Football talk

[frankie says relax]

Who's gonna stop them ? and when is Seaman gonna get rid of that sill haircut?

[John Fleming]

It's only October!

Far too early to start proclaiming seasons as over...as Newcastle fans who had been wearing their 'Champions' t-shirts and hats (since February) cruelly learned back in May 1996.

They reckoned without 'The King'.

[frankie says relax]

Arsenal and Liverpool to battle it out, with Arsenal to win by at least 8 points .
United to fail in europe AGAIN , not strong enough ,
Sunderland , West Brom and West ham to be relegared .

Chelsea???? please dont comment on them , im having a bad week as it is .......

[Bananas]

We are fantastic this season, noone can stop us!! I think we'll go unbeaten in the leauge but not unbeaten all season, we'll have to play real madrid at some time!!

Happy arsenal fan Bananas...

[TonyL]

I think its fair to say Frankie..............LIVERPOOL will doo it this year!!!!!!!!!!!!! ha ha ha!!! Okay so I'm an optimist. No seriously, John is right, it's only early, anything can happen,

All the best,

Tony L.

[Jason Dee]

Ah Tony, its Everton aaaaalllllllllll the way man, lol (yeah, right!)

Jay

[frankie says relax]

Liverpool have been saying for years ,''This is our year''
Still NO title TONY . and i still dont think they are good enough.
Although you did beat us 1..nil last sunday but thats because Chelsea are suffering from an identity crisis ''they dont know wheather they want to be premiership contenders or just a bunch of rich luxury superstars .
Good to see Owen scoring again though...

[TonyL]

Ha ha ha Jason!!!! Too blue too blue!!! An Evy an a Chelsea....2blue boys...way too blue....lol

Owen though, you're right there Frankie!

Cliche....This is our year! :)

[Liamo]

Keep an eye on the real Keano & Co at White Hart Lane..... I smell a top 3 position on the way at least.....

[Macers]

L I V E R P O O L ! ! !

[John Fleming]

Anybody watching the local derby match in which the half-time score is Arse 0 Auxerre 2. :D
Last match, beaten by a 16 year old!!!
Sorry, don't mean to gloat - well actually i do.
Mind you, knowing The Arse, they'll come back to win tonight's match against their local rivals. :(

Liamo - Spurs for top 3? I'm all for optimism, but come on man!!!

And Macers, like most songs sung on the Kop, getting more than one word out of you lot is near impossible ;)

[TonyL]

Well well Frankie.....we're still unbeaten in d prem!!!!! Roll on the title....shud we take it now or let you try some more!!! lol

[TonyL]

ps. Talkin bout Liverpool there, just in case ya'll didn't know

[clubhappy]

OK Tony , you can have the Premiership , but your not gettin the Worthington cup dude , [now theres a trophy worth talkin about ]

[Original Tyrone Gobshite!]

<rant>Personally as long as Moneybags United end up with f**k all this year that will keep me reasonably happy for Summer 2003!</rant>

[NoelRock]

Muahahaha - Liverpool are gonna take this one home.

[TonyL]

Originally posted by Original Tyrone Gobshite!
<rant>Personally as long as Moneybags United end up with f**k all this year that will keep me reasonably happy for Summer 2003!</rant>

Agree 110%!!!!

Tony :cool:

[John Fleming]

One thing the observant may notice about this thread is that there is a lack of United support coming on and proclaiming won championships months before trophies are handed over. And with good reason, as Arsenal are currently experiencing (looks like they're about to break even more records). Nothing is gained by early-season proclamation except red faces.

I spent today listening to grown men who cannot see beyond tabloid backpage headlines ranting and raving about the 3-0 reverse last night. To a man not one of them actually seen the match in full, and very few bothered to stay up to watch the highlights, but they are all experts on what happened. Thing is, the match was not important.
We've won the important games, most important last night was to give a few benchwarmers a run out. I seen the match (in full) and Maccabi deserved their win, the two outfield goals were special. But, the match in itself was not important - and neither was the result.
Newcastle's match was important but they all missed the point that the report on that game was relegated to the inside back page. And that's because United matter, and appear to matter more to those who hate us than the teams these people profess to support.

Now, most of those with something to say today are supporters of the two English teams in action tonight - and both of those games DO matter tothem. Isn't football wonderful in the way it can get great pleasure out of double-fisting you in the face!

Borussia Dortmund 2 Arse 1
l*******l 0 Valencia 1

One thing...keep hating us. Without that hate we would not have been anywhere near as successful as what we have been. And the hate means we still matter as much to you.
Remember Cantona '95-'96. Beckham '98-'99. Men driven by the hatred that was poured down upon them simply because they dared to wear their Red hearts on their sleeves. Keano is due back soon - and he'll also be driven by the hate-mob.
Our players are hated by supporters of teams who can only dream of having just one player that matters the way ours do!

My proclamation? United to finish in the top three, the way we're playing we won't win it - but it's early yet, and with a run of form we'll be right back in the running.
Well done to l*******l for getting back to the top, they look solid if lacking flair - and thanks to Arse (Brazil?) for making things interesting for a while. Gave everybody interested in 'power-shifts' and 'dynasty' talk something to talk about and cling to for a while. It appears that everyone has forgotten that you need to win more than just one title to qualify for that kind of talk.

Tomorrow, i won't need to gloat. I can just look on silently at my protagonists and smile knowingly. Meanwhile, the back pages will be plastered all over the walls of the canteen!!!!

[NoelRock]

Disappointing result tonight for Liverpool - I was watching the second half, Liverpool were by far superior, they deserved a draw.

[george was best]

I agree with your post John and as an avid football fan who'll watch anybody i cant really understand the ''YOB ''culture and hatred amongst so called football fans .
The game is supposed to be entertainment but some people take it to an extreme .
I cant understand the typical loser who wont go to work next day because his team loses or the team he hates WINS . WHATS THAT ALL ABOUT ????
The ones i hate the most are Celtic fans who'll rant on and on about oppression of the Irish nation by british interference and political rule and then try to ram the ''Fields of Athreny'' down everybodys throats 4 times a year .. Most of them have probably never even seen Belfast .
Anyway , back to the greatest game in the world , over the years Liverpool have given great enjoyment and entertainment through the 70's and 80's , just like United did the last 10 years and like Arsenal did last season , playing entertaining , attractive and breathtaking football like Holland did in 74 '' and 78 '' .
Its only a game and a sport enjoyed by millions around the world and if it's taken too seriously by some people ,then they got serious problems to deal with .
Next post ill publish my top 10 football moments if thats ok and hopefully we'll get a bit of fun goin .

cheers ......................Georgie was .......

[John Fleming]

Geogie...you give me far too much credit. I am consumed with hatred for our scouse brethren, although i'd be first to admit that it's precisely because of their brilliance and success through the 80s - and the inadequacies of my own team. It's a begrudging respect - and the same applies to Arse. Their fans have been a little bit too cocky though since last May, and deserve the come-down they've had recently.

Top 10 moments....

Top has to be May 26th 1999 of course.

Winning the league for the first time in 26 (mainly heartbreaking) years in 1993.

Eric signing for us (and from them!) on the day before my birthday - November 26th 1992.

Eric's goal against l*******l to win us the double in 96.

Winning the league home to Spurs in 99 - first leg of the treble.

That incredible night in May 89 when The Arse went to A*****d Rd and needed to win by two goals against an unbeatable force.

Winning the Cup in 77.

Coming back from 3-0 down to win 5-3 at Spurs last season.

That's all off the top of my head - i'm sure there's a few more.

[george was best]

HMMM LOTS OF UNITED MEMORIES , ILL TRY TO KEEP THEM OUT OF MINE ....HERE GOES .

Holland during the 74 WC[ what a team ]

Maradonna 's second goal v England , WC 86

Cantona's kick on Matthew simmons [ scumbag gets whats coming to him , go on Eric ]

Spain v Yougoslavia [ euro 2000]

George Best [ everything he ever did ]

Brazil v Italy , 1970 WC final [ how it should be done ]

Liverpool v Arsenal , may 89 [ who could forget that ]

France v W.Germany ,1982 WC semi final [quality from beginning to end ]

United v B. munich , may 99 , [ i lost 50 quid so ill never forget it ]

Eamonn Dunphy throwing his pen at the camera after ireland bored us to tears during the 1990 WC against Egypt ,... [i threw my wife out the window ]

ok , heres a little teaser ........whats missing from this link

1979.............Sunderland

1980..............

1981.............. Villa

[Anorak]

Quoting Martin Tyler..."in the city team, not a mancunian, not a lancashire lad, not even an englishman...and they reckon they're the local club!!!!!!!!!!!"

Brilliant...

really looking forward to this game...

btw i don't see any problem with all united memories, football IS a passionate sport, and most people are most passionate about their own team.

no ireland memories georgie?

Who scored the winning goal in the 1980 cup final, i can't remember, west ham wion it didn't they?

[Anorak]

...he makes me happy when skies are grey...

[george was best]

Well done dude , it was Trevor Brooking ..........

[Original Tyrone Gobshite!]

Manchester City 3
Moneybags U****D 1!
:D

[John Fleming]

Quoting Martin Tyler..."in the city team, not a mancunian, not a lancashire lad, not even an englishman...and they reckon they're the local club!!!!!!!!!!!"

I enjoyed that bit myself. However, i didn't enjoy anything else he had to say...apart from the description of the Assasin's goal.

Well done city. They wanted it more than us, that was apparant. For reasons best known to them, Sky didn't show the presentation of the European Cup or World Cup which city won, judging by the reaction of their fans to the victory anyway. :p

The difference between the mindset of the fans is that our next most important game is next week...they've just won theirs and nothing else matters for the rest of the season.
Bet on city to lose next week as they will still be doing mental laps of honour.

I think it'll take a lot for us to win the title now...however, we won't give it up easily. :(

[The Mighty 890]

I'm delighted with the way that Arsenal are playing but anyone who knows anything about soccer knows that you win nothing in October/November.

The Christmas period is always difficult with so many matches and often very bad pitches. Get over that and if you're still in touch you have a chance.

The other thing to bear in mind is Champions League committments. Liverpool don't have to worry about that anymore so they may focus all their energies on the league.

Injuries and suspensions are also key. If Arsenal were to lose Vieira, Campbell or particularly Henry they may very well struggle.

We've won nothing yet so I'm certainly not smug. Just enjoying the quality of football (best I can ever remember) and the sheer depth of talent now in the squad. Mr. Wenger, you are a top man.

Looking forward to ManU v Newcastle tomorrow, might catch the first half before I head off to the rugby.

[clubhappy]

Henry's goal last week is something ill watch over and over again .
Amazing skill and class , he's got an ability as a footballer that only a very few players posess .

[John Fleming]

Please, can some more of you post here writing off United's chances and putting us down. You can see the difference it makes...;)

[frankie says relax]

Ok John , as a Chelsea supporter , ill give you credit for playing decent attractive football just like us . I also reakon United will start putting a run together , just like us . They also have a class player in Scholes , and Van Nistleroy , just like us , we have Zola and Hasselbank .
You must admit John , Zola is pure class for a 36 year old and jimmy is one of the best finishers in the league .
As for Liverpool ?? well , boring , inconsistent , lack of ideas coming forward , predictable , unentertaining and short of a good passer in midfield .
Arsenal ???? id watch them all day , it's like watching a river flowing when they break from the back . Tons of talent on display and Henry is for me , the best player in europe along with Zidane , Keane , Ronaldo and Peres ..

Title this year ???? Its between United and Arsenal ....Chelsea are good enough on paper but they dont play on paper every week ...Still , im keeping my hope up ...


Cheers ...

[TonyL]

OK Tony , you can have the Premiership , but your not gettin the Worthington cup dude , [now theres a trophy worth talkin about ] Clubhappy.

See you in the final! Or it could be Balckburn............

The Derby today, any comments???

Liverpool created the better chances in the first half, i think. The Kop did put pressure on early in the game....but eh, lost steam so to speak.
F**k me, did you see Heskeys reply to Gerrards free kick cross?? What was that, 1 minute after being brought on!!?

Anyway, Frankie what about you??

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/match/last_match/highlights/images/villa5.jpg


Good aul Murphy!
http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/match/last_match/highlights/images/villa2.jpg Did well against Villa.

[John Fleming]

4-0

What more can i say!

So this is what Heaven feels like...

[Iano]

Dont get too carried away John , you were playing a below average premier league team . The REAL [get it ? real ] fun begins on Tuesday . Then we'll see how good you really are .

Predictions ...........Raul to score first goal , .. Zidane to score the fifth .......[jokin dude ] .

[John Fleming]

I get it alright ;-)

I believe that Real left out some of their top players at the weekend in anticipation of tomorrow's match. They were 1-0 down with 5 to go, they won 3-1!

What a game it's going to be though...i'll take a 1-0 reverse!

[bestie]

Lads i predict that not only will United win on tuesday but will win the return leg and should actually win the champions league......and to make it better i am not a united fan!!!!!

my last prediction on this site was that Brian Kerr would take over Ireland!!!!!!

[Liamo]

So, bestie, what will Wed's Lotto numbers be ;) ?

[Iano]

Well John ??Bestie predicted UTD would win tonight . Glad im doin my own lotto numbers .
Never have i seen in such a long time , a side who makes a game of football look so simple and fun to watch .
For almost 70 miniutes ,Madrid entertained the world with ''how the game should be played ''.
Zidane has so much class ,it's almost like a saxaphone solo .
It was brilliant to watch John as im sure your ready to admit , and Beckham was made look an ordinary run of the mill footballer on a stage only fit for The Best ..

Not trying to be smart here John , but im sure youll agree ,Madrid were on a different planet .

[John Fleming]

I'm afraid i didn't enjoy it at all Ian, but if you look back at all my previous posts on the subject you'll see that i expected nothing less - and even publicly declared a 1-0 reverse i'd be happy with. The way itr went on the night, 3-1 is something i'm grateful for, and that away goal could be a lifesaver.
Madrid are a class act, and last night they played even out of their own (amazing) skins. However, United had almost as many chances, and were in Madrid's defensive third of the pitch far too often for it to be declared totally one-sided. And when we get them at Old Trafford - well, who knows.
Zidane is a player i always wanted at Old T, even at his age last night he confirmed his status as best player in the world not wearing Red (in my mind anyway - i couldn't believe commentary referring to Ronaldo as same!).

[vinylpusher]

Fair play getting the away goal.
However, I'm not convinced that UTD will beat 4-1 (for automatic win) or even 3-1 to force extra time.
I definitely can't see a 2-0 scoreline. Two goals might be feasable during the home leg, but keeping a clean sheet against Real is a mountainous task.
Still, anything can happen.


BTW, Zidane in my opinion is still the best player the world has to offer. It almost looks as though the ball is sewn to his boot at times (I think the only times he lost posession was when he was fouled), and his passing is unmatched anywhere.

[John Fleming]

I'm not convinced myself, and neither is anybody else i've spoken to today...and that's just the way we like it.
Hopefully Madrid will arrive thinking the same...

[Iano]

Scholes is a massive loss John for the next leg . Cant understand why O' Shea was a sub last night .

[John Fleming]

Scholes IS a massive loss, but if Veron is fit it will be lessened somewhat. Gary Neville is the bigger loss imo.
But, John O'Shea should start because of it. He looked composed when he came on last night, but don't forgot that he didn't have to come through that first half which left the rest of the team shell-shocked.

My question is, though, which Real Madrid will turn up at Old Trafford? I've been listening to everybody today, whether in the media or workmates, or overheard conversations, and nobody gives us a chance. How quickly people have forgotten that this Madrid team scraped through to the quarters, and that a massive slice of luck in the dying seconds of their final league match was the difference between qualification and failure.
So, will that Real turn up in 14 days, or the one that played last night. United are very, very capable of scoring goals against even last night's version. In my very humble opinion, the key to this game is United's defence. John O'Shea proved last night he's ready for the big stage. Ferdinand has yet to convince, maybe recent events off the pitch have had an effect. Brown is liable to make a mistake, and both centres were ripped apart far too easily last night. Silvestre is a liability when he runs forward. I'd put him in the centre, possibly giving Phil Neville a run out at right-back.
But my name is not Alex Ferguson...and i'm sure he'll get it right. As long as they do the shirts proud in the second leg, i'll be happy. If we can stop them from scoring, i think we'll go through.

[Liamo]

But my name is not Alex Ferguson

Wed night's result wasn't a fix, then, John ? ;o)

[Iano]

LOL @ Liamo...........

I see Celtic are still just another average crappy scottish league team.

[John Fleming]

Nice one Liamo.

But i tell you what, UEFA will be very much above board at the same stage next year, and might even do their best to draw United against a weak side!!! - should we get that far, of course.

And, anyway, it is very strange how all the three Italian sides and three Spanish sides managed to be kept apart - we're talking exceptionally long odds surely? Not saying it wasn't above board, though.

Fergie, for all his perceived faults, is willing to put himself on the line - to the point of holding himself up to ridicule** - for the betterment of Manchester United - the football club. If only some of the players had that same sense of pride in wearing the crest.

The hidden side of Fergie's outburst was the message that Real are much better than us.
"UEFA don't want us to get to the Final".
Another excellent attempt at mindgames which usually work against lesser clubs (hello Mr Keegan). Unfortunately, Real are wise themselves - and their mindgames had the desired effect. Stand up and be counted in the second leg, please DB.

**Of course somebody once told Gerard Hulahoop that he should hold himself up to ridicule for the betterment of his team - i think he missed the point though:D

[Liamo]

Originally posted by John Fleming

But i tell you what, UEFA will be very much above board at the same stage next year, and might even do their best to draw United against a weak side!!!

That doesn't sound very "above board" to me....

I didn't get to see the match, due to prior commitments, but by all accounts it was an absolute cracker, so fair play to both sides, and here's to more of the same in the 2nd leg (which I will hopefully get to see)

[John Fleming]

I was being tongue in cheek - of course ;-)

Fair play to both sides did you say? We weren't given a bloody chance to play...i'll watch the game at the end of the season and hopefully will be able to appreciate it then. For now though, it's the stuff of nightmares - mind you Liamo, you'd be used to seeing your team in that position (sorry)!

[Liamo]

Like I said, didn't see the match, so was just going on what I'd heard - that it was really exciting to watch (i.e. I got the impression it wasn't an ABU or a results based view). If ye were outplayed that much I can't see now how they drew that conclusion....

As for being used to seeing Spurs get outplayed in the latter stages of a major European tournament....I wish! :D

[The Mighty 890]

Hats off to Man U for their performances against Liverpool and Newcastle. Before those games I genuinely could not see Utd. getting 6 points from the matches (particularly as they had Real Madrid sandwiched in the middle) but to score 10 goals in the process is just beyond belief.
Utd. are playing with such confidence that it's hard to see them slipping up in the run in. Wednesday night will settle the title, no question about that. Pity about the possible injury losses, Vieira, Keane, Pires, O'Shea etc...
Let battle be joined! Should be a cracker.

[John Fleming]

Jeez, the hairs on the back of my neck are arising already at the thought of Wednesday night. Here's one game that Sky don't need to hype to death, altho they're making a passable impression!

[Anorak]

Any predictions for who'll win it?

[Original Tyrone Gobshite!]

Well done Real Madrid!

Just Arsenal needed now to keep the scum at bay in the Premiership and the season will be complete!

[The Mighty 890]

I didn't see the Man U v Real game live on Wednesday but from the highlights, Real oozed class but Man U deserve enormous credit for having a fair rattle at them. I don't think any other teams in Europe, on current form, could have provided such an entertaining 2 legs of football. Sheer class from Real, throughout the team, but United aren't that far behind them. They could do with another striker maybe and another full back, I really don't rate Gary Neville. Hard luck and congrats in equal measure nevertheless. One thing in Utd's favour is they're never dull, they always try and play decent football.

As for the league, well that's a harder beast to tame. United could have put it beyond doubt at Highbury. They were the better team, played better football and deserved to win. Arsenal scored a jammy goal and a (well) offside goal but the luck evened out with Campbell's dismissal. I felt he was very unlucky to see red and that may yet prove critical this year. The loss of both Vieira and Campbell may prove insurmountable. Really good win though at Middlesborough last Saturday where Ray Parlour was massive. Thierry Henry sometimes looks as though he's waging a one man campaign on the Premiership title, he's that driven; what a great free kick! That and Beckham's against RM on Wednesday are two of the best you'll ever see.

It could still go down to goal difference, you never know. If that's the case I fancy Utd as they are definitely the form team at the moment and playing with more fluency. Soccer can surprise you sometimes though. What are the odds on Spurs helping their old rivals to the title with a surprise win on Sunday? Come on Robbie Keane................................... I'm not holding my breath!!!!!

It's been a fine campaign with Man U and Arsenal so much better than the rest at times that it's almost like a different league.

May the best team win!

M890 :p

[John Fleming]

Old Trafford. Final day of the season May 1999. United and Arsenal still in with a shout of the title. We're playing Spurs.

Those of us in the ground when the Spurs team came out for their warm-up collapsed in fits when the Spurs fans unfolded a huge banner - 'LET THEM WIN'.

However, Spurs played well that day. Professional pride and all that. So there is no doubt in my mind that it'll be tough on Sunday. No favours given. Mind you, no favours asked.

Of course, Arsenal travel to Bolton on Saturday. They hate us even more than city, l*******l or l***s.

When Fergie said on Saturday, "well we've scored one more goal than Arsenal today" that tells you how tight it us.

Btw. Wednesday night. With Paul Scholes on the pitch there is little doubt in my mind that we would have beaten them.

[The Mighty 890]

Well it's all over bar the shouting. The game is up and Arsenal have only themselves to blame. 2-0 up away from home and cruising. A couple of injuries, the shape and formation slightly thrown askew and what happens...they collapse like a deck of cards. Fair play to Bolton but from an Arsenal point of view it's just not good enough, no wonder Wenger had them in the dressing room for so long.
Mau Utd. are worthy winners of the league. Since Christmas they have been in exceptional form and Van Nistelroy is almost unplayable at the moment. Arsenal finished the league in a similar fashion last year. It's important to peak at the right time, playing fancy football and wiping everyone out of sight in October/November counts for nothing.

If Arsenal could instill some of Man U's killer instinct and utter professionalism, they might not find themselves in situations such as this again.

Respect to Man U, they're great to watch. Let's hope we can manage to win the cup at least.

:mad: :( :mad:

[John Fleming]

Attempting the mindgames that i tried last year i see Mighty!

It's not only not over, it's extremely far from over. In fact, all this talk of it being over will wind Charlton up to play the game of their lives on Saturday - but i can guarantee that Fergie, the players, and the majority of the United support will give them total respect. And we've still to negotiate a tricky away match at Everton. Meanwhile Arsenal have to play relegation threatened l***s (that's sweet!), nothing to play for Southampton, and already relegated Sunderland. An almost guaranteed 9 points there.

I think Arsenal's biggest problem - with the greatest of respect to you Mighty for you weren't shouting the odds - is that they thought you can win leagues in September, October and November. There is no doubt in my mind that if we win it this year, our experience played the biggest part. We've been one of the chasing pack so many times at Christmas - but as i said way back at the start of this thread, leagues are won in May, and very rarely any sooner.

It's not May yet. ;-)

[The Mighty 890]

I'm not to be honest John. I'd love to think you're right but I'm afraid I wouldn't be at all optimistic. At this stage it's not so much about who we are playing but rather the manner in which we are playing namely poorly, on edge, tight. As if that's not bad enough the injury and suspension list is no help and you could also probably offer the following viewpoints about our last 3 opponents:

Leeds: relegation threatened, will be fighting for their lives and giving everything particularly if West Ham and/or Bolton win on Saturday. Viduka and Kewell v Keown and Luzhny/Stepanovs...alarm bells.

Southampton: Won't want to take a tanking before the Cup Final as morale, belief and confidence would be rocked. Tricky team. Yet again, I offer the daunting prospect of James Beattie v Oleg Luzhny.....alarm bells.

Sunderland...ok gotta concede we should win that one. Teams often loosen up and relax and start playing well after they are finally relegated but Sunderland have maintained their rank abysmal mediocrity ever since. Mick McCarthy = Found Out!

Frankly, I'm more concerned about retaining the cup at this stage. All I can hope for is that Arsenal will learn some lessons from this year and come back better and stronger (with a better killer instinct and more consistency) next year. Need a couple of centre halves though. We should never have sold Upson, I feared at the time that that would come back to haunt us.

M890

PS John; What's your take on the current Barthez (and more particularly) Beckham transfer media explosion? To be honest I think of you got €30M+ for him it would be good business. Imagine the players you could get for that.

:(

[John Fleming]

I agree Mighty that Arsenal's current form and mental status will provide greater opposition than any opposing team on the pitch. However, we're at the must-win stage of the season, and i cannot see Arsenal dropping any more points.

I have no doubt Arsenal will be even stronger next season, but there could be a rough ride ahead. With the wages cap, possible frustration at 'only' winning the Cup (if that's what happens), players might get restless, let alone new transfers might be thin on the ground. We can only wait and see.

Beckham. David Beckham. Loved in Manchester - and by the United support in a way that nobody else can understand or would be able to match. He loves United, lives and breathes the club. The only way i can see him going is if the Boss sees his off-field antics as being a major influence on any bad form on the pitch. Not to mention the gob that is his wife. Shut up Victoria. I haven't yet heard David publicly comment on the conditions at your place of work, on the relationship between you and your employers. You're doing the chap more harm than good, especially with her continued hints - which have been ongoing for years - that they want to move abroad.

Our Chief Exec angered me yesterday. He expressed 'relief' that Real had made their statement. Sorry, but he should be telling them to piss off and that we'll sell him when we decide to.
Then he went on to talk in terms of David's marketability, the impression given was that his face, rather than those incredible feet, were the main reason to keep the player. What has happened to football?

Barthez. Until we get a top-class replacement i see him going nowhere. The question is, who's out there? (I can already hear some wag saying Jerzy Dudek!)

[Original Tyrone Gobshite!]

AWWWWW... F**K! :( :mad:

"But we shall overcome, one day..."

[TonyL]

OTG..........Im empathising with ya mate!!!


THE B*****DS!!!!!! :( :(

We'll never hear the end of it!! And did ya see Sir farce on the telly pished, giving an interview??

[FoxyJock]

Congratulations Man Utd. Congratulations Alex Ferguson. Very well deserved. The best team won it.

[John Fleming]

Sing:

We've got our trophy back...we've got our trophy back...we've got our trophy back...we've got our trophy back...

[Iano]

Ok big f*uckin deal , your nobody until youve wont the Zenith Data cup .
Speaking of Chelsea , thanks lads for failing to beat West Ham yesterday . Everybody else f*ckin beat them this season , all you had to do was turn up , at least thats you i thought .
Now i have to wait until next Sunday when you play an average team called Liverpool . A team about as entertaining as a night with Fred West and his wife .
F*ck this one up and im following Fullham next year , im not jokin , i mean it , SW6 being posh and all that, so ill have to stay within the location because if i was to follow somebody like Liverpool or Celtic ill have to start drinking cans of Dutch gold in fields and go to all of Aslans gigs .

Now can we have a round of applause for Bobby Robson ? the best manager in Europe . Sorry Alex , your good but the world dosent revolve around you and the Leeds Arsenal game was fixed ...[lol] .

[The Mighty 890]

Worthy champions. I had no doubt after the Bolton flop that the title was going back to Manchester. They've been on a great run since Christmas, playing attractive football and Ruud Van Nistelroy has been an absolute revelation. If anything I'm glad that it didn't drag on because it would only have postponed the inevitable.
For the record I felt Kewell clearly handled the ball before scoring what was unarguably an absolute cracking goal and Viduka was a country mile offside for the winner. That said the league is won and lost over 38 games and the luck evens out overall so no real complaints.

The league goes back to Man U deservedly; now I'm hoping that we can get something out of the season and win the FA Cup. We have to learn some hard lessons this year. It's not just outstanding talent that wins a league, it's also hard work, killer instinct, belief and consistency.

Looking forward to next season already.

Congrats to Man U.

M890 :(

[Billy Dane]

Anyone else agree that Wenger has been very sour grapes about the whole thing?
Viduka may have been offside, but as M tyler said, he was as offside as Henry against United, and that was the more important goal after all!

[Billy Dane]

PS Going by the above, arent abus the saddest people on the planet? As usual no revelation of the teams that they follow themselves!

[The Mighty 890]

Billy, I'm not sure who the ABUs that you are alluding too are. My colours are firmly nailed to the mast. For the record I agree that Wenger has been rather ungracious this week. I would have expected more from him. When you're beaten, you're beaten and sometimes you just have to hold your hand up and acknowledge that the better team won. That was certainly the case this last 5 months.

So who is gonna win the Champions league? Both semis could still go either way! Who gets relegated from the prem this Sunday? Bolton or West Ham? What of the last Champs league spot?... the intrigue never stops!!!

Enjoy your weekend folks.

M890 :(

[Billy Dane]

You should be aware The Mighty 890. Your not an abu, thats obvious. I taught it was evident from the previous posts, but I certainly was not referring to you for you have been humble and gracious in defeat, and have never hidden who you support. Unlike others whos lives seem to revolve around knocking Man Utd, but never get around to telling us who they support.

I still see Real winning the Champs league, despite the away goal. Time will tell. I can also see the scousers sneaking that last place, unfortunately.

[KJ]

Champions League set for makeover

Julia Day
Friday May 30, 2003


The European Champions League is to be rebranded in an effort to reinvigorate its image.
European football's governing body, Uefa, has hired design agency English & Pockett to give the contest a fresh look.

Uefa is introducing new competition rules and eradicating the laborious second group stage in an effort to attract more viewers.

It will be the tournament's first makeover since the mid-90s and will affect the way the league is presented on television channels across Europe as well as on merchandise, in publications and at football grounds.

"The format of the competition is changing and new TV and sponsorship contracts mean we have a good opportunity to further enhance the brand," Mike Lee, the Uefa communications director, told MediaGuardian.co.uk.

The Champions League's monotone emblem - a football with star-shaped black panels - will receive an injection of colour and will be given a three dimensional look.

"Certain core elements of the brand will be changed. The music and star-ball remain but the logo in particular will have a more modern look.

"You will see a difference in the core brand images that will enhance the overall brand image of the competition," said Mr Lee.

There will be other changes to the league's brand image, although the music that announces the games on TV and at stadia will remain in place.

Mr Lee said Uefa had employed London-based English & Pockett, part of marketing giant Interpublic's advertising agency McCann-Erickson, to carry out the task.

English & Pockett is a specialist in design and identity for TV broadcasters, having previously worked with ITV and Eurosport.

The new branding will be launched in Monaco in August when the Super Cup match - between the winners of the Uefa Champions League and Uefa Cup - heralds the start of the 2004/2004 competition.

[Iano]

A good start would be to peanilise Italian teams for boring the shit out of football lovers across Europe ..........