Mr_Dogg

Of all the things you say Sting, the Milner criticism is the silliest. I'd say you are completely alone in that opinion.

Coco Before Chanel is now out on DVD and I would say it is worth a watch. I am a big fan of Audrey Tautou though. I like Amelie more, so give that a try if you haven't seen it. It's a weird little film but it kept me smiling all the way through.

That seems like the gayest film a person could watch, no?

That doesn't make sense. Why would it be worthless?

If this supposed shit football got us into 4th spot, then it shows its very effective and that the vast majority of the league cannot cope with it.

the premier league is pretty poor these days though

Is it? The Sky 4 dominate Europe, so dislodging one of them from their top four birth could not be argued away with such a daft argument.

yeah it is

the sky 4 have previously dominated europe... liverpool arent exactly leading the way this season

the others dominate coz of the money. but its a bit telling that beyond them its rare an english club does anything in europe.

the standard in the premier league just isnt that good

I reckon if a manager of an English club in the the Europa league was arsed to take it seriously they'd go far. But inevitably they prioritise the league. Doing well in the Europa league is all about pride but in the Champions league it's pride and oodles of money.

City did last year and were outplayed by Hamburg

I'm just saying it's possible.

That doesn't make sense. Why would it be worthless?

If this supposed shit football got us into 4th spot, then it shows its very effective and that the vast majority of the league cannot cope with it.

the premier league is pretty poor these days though

Is it? The Sky 4 dominate Europe, so dislodging one of them from their top four birth could not be argued away with such a daft argument.

yeah it is

the sky 4 have previously dominated europe... liverpool arent exactly leading the way this season

the others dominate coz of the money. but its a bit telling that beyond them its rare an english club does anything in europe.

the standard in the premier league just isnt that good

I reckon if a manager of an English club in the the Europa league was arsed to take it seriously they'd go far. But inevitably they prioritise the league. Doing well in the Europa league is all about pride but in the Champions league it's pride and oodles of money.

Scharner's goal was a handball, REPLAY!!!!!!!

I'd love it if Scharner came out and admitted he cheated and said replay was the fairest solution.

He should do that for the laugh, but then he'd probably just get banned and it would massively backfire.

Well Defoe will be as confident as a player can be.

We need to stop his supply rather than him because defending against him in that form is very difficult.

Jurassic Park is real?! :shock:

Poor display mainly, but I'd probably have taken a point before hand and will definitely take it after.

Tom Ross just claimed we're playing in black shorts, is that right?

We're wearing the away shorts from what I can see.

Ya, why on earth would Gabby not play?

Martin O'Neill has revealed the "devastation" felt by Aston Villa defender Richard Dunne after seeing the Republic of Ireland's World Cup dreams shattered by Thierry Henry's handball.

Villa boss O'Neill is to sit down with Dunne to find out if he is in the right frame of mind to play into Saturday's Barclay's Premier League clash at Burnley.

Dunne sat out training at Bodymoor Heath on Friday after travelling back from Paris - the scene of his country's heartbreak against France in the play-off second leg meeting.

O'Neill said: "Richard is very, very disappointed. He is pretty frustrated obviously with what happened and it is a real shame because Ireland were in a position to at least take the game to penalty kicks.

"It has been a devastating experience for Richard and I particularly feel for the experienced players in the side - the Dunnes, Givens, Duffs, Kilbanes and Keanes - more than the younger boys.

"It is a big blow to them. He didn't train today and I'm not surprised. He has had two very heavy games, particularly the match on Wednesday, and then you are hit by the major blow of not making it to the World Cup.

"Let me put it this way, he won't get over it overnight. I will sit down with him if we get an opportunity to see how he is feeling.

"Of course, disappointment can be overcome but I will speak to him and see how he feels (about playing tomorrow)".

O'Neill is looking for striker John Carew to maintain the form he showed two weeks ago when scoring once and setting up three goals in the 5-1 demolition of Bolton.

O'Neill believes that the Norway international is in the most consistent form of his career - but is still demanding more from Villa's leading scorer of the past two seasons.

He said: "It is all about consistency and I am asking for a pretty high level of consistency.

"John has a lot of talent and my own view is, he had an excellent opening spell in his career at Valencia but here has been his most consistent form.

"We are striving for more from him because he is capable of producing more. We are not asking for something he is not capable of producing. But with the form he showed against Bolton, he is priceless to us."

O'Neill also believes defender Luke Young has been premature in deciding to hang up his international boots with England.

Fabio Capello considered recalling Young for last week's friendly against Brazil but he reiterated his decision of several months ago not to want to be considered for his country again.

O'Neill said: "I was aware of Luke's decision a while back and it's always up to a player to make up his own mind regarding such matters.

"In my opinion, I believe it is a bit too early in Luke's career to be giving up things like that but I respect his decision."

Villa centre-back James Collins had been hoping to return against the Clarets after missing the win against Bolton with a groin problem.

But he suffered a reaction in training today and is now regarded as a doubtful starter.

O'Neill said: "James was on the training field this morning and felt some discomfort towards the end. That was disappointing to hear and we will have to see how he is in the morning but I would say he is a doubt for the Burnley game."

Skipper Stiliyan Petrov and defender Habib Beye will both return after suspension and are included in the squad to face Owen Coyle's side.

F365

If Collins is out Dunne will play IMO. Same backline as Bolton I would say.

This may be his year to prove himself once and for all.

He's in the best team he's ever been in, if he maintains his form then he will have an exceptional season.

But then he hasn't done anything yet this season he hasn't done before.

Against the big teams and in the champions league is where he needs to shine. (If Barca get through!)

Although I also think that Christiano Ronaldo is a better player than he was

Right. Mods. Can we lock the thread and get a red card for Pelle please?

He definitely crossed the line there. cuckoo cuckoo

Ex girlfriend's brother was in a similar situation to you CM. He didn't want to go to the docs for fear of big C type bad news. He left it and left it, to the point where his family had to smash his front door down, to find him unconscious on his bed in a pool of blood. It wasn't cancer, it was ulcerative collitis, which is treatable, although like anything, the earlier you diagnose it, the easier it is to treat. Anyway, he ended up having all of his colon removed (no incisions necessary - they went in through the holes in his skin between the belly button and sternum) and now he has an ileostomy bag. Ileostomy is the most severe form. All this was preventable. All he had to do was go to the doctors.

That said, chin up, it may well be just a haemorhoid.

Dear god man, I clenched and can't unclench.

36% yes? Surprising.

Ronaldo isn't the best striker ever. Don't need to go 20 years back to fins a better in van Basten. Ronaldo is hardly the best striker ever in Brazil where Pelé is ahead of him. Doesn't even Romario have a better goal scoring record than him? Nah, Ronaldo for me is a bit overrated and I put Raul ahead of him, and definitely on club level. Doesn't Raul have the goal scoring record in CL? Doesn't mean Ronaldo wasn't a great player, though. And a player that folds as him in a world cup final can't be considered as one of the best of all times.

:shock:

Ronaldo is a player for the ages. One of the all time greats. 62 in 97 at International level is pretty tasty, and accusing him of "folding" in the 98 world cup final is a bit bizarre, none of us know the full facts of what happened there. He more than exorcised the ghost of 98 in the 2002 finals when he dragged a mediocre Brazil side kicking and screaming to their 5th title.

Well, 62 in 97 is indeed very impressive and something I didn't know about, so I have to give him more credit than I do for that. And of course you're right about the final to some extent. Swedish TV said that it turned out that he'd played TV-games all night, which if true doesn't show that much of professionalism, but of course that might not be true. On the other hand, they seldom put out news that aren't true, but of course it happens. But for me he's still far away from the likes of van Basten, Pelé, Maradona, Cruyff, and maybe even Zidane.

When it comes to compare him to Raul, well, I don't know, I just have a better feeling for Raul. I don't say there are miles between them, it's just that Raul seems to fit better into a team and as such is more valuable than Ronaldo. Ronaldo might be able to do things that Raul can't, but are they as effective for the team as a whole? Well, the goals he scored for Brazil of course suggests they were. Nah, there's something about him that puts him down in my estimation.

Have you never heard the rumour that Ronaldo was injured for the final but pepped up on painkillers etc under instructions from Nike who demanded he played? Just a rumour but he was completely out of it for the final for whatever reason, it definitely wasn't a case of folding. :?

Maybe, maybe not. Maybe folding under the pressure.

You're the first person I've ever seen say he folded. He had a fit the night before, he shouldn't have played. Maybe I'm just offended because I think he's great.

Ronaldo isn't the best striker ever. Don't need to go 20 years back to fins a better in van Basten. Ronaldo is hardly the best striker ever in Brazil where Pelé is ahead of him. Doesn't even Romario have a better goal scoring record than him? Nah, Ronaldo for me is a bit overrated and I put Raul ahead of him, and definitely on club level. Doesn't Raul have the goal scoring record in CL? Doesn't mean Ronaldo wasn't a great player, though. And a player that folds as him in a world cup final can't be considered as one of the best of all times.

:shock:

Ronaldo is a player for the ages. One of the all time greats. 62 in 97 at International level is pretty tasty, and accusing him of "folding" in the 98 world cup final is a bit bizarre, none of us know the full facts of what happened there. He more than exorcised the ghost of 98 in the 2002 finals when he dragged a mediocre Brazil side kicking and screaming to their 5th title.

Well, 62 in 97 is indeed very impressive and something I didn't know about, so I have to give him more credit than I do for that. And of course you're right about the final to some extent. Swedish TV said that it turned out that he'd played TV-games all night, which if true doesn't show that much of professionalism, but of course that might not be true. On the other hand, they seldom put out news that aren't true, but of course it happens. But for me he's still far away from the likes of van Basten, Pelé, Maradona, Cruyff, and maybe even Zidane.

When it comes to compare him to Raul, well, I don't know, I just have a better feeling for Raul. I don't say there are miles between them, it's just that Raul seems to fit better into a team and as such is more valuable than Ronaldo. Ronaldo might be able to do things that Raul can't, but are they as effective for the team as a whole? Well, the goals he scored for Brazil of course suggests they were. Nah, there's something about him that puts him down in my estimation.

Have you never heard the rumour that Ronaldo was injured for the final but pepped up on painkillers etc under instructions from Nike who demanded he played? Just a rumour but he was completely out of it for the final for whatever reason, it definitely wasn't a case of folding. :?

Raul was/is of course a brilliant player. :? He was sensational for a while and in the top 3 players in the world for 2 or 3 years.

Raul is the top goalscorer in the Champions League and that is simply an amazing record for any player.

But Ronaldo was miles better than he has ever been.

SPURS SPENDING ECLIPSES BIG FOUR

Tottenham's latest financial results have revealed transfer spending of almost £150million in the last 16 months, surpassing the traditional Barclays Premier League top four and coming second only to Manchester City.

Spurs announced record pre-tax profits in the year ending June 2009, helped by the sale of Dimitar Berbatov to Manchester United and Robbie Keane to Liverpool, although both those heavyweights appear conservative in their transfer spending compared to the club currently fourth in the Barclays Premier League.

Chelsea and Arsenal have also been prudent during the same period, while Spurs have needed to reshape their squad following the departure of Juande Ramos and appointment of Harry Redknapp as manager.

Spurs spent £119.3million in the financial year, with another £29.4million invested since on Peter Crouch, Sebastien Bassong, Niko Kranjcar, Kyle Naughton and Kyle Walker, their results confirmed.

Chairman Daniel Levy, who has also overseen projects on a new training ground and stadium, said: "We have made significant progress in delivering on our long-term vision for the club.

"We have always had three key priorities and you will have heard them oft repeated - investment in the first team, a new training centre and an increased capacity, state-of-the-art new stadium.

"We have assembled what we believe to be one of the most talented squads we have had during our time in the Premier League, the ground is being turned and pitches laid for the new training centre at Bulls Cross in Enfield and we have submitted a planning application for a stunning new stadium on a site next to our existing stadium."

Spurs' pre-tax profits was £33.4million, with the departure of Berbatov valued at £23.4million, although it is understood there are clauses that could see that figure rise if activated.

The figures also estimate the club having total assets of "almost £300million". Should Spurs maintain their current league position and qualify for the Champions League, the overall value of the club would be expected to rise.

Midfielder Kranjcar believes finishing in the top four is a genuine possibility, with the Croatia international telling Sky Sports News: "This year our goal is getting into the Champions League. It's a massive goal but we think it can be achieved.

"We believe we have the depth and quality, and hopefully we will do it."

Meanwhile, Levy revealed the club are in talks regarding a new shirt sponsorship contract from next season, with the deal with Mansion due to expire at the end of the current campaign.

"Our search for a new shirt sponsor to replace Mansion is well under way," he said. "Our commercial team is talking to companies in different corners of the world regarding the shirt sponsorship along with the opportunity to sponsor our proposed new stadium."

Click

Harry "Chequebook manager" Redknapp

I won't be thinking about this one for a while.

2 other big games between now and then!

The academy derby on the 21st and which other one?

hhhhhmmmm, joking or not, I'm not sure.

I mean the Ireland play off games.

I won't be thinking about this one for a while.

2 other big games between now and then!

Good results and great to get some goals

Lets hope it gives us some confidence to create more.

Any idea what was up with Collins?

Think I heard groin strain.

mr dogg - any thoughts on the lottery numbers?

Nah, I'm done for the day. Tomorrow, Chelsea to win 3-0!

Anyway, if anyone wasn't watching on a stream, make sure to see Carews goal. Brilliant control (for a big man!), strength and finishing. Carew at his absolute be(a)st.

I just want to link to my post at 2:22 today.

click

NRC making some good tackles in the middle, but some of them are because he gave the ball away in the first place.

As always the players need to calm down.