[Merged] Football talk

[Nugget]

Originally Posted by Steve H

'Cos Villa are probably the most boring team in the league :pp

Now that's just mean

[Atomic22]

and anyways the song goes.........."boring boring arsenal"
villa aint mentioned

[BBKing]

Sung of course by the Gooners these days, usually at the conclusion of 40-pass moves. The great feature of Arsenal supporters is a strong sense of irony, it's why most of our songs are nicked off other clubs and turned against them ('One Nil to the Arsenal' being a riposte to 'Allez Paris St. Germain' from back in 1994, 'Same Old Arsenal, Taking The ****' from the Pompey Chimes etc). Singing 'Boring Boring Arsenal' when you're the most entertaining team in the country merely continues this excellent tradition. Seaman used to get a round of 'Dodgy Keeper' or more recently 'Get Your F*cking Hair Cut' most games, of course, and 'If Lee Dixon Can Play For England So Can I' was a regular. I'm sure other clubs take the **** out of themselves, but Arsenal elevate it to an art form.

[Steve H]

Originally Posted by Atomic22

and anyways the song goes.........."boring boring arsenal"
villa aint mentioned

Arsenal are probably the most exciting team in the premiership at the mo.

[Julian]

Funny Quotes ...

"I'd like to play for an Italian club like Barcelona"
Mark Draper
"I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered"
George Best
"Playing with wingers is more effective against European sides like Brazil than English sides like Wales"
Ron Greenwood
"Are you going to make me?"
Roy Keane
"We reckon Carlton covers every blade of grass... but then you have to if your first touch is that crap"
Dave Jones
"I am not Pele or Maradona"
Robbie Savage
"Dennis Wise, Vinnie Jones and John Fashanu must be turning in their graves"
Calton Palmer
"I don't really like the north. It's always raining, it's really cold and I don't like all those little houses"
Freddie Kanoute.
"I don't like to see players tossed off needlessly"
Andy Gray
"You will laugh when I say this, but I did not see the incident"
Arsene Wenger
"When Manchester United are at their best I am close to orgasm"
Gianluca Vialli
"Statistics are like miniskirts: they give you good ideas but hide the important things"
Ebbe Skovdahl
"There's no chance of Sol leaving for Arsenal. He is a Spurs fan and there's not a hope in hell of him playing in an Arsenal shirt"
Tottenham chairman David Buchler
"I would not be bothered if we lost every game as long as we won the league"
Mark Viduka
"I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel"
Stuart Pearce
"Winning doesn't really matter as long as you win"
Vinny Jones
"More football later, but first let's see the goals from the Scottish Cup final"
Des Lynam
"When you are 4-0 up you should never lose 7-1"
Lawrie McMenemy
"All these Viallis, Vieiras and Viagras. I don't know who they all are these days. I like names like Cullis and Wright"
Sir Jack Hayward
"I can't even remember when the Seventies was"
Robbie Keane
"The beauty of Cup football is that Jack always has a chance of beating Goliath"
Terry Butcher
"I could have signed for Newcastle when I was 17, but I decided I would be better off at Carlisle. I'd had a drink that night"
Peter Beardsley
"Kicked wide of the goal with such precision"
Des Lynam

[iadom]

Oh dear, "the best club side in the world" lose 3-2 to Real Zargoza in the Spanish Cup Final.. 2 red cards and 17 yellows

[Marge]

Originally Posted by iadom

Oh dear, "the best club side in the world" lose 3-2 to Real Zargoza in the Spanish Cup Final.. 2 red cards and 17 yellows

I was watching that but turned over for Forrest Gump, would be easier to name who didn't get booked I suppose

AND so it starts. `End of an era,' `United in decline,' `Fergie's lost the plot.' A dozen hackneyed headlines and a score of clichÃÃâ€*’©d radio phone-in calls get their annual airing.

One day, of course, the snipers will be right. United will hit the downslope, however temporarily.

But the only people with `Fergie Out' banners at Eastlands on Sunday were mischievous City fans. They wish.

To write Sir Alex Ferguson off so emphatically is to forget the essence of the man.

He remains the most successful manager in English football history, not because of his unequalled trophy haul, but because of his refusal to bow to adversity.

It is easy to look back over Sir Alex's 18-year reign at Old Trafford with a selective memory, smoothing over the bumps - league title followed league title, cup after cup, Treble after Double after Double.

Loyal

All of those triumphs were punctuated by moments like these, when pundits and prophets claimed Fergie had lost it, the critics running riot and even the most loyal Reds having their moments of doubt and fear.

Here we are in another trough, battered by the Champions League exit, deeply bruised by Sunday's freak result at the City of Manchester Stadium.

And while the vultures gather and the harbingers of doom pronounce their solemn words, Sir Alex will be looking deep inside himself, as well as into the hearts and minds of his players.

With the FA Cup the only salvageable silver this season, the inquest on a disappointing campaign begins now.

There are already rumours flying around Manchester that Sir Alex has had enough, that the trials he has faced this season, off the field more than on it, have exacted a price, both in terms of morale and health.

The minor matter of having a pacemaker fitted should not even be allowed to enter the argument. Managers like Gerard Houllier, Graeme Souness, Joe Kinnear and Barry Fry are still working hard having had far worse health problems.

Rumours

But the whisperers claim Sir Alex will pack it in at the end of this season, and that Carlos Queiroz, Martin O'Neill or Ottmar Hitzfeld is already being lined up as his successor.

The only man who truly knows whether there is any truth in the gossip is the Scot himself - and he will be keeping his own counsel.

United's season has hardly been an unmitigated disaster, despite under-achievement in the Champions League, and an inability to match Arsenal's scorching pace in the Premiership.

A place in the Champions League for next season is still highly likely, and the FA Cup still offers the players the chance to redeem themselves by finishing the season on a high note.

United fan and TV commentator Clive Tyldesley made an insightful contribution to the debate in his newspaper column last week.

He recalled looking over the shoulder of a red-top reporter in the Old Trafford press box as the game with Porto moved into the final minute.

With United 1-0 up, the report spoke of United's tenacity in the face of their problems, and was positive and full of acclaim.

Tyldesley describes how the reporter's finger was hovering over the `send' button when Costinha pounced on a mistake by Tim Howard - perhaps United's player of the season - and forced a hasty rewrite.

Axe

Predictably, the rewrite turned every positive to a negative. The swing of Costinha's boot had been every bit as heavy and incisive as the fall of the executioner's axe.

It was another "if only" moment in a season peppered with them.

If only the Russian linesman had taken that sight test before failing to spot the three Porto defenders playing Paul Scholes onside.

If only Ruud van Nistelrooy had placed his penalty kick against Arsenal a few inches lower.

If only Rio Ferdinand had not decided to begin his eight-month suspension when the Reds needed him most.

But, in reflecting on those twists of fate, it is important not to dwell on them - that way lies melancholy.

Sir Alex last week said that his main job now is to prevent his players from feeling sorry for themselves. That job got harder with the defeat by City.

Challenge

His challenge to his players is that they should prove the critics wrong. He has built a magnificent career out of doing so himself.

No-one can deny the problems besetting United.

The defence is in turmoil, Ferdinand's suspension has been a body blow, bans to Gary Neville and Roy Keane have hit hard, injuries have been costly and form has been patchy.

The task facing Sir Alex is to cement his team's fragile confidence together, win the FA Cup and then look at what action needs to be taken in the summer.

Now is not the time to declare that United's era of dominance is over. If the Reds are in similar disarray at this time next year, the prophets of doom may well have a point.

Amen

[TigaSefi]

Ya! keep convincing yourself :pp

[Nugget]

You have to remember that these things go in cycles †“ while I wouldnââ‚Ã⠀šÃ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢t say (yet) that Man U are in decline, Arsenal are definitely in the ascendancy at the minute As much as Man U bashing is seen as fair game, this is only because theyââ‚ ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ve been so successful over the last 10 or 11 years. Personally, I donââ‚Âà ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢t think that theyââ‚ ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢ll get the FA Cup, resulting in another trophy-less season, but didnââ‚ ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢t this happen a few years ago, and they came back to win the league the following year?

Every team has its ups and downs †“ I seem to remember that the Villa were runners-up in the League about 10 years ago and, until this season, weâ₠¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢ve been fairly awful ever since!

Rio ban upheld

The Silly Sod

[paulyoung666]

Originally Posted by yesman

Rio ban upheld

The Silly Sod

are you surprised

Originally Posted by paulyoung666

are you surprised

Not really, and I wouldn't mind betting that he doesn't forget again, unless he was guilty of a misdemeanor of course.

[paulyoung666]

Originally Posted by yesman

Not really, and I wouldn't mind betting that he doesn't forget again, unless he was guilty of a misdemeanor of course.

i was thinking the same

[sir_drinks_alot]

Originally Posted by yesman

Not really, and I wouldn't mind betting that he doesn't forget again, unless he was guilty of a misdemeanor of course.

i would have been very surprised if the f.a had over turned the ban
what with fifa looking over there shoulder any how if you do the crime
you do the time !!!!