[Football]

[fanny splendid]

England come some distance after Hyde United:-)

Hyde United?

Shouldn't you be a Stockport fan?

;-)

[Huzzie]

Colossos.

Sorry about any hostilities mate. I was just fuming there and would have gone off one one with anyone I didn't agree with. NOwt personal like.


As Poborski says, YOu will know in future by my (more) awful (than usual) spelling.


:-)

[Huzzie]

Stockport? NO, I'm in Hyde.



Stockport? Of all things.



EDIT: Apparently the Mummy has just come back so I am going to go and get in bed, simmer a little and watch it do it's thang.

[chand]

Also, notice the way the camera stayed zoomed in on Rooney in his suit when they noticed a beer glass in his hand?

Was it a beer? I just thought it was a funny bottle of Spanish water.

If it was a beer you know the gutter press are gonna have a field day.

Yeah, I hope not, we all know how incompatible football and beer are. Except of course for the big signs hawking Mahou beer all round the ground. And the Champions League being sponsored by Amstel. And the Carling Cup.

I love when the papers get wound up about footballers drinking. Like the scandals every time a footballer is out drinking til after midnight just days before a big game.

[slim]

What a depressing game of football. A shit performance nicely topped off with some fucking neanderthalesque racist chanting. Twats.

[hoverdonkey]

The first half was very funny. England playing shit so kicking them up in the air. Much more entertaining than the usual friendly fare.

The second half was just dull punctuated by moments of disbelief that the Spanish crowd could be such wankers. I hadn't realised there was such a problem in Spain. The Madrid fans don't seem to have a problem with Roberto Carlos.

How many black players could England have realistically fielded tonight, fitness and form etc permitting? I reckon 8. That would have been interesting.

James
Johnson, Ferdinand, Campbell, Cole
Wright-Phillips, Jenas, Lampard, Bridge
Defoe, Owen

[DonkeyRhubarb]

The Madrid fans don't seem to have a problem with Roberto Carlos.

Believe me they do. Last season when Madrid were crap he was getting te same shit as SWP.

[Beagle 2]

Another day another race row, this time it's Frank McClintock who's chosen some none-too-wise words, making reference to the Agatha Christie novel "ten little n**gers" on a live phone in. Yes it was incredibly stupid, but the bloke's 74 and in the context it was used I feel it's a bit harsh to make such a big thing of it (which is obvously why I'm linking the story here...). I don't know, I'm most probably being too soft and I guess the timing's unfortunate.

[aaaaaaaaaargh!]

This is in the Sun today!

Athletico Madrid and Real Madrid are interested in buying Shaun Wright-Phillips

I really did think this was a wind up when I first heard it.  Do you think he'll want to go?

[Mediocre Rich]

As far as the game went how bad were England? Utterly devoid of anything at all. They can't pass and they don't move, you'd think they had never heard Barnsie's rap.

I think the decision to take of Rooney was abject. He pushed Casillas, which was childish, but it was hardly the assault that I have seen it described as in some reports.  This causes a flair up and disrupts the match (not actually a bad thing from England's point of view as they were playing terribly for the 15 minutes before the incident). Then he goes for a 50-50 doesn't touch the player who flies through the air and lands on his back, I think the ref gave a free kick and that was it.

Why take him of? He was England's only player that had a chance of doing anything creatively last night.  He had by no means disgraced himself, he and Cole were the only ones that appeared to give anything resembling a fuck about the hiding we were being given.

If he needed calming down where was the captain? He was busy laughing with his club mates and doing very little else (40 yard passes that an immobile Owen couldn't reach aside) again.  In fairness though if he had tried to tell Rooney to calm down he would have been laughed at. In the heat of the moment you are only going to listen to somebody that you respect. Is there anybody in this country that respects David Beckham? Especially in football terms?

I thought Bridge and Cole did OK, Neville and Reyes was amusing and at least Gary had the good grace to laugh when Reyes gave him kick after he tried to lump him out of the stadium. Rio was rubbish, showing the lack of concentration that stops him being a true great, Terry was OK, Robinson was class.

The midfield may as well have not bothered (Bridge aside). Beckham, is just not Captain material at all. Butt is great defensively but awful going forward. He cant pick a creative pass and shouldn't try. Lampard was average, I think to shine he needs decent players around him that he can play off, he didn't look like unlocking anything last night

Owen was pointless again. For Madrid he has players that will lay the ball to his feet and get decent balls into the middle that he can feed off.  He cannot run onto a long ball over the top anymore as he has not got the pace since his terrible injuries.  I know that, you know that, the Spanish defence certainly no that, why the arse holes doesn't the England team??  It comes as no surprise that he has thrived while Beckham and his long ball have been absent for Real.  He can finish when he gets the chances but he doesn't get the chances for England because our midfield is inept.  Rooney was criminally taken up just when he was becoming his most effective.

The racist abuse was absolutely disgraceful. Again the Captain and manager should have had some pretty strong words to say but didn't.

The sad thing is that everyone will talk of a disgraced Rooney (absurd) and the racist chanting(disgusting) instead of the complete and utter ineptitude of an England performance.  The fact that Spain didn't win by a much greater margin was down to there woeful strikers and Paul Robinson.

In short get Sven out, get the captaincy of the idiot and keep Gerrard in an isolation tank.

[slim]

If he needed calming down where was the captain? He was busy laughing with his club mates and doing very little else (40 yard passes that an immobile Owen couldn't reach aside) again.  In fairness though if he had tried to tell Rooney to calm down he would have been laughed at. In the heat of the moment you are only going to listen to somebody that you respect. Is there anybody in this country that respects David Beckham? Especially in football terms?

I have to defend Beckham here: I saw him trying to calm Rooney down and I saw him trying to have a word with him. Rooney shrugged him off, threw down an armband that was meant to be a mark of respect and ignored Smith as he came on. You're probably right that he was substituted unnecessarily, but Eriksson works with him and knows him better than you or I, perhaps he thought it best. The way Rooney acted indicates, once again, that he has a lot of learning to do before he becomes a well-rounded professional. As much as it pains me to say it, I think he made a wise move when he joined Man Utd, I think Fergie will give him the discipline he needs.

Interestingly, regarding the racism, my girlfriend said she would liked to have seen the game stopped after the constant chanting. I did point out to her that racism is so bad in some countries that no games would ever be played if this were to become rule of law, but she has a point. Why should the players put up with it? I'd walk out of my job (not permanently, I mean) if I were subject to racist abuse, and rightly so. There should be strong action by FIFA to combat this but I'm not sure of the best way to approach it.

In short get Sven out, get the captaincy of the idiot and keep Gerrard in an isolation tank.

We certainly did miss Gerrard, didn't we? As a 'pool fan, I'm actually quite pleased he didn't play as I would've spent the whole match worrying about some horrific double leg break tackle involving him and Alonso, just to nicely round off Liverpool's injury list. Our midfield lacked bollocks, that's for sure. No good passing, not much accurate, rather than aggressive, tackling and seemingly no confidence; how many times did we give the ball away exactly?

I thought we were lucky to escape with 1-0. As you say, Robinson did well in goal. Basically, even with the Spanish side underperforming, we looked rubbish by comparison. Okay, their league may be full of more technically gifted players, but that's not all you need to win a football match - why didn't we try and dictate the pace at a Premiership level and wear them out? There was no pressing on the ball - I saw three white shirts crowd around a single Spanish player at one point, only to all shy off as he made the pass. Rubbish.

Gah. Worse England performance for a long time, and that's saying something considering how ineffective they usually are.

[Mediocre Rich]

I have to defend Beckham here: I saw him trying to calm Rooney down and I saw him trying to have a word with him. Rooney shrugged him off.

Which backs up my point really, If Gerrard had told he would have listened.

Interestingly, regarding the racism, my girlfriend said she would liked to have seen the game stopped after the constant chanting.

I was quite suprised at how annoyed I was by it.  I certainly wouldnt have blamed SWP, Cole or any of the other abused players if they had stopped picked up the ball and asked the fficials to do something.  Again I think that the Captain and manager should have done more, maybe they did and we didn't see, but Becks was quite happy to kick up a fuss when fans gave him abuse.  Perhaps the solution would be to force Spain to play the rest of their qualifiers behind closed doors.

Rubbish.

Exactly. And we have been for some time.

[slim]

Which backs up my point really, If Gerrard had told he would have listened.

Oh don't get me wrong, I'm all for Gerrard as England captain, I was just trying to defend Beckham for at least trying. Why? I dunno, I feel a bit sorry for him... he is a bit of a twat at times, but he does try hard, which is a lot more than can be said for some England players, who seem to treat national games like a run out in the League Cup or something.

Perhaps the solution would be to force Spain to play the rest of their qualifiers behind closed doors.

That's a good idea. Removes (well, hides) the problem and punishes the Spanish equivalent of the FA with a loss in revenue, which would surely prompt them to try and tackle the problem.

[chand]

Interestingly, regarding the racism, my girlfriend said she would liked to have seen the game stopped after the constant chanting. I did point out to her that racism is so bad in some countries that no games would ever be played if this were to become rule of law, but she has a point. Why should the players put up with it? I'd walk out of my job (not permanently, I mean) if I were subject to racist abuse, and rightly so. There should be strong action by FIFA to combat this but I'm not sure of the best way to approach it.

I thought it would have been a good statement if England had walked off. It would have been different in a competitive match, but in a friendly I don't see why they should have to put up with that kind of shit.

[depressed beyond tablets]

mark my words. the sooner Lampard gets the Captaincy the better for England. he's positive, knows the game and will demand more respect than beckham gets.

beckham was elected by the public and the media. nondeserving of it. he spurts form and is considered a wimp by anyone at the TOP level.

Sven, as he is so called by all, is a bluffer. he only brought smith in as a real contender when he signed for united. he is another overpaid who has to go. rooney came off so early, you can bet, because alex ferguson has more influence over the national selection that mr. Sven.

The papers know nothing and until the public stop letting them dictate, English hopes will sink and more English players will retire early to their clubs, away from the farce of the international  setup.

i wouldnt pay to see an english friendly. the amount of changes at half time make a mockery of the punter. i might go if it was against ireland or someone they would actually play with conviction against. but that won't happen in the near future.

[Borboski]

Christ - you should see the clips from the Blackburn game... the camera shows in the background, as Yorke warms up, a group of two lads and some girls sat on the front row on their own, the two lads clearly pulling chimpy shapes and going oo-oo-oo. Yorke goes over for a word, and I'm amazed he didn't leather one, they certainly deserved, and you clearly see the lad mouth, loudly and smiling "You fucking black bastard.  You fucking blacky."

Unbelievable, really is - still at the least the lad will be caught, banned, and asked to explain himself in a magistrates court.

Anyone else see this>?

[Beagle 2]

Yeah I saw it on Newsround of all things, it beggars belief doesn't it? It's like Yorke's gone over there thinking "they won't be so big and clever when I'm stood right next to them", and they just start bawling in his face.

[depressed beyond tablets]

this rascism thing should be knocked on the head or ignored. there's no point having anti-rascism campaigns that pussyfoot about. these pricks need to know it's for real. just ban 'em. like you would in a night club or restaurant.

you must realise the attention we've given to the problem has made their taunts even more effective.

that's why a proper desicion must be made.

i realise that i'm probably not being very reasonable but i don't care at the minute.

(check my grammar!!!!)

[weekender]

The thing about the Dwight Yorke incident is that, well, I don't really care.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not condoning racism, but it's Dwight Yorke, someone I hardly feel any sympathy for.  If it was Shaun Wright-Phillips, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand etc then I'd probably be a lot more outraged.  Mind you, I do agree that the whole racism thing needs to be tackled, and if that means excluding Dwight Yorke from racist abuse, then so be it.  I hope that it doesn't mean that he still gets excluded from non-racial abuse though, the lazy arrogant self-pompous git.

I mean, Dwight is, by all accounts, black.  He's also a bit of a bastard.  Therefore you could reasonably argue that Dwight Yorke is a 'black bastard'.  Howver, some interesting semantics happens there - by using the phrase 'black bastard', it has now become racist.  I have no idea why this is.  Maybe we should change the phrase to 'bastard black' for people who are black and are cunts, but I suspect that doesn't really work either.

I can understand the Blackburn fans hating Dwight Yorke as well, but it's just not as catchy to shout:

"Dwight, your attitude in training was abysmal and your off-the-pitch activities have not been very good for a supposed role-model for younger people-ah!".

[Beagle 2]

This argument doesn't really hold any weight though, you wouldn't call somebody a "white bastard", equally when you call someone a "fat sweaty bastard" it's because being fat and sweaty is generally regarded as an undesirable thing.

Calling Dwight Yorke a "cunt", is absolutely fine, and indeed should be actively encouraged. "ah, he plays with a smile on his face". That's because he's a smug git.

[Mildly Diverting]

David Sullivan, the Birmingham chairman, has come out and said words to the effect that racist abuse isn't as bad as receiving a good kicking. Apparently 'sticks and stones may break my bones' is the way Dwight should be looking at the situation. Oh, and if that means Dwighty wants to leave, then no problem.

Personally, I think Sullivan is an arse for making such comments, even if it is to get rid of a problem player and is not exactly heartfelt. Unfortunately, I know the Little Englanders in my local will now adopt Sullivan as the voice of common sense.

[chand]

This argument doesn't really hold any weight though, you wouldn't call somebody a "white bastard", equally when you call someone a "fat sweaty bastard" it's because being fat and sweaty is generally regarded as an undesirable thing.

Exactly. I've never got the 'well he is black, I just inserted that as a descriptive word for no reason at all, it wasn't racist!' argument. I procrastinate, for example, but if someone's having a go at me because they disagree with my views on Iraq they don't call me a 'procrastinating bastard' because the fact that I procrastinate is utterly irrelevant.

[king_tubby]

Pah, Alex Ferguson just spat his chewing gum into his hand and chucked it on the floor. Isn't there a fifty quid fine for that nowadays?

[fanny splendid]

Not when it's private property, but thanks for your concern.

Ferdinand and Smith are doing fine, too!

[king_tubby]

Ferdinand and Smith are doing fine, too!

I only live there, I don't support the White Shite.

[DonkeyRhubarb]

Exclusive
Robin Cook in 40m Rooney "Gnome" Bid

It can be exclusively revealed today that disgraced former Foreign Secretary, and terrorist sympathiser Robin Cook is on the verge of making an audacious 40 million bid for Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney.

Robin Cook, also regarded as one of Britain's leading Gnome experts is set to offer Rooney a 5 year, 40 million contract to leave football and become one of the top earning Gnomes in Europe.

Rooney will be required to wear a pointed, green felt hat, hold a fishing rod over a pond and sit on a state-of-the-art toadstool for up to 12 hours a day on the front lawn of Robin Cook's 50 million pound Surrey mansion.

An Old Trafford insider said today:

"Sir Alex is furious about these allegations. He has imposed an immediate ban on all "gnoming" activities amongst the players. Rio Ferdinand had just bought himself a crooked top hat and matching coal shovel. He had planned to spend the weekend with the Neville brothers who had just acquired a new ornamental wheelbarrow, but it looks like they'll have to stick to the nightclubs and strippers from now on."

The Rooney camp is aware however, that Gnomes can be amongst the highest earners in the world. Joe Pesci, former "wiseguy" actor and now America's highest earning Gnome has no regrets. He now earns an estimated 100 million a year by sitting upon the private rockery of US defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld.

D Rhubarb.

P.S. Where's Mayer? Not posted for ages?

P.P.S. Check here for more of the above http://www.pepperstock.co.uk/theliar/arafat.html

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Therefore you could reasonably argue that Dwight Yorke is a 'black bastard'

I don't think I've ever laughed with so much guilt before. Thanks, you twot. ;)

Did anyone see Saviola's handball last night that robbed Liverpool of a point? That cheeky little shit! The referee I mean- laughing and gurning at the Liverpool players as they hounded him off the pitch at the end of the game.

And Saviola of course. Line him up with Postiga, Inzaghi, Joaquin, Taccinhardi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Fernando Torres and you've got the biggest pile of cheating, girl-faced, limp-wristed weaklings that has ever plagued football.

[rjd2]

Therefore you could reasonably argue that Dwight Yorke is a 'black bastard'

I don't think I've ever laughed with so much guilt before. Thanks, you twot. ;)

Did anyone see Saviola's handball last night that robbed Liverpool of a point? That cheeky little shit! The referee I mean- laughing and gurning at the Liverpool players as they hounded him off the pitch at the end of the game.

And Saviola of course. Line him up with Postiga, Inzaghi, Joaquin, Taccinhardi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Fernando Torres and you've got the biggest pile of cheating, girl-faced, limp-wristed weaklings that has ever plagued football.

You forget Micheal Owen.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Ok, fair enough. Add him to the list.

I was debating including Owen, but he doesn't have the right kind of hair, and doesn't permanently walk around with a facial expression that says "hit me". As for limp-wristed....he just doesn't come across as a pathetic little baby as much as those.

Is just being small, baby-faced and slippery around the box (pardon the expression) enough?

[phes]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/portsmouth/4037591.stm

Bugger.....

I for one will be very, very sorry to see Redknapp go. After over fifteen years of mostly dull first Div footy, Redknapp turned Portsmouth into a team that were, more often than not, exciting. It's not the drop I fear, but the peril of becoming another of the Premier leagues soporifics. Concerned only with survival. Most weeks I pay to see Portsmouth play at Fratton Park. The football Redknapp (and Smith) presided over was both entertaining and successfull. Thirty pounds a ticket is a lot to pay for any match, though I don't regret a penny spent.

Cheers.