than anyone else and won fewer corners (152).

And opponents were not keen to help Birmingham: Alex McLeish's team was the only one not to benefit from an own goal this term. So what were Birmingham good at? Well, they hit a higher proportion of their passes long (18.9%) than anyone else. Except Stoke, obviously (19.9%).

With 10 players already gone and a the likes of Foster, Johnson, Zigic and Jerome likely to be wanted by better clubs it's an opportunity to start a rebuild that might culminate in some football being played, a better prospect than another season of such utter dross.

EDIT:  Just in from optajoe

49% - Birmingham City scored the highest percentage of their goals from set pieces of any team in the Premier League. Predetermined.

Which means we only scored a goal every two games from open play (and that figure might include penalties)

[Jaspersharpe]

Makes grim reading for sure.

Meanwhile, at Plymouth things take a turn for the ridiculous.....

http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/Irish-consortium-hand-Argyle-Peter-Ridsdale/article-3598779-detail/article.html

 

[Falling Down]

I love Balotelli! 

OOOOOOO Balotelli, he's a striker, he's good at darts, an allergy to grass but when he plays he's fuc**n class, he drives around moss side with a wallet full of cash!!

[GraemeA]

Champions League Final? Well seeing as the only team I'd support the Scum against would be Palace Newcastle I will be wholeheartedly supporting:

Fuck Ferguson , fuck Rooney, fuck Giggs, fuck Gary Neville, fuck Rio Ferdinand, fuck the retards who wear their Norwich scarves but still pay a fortune for tickets, fuck David Gill, fuck the Glazers and fuck their plastic Tunbridge Wells and Singapore fans. I can't think of much worse than that bunch of cunts lifting the trophy. Come on Barca.

 

Am in Canada working so won't get to watch it but wholeheartedly agree with Jasper (with the one small amendment above) although I personally might have added a couple more fuck Fergies in the diatribe.

[Stubbs]

That video is terrifying, do they put on special trains for fans to be transported, or is there a possibility you could end up accidentally getting on the same train as them?

[Jaspersharpe]

 YYFY

[Dr T]

YYFY

Agreed - was worried that Barca would repeat the disgrace to football they showed against Real but to my memory there was only one rolling around like a hippo shot in the arse incident.......
As Arsenal were the only team to actually beat Barca over 90 minutes this season in the CL surely that makes them the second best club in Europe 

[mrconners]

That video is terrifying, do they put on special trains for fans to be transported, or is there a possibility you could end up accidentally getting on the same train as them?

Love the song. Who makes these things up?
Its nearly as good as the Diego Forlan job which was chanted to the tune of D.I.S.C.O.
He is D- Dissapointing,
he is I-innefective,
he is S- Sally Gunnell
he is C-?
He is O. oooo ooooooo


Cant remember what C was, but I have a few ideas.

[Falling Down]

What a great game that was last night.   Barcelona are just such an amazing side to watch. Incredible.

Sorry to see that Hudds didn't make it up today. I hope Grubes isn't too upset.

[Grubes]