Chris_R

In a way this could all count in our favour for keeping him. Who's going to want to sign someone who goes on like this?

That would be a fucking astonishing lineup. We're a million miles away from signing all of the above but if we could it would completely vindicate the decision to sell Carroll for £35m IMO.

Oh well. *shrug*

Yeah, there's a chance they'll void the bets as per the last couple of lines on those T&Cs. But then I'm still even so no loss, got to be worth trying.

Just took 20 mins with a spreadsheet last night. If anyone wants to help themselves to the above, feel free, but of course check my maths before you do as I don't want to be held responsible for you blowing your rent money on my bad maths. The odd figures like £18.64 are because I multiplied everything up after using smaller numbers for some reason to start with on some of the figures rather than me trying to be completely exact.

Here's what I've got covered at the moment... Basically stuck £50 on a draw and £50 on a Man U win and then tried to split it so I can maximise my returns. Works out at about £125 minimum if any of the following come in, not done it precisely though so some are a little higher than others. Just got it approximate really but it's near enough. Man Utd 5 - 4 @ 500/1 Correct Score Barcelona v Man Utd - Wembley Stadium Pending £0.25 Man Utd 5 - 3 @ 500/1 Correct Score Barcelona v Man Utd - Wembley Stadium Pending £0.25 Man Utd 5 - 2 @ 500/1 Correct Score Barcelona v Man Utd - Wembley Stadium Pending £0.25 Man Utd 5 - 1 @ 500/1 Correct Score Barcelona v Man Utd - Wembley Stadium Pending £0.25 Man Utd 5 - 0 @ 500/1 Correct Score Barcelona v Man Utd - Wembley Stadium Pending £0.25 Man Utd 4 - 3 @ 300/1 Correct Score Barcelona v Man Utd - Wembley Stadium Pending £0.50 Man Utd 4 - 2 @ 175/1 Correct Score Barcelona v Man Utd - Wembley Stadium Pending £0.75 Man Utd 4 - 1 @ 125/1 Correct Score Barcelona v Man Utd - Wembley Stadium Pending £1.00 Man Utd 4 - 0 @ 225/1 Correct Score Barcelona v Man Utd - Wembley Stadium Pending £0.62 Man Utd 3 - 2 @ 33/1 Correct Score Barcelona v Man Utd - Wembley Stadium Pending £4.00 Man Utd 3 - 1 @ 35/1 Correct Score Barcelona v Man Utd - Wembley Stadium Pending £3.75 Man Utd 3 - 0 @ 50/1 Correct Score Barcelona v Man Utd - Wembley Stadium Pending £2.50 Man Utd 2 - 1 @ 10/1 Correct Score Barcelona v Man Utd - Wembley Stadium Pending £13.26 Man Utd 2 - 0 @ 17/1 Correct Score Barcelona v Man Utd - Wembley Stadium Pending £7.50 Man Utd 1 - 0 @ 9/1 Correct Score Barcelona v Man Utd - Wembley Stadium Pending £15.00 Draw 4 - 4 @ 350/1 Correct Score Barcelona v Man Utd - Wembley Stadium Pending £0.35 Draw 3 - 3 @ 75/1 Correct Score Barcelona v Man Utd - Wembley Stadium Pending £1.75 Draw 2 - 2 @ 16/1 Correct Score Barcelona v Man Utd - Wembley Stadium Pending £8.16 Draw 1 - 1 @ 6/1 Correct Score Barcelona v Man Utd - Wembley Stadium Pending £20.97 Draw 0 - 0 @ 13/2 Correct Score Barcelona v Man Utd - Wembley Stadium Pending £18.64

2 secs, I'll post my bets. That should make it clearer...

4-4's covered. 5-5 in normal time and I'm fucked. Also didn't bother to cover Man U winning 6-0 or greater. Could cover that for a few extra pennies though.

Just spread £100 over Man U win / Draw correct scores on Paddy Power, thus guaranteeing at least £25 profit provided Barca don't win in normal time. If Barca do win, I get my £100 back. Seemed ridiculous not to do it really. Zero risk, decent chance of £25. Tempted to stick £25 on a Barca win in normal time (Evens), then I'll be looking for that to come in rather than hoping Man U win or draw. Will think that through in the next couple of hours.

Timing does smack of a PR exercise, probably at McKay's behest.

Especially when we wait until August 31st then desperately sign a 6.

Think he's too professional to start playing shit because he wants to leave. He signed a 5 year contract, no harm in making him honour it. Same for Barton, we need him next year too. I think Liverpool are offering so little as they're aware of just how much they overpaid in the Carroll deal. That's their problem though. Even if they offered £10m I'd tell them to get lost. Personally I'd rather sell Enrique overseas for £4m than to the scouse bin dippers for £10m

I'd rather keep him another year and then have him leave on a free than sell him for £4m. I hope our response was just ridiculous laughter for 2 minutes followed by us worldessly hanging up.

I don't want Barton playing RW, he's got no pace and will hold us back. But I'd love him to stay and play CM for the next 3-4 years. Gutted it looks like it's not to be. No idea who to blame, but it sends out a horrible message if the club have simpy said "No new deal" as the detestable Willie McKay seems to be saying. If Barton's not even being offered a new deal, then what ambition are we showing? He's blatantly been one of our best players. What are Enrique and Tiote and indeed anyone else we're likely to try and attract to the club going to think if we are seen to not even want to tie Barton down to a new contract?

I'd sell (Or try and sell): Perch Smith Lovenkrands Ryan Taylor Routledge looks gone but I'd not be averse to keeping him as backup Release: Kuqi Campbell Loan: Ranger Kadar Vukic One of Krul and Forster. Possibly Krul, give Forster some time at the club and maybe some starts. I can't add Xisco to the sale list as I've not seen enough of him play. Could be the next David Villa for all I know. That list leaves us quite a bit down on squad depth, but we all know the likes of Smith will hang round like the unflushable turd that he is (As a footballer, not as a person. I get the feeling he's well liked and works hard etc. He just has the footballing talent of a watermelon.)

Blatantly been bingeing. At this rate there's a decent chance he's gonna be a f***ing wreck when he retires. Never thought I'd see him as the leading candidate to replace Gazza. Sadly as appealing as this image is, I can't see him turning up at an armed seige with a fishing rod, 6 pack and a KFC.

That'll be Euros, no doubt. So that's €2m/year or €38k/week. Reckon even with our new payscale we can give him a rise on that. /obviouslynotgoingtohappen

Really can't see West Ham coming back up. They're managerless and probably can't attract a decent manager now, and their players are all old, on massive contracts and not half as good as the London press have been keen to make out, hence their league position. I imagine they'll have to sell a hell of a lot of players this summer and if they do that, they'll not finish in the top 6. Blackpool's key is keeping Holloway, if he stays then they've been prudent with their spending and have their parachute payments so could actually have more money than most to spend in the Championship. Depends on who comes and goes there but they could well finish top 6 and have another shot at getting back in the PL. Birmingham have an old, expensive squad and although they're in Europe, they could well struggle and finish mid-table.

Surely his situation is the same as Enrique's? In that both have a year left and both clubs will want to get things sorted one way or the other early on. I hear what people are saying about a bidding war, but you need to have time to get replacements in too. I think going in early is sensible, whatever the outcome. If we're successful, excellent, if not then we've got plenty of time to chase after other targets.

Defoe would be a large improvement on anything we've got up front at the moment. But I'd stay clear for 2 reasons: 1) Spurs will want shitloads of money for him 2) He's 29, so has virtually no resale value once he's in his 30s I just can't see us going for him, he'd be the epitome of all the things we're trying to get away from.

Both photos look like they've been done in pitch darkness. I can just imagine them there at 3am, waiting for ages to make sure nobody's about, then standing with their coats on and the sign all rolled up. Then when they're 100% sure that there's nobody for 2 miles around, whipping their coats off, unfurling the banner, getting the photo taken and then diving straight back in the car all within 10 seconds, and speeding off like they've just robbed a bank. I wish I was that hard.

I really don't think so. The top of the "L" comes up to almost the bottom of the loop of the "P/D", so if it was a "P" then the tail of the P has nowhere to go. Since they'd do the "P" first, and then the "L", then this shouldn't be possible. Even for mackems.

I was very annoyed yesterday when West Brom equalised, but the reaction from the village of the damned (And that photo in particular) has actually made me almost glad that they finished above us. Shows how utterly laughable they are as a club, a city, and a people. If we'd finished above them we'd never have got this amount of enjoyment out of their reaction.

Absolutely refusing to look at any league tables today. So annoyed.

Today I wanted the following to happen: Newcastle to win Sunderland to lose Wigan to be relegated Wolves to be relegated Owen not to score Blackpool to stay up Newcastle to finish above Sunderland Fucking hell. 0/7. Useless cunts.