Beren

Someone add 'Formula One' to the 'spies/Notting Hill Carnival' list

Thought he was their player of the season from what I saw of them, tbh. Surprised and amused the price is so low.

Never fully got behind the concept of 'hardman' in football, tbh. They're footballers, not fighters. If they fight or try to instigate fights, they're daft and/or unprofessional (Lee Cattermole, Roy Keane etc). If they attack people craftily, they're cowardly (Lee Hendrie, Tim Cahill, Callum McManaman). The only category of player who I would praise for demonstrating strength and bottle are the likes of Vincent Kompany, Brede Hangelaand etc - who for the most part, keep their cool, stay strong and swat away the pesky players who dig elbows and tolerate the smaller divers without stamping them to death (as they easily could). That's why Shearer came out looking better than Roy Keane. There's nothing to suggest either would have beaten the other up, but Shearer played him, and Keane acted like an idiot and got sent off. Shearer also did well in a cup game when some no-mark looking to make a name kept fouling him pretty viciously. I remember Shearer still being pissed off in the post-match interview, but he kept his cool throughout the match and scored the winner.

He plays in a league sponsored by a bank, plays against teams with betting and gambling sponsors, has a huge drinking culture associated with it, has its kits made in sweat shops by the poor and flogged to the masses for 50-60 quid a pop. You play football in england, take the wage, then you gotta accept it f***ing wreaks to high heaven of s***. I like how 'bank' has been turned into a dirty business Also, don't think what other teams wear has any impact on his convictions over what he personally does/wears/promotes. Same goes for the drinking culture. I don't especially care one way or another mind you, I'm just fake-arguing for the sake of it He does shisha which I don't think is in line with Islamic beliefs, just for balance is it not?! First time I ever saw shisha pipes was in Tunisia, which is a predominantly Arabic country. Last cafe I visited was ran by a Moroccan too. Doubt there's unanimity on the topic, but: http://islamqa.info/en/ref/127312

Aye not the right board/thread for it, but I just find it funny that something as large and diverse as banking can be impliedly portrayed as intrinsically morally dubious Sign of the times though as you say.

He plays in a league sponsored by a bank, plays against teams with betting and gambling sponsors, has a huge drinking culture associated with it, has its kits made in sweat shops by the poor and flogged to the masses for 50-60 quid a pop. You play football in england, take the wage, then you gotta accept it fucking wreaks to high heaven of shit. I like how 'bank' has been turned into a dirty business Also, don't think what other teams wear has any impact on his convictions over what he personally does/wears/promotes. Same goes for the drinking culture. I don't especially care one way or another mind you, I'm just fake-arguing for the sake of it He does shisha which I don't think is in line with Islamic beliefs, just for balance

We are the 0.1%

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6W4RFQWbHc

With Ferguson's cantankerous moaning and Benitez's overt hypersensitivity departing, he does fill a certain managerial entertainment/charisma slot that the likes of Paul Lambert and Steve Clarke can't hope to, in fairness. There is Di Canio, though. It's not massively exciting, but he'll be good for the league. Our own dire performance aside, last year was an awful Premiership season.

Blooming heck, there are no words.

Because either every outfield player coincidentally had poor form last season or no outfield player can operate effectively in that shamble of a regime. Occam's razor suggests the latter. I'd be reluctant to lay into any player too heavily for their poor form because it can't be discerned whether they've been unprofessional/uncommitted/thick or because of Pardew. FWIW, it won't matter much whether Cabaye goes or not IMO.

This. He is. Writing was on the wall after we didn't reinforce last summer. It killed our season. Last season says he doesn't. Cabaye can't hide behind Pardew for some absolute shockers at the backend of the season. His form was great when he came back into the side. Pulled us up by our bootstraps. Then the Pardew Effect took hold.

Saved me a few keystrokes, there.

But he's from ENGURLAND. Ince > Dempsey http://weknowgifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/what-no-gif.gif Great gif

Like Vuckic but seems limited physically and has a terrible injury record so far. I want to be optimistic about him, but my honest reaction to the thread title was to think of that Dog-by-the-garden-door Meme "let me in so I can go back outside again". He starts pre-season for the umpteenth time with it all to prove. I want to believe. (...but we have Pardew so it doesn't matter anyway)

I think I was previously guilty of overrating Benzema in days gone by. I still think he's good, just not as good as I thought. He doesn't have too many outstanding attribute, and none that I think of which are outright devastating or in any way unmanageable. His stats are pretty amazing, but (and I know some don't believe it to be instructive of anything whatsoever!) I think his international record isn't too great, and forgetting stats, just watching him outside of a Real Madrid top - he gives me the impression of a striker reaching to be as impressive as he is billed to be (similar to Ribery IMO) rather than genuinely brilliant.

Re: that Neil Cameron piece - there was poll bias, tbh. Pardew wasn't even included in the shortlist for villain of the season ffs, yet somehow Sir Alex Ferguson snuck in there over his "wee club" comment.

:lol:

Erm, why is it now 4-4?

TBF to Hughton, the old mad bastard Crumpy hated him more. Crumpy is a good guy, but he seems to hate everyone (or end up doing so)

Aye, dead lucky that everyone bar the two sides Norwich faced had nowt to play for and that all the other managers couldn't make better use of their superior squads. HAH!

Doesn't fit the "Premiership experience" bill (even though that was just a bullshit excuse to attempt to mask the foul smell of Pardew's shitness). Has resale value though. I'd imagine the someone like Spurs could offer better wages. Great prospect.

Yup, all non-'sack him' voters deserve to alternatively watch the mackem and Liverpool games for the rest of their matchgoing days. It's been over two years now for crying out loud. THATS MY BELIEVES!!!, anyway.