The Football Thread

[_eRon_]

BPL Transfer Summary for January:

 

Arsenal

 

IN:

 

OUT: Jay Simpson, loan (West Bromwich Albion), Paul Rodgers, loan (Northampton), Rene Steer, loan (Gillingham), Rui Fonte, loan (Crystal Palace), Henri Lansbury, loan (Scunthorpe)

 

Aston Villa

 

IN: Arsenio Halfhuid, undisclosed (Excelsior), Emile Heskey, 3.5 million pounds (Wigan Athletic)

 

OUT: Wayne Routledge, undisclosed (Queens Park Rangers), Sam Williams, loan (Walsall)

 

Blackburn Rovers

 

IN: Sebastien Puygrenier, loan (Zenit St Petersburg), Nick Blackman, undisclosed (Macclesfield), Gael Givet, loan (Marseille), El-Hadji Diouf, undisclosed (Sunderland)

 

OUT: Eddie Nolan, undisclosed (Preston), Sergio Peter, loan (Sparta Praha), Frank Fielding, loan (Rochdale), Matt Derbyshire, loan (Olympiakos)

 

Bolton Wanderers

 

IN: Ariza Makukula, loan (Benfica)

 

OUT: Heidar Helgusson, undisclosed (Queens Park Rangers), Kevin Nolan, 4 million pounds (Newcastle)

 

Chelsea

 

IN: Michael Mancienne, back from loan (Wolves), Gokhan Tore, undisclosed (Bayer Leverkusen)

 

OUT: Jack Cork, loan (Watford), Ben Sahar, loan (De Graafschap), Wayne Bridge, 10 million pounds (Manchester City), Scott Sinclair, loan (Birmingham), Carlo Cudicini, free (Tottenham), Carl Magnay, loan (MK Dons)

 

Everton

 

IN: Jo, loan (Manchester City)

 

OUT: Lee Molyneux, free (Southampton)

 

Fulham

 

IN: Ben Wright, undisclosed (Hampton and Richmond Borough), Gile Barnes, loan (Derby), Olivier Dacourt (Internazionale)

 

OUT: T J Moncur, free (Wycombe), Lee Cook, undisclosed (Queens Park Rangers), Hameur Bouazza, loan (Birmingham), Seol Ki-Hyeon, loan (Al Hilal), Jimmy Bullard, 5 million pounds (Hull City), Leon Andreasen, undisclosed (Hannover)

 

Hull City

 

IN: Kevin Kilbane, undisclosed (Wigan Athletic), Manucho, loan (Manchester United), Kamil Zayatte, undisclosed (Young Boys), Jimmy Bullard, 5 million pounds (Fulham)

 

OUT: Dean Windass, loan (Oldham), Stelios Giannakopoulos, undisclosed (Larissa), Wayne Brown, loan (Leicester City)

 

Liverpool

 

IN:

 

OUT: Jermaine Pennant, loan (Portsmouth), Krisztian Nemeth, loan (Blackpool), Craig Lindfield, loan (Accrington Stanley), Robbie Keane (Tottenham)

 

Manchester City

 

IN: Wayne Bridge, 10 million pounds (Chelsea), Craig Bellamy, 14 million pounds (West Ham United), Nigel de Jong, 16 million pounds (Hamburg), Shay Given, undisclosed (Newcastle United)

 

OUT: Sam Williamson, free (Wrexham), Javan Vidal, loan (Aberdeen), Paul Marshall, loan (Blackpool), Tal Ben Haim, loan (Sunderland), Jo, loan (Everton)

 

Manchester United

 

IN: Zoran Tosic, undisclosed (Partizan Belgrade), Adem Ljajic, undisclosed (Partizan Belgrade), Ritchie De Laet, undisclosed (Stoke City)

 

OUT: David Gray, loan (Plymouth), Sam Hewson, loan (Hereford), Manucho, loan (Hull City), Tom Cleverly, loan (Leicester City)

 

Middlesbrough

 

IN: Marlon King, loan (Wigan Athletic)

 

OUT: Seb Hines, loan (Derby), Jonathan Grounds, loan (Norwich), Graeme Owens, loan (Blackpool), Mido, loan (Wigan Athletic), Tom Craddock, 80 thousand pounds (Luton)

 

Newcastle United

 

IN: Peter Lovenkrands, free (Schalke 04), Kevin Nolan, 4 million pounds (Bolton Wanderers), Ryan Taylor (Wigan Athletic)

 

OUT: Shay Given, undisclosed (Manchester City), Charles N'Zogbia (Wigan Athletic)

 

Portsmouth

 

IN: Nadir Belhadj, undisclosed (Lyon), Jermaine Pennant, loan (Liverpool), Pele, loan (Porto), Hayden Mullins, undisclosed (West Ham United), Theofanis Gekas, loan (Bayer Leverkusen), Angelos Basinas (AEK Athens)

 

OUT: Lassana Diarra 20 million pounds (Real Madrid), Jermain Defoe, undisclosed (Tottenham)

 

Stoke City

 

IN: Matthew Etherington, 2 million pounds (West Ham United), James Beattie, 3.5 million (Sheffield United),Henri Camara, loan (Wigan Athletic)

 

OUT: Ritchie De Laet, undisclosed (Manchester United), Tom Soares, loan (Charlton), Carl Dickinson, loan (Leeds), Ryan Shotton, loan (Tranmere), Lewis Buxton, undisclosed (Sheffield Wednesday)

 

Sunderland

 

IN: Tal Ben Haim, loan (Manchester City)

 

OUT: Michael Liddle, loan (Carlisle), Nathaniel Wedderburn, loan (Notts County), Roy O'Donovan, loan (Blackpool), Graham Kavanagh, free (Carlisle), Ross Wallace, undisclosed (Preston), Liam Miller, undisclosed (Queens Park Rangers), Pascal Chimbonda, 3 million pounds (Tottenham), El-Hadji Diouf, undisclosed (Blackburn Rovers)

 

Tottenham Hotspur

 

IN: Jermain Defoe, undisclosed (Portsmouth), Wilson Palacios, 14 million pounds (Wigan Athletic), Carlo Cudicini, free (Chelsea), Pascal Chimbonda, 3 million pounds (Sunderland), Robbie Keane (Liverpool)

 

OUT: Andy Barcham, undisclosed (Gillingham), Charlie Daniels, undisclosed (Leyton Orient), Kevin-Prince Boateng, loan (Borussia Dortmund), David Button, loan (Bournemouth), Troy Archibald-Henville, loan (Exeter City), Cesar, free (Valencia)

 

West Bromwich Albion

 

IN: Jay Simpson, loan (Arsenal), Marc-Antoine Fortune, loan (Nancy)

 

OUT: Sherjill MacDonald, loan (Roeselare), Bartosz Slusarski (released)

 

West Ham United

 

IN: Savio Nsereko, undisclosed (Brescia), Radoslav Kovac, loan (Spartak Moscow)

 

OUT: Matthew Etherington, 2 million pounds (Stoke City), Lee Bowyer, loan (Birmingham), Kyel Reid, loan (Wolves), Craig Bellamy, 14 million pounds (Manchester City), Hayden Mullins, undisclosed (Portsmouth), Julien Faubert, loan (Real Madrid)

 

Wigan Athletic

 

IN: Mido, loan (Middlebrough), Ben Watson, 2 million pounds (Crystal Palace), Hugo Rodallega, 4.5 million pounds (Necaxa), Charles N'Zogbia (Newcastle United)

 

OUT: Lewis Montrose, loan (Cheltenham), Luke Ashworth, free (Leyton Orient), Kevin Kilbane, undisclosed (Hull City), Wilson Palacios, 14 million pounds (Tottenham), Marlon King, loan (Middlesbrough), Emile Heskey, 3.5 million pounds (Aston Villa), Henri Camara, loan (Stoke City), Ryan Taylor (Newcastle)

 

 

 

 

Nice win by liverpool against chelsea; tama ka nga damaso; rafa should always play gerrard & torres together...Keane is back at spurs hehehehe

[biggyprox]

the lower they slip in the table, the louder rafa's mouth gets

[_eRon_]

inter milan's ricardo quaresma has joined chelsea..

 

robbie keane is back at spurs & arshavin is now a gunnar..

[damaso]

my thoughts on keane:

 

yes, he underperformed.

 

yes, 20m pounds was way too much money for him.

 

BUT, why sell him now? in his last 3 starts, he got 3 goals (this was when rafa was still in the stands, recovering from kidney stones). also, torres has had his share of injuries esp this year. and what if el nino's hamstring gives out again? who else do we have? n'gog and el zhar? please.

 

another highly questionable decision by our rafa...

[_eRon_]

liverpool are out of the fa cup, booted out by everton with a 1-0 victory thanks to dan gosling's strike..

 

manutd face derby county next in the fa cup..

[damaso]

just as i thought. now what? with torres struggling, our main threat is gone through injury. what will liverpool do now?

 

selling keane back without proper cover was a huge mistake.

[duchessXI]

just as i thought. now what? with torres struggling, our main threat is gone through injury. what will liverpool do now?

 

selling keane back without proper cover was a huge mistake.

 

keane was the best move. he sucked like hell. ngog or babel can do much better off the bench.

 

i dont see why keane should have a place in the prestigious forward lineup. hes a headless chicken.

[biggyprox]

i think babel is one of the most underrated players in the league.

 

Same as Kevin Nolan, glad he's now on our side.

[duchessXI]

Atlético - Porto 24/02 » 11/03 »

Lyon - Barcelona 24/02 » 11/03 »

Arsenal - Roma 24/02 » 11/03 »

Internazionale - Man. United 24/02 » 11/03 »

Real Madrid - Liverpool 25/02 » 10/03 »

Chelsea - Juventus 25/02 » 10/03 »

Villarreal - Panathinaikos 25/02 » 10/03 »

Sporting - Bayern 25/02 » 10/03 »

 

 

ladies and gentlemen, were going to the bernabeu. 2 more weeks til the 2 most highly-respected clubs in champions league football come face to face.

[damaso]

babel is good but he's more of a winger. he still needs to develop to become a reliable forward.

 

i am not a fan of robbie keane but he is a proven premier league goalscorer. his last 2 starts for liverpool were against arsenal (1 goal, a superb half-volley) and against bolton (2 goals), and in both games rafa benitez was in the stands due to his kidney stones. when rafa recovered and took over - keane was benched.

 

its been decades since liverpool has had this big of an opportunity to win the premiership. why would you sell keane when we have no other striker other than torres??

[perrosmith]

Keane was a bust for Liverpool but I don't understand why they let him go so soon. They should have waited til the season was over. Now they don't have too much choices at attack.

 

Arshavin's entry will help tilt the balance of power in the EPL. I just hope he doesn't choke like Schevchenko, haha

 

Beckham, please stay in AC Milan. Going to LA was good for the money but it didn't do anything for your stature.

 

Viva Barcelona!

[duchessXI]

Keane was a bust for Liverpool but I don't understand why they let him go so soon. They should have waited til the season was over. Now they don't have too much choices at attack.

 

Arshavin's entry will help tilt the balance of power in the EPL. I just hope he doesn't choke like Schevchenko, haha

 

Beckham, please stay in AC Milan. Going to LA was good for the money but it didn't do anything for your stature.

 

Viva Barcelona!

 

keane was shite at liverpool. even though he scored his past few games, i wouldnt keep him for the remainding of the season and pay him loads of grande a week.

 

speaking of a shortage on strikers, i think otherwise. we actually have a surplus of them. we have kuyt, ngog, babel (which i still think is a natural positioned as an out-and out striker on the left), and the young pacheco. in addition to that, based on my research, on the reserve team we have vitor flora and andras simon, 2 young prospects. this is the time when liverpool should develop their young talent rather than rely on some headless chicken.

 

i wouldnt be surprised if rafa uses more of ngog and the other 2 aforementioned strikers this latter part of champions league football. hes going to do the same as he had for damien plessis and lucas leiva when he fielded them courageously against 1st leg of inter milan last season. what were they before? but look at them now. both players being consistent holding midfielders for their respective countries, france and brazil.

 

i wouldnt scrap keanes contribution just then and there though, im sure he contributed alot at the training grounds and off the pitch towards the younger lads. nevertheless, i would still let him go. for a price like that, and performances similar to andrei voronin, i would defintely let him go.

 

adios robbie keane.

[jawo]

Please, spare me the crap.

 

Everyone knows that Kuyt isn't good. Ngog, really? Read some liverpool forums and even them confirm its true. Without Torres and Gerrard they can't do anything. Rafa really is stubborn and wants to prove to everyone that he makes the right decisions. Keane actually was hitting form, but Rafa decides to bench him to prove his point. Don't get me started with his 6 defenders line-up.

 

Now, compare it to Man Utd with Berbatov, Tevez, Rooney, Ronaldo..

[jawo]

keane was the best move. he sucked like hell. ngog or babel can do much better off the bench.

 

i dont see why keane should have a place in the prestigious forward lineup. hes a headless chicken.

 

Er, really..?

[duchessXI]

Er, really..?

 

wow 6-defenders. where that come from?

 

why does everyone care about form rather than consistency? as explained earlier, rafa made the right decision in letting him go because he knew he wasnt going to be consistent anyway.

 

keane was allowed to have the legendary no. 7, and he flopped.

 

i wont argue about kuyt anymore. just see his level of work ethic, which is comparable to the level of diving and complaining ability of rooney and ronaldo.

 

o btw, whos on top of the table?

[jawo]

agger, skrtel, and a whole load of crap.

 

and how dare you talk about diving? wasn't gerrard given a yellow card for diving a while ago? and for diving at the CL? pathetic really. plus you talk about conspiracy? man utd getting the calls? what can you say about the red card that lampard got?

 

now, bragging about going on top, at the expense of portsmouth? you barely won..

 

livershit fans are crazy and full of delusions really. not to mention being massive hypocrites.

Edited February 8, 2009 by jawo

[duchessXI]

lol i cant laughing.

 

agger, skrtel, and what else. i think your missing on some more info. where are the other 4 defenders.

 

i think rooney and ronaldo are best examples of diving in todays modern world. even though gerrard dove (as you might speculate it), he isnt comparable to your two divers. at least hes commited to the club, rather than one who plays around with his 70 year old manager.

 

were on top and thats the fact. at least we dont dive our way to the championships.

 

you think were the only one whos complaining about your godly manager and his scotland backyard?

 

even joga bonito wenger is complaining about it. how often do you hear wenger complain? i dnt think even rafa and wenger combined can match how many times ferguson rants in a whole season.

 

hypocrites? wait till man utd goes down into a major downfall and you would see a load of asians, which supposedly includes you, becoming turncoats turning to any other top club. thats how you got attached into man utd i bet for the mere fact everyone likes them. talk about hypocrites.

 

think twice my friend. :mtc:

[_eRon_]

duchessXI Posted Yesterday, 11:52 PM

 

lol i cant laughing.

 

agger, skrtel, and what else. i think your missing on some more info. where are the other 4 defenders.

 

i think rooney and ronaldo are best examples of diving in todays modern world. even though gerrard dove (as you might speculate it), he isnt comparable to your two divers. at least hes commited to the club, rather than one who plays around with his 70 year old manager.

 

were on top and thats the fact. at least we dont dive our way to the championships.

 

you think were the only one whos complaining about your godly manager and his scotland backyard?

 

even joga bonito wenger is complaining about it. how often do you hear wenger complain? i dnt think even rafa and wenger combined can match how many times ferguson rants in a whole season.

 

hypocrites? wait till man utd goes down into a major downfall and you would see a load of asians, which supposedly includes you, becoming turncoats turning to any other top club. thats how you got attached into man utd i bet for the mere fact everyone likes them. talk about hypocrites.

 

think twice my friend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

wow so much hate for manutd hehehehe lets see at the end of the season ..

 

but you can't deny that rafa's been making God awful decisions with his tactics and his team selection and liverpool is paying for it, he's lucky he has gerrard & torres to bail him out every time..

 

there are always calls in football that decides a game, whether its someone getting red carded or someone winning a penalty for his team, that's what makes the game fun, but crying like a baby & whining when you don't win your games or you draw most of them is just pathetic, the bottom line is its the football that wins you trophies hehehehe ..

[_eRon_]

Robbie Keane has vowed to give away his Barclays Premier League winners medal should Liverpool finish top in May.

 

http://www.espnstar.com/football/premier-l...ool-medal-away/

 

The Irish striker, who made a sensational return to Tottenham on Monday's transfer deadline day, is eligible to receive a medal if Liverpool win this season's Premier League after making 19 league appearances for the Reds during his torturous six-month stay at Anfield.

 

With his miserable Merseyside stint now well and truly behind him, Keane has wasted little time in confirming that he is delighted to be at White Hart Lane.

 

"My brother is a Liverpool fan, so I would probably give it to him." Keane said when asked what winning a Liverpool title medal would mean to him.

 

"It would mean nothing to me. If I was there and I was out of the squad, in and out ... it probably wouldn't mean as much to me.

 

"As a player, you want to be part of it. When you are in and out of the squad, sometimes you don't feel a part of it."

 

Click here to see a Robbie Keane photo gallery special

 

Keane left Tottenham Hotspur last July in a deal worth 20.3million pounds, but subsequently struggled to gain a regular starting place under Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez.

 

Increasingly dismayed at the lack of opportunities he was receiving, Keane also admitted that being left out of the Liverpool squad to play Chelsea last Sunday proved to be the last straw.

 

"I was still a Liverpool player then," Keane said.

 

"I was cheering the lads on. But I was delighted when I got a call to say that they [the clubs] had agreed a fee.

 

"I have no ill feelings towards anyone at Liverpool. I never had a fall-out with the manager ... I respect Rafa for the way he picks his teams but, unfortunately, I just didn't fit in into the way he wants to play football.

 

"He told me he wanted me as a second striker with Fernando Torres. But he was injured for a lot of the season and we only played a few games together. I was playing as a lone striker and everyone knows I am not a target man. I played left wing. I played out of position a few times."

 

Since returning to Tottenham, Keane has been handed the captain's armband by manager Harry Redknapp.

 

Keane is now set to begin his second Tottenham spell against local rivals Arsenal on Sunday.

[jawo]

wow so much hate for manutd hehehehe lets see at the end of the season ..

 

but you can't deny that rafa's been making God awful decisions with his tactics and his team selection and liverpool is paying for it, he's lucky he has gerrard & torres to bail him out every time..

 

there are always calls in football that decides a game, whether its someone getting red carded or someone winning a penalty for his team, that's what makes the game fun, but crying like a baby & whining when you don't win your games or you draw most of them is just pathetic, the bottom line is its the football that wins you trophies hehehehe ..

 

exactly. why are these people blaming man utd for their draws? if there is someone who should be blamed, it should be them. tactics were awful, signings have been mediocre, subs are dumb. and what is with rafa's list? his 'mind games' exploded right in his face. if manchester united wins the trophy this season, he will be keegan v2.0.

 

he couldn't even talk about lamp's red card. because he knows that it was stupid. all the conspiracy theories stopped when the ref gave them the game. expect it to start again once they lose games. pathetic.

 

i am not speculating about gerrard being a diver. it is a known fact. then there is the court case, but i won't go there.. please, being a fan is one thing, pero following the team blindly is another.

 

again, liverpool having a prestigious forward line up is just LOL. shows how knowledgeable you are about your team.

[duchessXI]

exactly. why are these people blaming man utd for their draws? if there is someone who should be blamed, it should be them. tactics were awful, signings have been mediocre, subs are dumb. and what is with rafa's list? his 'mind games' exploded right in his face. if manchester united wins the trophy this season, he will be keegan v2.0.

 

he couldn't even talk about lamp's red card. because he knows that it was stupid. all the conspiracy theories stopped when the ref gave them the game. expect it to start again once they lose games. pathetic.

 

i am not speculating about gerrard being a diver. it is a known fact. then there is the court case, but i won't go there.. please, being a fan is one thing, pero following the team blindly is another.

 

again, liverpool having a prestigious forward line up is just LOL. shows how knowledgeable you are about your team.

 

did you talk about rooney and ronaldos diving theatrics? because hes stupid. wow.

 

please, being a fan is one thing, pero following the team blindly is another. tell me, since when have u been following man utd? since they won last yr? LMAO :boo:

 

prestigious, yes. you obviously dont know liverpools history. keep it that way. we dont need posers like you. they only belong at man utd. :mtc:

[damaso]

hey, i hate man utd but i respect their team. i have to admit that c ronaldo, despite being the biggest cry baby in the planet, is an awesome player. rooney is world class. tevez (along with kuyt) is the hardest working player in the epl. berbatov is elegant. giggs is a legend.

 

i'm a big liverpool fan but even i have to say that we are throwing the title away. rafa has only himself to blame. the awful tactical decisions (ie the game against wigan), and the weird team selection (6 defenders and a defensive mid against portsmouth??).

 

just this last match, we were lucky to win against portsmouth. starting kuyt and torres on the bench with gerrard injured. it proved that ngog and babel are clearly not ready. ngog was virtually invisible (did he even get a touch?) and babel missed an open net from 2 yards. thank the stars we have torres.

Edited February 8, 2009 by damaso

[jawo]

hey, i hate man utd but i respect their team. i have to admit that c ronaldo, despite being the biggest cry baby in the planet, is an awesome player. rooney is world class. tevez (along with kuyt) is the hardest working player in the epl. berbatov is elegant. giggs is a legend.

 

i'm a big liverpool fan but even i have to say that we are throwing the title away. rafa has only himself to blame. the awful tactical decisions (ie the game against wigan), and the weird team selection (6 defenders and a defensive mid against portsmouth??).

 

just this last match, we were lucky to win against portsmouth. starting kuyt and torres on the bench with gerrard injured. it proved that ngog and babel are clearly not ready. ngog was virtually invisible (did he even get a touch?) and babel missed an open net from 2 yards. thank the stars we have torres.

 

thank god for sensible supporters.

[biggyprox]

just my opinion, heres how i see this year is going to end in the epl standing:

 

1. manu

2. villa

3. liverpool

4. chelsea

 

just my opinion.

[_eRon_]

Edwin Van Der Sar claims British record (1,212 minutes without conceding a goal)

 

http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid=...;newsid=6626680

 

Edwin van der Sar set a new record for British league football as United secured a vital league win at West Ham.

 

The Dutchman matched the previous standard for minutes without conceding a goal during the first half at Upton Park. He got there thanks to his fine saves to deny Lucas Neill and Carlton Cole and the gritty defending he's come to expect from his team-mates.

 

"It's hard work from everybody," said Edwin, when asked for the key to his record.

 

"I had to make a couple of saves today but the defenders are incredible, how they defend, how they clear the balls... it's a team effort because everybody tracks back.

 

"It's fantastic record and I'm very happy about it. But what really means a lot at the moment is the win. It was so important, especially after seeing Liverpool win yesterday.

 

"West Ham away has been a difficult match for us over the years so it's a great result for us to come away from here with three points and another clean sheet.

 

"The main thing is we're back on top and let's hope we can stay there."

Edited February 9, 2009 by _eRon_