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[Mama Smurf]

I don't think so, but there's a play off between Portugal and Italy for the 4th Olympics place.

Guess that answered that question...

 

[Cornballer]

Thx.

One list snippet of stats...

Penalty Kick Goal Statistics

World Cup, European Nations' Cup and Copa América.
List positions according to highest % of scored penalties. Then
by lowest % of scored penalties against.

                        For                      Against
                   Scored/Taken      %        Scored/Taken       %

United States           4/4        100 %           1/3          33 % 
Korea Rep.              5/5        100 %           3/4          75 %
Belgium                 5/5        100 %           4/5          80 %
Honduras                5/5        100 %           4/5          80 %
Czech Rep.              6/6        100 %           5/6          83 %
Czechoslovakia         14/14       100 %          11/13         85 %
Colombia               15/16        94 %          13/15         87 % 
Germany                26/28        93 %          21/30         70 % 
Denmark                 9/10        90 %           9/10         90 %
Uruguay                25/28        89 %          24/27         89 % 
Brazil                 31/37        84 %          26/37         70 %
France                 25/31        81 %          26/32         81 % 
Paraguay                7/9         78 %          10/10        100 % 
Argentina              29/38        76 %          30/40         75 % 
Ukraine                 3/4         75 %           0/3           0 %
Bulgaria                3/4         75 %           1/4          25 %
Portugal                9/12        75 %           6/11         55 %
Sweden                  9/12        75 %           9/12         75 %
Chile                   3/4         75 %           5/5         100 %
Spain                  17/23        74 %          20/24         83 %
Italy                  24/33        73 %          24/30         80 %
Romania                 8/11        73 %          10/11         91 %
Rep. Ireland            7/10        70 %           7/10         70 %
England                21/31        68 %          25/31         81 %  
Netherlands            16/24        67 %          21/24         88 %
Mexico                 11/20        55 %          16/22         73 % 
Ecuador                 3/6         50 %           4/6          67 % 
Peru                    2/4         50 %           4/4         100 % 
Yugoslavia              2/5         40 %           3/5          60 %
Switzerland             0/3          0 %           3/4          75 %

 

[Mama Smurf]

I just realised that it's a bit confusing, when I said "Guess that answered that question..." I meant the question of whether we could have a British team at Beijing.

And ****ing hell Germany can take penalties. I remember when Lampard had missed a few penalties so Ballack took one instead and he just SLAMMED it into the top corner, best penalty I've ever seen, and were all like "....ooooooh"

 

[Cornballer]

And ****ing hell Germany can take penalties. I remember when Lampard had missed a few penalties so Ballack took one instead and he just SLAMMED it into the top corner, best penalty I've ever seen, and were all like "....ooooooh"

Yeah, of the teams with a large sample size, that's pretty f**king impressive. :lol at Mexico's 11/20, btw.

 

[Mama Smurf]

Ah, poor Noble. I shouldn't be surprised, I think he cried when West Ham lost to Spurs or someone earlier in the season, but it's just because he cares so much. Such a hardworker too, one of my favourite players in the Premiership outside of Blackburn.

 

[Steroyd]

And ****ing hell Germany can take penalties. I remember when Lampard had missed a few penalties so Ballack took one instead and he just SLAMMED it into the top corner, best penalty I've ever seen, and were all like "....ooooooh"

And remember in the World Cup where the only player in an England shirt to score against Portugal in the pen shootout was Hargreaves.

Who was practically German.

 

[Fowler]

And ****ing hell Germany can take penalties. I remember when Lampard had missed a few penalties so Ballack took one instead and he just SLAMMED it into the top corner, best penalty I've ever seen, and were all like "....ooooooh"

The Germans have taken 18 penalties at the World Cup.

They have only ever missed one penalty.

That was in 1982.

Bet he feels like a right loser.

 

[Mama Smurf]

He was probably English with German citizenship and lived in Holland eating Mexican food.

 

[Mama Smurf]

While nothing's happening, someone please finish this for me:

The clues you can't see (in case you want to go through it) are:

ACROSS

16 Wading bird (5)
18 Italian river (5)
21 Circles (5)
22 European capital (5)
24 Number (3)
25 Fowl offal (7)
28 Unite (4)
30 Compass point (4)
31 First man (4)
32 Lengthy (4)
33 Break (4)

DOWN

10 Later (5)
12 Anon (4)
15 Gold bars (6)
17 Firearm (5)
19 Shore (4)
20 Stiff (5)
23 Indian instrument (5)
24 Narrate (4)
26 Deserve (4)
27 Desist (4)
29 Go on at (3)

I figure "chair" is either seat or sofa, but neither A_ER nor F_ER works for shrub. I'm thinking it's maybe not slap, but the a and p fit too well not to be right, so I need another word for "hit" that ends in ap and can give me another word for chair. Get going with it.

 

[Hooker]

1-Down could be clap as well... right?



Could give you another angle to this thing

 

[Mama Smurf]

I think clap could be used for hit, as in clapping someone around the head, but then I can't think of a 4 letter word meaning chair beginning with a c. Couch is the closest and that's 5.

Maybe it's a specific type of shrub. Any botanists out there?

 

[Hooker]

There's no Wikipedia hits for a 4letter shrub ending with -er

 

[Mama Smurf]

I just noticed I'd written ling instead of long for lengthy, so don't bother mentioning it if anyone notices. Doesn't make a difference to any other words unfortunately.

I'm beginning to think they've just screwed up. I've even used a crossword solver on a few combinations and it's coming up with nothing.

 

[h0pper]

'Rijkaard will be at Barca next season' - Laporta

Barcelona president Joan Laporta insists Frank Rijkaard's job is safe.


Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was linked with a move to the Nou Camp this week, but Laporta today stated 'Rijkaard will be the coach next season' despite Barca relinquishing the league title to Real Madrid at the weekend.
Laporta told club's website: 'We are all responsible to differing degrees of blame and responsibility. We share the profound disappointment of members and fans, especially because of the way we missed out on the league and the cup.'
He added: 'Rijkaard will be the coach next season and he is fully motivated to do so. He will be quite aware of the measures to be taken and knows what errors have been committed.'
Laporta also insisted Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o, who has been linked with Liverpool and AC Milan, will not be sold.

Hmm, well that's interesting. So, if Henry goes, we are not going to get Eto'o. I don't think it should even be considered that he be released from his contract then. I could care less about 30 million pounds. I'd rather keep our captain.

Arsenal 2008 = Barca 2009. Pleae God, no.

 

[Mama Smurf]

Maybe Arsenal can get that Giovanni dos Santos dude in part exchange for Henry, if he goes. If they're keeping Ronaldinho, Messi, Eto'o and bringing in Henry, it's hard to see how he's going to get a game anytime soon.

Give them Henry, take dos Santos, Thuram and some cash, buy Trezeguet to partner Van Persie and all of a sudden the Henry sale doesn't seem so bad:

-------------------Lehman----------------

Gallas-------Thuram----Toure----Clichy

d. Santos---Fabregas---Silva---Rosicky

------------Trezeguet---Van Persie------

Oh, and I'm not normally this pedantic (half the time I'll look at a recent post of my own and realise I've missed out words entirely), but "I could care less" is a pet peeve of mine. It's "I couldn't care less".

 

[Yazan]

Hahahhahahahahahahaha@Real Madrid (from acmilan.com)

PHOTO AND PHOTOMONTAGE
6/20/2007 7:32:00 PM

A.C. Milan have addressed the publication of a photo of Kakà in 'As' newspaper on the day after Real Madrid won the league in Spain and it is evidently a photomontage

A.C. Milan have been preparing a reply to the photo published in Spanish newspaper 'As' of Ricky Kakà with the cover of the paper after Real Madrid won the league.

Milan have decided to answer 'As' with a letter which we have published in part:

'We have found on your online edition of your newspaper a reproduction of a photograph that shows our player Kakà in your paper, presumably in an edition that is not June 18, 2007.

The image is however fruit of an obvious photomontage because the photograph was taken at the Milanello Sports Centre in the middle of April 2007. Consequently, Kakà could not exhibit a newspaper that would have been published only two months later.

The photomontage is not innocent: it re-enters, in fact, in the greater context of the repeated harassments of which Real Madrid have been involved in for over a year to damage A.C. Milan in relation to the player Kakà.

The alteration of a photograph of Kakà, which otherwise is a completely neutral one, seems to re-enter in this manoeuvre, directed to create in the readers the erroneous conviction that Kakà expects nothing other that to move to Real Madrid. And this does not answer to the truth, as not only the player but A.C. Milan have repeatedly declared in the publication.

 

[Mama Smurf]

Madrid certainly have been going after him for ages, but in this case I don't see how they can be blamed, unless they have some sort of control over the paper.

 

[h0pper]

Maybe Arsenal can get that Giovanni dos Santos dude in part exchange for Henry, if he goes. If they're keeping Ronaldinho, Messi, Eto'o and bringing in Henry, it's hard to see how he's going to get a game anytime soon.

Give them Henry, take dos Santos, Thuram and some cash, buy Trezeguet to partner Van Persie and all of a sudden the Henry sale doesn't seem so bad:

-------------------Lehman----------------

Gallas-------Thuram----Toure----Clichy

d. Santos---Fabregas---Silva---Rosicky

------------Trezeguet---Van Persie------

Oh, and I'm not normally this pedantic (half the time I'll look at a recent post of my own and realise I've missed out words entirely), but "I could care less" is a pet peeve of mine. It's "I couldn't care less".

wow I just noticed that "I could care less" would make no sense in the context of what I wrote lol, thanks.

That lineup does look pretty nice, but I'm an Henry fanboy and would hate to see him go. But that still does look like a powerful team, just no Henry ;(

 

[Cornballer]

Some of the stuff the Spanish papers pull is unbelievable. I guess I shouldn't be surprised at this point, but they always manage to find a way.

 

[Mama Smurf]

What are US tabloids like? I know of them (The Enquirer, Weekly World News...although I think that last one is a mock paper), but I've never actually seen one.

The tabloids over here are ruthless and, yes I'm going there, evil.

 

[Yazan]

Madrid certainly have been going after him for ages, but in this case I don't see how they can be blamed, unless they have some sort of control over the paper.

That is only a part of what is happening right now between Milan and Real.



New italian scandal (it's inters time now)!

Could Inter be demoted?
Wednesday 20 June, 2007
Lawyers warn that Inter could be demoted to Serie B if the financial scandal is proved in the sporting courts!

The club has been named as part of an investigation into creative accounting in Serie A and a member of the Covisoc – the association that performs financial checks on Italian clubs – accused them of fiddling their 2005-06 accounts with artificially inflated player values, known as plusvalenze.

At first it seemed as if this would only result in a fine for the Nerazzurri, but specialist lawyer Mattia Grassani has a very different view.

“Financial fraud is a very serious crime, second only in the sporting justice system to sporting fraud,” he noted.

“The sanctions for directors go from a simple fine to up to five year suspensions with the possibility of a lifetime ban.

“For clubs the punishment can be either a fine, points penalties or even demotion. In the rules there is also the possibility of stripping the Scudetto, but that is up to the Federation President to decide.”

After Juventus were relegated to Serie B for their part in the Calciopoli scandal with Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio and Reggina all given points penalties, will the justice system be equally as harsh on Inter?

“First of all we must ascertain whether Inter or indeed any other side has falsified financial documents, thanks to which they entered a competition that they would otherwise not have been qualified for,” explained former Investigative team member Mario Stagliano.

“In that case, we could begin inflicting the penalties set down by the rules.”

Although Inter are the newest additions to this investigation, Milan, Reggina and Sampdoria have already been named as part of the inquest.

And more about Suazo:

Suazo banned for Inter signature?
Wednesday 20 June, 2007
David Suazo could be suspended and Inter fined if Massimo Moratti’s claims that he signed a contract are true.

The Cagliari player was all set to join the Nerazzurri, but in a shock move Milan reached an agreement with the club for £10m.

Inter were furious and President Moratti told several television stations that there was paperwork proving their deal. “The player signed a contract with us,” he said.

This could well prove costly, as it is illegal for a player to put pen to paper when he is still under contract with another club.

An inquest has officially been opened into the matter and both sides risk sanctions from the authorities.

If Suazo has signed a contract before Cagliari released him, then he could be suspended and Inter face a fine.

The turnaround has also mined confidence within the club, as it seems Coach Roberto Mancini was only told of the transfer to Milan by journalists.

“I am astonished and totally without words,” he told the ‘Gazzetta dello Sport.’ “I don’t know what to say. What happened? Inter have a director and a President, so you’ll have to ask them. Nobody told me anything.”

Meanwhile, in a bid to fight back against that incredible snub from cousins Milan, it is reported that Nerazzurri director Marco Branca has flown to Barcelona for talks with Samuel Eto’o.

The Rossoneri confirmed several times that the Nou Camp star was their main transfer target upfront and that Suazo was an alternative once they realised he could not be prised away from Barca.

So Inter would consider it quite a coup if they managed to achieve what Milan failed to do.

Moratti’s men have the advantage of offering Adriano and Walter Samuel as part of an exchange deal for the Cameroon international.

 

[Mama Smurf]

Let's just demote all Serie A sides into a MEGA-Serie B to be on the safe side, no high TV money or Europe or prize money for a year, so we can put all this behind us and let the Italians get back to doing what they do best; making beautiful, beautiful women who can make pizza.

 

[Cornballer]

What are US tabloids like? I know of them (The Enquirer, Weekly World News...although I think that last one is a mock paper), but I've never actually seen one.

They're seen as sort of amusing sideshows here - I think (errr, hope) that no one takes them very seriously. They also tend to focus much more on celebrities than athletes here. There aren't a lot of athletes that end up on the pages of these magazines. Some are brutal towards the celebrities (making up rumors about pending divorces, catching them in unflattering poses at the beach, etc...) and other are just plain ridiculous (batboy born in Ohio, etc...) The former would be magazines like "Us Weekly" and "In Touch" whereas the latter are "The National Enquirer" and it's ilk. They don't really deal with sports, though.

I think there are a few sport tabloids around here , but they're not readily available (i.e. in the supermarket checkout line) from what I've seen. The thing that annoys me about the Spanish press is their ability to drive controversy and dealmaking in the football world by either making stuff up or seemingly taking the wishes of Real/Barca and testing the waters by putting them on the front page.

 

[Yazan]

Let's just demote all Serie A sides into a MEGA-Serie B to be on the safe side, no high TV money or Europe or prize money for a year, so we can put all this behind us and let the Italians get back to doing what they do best, making beautiful, beautiful women who can make pizza.

But, lets be a lite more serious. Can teams in England co-own a player? I really like the idea and we are tomorrow going to see who will own Quagli.

Here is an article about it.

The deadline for co-ownership agreements has passed and 14 players’ futures will be decided by blind auction, including Marco Cassetti and Fabio Quagliarella.

A blind auction takes place in Italian football when two sides can’t decide on the fate of a player.

Therefore they secretly place an offer, for the other club’s 50 per cent stake in the individual, in a sealed envelope and then hand that over to the Italian Football League.

Whichever club bids the highest has to pay that fee in order to net the player. The envelopes will be opened on Thursday.

Some situations were resolved before the deadline. Davide Biondini and Paolo Bianco are now entirely owned by Cagliari after buying out Reggina and Catania respectively.

Davide Marchini is now co-owned by the Sardinians, having previously been on loan from Triestina.

Christian Maggio remains at Sampdoria after agreeing to share his contract with Fiorentina, renewing deals with Palermo for Christian Terlizzi and Massimo Bonanni as well as with Udinese for Mirko Pieri and Salvatore Foti.

Samp have sold their half of Luca Antonini to Milan and Mark Edusei to Catania.

However, the Blucerchiati have failed to reach an agreement with Udinese over the ownership of transfer hot property Quagliarella.

He goes into the blind auction along with 13 other players tomorrow afternoon.

Blind auctions
Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria/Udinese)
Andrea Coda (Udinese/Empoli)
Marco Cassetti (Roma/Lecce)
Gianluca Comotto (Torino/Roma)
Damiano Ferronetti (Parma/Roma)
Giuseppe Scurto (Chievo/Roma)
Daniele Corvia (Siena/Roma)
Stephen Makinwa (Lazio/Palermo)
Michele Ferri (Cagliari/Palermo)
Davide Matteini (Palermo/Empoli)
Viktor Boudianski (Ascoli/Juventus)
Daniele Gastaldello (Siena/Juventus)
Tomas Danilevicius (Bologna/Livorno)
Mattia Graffiedi (Triestina/Milan)

 

[Mama Smurf]

No, there's no co-ownership. I don't quite understand the point. There must be one though, I know Spain have it too, Eto'o was co-owned by Mallorca and Madrid before Barca signed him.

 

[h0pper]

Inter are after Eto'o now as well? Are they gonna start strikers as keepers and backs? They have more than enough forwards as it is.

 

[Yazan]

Inter are after Eto'o now as well? Are they gonna start strikers as keepers and backs? They have more than enough forwards as it is.

Well they lost Suazo

And they are probably going to sell Adriano and Recoba.

 

[h0pper]

I see it now, Inter in 2 years:


-------------------Kaka----------------

Ronaldinho-------Eto'o----Adriano----Crespo

Trezeguet---Ibrahimovic---Nistelrooy---C. Ronaldo

------------Henry---Rooney------

 

[h0pper]

The thing is, I actually like Inter. I even have one of their shirts ;x

I don't support them like I do Arsenal, but I prefer them in Serie A. I just find it funny that they are only after forwards lol.

 

[jamesinclair]

LIBERTADORES 2007 FINAL MATCH

Begins in 5 minutes

ar 9:50pm local time, 8:50pm EST


Gremio - Boca

The stadium looks like a 4th of July commercial.



I didnt know a gremio player was going to Liverpool as soon as the match end

And I think this is also Riquelmes last game with boca?

 

[Mama Smurf]

Let's all point and laugh at Newcastle, as it's been revealed that not only does Owen have a buyout clause of around £10m, Martins also has one, £13m. Corrupt Sam could be without his two top strikers come August.

In other news, Atletico Madrid say either meet Torres's £27m buyout clause, or don't get him. Let me suggest something: buy buy buy!

 

[jamesinclair]

Just curious, how much does the winner of the champions league get?

I ask because the anouncers just said that this years Libertadores prize is $2,600,000

 

[jamesinclair]

Riquelme scores and its all over for Gremio

 

[jamesinclair]

Riquelme scores again taking the aggregate to 5-0

 

[jamesinclair]

Palermo gets a penalty shot and misses in his traditional style

 

[jamesinclair]

Boca Juniors are the South American Champions and secure a trip to Japan.

Fun fact: When Boca and Milan met in 2003, Boca won.

 

[BatiGOOOOOOL]

WTF is wrong with me? I forgot about the match because I was watching Flight Plan . >:-|

Did Boca play with those ugly yellow shorts? They only look good with the white shirt.

 

[Cornballer]

Why did Villarreal loan out Riquelme?

 

[Osorio]

Oh Gremio...

 

[Steroyd]

I feel sorry for Lucas.

Oh well just means he'll officially be at the Liverpool training ground in a few days.

 

[cae]

Palermo gets a penalty shot and misses in his traditional style

:lol, yeah. I was watching the game with my father, and when the referee gave the penalty he said "oh, 3-0, a lot". Then Palermo took the ball, and "ok, 2-0". Copa America '99 style! (he missed THREE penalties in a row, match against Colombia, Argentina lost 0-3)

Did Boca play with those ugly yellow shorts? They only look good with the white shirt.

Because the other team used dark shorts too, and Boca didn't wanted to change the shirt as a good luck charm (sp? it's "cábala" in spanish). The shorts were from 2003, they were flown on an emergency charter to Brazil!

Why did Villarreal loan out Riquelme?

His performance went down after the Semi-finals lost by Villarreal on CL (he missed a decisive penalty against Arsenal) and the poor World Cup, and then he got in an argue with Pellegrini because of vacation days, and that kind of stuff. He's kind of special, y'know. Officially, he has to get back to Europe, but Villarreal doesn't wants him on their team. So who knows where will he end.

BTW, can't believe Gremio made it to the finals... they were HORRIBLE. Really bad team. I mean, it was a lousy cup, Boca lost 2 or 3 matches playing away in the playoffs, but these guys couldn't even touch them. Owell.

 

[hadareud]

today's rumours:

TRANSFER RUMOURS

Liverpool are poised to make a £25m swoop for Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres. (Various)

Rafa Benitez also wants to pip Newcastle, Sunderland and Aston Villa to Villarreal's £15.5m striker Diego Forlan. (Daily Mail)

Man Utd left-back Gabriel Heinze has agreed a top-secret £5m move to Real Madrid. (Daily Star)

Kaka's representative has not ruled out the Brazilian moving to Real Madrid. (The Times)

Chelsea are eyeing a £4m move for Feyenoord's Royston Drenthe, who can play at left-back or as a winger and who has been in great form for the Netherlands during the European Under-21 Championship. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea have failed in an audacious swap deal after offering midfielder Lassana Diarra in return for Lyon winger Florent Malouda. (Independent)

Fulham are close to agreeing a £5.5m deal for West Brom striker Diomansy Kamara - with Heidar Helguson going the other way. (Daily Mail)

Wigan are willing to pay £5m for West Brom's Welsh midfielder Jason Koumas. (The Times)

Bolton admit they may lose keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen this summer, with Sunderland and Aston Villa interested. (The Sun)

But they have a contingency plan, with Sheffield United's £2m-rated Paddy Kenny on their shopping list. (The Sun)

Tottenham striker Mido is set to join Fulham after dropping down the pecking order at White Hart Lane. (Various)

Spurs will listen to offers for Jermain Defoe when they sign Darren Bent from Charlton. (Daily Mirror)

Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins has asked Sam Allardyce not to cash in and sell him. (Daily Mirror)

Wigan have given midfielder Josip Skoko, who has been linked to Hajduk Split and Genclerbirligi, until the end of the month to give them an answer over his future after being offered a new one-year deal. (The Sun)

Newcastle are set to step up their interest in Charlton's England defender Luke Young. (Daily Mirror)

Scotland striker Garry O'Connor is set for a £2.5m move from Lokomotiv Moscow to Birmingham City. (The Sun)

Blackburn will have to pay £1.4m to Roma for striker Shabani Nonda, who was on loan at Ewood Park last season. (Daily Mirror)

Wigan will sign Preston keeper Carlo Nash to provide competition for Chris Kirkland. (Daily Mail)

Bolton's Ricardo Vaz Te says he wants to leave the Reebok Stadium. (Daily Mirror)

QPR admit they will have to sell £2m-rated Lee Cook in the next four weeks. (Daily Express)

Tottenham appear to be closing in on France Under-21 defender Younes Kaboul, who plays for Auxerre. (The Sun)

Sheffield United are poised to open talks with unwanted Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie. (Daily Star)

Luton are chasing striker Paul Peschisolido after his release by Derby County. (The Sun)

Hull have placed a £3m price tag on keeper Boaz Myhill, to keep him out of the clutches of Aston Villa. (Daily Star)

Leicester have made an £800,000 bid for Milton Keynes Dons striker Izale McLeod. (Daily Mirror)

OTHER GOSSIP

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger will give the Gunners board six months to come up with sufficient funds or he will leave. (The Sun)

Gilles Grimandi is close to accepting Arsene Wenger's offer to take over David Dein's role at Arsenal. (Daily Mirror)

Rio Ferdinand says Man Utd's new £50m signings make them even harder to dethrone next season. (Various)

Fulham midfielder Jimmy Bullard will miss the start of next season after being told by his knee surgeon not to rush back into action following the serious ligament injury he picked up last September. (Daily Mirror)

Stockport boss Jim Gannon has accused Liverpool of breaching Premier League rules by luring teenage keeper Ben Robinson to Anfield. (Daily Star)

Burnley boss Steve Cotterill has been handed a £10m budget thanks to wealthy director Brendan Flood. (Daily Star)

MK Dons want Les Ferdinand as first-team coach - if Paul Ince is appointed their new manager. (Daily Star)

AND FINALLY

Leicester's new keeper Jimmy Nielsen has revealed a gambling addiction cost him £1m and nearly wrecked his career. (Daily Mirror)

Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport1/hi/football/gossip_and_transfers/6224984.stm

Published: 2007/06/21 07:17:18 GMT

© BBC MMVII

 

[Karakand]

*crosses fingers*

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6225306.stm

Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has lodged a £81.6m formal takover bid for Manchester City.

The City board must now decide whether to accept his offer and, if they do, Thaksin must pass the Premier League's fit and proper person test.

The City board said it intended to back the bid from UK Sports Investments, a vehicle indirectly controlled by Thaksin and his son and daughter.

 

[hadareud]

would be cool if it was to happen.


there's some great rumours today, but this is clearly the best:

Bolton admit they may lose keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen this summer, with Sunderland and Aston Villa interested. (The Sun)

But they have a contingency plan, with Sheffield United's £2m-rated Paddy Kenny on their shopping list. (The Sun)

:lol

 

[Karakand]

The only thing I don't really like about it is that the deal involves 60 million quid of debt. (40 pence for each share totaling £21.6m is all he's putting up in cash). For a club like Man U debt ain't no thing, but City isn't exactly in a similar position.

But hey, beggars can't be choosers. Now make MCFC Chelski 2.0, Thak!

 

[Steroyd]

Liverpool are poised to make a £25m swoop for Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres. (Various)

I'm skeptical I can't remember the last time a Spanish striker who was promising, turned into a success in England, a recent track record of Spanish strikers in the premiership doesn't settle me either.

Rafa Benitez also wants to pip Newcastle, Sunderland and Aston Villa to Villarreal's £15.5m striker Diego Forlan. (Daily Mail)

 

[hadareud]

I said it before, but I really think that Torres is overrated.

Paying 25 million for somebody who's gonna score 10 or 12 goals a season is not a great idea I would think. Liverpool already have a very similar player with Kuyt too.

 

[Steroyd]

When I think about it, who else can we have, Bellamy is just an offside nightmare, while Crouch gets you the goals he's also immobile on the pitch effectively killing our counter attacks and his good/bad headers ratio is crap he should have scored 30 goals this season with the amount of chances he had on his noggin, Voronin remains to be seen.

We seemed to have given up on getting Eto'o, and we don't look at all interested in getting Owen.

And then we have Pennant who isn't exactly known for scoring goals from the wing, and while kewell can score goals and set some up he's also injury prone so we can't rely on him being there all season.

Oh well at least we're making some movement in the transfer window, but we're about 4 players off from being a very formidable team.

 

[hadareud]

Chelsea have finally become a top seed. I say finally because now we finally don't have to listen to Mourinhos ****ing moaning at every bloody Champions League draw anymore.

Chelsea get top eight reward

Chelsea have finally been granted a place among the Champions League's top eight seeds by UEFA.

The former Premiership champions have missed out before now having failed to amass enough 'coefficient' points.

But the European governing body have now installed Jose Mourinho's side among the top seeds, meaning the now-deposed English champions will be handed a supposedly easier group stage draw in the coming season.

AC Milan, winners in Athens last month, are top seeds (133.808 'points') followed by Barcelona (119.374), Liverpool (112.618) and Inter Milan (107.808).

Arsenal are England's second-highest seeds with 104.618 followed by new Spanish champions Real Madrid (104.374), Chelsea (99.618) and Manchester United (also 99.618).

Seedings are based on the club's performances in Europe over the preceding five years as well as the ranking of their national association.

Therefore Champions League debutants Sevilla, although not among the eight, have a relatively high ranking score due largely to their double UEFA Cup triumph over the last two years.

Chelsea have been drawn with Barcelona in the group phase twice in the last three years because the Catalan side have been seeded. The Blues' new status, however, means they will avoid Barca and other top teams until the knockout phase.

England is the only country to have all of their teams seeded for the tournament, which climaxes with the final in Moscow next May.
http://www.itv-football.co.uk/CL_Story/0,14272,6109_2431160,00.html

 

[Steroyd]

Oh thank god.

Just because you win the English premiership doesn't mean you earn European points, this is one less complaint from Moaninho.