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[Guileless]

The Galaxy are a mess right now with poor form and internal squabbling with the coach and GM. Their upcoming schedule is brutal because MLS has guaranteed that Beckham will play in every MLS stadium this summer. The Beckham mania could turn all that controversy up to 11.

You also have to consider that Beckham will be making like 50 times as much some of his teammates and that probably won't go over well. I honestly have no idea what will happen, but it's worth the gamble for MLS to try to become relevant in this country. The good thing is that this is absolute dead time for sports in this country, there's nothing going on besides baseball in cities with contending teams.

 

[Lakitu]

If you see Yossi Benayoun could you please kick him in the nuts for me, and call him a mercenary wanker in your best cockney accent? thx.

Ok, I'll give it my best shot, my cockney accent is actually pretty good.

 

[Shinobi]

Leandro Lima scored the first Brazil goal, with a crazy mid-air, sideways bicycle shot. Think Careca (sp) for Mexico at the '86 World Cup.

Not a good tourny for Brazil though...they really got exposed.

 

[Mama Smurf]

Liverpool have basically bought Babel for £11.5m

The Ajax website said: "The striker, who had a contract until 2010, will sign a five-year deal with the Champions League finalists."

Again, like Torres I hope he's a success, but I have my doubts. If we ignore the price for a second, and just concentrate on the player, we know Wenger wanted him too and that's usually a good sign (though not always), so maybe he'll make it.

 

[Wes]

Where are Liverpool getting all this money from?

Also why are 50% of the transfers "undisclosed fees"? How dull.

 

[Cornballer]

On tap for today at the U20s....

Chile - Portugal
Zambia - Nigeria
Argentina - Poland
Mexico - Congo

In the quarters this weekend, it'll be Austria - US and Czech Republic against Spain. The winners play each other in the semis.

 

[Mama Smurf]

Where are Liverpool getting all this money from?

Also why are 50% of the transfers "undisclosed fees"? How dull.

Well:

Bought

Lucas - £8m
Torres - £20m
Benayoun - £4.5m
Babel - £11.5m

= £44m

Sold

Bellamy - £7.5m
Cisse - £6m
Garcia - £7m
Pongolle - £2.5m

= £23m

So far the net spend is roughly £21m. Not much really, given new owners willing to invest and all that new TV money. Don't worry about the Garcia and Torres prices, they might be wrong but it adds up to the same amount. If Torres cost more, Garcia cost less.

They also have Le Tallec, Kewell and Gonzalez to sell if they want to (and I'd guess they do once Babel is signed), which should raise...oh I dunno...at least £9m, so we're down to £14m. That's kind of cancelled out by all the youth transfers, so let's stick with £21m.

I do think Benitez still has one more signing to go though. In terms of numbers at least, every position is covered now aside from centre back. We've seen him linked to Heinze, Distin and Milito this summer too, so I think a signing is quite likely.

GK

Reina
Carson
Mihaylov

LB

Riise
Aurelio

RB

Finnan
Arbeloa

CB

Carragher
Agger
Hyypia
??????

LW

Babel
Leto

RW

Benayoun
Pennant

CM

Gerrard
Mascherano
Alonso
Sissoko
Leto

FW

Torres
Kuyt
Crouch
Voronin

 

[Cornballer]

The last US friendly of the year will be in South Africa on Nov 17th. That's a looooooong trip for a friendly.

 

[Falch]

Liverpool summary

You know, I don't see Liverpool challenging Chelsea and Man United for title with this team. They got some great players, but Man United (especially Tevez) and Chelsea (Sidwell, Alex) have also strengthened their squad.

Arsenal really needs to do something to even come close to Chelsea and Man United. I really see them becoming the victim of Platini's rules of only having three (instead of four) CL places for Engeland within a few season. They've signed Eduardo, who I think will be brilliant for them, but they've lost Henry.

 

[Mama Smurf]

Yeah, but if they can keep Van Persie and da Silva fit for the majority of the year, they'll solve last year's main problem, finishing.

I still think they'll finish third the way things stand, but there's a lot of the transfer window left to go.

 

[Cornballer]

trustwenger.jpg

 

[Falch]

Yeah, but if they can keep Van Persie and da Silva fit for the majority of the year, they'll solve last year's main problem, finishing.

I still think they'll finish third the way things stand, but there's a lot of the transfer window left to go.

Yeah you got a good point there.

When does the English competition start? Dutch one starts with the Johan Cruijff schaal (cup winner vs league title winner, i.e. Ajax vs PSV) on 11 august, with the league starting a week later.

 

[Zoolaga]

The Community shield on August 5th (United - Chelsea) then the Premiership kicks off the weekend after.

 

[Falch]

The Community shield on August 5th (United - Chelsea) then the Premiership kicks off the weekend after.

Nice, a whole week earlier. Kinda weird to see the transfermarket still open after the league is already several rounds underway.

 

[hadareud]

trustwenger.jpg

we're gonna win the league

 

[Guileless]

Where are Liverpool getting all this money from?

Playing in the CL final two years in a row and winning once doesn't hurt.

 

[h0pper]

nice, hopefully Sagna will help out in the back.

 

[Ronok]

Playing in the CL final two years in a row and winning once doesn't hurt.

So what, Arsenal never got to the final then? lol

 

[BatiGOOOOOOL]

Dudek signed as Casillas backup.

 

[hadareud]

Dudek signed as Casillas backup.

odd signing

 

[BatiGOOOOOOL]

Yeah. Apparently Schuster wanted a 2nd keeper with veteran leadership and experience in European competitions. It was between Dudek and Toldo. Guess who I'd rather have?

 

[Karakand]

yeah, bring it on. just remember what happened the last time when the US played Austria at a world cup

We're going to erase Austria like an Anschluss.

 

[Blablurn]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qOjqyzWpRc

Messiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

 

[Batongen]

So how was the referee, Martin Hansson, for the Brazil-Spain match? I actually know this guy, as he's from the same village as me, and he always seems to make some crucial mistake when refereeing a match

 

[hadareud]

We're going to erase Austria like an Anschluss.

:lol
nicely put

as soon as somebody has an Austrian in charge (be it just for a state) they can't wait for that it seems

 

[Zoolaga]

Reading play River Plate tomorrow in a friendly. I don't really know what to expect to be honest. Should be an interesting matchup at the least.

 

[hadareud]

they are in Korea though, aren't they

for a second I thought they were playing at home, I would have considered going as I live around 5 miles from the stadium

 

[Zoolaga]

Yeah, its a friendly tournament. Bolton are there as well. Myp2p should have a stream of the game though.

 

[lachesis]

So, Saviola is finally a Real Madrid player! Welcome, Rabbit!

With Ruud, Saviola, and Soldado for the target position and Raul, Higuain for the shadow, plus Robinho on free-role... I'm quite exicted to see what will happen next season. Also, the first game being "Madrid Derby", which they'll face Torres-less AT (but they've got Diego Forlan now)... it'll be some exciting game!

 

[Guileless]

So what, Arsenal never got to the final then? lol

Forgot about that Arsenal interlude in '06. I can't remember what happened in that final at all. But I did read an article yesterday about how much revenue Liverpool has gotten out of the Champion's League recently, it is a substantial percentage of their overall revenue.

 

[Karakand]

as soon as somebody has an Austrian in charge (be it just for a state) they can't wait for that it seems

:lol "Großkalifornien" sounds like a good reelection platform for Arnie.

 

[Cornballer]

Seitz and Altidore are questionable for the US on Saturday. Seitz got hurt in a collision during the Brazil game, and Altidore bruised his calf during the Uruguay game.


While we're talking transfer money - here's just about all of the transfers TO Arsenal since 2000.
===============
2000 - Pires - £6 million
2000 - Wiltord - £13 million
2000 - Lauren - £7.2 million

2001 - Sol Campbell - Free

2002 - Toure - £150,000
2002 - Gilberto - £2.2 million
2002 - Senderos - £2.5 million

2003 - Clichy - £250,000
2003 - Fabregas - £2.2 million
2003 - Lehmann, £1.5 million
2003 - Djourou - free (academy)
2003 - Hoyte - free (academy)

2004 - Reyes - £11 million
2004 - van Persie - £3 million
2004 - Flamini - not sure how much

2005 - Hleb - £10 million
2005 - Eboue - £1.5 million
2005 - Traore - ????
2005 - Song - £1 million

2006 - Diaby - £2 million
2006 - Rosicky - £7 million
2006 - Denilson - £3.4 million
2006 - Adebayor - ??? £3 million?
2006 - Theo Walcott - £5 million, could rise to around £12.5
2006 - Gallas - (-£5 million)
2006 - Baptista - Swap deal.

2007 - Fabianski - £2 million
2007 - Nordveit - £2 million
2007 - Eduardo - ??? £8 million?
2007 - Sagna - £7 million

 

[hadareud]

around 100 million, interesting.

I bet we made more than that by selling players - plenty of titles along the way by the way.

Other clubs seem to spend the same amount over 2 seasons without ever challenging for the league.

"Großkalifornien"

:lol

 

[Decado]

You know, I don't see Liverpool challenging Chelsea and Man United for title with this team. They got some great players, but Man United (especially Tevez) and Chelsea (Sidwell, Alex) have also strengthened their squad.

Arsenal really needs to do something to even come close to Chelsea and Man United. I really see them becoming the victim of Platini's rules of only having three (instead of four) CL places for Engeland within a few season. They've signed Eduardo, who I think will be brilliant for them, but they've lost Henry.

I dunno, if Torres makes the kind of impact he seems capable of and Gerrard has a strong, injury free season, they may make strides.

Besides, is Tevez really that big of an impact player? I saw him at some tournament or another and he looked good, but it doesn't appear he lifted his club squad a whole lot. Besides, where would he fit? I notice ManU didn't get a target man (still think they're weak up front) or another high quality left footed winger/SMF to take the load off Giggs.

 

[h0pper]

I don't know if anyone else saw this, but it appears that Fabregas has officially turned down Real Madrid in their second attempt to grab him from Arsenal.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=445225&cc=5901

 

[h0pper]

Now I'm interested to see what will happen with the Reyes fiasco. Swap him for Robinho along with some cash to Real? Anyone think that is possible?

 

[BatiGOOOOOOL]

From where do Arsenal fans get the idea that Real wants to get rid of Robinho? And especially by giving it to a team that mocks any move they try to make for a gunner player.

 

[Ghost]

Hey look, even West Hams new winger has a better YouTube video than Da Silva http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAcMg1ZkIX0&eurl=

 

[Falch]

I dunno, if Torres makes the kind of impact he seems capable of and Gerrard has a strong, injury free season, they may make strides.

Besides, is Tevez really that big of an impact player? I saw him at some tournament or another and he looked good, but it doesn't appear he lifted his club squad a whole lot. Besides, where would he fit? I notice ManU didn't get a target man (still think they're weak up front) or another high quality left footed winger/SMF to take the load off Giggs.

Personally I'd rate Tevez much higher than Torres. Besides, Tevez has already proven himself in the EPL, something Torres will have to do first.

Dunno how you call Man United weak up front: Rooney, Tevez, C Ronaldo, Giggs, Saha, Park. Better than Liverpool's strikeforce I'd reckon. Besides, Man United did just fine last year without a target man.

H0pper: no way Robinho's going to leave Real, they'd never let him even if he wanted (don't think he would actually). Have you seen him at the Copa? He's absolutely dominating. I'd rate him higher than C Ronaldo at the moment (more talented). His first touch is unbelievable. If he can keep his form into next year, he'll be a sight to behold.

 

[Falch]

Hey look, even West Hams new winger has a better YouTube video than Da Silva http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAcMg1ZkIX0&eurl=

You know, I think that's a great transfer for WHU. He played against PSV in the CL last year, and I was pretty impressed by him. How much did you pay for him?

 

[Zoolaga]

lololololololololol

 

[h0pper]

From where do Arsenal fans get the idea that Real wants to get rid of Robinho? And especially by giving it to a team that mocks any move they try to make for a gunner player.

umm, when did we mock you for going after Fabregas? I expressed my concern that I didn't want him to leave, and I also said that I didn't think he would go there because he was a Barca supporter as a kid but we never mocked you. I had heard rumors about Robinho being included in a swap deal for Cesc, so I was seeing if anyone else had heard those as well. Don't get so defensive.

After losing Henry and then Real coming in and saying 'We want Cesc' I think Arsenal fans have every right in the world to be concerned.

Hey look, even West Hams new winger has a better YouTube video than Da Silva http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAcMg1ZkIX0&eurl=

Ghost, you barely escaped relegation, and now your boy who dragged the rest of your team with him is going to Man U. Ghost am cry.

H0pper: no way Robinho's going to leave Real, they'd never let him even if he wanted (don't think he would actually). Have you seen him at the Copa? He's absolutely dominating. I'd rate him higher than C Ronaldo at the moment (more talented). His first touch is unbelievable. If he can keep his form into next year, he'll be a sight to behold.

I have seen him at the Copa and he is doing very well. That's why I asked about him..

I wouldn't go as far to say he's better than Cristiano though.

 

[velvet_nitemare]

Cesc leaving at this point would be a bigger concern to me than Henry honestly...he's that important.Henry was injured half of last season anyway.O well...with Henry gone,it's time for the annual Real/Barca want fabregas i guess.

 

[Shinobi]

From where do Arsenal fans get the idea that Real wants to get rid of Robinho? And especially by giving it to a team that mocks any move they try to make for a gunner player.

Pretty easy to mock a team who's gone after a lifelong Barca fan 13 times in the last 12 months and have yet to take the ****ing hint. That's not even getting into Real going after Wenger a record 697 times over the last four years, only to then claim that they "turned him down" last week for some no-name who managed Giraffe, or whatever the **** their name is. Yep...it's REAL easy to mock Madrid and their idiot ways.

Shit, I mock them in my sleep.

 

[Shinobi]

lololololololololol

:lol I saw this on TV earlier...even Landon Donavon's miss wasn't this embarassing. Guess he can always blame it on being an early preseason game.

 

[Mama Smurf]

Brazilian authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Kia Joorabchian, for money-laundering and being part of a criminal gang.

Next time on Day of our Lies: Tevez reveals startling news about his gender, but will Kia's long lost evil twin brother's arrival overshadow events? Find out, TOMORROW.

 

[h0pper]

Pretty easy to mock a team who's gone after a lifelong Barca fan 13 times in the last 12 months and have yet to take the ****ing hint. That's not even getting into Real going after Wenger a record 697 times over the last four years, only to then claim that they "turned him down" last week for some no-name who managed Giraffe, or whatever the **** their name is. Yep...it's REAL easy to mock Madrid and their idiot ways.

Shit, I mock them in my sleep.

Well, I didn't want to have to go there but Shinobi did it for me lol.

 

[velvet_nitemare]

Brazilian authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Kia Joorabchian, for money-laundering and being part of a criminal gang.

Next time on Day of our Lies: Tevez reveals startling news about his gender, but will Kia's long lost evil twin brother's arrival overshadow events? Find out, TOMORROW.

Brilliant:lol

 

[Karakand]

Yep...it's REAL easy to mock Madrid and their idiot ways.

Such an easy pun but it still amused me.

 

[velvet_nitemare]

I probably missed the latest discussion on the Tevez fiasco, but i gotta say i find the whole thing hilarious....Jorabachian pimped west ham from the back of his Cadillac,then proceeded to take them into a back alley and molest them with his big toe.