brummie

That looks like made up nonsense to me. You can't force footballers to do anything these days. I've no agenda in saying these things, incidentally, believe me or don't believe me - in the words of Houllier, I don't care - I'm just telling you like it has been from our end.

Other than the low risk part, that point to prove stuff is exactly what we said in the summer. He's out of his comfort zone, unfortunately, and he's not handling it well. I get the feeling it would have been like this had he gone anywhere - anywhere that isn't Man City, that's the issue. He's apparently dreadful in training, doesn't want to know. On more than one occasion, he's ruled himself out with iffy sounding illnesses - the last time it was a "virus" and the very same evening he was seen out boozing with Heskey and Ashley Young. When he came here, someone on the City staff said he was in the top 5 percent in terms of talent there, but the bottom 5 mentally. Houllier said that any loans out, the other club would have to pay all the wages, and that we'd rather players stayed in the stiffs rather than subsidise them to play somewhere else. So, five months of Ireland = 70 x 4 x 5 = 1.4m, add on NI, and you're looking at 1.6m. On top of that, there's win bonuses etc etc etc. So, whilst it could be more expensive otherwise, it certainly isn't free.

No. What's the point of him? We don't need a player of that ilk.

You would do if you'd seen him play or heard some of the stories circulating about him this season. I'll be delighted for someone else to pay his wages for the next five months.

That is correct.

Such a nice bloke too. "In many ways, O'Neill is too good a person for the game of football". Henry Winter actually wrote that in the Torygraph shortly after he flounced off.

No. I can't face going through it again, honestly, I think I may cry.

Jesus christ. Shall I? Or Brummie? O'Neil was deemed (and rightly so) to have wasted a lot of money on high wages for players who weren't really doing anything. He was told to get rid of some of these players before he could have any more money. He also, apparently, went to Lerner and had this conversation: MON: "I want to sign Aiden McGeady" RL: "What sort of price are we looking at?" MON: "Whatever it takes" Poor, wronged Saint Martin.

Oh God, give me strength. *head in hands* And that's not even about the Jenas bit, that's *head in hands* as in I've just blown my head off, into my hands.

1986-7. All of it. 1981 - champions 1982 - european champions 1987 - relegated. Even now, the unbelievableness of it all still rankles with me. Nothing will ever be as bad as that.

I genuinely do not have a problem with Sunderland. Far from it, in fact, I've known lots of Sunderland fans in my time, and most of them have been good, knowledgeable types. My best friend is one of them. However, I'd be fucking mortified if any of our forums were as bad as RTG. The pubescent wailing and detachment from reality on there is quite something.

odd decor and car colour apart no. he often trains hard and spends time with his kids He also often declares himself unfit with a virus or flu, only to get spotted out boozing on the evening.

They can claim the VAT, but they'll only have to hand it over in any case, surely? Yeah, it will go to the state. In most cases the selling club just agrees to accept a bid for the value of the clause instead of having the player actually triggering it, since they won't be seeing any extra money anyway. But in truly hostile player buys it's a way to defend themselves and increase costs for the buyer. We claimed tax in the Figo sale for example. But surely the buying club pays the VAT, they claim it back? God. I'm talking about EU state VAT on a Newcastle forum not long before midnight on a work night. I need to get my life back in order.

I fucking love the internet. If this sort of shit isn't what it was invented for, then what was it?

They can claim the VAT, but they'll only have to hand it over in any case, surely?

The clip on youtube of Richard Keys doing that bit about Jamie Redknapp hanging out the back of Ruud Gullit's (think it was his) girlfriend has just been removed very, very quickly.

The only reason we're so low is that we usually don't get hold of the ball enough to pass it anywhere, long or short.

Atlético prez has just said they have turned down a €45m Real Madrid bid for Kun. His release clause is €45m+18% VAT They can claim the VAT back, though, so doesn't come into it. They can? Does that mean normal people can do it as well?! Ah yes, that's right. If you (as in the poster TaylorJ) were to buy Aguero - and, let's be honest, we've all been tempted - you could not claim that VAT back, unless you were VAT registered. My advice would be if you're thinking of putting an offer in, get registered first.

Stick that up your shitter, Golloway.

Atlético prez has just said they have turned down a €45m Real Madrid bid for Kun. His release clause is €45m+18% VAT They can claim the VAT back, though, so doesn't come into it.

A friend of my Mrs is a friend of Gray's (former) partner, Suzanne Dando. She assures us that he has a "miniscule" penis.

This is interesting. That's an awful lot of long balls hit by the saviours of passing football. Must be all that "it isn't working, hit it long to Crouchy" stuff. http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thefootballtacticsblog/long_passes_table.jpg

Aye but with his age and the chance of getting his form back we could get a bargain from Villa, if he is willing to drop his wages. Indeed I hope you take him. Quickly. He's a decent player, but he's clearly as mad as a pint of cake.

What wage is he on at the moment? And how long is he expected to be out for? I think 70k per week.. Yes, he's on big money

Jonathon Hogg on loan to Portsmouth for the rest of the season. I like this lad. He's not afraid to get stuck right in. Put a quality "reducer" onto Lee Bowyer in the derby match, too, right through the little racist cunt, with both legs.