LRD

Had the effect of rival fans mocking him but that's all it is really. And he got the media shifting the focus from his players to him, which is probably what he wanted. Can see him with a smirk on his face now.

How much will it affect the team selection and results though? Jose Mourinho has shown that you can circumvent the ban using wireless communication so can't see it as having any real impact.

Brilliant.

But that's because there are 2 clubs in Manchester and Liverpool? Or has Sunderland become a suburb of Newcastle?

Can't see what the fuss is about. Lehmann is clearly going back to Arsenal as a short-term back-up possibly til the end of the season as we did with Srnicek. Sure beats having a teenager on the bench. Although Arsenal is tight financially, Wenger should have made an exception and spent the cash on a really good goalkeeper. To say it's one of the most important position on the pitch is an understatement. Get a capable GK and he'll be settled for at least the next 10 years, possibly more.

No defenders on the bench for Man U. Guess they ran out.

Bless you.

Almunia, Sagna, Djourou, Koscielny, Gibbs, Denilson, Diaby, Wilshere, Nasri, Van Persie, Arshavin.

This is going to be interesting. Can't wait.

442? VDS Brown Smalling Vidic Evra Rafael O'Shea Gibson Fabio Rooney Hernandez

That lineup makes ours against Everton looks reasonable.

VDS, Rafael, Smalling, Vidic, Evra, Fabio, Brown, O'Shea, Gibson, Rooney, Hernandez. Wtf?

Nolan's fav number has always been #4 though. Things are fine as it is.

Not surprised with Blackburn being bottom. At this rate they have a good chance going down and won't be able to sign the Ronaldinhos and the Riquelmes. They'll even struggle to hold on to their current Samba star.

The one and only young European footballer of the year. God knows what happened to that award after he got it. He probably jinxed it.

Imagine a central midfield triangle of Tiote Viana Ben Arfa Viana spraying passes from a deep lying role, Ben Arfa creating havoc with his direct runs off a target man, and Tiote doing the rest.

Author is the same guy who writes La Liga articles for soccernet iirc. Always found them a good read.

Aye, I remember Given playing for Ireland when he didn't even know where Dublin is. Speaks a lot of our team spirit when they want to dedicate their performance to their injured teammate though.

Yup no more available slots. Plain rubbish article.

They can still form a decent team without having to spend much in the summer. Jose Enrique has only a year left so he might not cost much if Liverpool wants him. If they don't get him they can still go for free transfers like Taiwo and Marveaux which will be decent additions to their squad. 4th spot will be more attainable for them next season but it will be the likes of the Manchester teams and Arsenal which will be closer to the title than them.

They don't have much in depth compared to the likes of Man City and Spurs too. Beyond the 1st team they are dire. They will need much significant strengthening to get anywhere near top 2 especially with the competition they have now.

I didn't know his suspect knee is the reason behind his international retirement. Just too bad really, as he is versatile, has a good engine and always gives his all. Knee injuries are one of the worst so as you've said, he might just go on a free next year.

Very surprised that he got a new contract. Especially since Park's apparently not getting one. Strange. Always thought Fergie rates Park. When does his contract expire? I wouldn't mind him here.

It's not just about size or strength though. It's also about technical ability of which Ben Arfa is not short of, and crucially what top players have and that is balance. Messi is a midget yet he excels in a central role for Barca. There will not be any problems with an attacking midfield / playmaker role for Ben Arfa.

What, piss? Body fluids of another kind when it comes to the Scousers.