gazza ladra

Let's focus on Prem goals and the age of the acquisition: Kanu 10, 30 years old Martins 10, 22 years old McCarthy 10, 29 years old Kuyt 9, 26 years old Johnson 9, 26 years old Anelka 8, 27 years old Bellamy 7, 27 years old Berbatov 6,26 years old Shevchenko 3, 30 years old No question in my mind that Martins was the best purchase- brought speed to a team that desperately needed it. Great this season; also a player that you can build a future on. I'd rate them... THE BRILLANT: Where would these teams be without the acquisition? 1) Martins 2) Kanu 3) McCarthy SURPRISINGLY GOOD ---------------------- 4) Anelka 5) Johnson THE GOOD ---------- 6) Kuyt 7) Berbatov THE BAD ------------ 8. Bellamy-- they didn't need him. UGLY ------- 9) Shevchenko -- a disaster; done more damage (team chemistry) than good

Off the top of may head, I said sure Nobby go. Peru won't be playing that many games anyway.... and then I saw their group: Venezuela Uruguay Peru Boliva Still, I think that Solano should go and play. We shouldn't be relying on him to be our right back next season....he could put in a good word for us with Pizarro.

right, Dyer is obviously a right back.

Love to see them go down. They should've gone down 05.

Yeah, I went and did a little research and from what I could find the speed of a batted baseball (bbs) tops off at about 110 mph and that's with an aluminum bat. May be someone with a background in physics can get more out of this site than I did http://www.kettering.edu/~drussell/bats.html

With our defenders? Its not that mad.

PREM ------- 1) Cech 2) Given 3) Jaaskelainen 4) Friedel 5) Lehmann WORLD ------- 1) Buffon 2) Cech 3) Casillas 4) Hildebrand 5) Given

Not a Blackburn fan by any stretch, but don't wins by English clubs in European competition help us when it comes to seeding in competitions? I know that we're very highly rated (well, vastly overrated) in terms of club rankings, and our status is only helped by teams like Blackburn beating Bundesliga sides. Could make the difference some day between being a top seed and being stuck in a group with Barcelona.

So it was not the hardest ever after all, but still up there. From the Guardian Knowledge. 1) David Hirst - 114mph (for Sheffield Wednesday @ Arsenal on September 16 1997) 2) David Beckham - 97.9mph (for Man Utd v Chelsea on February 22 1997) 3) David Trezeguet - 96mph (for Monaco @ Man Utd on March 19 1998) 4) Richie Humphreys - 95.9mph (for Sheffield Wednesday v Aston Villa on August 17 1996) 5) Matt Le Tissier - 86.8mph (for Southampton v Newcastle on January 18 1997) 6) Alan Shearer - 85.8mph (for Newcastle v Leicester on February 2 1997) 7) Roberto Carlos - 85.2mph (for Brazil v France on June 3 1997) 8 ) Tugay - 84.2mph (for Blackburn @ Southampton on November 3 2001) 9) Obafemi Martins - 84mph (for Newcastle @ Tottenham on January 14 2007) 10) David Beckham - 80.5mph (for Man Utd @ Derby on September 4 1996) http://football.guardian.co.uk/theknowledge/story/0,,2012031,00.html

I really rate Viduka, but he's not in the class as many named in the lists. Could've been.... if he gave a shit.

Gallas Terry Toure Neville Carvalho

Considering the progress they've made after a dreadful start, I think they'll come in second and win promotion-- they are only 4 points off 2nd right now. Birmingham is fading. Derby Sunderland West Brom

I didn't include Bent or Johnson. McBride has as many as Bent. And Doyle has more than all of them. Would take Berbatov over all of them. Wouldn't you KD? Berbatov has fewer Prem goals than all of them.

1. Henry 2. Drogba 3. Rooney 4. (Owen) 5. Martins 6. Van Persie 7. Yakubu 8. Kuyt 9. Anelka 10.Berbatov 11.Saha

-----------------Given--------------- Solano - Taylor - Onyewu - Duff ---------------Parker---------------- Milner---------Dyer-------N'Zogbia ---------Owen------Martins-------- Harper Emre Sibierski Butt Bramble

You put Spurs in there and you might as well add Aston Villa.

Blackburn are big boys?

Wouldn't mind Ashton, Upson, or Benayoun.

Didn't see the game, so I can't comment on Babayaro's performance today. But it seems to me that some fans are more critical of him then is frequently justified. For example, over at the Sky Sport ratings (rubbish), the fan ratings of NUFC players are across the board higher than the ratings given by SSN--- except for Babayaro, who's scores are significantly lower. Fans tend to overrate their heroes and unduly criticize the goats. Fairly typical. He's often just a kickdog for fan frustration. Not nearly as bad as some like to pretend-- consistently better for us than Carr has been this season. (Anyway, I'd like to see both of them replaced in the summer.)

Spurs players are vastly overrated. As is Jol That vaunted strike force-- scored fewer goals than NUFC. That great, young, "future-of-England" back line-- conceded more goals than NUFC. The midfield is crap, doesn't come close to ours. They wanted Parker and Duff... playing Jenas for pissakes.

1. At the start of the season what where your expectations, and are things going as you expected? 5th, really. (I'm an optimist.) 2. Who's been your best performer this season? Martins. 3. And your worst/most disappointing? Worst = Carr Most Disappointing = Duff 4. You had a quiet January transfer window, if you where the manager, who would you have tried to sign? Alex, Appiah, Baines, Bridge, and Huntelaar for starters. (I'm delusional) 8. In the summer, Liverpool and Newcastle are told to swap 3 first team regulars, who would you send to Liverpool, and who would you like from us? Carr, Ramage, and Babayaro Finnan, Carragher and Gerrard. 10. Care to predict Mr Roeder’s starting line up for the game? ........................Harper Solano...Onyewu...Bramble...Taylor Milner... Parker... Butt...Duff Dyer......................Martins 11. And finally, let’s have your score predictions for the game: NUFC 2-0 (I'm a delusional optimist)

Christ, are Americans responsible for that too? If the game was truly Americanized (note the zee, err zed) you'd have this crap to deal with: * Astroturf * Gridiron lines on the pitch * More and more cheerleaders * Shootouts (no draws, ever) * Golden goals * Clocks that run down from 90 to zero * Quarters: as if a break at the half was not enough (More time for commercials!) * the goalkeeper only substitution rule (don't ask) * Derision of the game, American fans, and the rest of the planet from the American sports media and other ignoramuses (roughly 70-80% of the population) * Washed up eurotrash burnouts that wash up on these shores for that final paycheck * Landon Donovan * The phrase "emerging power" in reference to the US National squad. * FIFA rankings * The Mexican National squad -- love the country and their fans, but the players in the squad are and always have been a bunch of whinny, cheating, losers. The one thing I do like about the American game is that so far we've avoided the sight of sponsor advertising on club kits. I hate that.

I might add, one of the things that pissed me off the most was Ferguson claiming that Manchester United were the "neutrals' choice" for the title. Huh? Who is "neutral" when it comes to Manchester United?

Chelsea is a joke. They bought the past couple titles. No one really respects them or their achievements. Seeing them win again just draws out a lame joke-- it doesn't mean a thing. When the Russian loses interest and pulls out his money, no one will look back and admire these teams--- it'll all be a big joke, sort of like Pele, the Cosmos, Best and the rest cashing in the NASL or overweight Brazilians shuffling off to the UAE. On the other hand, were Manchester United to finish first you'd never hear the end of it. Another feather in Ferguson's cap and more blab from the ManUtd fans--- whom I despise. Were it Arsenal or Liverpool, I might have a different attitude. Fuck Man Utd. Can't root for them.

Chelsea