chicago_shearer

Pleased. Sends the right message. The players should be held responsible for their own poor performances and character deficiencies.

I would bet that most of the transfer gossip in both tabloids and broadsheets comes from agents or intermediaries of the players, not sources of any authority at the buying or selling club. The paper might not have invented the rumour, but it's probably still fiction they have been fed from some agent trying to get his client a better deal.

Ah, the old 2-2-2-1-2-1 formation. Genius.

http://www.kitbag.com/stores/kitbag/artwork/english/banners/football/newcastle-top-banner.jpg Lovenkrands seems high.

What the fuck is going on here btw? http://www.kitbag.com/stores/kitbag/artwork/english/banners/football/newcastle-away-kit-lrg.jpg

Take that Arsenal. They might have made their kit from recycled bottle caps, but ours has clearly been made from recycled bin liners. We win.

Filthy German bastard.

Ribery, Rooney, Ronaldo, Drogba. Write the future: totally forgettable mediocrity.

Cry Ronaldo! Cry! Damn. Seems reasonably composed.

Bringing Villa off with a 1-0 lead in a knockout match with 5 minutes still to play seems really stupid. If Portugal fluke one (unlikely since Costa has just been sent off) then Spain are in trouble during extra time.

I want that Iker Casillas slow motion expression as an animated avatar ASAP.

Portuguese blatantly making up the words to this song as they go along.

i do believe hughton dismissed this one last week The papers and websites are desperate for football related news, the fans are desperate for rumours, the agents are desperate to get their client's names out there. Being a football agent must be so much fun in the summer time. I wish I knew how to break into that industry. You could sign up a few unrepresented part-timers or immigrants playing for non-league sides, and then bombard TeamTalk and the other NewsNow linked sites with e-mails about how "[insert club here] have shown strong interest in securing the services of such-and-such". You could show that to your clients and bullshit them about how much hard work you are doing on their behalf. Do you need a license or something?

Wouldn't mind if Holland finally won it. Especially since it would annoy the Germans.

I love how the other Argies look serious and concentrated, while Jonas is more "Holy s***, I'm playing in the f***ing World Cup, how did this happen!??" expression.

Good post. I said elsewhere how the Germans I talk to here had absolutely no fear of us. That is cultural. Arrogance and confidence breeds more confidence, just as failure breeds more failure. Example: Low and his assistant wear coordinated purple cardigans and Don Johnson sport jackets on the bench. I bet it never crossed his mind once that he looked like a bender. Self-doubt and fear are thoroughly un-German.

I'd keep him. Because it would be sickeningly expensive to sack him now, and I want to see him get it right. The likely alternatives are Hodgson or Redknapp, neither of whom I particularly trust to drop the "golden generation" and radically change things. I don't believe a reversion back to the Sven era "player power" is the answer at all.

...is correct. It's partly due to being in dominating sides in the PL where the routinely roll over 70-80% of the competition and don't have to work or think really hard in most matches. The other thing is the hell for leather which comprises most of the PL games is terrible preperation for the posession and tempo play of international matches. In international games sides prepare positionally while moving the ball around before they break or go for goal, to most England players all this is still a mystery it seems... Nail on the head parky... you need pace play & quick thinking forward in international game. England CB is so slow none of them have pace & agility... they just big IMO. England midfield cant spread the passes quickly. Route one lump the ball to strikers seems only choice... no play on deck. And what the hell Rooney doing.. he is a striker.. why always on deep position but not trying to outrun opponent defender. Gerard defo not winger he should behind Rooney & push Rooney as main striker. Milner is not winger cause cant beat a man for s***. Crosses for Defoe (at Slovenia game) is just lucky cross anyway. Classic England... Why do we have so many foreign managers in England but still manage to play this way?

Farce of a first half to be followed by Argentinian rolling around on the ground for 45 minutes and the inevitable Diego "Eric Cartman" Maradona celebration waddle at the end. Changing the channel.

Heinze, who played for United Hernandez, who will play for United Forlan, who famously didn't succeed at United Rooney, who was so successful at United this season Shut up.

One day, a manager will have the balls to instruct his team to do just that. And then maybe we will see some rule changes.

The referees at this World Cup.

Think its because Mexico are wearing white shorts. Its a bit ridiculous really Argentina wear black shorts, not white. There is no clash there.

Why are Argentina wearing their dark blue away shorts & socks with their light blue home shirt? I won't stand for it.

It begins Yep, that does it for me.