dribbling outside the box

[Touchstone]

Well done, boys! You must be happy with United getting an 18th title. On a par with the Shite now. Hopefully you'll be playing Everton in the Charity Shield in August. I reckon Ferguson will want to beat Liverpool's record and equal their number of European Cups. Be nice to see Ronaldo have a career ending [maybe even life ending] injury though. Has a more unpleasant indiperson ever took to the football field? Well, maybe, if you count Cashley Cole as a person.

[Touchstone]

By the way, maybe this thread should be retitled again - "2 Jocks and 2 Sassenachs talk balls"

[indoctrin8]

like it?

[indoctrin8]

gotta love benitez.

well done on winnin the league,
but yer managers still a fuckin tool.

now, thats handling defeat gracefully...

[HagiwaraMai]

Much better thread title, though we mustn't forget to shoot and score after our little dribble...

Anyway, yeah it was good to win of course, though a bit anticlimactic. The game at Wigan was really where it was won. The Arsenal game would have been very different and a lot more entertaining if Man U had needed a win. Will be interesting to see who Fergie plays in Sunday what with the relegation battle. Speaking of which I might have spoken too soon with my earlier comment about Shearer. They were unlucky against Fulham, but getting anything from Villa away will be a very tough task, although Villa haven't been playing that well either recently, and Man United's reserves could probabaly win the league themselves so it'll be tight.

[InTheColdLightOfDay]

People will no doubt complain about the fielding of a "weakened" team, but, whether they like it or not, facing Barcelona in the Champions League Final 3 days later is going to take priority over what's happening at the other end of the table.
What Benitez said (or didn't say) doesn't really bother me all that much. He congratulated the club, so he wasn't a complete dick about it.
Though apparently the Real Madrid players were full of praise for the Barcelona team when they clinched the league, and if Real Madrid are showing more class than you, then you know you're in trouble.

As for the SPL, who's going to win the race to throw it away...?

[indoctrin8]

THEY won the league.

ginge has quit 8 weeks
before sellick start the
CL qualifiers.

shunsuke looks like hes
back off to yokohama(fair enough)

FUCK is what im thinking.

FUCK.

[InTheColdLightOfDay]

Doh!
Ah well, no complaints. The better team won.
There was only 1 winner in Messi vs. Ronaldo. And that was Iniesta and Xavi. I dread to think what might have happened if Iniesta had been fully fit...

[Touchstone]

Christ, those Barca boys can pass a ball about! It was like men against boys. It was still a pretty good season for the Mancs though. Champions of England. League Cup winners. World Club Champions. The latter though is pretty much a waste of time.
Hopefully Everton can beat the evil scum that is Chelsea tomorrow. Come on you wonderful blue boys. Tony Hibbert last minute winner would be fucking fantastic. And Frank [I'm a Tory Twat] Lampard breaking his ankle in vain attempt to block the goal-bound thunderbolt - the icing on the cake!
And finally, good luck to Falkirk against the Huns. I hope Indoctrinate is too pissed of with that. I know he's a huge Rangers fan!

[indoctrin8]

FUCK. OFF.


mon the bairns!

[Touchstone]

Sorry mate! That was a pretty nasty joke to make to a Celtic fan. C'mon the Bairns indeed!!

[InTheColdLightOfDay]

Not the greatest week for any of us on this thread.
I'm proposing that we just act like the last week or so never happened and never speak of it again.

[HagiwaraMai]

Not the greatest week for any of us on this thread.
I'm proposing that we just act like the last week or so never happened and never speak of it again.

Well said. The last week is henceforth scrubbed from the annals of history. Anyway what about Ancelotti becoming the new Chelsea manager. It seems a bit strange to me after the trials and tribulations of Scolari previously, especially when communication, and the respect for the manager that stems from that, seem to be so vital to this Chelsea team. I wouldn't say his record with Milan over the years was that impressive either when he's had Kaka, Pirlo, Inzaghi, Seedorf, Shevchenko, Rui Costa, Gattuso, Maldini, Cafu, Stam etc etc to call on. 2 European Cups, fair enough, especially as it should have been 3, but 1 League Championship in 8 years is quite underwhelming. We'll see. But here's to a collossal BALLS-UP anyway

[InTheColdLightOfDay]

Someone asked Jorge Valdano, Real's director general, about the alleged pre-contract agreement they have for Ronaldo. He didn't confirm it. He didn't deny it. He just told them he didn't know about it. That's all.
And THAT is currently the lead story on soccernet. The biggest story in world football at the moment.
Their headline is Valdano: "I don't know"
It's going to be another loooooong summer...
Edit: That story has now been replaced as the lead story. The biggest news now is... a different article about Ronaldo going to Madrid. Seriously.


And yeah, here's hoping Ancelotti's just as successful as Scolari.
Actually, I should change that to "given just as much time as Scolari". He didn't actually do that badly.
And he seemed to have rubbed Drogba up the wrong way, which gets bonus points.

[InTheColdLightOfDay]

The one surefire way to avoid another will he/won't he summer of transfer rumours about Ronaldo and Madrid?
Sell him right at the start.
80million is an obscene amount of money, but he'll make them that many times over in merchandise sales and whatever.
The fact that they're throwing that kind of money around in the middle of a global recession says it all about Real Madrid. Or maybe that's just because I hate them.

So my question to yous (in an attempt to get us back above the Hockey thread in terms of replies) is "What are your expected/desired ins and outs this summer?"
Ronaldo's gone, Tevez pretty much sure to follow. Campbell possibly on the way to Hull for 6 million, which I think is a good bit of business.
Expect to see a couple of the other younger players leave as well.
All sorts of rumours as to who's coming in, fuelled by Ronaldo-cash.
Ribery would be good, but I'd actually be kind of disappointed if we stumped up the kind of cash they're talking (65mill) for just one player.
Valencia from Wigan seems almost done. Seems like a lot of money, but Fergie's rarely wrong.
Latest story is Villa from Valencia, but if/when he goes, I imagine it's far more likely he'll end up at the Bernabau.
One player I'd like us to get, who hasn't been mentioned all that much, is Aguerro from Athletico Madrid.

Got a wish list for Moyes and (probably) Mowbray?

[behan]

So my question to yous (in an attempt to get us back above the Hockey thread in terms of replies) is "What are your expected/desired ins and outs this summer?"
Ronaldo's gone, Tevez pretty much sure to follow. Campbell possibly on the way to Hull for 6 million, which I think is a good bit of business.
Expect to see a couple of the other younger players leave as well.
All sorts of rumours as to who's coming in, fuelled by Ronaldo-cash.
Ribery would be good, but I'd actually be kind of disappointed if we stumped up the kind of cash they're talking (65mill) for just one player.
Valencia from Wigan seems almost done. Seems like a lot of money, but Fergie's rarely wrong.
Latest story is Villa from Valencia, but if/when he goes, I imagine it's far more likely he'll end up at the Bernabau.
One player I'd like us to get, who hasn't been mentioned all that much, is Aguerro from Athletico Madrid.

Got a wish list for Moyes and (probably) Mowbray?

Do you think Man U will look for a lot of new talent? Giggs is a great player, but maybe they'll look for someone younger.

I don't know why they would want to get rid of Tevez. He works really hard, he's fast, he's popular with the fans (I think anyway).

[indoctrin8]

Got a wish list for Moyes and (probably) Mowbray?

need a striker to partner mcdonald, and were crying out for a good
left back.

hopefully, THIS time sellik can poach fletcher away from hibs,
and maybe mowbray stuck a left back from albion into his rucksack
as he was clearing out his desk....

[behan]

An article on Yahoo News said that Tevez has turned down a five year contract offer from Man U and will be leaving. Maybe he wants to go somewhere he's more guaranteed to play.

[behan]

Japan’s Nakazawa stung by loss to ‘pizza eaters’
TOKYO, June 20 (Reuters) - Japan captain Yuji Nakazawa has admitted that defeat to “pizza-eating” Australia in their final World Cup qualifier stung badly.

The Yokohama defender missed Wednesday’s 2-1 loss in Melbourne with a migraine but did not pull his punches after analysing a tape of the game upon returning to Japan.

“We were beaten by pizza eaters,” Nakazawa told Japan’s Fuji newspaper. “They were on a different level to us.”

(Reporting by Alastair Himmer; Editing by Peter Rutherford; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com

I think lack of pizza is what caused Nakazawa's headache.

[MacGyver]

WTF does "pizza eater" mean???

[Wage Slave]

WTF does "pizza eater" mean???

I dunno. Was he referring to the fact a lot of the Australian team are descended from Italian immigrants? If the Australian captain had said we beat the rice eating Japan he would have rightly been in trouble.

[MacGyver]

WTF does "pizza eater" mean???

I dunno. Was he referring to the fact a lot of the Australian team are descended from Italian immigrants? If the Australian captain had said we beat the rice eating Japan he would have rightly been in trouble.

Had to do some digging to figure this out. The English sources are all Reuters and therefore exactly the same, with none providing the reason. So did some digging in Japanese and found out the answer straight away. Apparently the Aussie bench was eating pizza!

Sports@Nifty

隣り合わせとなった豪州のベンチ外組の選手は、何とピザを食べながら観戦していたという。中沢は「ピザを食っているやつらに負けた」と笑ったが…。

[Wage Slave]

Nice work Mac. A clever bit of gamesmanship then?

[MacGyver]

Nice work Mac. A clever bit of gamesmanship then?

Seems that way. And it seems to have had the desired result as well!

[InTheColdLightOfDay]

Do you think Man U will look for a lot of new talent? Giggs is a great player, but maybe they'll look for someone younger.

I don't know why they would want to get rid of Tevez. He works really hard, he's fast, he's popular with the fans (I think anyway).

Definitely going to have to make a couple of signings. The loss of Ronaldo AND Tevez is going to leave a pretty big hole.
The big question is... who? There aren't that many players out there who could do the job and who we could get without spending crazy money.

And were the Aussies seriously eating pizza on the bench during the Japan game?
Quality hi-jinks.

[MacGyver]

And were the Aussies seriously eating pizza on the bench during the Japan game?
Quality hi-jinks.

Only confirmation of that comes from Nakazawa. I did a bit of googling to confirm if they were indeed eating pizza on the bench but couldn't find anything except his comments.

[InTheColdLightOfDay]

A story to re-affirm your faith in the beautiful game.
From Halesowen Town (of the British Gas Business Football League) to Sevilla (third in last season's Primera Liga, behind only Barcelona and Real "One-of-the-main-reasons-my-faith-in-the-beautiful-game-needs-to-be-reaffirmed-in-the-first-place" Madrid).
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528, ... 54,00.html

[InTheColdLightOfDay]

Just a quick post at half time of the "Community" Shield.
It may well just be for the opening weekend, but it's looking like J Skysports is actually stepping up it's Premier League coverage from the already obscene amount they were showing last year.
Basically, EVERY game is on live next weekend. All 10 of them. Even Stoke vs. Burnley. Seriously, how many people in Japan are going to watch Stoke play Burnley?
Admittedly, 2 of the games are on their PPV channels, but that seems to be because otherwise they don't have enough channels.
Madness. Absolute madness. But of the best possible kind. I think.

[indoctrin8]

i fear the arse will tear us a new one
home and away. but, ever the optimist.

MON THE TIC!

[InTheColdLightOfDay]

Saturday's result against Everton can't have done much to help your confidence.
Best of luck, anyway.