apologies to ht27
i'm actually so excited about the match tonight that i couldn't sleep last night. and when i did sleep i dreamt
about football.
barcelona are blates going to win about 3-0. :(
the only interesting rumour i saw today was santa cruz to man utd. which i actually think sounds very possible.
Who to replace though?
I'd say Saha. Sawho? Yeah...
he wouldn't replace anyone
at the moment we have two out and out forwards in the squad, and neither of them really plays on the last man. i reckon you really need five in or around the team, so with santa cruz in, manucho and campbell back from loan and saha injured all season that all seems to work okay, whilst maintaining a heirachy of who the first choices would be - which you wouldn't get if berbatov or benzema joined.
that is, santa cruz would probably accept a place on the bench more often than not if he did join, whereas those two wouldn't.
Santa Cruz, you're not (moving) that far
A very Man Utd-centric thread
apologies for that
i may have slight bias issues.
i am very very excited though, which is my excuse.
kudos to west brom as well then, ismael miller is my top tip for fantasy premier league next year.
It wasn't until your fourth line that I had a clue what you were on about
And I know who you support. You shitter.
The biggest game of tonight is Chester v Stockport. If Chester win, Mansfield will be plying their trade in the Blue Square next year.
Or Fisher v Hampton a ten-minute walk from my house
in the first leg of the Conf South play-offs. MIGHT BE THERE.
Come on FISHER!
You no likey H&RB?
No
They're the Bolton/Rangers/Watford of the BSS.
Hmmm
I enjoyed my day down there the other week. They genuinely played some really good football as well. Honest.
That's pretty unusual in all honesty
They're ever so effective, don't get me wrong, but they're one of the most horrible sides to play against from an aesthetic point of view. Fisher under Wayne Burnett are the polar opposite.
The most dull
yet most effective side we've played all season.
Fair enough
I just really liked their front three, they seemed exciting. And their fans were nice, and so was the Guiness I had. And as Jake said, something about Beavers.
Fisher
looked brilliant against us - will be tough to beat.
i dont understand how fisher are in the play-offs
Even Dorchester took 4 points off them this season and when i saw us beat them, they looked nothing special at all!
their fans were pretty nice chaps
so they get an OK by me. Plus they're called the beavers.
THE BEAVERS!
Also, one of our lot did headbutt one of their lot, so I guess I have to like them by way of apology.
i like how
i put the "about football" on a new line by accident. it makes it look like a little poem.
Haslam out
Field Mill was the first ground I ever went to and holds some dear memories of my childhood induction into football. The sooner they get rid of that tyrant Keith Haslam the better, otherwise I fear they may end up going out of business altogether.
You're so negative
Everything will be alright if they just change their name to Harchester!!!!!!!!1!!!!!!!
Keith Haslam is a proper cunt. Carlton Palmer did/does himself no favours by trying to defend him.
obligatory carlton palmer joke
carlton palmer did himself no favours trying to defend.
As I've explained countless times: shut up
Hopefully some
Russian billionaire can come in and save the day. Highly unlikely though...
I think Barca will win on away goals
I'd be surprised if Santa Cruz went to Man United.
Well done Arsenal, they can still win the title as things stand.
Well done West Brom who are all but up, Southampton are in deep deep trouble despite a worthy point...
Fingers crossed....
if barca score first
it won't come down to away goals.
i'd be suprised if santa cruz moved too, but it's that rarity of a rumour that sounds like a sensible one on all sides...
Santa Cruz left Bayern becaise he was being left on the bench.
I'm not sure he'd want to sacrifice first team football so he could become a bench warmer again.
that's true
but when he left bayern he was fourth or fifth down the pecking order, where he'd be third and probably playing plenty if he moved...
like i said i think it's unlikely, but i wouldn't be suprised if there was a grain of truth to it.
Gareth Barry
Is apparently buying into Lewes. Good thing or bad thing? I don't know. Haven't seen him down at the Pan much but he is a local lad.
Gotta be better
than the mugs already involved, surely?
If they weren't staying on
I'd agree. And the Brighton fans on their board don't seem that enamoured with Kevin Keehan, the ex-estate agent.
Kevin Keegan you say?
The messiah?
There are a few choice laybys around the ground where he could take a nap I suppose.
Seriously though,
Gareth Barry can't be a bad thing if he's actually going to show some kind of interest - he is at least a "footballing" rather than a "business" person, so any input beyond just the financial's got to be helpful. If it's just a financial thing, then it'll be a case of as you were.
True
The other rumour is Martin Keown and Steve Foster!
Glen Johnson
is apparently buying into loos.
does anyone know if Reading are going down?
thanks
yes
It does appear that way
though to be fair, we've been pretty poor the 2nd half of the season so have no-one else to blame.
I'm looking forward to scouting our opponents in the final tonight.
:)
Are you really Frank Arnesen?
Yep.
I only come onto the football threads to defend Chelsea and find out about hot new talent from the people of DiS, you're such a knowledgeable bunch. They pay me stupid amounts of money to come on this forum all day and pretend to be into music, it's great.
The only reason I'm telling you this now is that I've taken all I can from this resource but for some reason I can't stop posting. This site is addictive.
PLAYOFFS EVERYWHERE TONIGHT
AND HENDON AREN'T INVOLVED!
Impossible to predict at this stage, but it wouldn't surprise me if winners of their respective playoffs were AFC Hornchurch, Tooting and Mitcham and (a bit of a stab in the dark) AFC Sudbury.
Hampton to win a final against Eastbourne in Conference South.
No idea about the Southern and Northern leagues - don't even know who's in them, so I'll pick Aylesbury, Chesham, Accrington Motors, Slough Town and AFC Kendal to win the other seven promotion spots.
You know full well
that Slough won't be getting promoted. FC United probably will though worst luck. And so long as Ware don't come up then I'll be happy.
I don't even know
if AFC Kendal is a real team.
On that note though, all the best to Slough. Massive shame what they've had to put up with lately.
Tut tut
Witton will go up from NLP.
FSCUM from the North.
Sheffield Complete Sham of A Club from the South.
Come on Borough
Sussex FTW
With regards to transfer rumours
can Berbatov just fuck off now please?
*Berbatov's agent
*Darren Bent's agent
no Park tonight please Ferguson
and none of that catenaccio-inspired shite you've been knocking out in the last few games either.
A win tonight would be just the boost we need to finish the job in the league but I'd hate to predict how it'll go. What I do know is that today will be a very long day...
I can't really see Barca
not scoring
Thats exactly what I thought at the Nou Camp though
different kettle of fish tonight
I can see it being really cagey tonight
so I'm not so sure. Hopefully its a more interesting game than the 1st leg anyway
I'm not so sure
Man Utd know they can't just sit back and defend like the 1st leg so will go for goals and leave spaces for Barca to exploit. I thought the 1st leg was fairly interesting.
^Barcelona will score tonight.
I'm going for 1-1.
I think the first leg demonstrated
the tactical nous of both managers and the players abilities to play to them. I suppose the word I should have used was 'entertaining'. I suppose it could go either way really, but it wouldn't surprise me if we get a very defensive first half
to be fair
scoring seems to be their problem at the moment. Depends what condition Vidic is in.
i'm clinging to
the fact that after a loss united always tend to react really well. it's draws that fuck us up really...
Arsenal are the only team
in the world who win 6-2 and still frustrate.
^5
Its ridiculous
we should have scored 13 at least
we need a prolific goalscorer?
okay
Southampton's draw last night means Wednesday need a win in their last game to be sure of staying up. The bottom of the Championship's looking pant-wettingly tight at the moment. Blackpool, Coventry, Wednesday, Leicester and Southampton can all go down. please please please don't let it be Wednesday
Southampton please
kthnxbye
I am so relieved Norwich are mathematically safe
it is too tight down there.
Going to be a tense afternoon with all the other scores coming in, I sort of hope we don't win as I'd like Wednesday to stay up. The cheap tickets is a good idea, should be a big crowd, loads of Norwich fans coming up too and I get a nice £11 refund!
I think i can safely say we were outplayed last night
Arsenal were always going to massacre a defence including Andy Todd, Darren Moore and Alan Stubbs. But did we have to give them the ball so often?
Things to note: Walcott's pace is frightening and with him on the pitch there is no such thing as an overhit pass. Adebayor has scored 6 goals against us this season which is a third of the goals we have scored in 36 league games, he is also a bit of a knob. Fabregas wasn't involved enough for me to get annoyed, which in itself is annoying. Alexandre Song is not very good in the air.
And it fucking pissed it down as we were walking back to the car. I have a cold now.
Looking at that defence makes me laugh.
How did anyone at Derby possibly think you could stay up?
Darren Moore
was laughably bad last night
^ This ^
Can he only move in slow motion?
To be fair
Billy Davies tried to get rid of him at the start of last season as he thought he couldn't cut it in the championship, yet he has had to be first choice for us in games against world class opposition this season. one of the many, many reasons we are where we are.
No-one thought we'd stay up, not after the first 10 games anyway
I thought we'd get more than 11 points mind.
Big Dave wouldn't have been able to hack the Prem in his prime, let alone now. It's sad as he is a brilliantly honest professional in the age of ego and downright cheating, but he is shit... so there is the pay off.
Always a pleasure
to see Derby get a good hiding. Let's hope it continues throughout next season too, particularly if we end up in the same division.
If its a Forest/Leeds Play off final
can I watch it with you? PLEASE.
Yep
Will get you a ticket in the Forest end!
Hooray!
(I also hate leeds)
Let's hope the Football League
don't bottle it again and give Leeds exactly what they deserve on Thursday - NOTHING - and then Cheltenham beat Doncaster on Saturday while we're (hopefully) avenging last May's collapse by trouncing Yeovil to clinch 2nd spot.
We can only dream...
any truth in your lot wanting Earnshaw?
We've been linked with him
and Keigan Parker from Blackpool. I've also heard you're after fatboy Commons. A good player on his day but too inconsistent and not a team player, plus he spends a good third of the season on the treatment table too.
not sure he'd be too welcome
we need at least 11 new players though, so i'd take anyone at the moment...
i still can't decide whether i want you to be promoted. it all hinges on whether leicester go down or not...
I think most
Sheepshaggers want us to go up as you think it'll be 6 easy points but I'm not so sure. I don't think you'll find it that easy in the Championship, particularly as most of your squad are over the hill and Jewell has said the parachute money has already been spent, although I can't honestly see where unless Savage, Miller, Stubbs et al are on ridiculously silly wages.
Debt!
People (most of our fans included) seem to forget how much debt we had prior to getting promoted! The previous board may have stabilised the club but they didn't pay it off, so the promotion money and first lot of parachute payments went on debt. i assume anyway, i ain't the club accountant after all. The new board have promised funds, so it's not all bad.
Of course we think it'll be 6 easy points! What would be the point of our mutual hatred if not?!
True
although we're starting to think the same now, and having seen what the likes of Bristol City and Hull have achieved this season, who's to say a second successive promotion wouldn't be on the cards?
Mind you, we've got to wrap the first one up to start with...
yes. yes you have.
i kinda wish Phil Brown had been given more time with us, he's clearly a decent manager. The Championship is anyone's, that's why i am reasonably confident we'll be in with a shout this time next year. i am not saying we'll get promoted, but i can't see us being any lower than 6th or 7th. And if you get a settled team and your best players stay clear of injury, then there is no reason you can't get somewhere near the play offs should you go up this season.
Agree on Phil Brown
Maybe it was the fact he was working for the old board that was the problem, as he's clearly a decent motivator if nothing else and he's done it with several of your old rejects too (Nathan Doyle, Ian Ashbee, Craig Fagan) not to mention a couple of ours (Andy Dawson & Nick Barmby) which just goes to show anything's possible, I guess.
Well, Ashbee left along time ago!
But yeah, he seems like given the right backing, he can make a team competitive. He was sacked to appease the fans, but the fans were more concerned with having 3 criminals in charge at board level...