bulivye

looks like he may not have the mark of the beast on his forehead after all

whilst i agree with this, i still believe that football, even at the pro level needs to be fun/enjoyable for the athletes or else the money can play a harmful role--player A being jealous of player B's better contract etc. naive? well, maybe...

i agree. rozy, to me, is a good player who happens to be slow in his adjustment from the continental game to the prem. i think he's worth sticking with. blueyes.gif

i like the cut of your jib, sir! wholeheartedly agree with each of those--well, i'd modify #6 to: teach any player who can't to speak english, or summat. wouldn't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

bit of a catch-22 that! can we start winning if it's become every man for himself on the pitch.

this is why i asked what will it take. b/c of these things you mention seem to indicate that the lads don't really like each other.

hear! hear!

i agree if you mean that in an absolute definitive sense, but i think a serious observer can get a reasonably accurate feel for the esprit de corps (sp?) by looking at the players' interaction on the bench, at the apparent mood in training sessions, if/when they're ever seen out in public together...etc. i just wonder if they shouldn't just all go out for dinner & drinks bi-weekly or summat... get the foreigners more acclimated

i know they're professional footballers and ought to be able to just get on with things etc. but, there definitely something to having "team chemistry" that makes it easier to pass the ball about, work hard to cover for your teammate who's slipped up, be unselfish etc. i sometimes wonder if most/many of our lot aren't just covering their own arses when they play "together". i know in the teams i've been in, even just 5-a-side pick-up games, there are lads who don't like each other, hold grudges, have too high of an opinion of themselves (or too low of their teammates) or are just plain show offs--and it makes for a much weaker side, that often fails to represent the level of individual talent present. do we have team chemistry? do we have a group of players who like each other? what will it take?

ameobi cost less, has scored for us, gets booked less & has better hair. no wonder it's a draw in the voting so far.

good shout. he's got rage issues as well iirc

i like the socks from the '57-'60 kit.

eggybread is correct, that big orange C is the chicago bears logo... so, considering last year's superbowl, no, caan't say i'm very much of a colts fan and what about shefki kuqi? he seems a strapping lad!

mackems.gif

who from the premiership would you want on your side? you get 3 who from NUFC? who's the physically strongest lad in the league? you know most press ups etc? am feeling a bit silly today!

i awoke this morning having dreamed i could hear tens of thousands of geordies singing: Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends We're so glad you could attend Come inside! Come inside! Without Prozone on their ass they cover every blade of grass now they all can make a pass. Howay lads! Howay lads! Come inside, the show's about to start guaranteed to blow your head apart Rest assured you'll get your money's worth The greatest show in Heaven, Hell or Earth. You've got to see the show, it's a dynamo. You've got to see the show, it's rock and roll .... there was more, like, and then it all faded into: Toon Toon black & white army! not about ashley specifically, i know, but still, it was an amazing dream!

there's a reason why PR moves are made, it's b/c the maker is trying to imitate the genuine article. so kudos to you for spotting that this is the opposite at work-- the genuine article being just that, and so looking like he's making a PR move.

yes! good point. miamimag, your table is ready.

thanks, coach, your post enhances what is already a thrilling advent for those of us not around for the heady days of the 90's!

you should try playing the game here! when i was in school the "football" team, with the coach's tacit (but not always tacit) approval would constantly mock, berate & (ludicrously) blame the soccer team for "ruining the field". i really don't think it's fear though, just simple laziness about inquiring into something different. the biggest sports here require massively specialized athletes, both in skill sets & body type. (my wife constantly mocks NFL linemen as being grossly fat and wonders how they can be considered athletes at all. btw, she's from the cz republic.) it would require a great deal of mental energy to learn about a sport where every athlete looks just like a regular guy... Darts must fuck them right up. the only adults i have ever seen play darts in the states were drunk at a bar. it's paid No attention here. so, i guess that makes you correct!

and PROPS, yo! i'm quite ghetto me... apologies to anyone truly forced to dwell in a ghetto... :-[

apologies, but this is where i always lose the plot a bit...what's the difference between a coach & a manager? being serious here

thanks! so, do you think he (pearson) will/should stay? yes/yes me too! in spite of my "opacity" in earlier posts, i think it will be worth a look to see if pearson can do the thing on his own.

thanks! so, do you think he (pearson) will/should stay?

you should try playing the game here! when i was in school the "football" team, with the coach's tacit (but not always tacit) approval would constantly mock, berate & (ludicrously) blame the soccer team for "ruining the field". i really don't think it's fear though, just simple laziness about inquiring into something different. the biggest sports here require massively specialized athletes, both in skill sets & body type. (my wife constantly mocks NFL linemen as being grossly fat and wonders how they can be considered athletes at all. btw, she's from the cz republic.) it would require a great deal of mental energy to learn about a sport where every athlete looks just like a regular guy...