Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Both really good players, Cavani is particularly suited to out game

1358: Aston Villa have been linked with moves for Palermo's 22-year-old Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani and River Plate forward Radamel Falcao, 23.
Full story: The Birmingham Mail

Looks like Newcastle may have new owners very soon, let's hope one of the bids isn't from Freddy Shepard though

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ed/8137156.stm

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

If this is the 'big story' then it's kind of a anti-climax:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...td/8137680.stm

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Said it was an easy target... Helps if people get the right club eh...doesnt say a lot for that source..or the people that saw united and jumped to conclusions

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Well I doubt this is what the reporter was referring too as it's not a big news event.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

As Damien said, I doubt if a Championship player failing a drugs test due to buying an OTC cough remedy counts as a story to shock the world to its foundations.

Can I also point out that my first guess was actually Barcelona, and now appears it has to do with Chelsea v Everton FA Cup Final.

So get the chip off your shoulder.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Not having one... Was just commenting on how some people seem to jump on any issue and assume its always United or the players that are at fault

ABU nation is very much alive and well and bitter as they come..


Guess its more of an issue with the source being a tool ( nixon ) than anything else

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

ABU nation? And that is...?

Someone mentioned he heard a rumour which fitted in with the the story. I posted a link to the same rumour from a United fan site.

So yes, the issue is a sizeable chip.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

No one 'assumed' it was a United player, the rumour came pre-packed with the United players name. In other words the rumour was:

"X has failed a Drug Test, cos he is a smack head"

and not:

"Some has failed a drugs test"
Someone else: "I bet it's x because he is high all the time. Also I hate United"

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Anyway, it looks like this IS the story unfortunately.

From Nicko

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Lame

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

There will have been an element of that for sure... Bored with this cip and shoulder nonsense..its just not true and boring

Never mind....


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8138992.stm

guess they havent learned from setentas mistakes then

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Bearing in mind ESPN are a massive, global TV network, have been in existence for about 30 years, and could easily run this channel at a loss, they don't need to either. Apples and oranges.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Lets hope so...

Id pay the tenner if it was showing the games in HD , if they wont then its off to the boozer

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

ESPN is owned by Disney though so they won't run outof money like Setanta did. Hopefully they will sort out their bitrate \ encryption too so they don't suffer the bad picture problems Setanta had too.

The problem they have is they need to build up a sports portfolio and there isn't much else around now until after 2012 i think

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Ben Foster signs a new four year deal at Utd (Manchester United to save any confusion ;) )

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...td/8138782.stm

---------- Post added at 23:17 ---------- Previous post was at 23:14 ----------

Possible signing for Utd...

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co....rguson?rss=yes

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

he has indeed

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...td/8138952.stm

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Yay! :D

Let's hope when he says he's in it for the long term he means it! Can't see us bouncing back next seasomn starting with -10... :(

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is weighing up a move for Inter Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Full story: Daily Mirror

Dont think this would be such a good move....

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

I don't know - he's at his peak and I'm sure he's won player of the year in Italy a few times.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Once and he also has a rep for failing to perform in the big matches plus he was the best paid player in the world not so long ago.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

we really need another winger rather than a forward

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

He didn't really impress me last year when we played Inter

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Very good news!:)

re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Ok Punky get the league resurrected! Its fantasy league time again. Once the league is up again anyone that was in it last year will auto join.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

especially as he has sacked your manager already!!!

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Good job, he was useless!

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

i do hope not...he's bobbins

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Eto'o move off...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ty/8145560.stm

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

He's coming highly rated :erm:
Link

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

From The Mirror:

Manchester United target Atletico Madrid star Sergio Aguero - http://www.mirror.co.uk/2009/07/11/m...5875-21510960/

Now I'd be impressed at this. Of the two proposed offers, guess which one I'm favouring....

United intermediaries have approached Atletico to see if they would be interested in a deal worth £30million plus Portuguese winger Nani.

Or...

Another option that might make the Madrid outfit more interested, would see a payment of £18m plus Dimitar Berbatov, who had an underwhelming first season at Old Trafford after his arrival from Spurs.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

I thought that you would prefer the second option ;)

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Totally given up on the Press now, it's an absolute farce. And the new one this year seems to be "Make UTD look lame"

Really? A target, when? Seems like any player that signs for anyone is a UTD target and look how we failed to get him, how crap, all the money is swallowed up by debt, it's childish.

The other day it was UTD are going for "Madrid Flop" Huntelaar. Now he is off to Germany it's back to him being great and a fantastic bit of business. Yaaaaawn.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

The papers should be treated with a very large dumper full of salt with regard what they print.

Christ knows I could do the job!

They know united have landed a bucket load of cash, suddenly every player in the world is signing/not signing for them.

I would suggest people stop worrying and wait to see their respective teams starting 11 on match day one of the premier league ;)

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

An actual signing ;)

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

I said to someone at work that if we can't sell Campbell (as he is way too good to just let go) he will be fourth Striker (I think he should have got a chance, just my opinion like) and that no Striker will come in till he goes. We have to sign someone, we can't cope with three and no Ronny (30 goals) unless Ferguson knows something I don't.

Owen looked decent in a UTD shirt in training LOL. I am going to have to get a shirt, just to rub it in.

The youth system is frustrating as hell, Ebanks-Blake, then Rossi and now Campbell. The instant success mentality that Abramovich introduced, a batton passed to Madrid and to a certain (Laughable) extent to Man City has been a killer blow.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Rossi didn't come through your youth system, anyway if they were good enough they'd have been kept but just like Richardson, Martin and all the other youngsters that have been poached they couldn't make they grade.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

That sounds a little bit bitter? 17 is youth in my books. You can't blood kids anymore, or should I say, you can, and finish fourth, win nothing for five years and have no money to improve the side. And I doubt for one second Ferguson will get praise for doing it.

Scraping the barrel now...

Be linking us with Cantona next.

who will win the premiership next season
 

just a bit of fun who do you think will win the league this season.

Re: who will win the premiership next season
 

I'm hoping Liverpool, local team, so why not?

Re: who will win the premiership next season
 

I would hope Everton of course but it's not likley. Probably be one of the usual 3.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Not bitter, we only lost Richardson from our youth team, if I was a Palace or Leeds fan I'd be bitter though, it's not as if anyone really benefits either, the player doesn't get games at a crucial stage of his development, the club gets next to nothing in compo and the poaching club nearly always ends up selling them later anyway, so the sooner the laws are changed the better.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Some one else can, Sir Alex

http://www.manutdtalk.com/forums/tra...-signings.html

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

:banghead:

Let me be the first to congratulate Liverpool on their first league title in 20-odd years. SAF will be around to personally hand it over.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Sometimes i really do question whether your an actual united fan or not.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Ah you got me, I secretly support Arsenal......

Do you really think we've gone anywhere near replacing or bettering last year's squad?

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

I don't know and niether do you or anyone else, we haven't kicked a ball this season yet so how can you tell? Obviously having no Ronaldo is a loss, but i expect current players to step up their game now along with the new signings to fill the gap, we have some decent young players like Nani and Tosic who need to step up and prove themselves. One player doesn't make a team like you seem to think.

For a so called supporter to conceed the title to Liverpool already is just a tad over dramatic and bit embarrasing to tell the truth.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

If it's embarrassing don't read it.

Last season Liverpool pushed us all the way. We won by a few goals. Their squad hasn't been weakened by the loss of key influential players. Now we've brought in players who are either past their best or unproven at Premiership level. Forgive me if I'm more than a little concerned.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Man City are in talks to buy Adebayor. Hopefully we can milk mega-money out of them.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

At this point it's easier to post who Man City are not to talks to buy..:erm:

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

with an aging error prone keeper and past it Giggs with Scholes not getting any younger either, add in a Nani that isn't good enough, Anderson had a terrible second season and no idea how he got a place in the European Cup final. Add onto that a Park who has never been good enough for United and things aren't looking good.

We had a lot of luck to win games 1-0 and get that clean sheet record that is what got us the title and during that time we didn't really play that well. Liverpool have more depth than we do and that was based on last season not this

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Don't need to. We didn't play close to a Championship winning consistency last season, in fact I would say for the most part we where garbage. And Liverpool (in my mind) can't play any more consitent AND got a six point start on us! Add in Arsenal had a terrible season and Chelsea never got going. How any Liverpool fan can think they have a better chance of winning it next season is beyond me. I don't think they will ever have a better chance than last season.

If we aren't going to buy anyone else, glad he came out and said it. Madrid/City and the Papers have killed this transfer season.

And the more I hear about the Tevez situation..........

I bet Kia whateverheiscalled had this all sorted months ago.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

It's been a long time since I took Arsenal seriously as title contenders and Chelsea are only in the running when Roman spends megabucks so the title isn't going to London. Not sure about Man City yet and if Liverpool carry on the same form then they can go all the way. I see United as a weakened team this year. I really really hope I can be proven wrong, I'm hoping Owen gets his second wind and donkey finally turns in to a goal scorer. But I'm not optimistic.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Not so sure about that http://www.anfield-online.co.uk/lfc-...ave-liverpool/

It'll be a sad day indeed if we lose Xabi, I think he's one of the best :(

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Tevez to City is done.

Sky sports news.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

That lot are going to be a problem. This bloke that owns them doesn't understand footy, just getting his own way. This is way beyond the play thing that Abramovich had, this clown doesn't care what he pays. And if things aren't going right come Jan then it will be another £100Mill. When you are hearing talk of £170,000 a week for Adebayor it's obscene.

If I was Wenger I would bleed them dry on Adebayor and run. People call Owen, I wouldn't have Adebayor on a free. They are aware they can get Peter Crouch for a lot less. It has just made a mockery of the transfer situation.

Prime example. Good player, I like him, £35Million? Not a chance. If he is worth that then what is Fabregas or Iniesta worth? It's all gone to pot.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Hopefully Arsenal will bleed Man City for the cash and buy a new forward and defensive midfielder.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Hughes better be a good tactician, cos 51 games for us wasn't enough apparently!

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

And it's reported that they've finally sealed the Tevez deal (subject to a medical)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ty/8148839.stm

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

When Tevez returns to Old Trafford, i hope he gets relentlessly booed.

As for Adebayor, i wouldn't mind him leaving us, but not to another English side.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

I think OT will be respectful towards Tevez, he's been good to the fans. The other day my mate got a bit animated about Ronaldo. His rant went something like this:

"Next season we'll have Real in the CL. It'll be at Old Trafford and we'll get knocked out by a Ronaldo free-kick from 42 yards out. The ball will circle the wall 3 times and dribble under VDS's legs. Ronaldo will run over to the United fans, flick them all the bird, pull down his shorts, do a massive dump on the pitch and spell out the words "fudge off" (my edit) with the brown stuff like he was icing a cake".

He had to have a sit down once he'd finished.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Ronaldo will get a good reception. Tevez would have done, and even after his gobbing off, he might have done. Now it is confirmed he was offered a deal six months ago and didn't have the common decency to say no. I think he is a traitor to be honest.

If you want to go to another club for money, fine, but be honest about it, don't degrade the club you are leaving. And don't try and use the fans to make you look better.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Rejecting a 5 year contract and joining your city rivals instead is being good to the fans? And i found his constant whining, faux sincerity with fans and gestures on the pitch etc a bit pathetic to be honest.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

He's promised if he scores at OT he won't celebrate in front of the fans. Can't see Ronnie doing that.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

For as much of a twit Ronaldo might come across as, i really doubt he'd be so crass as to celebrate scoring at OT. And Tevez not doing so doesn't make him any less of a twit, either.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Well when Ronaldo scored for us against Sporting Lisbon, in Lisbon, he deliberately did not celebrate then.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Ronaldo will most likely get a good reception, although there were some season ticket holders last year that i know who were against him then so i doubt their opinion will have changed.

As for Tevez, for me it's not that he's joined city, it's that it seems now from what Fergie has said is that he lied to us. He said he wasn't offered a new deal, which is why he is leaving but it seems he was, on more than one occasion as well. By the looks of it he's just another money grabber, whereas Ronaldo has joined his boyhood club and has been very respectful in his coments about United and Ferguson.

Personally, i don't think either of them would celebrate if they scored against us and it would be Ronaldo who will get better reception.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

I think the Teve deal shows how much agents affect the game these days. if it was just down to football then I think he would still be with us. The fact we can't just offer a deal to Tevez but have to go through the agent all the team means it's all down to the agent who will get more of a cut with a transfer than just staying with us

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

From the point of view of what has kicked this all off, it's his agent, I think since West Ham it is fairly clear he is in it for himself before client. But Tevez is no dummy, he would have been on a big wage and for fiive years. Not playing enough games is crap, not being offered a contract till the last min is crap, any excuse to save face. He has gone for the money, and I already said, that is fine, but be a man and admit it, don't make UTD/Ferguson look bad, and then try to get fans to side with him.

Tell you what, before I read Fergusons comments today I would have had Tevez at UTD next season in a heart beat, I actually felt a bit sorry for him, I wondered why he was on the bench for certain games. Now we have the full picture, he was on the bench for treating Ferguson and the club with complete disregard. To go to the press and say what he said knowing full well he had been offered a contract "TWICE" he is lucky he got another game.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

from things i;ve read on the press I think there are some players who listen to their agents so much their own intelligence doesn't come into it.

The stories I read about Robinho wasn't that he was told he was signing for Manchester and assumed it was United but that he was just told by his agent to sign and he did without even knowing the club he was signing for. He got rid of his agent not long after the move to City so there could be some truth to that.

The other season we had Wes Brown whose contract was about to run out. Every time Fergie tried to talk to him he got the old don't talk to me go through the agent. The agent just wanted more money and Wes nearly ended up at Newcastle, not better for him in a football sense, but they listen to the agents so much they don't think for themselves.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

16.42 Sky Sports sources understand Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor will have a work permit hearing in Manchester tomorrow ahead of a proposed move to Manchester City.

See ya money grabber \o/

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Drogba's appeal heard by UEFA what did they do, increase it to send out a clear message no they reduce it, planks

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/SPORT/fo....cut.boswinga/

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

He ought to have a 3 match ban every season just for being Didier Drogba.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

He's now been granted a work permit. I'll be looking forward to seeing how we spend the £25mil (Or whatever percentage of it Wenger spends)

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

I`m a City fan and i really hope (allthough it seems unlikely) that we do not sign Mr Adebayor. Firstly i do not rate him that highly as a player and feel that he is to similar to Santa-Cruz in his style.
Another thing is he seems to be just going for the spondoolies not for owt else. I certainly wouldn`t trust him as far as i could spit and think Arsenal fans deserve better from him after standing by him this season. IMO he`s just like Drogba attitude wise!

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

The sooner the premiership disappears up it's own rear end the sooner football can return to being a sport again.:)

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

I've heard from a good source that Alonso to Madrid is a done deal for £25 million and that Mascherano has been offered a new three year deal doubling his wages and is expected to sign soon.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

So now apparently Ade is stalling on a move to Man City to see if a bigger club comes in for him, can he get any worse?

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

I read somewhere he is unsure of City cos of the stigma ie a money grabber, no idea if that is true.

And Man Utd were all set and Gill opens his mouth on possible signings, we all know someone is coming (I bet at work if Villa get Downing it might be Young) but it was diffused, I was suprised the papers fell for it, not a story about us in three days, back to them attaching everyone to us in the morning.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

He lied

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/170720...ign-diouf.html

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

The new United arrival has scored 30 league goals from 62 games since signing for Molde, the same club United signed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from, in 2007.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,195...437739,00.html

Doesn't make sense.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Well Eto's certainly not coming to City (or the UK), he's still opted for the continent

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Diouf in Manucho out. Looks like this was the signing, damn, good job I didn't lay money on that Young bet! Looks like it is Owen/Rooney/Berbatov as the main strike force then.

We get £80Mill for Ronny and that very same system has bumped prices and rendered it useless.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

I am quite annoyed about this, wonder what that plank Griffiths makes of it...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...td/8156691.stm

---------- Post added at 20:46 ---------- Previous post was at 20:46 ----------

Hmm wonder where Villa will go

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

I think he's gonna stay at Valencia.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

What did you expect? No offence to West Ham, but they are a bit of an institution aren't they (WC66) it's a shame that we have no way of knowing how this will effect Sheff UTD in the long run. Only good thing to come from the Tevez to City thing is that he is finally club owned.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

That's a bit of a mad deal imo. They are gonna have to offer Eto an amazing deal. If I were Barca I wouldn't want that deal.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

It would have been nice to know what Griffiths based his conclusions on for a start, all the proper court cases the club wins and finally Sheffield find some old fool that believes them, based on what?

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Owen grabs winner in first game for United.
Let's hope it is the first of many

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/foo...-Malaysia.html

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ty/8149488.stm

Adebayor completes Man City move.........finally!!

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Better hope it was nothing, cos if he had a genuine case and they just threw it out....I mean if he said they lied about terminating this "Third Party Agreement" it's hard to get that wrong, either they did or they didn't. Maybe the guy is what you said he is, a plank.

£25Million........shhhhhhhh, listen, can you hear Wenger laughing?

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

your joking right ??? , would have loved Utd to sign Ade , he's world class , just a bit of a handful at times managing his attitude.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Fingers crossed, into a top-four position ;)

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

God no, I can't abide him. Scores cos he is all legs and awkward like Crouch. Not an ounce of work ethic in him. You would like him at UTD? He isn't a UTD player. If Wenger can use that cash how we know he can I think Arsenal will be a better team without Adebayor. Arshavin and RVP are far better players.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

guess we gonna have to agree to disagree on this one , Cantona had no work ethic at all , would just pop up and do something amazing to win you the game ;) , don't rate Arshavin (yet anyway) , think he can improve. Van persie is quality , can definately agree on that one.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Suppose, but he still got involved. Berbatov (Russ you have no say on this) is the same, it's a languid way they play, but they are always involved. Adebayor seems to play in fits n starts. Scores for a few games and then vanishes for a few months. I hope it's me that's right, last thing I need is him ramming it down my throat, in ruddy Blue.

Tell you what, when the papers linked him with us...........would have taken him over Eto and Benzema. He is a great player.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

I still expect great things from Berbatov (again Russ you have no say on this matter ;) ) he tends to do a little more 'off the ball play' (especially good at holding the ball) but his whole style of playing makes you feel as if he doesn't care as he is just so layed back , i just hope he ups his game next season :)

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

If you're expecting great things from donkey then you'll have a long wait on your hands.

Re: Football Close Season Thread
 

Oy! Enough of that.

He was great to watch today, yesterday as is. His close control n first touch is awsome. He is very much in the Bergkamp mould, all he needs is a striker, with Rooney up front (He was awsome btw) and Owen he might have it this season.