i saw a bit of that qpr doc and ashamed as it made me feel, it actually made me think ken bates was not as bad. but then i realized he's just in it for the money too.

It'll be Benitez or maybe Erikson.
There's no way the fans would want Benitez but i think he's more likely.

I'm supprised how good Juan Matta is. When he joine di thought he'd be a let down. Like a Malouda or even Reira when he went to Liverpool, but every time i've seen him he looks incredible. Very dangerous whenever he gets the ball.


I'm going for Redknap to England. Mourinhio or Gaurdiola to Spurs. Benitez to Chelsea.

although England may end up with Roy Hodgson

I agree. There's a lot of pundits saying AVB was too quick in trying to get players out. I don't think that was the problem. He just seemed to go about it really badly. Whoever follows in the summer is only gonna face the same problem of what to do with Terry, Cole, Lampard and Drogba (and, albeit for very different reasons, Torres). The problem is that the relatively short term appointments after Mourinho have meant that nobody's been able to really rebuild the side. I do ultimately think that AVB was the wrong choice to begin with and can understand his sacking but any future appointment is gonna have to be assured that they'll be given the time and resources necessary to move the club on.

barca were pretty good last night and Messi didn't even look like he was trying

but to be fair i think i could have scored 5 against that Leverkusen defense

It's maybe all just newspaper talk but Capello to Spurs in 'job swap' with Redknapp?

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

I hope this happens, Redknapp is obviously gonna go so he's the best replacement out there bar Mourinho (Who would make us alot less fun to watch)

It looks like it but I wish he and the FA would make some announcement. The fans want Redknapp as, by all accounts, do the England players and the FA. But he's now saying he's not sure that he wants the transition from club to international football, "When you have a club, you are looking for a striker and you take them. When you're coach, you must make do with the players you have in your country. If you do not have a good scorer, you have none. And you almost never see the players. Two days every two months: it is very difficult." A typical case of him playing the media, I'm sure, but all this uncertainty can't be doing Spurs any favours.

redknapp says the england managers job is an older mans job.

Chelsea Napoli tonight is gonna be dynamite. I reckon Englands Brave John Terry (tm) and co will come through, Napoli's defence looked so porous last time and they just didnt punish it.

what a match! Well played Chelsea, who knew they had that kind of spirit?

Yeah, great match. I have to admit I was surprised Chelsea got through but it does suggest that either AVB was stifling any team spirit or the team itself was stifling it in order to get him out (or Di Matteo is a managerial genius - which I think we can safely say he isn't). The question now is whether this makes it harder to get rid of the old guard, given the big scorers were largely those destined for the exit door.

A great win for the new manager, Roberto Di-Matteo is quoted as saying

Spurs v Bolton game abandoned after Muamba collapsed with what looks like a heart attack. Horrible.

looks pretty bad, i hear it was a fit of some kind but time will tell.

Yeah, the times things like that have happened before the people havent pulled through. Hate to say it, but it looks like we're just waiting to hear the inevitable. I was watching on the telly and he was down on his front, people were trying to turn him over, and pretty soon it was something v serious.

Still dont know anything, listening to the radio hoping for good news for him. Im not just saying this because of whats happened, but i really do think he's a good player. One of those who doesnt neccessarily burst onto the scene straight away but was gradually growing to become a better player, 23 years old, and like most of the Bolton team was having a good game.

I think there was about a minute between his collapse and the medics administering CPR, and apparently a cardiologist in the crowd ran on as well. If he was ever going to survive what happened to him tonight, he's been given every chance by the doctors and staff, and i really hope its enough.

Sky reporting that he's in a stable condition.

So, so, pleased that my post above appears to have been proved wrong as it stands.

Having one of these tonight for the medical staff of both teams, St Johns Ambulance, the Heart specialist, the NHS, and the match officials and players who were on it like a flash.



So glad that White Hart Lane hasnt become the site of a death tonight.

BBC are reporting he is critically ill. The fact he made it to the hospital gives us hope at least. I know im posting alot about this but i was watching it live and it was very upsetting. Not much else to add i guess.

When he was described as 'stable' last night I thought he might pull through but as it stands, with him on the critical list, even if he survives, I think he may have sustained some brain damage due to oxygen being cut off from his brain for such a long time. So I think his career will be over even if he survives. A real tragedy.

shocking stuff
hope he pulls through

Bolton suggesting they can't face a replay with Spurs

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...-it-again.html

As sad as the Muamba incident is, I do think things are getting a bit hysterical now. What happened was shocking but, ultimately, a guy had a heart attack at work. It happens everyday. So long as football moves ever closer to the entertainment industry, it should maybe follow the showbusiness' mantra that the show must go on. I can understand why the game was cancelled on Saturday but now that everyone knows the situation with Muamba, the game should be replayed as soon as possible if only to get it out of the way. I've even heard talk of the FA Cup being cancelled altogether this year. I can only imagine what might be proposed if he dies.

reports today suggesting that his heart stopped for 76 minutes. thats incredible that he's awake and talking now, but i wonder how often this kind of thing happens in everyday life and doesn't get reported?

*edit* just seen Demonrails post along similiar lines

Yeah, I felt a bit bad after writing that; as though I was being a bit callous, but I do think the whole thing needs to be put into some perspective. As I said, it was right to abandon the game when happened but these players are professionals and should be able to rise above it the way any other professional would reasonably be expected to. I'll stop now, though, before I start turning into my dad (who hated football, incidentally).

I think we might've seen the Prem's goal of the season today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRlg39wt00w

I dont really know why the media seems to be blaming Balotelli for Man City's slump, David Silva has been shit for about 3 months, the defence is leaking like a colander, Dzeko has lost his touch, Nasri has been inconsistent, Milner is just Milner, the manager wont play Johnson because he doesnt like him. Whereas Mario shows up at the weekend and scores 2 goals. What more is a striker supposed to do?




Edit, i reckon its a routine Man U win tonight, 1-0.
I also think Johnny Evans deserves alot of credit, he's been playing really well recently, keeping Smalling and (the most overrated player in English football) Phil Jones out of the team.

Yeah johnny evans was shit for a long time but he has picked it up recently

I still think he's a far more reliable player (right now at least) than Phil Jones. the way the press went on about Jones, "Future England Captain" and all that nonsense. I swear they only do it because Johnny Evans looks a bit weedy and gormless and, yknow, IRISH





Whereas Phil Jones looks HARD... and TOUGH... and ENGLISH...





Even though he hasnt a clue how to defend yet. I swear theres some weird Middle-aged men in the journalism profession projecting their own footballing fantasies onto Phil Jones, wishing they had his jawline and his thighs. Fact is nobody knows where his best position is yet.

Who the fuck here watches the Bundesliga? The Dortmund/Stuttgart game the other day was amazing!

Haha. That's so true. Although I think his unsettled position is largely down to Fergie's juggling (for me he's a centreback) and his inconsistent form could be put down to ongoing injuries. I do think he's very good (and for me a far better than Evans) but the media do seem to have a bit of thing for him. They obviously love that whole air ace style. Look at how the pundits like to big up Scott Parker so much.




There's the odd mention of how amazing Bayern are this year but we don't really get much Bundesliga on TV. German football has a real image problem in England. It's invariably dismissed as being ruthlessly efficient and played by blokes with mullets and moustaches. And as Ikari mentioned, we build our footballing dreams on men who look like they ought to be flying Spitfires. Not great for Anglo-German relations.

Bayern is great! When Ribery, Robben, Muller and Gomez are on the attack with Schweinsteiger in the middle it's like the fucking Blietzkrig! Ha ha, pushing the war stereotypes to absurdity (and that's a French muslim, a Dutchman, and a son of Spanish immigrants there!). I hope can you catch them on TV one of these days--beautiful offense. Dortmund is also an amazing team though I don't know them so well--I watch every Bayern game that's made available here though.

ESPN3, which streams games on the web here in the Yooessay, plays a lot of German games and only a couple of occasional English ones. Maybe it's a cost thing, since Fox Soccer (yes I said those 2 ugly words) is a premium cable channel that shows Premier League games and they presumably hog the rights. Who knows-- but yeah those stereotypes are bananas. And the chants, the German chants are awesome, by the way. Do you know any other fans in the world who use bits of opera in the stadium? [edit: oh, apparently it happens in japan too -- another axis country, ha ha ha]

Fuck me, what a fucking brilliant goal!!!!!!!

COME ON YOU BLUE BOYS!!!!

I expect Bayern München vs. Real Madrid to be epic.

Yeah, I do really want to see them, and can't wait for the game against Real Madrid. It's gonna be fascinating. I tend not to like Mourinho sides but I have to respect them. Although that Bayern attack does look ridiculous.

Chelsea and Barcelona is gonna be great too. Big grudge match for Chelsea and possibly the last CL campaign for some of their big players. And as brilliant as Barcelona can be, I've honestly not been as impressed with them this year. They definitely seem more beatable now, and if Chelsea click I think it could be a far closer game than some might expect. I'm expecting a titanic game from Terry.


If you get the right Sky package you can see pretty much everything but besides a mild cultish interest in Serie A and La Liga, football culture here is pretty insular. I'd say that the vast majority of fans only really take an interest in European sides during the CL, and even then only when they're playing English teams. The only non English team that get any kind of significant coverage here is probably Barcelona. And most of that focuses on Messi. The widespread belief is that continental leagues play 'better' football than the Prem, but that the Prem is more exciting and intense. I've not seen enough of the other leagues to know if that's true but I have to admit that I've always found Serie A in particular to be really boring in comparison. I've developed a real soft spot for the Dutch league, though. Very similar in its way to the Prem. Very full on. I do really wanna see more of the German league though.


Haha. That Japanese clip is amazing, although in defence of the Allies, English fans have been adapting arias for decades.

YEEEESSS. and bayern-dortmund on wednesday is going to be specfuckingtacular!

demoño: if you're curious, you could catch that on "espn UK /HD," whatever the fuck that is.

Looks like Balotelli is on his way out of Man City, but will Mancini follow him out the door? And how long will Liverpool persist with Dalglish? His 'legend' status at Anfield is surely in danger of being eroded due to some dreadful buys and his terrible handling of the Suarez affair, not to mention Liverpool's massive decline in the second half of the season. I can't think of anyone at Liverpool besides 'King Kenny' who'd still be in charge after such a season of controversy and collapse. Liverpool have always been a team I respected even if I never supported them, but since Dalglish took over I think that respect is starting to fade for a lot of people.

And symbols, yeah, I should really look into one of either the ESPN or Sky packages. ESPN seems especially appealing as they also show the most MLB baseball, which I've recently become quite addicted to.

mang however that "package" worx don't get into a contract that forces you to pay & pay. i get "free' espn3 with my internet and i might subscribe to foxsoccer2go (online) at the tune of only $20/month, turn on/off at will. but cable? fuck cable.

i mentioned the channel cuz i figured you could go to a bar that offers it-- which is what i'll don't get "goltv" (satellite only). but checking schedules, game is 40 minutes earlier than man city, so i doubt you'll be available ha ha.

mlb puts me to sleep! some day you'll have to explain to me what makes it entertaining for you. i know the rules and all, but i still find it ultra-dull to watch.

It's a monthly package and we don't really get bars here showing anything but English football but there's plenty of ways of watching it illegally online. I just never seem to know how.

RE MLB, It took a while but I love it. Saying that, there aren't many sports I can't watch. Horse racing's about the only one I can't be arsed with. I'm in NYC at the beginning of May and I'll be going to see the Mets play the Diamondbacks. I'm used to watching baseball laying in bed with a cup of tea. It'll be interesting contrasting that with sitting in the cold night air eating hotdogs.

oh yeah, with baseball season just started you might enjoy the subscription.

about teh bundesliga there's only like 4 games left after tomorrow i think though. the german cup final is may 1st and it's bayern-dortmund again.

i already located my bar for this so looks like im gonna be having beer for lunch.

meanwhile, i hope this helps you w/ 'merican sports:

http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc...d_loc=Lond on

not sure what's what but eh.

I'll be in NY on the 1st and will try to find a suitable bar to watch the German Cup final. Don't you follow any of the
Latin American leagues? There must be some great bars near you for that. And the food opportunities would likely be sublime even if the football isn't. And the hynas!!!

oh shit shit man, it was such a great game, but it was hard to see bayern lose. fuck! it was super fucking tight and then the goal and goal opportunities came in torrent. dortmund is fucking amazing though, credit given when it's due, they won fair and square. fucking bastards!