Unbelievable

This has been mentioned in another topic today as well, but alas, if I was him I would definitely prefer to play at the highest level in Holland and challenging for European football rather than play for Hartlepool in the lower regions of league 1. He will train at a much higher level too. Roda have had some really good goalkeepers in the past, including Hesp (who later played at Barcelona) and Zeljko Kalac (nowadays at AC Milan), so I presume they do ok in the goalkeeping coaching department.. Everything for me depends on whether he/we will be given assurances to get a game in..

Reports in Holland are surfacing that Dutch midtable club Roda JC are interested in taking him on a season's loan to have him compete with their first goalkeeper for first team football. I think it would be a good level for him to play on for a season but would only accept if he is guaranteed a shot at first team football. Source: http://www.vi.nl/vi/show/id=62802/contentid=93577/sc=b0fee0

18 goals from midfield this season. Great at free kicks too, something we have been missing this season..

Youtube has a short and not so good quality fan video of the clapping leading up to 19:04 and then the hysteria as they score. Search for: "sound of silence an end!" Mods, please remove if this is not allowed.

What do you mean by his first season form, mate? He played well in the first 4 games under Robson then was out a lot through injury and of course, Souness was now the 'manager.' Perhaps like some other players he could see Souness for the idiot that he is, especially after Ferguson. Unhappy players don't generally play to the best of their ability. Interesting that since he's returned he's looked a decent player again. You won't like it as it doesn't fit your view, but replace Robson with Sounness, Sounness with Roeder and Butt with Parker and the argument contains some truths and half truths but overall is, well, still as incoherent as it currently is..

Choker..

finished?

too little time for Manchester to reply to this surely?

Spectrum

Good move!

Drogba goal

Does anybody feel Chelsea have any chance at all if it comes to penalties?

Hmmm... Well.. He could have hit the target from there..

Drogba misses sitter

Robben has looked dangerous a few times now..

It's to announce there's only still 45000 Rod Stewart tickets for sale..

Not saying Steve McLaren is a better manager MJ, but yo can't organise a football association in the same way you can a football club. Louis van Gaal tried it in Holland and failed massively on the pitch. The FA directors mustn't have been too impressed by his plans of bringing in Blue sky consultants and player profiling. They just want the best 11 English players out on the pitch because a) they sell the shirts and b) they probably think they can get the best results regardless of how they work together..

This time last year Parker would have our player of the season and everybody wanted Butt out of the club though.. Who knows what the situation may be like this time next season..?

If you have such a problem with footballers and managers making a lot of money I'm surprised you're still interested in the sport. There's more to motivation than high earnings you know?

Does it really matter what the manager can do when they can't even do it despite 5,000+ loyal, travelling fans behind the goal spurring them on? Seemingly so, otherwise we wouldn't be where we are now?

He's also a massive, massive gamble. For former top players who make shit managers, look no further than Van Basten or indeed Klinsman. For the world cup, especially in your home country, players will be pretty much self-motivated. Motivating Newcastle for an away match against Wigan is an altogether different cattle of fish..

It is very easy to admire with hindsight Arsenal's appointment of Wenger, but what would your reaction be right now if Newcastle appointed someone who had won the French league and then spent a few years rattling around in Japan? How does any club outside the top four - no, actually, three of the top four - have the hallmark of a title challenger? Clubs with pretensions to challenge for the title at any point soon don't find themselves in the bottom half of the table, or rattling around in the mid reaches. There might be better managers than SA around but that's not what it is about. It is about great managers who are *willing* to come to a mid table Premiership club, one with great potential yes, but mid table nonetheless. He might not be the most glamourous name around, he might not have managed Atletico Bumchaff to 12 Spanish League titles, but he's almost certainly the best man currently available and willing to take the job. Top post Absolutely!

Yes on both counts as far as I am concerned. I don't like him as a person, nor as a manager. He managed to make England play like Germany at their worst..

satisfied - 8th and progress happy - 6th (Uefa) or top 10 and League cup extatic - CL or top 10 and FA Cup