Shearer9

Actually I agree with cubaricho about goal line technology, as soon as it's perfected it should be used. But I'm sure I read something about the testing they'd done with 5 officials where it really cut down on a lot of the chippiness in the penalty areas especially during corners and free kicks. It really closed the gap between the one set of rules enforced outside the box and one set enforced inside that anyone who has ever played, refereed, coached or watched the game will tell you definitely exists.

Massive jinx. Never. We got it. We have the lovely LANDON on our team.

Red lights all around the goal like in hockey.

USA's gonna win this.

Why do they feel the need to incorporate so much yellow into all their kits?

Setanta has always gotten a bad rap because they started shite. I don't think they're that bad now, but they've paid dearly for being a terribly put together company and doing a poor job in the beginning.

Best bit.

Why does that photo look so photoshopped?

Get rid, no way he'll ever change.

Anyone watching USA-Costa Rica? Terrible defending there from the USA for that goal...

I love the fact that he had to make the team's hotel and travel arrangements at Pompey as well.

fuckin hell, when was that done? seems like a right prick. Michael Owen's Soccer Skills it was called, made in 1999. I remember watching it. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0212674/ Wow ... so he actually belittles young kids on his own soccer video. Even more of a jerk than I thought then! I love the fact that he has still chosen to include Southall's comment in the video.

Saw something the other week saying The Championship is the league with the 4th biggest average attendances in Europe behind the Bundesliga, La Liga and obviously The Premiership. Championship average = 17,875 Serie A = 24,562 It's the 4th best out of total people attending which is to be expected considering there's far more games played. My mistake, didn't realise that England, Italy and Spain were the only 3 leagues to play football in europe. What does any of this have to do with the initial argument?

I think the #1 shirt should be up for grabs, very clearly, during the preseason. I don't think we should worry about GKs in the transfer market, just keep the ones we have. But Christ, Harper was the man between the sticks for our entire demise, he floundered along with everyone else as we went down without a whimper, there's scant evidence from January onwards that he should keep the #1 shirt by default. I'm not saying get rid, in fact, I think we should keep, but those out there saying he should start on August 8 by default are barking up the wrong tree. Let him wear the shirt if he shows he deserves to keep it over someone else during preseason.

It's very easy to have a second team when you use that critieria though. What sickens me is people actually being proud of it Sickens you? Have a word man. Second teams are essentially teams you don't really love and support, but just love to watch. Believe it or not, teams that play beautiful football are often successful. Messi clearly doesn't just love to watch Barca though. There's an awful lot of people in this country with Man U as their second team, and yes it sickens me, it's absolutely f***ing pathetic I think you're giving the term 'second team' just a little bit too much of a weight. It merely means a team that you enjoy watching surely? Mine has been Arsenal for years, if they were shit they wouldn't be my second team, and its as fleeting as that because I have no affection or love for them at all, I just love the way they play football. This. Sums up what a second team is exactly. The teams I usually end up preferring as second teams are the underdog stories, not the beautiful ones.

The really amazing thing about this was how wrong basically every British pundit was. -"Valdes is dodgy, Van der Sar is the better keeper" (VDS should have done better for both goals) -"Man Utd's backline looks rock-solid, Barca's will be shaky and (I actually heard someone say this) Pique would only be a 6th choice Center Half behind Ferdinand, Vidic, O'Shea, Neville, Evans" Man Utd's defence never looked settled -"The midfield battle looks pretty even, Giggs and Park will be able to stand up to Xavi and Iniesta" -"Man Utd's attacking trio will be just as dangerous as Barca's" Yeah. Right.... British pundits have absolutely no perspective on anything outside the UK and a lot of them have very little perspective on things even in the UK.

Anyone see the twats on SSN? Also unsurprising that the Italian officials have been unable to 1. Keep ticketless fans out of the compound outside the ground 2. Keep Barca fans out of the ManUtd area 3. Read legitimate tickets 4. Deal with fans who have problems with tickets Shambles.

The more I think about it, the less I like the idea of Shearer as manager.

I forgot, they actually show some games on ESPN 360 too, which is free if you're on a college campus.

Why does it upset people so badly? If people don't want to buy it, then don't buy it. I fail to see what's so wrong with the club trying to generate extra income by selling a product that fans clearly want. I also think it's clear that once the club realized it was in the shit there were much more important things than kit selection.

Probably true, we have much bigger fish to fry in the transfer market than goalkeeper. The only possible sticking point is the wages, and if he's as good as people on here seem to think he is, we should be able to get a million quid for him if his wages are untenable. What I would like to see, however, is some sort of long term plan for our next GK. Whether it's Forster, Soderberg, or Krul we need to show that we have some plan for bedding in our next keeper. One day something is gonna happen to Harper and those 3 have I believe 1 first team game between them

indeed He'll be on the bench at best again if he comes back to Blackburn.

That is in pretty poor taste, what end of season event is Owen celebrating?

I think a lot of people are underestimating this as well. Especially Man Utd after the Rossi debacle.

If he stayed, he'd probably get played on the wing, where he's shit, instead of up front, where he's decent, so it's no great loss. I think we can probably replace him with a player on 1/3 of the wages that's just as talented. He's an out of contract 29 year-old journeyman winger. Again, it's no great loss. The trimming is going to have to start somewhere anyway...