The full gambit
Well, I´ve got quite some catching up to do. I started this post on Thursday, still feeling the Robbie Keane blues and it´s frankly incredible how much water can pass under the bridge and so quickly too. I´m writing this from Spain. LB´s sister has a flat in Barcelona and today is the last day of our long weekend. Part of me has been aching to finish what I started before I left, to talk about everything I´ve been reading about our growing Spurs - and I have been reading - but part of me has owed it to myself to fill my belly with Rioja and chorizo, but I´m full now and it´s time to get ready. Nearly time for the season to begin. Nearly. But before we get there, let´s cast our minds back a little, shall we….
It was Tuesday, wasn’t it? No, it was Monday evening. Getting home, switching on Sky News to see Keano holding up that red scarf with an evil grinning Benitez took me back.
I remember a girl I went out with a long time ago. It was a short relationship. I was basically far too young to want the hassle of a girlfriend and I didn’t care enough to really try to make it work out. As it goes, if I’d have seen beyond the sex or even bothered having a peek, it may have succeeded. The fact is I never did. I didn’t care and I had no idea how it is that you get these things to work. Funny thing being a bloke at that age, girls far more grown up and looking for something solid while we’re looking for some friendly flesh and then as much in the way of booze, drugs and mayhem as we can get out hands on.
But this is all by the by. The fact is that I ended it with this young lady and I felt freedom, an enormous, wonderful, all embracing sense of freedom. I had my youth back and I was happy. I’d see her out and I wasn’t stupid, I knew she must have been flirting with other guys or them with her, while I was at the bottom of a bong somewhere and that was fine. It didn’t really have anything to do with me any more and I was ok with that.
But one night, I was walking back home after boozey night out several Sambuccas to the wind, or whatever sticky liquors we used to use back them to spice up our beer, and I saw this girl walking home with another guy. They weren’t hand in hand but they were walking back together, alone. It was an old move. It still is. It was old even when it was invented. You know the one: “I know you can look after yourself but I’m taking you back to your door. It’s not a nice part of town and I just want to make sure you’re ok.” There are variations on it. I always liked to say I was there to protect any mugger foolish enough to try it.
Now, I didn’t know if anything was going to happen to them. So I followed them. I followed them down the hill, over the road, cars rushing past me as I stumbled more or less oblivious to the traffic at 50m or so distance and when I finally turned the corner to her road, I saw them kissing in the light of her doorstep. It was something like a punch to the face.
You see, it’s one thing to suspect something, to think about, to know it’s probably happening. It’s another thing altogether when you’re sure, when it’s right in front of your eyes and there’s simply no way of preparing yourself for how you’re going to feel.
It got the point where we knew Keano was going to go - the missing matches, flying round the country, the medical - and I’d kind of got used to the idea but to see him standing there in his red strip with his red grin and his tickled-pink red manager was nigh on soul destroying.
I think it was LilyWhiteYank who said it in the last post and hit it right on the head. It’s that out of all the players, we felt like it was him that loved us as much as we loved him. Loyalty may be only for the terraces but we all want to believe our players have us in their hearts. The day that that illusion is gone forever is the day that football loses all meaning. It’s tribal and if no one feels a sense of belonging, then there is no tribe. If no one has an emotional investment in what unfolds, then there is no drama, and if the players don’t care about us, then why should we care about them?
The trick is that the players say the right things and because they’re ours, because we want to love them, then we’ll always give them the benefit of the doubt. If the said nothing at all and just played football in our colours, we would automatically assume that they care about the club. “Why would they be there otherwise?” is something like how the logic goes.
So to see Keano standing there, cheating on us with another club - no, not cheating on us. No, not quite. Our relationship ended but to see him start another so quickly, to see him move on before we have, to see his loyalty shifted so quickly, so shamelessly before we’ve had a chance to grieve is a very hard thing indeed. It’s like our love for him meant nothing. That’s why it’s hard to take.
So, on Tuesday, when The Bagel finally got the day right to go to Aldershot to watch a Spurs XI take on a barely football league outfit, it was with great sadness that I got picked up by Jimmy No Home (nee Bluto) in his bottle green, soft top Saab. I’m pretty sure the sun was shining but not in that car. The roof stayed firmly shut.
At least the game can as some relief. Naturally, the Aldershot fans started up with…
“Where’s your Keano gone? (where’s your Keano gone)” to the tune of, er, well, no tune really.
We chanted back some despite our relatively small numbers but what we were there for was to see the stars of the future and this is what we saw:
Tomas Pekhart - Not good enough. Good strength, decent level of skill, good passing, good positional play but missing one very, very important thing - the poachers instinct. Within the first two minutes he was one-on-one right in front of us and he hesitated. Both Jim and I saw it and it was shocking. All he had to do was give it an arrogant whack and he paused. By the time he took his shot, the momentum was lost and the keeper had it. If he’s bottling it at this level, he’ll never succeed in the Prem.
Troy Archibald-Henville - Looks like Ledley, doesn’t play like him yet.
Yuri Berchiche - decent player, good skill, reasonable strength, good reading of the game even playing at centre backs which isn’t his natural position. Looks pissed off and rightly so given there’s a million full-backs between him and the first team.
Danny Rose -Streets ahead of the opposition and his team mates in skill. Not a big chap but nippy. The ball sticks to his feet as he skips about the bodies that beach themselves at his feet. Work to do before he can weave his magic in the Prem but we´ll be seeing him soon.
Andy Barcham - Uses his stocky body and slow built-up steamrolling speed to break his way through the lines and power shots at goal. I can´t see him ever pulling on the No,10 or the No.43 either. More likely it´ll be the No. 243 Tottenham Hale and off to a club in the North.
John Bostock - Can he really be 16? Quite big but not massive. Strong but no ox. Skillful with the ball but will never be a winger. There´s a lot of potential here. He has some Huddlestone about him. He´s got the metranomic passing, not the precision but the timing. He can control a game. He can put in a tackle and he knows the value of a well placed foul. Looks like he´s got goals in him too. Plenty of work to do but we´ll see him next season if not before.
David Hutton - Nippy little winger. Every team´s got one. David is the Little Aaron of the reserves but with a little less pace and bit more ability. He works harder for a team that needs him more and never lets them down with his end result, his final ball. Equally comfortable cutting inside, playing the over lap or knocking in a cross, there´s definitely something here but my crumbs tell me that his tricks are clever enough and his pace not quick enough to get the space he needs at the very top level.
So that was the Spurs XI minus the faces we already know and would rather forget such as Rocha, Stalteri and Lee. I had a moment of terror on the beach yesterday. I was lying in the shade in a town called Sitges - a place to Barcelona that Brighton is to London and just as crammed on a sunny Sunday in August. I was lying in the shade - who wants to sweat in the sun? I was lying in the shade reading a book I´d been leant - a wonderfully trashy Sci-Fi novel about a layabout who is clearly going to discover his pivotal destiny and take me through a full 595 pages of his adventures. He can do the hard work, I´ll eat the ice cream.
I was lying in the shade in some kind shorts on, shirt off otherwolrdly literary bliss and then like a bolt from the blue, it hit me that we still haven´t sold Hossam Ghaly. We haven´t, have we? It´s going to haunt me like that until we do. It´s like that thing, that niggling feeling, that reason you have to try and remember what it was that is bothering you when you know that you´d be much happier not thinking about. And then you remember you still own Hossam Ghaly.
But to business. The shit´s gone down since I last wrote. So, we signed David Bentley - at last - and I´ve just about got the hang of remembering that he´s got an ‘e’ in his name. 15mill seems like a fair enough price, particularly given his age, and it´s good to see he´s already showing signs that he might start paying it off.
By the way, as much as I enjoyed watching his press conference, I´m not entirely sure that he ever actually said that he is/was Spurs fan? Let me just take a quick look again. You can come and have a look too.
No, you see he doesn´t. We were the first club he watched as a kid, Gazza was his favourite player, he grew up in the area, all his mates are season ticket holders and a piece of his heart is at this club but he never says that he is a Spurs fan, a Yiddo. I don´t doubt his commitment but why didn´t he just say that he was? Why didn´t he say “My heart is at this club” why just a piece? Is this some kind of softener for the weeping Slackburn fans or was he actually a Palace, West Ham, Leyton Orient or, God forbid, an arsenal fan? I don´t think it really makes any difference but I´d have been a lot happier if he said nothing at that press conference and instead stripped off naked and stood on the desk to reveal a body inked in 61 Tottenham tattoos from cockereled neck to images of the Famous Five on his toes. That aside, so far, so good with David Bentley and while I´m virtually there on the keyboard, how about a round of applause for Sergei Bent?
I’m not going to start smoking his pole just yet but that’s a hell of a tally to bag in pre-season and I pray that he takes that confidence into Premiership proper. One reason for the rise in form could be a standard of service of a more suitable formation. I haven´t been able to watch any of the games so far but we seem to be giving him the lone striker role as well as the odd pairing with Berba or Johnny Two Saints.
The other reason for the goals could be the Jermain Defoe factor. The Little ex-Yiddo always played better when Robbie Keane was injured. When that thought isn´t running through your mind when you´re about to pick your spot, when you conscious is clear and all is calm in the moment, when you´re not playing for your place but only the team, come strikers just seem to be at ease. That´s the way it was for Jermain. Maybe that´s how it is for Sergei?
Now, this leads me to the next dilemma. Before we picked up this pre-season pot I was looking at the squad, I was having a play with the BBC Squad Selector too and I was trying to work out our best approach. I didn´t include Berbatov nor any player we didn´t yet own and I just couldn´t get it to work. That said, I was only using a 4-5-1 but I think there´s a good chance we´ll be using Two Saints as a No.10.
Still what it seemed to me was that Andrei Arseshavings is what it was all about. Feeling the loss of Robbie, he seemed like perfect player to not only fill that void but quite possibly to a better job of it too. I can think of no more natural second striker than the 27-year-old Russian and, until this morning, I was still convinced that despite all the words in the press, all the rejections of bids, the talks of managers, coaches, club captains and the silence from the men upstairs; that by hook or by crook we would get this guy. I felt that Juande wanted it and it was too late to start saying no to him now.
But then, maybe he´s changed his mind. Maybe he´s decided that he´s surplus to requirements or at least not worth the requirements for the kind of money he would cost. Hard to tell but from my point of view, I´d still rather have the darling of European football at the Lane just in case we wanted him. I too wonder about the lack of steel in which we´ve invested this summer but it all comes down to putting our faith in Ramos and that´s exactly what we do. He´s given us every reason too.
So, I´ll take an Arse Shaving and I´ve a feeling I´ll get one too. As it goes, I´m not convinced by Pavlyuchenko either but then I haven´t seen much of him play. I´m sure he´s a decent striker but if Bent´s on form, do we need to be upsetting the applecart for another 15-20mill? How about some cheaper back up and work on the elusive Capel, which reminds me. It´s an old one but we still don´t have a left winger. Arseshavings looks comfy in the role and at a guess Johnny Two Saints would managed and Little Aaron at a push but a genuine lefty wouldn´t go amiss either. Somehow, though, I´ve a feeling the chances of that are long gone and perhaps that´s what half the interest in the skillful Russian is a all about.
And what about the centre? What about our holding player. The reason I´m not convinced JJ could do the job is because his tacking isn´t that strong and I¨m not sure how tough he is. The man can run, we all know that. He can pass and he can track but I´m sure he has the stature to really get hold of a game. I´d say the same about Michael Carrick, which is why I always felt he played and plays well next to a bruiser, be they Davids, Hargreaves or Darren Fletcher. Carrick can hold in a five man midfield because he can play with someone who can hold him too.
We still don´t have that player to stamp their authority on the game and I´d be amazed if JJ becomes that man. The only thing I can think of is if Ramos has another way of playing up his sleeve; that or another season of Didier Zee.
I can think of a few more things I´d like to say but, well, I´ve a feeling they´re less important just now. They´re the kinds of questions will have answered for us in the coming few days. I´ve been secretly hoping and never quite daring to say that we may just keep Dimitar the Great but I´m prepared to now because I´m not so sure we really want him any more. Either he´ll go or he won´t and even he´ll deal with it properly. Then man will want to be sold even if it´s not in this window. He´ll be left out until he bucks up his ideas and if we start winning, who knows, maybe he will even smile again?
There´s defintely a signing or two left in us and it has to be Arshavin for me what happens beyond, again, we´ll see very soon. I wanted to talk about beating Celtic too but there are just too many variables and were we to meet in a proper comp, I´m not sure the results would match. I´m still intrigued by Strachan´s reactions though. Everyone knows it´s a friendly. It doesn´t really count. So why defend it like it mattered unless he really thinks that Spurs are superior to Celtic?
The only thing I really want to mention, and probably because I never will otherwise, is that I´m very sad to lose Steeeeeeve. It´s hard because with the kind of midfield choices we have at our disposal now, I suppose it makes sense but he was one of the hardest working, most uncomlaining footballers I´ve ever seen with a unique way about him and some fanastic skill. Couldn´t we have just cut the legs of Ghaly and sent him up to Sunderland instead?
Right, time to face the day. LB´s getting tetchy and there´s a little sight seeing to be done before we fly home. The only question is - the Picasso Museum or the Nou Camp?
Oh, and Gee, 109. Not bad, eh?
Oh my gosh! The bagel, Miss Chocolate, has left me her poop! It’s her crap! It was just in her butt and it’s still warm! This is a gift from Miss Chocolate!
El Bagel.
August 4th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Bagel bagel bagel…
If you’re going to follow them all the way back to hers you could at least go and challenge him to a dual or something - or just throw up on his shoes. At the very least shout “two’s on that mate” and leg it round the corner!
August 4th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
my man on the inside tells me that Hutton os going to be out for a few weeks and we are going to start the season with ZZZokora at right back.
August 4th, 2008 at 2:26 pm
hmm I thought there mustve been something wrong with Hutton. No good, especially given Chimbonda has gone. Atleast Zokora appears to be doing alright filling in. He seems like he has played in every position on the park so far except between the pipes.
Bentley is looking good so far as is Dos Santos. Lets hope everyone remains fit and we kick off with a big win at the Riverside.
August 4th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
With Hutton out, why isn’t Gunter getting more of a run? Zokora is not quality.
August 4th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Awsome blog beef. It`s kept me going through the summer months. I think Bent should be given the chance up front this year,i`m surprising myself saying that but the boys on fire. My missus had an indoor plant that was dying. tried it in every room of the house with no result. Then she bought it a bigger pot and the thing is florishing. Its taking over the living room. Hope thats not to much of a medaphor but Bent plays better when he`s top dog and has`nt got lazy Defoe or the irish fella (cant remember his name,its been so long lol) breathing down his neck. We must have the best midfield outside the top two. Ramos Has a plan and a big away win to start the season will go down a treat. I`m off to water the plant! Irish yid Out!
August 4th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
I think Gunter is a left back?
I still think we need to buy an experienced centre half to add some height and steel to the team.
August 4th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
I think you’re right about a lack of a strong man in midfield. Gattuso would be my choice, although I have not heard anything of that rumor in weeks. I do miss Davids. It was great having a big man who can run and isnt afraid of getting a little dirty.
As for strikers, it seems like a lot of folks are turning on Berba these days. I just wish that he’d realize the magic that is happening around him and want to be a part of it. He may be still mourning Keano’s departure as well, or at least the fact that Keano left and he did not get to.
August 4th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
I am really surprised that we have not signed any defensive players at all. Once the Dunne transfer fell through I felt we would surely turn our sights to another defender or hard man in midfield.
I am awaiting some out of the blue transfer.
August 4th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Gunter is primarily a right back, although you may have seen him on the left before-he played there for Wales, but is a natural righty.
August 4th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Bentley cant really call himself an full-on 6puds fan while there are still many rumours of pictures of him prancing about in a Mighty Arsenal kit before he joined us.
Anyway, just to help you out bagel, just look at this:
Bntly - I mean, you seem literate, can you see something wrong ?
Didn’t you learn at school that all words have either a vowel or a y, well, this one has a y, but it just doesn’t look right does it ?
Whenever you feel you have missed an ‘e’ again, just refer to this thread.
August 4th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Pekhart just scored a hat-trick thou.
August 4th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
oi oi you are a pathetic fucking loser. Anytime you feel otherwise, just refer to this thread.
August 4th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
I have worse things to say about you oi oi, so I really hope you fire back and give me the impetus.
By the way, instead of focusing on the “spuds”, why do you not tell us what you think your lineup will look like this campaign?
What fluttering young nymphets will take over for your lost losers like Flamini, Hleb and Gilberto? I wonder whom it is that you project to be the next Tinkerbell to run your show at Wenger-Wenger land this season.
It’s kind of ironic (in a moment of true honesty) that I think that the fairies in red suffer from much the same deficiencies as we do - if not worse - no holding midfielder (bye Flamini and Gilberto), and no quality defenders (goodbye Senderos and hello over-the-hill Gallas).
If anything, I think Tottenham have a much preferable defense with the brilliant young Bale, the solid Hutton, and the very formidable pair of Woodgate and King (with Dawson as cover) to fortify our back line.
Honestly, as much as I have complained about our lack of grit and steel in our own end, I think we are much better off than the scum at the airline stadium.
I think oi oi should hope that his side can hold on to the ball this season, because his team is comprised with a bunch of pussies that really rival oi oi in their lack of spinal strength and testicular fortitude.
August 4th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Keano= He has gone back to his childhood sweetheart, only problem at 16 she was FAF, but the years have passed, and frankly she has seen better days.
As for Darren Bent? Ugly duckling anyone?
In Lil’ Gio we have the new Keano, there is no way we could have accomodated Keane, Modric, Bentley and Speedy Gonzales.
There would have been no balance and a very lightweight team. Someone needs to tackle, which for the record, remains my main concern.
Also does O’Hara look like he has been on the protein shakes or is just me?
See you at the Riverside. Oh when the Spuuuuuuuurs!! Love it!!!!
COYS
August 5th, 2008 at 12:58 am
oi oi without vowels you’d be nothing.
August 5th, 2008 at 1:05 am
Ali, I hate to disagree with a fellow yid, but your comments imply that oi oi is something with the use of vowels. I respectfully disagree.
Please, though, oi oi, give me a reason to go on a more pronounced diatribe.
I would savor the chance.
Let’s go Nasri - teach Pan’s army how to fly!!!!
August 5th, 2008 at 1:08 am
Vedran Corluka linked for £6.8m. Respectable journo as well, allegedly. That would be an almighty fucking steal for the defence.
August 5th, 2008 at 7:33 am
Hahahahahahahaa - OiOi “all words have either a vowel or a ‘y’”
Can’t you have both? How about ‘Library’? That has both. A nice, quiet, word, for your nice, quiet, sterile, corporate surrounding that befits a team of Arsenal’s ‘nature’.
‘mmm’ There’s another word. This time, the word contains NO vowels or ‘y’s. It indicates apetite - Just like the huge apetite of Tottenham to progress, to grow, to build.
‘Twat’. One vowel, no ‘y’. Who gives a fuck who a player ’supports’? Keane was a liverpool fan, yet played with a passion and commitment that was legendary, for 6 years.
‘Passion’ and ‘commitment’- pass the definitions on to Adebayor…
August 5th, 2008 at 8:03 am
On a more positive note - Teamtalk are reporting the Arseshaving’s price has been dropped. I still think Berbatov is off - especially if all the Rumours about Ronaldo finally going are true.
And it will be nice to get a new central defender.
Ah, rumours - who the fuck knows what our team will be? Still, the new season draws closer, and I ,for one, am VERY excited…
August 5th, 2008 at 9:21 am
TobytheYid,
Would that be ‘appetite’ ?
August 5th, 2008 at 9:51 am
I love you x
August 5th, 2008 at 11:49 am
Does it strike anyone else that now oi oi seems only capable of commenting on spurs’ fans’ spelling / grammar belies the fact he’s got nothing else to say about our team?
Much as you talk total shit oi oi, at least it used to be mildly amusing shit. Correcting blog comment spelling is about the most anally retentive, asinine, futile activity I can imagine. Looks to me you’re out of ideas pal, you’ve got nothing left to say - i think it’s time you fucked off.
August 5th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Bagel.
Gordons Strachan’s post match reaction is more to do with the press reporting on these pre-season games and the circus that is following Celtic round this pre-season.
Last season we were in crisis after a few defeats in pre-season and this season the press are doing the same. The press are also saying we have all this money to spend- ok, around £10m not a lot for a team who is expected to compete in the CL- and we are not spending it.
Strachans gambit after the Spurs game was that if he had £40m to spend it would be easy to improve the team but with only having £10m to spend it’s difficult to improve what we already have.
I agree wie your take if we were to meet in the UEFA Cup this season maybe Spurs would beat us but i would fully expect for us to gives youse a much, much better game.
Hail Hail
KevinG
August 5th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Mitch,
You are quite wrong to suggest we haven’t replaced players - Gilberto, the great Bert himself is to be replaced with Jack Wilshire next season.
Consider this ‘fire back’ a green light to give you some ‘impetus’, you have waited long enough for your chance, you now have my permission.
I love you too Tobes x
August 5th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Just read that Rooney is to miss the start of the season. With Saha being heavily linked to other clubs, this leaves ManU with bugger-all strikers. Levy could ride the Berbatov deal out for a rather large sum.
August 5th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Now that would be sweet Wattson. I wonder if Fergie still feels that time is on their side with this deal? Arrogant cunt!
We won’t get the 38 million price tag that has been mentioned but we now seem to have a bit more going for us if this deal happens. Anything near 30 million would be good business and if we make them Mancs sweat over it all the better.
Corluka could be a nice signing. At least Luka the Mod will have someone to talk to.
August 5th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Read this, it’s quite absurd.
Soccer-Inter fined for “existential” harm to Napoli fan
ROME, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Italian champions Inter Milan have
been ordered to pay a Napoli fan 1,500 euros for “existential
damage” caused by banners calling Naples the “sewer of Italy”
displayed at San Siro last October.
Italian news agencies said on Tuesday that a Naples court
had ordered Inter to pay the fan, identified only by initials,
compensation and legal costs for insults which refer to a
refuse crisis that left garbage rotting in Naples’ streets.
“Ciao cholera sufferers!” read another of the banners seen
at the Oct. 6 game which the fan’s lawyer, Raffaele Di Monda,
said had made his client feel “indignant and deeply hurt”.
Inter, who won the game 2-1, had already been punished by
the Italian league with the closure of the sections of San Siro
where the banners had been shown for the following home match.
The club fought against the lawsuit arguing that the Naples
court did not have jurisdiction.
No doubt Oi Oi will agree with this as I remember in an earlier thread he was suggesting that anyone on this site calling Wenger a paedophile should be sued.
AFC - a team full of cunts watched by even bigger cunts!
August 5th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
I agree on Corluka. Think we all agree that a defensive signing is required, and at 6ft4″ he would bring some much needed height.
August 5th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Oi Oi,
I forgot that Jack Wilshire was now on your club. Forgive me. How could I forget such a huge name?
Well, we might as well not even play out the season because with signings like that, obviously Arsenal will have another undefeated season this year.
It is ironic that you have a lot more to say about our team than your own.
To me, it speaks to how you were probably somehow touched inappropriately, assumably in the latent stage of your psychosocial development, causing you to divert your sexual frustration in angry and antisocial ways. Is there an Uncle Oi Oi that you are trying to get back at?
I guess it is better to be a lightning rod and butt of jokes on a blog than to be a serial rapist or other kind of deviant (is this why you worship Lord Arsene of Wengershire so much-because you two might share the same kinds of desires???). Either way, it is sad and pathetic and I hope for you and you wife that you are getting some serious psychoanalysis.
Blogging here must be a way to release your subconscious latent desires to - well, you can use your imagination.
I hope it is helping you to feel better.
In that case, we are here for you and we love and support you always.
August 5th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
Hornchurch,
You grabbed the essence of my post but clearly misread it, I just dont see why people should be referred to in derogatory terms beyond the footballing skills they possess.
If you believe a player cannot control the ball - Adebayor - or are just lazy - Berbatov - then thats how they should be judged or described.
If you need to say Adabayor’s dad washes elephants, or Keane is an IRA scum, then thats a completely different accusation, for these reasons I defend ALL players charactors’ from whichever team, and base my entire opinion on skills alone.
And it is for this reason and this alone I denounce 6puds as rubbish.
Yes mitch, I was abused by a long lost uncle, I didn’t enjoy the process, but since he died, I still miss him - so does the whole community, never has there been a better priest in the village.
The chances of 6puds having another unbeaten season are nil, if only because you haven’t had one in the first place - hoist by your own petard again mitch? - try harder next time.
August 6th, 2008 at 1:12 am
Try harder to what - embarrass you and your team? You have not said much in your team’s own defense.
I do not have to try harder to do any of two things - 1. point out what a pathetic uncle-fucking loser you are or 2. point out that your team are greatly deficient and will probably suck at least as much as the team you loathe so much.
Too bad you were an abused alter boy oi oi. Perhaps you can find a more appropriate venting site. You should email Arsene and find out where he goes to meet little boys.
August 6th, 2008 at 10:10 am
In my teams defence we have 2 great full back with very competant reserves.
3 very good centre backs that look sharp against most attacks.
A midfield general who nobody doesn’t rate in Sir Cesc of the Mighty Arsenal, his pawns of attack include the ever improving whippet young Feo, and very class looking young Nasri a never fit Rocisky and alternatives of vela, diaby, RvP or the always awful Eboue.
In attack we have the likes of Manu, a rapidly improving Bendtner, RvP and the get well soon kid our own Crozilian, young Eddie Munster.
Our only weak(ish) areas are a keeper who lacks confidence, and is perhaps a little out of his depth at one of the biggest clubs in europe, and in a slogging central midfield role we have a slight Denilson who perhaps could step into Gilberto’s shoes, but doesn’t have big Bert’s position awareness, on the other hand we also have diaby who learnt to tackle at sunderland a couple of seasons ago and likes to show his new found skills. Song is another alternative in that role, but again, he doesn’t have the energy to replace flamini or the guile to replace Big B.
Surrounding this cluster of stars are a plethera of junior hopefuls including the aforementioned Duke Jack.
August 6th, 2008 at 11:49 am
I’m sorry but…Dean Ashton??? For “around” £20million???
FUCK THAT.
August 6th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
I Agree! He would only break the bench sitting on it. 20millions pounds Weight!
August 6th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Yeh that sounds like a load of rubbish to me. Its amazing where these stories come from. Maybe Levy is planting them to make ze Russians think we don’t want Arseshavings.
August 6th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Wattson, I can only hope you’re right.
It’s being reported bloody everywhere - originating, I belive, from Lahndon’s Eeevnin’ Staaandard. Though as I am currently in the middle of nowhere in France, I could be wrong.
Jesus, and there I was was getting all hot under the collar about Villa, Eto’ooo, Arseshaving etc… and now Ashton!!!!
Is anyone thinking ‘actually, he could be just the ticket’? (Aside from OiOi)
August 6th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
TobyTheYid,
Nope I dont think he fits into your team at all, however, if you had kept Andy Reid and Paul Robinson at least you could have had a cool hand luke face off with 50 eggs in a game to keep the bench amused.
August 6th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
The Arsenil boys are all thin because they lose weight running away from wenger in the showers! There`s more meat on a butchers pencil.
August 6th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Can’t see West Ham selling him with injuries to Bellamy and Zamora already gone. If they do sell him then they must be in a bit of a financial pickle.
I don’t rate him and wouldn’t want to see him at the lane. Over weight and now over priced.
I think this might just be paper talk to generate a story where this isn’t one.
August 6th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
It’s been announced today that Spurs will enter the new ‘Superleague Formula’ series:
http://www.onthegrid.ws/2008/08/06/superleague-confirm-premier-league-team
There are a number of top clubs from around the world already signed up.
What do you think of this concept? I like the idea, although I think the people who follow it will be existing motorsport fans, rather than football supporters with no prior interest in motorsport.
August 6th, 2008 at 5:17 pm
I can’t see anyone paying that kind of price for Ashton. I think if fit (which is a big if), he can be a good player, but not for that kind of money. Who do they think they are kidding with that price tag?
August 6th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Corluka has started for City tonight so that deal isn’t about to happen any time soon, if at all.
August 8th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
hear modric is injured- knee knack- anyone know how long he’ll be out for?
August 8th, 2008 at 3:08 pm
Bagel- 8 days to go - are you starting bageliga up again?
August 8th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Well, physioroom.com has confirmed Hutton’s injury. Hope the Corluka deal gets rapped up soon!!
August 8th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
bageliga is up and running, you should be automatically added to the league if you were part of it last season
August 8th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
what are the details to get into the league please?
August 9th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Jimmy Bluto, Modric is in the squad for Roma tomorrow, his knee thing was just a niggle.
August 10th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Bet you a dig in the arm Two Saints scores today. COYS!
August 10th, 2008 at 4:31 pm
5-0 im going to need concrete shoes to keep my expectations down. brilliant performance from the whole team
August 10th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Bloody hell. Does this make up for the end of last season or what?
Alvarez is a fucking mastermind. We NEVER took our foot off the gas.
August 10th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
I was there: great game and great atmosphere.
August 10th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Fuck… no Corluka has certainly put a damper on what has been a terrific day.
August 11th, 2008 at 5:37 am
Did Berbs play in this one?
August 11th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
how do i joing Bageliga guys?
August 11th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Lily White Yank.
Berba did play;and judging by that performance I couldn’t care less if he leaves.
August 12th, 2008 at 2:18 am
Write another column!
August 12th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
Looks like the berba deal is done 28m….nice money
From what i have seen in pre season he cant be arsed, still could turn it on if he wants a certain bit of skill against celtic showed that…but i think Ramos changing about the formation might work, new Defender, and Strike and well be fine.
August 12th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
copied from an email, not sure how true, but sounds authentic….
“Let me start by saying that I am neither City or Spurs, but I do know a little about what is happening with Corluka due to a ‘business’ interest.
When Spurs first made contact, it was Shinawatra’s people that agreed a fee with Spurs and told Corluka he was free to leave. They did that without Mark Hughes’ knowledge or consent.
Corluka was suprised to say the least. When Hughes took over he told Corluka he was one of the mainstays in his future plan for MCFC. Nevertheless, Corluka travelled to London to meet with Spurs’ people.
Hughes then found out about the deal, and basically vetoed it - which was something the Thai’s people had agreed he could do with any transfer activity when he took over. That’s when Corluka was summoned back to Manchester to go up to Glasgow for the Celtic friendly.
Behind the scenes a real row started between Hughes and certain elements of the board; Hughes furious that they had gone behind his back to sell Corluka to Spurs, and the board enraged that Hughes had effectively recalled him from London for the Celtic game.
Shinawatra’s people told Hughes that evening that the deal was ‘too good to turn down’, largely due to Shinawatra’s financial problems. So, immediately after the Celtic game, Corluka flew back to London to resume talks with Spurs.
When Spurs’ initial offer was accepted, Corluka had no real desire to leave City. That wasn’t anything against Spurs, more the vision for the future of MCFC he had been sold by Hughes and Cook. However, after meeting with Spurs and talking with Modric, Corluka was sold on Tottenham and agreed terms. He went through a two-day medical, which he passed without problem. He’s been holed up in a London since early Friday morning - hence why he missed the club photo.
Spurs agreed the final details for the transfer with City yesterday morning, and Corluka put pen to paper on his player registration.
Then City’s people accepted the offer from Sunderland for Stephen Ireland, and Hughes went properly mental. Twice in 48 hours he felt he was having players he wanted sold from under him. In a rage, it was Hughes who called Ireland and told him he was expected to report to the CoMS to report for the Milan game. Hughes putting him on for a couple of minutes was a big statement on his part.
Here comes the really interesting part.
Hughes last night told Cook he was through with City and wants out, the sale of Corluka and Ireland being the straw that broke the camel’s back. He said if the Corluka deal went through particularly, he would be on his way out of City too.
At that point City have tried to derail the Corluka and Ireland deals.
BUT, Spurs claim to have completed the paper work for the transfer which has already been lodged with the FA and signed by someone from City with authorisation to do so. City say they agreed a sale in principle with Spurs, but that no final transfer documents had been signed.
As such Corluka, who was expecting to be paraded at White Hart Lane this afternoon, is in limbo. However, he has now set his heart on Spurs and linking up with Modric and has told City he will not return to the CoMS under any circumstances. He has been sold on Tottenham, and become frustrated with the background stuff taking place at City.
Spurs and City are maintaining their respective positions, but Spurs have basically told City that they are willing to see the issue go to court. They believe they have signed Corluka, and Corluka wants to play for them.
What a mess.”
————————————————————————————-
from an alleged employee of MCFC -
“I’m sorry to say this, as a life long fan and - for the last few (for me at least) unforgettable months - employee, MCFC as we know it is finished. Here are the FACTS, for those who really want to know. Thaksin is, as of midlnight 10th August, 2008, an international fugitive.
He now has to be found guilty of corruption in Thailand in his absense, offering no defence. Extradition requests will surely follow. The PL will then have to find him short of the fit and proper ownership rules (and believe me, the pressure for that from fellow ‘members’ has been growing since June).
Thaksin is trying to palm off City onto whoever will now take it, an insolvent mess of a business, completely incapable of sustaining itself. The truth is that the only interested party (until recently) - Wardle - is not now able to bail City out now , he cant come close on his own and no partners have been found. The wage bioll and committments due on the last 2 years’ transfers have spiralled out of control.
The Corluka affair is the last straw - I personally worked on the deal and can assure anyone interested that he has already been transferred to Spurs. Spurs have this evening started legal action, and he will be barred from playing for City following an injunction in the courts tomorrow.
Personally I expect Hughes to then resign on principal (he has no choice now, he is on record as saying that he will have final say on all transfers). Many wont believe any of this, but a few will.
I am very close to this situation (readers will never know who I am or how close - a few would know my name but it isnt appropriate to for me to come ‘out’) - trust me, I am close enough to know what has happeneded in the last fortnight, I am pissed off with it (as a fan, and as someone who has worked hard for the club durinig the ast 18 months or so) and it must be said, a little drunk.
I am posting this message on a few sites - apologies for those that keep reading it, but I want City fans to know what is happening. The sad truth is we are finished, and that as a result, the PL will be facing its biggest challenge since inception within 2 weeks of now.
August 12th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
the great transfer sagas of this summer: Berbatov, Adebayor, Ronaldo, Lampard, Barry, what do these all have in common?
None of them actually left.
The American sports press is bad, but its not this bad. I’m going to go watch baseball now, wake me up when someone actually kicks a ball
August 12th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Will we be getting a roma match report ,bagel?
August 12th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
What was the formation that we ended up going with against Roma? It looked from the highlights like Gio was on the left and Bentley on the right with Bent up front, but did Berba start as a second striker? Was it a 4-3-3 or a 4-5-1 look?
August 13th, 2008 at 9:18 am
Well, it all looks like it’s coming to an inevitable conclusion.
£28 Million is the price, Berbatov the player, and Man Utd the club.
All of which leaves me a little confused…Are we now looking for one striker, or two???
(For what it’s worth, sad to see him leave, but good buisness Mr Levy.)
August 13th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
so now i hear we are still after arshavin , we have dropped our interest in Pavlyuchenko cos JR doesnt rate him, and now we are back in the hunt for big Freddy from Sevilla !?!
August 13th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
even playing at 50% Berbatov is still better than any striker we have or will realistically buy before the end of the window.
August 15th, 2008 at 2:19 am
Bling D. Bent is top class. I speak in all seriousness.