[tomhills1]

now that the season is over, we can all look forward to a summer filled with anticipation and expectation. but ultimately with dissapointment? for some maybe.

here is a thread to give credence to all those hard-working, salt of the earth tabloid hacks, that do nothing all season apart from report from a game in mono-sylabic, monotone, "sack them", overpayed rhetoric. now though is where they really own their money. by printing as fact pure speculation.

you can post your latest rumours of your, or any club's, potential signings. do try to qualify your info with the source of said knowledge, then we can avoid reading all the hyperbole and just look at this, our own little rumour-mill!

*cue leeds fans (just nu i think) claiming dave behind the bar of the red lion said 'we're signing ronaldinho on a free'* ;D

[tomhills1]

shall we start with michael owen to man u? (yestrday's red-tops) and mark viduka to united too (thursday's sun i think) plus jermain defoe to united (jermain defoe's agent ;D)

[mcnuts]

tomhills1 said:

shall we start with michael owen to man u? (yestrday's red-tops) and mark viduka to united too (thursday's sun i think) plus jermain defoe to united (jermain defoe's agent ;D)

I still don’t quite get football. I walked by a few pubs yesterday and saw people watching a football match where Samsung (in the blue jerseys) was playing AIG (in the red jerseys). I assume this was the warm-up match before Chelsea played Man U? ;D Give me the Stanley Cup Playoffs anytime

[numusic]

LOL..

[teatwosugars]

As a West Ham season ticket holder (please no more abuse about points deductions!!!) I'm quite excited about this summer as it'll be the first time we've been able to afford more than a few free transfers or half a million players from the lower leagues!

At the moment I think Scott Parker could be highly likely as he and Curbs would want to work together again.

I'd give anything to keep Tevez, but I really don't think the 30 or 40 million that has been quoted is going to be realistic

As far as other clubs go I think United and Chelsea will be rumoured with everyone. I think Arsenal will also be linked to loads of expensive players, but end up spending very little on some unknown French/Africans whom Wenger will then sell to Real Madrid in a few years time for vast profits ;D

[Cocteau 101]

James Beattie to Morecambe. They've just won the conference play off and no doubt will return there if they make a dramatic swoop for this pile of *****

[tomhills1]

cocteau101 said:

James Beattie to Morecambe. They've just won the conference play off and no doubt will return there if they make a dramatic swoop for this pile of *****

there is no way on earth you support everton cocteau. ;D

[tomhills1]

teatwosugars said:

At the moment I think Scott Parker could be highly likely as he and Curbs would want to work together again.

my first point would be that is probable as allardyce will look to bring kevin nolan in and that could allow parker to move back down south.
on the other hand, i was at parker's last game for charlton against wolves a few years back and curb's comments afterwards would suggest to me he views parker in the same light as paul konchesky (sic?). no way for me.

i think there will be only a couple of big money buys at united and that will be that, liverpool will be linked with anything that moves (they bought crouchy didn't they?) and arsenal will be governed by wenger's tight-fistedness and buy a couple of unknowns regarded as the 'new vieira' or the 'new henry' only to be the 'new baptista'.

the one to watch though will be chelsea. they lost theit title purely because of their will to sell gallas (unsettled) and to aquire cole (to show dominance). what chelsea would have done for gallas post terry's sparking out? whether this is down to mourinho or the overtly interfering arnasen et al remains to be seen but we all know the last big money signings were not the manager's choice. plus terry, fat frank and robben all looking to move, should the manager cut and run you can assume two of those three will go with plus drogba for only a few quid.

barcelona september 2007. manager: jose mourinho. new signings? you do the maths.

as john lennon wrote, money can't buy you love. what chance loyalty? they're gonna go where they can express themselves, be free and get paid a fortune. funnily enough that ain't gonna be at chelsea.

not that i'll lose any sleep mind. ;D

[stuey09]

Tut tut Tom. Nowt wrong with Crouchy me old mate. Six goals in the Champions league and Dancing skills that would terrorise any defence in Europe. I also wouldn't bet against him scoring on Wednesday

[Cocteau 101]

cocteau101 said:

James Beattie to Morecambe. They've just won the conference play off and no doubt will return there if they make a dramatic swoop for this pile of *****

Yeh I do support Everton and for my sins have had a season ticket for too long to remember, another one of my addictions like this mad art business, NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO WEDNESDAY C'MON MILAN

[tomhills1]

stuey09 said:

Tut tut Tom. Nowt wrong with Crouchy me old mate. Six goals in the Champions league and Dancing skills that would terrorise any defence in Europe. I also wouldn't bet against him scoring on Wednesday

do you know what stuey, i don't know whether your black and white, red and white, or just plain middlesborough

either way, someone like crouch may be seen as an enhancement. his best quality? abi clancy . filth.

[stuey09]

I watch my football the other side of the Park from Cocteau. That's Liverpool to those stateside. Could be an interesting week

[tomhills1]

well i never! i'm not saying this to cause ructions but in milan you are facing probably the in-form team in europe. i saw kaka earlier this season for the first time and it is scary how good the lad is. scary.
do you know how i think you'll beat them? with milan trying too hard to exact revenge. if it were any other team in europe i would say they're gonna die, as it's liverpool - never say never.

and for the record - jamie carragher: only the player john terry stays awake at night dreaming of. how underrated?

[tomhills1]

still, as much as i don't really rate crouchy, he's ten times the player bellamy will ever be.

3-1 to us for the season though stuey, 2 of those in your back yard as well

league of the top 4? arsenal win it.
league of the top 10? we're second.
league of the top 20? we're 4th, 25 points off united.

gutting.

[Daniel Silk]

Jamie Carragher!

If you a Liverpool fan please dont read what Im about to say ;D

Jamie Carragher has always looked like a Div three player to me whenever he plays for England he always has a strange look on his face like he cant remember what his own name is If he ever signed for Wycombe I would hope it would only be as a carpark steward

[stuey09]

admin said:

Jamie Carragher!

If you a Liverpool fan please dont read what Im about to say ;D

Jamie Carragher has always looked like a Div three player to me whenever he plays for England he always has a strange look on his face like he cant remember what his own name is If he ever signed for Wycombe I would hope it would only be as a carpark steward

Not rising to that one my friend. Too happy with my Micallef.

[stuey09]

Tom, Arsenal were frightening in the cup games at our place last season. Your youth team looks very promising. Really surprised it was PSV and not yourselves in the semi's.

[carlito]

jamie carragher is the reason john terry shouldn't be captain of england (because he should be playing instead of him)

[tomhills1]

jamie carragher and jonathon woodgate is as good a centre-back pairing as you could get.

john terry? good when the ball is in front of him, can't play against pace and defends way too deep. ok in the premiership, gets found out at the highest level, unlike carragher who is always, ALWAYS un-fazed.
rio ferdinand is as good as my pal big dave. or as bad, whatever. he had little to do saturday but as soon as he was called upon, albeit nearly 2 hours in, he managed to make the same mistake all ten year olds make - watched the ball, not the player.
jonathon woodgate does things you just cannot teach people. he seems to have a sixth sense where by he almost always manages to hold his position. first cliche you teach a young striker: the first 5 yards are in your head. second: one run for the defender, one run for yourself. it seems to me that woodgate is already 10 yards ahead and it doesn't matter how many runs you make, he'll track every one.
shame he can't stay fit.

[tomhills1]

michael owen to arsenal. newcastle evening chronicle (or whatever the local paper is called)

no thanks, i'll take martins though

[carlito]

if owen could stay fit..we could finally have our fox in the box whatever that means

[carlito]

if woodgate could sort his dodgy barnet out, i'd like him alot more..but youre right about the cb's lw...

just reinforces how mad it was to make jt captain...


my favourite part of the season... the joke after the carling cup final, about kicking racism out of football

[gordy]

What does everyone think about the big game on wednesday...other than it not being as bad as the cup final!! ;D

[carlito]

AC Milan on a revenge mission..Pirlo and Kaka to boss the game (hopefully)

[dave313perry]

think you mite be right but i hope not!

[gordy]

I think the milan team will strugle in the heat...Mascherano to mark kaka out of the game and Gerrard and Crouchinio to score the vital goals...

[teatwosugars]

Liverpool will play for the draw and then nick the trophy in a penalty shoot out.

Okay, maybe I'm still a bit bitter about last year's cup final!!!

[tomhills1]

next you're gonna tell us konchesky shot

i think tomorrow night could make saturday look like an arsenal game. i think liverpool have the better defence, with mascerano they now have a good balance in midfield. their problem is and will be up front. my guess is they're gonna hit milan hard early on (by their standards ) and try and nick a goal. defence will be paramount but benitez is very cute.
people think - benitez = negativity. wrong, when he was at both tenerife and valencia, he was cautious when he was faced with stronger attacking opposition but he also knows when to attack and how to too.

he always adapts his teams play to whoever he is playing against. it's purely about finding their strength and stifling it, finding their weekness and exposing it. very shrewd but equally he can be over-complicated

in kaka, milan have for me one of the most direct players on the planet and him and seedorf make a devastating combo. i saw him play for brazil earlier this season and he took a while to get going but believe me he can change a game in an instant.

milan's achillies heel? revenge. it always takes your focus off what you are trying to achieve, just beat the opposition not the history - you can never change it or exact anything so it's futile. liverpool have a slight psycological edge - even if milan go 3/4 up they know what can happen - plus milan have largely the same side so there may be a few playing to settle a score rather than to win.

i really hope they both show what they can do but i think it will be low scoring, no more than 2-1 either way. although if liverpool are to win i really think they need to keep a clean sheet.

bring it on!!

[teatwosugars]

tomhills1 said:

next you're gonna tell us konchesky shot

LOL!!! Only just seen this. Did make me laugh. Good point, well made LW ;D

[stuey09]

Sick of reading about f*cking Catalogues. Anyone care to hazard a guess as to where Eto'o will end up this summer (sorry if you don't like football. but it has to be better than 1 or 2 other threads currently on the go).