Beef Bagel

It’s at about this stage in the season where I always start to think about the break up value of the clubs looking likely to be relegated and with Charlton’s embarrassing Carling Cup exit to League 2 amoeba Wycombe Wanderers, one starts to wonder if any of the South London rats will consider a January desertion from that sinking vessel. Les Reed’ll do his best to clutch onto those straws that he hopes will save his neck but there’s careers to think of and the likes of the Fat Eddie Murphy, will not care too much for club loyalty. But, and it’s good to say it, we’re better than him these days. It’s more the likes of Darren Bent and….er….welll…jus Darren Bent actually that we’d be interested in. Wow. No wonder they’re doing so badly. Left winger Jerome Thomas may be worth a look. He had a few moments last season but it’s not really a good sign when Andy Reid’s being picked over you.

It’s all very well for us to laugh and believe me, laugh The Bagel did but it’s our turn to face David tonight and doubtless, Freddy Eastwood will be ready with his sling and a bag of streamlined pebbles. Let’s hope we don’t give away too many free kicks in range or at least that we take our opponents a little more seriously than we did Port Vale. I don’t know about you guys but I’ve got a thirst for a two legged semi. Frankly, I find it hard to get a semi over anything with just one leg but I guess that’s why Paul McCartney’s in existence and my friend Jules.

Obviously, it would be foolish to look to the next round already but I just can’t resist. Which would be better? Home and away against Wycombe or home and away against the scum? No wait, I’ve got it. Two easy games against the Wanderers and then Arsenal at Cardiff as once again the Pointy Paedo is thwarted in his efforts to finally get his hands on that one domestic trophy so far devoid of his filthy prints.

However it happens, we’ll have to do it without Little Aaron as that knee injury that kept him out of Sunday’s win gets another game to heal. Depending upon what you read, who you’re talking to you and what breakfast cereal you’ve chosen, that injury is everything from a splinter to life threatening but I’ll let you know on that one as soon as those lines become distant enough to read between.

Some which have are the those of the Curtis Davies saga. The latest development on this one is an apparent £5m plus Calum Davenport that we’re prepared to fling out in order to get our man. Like the cheque/bank transfer, would Good Ol’ Calum take four days to clear? Would it be a question of sending him through the post piece by piece with a flat pack assembly tool kit or just a really long road and rail journey to West Brom via say, China? Either way, it’s a bit of a slap in the face for our number three defender right after such an excellent and dare I say, Teddy-esque headed goal? I dare. Can’t we send them Tony Gardner instead? I’m sure they wouldn’t notice. Tall, thin, defender. Same guy really.

I’d been reading all the quotes coming out of the Hawthorns and Davies himself and it all seemed rather negative…

“It’s flattering to hear people talking good things about you but I’ve said before it’s only my third year as a professional. I’ve had it throughout the last two years - every window comes up and I seem to be going here and there. I’ve got to concentrate on my game and doing well for West Brom. I’m happy here, I’m captain here and we’re playing well. I just want to get us back up and enjoy life in the Premiership next year.”

…negative that is until I saw him deliver them on Sky Sports News with a barely supressed grin as he said the words,

“I’ve got to concentrate on my game and doing well for West Brom.”

which turned that phrase from, ‘I’m staying at West Brom,’ to ‘I’m probably going to move and I’m quite excited about it but I’m trying not to get carried away.’ It’s all right Curtis, we’ll do that bit for you.

In a fresh piece of transfer goss, it appears Damien Comolli himself has been out to Holland to watch a 19 year old by the name of Luigi Bruins play for his current club Excelsior Rotterdam. I can find shit all on this kid, which is a first for me. All I can tell you is that he’s a midfielder and that all the top Dutch clubs are after his signature with AZ Almaar looking favourites to get it in ink. Head and clips to follow when I have them.

In perhaps the most interesting news, Tottenham have apparently taken a step further towards forming a feeder club relationship with earlier UEFA Cup opponents, Club Brugge. Belgium’s relatively lax immigration laws mean that players from our academies in Africa will be able to gain EU passports in just two years if they’re laundered through such a club as Brugge. According to their club technical director, Marc Degryse…

“We are supposed to fit in their plans for the long term,”

…’their’ being, us.

These are not exactly the words of a man convinced and leads a little credence to the suggestion that we may not be so interested in loaning out our young players the other way. Well, we gave them Jonathon Blondel, didn’t we?

There’s definitely a gag in there about Belgian Chocolates but I’ve a feeling that’s creeping a little close to the racism line, so I’ll leave you to figure it out for yourselves. In the mean time, here are the weekends goals to enjoy again and again and again and again…

The bagels from Brussels.

The Bagel.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 20th, 2006 at 9:54 am and is filed under Bagel News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.