Mowen

Party in the city where the heat is on, lie on the beach till the break of dawn class

If there's another thing they do well, it's buy players for ridiculous amounts. For me one of the reasons why they have not went places over the last few seasons is their player turnover. They rarely seem to have a settled squad. They think they're playing FM innit. They also keep selling their best players.

£8.5m for Huddlestone is mental, I can only imagine him really working in a 3 man midfield.

£3.5m. Tbf, £3.5m was an insanely low price for him at the time. Was worth at least double that IMO. IIRC bayern were glad to see the back of him.

Actually played on the wing a fair bit for Pompey this season. To be honest, I don't think I saw the lad play a single match last season, so I can't really comment on his ability as a player. Not impressed by the price, though. Rafa has been after a decent wing-back for a while, now, possibly as an alternative to a winger (there don't seem to be many top quality wingers around these days). Certainly, with Kuyt on the wing instead of Gerrard we need a decent attacking full-back to balance out that side of the pitch. But 18 million... I'd much sooner the money had been spent on a proper attacking player. Arbeloa has been just fine at RB. Is part of it that Glen Johnson is English though? Heard something about Liverpool needing to sign an Englishman or two this summer to meet Champions League quotas - not sure how that works if it's true though? I believe the EU have declared the proposed CL nationality rules illegal under European law (though not officially), but I imagine it's on Rafa's mind. He tried to flog Alonso last summer to bring in Barry, and I can't think why he'd want to do that apart from the fact that Barry is English. You need 4 players trained for 3 years before they were 21 at the club, and with 8 British nationalities in the 25 man squad. Wasn't that rule the reason Hyypia couldn't play in Europe this year? They had to sacrifice a non-English player and he got cut?

Nicky Butt?

Actually played on the wing a fair bit for Pompey this season.

I think Mascherano Alonso Gerrard is a superb combination. There's the destroyer, the passer and the aggressor. All the ingredients are there, they just need some brilliance on the wings. If they could get Silva in they'd almost be there imo.

Yep, absolutely brilliant. Could never get my head around Rafa wanting to replace him, at a loss, with Barry.

Has he had more than one good season in his career?

Much as I love to say it, that's exactly what everyone was saying this time last year. And the year before. And the year before. Rinse and repeat. Sorry, I had to. Tbf, that last "year before" of yours, Spurs finished fifth. And the year before that! Too many variables this year for anyone to be confident. Man City, Villa, Everton, Portsmouth? Fulham? Anyhoo - where were we? Other team's transfers.... "2321 BST: Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is hoping to beat Hull to the signing of Manchester United striker Fraizer Campbell. Hull have already had a £6m bid for the striker accepted by United but England under-21 star Campbell is waiting until after the European Championships to decide his future." Looks like the death knell for a transfer to the Toon. Don't think that was ever on the cards tbh. It still staggers me that we're being linked with anyone at the moment.

His outstanding attribute is, was and always will be his footballing brain and ability to find space. Coupled with the pace he once had that made for a deadly player.

milner handed in a transfer request 9 days before he was sold. Milner handed in a transfer request because he's a greedy cunt. FYP. Also, handing in a transfer request doesn't entitle someone to a transfer. It can be refused.

Tigana took Fulham up to the prem. KK left after getting them promoted once to the championship iirc.

I've had loads of worse ideas.

Come off it. Neither of our clubs (and Villa and Everton for that matter) are big enough to diminish that competition. http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/sport/sport-headlines/leeds%2c-doctors-warn-newcastle-200905261781/ "Middlesbrough's 2004 Wembley triumph was quashed last year under the League Cups Obviously Don't Count rule." You can't argue with the mash.

I won't lie, I didn't read the bit in the middle. I liked the start and finish though.

Maybe still going to that La Coruna tournament. Don't think it'll be happening mate. You start the Championship on the 8th and the tournament in La Coruna will probably be on either that weekend or the next. A.Madrid are confirmed for the tournament and they're in England on the first weekend of August, so can't see how you'll be able to play this year. It will be interesting to see what the deals with Xisco and Colo had linked to them because I know when Bayern signed Makaay from us, they agreed they'd play a Teresa Herrera tournament or pay 500k and had to cough up in the end. You've had enough of our fecking money as it is. We want some footballers in return. The goods were fine when they left. I guess you could blame Royal Mail if they weren't in full working order when they got to you. Does Joe Kinnear have a part time there? Having seen them here I do find it hard to believe they were really in full working order when they left. Maybe having a heart transplant upon leaving is some sort of criteria.

Come on KD, everyone know about the "league cups obviously don't count" rule. Middlesborough won it ffs. I'm counting the intertoto if you're having that.

The incident (Barton being pushed over when running through off the ball) was def Nasri. I think Barton had put in a hard (but fair...pushing it mind) challenge on him within seconds of being on. I think Gallas congratulated Nasri for it at full time.

I can't believe anyone could get that wound up by commentary.

Did Taylor once play as well in the middle of defence as Edgar did at Stoke this season?

He's and overrated cunt and a very disengenuine person imo (a badge kisser). I remember about a year and a half ago on GG when i made a thread saying i didn't trust his apparant love of the club and i predicted he'd fuck off as soon as a top 4 club came in for him. An estimated 6 pages of ridicule followed. Needless to say i bumped the thread when he's inevitable betrayal occured. I mean let's look at the facts: 1) Was seen pictured at numerous Wolves games because of his "love for the club". 2) Didn't celebrate against Leeds because of his "love for the club". 3) Was caught in a pub celebrating a Celtic old firm victory. Obviously because of his "love for the club" 4) Left Spurs for Liverpool because of his "love for th club" 5) I'm sure he spouted some bollocks about the love he has for coventry once. I also hate the way his complains during games, moans at his own teammates, throws his hands up like a little bitch when the ball is sill in play. I think Keane is something of a tosser too, you can bet your house on him going down in the area at least once a game, and when the penalty isn't given he'll look at the ref with a face like this

Maybe still going to that La Coruna tournament. Don't think it'll be happening mate. You start the Championship on the 8th and the tournament in La Coruna will probably be on either that weekend or the next. A.Madrid are confirmed for the tournament and they're in England on the first weekend of August, so can't see how you'll be able to play this year. It will be interesting to see what the deals with Xisco and Colo had linked to them because I know when Bayern signed Makaay from us, they agreed they'd play a Teresa Herrera tournament or pay 500k and had to cough up in the end. You've had enough of our fecking money as it is. We want some footballers in return.