leffe186

Oh, I know you're hanging on every word

It's as if the pitch doubled in size. I've never really seen that much room in midfield. I think they're playing with a sweeper who has just decided to stay back there. The US still need more defensive experience in the middle. Donovan and Dempsey are great going forward, but players like Bradley give the ball away far too much. That said, the US seem to have tightened it up in the last 5 mins.

El Salvador's defence is unbelievably deep. This is so open.

The thinking seems to be that he thought Dempsey followed through when he played the ball through to Altidore. It's just the kind of bullshit decision you get when a ref is sympathetic to one side.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, refs in CONCACAF systematically favour opponents of the US in games. That was a horrible, horrible decision by the ref. You're right about Gooch though, the US look really ropey at the back.

Hes a good solid defender at International and Premier League level, I think 6 mill is a fair price. Especially when you consider how much Lescott cost and even how much Colo cost us. Agreed, Villa needed an experienced CB so the price seems fair. As a counter-example, Spurs didn't actually NEED Kranjcar (a replacement for Modric, sure, but there are alternatives) so I suspect we wouldn't have offered much more than we did. Who else would Villa have got for that money, or cheaper (given that Distin went to Everton)?

Jesus. Hate to admit it, but I thought the pic was a vid that showed it actually happening.

As a Spurs fan I hate to say it, but I agree with delima - largely because you're just not going to see King and Woodgate play many matches together. Ledley's still excellent when he plays, but without proper training he will pick up more and more injuries like the groin one that forced him off at half-time in the last game.

at all? Shit. My wife is American, or so I thought, clearly I have been humping my fist for years.

I wish refs would occasionally go on TV and say "look, you should have subbed this guy, why do you pick him, your formation's rubbish, how can you show your face when you lost today etc etc." Respect my arse.

Hee hee. Not too fussed about who won that, so Wenger having an eppy is gravy.

I'd hate to be Rooney in this team, he has to kill himself every game. Being asked to do far too much.

What on earth was he thinking? Brilliant game to watch, this.

More of a penalty than Eduardo. Keeper clearly fouled him, but Rooney was on his way down.

Extended because Birmingham made a massive meal of a substitution. Hee hee.

All that matters is how the new team does, and it looks like a decent team to me. More or less decent than when they had Lescott? Because progress is all that matters as far as Im concerned, regardless of whether a team looks decent or not. Understood, but now they've been able to buy Heitinga and...er....the Russian guy with that money. It looks like a better team all round to me, but the odds of it ever getting on the pitch (Jagielka, Arteta and Yak?) are low.

All that matters is how the new team does, and it looks like a decent team to me.

Birmingham parking the bus. Spurs 70.5% possession.

Some "Sunista" discussion in the attached thread that has to be read to be believed: http://www.independentmillwall.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=93255&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Unlikely now O'Hara is on loan to Portsmouth, Spurs will need to buy another LW before they'll let Bale go.

[glow=red,2,300][/glow] Probably because of this:- Uefa general secretary David Taylor = ex Chief Executive of the SFA. Until Rooney, Gerard, Owen or Ronaldo is accused of this too whenever they do their next dives then this has been done for show and nothing else. I just don't believe it would have happened to Rooney or Gerrard had they been playing precious Celtic. It's meaningless tbh and won't change a thing. The action itself isn't meaningless though, it shows how cavalier UEFA can be with impunity. I'd be impressed if the next one was a Real or Inter player, or someone obscure from that Romanian team (Debreceni?) - at least that would mean they are serious.

Yeah, but in a Scottish League match. It was the SFA that dealt it out.

Burn the heretic!

No, it's because he plays his reserves. No, it's because his squad is too thin. He doesn't buy enough players, and their playing style is predictable.

I cannot believe that no other player in that round of Champions League qualifiers dived. The decision is PR, but you could argue the other way round - that UEFA are making a stand because the team is English. Either way, it's pathetic. Nice in principle, but unless you scrutinize every game it's going to be innately biased.