[demonrail666]

He's always gonna be respected because if nothing else he is effective. If he does get us promoted, though, he'll set a really danderous precedent for the club: when in trouble, go negative. It's a cliche but West Ham have always at least tried to play decent football, even when it's fallen flat on its face. He's also got a really bad record with youth, so the Academy (probably WH's only remaining contribution to football) is bound to suffer.

And until Sullivan and Gold sell up it's just gonna get worse.

[jon boy]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

Either way, West Ham are appointing Sam Allardyce as their new manager. I honestly find that even more depressing than being relegated. Just horrible. I've not felt this dead since the last election.

wont the parachute payments help west ham though? i hear its something like 20m thats gonna come your way so you can attract a few big names and maybe keep a few too. you are in a lot better position than birmingham right now who overspent mid season then lost out and as a leeds fan i know how that feels. wish we had a parachute payment when it counted.

[demonrail666]

I'm not sure exactly how it works but the parachute payments are spread over (I think) three or four years so it'll be a massive yearly loss compared with being in the prem. But yeah, we're in a better position than Leeds and Birmingham.

[SonicBebs]

dont forget you can have a nice away day at Millwall now too. And at Palace.
South London is lovely (shame Charlton didn't come up...)

[jon boy]

Originally Posted by demonrail666

I'm not sure exactly how it works but the parachute payments are spread over (I think) three or four years so it'll be a massive yearly loss compared with being in the prem. But yeah, we're in a better position than Leeds and Birmingham.

not leeds surely, we are solvent and have a burgeoning youth team with a good manager. west ham have, sam allerdice.

[the ikara cult]

Big Sam is like the rusty hacksaw that amputates your arm from a piece of agricultural machinery - It will do the job, but you'll be in agony all the way.

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by jon boy

not leeds surely, we are solvent and have a burgeoning youth team with a good manager. west ham have, sam allerdice.

Yeah, I meant when things started falling apart. .

Meanwhile, It's getting worse ...

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news...cle744151.html

[SonicBebs]

i was at wembley yesterday and Scott Parker looked really really good (so did wiltshire).
if (when) he goes and diouf comes its not looking good.

i really dont like diouf

[the ikara cult]

Originally Posted by SonicBebs

i was at wembley yesterday and Scott Parker looked really really good (so did wiltshire).
if (when) he goes and diouf comes its not looking good.

i really dont like diouf

12 month supply of Chloroform on standby...

[demonrail666]

Of the current squad, Parker's the only one I'd regret going. As for Diouf, even Warnock hates the spitting little fucker.

[the ikara cult]

In Diouf's favour, he probably hates one (likely several) of the many other ethnic groups that most west ham fans despise, so theyll probably be able to come together over something.

[demonrail666]

that's partly the most depressing part, the prospect that he might actually win over the fans.

[washer]

Originally Posted by washer

Our coach André Villas-Boas (another great responsible for the successful season) is also not available for transfer, as he's as much of a Porto fan as I am and apparently wants to continue for some time.

So, after convincing me, thousands of other Porto supporters and the president himself of this (even claiming that he had his "dream job"), that Abramovich fucker showed him the money and, guess what, none of that talk seems to matter now.

I don't blame him for wanting a bigger challenge like Premier League and much more money, but you don't create expectations and then quit one week before the season starts. A talented coach like him would still have the same or better opportunities one year from now.

[the ikara cult]

Originally Posted by washer

So, after convincing me, thousands of other Porto supporters and the president himself of this (even claiming that he had his "dream job"), that Abramovich fucker showed him the money and, guess what, none of that talk seems to matter now.

I don't blame him for wanting a bigger challenge like Premier League and much more money, but you don't create expectations and then quit one week before the season starts. A talented coach like him would still have the same or better opportunities one year from now.

The Premiership doesnt start until mid August so he probably wants as much time to bed in as he can. To be fair to Abramovich its a fairly risky appointment, all things considered winning the Uefa cup doesnt carry much for most Chelsea fans. Especially given that its a squad with alot of players around the same age as VillasBoas who have been able to throw their weight around in the past.

[SonicBebs]

Originally Posted by the ikara cult

Especially given that its a squad with alot of players around the same age as VillasBoas who have been able to throw their weight around in the past.

thats a very good point. It'll be interesting how he gets on if things go a bit wrong

[demonrail666]

Originally Posted by the ikara cult

The Premiership doesnt start until mid August so he probably wants as much time to bed in as he can. To be fair to Abramovich its a fairly risky appointment, all things considered winning the Uefa cup doesnt carry much for most Chelsea fans. Especially given that its a squad with alot of players around the same age as VillasBoas who have been able to throw their weight around in the past.

Even as someone who doesn't like Chelsea I think this is the most exciting managerial appointment in the prem that I can remember. He does need to knock Terry off his perch pretty quick, though, and hopefully Abramovich will have learnt his lesson and stop tinkering in transfers and just leave Villas-Boas to get on with things.

[keep poppin pimples]

hoping mexico wins the gold cup

[Bertrand]

WHAT A GAME!

Women's World Cup 1/4 final, England-France...
Keeper Karen Bardsley helped England alot, and I feared my compatriots would lose, til Elise Bussaglia scored some wonderful goal, 2 minutes from the end...
Then, Bardsley and her partners saving whenever France shot (that was every 2 minutes)...
And the spot-kicks, with my fave seeing her shot blocked by damned Bardsley...
Some relief in the end...
England-France : 1-1 (3-4)

Germany-Japan is quite boring up to now...
Well...

[blunderbuss]

It may well wear off quickly, but I'm reasonably interested about the forthcoming season - far more than I have been the last couple of seasons. I honestly can't remember the last time I went to a match, just because I don't really feel emotionally attached to Chelsea as a team in the way that I used to. The players have some time felt more like a group of people playing for Chelsea, rather than a Chelsea team (does that make sense?) - the Chelsea shirt has seemed like the shirt that they wear when they play football, and they could just as easily pull on any other shirt and it would make no difference to them. Even the players that you used to feel would run through walls for the club (Terry, Lampard) don't inspire these days. And I just had to look on the web to check who else is in the squad these days to see who else I might have considered Chelsea through and through - that says a lot, don't you think? In fact, I could probably pass 75% of the regular starting eleven in the street (possibly do, actually, seeing as I only live about three miles from the training ground) and not know them from Adam. In the days when we were crap, I would've recognised every single one of them, and probably half the reserve squad too.

Yeah, Chelsea's just a bunch of tabloid fodder and a few add-ons these days, not a football team. Not a hero among 'em.

(Apparently, though, we have a player called Bertrand. Is that THE Bertrand?)

Aw, fuck it, the interest's worn off already. But I'm going to watch them in a pre-season friendly against Portsmouth next weekend. Maybe they'll inspire more than I'm expecting. But not too much I hope, 'cos they're a fucking expensive team to support, and I haven't got the finances to see them more than a couple of times a season.

Was there a point in that? I don't know. I think there was when I started typing, but I forget what it was now.

[Bertrand]

Yes, I'm playing with Torres for Chelsea, with a two year old toddler as manager.

It ain't that different...