The Official Football (Soccer) Thread

[Elano]

Angry Cristiano Ronaldo in Old Trafford tunnel rage

Dimitar Berbatov scored the goal that kept Manchester United hard on the heels of the Barclays Premier League pace-setters last night but a half-time skirmish involving Cristiano Ronaldo provided a darker focal point in the 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough at Old Trafford.

Ronaldo spent most of the evening engaged in repeated clashes with Emanuel Pogatetz, the Middlesbrough captain, which threatened to boil over when the teams made their way to the dressing-rooms at the interval.

The players squared up to each other and went forehead to forehead, with witnesses saying that the squabble and shouting continued into the players’ tunnel, where a member of Middlesbrough’s backroom staff also railed at Ronaldo.

Ronaldo has history with Pogatetz — who was also sent off for an horrific challenge on Rodrigo Possebon, the United youngster, during a Carling Cup tie in September — and the players had to be separated as they left the field at half-time, with Ronaldo taking umbrage at being wrestled to the ground at a corner in first-half stoppage time. Ronaldo had protested vehemently to the match officials about the incident in which he felt that a penalty should have been awarded.

“I heard a lot of noise and saw some finger-pointing, but I don’t think anything really went on,” Gareth Southgate, the Middlesbrough manager, said. “The referee seemed pretty comfortable with it. There didn’t seem to be much in it.”

The matter is unlikely to go much further, but Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, may be concerned by the frequency with which Ronaldo has courted trouble in recent weeks, having aimed retaliatory kicks at Scott Brown, of Celtic, Michael Dawson, of Tottenham Hotspur, and Andy Wilkinson, of Stoke City, as well as earning a red card for two bookable offences against Manchester City.

Ferguson, who refuses to attend post-match press conferences in the Premier League, was not asked directly about the matter and, when the subject was broached by television interviewers, complained instead about referees’ unwillingness to clamp down on jostling in the penalty area at dead-ball situations.

United remain seven points behind Liverpool, the leaders, but, having played two games fewer, Ferguson declared last night that he was happy to have ended a memorable year within what he considers striking distance of the top of the table.

Liverpool, like Chelsea, Arsenal and Aston Villa, have still to visit Old Trafford in the second half of the season and, while a game of catch-up is in prospect, Ferguson believes that United will win a third successive title.

“Yes I’m happy,” the United manager said. “I think the first half of the season has been very difficult for us with the away fixtures that we’ve had, particularly after European matches, but we’ve managed to keep in there and we’re in a position to challenge now.”

Ferguson will hope also that there is more to come from Berbatov. The Bulgaria forward had scored just once in his previous ten appearances and has not yet lived up to expectations since his club record £30.75 million summer move from Tottenham Hotspur, but Ferguson said: “He’s a great player. He took his goal tremendously well.”

“I heard a lot of noise and saw some finger-pointing, but I don’t think anything really went on,” Gareth Southgate, the Middlesbrough manager, said. “The referee seemed pretty comfortable with it. There didn’t seem to be much in it.”

The matter is unlikely to go much further, but Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, may be concerned by the frequency with which Ronaldo has courted trouble in recent weeks, having aimed retaliatory kicks at Scott Brown, of Celtic, Michael Dawson, of Tottenham Hotspur, and Andy Wilkinson, of Stoke City, as well as earning a red card for two bookable offences against Manchester City.

Ferguson, who refuses to attend post-match press conferences in the Premier League, was not asked directly about the matter and, when the subject was broached by television interviewers, complained instead about referees’ unwillingness to clamp down on jostling in the penalty area at dead-ball situations.

United remain seven points behind Liverpool, the leaders, but, having played two games fewer, Ferguson declared last night that he was happy to have ended a memorable year within what he considers striking distance of the top of the table.

Liverpool, like Chelsea, Arsenal and Aston Villa, have still to visit Old Trafford in the second half of the season and, while a game of catch-up is in prospect, Ferguson believes that United will win a third successive title.

“Yes I’m happy,” the United manager said. “I think the first half of the season has been very difficult for us with the away fixtures that we’ve had, particularly after European matches, but we’ve managed to keep in there and we’re in a position to challenge now.”

Ferguson will hope also that there is more to come from Berbatov. The Bulgaria forward had scored just once in his previous ten appearances and has not yet lived up to expectations since his club record £30.75 million summer move from Tottenham Hotspur, but Ferguson said: “He’s a great player. He took his goal tremendously well.”


Only one person can replace Ferguson

It was during one of those familiar moments at this time of year, the mid-afternoon doze on the sofa, that Sir Alex Ferguson received the rude awakening that changed the course of recent football history. In the final days of 2001, a day or two short of his 60th birthday, Ferguson awoke to find his wife, Lady Cathy, standing above him, hands on hips, with their sons ready to back her up. “You,” she said, giving him a shove. “You’re not retiring. We’ve decided.”

This heartwarming tale comes to mind whenever Ferguson reaches a milestone, whether it is a birthday – he turns 67 on Wednesday – or the recent 22nd anniversary of his appointment at Manchester United. One of these days, most probably behind closed doors at his Wilmslow home, Ferguson, with perhaps a little nudge from Lady Cathy, will reach the conclusion that he is, after all, the retiring type.

He has always maintained that he will not “do a Bobby Robson” and continue to manage beyond his 70th birthday, so that historic moment cannot be far away. Lady Cathy, after all, may be itching for the cruise she denied herself in 2002.

The disturbing thing for United is that Ferguson has begun to talk about retirement again. It is not a subject he likes to dwell on, but, whereas once queries met with a fierce glare and a robust defence of his health, these days he freely admits that the time is coming.

In May, two days after the mentally exhausting Champions League final triumph against Chelsea, he said that it would be “three years at the very, very most”. Those close to him do not dare to second-guess him, but they suggest that it is just as likely to be the end of this season as in 2011. Most educated pundits would predict the end of next season, but he could feasibly decide to go at the end of this campaign. Whichever way, the clock is ticking.

It is a terrifying thought for the United hierarchy. There was a time around three years ago, shortly after the Glazer takeover, when replacing Ferguson seemed less a daunting challenge than one of those irksome jobs, like fixing the guttering, that would have to be addressed sooner rather than later.

There were a few potential candidates around to succeed him at the time, such as Fabio Capello and Guus Hiddink, not to mention José Mourinho and Arsène Wenger if they could be tempted, but perhaps that was merely because Ferguson’s stock had fallen. Three years, two Premier League titles and a European Cup later, finding a man to follow Ferguson is a task to rival that of arresting the economic downturn.

David Gill, the chief executive, is known to like the idea of a British successor to Ferguson, ideally someone with an historical link to the club, but Mark Hughes, the best of the Old Trafford alumni, has taken on a different challenge, at Manchester City, while Roy Keane, Paul Ince, Steve Bruce and others have not measured up to the required standard.

But who does measure up? Martin O’Neill would have his supporters, having performed admirably at Aston Villa (albeit with greater financial backing than anyone cares to mention), but would be far from a shoo-in. Mourinho’s track record almost guarantees success, but his methods fly in the face of United’s cavalier traditions, as laid out by Ferguson and by Sir Matt Busby long before him. Josep Guardiola is making a strong impression in his first season at Barcelona, but this is merely a coaching role, in which he is ably assisted by a strong director of football, Txiki Beguiristain.

Unless a complete overhaul of United’s coaching structure was planned, a novice such as Guardiola could not be considered.

Do you know whose name keeps coming to mind? Capello’s. At 62 he is no spring chicken, but, crucially, he has the experience, having had two spells in charge of both AC Milan and Real Madrid, and is a proven winner. There will be those who would deny that United would dare to poach the England manager, but Sven-Göran Eriksson had been lined up to succeed Ferguson in 2002.

Others will say that Capello would not be interested, that the England job trumps everything. But whatever the prestige of the England post, which has been held in recent years by such luminaries as Graham Taylor, Kevin Keegan and Steve McClaren, the challenge of following in Ferguson’s footsteps would be far, far bigger.

Perhaps it would be too big for Capello. Perhaps he would be reluctant to break his contract with the FA. Perhaps, at his age, he prefers the gentler pace of international football (although even Eriksson, hardly a workaholic, missed the day-to-day involvement of the club game).

But he would be the stand-out candidate when the dreaded moment comes that Ferguson and, of course, his good lady wife, decide to call it a day.

[es-jay]

...may be concerned by the frequency with which Ronaldo has courted trouble in recent weeks, having aimed retaliatory kicks at Scott Brown, of Celtic, Michael Dawson, of Tottenham Hotspur, and Andy Wilkinson, of Stoke City...

yet he goes unpunished. hes like a spoilt child.

[Boo-Yaa †]

Whit a goal!!!!

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/qYVlwBzYATM&amp;ap=%2526fmt%3D18" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/qYVlwBzYATM&amp;ap=%2526fmt%3D18</a>

 

[es-jay]

first post of 2009 in the Football thread!



what do we think of the FA Cup, eh? shock exit for Man City, and now Liverpool - Everton and Manchester United - Tottenham in the 4th round. nice.

[da_notorious_mack]

heres a question...whose more worried about fernandos return??...robbie keane or the rest of the Prem??

[KURUPTION-81]

heres a question...whose more worried about fernandos return??...robbie keane or the rest of the Prem??

Robbie Keane definitly the guy couldnt even hold down a space when torres was out.

Veron Named South American Player Of The Year

Argentine playmaker Juan Sebastian Veron was officially chosen as the best footballer in South America of 2008, by prestigious Uruguayan newspaper El Pais.

Veron, the captain of Estudiantes de La Plata, beat Juan Roman Riquelme of Boca Juniors by three votes. Riquelme recently claimed the Argentine Apertura Championship with his club.

Both players are likely to be taken into consideration by Argentine national team coach Diego Maradona for the restart of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers in March.

Veron admitted that such an award is recognised around the world, and that he is very proud of the achievement.

"One is recognised not only by the people at a local level, but throughout the footballing world," Veron told radio Provincia.

"This prize arrives in a special moment of my life, because my objective is to always be the best in what I do, and I've always thought in this way."

The former Inter Milan, Chelsea and Manchester United superstar concluded by affirming that the Argentine First Division "is one of the most difficult leagues (in the world), because there is lots of competition."

In third place appeared Paraguayan striker Salvador Cabanas of Club American of Mexico, with 19 votes less than Veron. Cabanas won the award in 2007.

Internacional playmaker Andres D'Alessandro finished in fourth place, after having played a key role as his club lifted the Copa Sudamericana for the first time.

While fifth place went to Liga Deportiva Universitaria goalkeeper Jose Francisco Cevallos, who was detrimental in his team's Copa Libertadores triumph.

[es-jay]

KURUPTION, what you think about Tevez? media blowing a few comments outta proportion, or legit?

[da_notorious_mack]

heres a question...whose more worried about fernandos return??...robbie keane or the rest of the Prem??

Robbie Keane definitly the guy couldnt even hold down a space when torres was out.

i know...you see the preston game.....cringe worthy...torres would have got a hat-trick

whose veron play for now??

[Elano]

MANCHESTER UNITED are set to kick out Carlos Tevez after the hitman admitted: I’d love to play for Real Madrid.

United boss Alex Ferguson is running out of patience with the 24-year-old Argentinian striker, who made it clear yesterday that clubs are lining up to sign him.


Tevez’s owner and advisor, Kia Joorabchian, said: “I don’t know if ‘Carlitos’ will go. It’s difficult to say. Anything can happen.


“Madrid want him and have showed concrete interest. They’re not the only club. There are many.”


Tevez, still on loan at Old Trafford, is unhappy that United have not opened talks about a new contract, or the possibility of buying him off Joorabchian for £32million.


Tevez insisted in yesterday’s Sun that he wants to stay.


But admitting he would relish a move to Madrid is a red rag to United boss Ferguson, who cannot forgive the Spaniards for trying to lure away Cristiano Ronaldo last year.


Tevez has just returned from a break and was expected to start in tonight’s Carling Cup semi-final clash at Derby.


But Ferguson is now considering playing Danny Welbeck as the lone striker, ahead of a five-man midfield.


Fergie has said the club are trying to sort a deal for Tevez — but blamed his agent for the delay.

(thesun)
*****************************************************************************************************************

(lol @ this pic)
Kia Joorabchian attempted to placate Sir Alex Ferguson yesterday by insisting that Carlos Tévez has no issue with the Manchester United manager. However, the Argentina forward’s representative has accepted that his client could leave Old Trafford as rival clubs prepare to take advantage of the uncertainty surrounding the player’s future.

Despite Tévez’s outburst during an interview with an Argentine radio station on Monday, when he threatened to quit the Barclays Premier League champions unless they stopped dragging their heels over the offer of a permanent contract, he is expected to start for United in the first leg of their Carling Cup semi-final away to Derby County this evening.

Having been given permission to go back to Argentina over the Christmas period for what Ferguson described as a “family issue”, Tévez is understood to have held talks with the manager after returning to training with United yesterday morning.

Although it is unclear what was discussed, Ferguson is unlikely to have taken kindly to Tévez criticising him, albeit that the player did so in the mistaken belief that the manager had said that he had rejected a contract offer because he wanted parity with Wayne Rooney, who earns in excess of £100,000 a week. However, Ferguson’s irritation is thought to lie not with Tévez, but Joorabchian.

Ferguson hinted on Friday that it was Joorabchian’s role in the negotiation process that was proving an obstacle to striking a deal. He also appears to disapprove of the influence the businessman, who owns Tévez’s economic rights, has on the player, although United’s apparent unwillingness to match Joorabchian’s £32 million valuation has been just as much of a sticking point.

As revealed by The Times last week, it seems unlikely that Tévez’s future will be resolved until the end of the season when his two-year loan deal with United expires.

Joorabchian did attempt to smooth relations between Tévez and Ferguson, however, even if it is his relationship with the United manager that is likely to require the greater work.

“Tévez just wanted to clarify that he hadn’t received an offer — everything’s fine,” Joorabchian said. “He gets on very well with Ferguson. Everything started with a lie written by an English journalist who wrote that Ferguson had said they made an offer. There are no problems and he’s going to carry on playing for Manchester United until the end of the season.”

Tévez will try to put the events of the past 48 hours behind him this evening, when Ferguson will keep faith with the fringe players who have impressed in the Carling Cup this season. “It’s always good to get to Wembley,” Ferguson said. “I think the way we’ve engineered it this year, with all the younger players, it’s been great to see them in the Carling Cup.”

(times)

Should United wave goodbye to Carlos Tevez?

FROM the moment it emerged that it would take the best part of £32 million to sign him permanently, there was a good argument for suggesting that Manchester United should wave goodbye to Carlos Tevez at the end of the season. Now that he has started to bleat about the situation, expressing unhappiness with Sir Alex Ferguson, perhaps the Argentina forward should start packing his bags now.

Tevez is a silly boy. His frustrations over the hold-up with his permanent transfer are understandable, but who is to blame here? He is a player who, as a youngster in South America, was happy to sign away his “economic rights” to a mysterious group of investors and, in doing so, to lose sole control over his future.

On the day that Tevez was introduced as a United player in August 2007, he remarked that he would have preferred to sign a five-year contract with the club, rather than the unusual arrangement that sees him effectively on a two-year loan – not on loan from another club but on loan from those investment groups. Tevez suggested that his wish could easily be granted by David Gill, the United chief executive, but, if stability was what he wanted, perhaps he should have told Kia Joorabchian, his adviser.

The precise details of his lease arrangement with United are not entirely clear, but the club are believed to have paid between £6 million and £10 million – half at the time and half last summer – to take Tevez on a two-year loan. He has scored enough goals – many of them crucial – to mean that that investment has more than paid off for United already. But if they wish to sign him permanently, on a long-term contract, they must pay off a balance of between £22 million and £26 million on his total pre-determined valuation of £32 million. That does not sound quite such a compelling deal, particularly when you bear in mind that he has dropped down the pecking order and is generally regarded as back-up for Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov.

Tevez is a top-class player, not to mention very popular with United’s supporters, but is he worth a minimum £22 million to make the deal permanent? More to the point, is he worth £100,000 a week in wages, which is said to be what he and his representatives are asking for? (He, incidentally, denies that any such demands have been made, although he also said in a statement at the weekend that “we have not started talks with Manchester United yet”, a claim that the club vehemently oppose, with Sir Alex Ferguson saying that Gill and Joorabchian have been in talks for several months.)

The impasse, combined with the arrival of Berbatov, has seemed to have an effect on Tevez’s form. He has scored eight goals this season, but five of those have come in the Carling Cup. He has scored just twice in the Premier League and, while this can in part be put down to a lack of opportunities in the starting line-up, he has started eight games and come on as substitute in five others. The most obvious thing is the manner in which he has snatched at chances, as if too desperate to prove himself when given the opportunity to do so. When Ferguson talks of profligacy in front of goal this season, the name of Tevez cannot be far from his mind.

Ferguson and indeed United’s supporters can forgive erratic finishing, particularly with such an honest, enthusiastic player, but it is harder to defend or to understand his decision to go public in airing his frustrations with the club. The interview that he gave with an Argentine radio while back in his homeland, which appeared in English newspapers today, was ill-advised and will have done his cause no good whatsoever. If there is one thing that Ferguson does not like, it is a player who mouths off to the media. Tevez may not be on first-name terms with the Manchester press pack, but, in the 21st century, an interview given to an Argentine radio station does not take too long to be picked up in England.

To lose Tevez on a free transfer at the end of the season – whether to Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Arsenal or even Manchester City – would be hard for United, but it would not be a disaster, given that they only paid a relatively small fee for him and that, because of the complicated nature of the deal, he was never truly their player. It is not too late for Tevez to knuckle down, start scoring goals and earn a permanent contract with United, but right now, if that is what he wants, he is going entirely the wrong way about it.

[Elano]

Mark Hughes finds clubs are adding 'Manchester City premium'

Blackburn Rovers were bracing themselves last night for an improved £18 million offer from Manchester City for Roque Santa Cruz, the Paraguay striker, as Mark Hughes, the City manager, conceded that English football’s new financial superpower are having difficulty attracting the players they want.

Hughes’s fears of being quoted inflated prices for players because of the wealth of Sheikh Mansour, the City owner, who has a reputed personal fortune of £15 billion, are being realised as rival clubs attempt to hold them to ransom.

In some respects, City have created a rod for their own back by agreeing to pay Chelsea £12 million for Wayne Bridge, a considerable sum for a 28-year-old left back who has struggled with injuries and failed to hold down a regular place for his club or England over the past five years. Bridge also earns £92,000 a week at City, which has set another benchmark as far as wages are concerned.

With that in mind, Arsenal are unlikely to let Kolo Touré leave for less than £15 million, hence City’s wavering interest in the 27-year-old Ivory Coast defender,

Everton may demand a similar sum for Joleon Lescott and West Ham United are already driving a hard bargain for Scott Parker and Craig Bellamy, whom they have told City they value in excess of £20 million. Similarly, Shay Given, the Newcastle United goalkeeper, may cost well over £10 million. “We are finding it a bit difficult to get the players that we want here,” Hughes said yesterday.

City have indicated that they will walk away if they deem a deal to be too expensive but, by the same token, they are mindful that it generally costs more to sign players in January even before the “City premium” is taken into account.

aving already had a £16 million bid for Santa Cruz rejected this week, City are shortly expected to make another offer — their fifth in the space of a year — for the Paraguayan, although an £18 million offer would not trigger a release clause in the striker’s contract because that does not come into effect until the summer.

The likelihood is that Blackburn would still sell at such a price, but Sam Allardyce, the Lancashire club’s manager, has indicated privately that he is willing to dig his heels in to prevent Santa Cruz from leaving until he has a replacement. Blackburn are thought to be working on a deal to bring El-Hadji Diouf, the Sunderland forward who played under Allardyce at Bolton Wanderers, to Ewood Park.

Sources close to Santa Cruz say that he has been impressed by Allardyce, even though he still hopes to team up once more with Hughes, who signed him from Bayern Munich for £3.2 million in July 2007. Tal Ben-Haim or Nedum Onuoha, the City defenders, could move in the opposite direction as part of any deal.

“We have pursued him for a long time, and they have been made aware of our interest for quite a long time, and we are just trying to make it happen now,” Hughes said of Santa Cruz. “He has the physical presence we need.”

Bridge has launched a thinly veiled swipe at Luiz Felipe Scolari after accusing the Chelsea manager of not giving him a fair crack of the whip. Bridge claims that he was dismayed by the manner in which Ashley Cole was restored to left back as soon as he had recovered from an injury.

Asked if he was not given a proper chance by Scolari, Bridge said: “Definitely not. There was a time when I had put a string of games together but Ashley came straight back in. I just felt that it was never going to work for me there. Maybe he \ thinks that Ashley’s better than me. I thought no matter how I played, I was never going to establish myself there.”

ANDREI ARSHAVIN : I want to prove how good I am

Andrei Arshavin last night partied with his Zenit St Petersburg team-mates for what he believes will be the last time before sealing a move to Arsenal.
The Gunners may be furious that their far-from-concluded negotiations have become public but the Russia forward hopes any problems can be overcome so that he can achieve his dream of playing for one of Europe's elite clubs.
It would be the perfect Christmas present as the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the festival two weeks later than in England.

The 27-year-old spent the public holiday with his wife Yulia and their two young children before saying goodbye to his Zenit colleagues at St Petersburg's five-star Grand Hotel Europe at their annual Christmas bash.
It is a farewell that the forward knew he had to make after starring for his country in their bold march to the Euro 2008 semi-finals before losing to Spain.
Those performances - along with his key role in winning the UEFA Cup against Rangers with Zenit last season - made him famous across the world, but returning home to a country that had appreciated his talent for years felt too much like getting back in the depressing old routine.

I didn't feel anything special,' Arshavin told Sportsmail. 'In my city I have been popular since long ago.'
After winning domestically and abroad with his home-town club - picking up countless individual honours on the way - Arshavin knew he had to look for new challenges to the west of the city appropriately called Russia's window to Europe.
'I want to play at a good European club and I want to prove how good I am,' he said.

The desire has little to do with money. He is paid about £65,000 a week by a club backed by energy giants Gazprom - the third biggest company in the world by some indicators.
And Arshavin, for whom Zenit are asking £20 million, is unlikely to demand a bumper pay deal at the Emirates.
It is believed that Arsenal have made an opening offer of £12m but the Russians are more than happy to negotiate after seeing how badly Arshavin's form was affected when an August move to Tottenham collapsed.
Zenit have great ambition matched by huge moves in the transfer market, but their star player realised just how far they had still to go when the team finished third behind Juventus and Real Madrid in a tough Champions League group in the autumn.
'I think it is a distant prospect that Zenit will ever be as big as the likes of Real Madrid or Juventus,' said Arshavin.

'It will take some time and Zenit must win many titles first. But recently the club have been progressing.
'The main thing is that the management should have willingness and players should be provided with opportunities.'
The 'opportunities' he talks of are to escape and he would be crushed now if the move to Arsenal collapsed, especially after failing to fulfil his initial dream of joining Barcelona, with whom he fell in love as a youngster.
With the Russian season over, Arshavin visited London shortly before Christmas to get a feel for the place before spending two weeks on a beach in the Dominican Republic thinking about his next step.
While some hardcore Zenit fans have branded their former hero a traitor, he leaves St Petersburg with the best wishes of most and will be particularly missed by those at the SOS Children's Village in nearby Pushkin.

Arshavin became an ambassador for the cause after first visiting three-and-a-half years ago and he said: 'I have the whole range of emotions when I visit the village. I see sincerity and warm feelings there.
'I meet the children and they ask me all sorts of questions.'
The environment may not be dissimilar at Arsenal. If he gets the move he craves, the 41-cap relative veteran will be expected to pass on his aspirations of greatness to a youthful set of new team-mates who have faltered to a position where even their top-four status is in jeopardy.
Russian readers of Elle magazine recently voted Arshavin their 'Dream Man' and that is exactly what Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hopes he will prove to be.

 

[KURUPTION-81]

KURUPTION, what you think about Tevez? media blowing a few comments outta proportion, or legit?

I think Tevez is just getting frustrated and wants it resolved one way or another. Everytime he is asked if he wants to stay he states yes, and up until recently the club have been saying the same thing. Things seemed to have changed recently though, i think the stumbling block is the fee. It wouldnt suprise me if we couldnt afford to buy him because his performances on the pitch have warrented us buying him. He works hard and scores crucial goals, last season alone he scored the winner at anfield and last min equalisers against spurs, blackburn and lyon.

I personally would be gutted if he left, the press love to blow anything out of proprtion. Lets be honest they make up 90% of the transfer rumours.

heres a question...whose more worried about fernandos return??...robbie keane or the rest of the Prem??

Robbie Keane definitly the guy couldnt even hold down a space when torres was out.

i know...you see the preston game.....cringe worthy...torres would have got a hat-trick

whose veron play for now??

Veron is at Estudiantes de La Plata, my mate who is an arsenal fan said to me a few weeks ago that veron is the best midfielder in the world at the moment. I just laughed at him and said he was wrong.

Yeah i saw the preston game, to be honest im enjoying seeing robbie keane look a fool but he is a good player. I just dont see how he fits into the liverpool team and i think he knows it. The side is set up to get the ball to gerrard who can then exploit torres pace and play the balls into the channels (my pro evo tactic  ) but keane cant play the torres role or gerrards role.

If he were to score a few goals i think he would miss less of these chances but i cant see him getting a run in the side.

[Lil White Azz]

And Vidic has scored!!!! 

UNITED!!

[Lil White Azz]

BRILLIANT!!!

Giggsy played his best game this season, so did Evans....

..Aaah, it feels good!! 

[Shango]

Tottenham midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng has joined Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund on loan.

Boateng has failed to hit the heights at White Hart Lane since his arrival from Hertha Berlin in the summer of 2007.

The 21-year-old fell out-of-favour under former Spurs boss Juande Ramos and was linked with a move away from Tottenham in the summer.

Boateng was given a reprieve by Harry Redknapp and he has made two appearances since the ex-Portsmouth manager's arrival.

Spurs are willing to loan out Boateng as he does not feature in Redknapp's first-team plans and the midfielder is keen move on in search of regular action.

Borussia have the option to make the loan move permanent and Dortmund's general manager Michael Zorc has confirmed the details of the transfer.

"We have taken him on a six-month loan until the end of the season," Zorc told the club's official website.

"We want to watch him first (before taking a decision regarding a permanent move) because he has been going through a difficult period."



as a fan of Dortmund, I'm very happy with this move

[Furor Teutonicus]

Tottenham midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng has joined Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund on loan.

Boateng has failed to hit the heights at White Hart Lane since his arrival from Hertha Berlin in the summer of 2007.

The 21-year-old fell out-of-favour under former Spurs boss Juande Ramos and was linked with a move away from Tottenham in the summer.

Boateng was given a reprieve by Harry Redknapp and he has made two appearances since the ex-Portsmouth manager's arrival.

Spurs are willing to loan out Boateng as he does not feature in Redknapp's first-team plans and the midfielder is keen move on in search of regular action.

Borussia have the option to make the loan move permanent and Dortmund's general manager Michael Zorc has confirmed the details of the transfer.

"We have taken him on a six-month loan until the end of the season," Zorc told the club's official website.

"We want to watch him first (before taking a decision regarding a permanent move) because he has been going through a difficult period."



as a fan of Dortmund, I'm very happy with this move

you're German right? Have a prop for choosing the best club of the world. I think this is a good move, but without another capable striker this season's over.