Re: Close Season Football Thread
 

Fergie made a good point that it is more to do with the fact that around that time there are a load of fixtures and they take place in bad weather and on poor pitches which means players carry strains and such into the season run in. Arsenal can testify to this, we lost a heap of players during the winter months.

Re: Close Season Football Thread
 

I think he's talking rubbish.

The problems at the world cup won't be rememied by a couple of weeks off half way through. For 1 thing it would mean even more fixture congestion later on and secondly most players suffer some injury and get some form of break anyway.

The problems we've had at this world cup are completely different from Italia 90 and Euro 96 where we played well but lost due to woeful penalty shoot outs. This time was just a farcial approach to management borrow from playing Championship Manager too much.

I'd like to see European competitions streamlined as there are far too many games in there but we can't blame that. La Liga plays the same amount of games as us yet Barca always go well in Euro. Barca pratically won the world cup for Spain. And Diego Forlan, playing 55 games in a season was also player of the world cup tournament.

Its a complete change from the FA not two weeks break in winter.

Re: Close Season Football Thread
 

That is a fair comment, it'd carry more weight if he'd actually banned his players from wearing blades though

Soz if he did ban them, I did google to no avail and remember him calling for the FA to ban them when Roy Keane got injured but noticed Rooney was wearing them while later when he was injured.

Re: Close Season Football Thread
 

Cole is expected to make a decision on where he will resume his club career in the next 48 hours, while his former manager at Chelsea, Carlo Ancelotti, claims the reason for his Stamford Bridge departure this summer was "economic".
Full story: Daily Mail

Hmm economic, so you pay £5 million for his replacement rather than offer him a new deal, that's the type of economics that has got this country in so much debt.

Re: Close Season Football Thread
 

Looks like Cole has signed at Liverpool who have offered 90k a week! I thought they had a massive amount of debt.

Re: Close Season Football Thread
 

They do. And if they miss out on 4th again next season (which is more likely than not) the they can be in serious troubles.

Fair play to him, he went where the money was. Hope he's happy.

Re: Close Season Football Thread
 

Anyone have 4.5 million to spare ? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...-5million.html
All that just for playing football :shocked:

Re: Close Season Football Thread
 

I think what is essentially £5 million and Joe Cole for Yossi Benayoun is a fantastic bit of business

Fair play to him he went to the most successful side in English football and it's not like he had many other options, Arsenal didn't even make an offer.

Re: Close Season Football Thread
 

Everytime I search for Arsenal rumours I get that moronic goal.com site which, even for crazy transfer talk, is beyond a joke which made up rubbish. Anyone have any sites which are actually reliable?

Re: Close Season Football Thread
 

The BBC rumours page is the only one I bother with, it gets update daily and sometimes throughout the day. It's a dynamic link though but just got the the BBC sport homepage and the links always on the right a bit lower down

Re: Close Season Football Thread
 

Arsenal did, that much is for certain. Allegedly the figures according to someone who knows:

"pool contract worth £23m over 4 years compared to spurs offering £13m over 3 and £10m from arsenal over 2 - inc signing on fees"

He is at the most successful English side, true. Now he has the Europa League and constant house break-ins to look forward to.

Re: Close Season Football Thread
 

Didn't know that :tu:, bet they offered him more regular first team football than Arsenal to.

Europa league this season, wouldn't exactly be a shock to see them finish in the Champions League positions come the end of the season though.

Re: Close Season Football Thread
 

Certainly. I don't think he would have got into the first team as a regular at Arsenal.

Re: Close Season Football Thread
 

Word is that Liverpool did, but that's just rumour. Even with Harry's favourites he would never guarantee anyone first team football. With Arsenal he has direct competitors. There's noone at Liverpool that would compete his position. So its pretty much guaranteed.

Re: Close Season Football Thread
 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...al/8843013.stm

Eduardo has left Arsenal. Rather sad but he was never the same after he returned from Injury :(. I suspect every Arsenal fan wishes him well and he'll get a cheer if he is ever to return with his new team :)

Reminded me of the awful reception he got a Birmingham this season though :mad: Booing and chanting because he had the audacity to get his leg broken there. Compare that to Stoke who have a standing ovation when Ramsey was injured. Hope they get relegated.