henke

When the team were celebrating in the dressing room back in may, i noticed a big stocky bloke who i presumed to be one of the coaching staff or kit man or somebody, had the club crest tattooed on his upper arm. Does anyone who this was?

Who's arsed? He took the enland job too early. But after sven he was the only real candidate for the job. But he's had the balls and the desire to better himself, he's gone abroad when it would have been a much easier to take a job here. And look what he'sachieved so far! Personally i take my hat off to the guy.

Cheers bud. First game of the season for me next week, thought i was gonna need to learn some material.

Forgive my ignorance, there's a Ben Arfa song?

Over the moon tbh. The win yesterday in a way has righted what went wrong against blackpool. So we're going into the stoke game roughy i the same state of mind we were at a fortnight ago, if that makes any sense to anyone other than me. Fingers crossed we can get another three points, really looking forward to it, myself.

Blatently Chuck.

Given has always talked far too freely to the press. As for krul, i'm happy he's going to get a run in the team. It's been a long time since that night in palermo and he desperately needs it.

Superb goal. I didn't see it until match of the day and it was even better than i'd expected. I honestly can't think of too many players in england capable of scoring that goal. The close control and the shear audacity of it was sublime. And the power he generated was robert-esque. It's difficult not to get carried away about this kid.

None. We're still shit.

Fuck this i'm playing GTA. Need to shoot some cunt.

Same here. I can't believe we went down to villa park in '09 with a £100k a week player sitting on the bench, because he wasn't right. Fucking wanker that sums up everything that was wrong with that team.

He might, he might not. I'm still excited about it though.

I can't remember a debut i've been as excited about as this. Maybe michael owen, the twat. Gutted i can't make it tomorrow.

Didn't he wear number 9 at the world cup? I know it's hardly set in stone but it seems weird giving that number to a defensive midfielder.

I watched it on telly like most on here and thought the way plymouth handled themselves, club and fans, was superb. The huge banner and applause for us before the game and then playing our tunes afterwards. Top class.

I stopped going to away games a couple of years ago when i got married, but i would have fucking loved to have been to plymouth last year.

Has anyone mentioned ginolas goal against ferencvaros? (or whatever they were called)

I think so. Was my little brothers first time at SJP, what a way to start.

Was tinos third the one where he took his shirt off and waved it in the air with the corner flag, or am i thinking of another game? My lasting memory from that game was john beresford hammering luis figo off the ball. Every time the ref turned his back bez was getting stuck into him.

Shearers goal against portsmouth in 2006. Dean kiely was injured about 2 minutes after the goal, during the break in play alan walked over to the corner and was screaming YEESSSS and pulling on his shirt. I've searched youtube but no cameras seem to have caught it, it's something i'll never forget. Also, a few weeks later we played west brom at home. Shearer was injured by that time if i'm not mistaken. We were winning with fifteen minutes to go, effectively relegating west brom, when all their fans up in the corner started singing there's only one alan shearer. Top moment.

I quite like the design of our home shirt but the quality is awful. I'm hoping for nike in two years time.

Hahaha, fuck no! They're the new us. The deal was on for twelve mil, then it was off so they stumped up another mil because they were desperate to buy someone. It stinks of freddie shepherd. We could have (and would have) done exactly the same with ben arfa, but we held firm and got the lad on our terms.

He's not a bad player but jesus wept, £12m? No chance.

Well said heza. Twelve months ago the media and much of the rest of football was predicting, and probably hoping, we'd be relegated into league one. Nolan and smith, and their attitude played a massive part in turning our club around. I'm hoping both of these players can have a positive effect of ben arfa, because he can be one hell of a player for us.

Excellent read, that. To me it sounds like ben arfa could need us as much as we need him. We're a clean slate for him, there's no pressure for us to win trophies, and if he helps us stay up he'l be adored again. Personally i can't wait to see this kid play.