summerof69

Is it just me that doesn't understand the problem they have with this ?

Where's that quote from? If they show reserve matches on it that would be class! I hope this happens.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3493900/Survey-reveals-Manchester-United-are-the-most-loathed-company-in-Britain.html MANCHESTER United is the most loathed company in Britain, a poll shows. Twenty-six per cent of people put Sir Alex Ferguson's team at the top of their hate list. Soccer rivalry and the success and power of the club were blamed. The next most hated firm was Ryanair, with 23 per cent. People said they can't stand the airline's money-grabbing antics. British Gas, blamed for hiking prices, was hated by 22 per cent, and fast food giant McDonald's by 19 per cent. Britain is still seething at the bonuses paid to bankers - with 17 per cent naming RBS and 16 per cent Lloyds as the firms they cannot stand. They were followed by Starbucks (14 per cent) and BT (13 per cent). The Online Opinions survey of 1,000 people found banking was the most hated sector, followed by utilities, petrol firms, fast food outlets and public transport. edit: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3493820/Scotland-fans-accused-of-racially-abusing-Brazil-star-Neymar.html SCOTLAND'S Tartan Army were last night accused of racially abusing Brazilian wonder-kid Neymar. The £30million-rated Chelsea target claimed a banana was thrown at him after scoring twice in his country's 2-0 friendly win at the Emirates Stadium. THROWN ... banana Neymar said: "I was running down the touchline in the second half and saw the banana but I didn't see where it came from. The fans were jeering me a lot. This atmosphere of racism is totally sad." But Hamish Husband of the Tartan Army Association emphatically denied the claims. He insisted: "Any suggestion of racism today is absolute tosh. "The only reason Neymar was booed was because we believed he was feigning injury."

I would still say those results are better than what most people would expect georgia to get.

I think it will, but who knows what ups and downs we will be put through by this club during that time. Through out my time as a fan of this club, we have rarely been boring and the bad times makes you appreciate the good more.

Has anyone seen Elano's wonder goal goal for Santos ? It was absolutely brilliant.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3485601/Jose-Mourinho-Im-coming-back-to-England.html JOSE MOURINHO last night confirmed he was coming home to the Premier League - just as we told you. He admitted: "I miss England and my next job will be in England. There is unfinished business. "And I think England wants me back, no? It was the most enjoyable time of my career." The Real Madrid boss was speaking at the Football Extravaganza evening at London's Grosvenor Hotel. The Special One described England as a special place to be a manager. Mourinho - who left Chelsea for Inter Milan in 2008 - made it clear he was planning a spectacular Premier League return - as SunSport exclusively revealed on March 12. Chelsea is his most likely destination but both Manchester clubs and Spurs are on his radar. Mourinho, 48, said: "My Chelsea time was amazing as a football manager and family man. My family and I enjoyed it so much. We made so many friends here. We still keep in touch, we still come back. "In football there are a few victories here I would like to repeat. I will talk to my agent and get a project for my career. "I still have three years at Real Madrid. It is the biggest club in the world but it is also the most difficult club in the world. "They came to me for the third time and I could not say no to them for the third time - I had to go. "And I had to go to Italy, that was important for me because I wanted to try there. Everyone said it was the home of tactics so I said let me try there. "But it is not England, England is special. People in Italy, Spain and Portugal ask me why I love England so much and I can't explain - I just do. "I want to be happy in my work. I want to be happy with my football."

Class story. My friend showed me this yesterday. Class.

Actually excited about this for some reason. Me too, unfortunately i will be working so i will have to record it, but i have heard a lot about him, so it will be good viewing to see for myself what type of player he is. For those who know, is he likely to start ?

Link please.

________________Hart_________________ Johnson_____Terry_______Cahill_____Cole Lennon_____Wilsh_______Parker____Young __________Rooney______Carroll_________

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/3480363/Jean-Marc-Bosmans-fight-against-depression-and-alcoholism.html JEAN-MARC BOSMAN'S hand trembles as he shakily pours red wine into a glass. The man whose five-year court battle opened the way for today's footballers to earn multi-million pound wages is broke, down on his luck and facing a different fight - against depression and alcoholism. Jean-Marc, 46, says: "It has been very, very hard. I won in court but I am the one who has paid and paid and paid." Before his alarming personal decline, the legal finding in favour of the Belgian midfielder - dubbed the "Bosman ruling" - meant footballers in the European Union could move freely to another club at the end of their contract. This has strengthened players' bargaining power over wages as clubs now fear losing their stars for no return. Court offside ... Bosman facing the press in 1995 Recently, Manchester United faced the prospect of an unsettled Wayne Rooney leaving "on a Bosman" at the end of his contract, so they tied him down to a longer deal by upping his pay to an eye-watering £200,000-plus a week. But while the game's big names gorge themselves on the legacy left by Jean-Marc Bosman, the man himself is left scrabbling on benefits. Bloated and balding, Jean-Marc lives alone in a small house just outside Liège - the only material item of consequence from his legal victory and lost career. He says his only motivation to keep going in life are his young sons Martin, nearly two, and five-week-old Samuel. Tragically, he cannot even live with his boys and their mother Carine for fear of having the family's benefits cut. Anti-depressants keep him on an even keel and he insists he has been off the booze since December 27, 2007. But his claim is undermined as he slurps from his glass. "I have only a glass of sparkling wine on special occasions... " The red wine he pours is for me as he tells The Sun of his troubles. In the background at the tiny house in Liège where Jean-Marc grew up, his mother Angele cooks us pasta. As a child, Jean-Marc could see the Standard Liège football stadium from the top of this house and he dreamed of playing for Belgium's most famous club. He realised that dream in the early 1980s and also captained his country at youth level. But a transfer to RFC Liège proved a disaster and he found himself completely out of favour when his contract expired in 1990. Jean-Marc tried to force through a move to French side Dunkirk but when they refused to offer a transfer fee, RFC Liège slashed his wages. Jean-Marc decided to take his case to court, citing European law on the restriction of the free movement of workers. He went on to play briefly in the French lower leagues, including a stint on the French Indian Ocean island of Réunion. On his return, Belgian side Charleroi gave him a place in their squad. He says: "They only paid me £650 a month because of who I was. They thought I was a risk." When they stopped paying him, he played on for two years "for fun and to keep fit" but it meant he could not afford the rent on his Charleroi flat. Jean-Marc was forced to move back into the garage of his family home, converted into a single-bed room, but without his now ex-wife and young daughter, now 21, whom Jean-Marc refuses to discuss. He says: "My lawyer wrote to every club in Belgium but they all said, 'No thank you - we wish Monsieur Bosman good luck but we already have players'." Jean-Marc lived in the garage for two years as his court case rumbled on to the European Court of Justice, which finally, in 1995, ruled in his favour. Home town glory ... Jean-Marc Bosman playing for Standard Liège With his victory, players became free agents, able to move without a fee when their contracts were up and without restrictions on which European country they played in. Ambitious clubs filled their teams with foreign stars and the fledgling English Premier League took full advantage. With the power now in their hands, players' wages went through the roof and the perception was that Jean-Marc did not do badly either. His union, FIFPro, contributed £200,000 for him to fight his case and then there was the cash compensation awarded to him by the court - rumoured to be anything up to £1million - plus the proceeds of a lucrative testimonial match. Jean-Marc, it was said, had two houses and two Porsches. But today he simply laughs at the suggestion. He says: "People think I made a fortune. My 'fortune' wouldn't pay Wayne Rooney's wages for one day." Jean-Marc says the FIFPro money was swallowed up by lawyers and court costs. The court award was nothing like the amount speculated and much of it went on settling tax bills. The plans for a grand testimonial game against Barcelona flopped too - he had to make do with a match in Lille in front of just 2,000 fans. Jean-Marc did have one second-hand Porsche before his court case - but was forced to sell it. He invested the bulk of his court proceeds in property, buying the house next door to his parents' home in Liège and another small place outside the city. He rented out the first and lived in the other until hefty tax bills forced him to sell the second plot. His court fee also allowed him to have a vital titanium hip replacement as his health deteriorated - but the rest of the cash was squandered as he attempted to escape into an alcoholic haze. Jean-Marc said: "The pressure of the case was very great. The European Community did not want to have to change the system. It was morally difficult. "My lawyer knew I was crying blood - that it was hard on me - and he said I could stop at any time, but it was important. Normally when you win a court case you feel free, but the media in Belgium were against me after the case. "I got depressed and started drinking more and more. In the end I just stayed at home, drinking wine and beer." Jean-Marc's relentless boozing has left his body in tatters. Medical reports reveal he was just a couple of drinks from damaging his liver beyond repair. But after being admitted to hospital, he insists he has turned his life around. He adds: "My victory in the Bosman process was a big one, but the bigger victory is the one over alcohol." Today he lives on £625 a month, including £180 paid by the state for heating. He holds up a social aid letter addressed to "J-M Bosman". He says: "I must be Belgium's most famous football player, but no one knows who I am!" Girlfriend Carine receives the same amount in benefits because, with a 14-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, she is unable to work. If they lived together, their combined benefits would be capped at £875. Jean-Marc's only constant living companion for the past 15 years has been his black labrador called Freedom Fighter - but he died two weeks ago. He says: "My dog was my most loyal friend. I was so upset to lose him." Jean-Marc has tried to find work, in spite of his health problems. He hopes a new website, using his image to promote amateur sports, might provide an income. Advertisement Another concern for Jean-Marc is Fifa president Sepp Blatter's plans to reintroduce a cap on foreign players - the "six plus five" rule of six homegrown players with a maximum of five foreigners. Jean-Marc believes this will undermine his court victory. He says: "I have my place in history and I had a long fight to achieve what I did. "I don't want everything I did in my life to be for nothing. I'm happy for footballers earning a lot of money. I'm not jealous. I gave my career so European players wouldn't work like slaves. "I just want to be recognised. People know there's a 'Bosman ruling' but they don't realise there's a guy who has given everything, who became an alcoholic." Jean-Marc says he will keep trying to earn a decent living, to find the money to educate his sons. For now he is fighting just to stay sober. He says: "To quote Confucius, our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall."

I red on the Norwich forum that his kicking actually got better by the end of the season aswell

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3477297/Six-footballers-caged-for-rape.html SIX footballers who had a midnight sex orgy in a park with two 12-year-old girls they treated "like pieces of flesh" have each been caged for two years. A shocked court heard how they told of their "horror" when they discovered the girls were not 16 as they had claimed — before all were charged with rape. The schoolgirls had sneaked away from a family party and began exchanging suggestive texts with the men — several of whom were part of the Reading FC football academy. Judge Stephen John was told how one of the girls had texted the group to ask to be picked up, adding saucily: "We can have three each." The six friends collected the pair in two Vauxhall Corsas and drove to a park in Reading, Berks, where one girl had sex with five of the men. Horrified court officials heard how the girl called them over "one by one". The other girl had sex with one man. The girls, who had been reported missing by one of their mothers, were later found wandering the streets at 2.20am by police and when asked what they were doing admitted they had had sex with a group of six men. An appeal was launched to find those involved and soon all six men had handed themselves in and made full confessions. Reading Crown Court heard all the men freely admitted having sex with the girls on February 21 last year, saying they had made "all the running" and had told them that they were 16. Disgusted The court heard they were said to have been "shocked and disgusted" to learn the true ages of the girls with one saying: "I've got a little sister about that age". Courtney Amos, 19, Ashley Charles, 20, Dennis De Sousa, 18, Jahson Downes, 20, Jahvon Edwards, 19 and Luke Farrugia, 21, all admitted rape of a girl under the age of 13. Downes is a former Reading FC academy player who until recently played for Basingstoke Town FC in Hampshire, while Ashley Charles also attended the academy. Farrugia plays for Reading Town and Courtney Amos has completed two years of football coaching. The other two also play football for low division clubs. Police analysis of the men's mobile phones showed one of the girls had been in touch with Edwards for a number of days. When Edwards told her he was with five friends a message returned from the girl's phone saying "we can have three each" before a smiley face icon. Prosecutor Alan Blake said: "The two girls left the family party surreptitiously, ducking down between parked cars so that one girl's father wouldn't see them leaving to meet the men. "One girl said one of the males kept asking her for sex and she was initially reluctant but eventually gave into his persistence and she says only one male had sexual contact with her. "The witnesses described how the boys went over to the other girl one at a time on the other side of the park and that she was calling them over and they were going one by one." Defence lawyers, mitigating for the six defendants, described the case as "exceptional". They highlighted the young girls' lies and said that if it had not been for their clients' honesty the Crown Prosecution Service would have had no case. The judge also heard that the most active of the two girls mentioned in five of the six charges is being investigated over an unrelated false rape allegation and had a fake age on her Facebook page. Martin Hooper, mitigating for both Charles and Downes, echoed comments by his fellow defence counsel that his clients' lives had been devastated by what happened that night. Both had hoped to have careers in football coaching but were no longer able to because of sex offence restrictions. Defending Mr de Sousa, Sheilagh Davies said that when officers told him the girls ages he was "disgusted" adding: "Oh my goodness. I have got a little sister about that age". Judge John sentenced Downes, from Reading, Amos, of Caversham, Berks, Charles of Coley, Berks, De Sousa, of Tilehurst, Berks, and Edwards of West Reading, to be detained for two years in a Young Offenders' Institute. Farrugia, of West Reading, was sent to prison for two years. He said: "Having said that, it is clear to me that all of you were utterly reckless in what you did that night. "These girls were entirely unknown to you. You saw these girls as willing sexual partners, which they were, and behaved towards them as if they were simply pieces of flesh, not people. Advertisement "By acting as you did, you will have confirmed in them twisted views of what sex is about and further entrenched in them thoroughly inappropriate behaviour." He said he accepted the leading girl was willing and, despite only being 12 years old, had not been a virgin at the time. The other, he said, was clearly more reluctant. The judge added: "But no-one can ever tell what effect such an inappropriate experience can have on a girl of such an age. "Experience shows that the effects can be long-lasting and they have the potential for impeding the normal process of growing up and of forming normal relationships with members of the opposite sex of an appropriate age."

ferguson !!!!!!

This is realy sad news. I give him my best wishes.

Messi

This is a brilliant response Originally Posted by Monkton mackem Just seen new Sky advert. FFS. I've only just started eating Sugar Puffs again. When will the media's love affair with the great unwashed end? You've started eating sugar puffs again? Next you'll be changing your name to the Monkton Magpie. You're almost as big a traitor as Darrent B£nt Read more: http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=569588&highlight=sky+advert#ixzz1GQNAkayA

If he plays this will be a big test for ferguson keeping in mind his need to bulk up and Stokes physical nature.

good work Abertoon.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3451144/Barcelona-fan-could-be-the-bravest-ever.html WHEN Barcelona play Real Madrid you expect fireworks on the pitch between the players. But one brave fan risked his personal safety off the turf by playing a trumpet version of Barcelona's club song on the steps of Real's Bernabeu stadium — wearing a Barca shirt! The two teams clash again in next month's Spanish Cup final on April 20. Real will be anxious to avenge the 5-0 demolition they suffered at the hands of Pep Guardiola's men last November. Jose Mourinho's side are seven points adrift of Barca in the league, with some pundits claiming their title bid is already over. And this young supporter is obviously keen to rub even more salt into Real's wounds...

I couldn't find the football things on t.v thread so i will just let everyone in here know that Zidane: a 21st century portrail is about to start on bbc 2

In fairness i don't think anything was meant by the stadium disaster posts. The Ben arfa one is bit pathetic though.

Not a forum but this is probably the closest nufc fans site to rtg i could find is nufcblog.com