Saturday, September 30, 2006
Vinnie MP
Former Wimbledon and Wales hardman Vinnie Jones says he wants to stand as a Conservative MP at the next election.
He's got my vote.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Stambridge United
Amateur side Stambridge United recently sealed a prime sponsorship deal with author Chris Turner to advertise his new book about football chants. Unfortunately, the Baliston Essex Olympian League are less than enthusiastic about the team's shirts bearing the name of the book, "The Referee's A W*nker", with a red card replacing the letter 'a' in 'w*nker'.
Scrotum injury ends Chinese teenager's season
Shenyang Ginde player Liu Jianye will miss the rest of the domestic Chinese Super League season after suffering a split scrotum during a club match, local media reported on Monday.
Mourinho
Jose Mourinho showed when he declared himself a "special one" on the day he arrived at Chelsea that he does not underestimate his own importance, and he has confirmed that by saying he makes an "enormous contribution" to the income generated at Stamford Bridge with his management and marketability.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Crouch
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
A glass toilet ?
Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has a glass toilet, according to Sharon Osbourne, who went to see the Swede's house in London after he put it up for sale. (Sun)
Arsenal 2-0 FC Porto
2 headed goals from Henry in a week ... must be some kind of record.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Savage
Robbie Savage gave the Middlesbrough crowd something to laugh about in their disappointing defeat to Blackburn. A bloody nose meant Savage had to change his shirt and shorts in full view of the Riverside crowd and the Welshman was given some sarcastic cheers from the home fans.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Beckham vote
Babayaro
To be honest, I didn't think there was much to the challenge - sure he raised his arm, but Kuyt made the most of it, and went down like a ton of bricks.
Alan Brazil
Alan Brazil's book sounds like a lot of fun - I'll have to try and find a copy ... "The former Scotland player’s fondness for nightlife means that simply turning up for his breakfast show on talkSPORT has sometimes been a challenge and he was once dismissed for failing to reach the studio in London for the 6am start having enjoyed the social side of the Cheltenham Festival race meeting the night before. Let down by his alarm clock and his Cotswold hotel’s wake-up service, he opened his eyes an hour and a half late at 4.30am."
Following in the footsteps
West Ham striker Dean Ashton is following in the footsteps - literally - of Wayne Rooney and David Beckham by using a surgical "air-cast" boot to aid his recovery from a broken ankle.
Walcott
Arsenal striker Theo Walcott's father Don, mother Lynn and older brother Ashley, are all set to appear in the next Harry Potter film - The Order of the Phoenix. Theo himself was scheduled to also star, but had to pull out due to club and England under-21 commitments.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Kuyt
A few clubs were interested in him, but were a bit hesitant, including Spurs and Newcastle ... I wonder if they're kicking themselves now, considering what he's done so far. It's early days, but he's proved quite a revelation at Liverpool.
Beckham
Former England captain David Beckham's Real Madrid career could be in the balance as he faces his second successive match on the bench.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Zamora
West Ham striker Bobby Zamora has admitted he was as shocked as the club's supporters when Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano joined the Hammers, saying: "Zamora is a Spanish name, but I don't speak a word. I wish I did - maybe it would guarantee me a starting place." (Daily Mirror)
Another opportunity to post a picture of a good-looking woman. Apparently, she's the girlfriend of Thomas Gravesen.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Goalie plays on alone in the fog
A goalkeeper played on for ten minutes unaware that his match had been abandoned because of thick fog.Richard Siddall, who couldn't see beyond his penalty box, assumed all of the action was at the other end.
He only realised when a fan told him the match between his side Stocksbridge Steels, near Sheffield, and Witton Albion had been called off after 30 minutes.Richard told the Daily Star: "I didn't have a clue. I just stood there waiting for a player to come through the mist."
His manager Wayne Biggins, a former Sheffield Wednesday player, said: "We were in the dressing rooms but Richard thought we were still playing."No-one had a clue where he was until it dawned on us that he must have still been on the pitch."
He only realised when a fan told him the match between his side Stocksbridge Steels, near Sheffield, and Witton Albion had been called off after 30 minutes.Richard told the Daily Star: "I didn't have a clue. I just stood there waiting for a player to come through the mist."
His manager Wayne Biggins, a former Sheffield Wednesday player, said: "We were in the dressing rooms but Richard thought we were still playing."No-one had a clue where he was until it dawned on us that he must have still been on the pitch."
Benítez rallies to defence of 'upstart' Bellamy
I dunno how anyone can describe Craig Bellamy as "mature" ... if he could keep his mouth shut for more than 2 minutes it would be a miracle.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Stan Collymore linked with a move to Newcastle
Newcastle Jets in the Australian A-League, that is.
His agent Simon Kennedy told the BBC the player was unlikely to accept the offer.
'We've had interest from Australia but it's not at the forefront of our mind,' Kennedy said.
'In the last year we've had offers from a Premiership side and five Championship clubs (in England), but it must be right.'
He's a complete flake, and would be a disruption to any side he joined ... I can't think of any Premiership side that is desperate enough to take a gamble on him.
His agent Simon Kennedy told the BBC the player was unlikely to accept the offer.
'We've had interest from Australia but it's not at the forefront of our mind,' Kennedy said.
'In the last year we've had offers from a Premiership side and five Championship clubs (in England), but it must be right.'
He's a complete flake, and would be a disruption to any side he joined ... I can't think of any Premiership side that is desperate enough to take a gamble on him.
There's nothing like continuity
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez could name the same team for Wednesday's Premiership game with Newcastle as the one that lost at Chelsea on Sunday - 92 matches after last picking an unchanged side.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Woodgate handed Middlesbrough honour
Apparently, the first thing he did when he was offered the captaincy was call his Dad, who is a big 'Boro fan. Looks like his Dad also goes for the hirsute style.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Given recovering after stomach op
Of course, I picked him up this week, with the double games, and his reputation for playing every game (his nickname with his team-mates is Lazarus), so I should have expected something like this to happen.
Hargreaves
So what are the odds of Beckham coming back to replace him for England till he recovers from breaking his leg ? I doubt it - there are a few others ahead of him, but it would be a strange quirk of fate if it happened.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Lampard's savage critics write him off at their peril
I have to agree with Gary Lineker's assessment - Lampard is too good a player to succumb to the criticism he's been getting recently. I've read stuff saying that he's only looked good because of the exceptional players around him, but he is World class, and I'm sure that he'll come through this showing the form that he had a few years ago.
Woodgate
I may make fun of him because of his hair, but there's no doubting his ability (if he stays healthy ... and that's a big if with him). I can certainly see him play himself back into an England callup if he continues like this.Harry Kewell
Liverpool's injured Harry Kewell is sex mad, according to his wife Sheree Murphy. "He constantly wants sex as he thinks he can wear his groin out if it's being fixed," says the other half. (Mirror)
Well, if she continues wearing dresses like this ...
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Portsmouth decide against signing Brazilian Denilson
Henry unlikely to feature against United
My hope is that Wenger is playing games with Ferguson again. More than once he's said that Henry isn't going to play, and then he's been unveiled in the starting line-up. I certainly hope so ... I've got him in my team, and at his price I don't want to drop him.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Fifa rankings
The rankings have long been a joke, but the latest list is beyond belief. A few wins over dire opposition since the World Cup, and England somehow leap ahead of Italy into 4th place. If they want people to take the rankings seriously, their statistical model needs an overhaul.
1 (1) Brazil 1,574pts
2 (4) France 1,534
3 (3) Argentina 1,492
4 (5) England 1,477
5 (2) Italy 1,474
6 (6) Holland 1,327
7 (10) Czech Republic 1,312
8 (9) Germany 1,291
9 (8) Portugal 1,272
10 (7) Spain 1,255
1 (1) Brazil 1,574pts
2 (4) France 1,534
3 (3) Argentina 1,492
4 (5) England 1,477
5 (2) Italy 1,474
6 (6) Holland 1,327
7 (10) Czech Republic 1,312
8 (9) Germany 1,291
9 (8) Portugal 1,272
10 (7) Spain 1,255
Portsmouth hand trial to former Brazil winger Denilson
From being the World's most expensive player (in 1998 admittedly), to struggling to get a trial, it's certainly a long way down. Some headlines have described him as "in demand", but interest from a Saudi Arabian team is hardly the big leagues.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Barton accused of assaulting and swearing at female steward
Joey Barton has long been a nasty piece of work, and all the anger management courses he's been forced to take don't seem to have had much effect. With him and Ben Thatcher in the team, it's no wonder that Man City are getting a bad write-up. Stuart Pearce was always a hard player, and I'm sure that he expects dedication and commitment from his players, but he was never dirty.
Battle of the buffet
In his book, Ashley Cole reveals his own version of events over the so-called 'battle of the buffet' - when slices of pizza were thrown at Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson following Arsenal's 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford in 2004.
He hinted that midfielder Cesc Fabregas was at the centre of the infamous row by confirming that the pizza was not thrown by an English or French player.
"This slice of pizza came flying over my head and hit Fergie straight in the mush," he revealed.
"The slap echoed down the tunnel and everything stopped - the fighting, the yelling, everything. All eyes turned and all mouths gawped to see this pizza slip off that famous puce face and roll down his nice black suit.
"All I can say is that the culprit wasn't English or French, so that should narrow it down."
At the time of the incident though, it was Cole himself who was credited with the pizza-flinging.
He hinted that midfielder Cesc Fabregas was at the centre of the infamous row by confirming that the pizza was not thrown by an English or French player.
"This slice of pizza came flying over my head and hit Fergie straight in the mush," he revealed.
"The slap echoed down the tunnel and everything stopped - the fighting, the yelling, everything. All eyes turned and all mouths gawped to see this pizza slip off that famous puce face and roll down his nice black suit.
"All I can say is that the culprit wasn't English or French, so that should narrow it down."
At the time of the incident though, it was Cole himself who was credited with the pizza-flinging.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
"Look how tall he is! He's grown up since the last time I saw him."
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho unveils Ashley Cole, after claiming earlier this year that the former Arsenal player was "too small" for a left-back.
"I must have eaten my vegetables."
Cole gives an explanation for his 'growth spurt'.
Well, maybe not.
Club Copps an earful
Fashionable London nightspot The Kingly Club claim to have received a surprise call last Thursday - from Reading manager Steve Coppell.
The Royals boss wasn't best pleased that his lads had had such a good knees-up at the club the night before that they'd not bothered to turn up for training the next morning.
The Royals boss wasn't best pleased that his lads had had such a good knees-up at the club the night before that they'd not bothered to turn up for training the next morning.
Elena Risteska
Yes, it's just an excuse to publish a pic of a good-looking woman, but she did sing the national anthem at the England-Macedonia game. Apparently, she also represented them at the Eurovision Song Contest, and was also being chatted-up by at least one of the England players.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Andorra insist on tiny stage for England's return tie
Apparently, they want to hold the return leg in their national stadium, which only holds 1299 people.
Keane at Sunderland
"Roy Keane can have the same effect at Sunderland as Kevin Keegan did at Newcastle, according to defender Robbie Elliott. (Various)"
Errr, and that would be the absence of a defence, and a distinct failure to win anything.
Errr, and that would be the absence of a defence, and a distinct failure to win anything.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Bullard injury
If you look closely, you can see his kneecap at the side of his leg. Ouch.
Lampard's penalty woes
"If I kick it really hard, maybe the next one will go all the way to row YY back there"
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Giggs wins player of the month
It's surprising that he's played over 600 games, and yet never won a player of the month award before. Well deserved though, he's stepped into a more forward role since RVN left and Rooney has been unavailable, and performed very well. Yet again, another pick-up that I failed to get for my fantasy team.
Police called after United fans call for Ferguson exit
Initially it sounds like a shocking headline in the Guardian, but then you get to the end of the story ... "A United spokesman said: "These five people are entitled to their opinions".
So five people shouting at the training ground is the basis for an article ? Is it enough to say that "his popularity has eroded significantly over the last few seasons" ? I think that being top of the Premiership, and having a 100% record so far sounds quite good to me.
So five people shouting at the training ground is the basis for an article ? Is it enough to say that "his popularity has eroded significantly over the last few seasons" ? I think that being top of the Premiership, and having a 100% record so far sounds quite good to me.
Bullard injury
I feel bad for the guy - his form has been amazing so far this season, and I wish I'd had him in my fantasy team. Apparently he was on the verge of an England call-up, and now this - sounds like a dislocated knee, at the very least.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Rooney / Gray dust-up
The report on the BBC site sounds like a minor disagreement between fellow professionals, while the Sun says that Rooney decked him with a single punch. For once, I think I'll side with the Sun.
Thatcher
Hair club for men
Dons
Apparently Keegan didn't like what he saw on t.v ... he was going to watch Doncaster play before making up his mind about taking over as manager, but now it's been announced that Sean O'Driscoll is the new manager
The Mido diet
Tottenham striker Mido has gone on a crash diet over the summer as he will be fined if his weight rises above a certain level. To help avoid a pay-out the Egyptian is also now sporting a crew-cut. "I've lost about 22lb and the hair was about 7lb!" he said.
Friday, September 08, 2006
After Serie A: English Premier League scandal to come?
English Premier League football is bracing itself for its own corruption scandal after Premiership investigators confirmed they have evidence of illicit transfers involving several top-flight Premieship clubs.Here, a team of specialist bung-busters - headed by former Met Police chief Lord Stevens - has highlighted a series of highly-questionable Premier League transfers. Only this time it’ll be transfers - from the Screws on the transfer inquiry.Now they want the green light to go further and grill the clubs, players and agents involved in those “dodgy deals” in a bid to bring them to justice. And the investigators will enjoy unprecedented powers in their search for the truth.They will be able to demand home, office and mobile phone records, and personal bank accounts in an effort to find out who paid and who received the money which allegedly “went missing” in the deals.That could then lead to a number of high-profile cases being brought against some of the game’s biggest clubs and biggest names - a shameful episode to rival the match-fixing sensation in Italy.Nothing will happen for a couple of months because Lord Stevens’ team will not officially present their interim report to the Premier League until September.But inside sources say the report will provide enough evidence to convince the Premier League there are serious causes for concern in several high-profile moves.
WAGs and booze
The Football Association will meet later this week to decide what, if any, role England players' Wives and Girlfriends (WAGs) will play in future tournaments. Latest odds are 8-1 that contact between the WAGs and the players will be banned for two days before matches. However, Steve McClaren is now allowing players to have mini-bars in their room, which Sven had banned, so although there will be no female companionship, there will be plenty of booze.Thursday, September 07, 2006
Support
Nuts magazine (???!!!) conducted a poll asking football fans to name the Premiership team that they are most likely to support other than their own. Here are the results ...
Liverpool 15%
West Ham United 10%
Wigan Athletic 9%
Newcastle 8.5%
Tottenham Hotspur 7%
Bolton 7%
Charlton 6%
Manchester United 6%
Portsmouth 5%
Manchester City 4%
Watford 3.5%
Reading 3.5%
Everton 3%
Blackburn 3%
Fulham 3%
Sheffield United 2.5%
Middlesbrough 2.5%
Chelsea 2%
Arsenal 1.5%
Aston Villa 1%
Poor Villa, being less loved than Arsenal or Chelsea takes some doing.
Liverpool 15%
West Ham United 10%
Wigan Athletic 9%
Newcastle 8.5%
Tottenham Hotspur 7%
Bolton 7%
Charlton 6%
Manchester United 6%
Portsmouth 5%
Manchester City 4%
Watford 3.5%
Reading 3.5%
Everton 3%
Blackburn 3%
Fulham 3%
Sheffield United 2.5%
Middlesbrough 2.5%
Chelsea 2%
Arsenal 1.5%
Aston Villa 1%
Poor Villa, being less loved than Arsenal or Chelsea takes some doing.
Scary mascots
Some of these mascots are enough to give youngsters nightmares. These two are my favourites - West Ham and Man. City ... very creepy.
Wrangle could stall Wembley until 2010
Oh man, don't tell me that it's going to be delayed again - that bloody stadium is never going to get built. This time it's some more legal arguments over money to cover loss of earnings.
Celtic diet
A Celtic fan has vowed to only eat food in his club's colours for the whole of the season. Bhoys supporter Scott Campbell took up a challenge from his housemates to only eat green or white foods for the whole of the 2006/07 campaign.
errr ... potato, green veggies, rice ... as long as he stays away from too much ice cream, he should lose a bit of weight.
errr ... potato, green veggies, rice ... as long as he stays away from too much ice cream, he should lose a bit of weight.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Pardew 'will quit if forced to pick Argentine pair'
Well, at least someone might come out of the whole affair with his reputation intact. However, if I was him, I'd be asking some questions of the board over the details of the transfer ... they certainly left him high and dry.
He also compares Tevez to Rooney, but apparently that also applies to his inclination to get sent-off.
He also compares Tevez to Rooney, but apparently that also applies to his inclination to get sent-off.
Takeovers
Expect to see a lot more club takeovers in the near future ... the new £1.706billion t.v. deals have made them prime prospects to be snapped-up by any passing billionaires. Is this a good thing ? Well, I have mixed feelings ... I'm sure that there aren't many Chelsea fans who are unhappy at the moment, but it seems to take a little of the fun out of the whole thing - it's all about the money now.
But there's no going back now, and if they can make sure that there is a fair profit-sharing scheme like in some U.S. sports, that will ensure that the smaller teams don't get left behind.
But there's no going back now, and if they can make sure that there is a fair profit-sharing scheme like in some U.S. sports, that will ensure that the smaller teams don't get left behind.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Cards
Saw this graphic on the Times Online. I can certainly agree with Blackburn being at the top, but West Ham second, and Man Utd near the bottom ? You'd have thought that with Rooney getting himself sent-off, and Ronaldo diving at the slightest touch, they would certainly have been higher up.
Fiery fans give England added bonus
Sounds like the atmosphere against Macedonia is going to be a bit tense. I know they got a shock draw against us the last time we played, but my money is on an England victory. They've been warned that any racial abuse or crowd trouble will result in a default 3-0 England victory too, which should add spice to the proceedings.
OFFICIAL: THE WORLD'S DEADLIEST STRIKER
"Peter Crouch will fly to Macedonia tomorrow boasting the best strike record in world football." (The People)
Considering how much flak he got last year, for both Liverpool and England, it's certainly been quite a turnaround for the guy. He's never done me any favours when I've picked him in my fantasy team, but I have to admit that my opinion of him has certainly improved recently.
Monday, September 04, 2006
England goalkeeper Paul Robinson did not touch the ball for a total of 42 minutes 51 seconds during Saturday's stroll against Andorra. His spell of inactivity stretched from a goal-kick shortly before half-time to a picking up a pass from Ashley Cole just before full-time. (The Times)
So that's why they went to West Ham
The Independent has this to say about the Hammer's signings ...
"What seemed like the transfer coup of the decade took on a more prosaic appearance yesterday as it was revealed that Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano were hawked around several clubs before being offloaded to West Ham United at the 11th hour because they were the only club to agree to a raft of unusual conditions."
The club gets the players at bargain-basement prices, but they basically have to put up with another company having control of their players, and being forced to start them in every game. All very sordid really, and does nothing to enhance West Ham's stature.
"What seemed like the transfer coup of the decade took on a more prosaic appearance yesterday as it was revealed that Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano were hawked around several clubs before being offloaded to West Ham United at the 11th hour because they were the only club to agree to a raft of unusual conditions."
The club gets the players at bargain-basement prices, but they basically have to put up with another company having control of their players, and being forced to start them in every game. All very sordid really, and does nothing to enhance West Ham's stature.
Don't get carried away
Old Trafford holds 76,000 people - 15,000 more than the entire population of Andorra.
They are ranked 132nd in the world, and have only been a Fifa recognized team for the past 12 years.
They only have 300 players to choose from.
Andorra have played 18 European Championship qualifiers - and they have lost all 18 of them, conceding 46 goals and scoring just four.
We beat them easily, but the Macedonia game will be a bigger test.
They are ranked 132nd in the world, and have only been a Fifa recognized team for the past 12 years.
They only have 300 players to choose from.
Andorra have played 18 European Championship qualifiers - and they have lost all 18 of them, conceding 46 goals and scoring just four.
We beat them easily, but the Macedonia game will be a bigger test.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Cole moved after deadline
After all the rumours about illegal goings on with the transfer, it now comes to light that they pushed the trade deadline back 10 minutes to make sure that it went through. Personally I'm grateful that they did it ... otherwise the whole sorry tale would have dragged on till the January transfer window, and I would have been forced to kill myself just to get away from the whole mess.
Hammer and sickle
Maybe the reason they joined West Ham was inside information about the latest Russian billionaire to take over a Premiership club. The fact that most of the money is a bit suspect does raise a few worries for me though.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Doubts over West Ham signings
There are some rumblings that the 2 Argentinian signings aren't as kosher as they first seem. Why would 2 such highly regarded players go to a club that's not even in Europe, and has such a low profile ? They may have been "parked" there for a year until a bigger club picks them up ... the Hammers get their service for a year, and also probably a tidy profit on the deal.
