Parky

General consensus seems he has ability and can't go wrong for £0.

Hasn't even played a game yet, it's a wait and see fella...Reckon he's pretty much past it anyway.

Smell plently of easy goals in the offing.

Pressing right up the pitch is a key part of what they are about and it's rarely mentioned actually. The game didn't go how I thought it would. I could see Spain having to commit more and more men forward and then get punished on the break. But the minute they lost the ball, they closed the Germans right down and stopped any flow to their attacks. Basically, Spain were too good. The Germans feeling for the first time that 'fear' the English felt all tournament. The thing I love about Spain although sometimes the overplaying can be irritating is that when they slow it right down, it's kinda hynotic and you can feel the opp going to sleep and then suddenly someone will burst forward and gaps will open. Some lovely stuff tonight. The Dutch will really have to get amongst them or they will be hypnotised as well. Like Barca, you've got to get stuck into Spain. Let them have the ball, but give them no time on it. And when you get it, get forward as fast as possible. That really gets to them, when they don't have time to play. the problem is they are so good at not letting you have the ball that by the time you get it you're shagged out from chasing after it. Need to clatter a couple of the peacocks early.

I refer to him as pig fucker which always raises a laugh here.

Already my second team so yes.

Pressing right up the pitch is a key part of what they are about and it's rarely mentioned actually. The game didn't go how I thought it would. I could see Spain having to commit more and more men forward and then get punished on the break. But the minute they lost the ball, they closed the Germans right down and stopped any flow to their attacks. Basically, Spain were too good. The Germans feeling for the first time that 'fear' the English felt all tournament. The thing I love about Spain although sometimes the overplaying can be irritating is that when they slow it right down, it's kinda hynotic and you can feel the opp going to sleep and then suddenly someone will burst forward and gaps will open. Some lovely stuff tonight. The Dutch will really have to get amongst them or they will be hypnotised as well.

Pressing right up the pitch is a key part of what they are about and it's rarely mentioned actually.

Sat too deep and showed the dwarves too much respect, got what they deserved in the end. In that 10 min spell when they were chasing it, you could see what the Germans should have been doing from the start. Really can't have two mids sitting all game, one has to come out and support. Low got it all wrong today and hopefully that's the end of all the ridiculous hero worship he's been getting here. In saying that, Germany have built a good platform for years to come.

Isn't it time the rich made the savings and not the poor?

The Germans took the report Howard Wilkinson gave the fa in 1998 and the fa duly ignored and used it as a blueprint.

As if the likes of Uruguay, Spain or Holland wouldn't do a party of the same quality. Have you ever tried Dutch or Spanish beer? There's good Spanish beer, just not the mainstream brands. Amstel's areet imo. Streets ahead of Heineken. Why are the popular beers always shite? It doesn't make any sense. It's not like they're cheaper than good beers. Cause the masses like shite?

Erm, is there a European team like? I don't see why it's that hard to understand. I support Newcastle because I'm born there and have grown up to support that club and that it's the team I identify with. I support England because it's my country of birth and my nationality, and again it's the team I identify with. There is nothing to identify with in terms of Europe, there is no European team to support. Just a selection of other countries that are rivalrous to each other and to my country, lots of other countries that have different languages, cultures and governments. As far as I'm concerned these other countries are just as much as rivals as South American countries are. Really why should I (or anybody in Europe) feel the need to prioritise support because of geography or politics? I think this collective 'Europe' thing is a bit stupid tbh. Fair enough if you want to get behind your Eurobrothers though I guess... Nearly all of Europe absolutely hate the English. Exactly. So do the other parts of Britain. The parts of Africa, South America, Middle East & Oceania. I would say were safe with North America though. Only cause they've never heard of us or think London is in France near Disney World or summink...

Erm, is there a European team like? I don't see why it's that hard to understand. I support Newcastle because I'm born there and have grown up to support that club and that it's the team I identify with. I support England because it's my country of birth and my nationality, and again it's the team I identify with. There is nothing to identify with in terms of Europe, there is no European team to support. Just a selection of other countries that are rivalrous to each other and to my country, lots of other countries that have different languages, cultures and governments. As far as I'm concerned these other countries are just as much as rivals as South American countries are. Really why should I (or anybody in Europe) feel the need to prioritise support because of geography or politics? I think this collective 'Europe' thing is a bit stupid tbh. Fair enough if you want to get behind your Eurobrothers though I guess... Nearly all of Europe absolutely hate the English. Are you still based in Europe? Yes mate.

Erm, is there a European team like? I don't see why it's that hard to understand. I support Newcastle because I'm born there and have grown up to support that club and that it's the team I identify with. I support England because it's my country of birth and my nationality, and again it's the team I identify with. There is nothing to identify with in terms of Europe, there is no European team to support. Just a selection of other countries that are rivalrous to each other and to my country, lots of other countries that have different languages, cultures and governments. As far as I'm concerned these other countries are just as much as rivals as South American countries are. Really why should I (or anybody in Europe) feel the need to prioritise support because of geography or politics? I think this collective 'Europe' thing is a bit stupid tbh. Fair enough if you want to get behind your Eurobrothers though I guess... Nearly all of Europe absolutely hate the English.

The cases of Rink and Dundee, both unprecedented in German football since the war, demonstrated that something was very wrong. The disappointing quarterfinal exit against Croatia at the 1998 World Cup then made it plain to see: not enough talent was coming through. In the Bundesliga, the percentage of foreigners had risen again, to 50 percent by the time the season kicked off in 2000. The German FA realized that something had to be done. It looked at the French system and decided that something similar was needed. In May 1999, FA vice president Beckenbauer, first-team manager Ribbeck, Bayer Leverkusen general manager Reiner Calmund and FA Director of Youth Development Dietrich Weise presented a new concept for producing young German footballers. All across the country, 121 national talent centers would be built to help 10- to 17-year-olds with technical practice. Each center would employ two full-time coaches at a cost of $15.6 million over five years. The second key point was a new requirement for all 36 professional clubs in Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 to build youth academies. "If this concept works, we will see a lot of youngsters get into Bundesliga clubs in the coming years," Weise said. Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/soccer/world-cup-2010/writers/raphael_honigstein/07/01/germany.reinvention/index.html#ixzz0sdsjmKEY

Really playing well. Damn!

Piecemeal destruction of Argentina confirms German bid. An almost flawless display of counterattacking football with two fulcrum midfielders. Puts the Eng game in perspective.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/jul/02/world-cup-2010-germany-flair This is what I'm trying to point out to people carping on about most of the German players playing in the Bundesliga. It's light years ahead player development wise to anything in England.

Al Fayed will not be pumping the funds from the sale of Harrods into Fulham, in fact he has said he will be looking to sell Fulham in the next few years. Think he'll be selling up...At a tidy profit?

This one is a slightly different angle, it's a bit more Liv orientated. Is that alright with you?

Brazil have got what they deserved the stupid fuckers. Dunga really has messed up here, what with an ocean of talent to pick from, he picks two midfield cloggers. Lovely watching it in the park with a beer and the Germans getting behind Holland for a change (casue they think they can win it now the sneaky fuckers). I said on NO 4/5 years ago that Van Marwicjk (then practically unkown) would make a good toon manager.

Would probably be the 564th article of it's kind. The Germans all playing in the bundesliga pretty much disproves the idea being that significant. Unless you believe theyre learning far more skills by playing in Germany than ours do in England. The style of play they're learning gives them no advantages when our club teams meet though. So doesnt really add up again. I live here and they are. German coaching and pitch intelligence is streets ahead as is fitness and attitude development. That's why Hargraves was so good last time out.

How many Eng players would top tier foreign clubs want anyway. 3 maybe 4 of them?

Have you forgotten what happened here? Owen is awful now. He hasn't even been good for Man U. You are saying that based purely on reputation which is most of the reason we got so badly fucked over by him. Owen has been finished for about 5 years or so. Too much football when in his teens and too many niggling injuries.