timeEd32

I don't understand why Spain/Portugal are allowed a joint bid. During the bidding for 2010 the Committee decided it would not allow co-hosts. I can't stand how they just make up rules based on how it suits them.

Not a chance, if he even comes close to being consistent over the next year or two he will be bought by a bigger team. Sick of this to be honest. Sure, Ashley could decide to cash-in in a couple years time (or will be forced to if we go down), but barring that it's far from set in stone he'll leave. It's not as if he's counting the days until he gets to play for his dream club - he's already doing it and seems to be loving every minute of it. The club has come a long way in the last 15 months and he's a big reason why. Plenty of people on here will say "yeah, but he'll want to win trophies." Carroll will dream of leading Newcastle to glory at Wembley and given his confident demeanor he's likely to think he's capable of doing it. I'm sure he's never pictured himself raising a trophy for Manchester City, but I can bet you he's thought of doing it while wearing the #9 shirt for Newcastle United. Also, as long as Newcastle's in the PL then he will have every opportunity to play for England, so that's not an issue. Last season went better than most expected. This season to date is better than expected. Maybe we push through to the end and finish mid-table. Maybe we make a couple more good signings next summer. Maybe we finish in the top-half next season. Who the hell knows, but a little optimism goes a long way.

Would love a VDV hat trick plus a straight red for a Liverpool player so they miss our match. Torres, Kuyt, Skrtel or Carragher preferably.

So he's good enough to deputise for Arsenal but not for us. Eh? By all accounts he did very well at Arsenal so i've no doubt he'll be good enough for a newly promoted team By which accounts? Winning games - not according to reality. How about goals per game? Ooops wrong again - they leaked over 2 goals per game with him in the side as opposed to a shade over 1 per game before him. Good enough for a promoted team. Good call - with the talent around him at Arsenal they had there worst patch of the season when he was in the side. So with the talent on display at Newcastle right now he will really thrive. Are you serious? I thought Sol did well for Arsenal last season? And he's looked good in his appearances for us (Man City, Bolton). He did. Not sure why Canuck is being so critical. In two of the three PL losses at the end of the season he was paired with Silvestre and in front of average at best keepers. Not sure why you're singling out Campbell for the poor finish. By most accounts he was one of their better players.

Ashley could take a huge step towards redemption by opening his wallet for A. Johnson. Never going to happen though. He's probably on some of the lowest wages at Man City and it's still probably more than we would consider paying.

Did people really just boo? Unreal.

Agreed. Yup...don't understand it.

Great ball from Nani. They're gonna win this aren't they?

Why didn't Krul go to ground to make the save? Just terrible all around.

If you're really desperate you can pay $15/month and watch on foxsoccer.tv. Fuck.

Could have been Carroll against Ben Arfa.

You mean like Ben Arfa?

I'm actually really surprised we haven't. Thought Ashley would have demanded it by now just to sell some shirts over there.

Want to beat these fuckers so badly.

Obinna had some good moments, but people would be complaining about his lack of end product after 3-4 games if we signed him.

That's what I thought - thanks!

Quick question - was his court case that was supposed to be next week delayed until January or is the January court date for what happened this past weekend?

You would think that means they were honest about their financial situation and it looks grim.

Minimum salary cap and maximum salary cap. Those teams which want to max the cap out can, those who choose not to, then fair enough. But it will have to be agreed with The clubs and players union. and I hate to say it but TV money would probs have an influance on it. How does the minimum salary cap work? A minimum isn't needed when there is the threat of relegation. If a team doesn't want to spend they will be punished for it. A salary cap/floor is what a lot of people want to see in baseball. If they introduced a cap then a floor would be necessary to prevent teams from spending nothing and making a profit like a couple do now.

Up to 9th - thank god for Tevez as captain.

Thinking about what death row inmates did to get there usually makes people sick as well. The last thing this board needs is a death penalty argument though.

Agreed...can't stand them. Voted Sunderland, Arsenal, and Liverpool.

It's not a load of nonsense, man. You all have gone mad. It's a bad tackle that has caused a bad injury. Fine. This is understood. People's legs are broken on the pitch all of the time. We can increase the penalties for bad tackles within football. This is acceptable It's the same as charging a racing car pilot with murder because he made a bad move that led to a deadly accident. This would be madness. Football is not the same as walking on the street, and there are inherent risks when you walk on the pitch. You don't call the police after every incident. That is literal insanity. The only way police could get involved is if there is an incident that is far separated from what is part of football. De Jong's tackle was not that. The game itself is "policed" by the referee, and the sport by the FA. They should deal severely with intended acts of violence which cause serious injury. When they fail in their duties to do so, there is no reason why the victims should not turn to common law to obtain justice and recompense for loss of earnings/investment etc. If this does go legal then it will be the fault of a very dodgy referee and an incompetent FA to deal with it properly in house. I'm also fairly sure that if a F1 driver made a deliberate move that put another driver in hospital or worse then he wouldn't be racing for a long time. The key is the intent behind the move, if De Jong and Ben Arfa were going for a 50:50 and their legs got caught together then its an accident. Mark Webbers impression of Superman in a car earlier this season was an accident. However, De Jong went in to put Ben Arfa out of this particular game either mentally or physically. We've all been in games where the manager has said to rough up the keeper, or 'keep the little quick un quiet'. He went too far in this, it was a deliberate act and he should be punished. Yes, but you could never prove intent on a tackle unless the player admitted it. Err... isn't that what the process of law and the judiciary is for ? To decide if there was intent. Do you also think murder, theft, fraud etc can not be proven unless the perpetrator admits guilt ? If it hadn't been for a very dodgy referee and an incompetent and ignorant football association it could have been concluded already. Deciding if there was intent and handing down punishment is the job of the FA (and FIFA). Tackling is part of the game. Should he have been punished - sent off, suspended, and possibly fined? Yes, yes, and yes. The FA and FIFA need to do a much better job of policing their game. Does he belong in jail? Of course not. Jail ? Are you kidding ? No one's talking about jail. It's about justice and compensation for a pre-meditated act of violence which has left a brilliant young footballer with a serious injury. De Jong earns millions a year. He is employed by billionaires. He commited an act of violence which should be punished accordingly. Sadly the referee in question and the governing body (FA) have chosen to turn a blind eye to this rather than address the problem and confront a club owned by the type of people they now pander to, i.e. billionaires who think they are above the law. If they are too weak to act then it should be taken to a higher jurisdiction. You were talking about taking legal action to seek damages which is fine, but those saying it is a criminal act/should be reported to police, etc. are basically saying he should be tried for assault (actual bodily harm or whatever it's called over there). That's completely ridiculous. Also you don't know it was pre-meditated and no one could ever prove it was. Not defending De Jong by the way - think he's a thug and I think he probably enjoys injuring opposing players. It's his version of scoring a goal.

Yes. Most teams play God Bless America on Sunday's and significant days throughout the season.

This is more true for the NBA, NFL, and NHL. Because there is no salary cap and players generally aren't full developed when drafted (many are taken straight out of high school) it takes longer for MLB teams to see the reward for losing.