Troglodyte

Boateng is another very good signing for Bayern. I'll be very surprised if they don't win the Bundesliga next season.

Ha, funny stuff. Sent to my Spurs supporting friend on Facebook.

Well Eto'o has apparently rejected the chance of joining Man City in such a deal (although the quotes don't seem all that solid in the article, and I'm sure £££ could change things).

I agree, Woodgate is a fantastic defender. Hopefully he can overcome his injury problems, at least to some extent.

Sounds like Whelan's trying to start a bidding war by letting everyone know that N'Zogbia is available. Of course, it could just be that he's already off somewhere (hopefully us) and he's preparing the Wigan fans for his departure.

I think he's garbage. I'm usually not too harsh on players but I don't like Warnock at all. If he's staying, I'd be more than happy if he proved me wrong (and didn't look too bad for a while when he first joined, as is often pointed out) but I'd much prefer to see Clark play at LB than him.

Pre-op? :shock:

I'm not surprised. Still, he's a great player imo.

Götze is indeed a massive talent. A lot is expected of him, even at international level. And even if supporting Dortmund now is 'glory hunting' (it seems I picked the perfect time to do so though, on the other hand ), I can't see them doing as well next season - as I've already mentioned. Should still be well up there though, and hopefully will impress on the European stage, too. Also agree that it'll be interesting to see how Wolfsburg do next season. Are they keeping Diego?

I'd recommend the match against Köln, the Şahin-Podolski clash is brilliant. Such a shame he's gone though The wins over Bayern were great, too. Plenty of brilliant matches last season.

I did that last season (see the start of the thread) and, obviously, I'm very happy with the outcome! I'm not sure we'll be as successful next season, but it'll be interesting to see how we cope with competing in the CL whilst defending the title. I think Dortmund could go far in the Champions League, but I could see a good run impacting upon the domestic campaign. Losing Şahin is a huge blow, and could greatly impact the side. But yeah, Kagawa is awesome - looking forward to seeing him back in action, and he's recently stated that he'd prefer to stay at Dortmund than opt for a move to rumoured suitors such as Manchester United. So, welcome to the Dortmund family: here's to hoping that we don't lose any more of our top players, and if this season is anything like as entertaining as the last, then you're in for a treat!

Aren't they making Sin City 3 too? I read somewhere that Johnny Depp was going to be in the third one.

No more Ivy Lane!

With some friends, and Carlsberg (bleurgh) and Weston's 8.2% vintage cider - hooray!

Look at them go!

Dear General, I know you have a lot of posters to deal with (unsurprisingly) but I'd appreciate some direct answers to this. I don't come on here complaining and making knee-jerk reactions, but I can't believe what's happening recently - I need some help getting my head around it all. McLeish may have 'proven Premier League experience', but first of all, why is this so important? As other posts have pointed out, managers such as Ancelotti, Wenger, Benítez, Mourinho, and Mancini had no Premier League experience and were successful. Although our club isn't at the level of the clubs that the aforementioned managers joined (when they did), it nevertheless goes to show these 'big' clubs were happy to look abroad for their managers. Secondly, McLeish may have experience of the Premier League, but in his time as Birmingham manager - which was his only Premier League job - the club were relegated twice. Despite the League Cup success this year, and guiding Birmingham to ninth last season, these achievements are undoubtedly overshadowed by relegation. He certainly doesn't seem to offer stability. Admittedly, this may be due to problems at a higher level within the club, which partially explains his resignation. However, despite operating on a wage bill much smaller than Villa's, it cannot be argued that McLeish wasn't supported financially: over the last two seasons, Birmingham's net spend was £36.525m. Surely, this should be enough to avoid relegation? McLeish finished ninth in the 09-10 season, spent just under £20m (net) on new players - more than every other club in the league apart from Chelsea and Manchester City - in the following two transfer windows, only to see the club relegated in 10-11. This does not suggest that McLeish is a suitable candidate to offer stability (and, as the fans would like, progression) at a club who are apparently trying to reduce their spending so as to comply with the UEFA financial fair play rules. McLeish's achievements elsewhere are hardly outstanding, either. He did well as Scotland manager, but ultimately they failed to qualify for Euro 2008. In his five years as Rangers manager, he won the Scottish Premier League twice, which is decent but far from outstanding in a weak league north of the border. The fans turned against him towards the end of his tenure, resulting in his departure. It is also clear that the fans don't want him. Whist their views are clearly tainted by the fact that his last job was as manager of Birmingham, and admittedly the board and those who advise them will be much more aware of his positive connections with players and personal philosophies and managerial style, it is still clear that the majority fans would see him as an uninspiring appointment to say the least. Some may suggest that internet message boards and Facebook don't offer a fair view of all fans' opinions, but the reaction is so overwhelmingly negative that, without doubt, season ticket sales and attendances (and consequently the club's revenue) will decrease. Villa fans have endured seeing the club move between being relegation candidates, boring mid-table obscurity, and the pain of almost pushing on and qualifying for the Champions League. Whilst the latter was an exciting appearance, resulting in increased attendances and a better atmosphere around the club, for which we have Randy and his team to thank, it ended once again in a season of heartbreak for Villa fans. It is perfectly understandable that the club could not sustain this push without putting its future at risk, particularly in light of the emergence of Manchester City and, to a lesser extent, Tottenham. However, the appointment of McLeish would be seen by fans as a signal of the club's declining ambition, for many of the reasons mentioned above. Additionally, it would seem that we no longer have exciting football to look forward to either. With Ashley Young on the verge of leaving - possibly followed by Stewart Downing, with the club doing nothing to convince the fans that he himself will be convinced to stay for more than another season - we lose much of our flair and creativity, something which McLeish is not known for either. Arguably, many fans would accept mid-table finishes if we are at least entertained by exciting football, but the there seems to be little potential of even this. Whilst the board is rightly applauded for conducting its business privately, the club statement on McLeish does nothing to convince the fans that McLeish is a good appointment. In order to even begin to sway the attitudes of the supporters, Aston Villa must issue a very good explanation to the fans as to why this man would be considered a good appointment. Particularly after what many see - rightly or wrongly - as the board not being adequately prepared to replace Gérard Houllier, they have to explain what many, including much of the media, see as a strange and uninspiring potential appointment. Whilst no fan should expect to know the internal processes of a club, they have the right to be offered a decent explanation regarding the thoughts behind such a move. I, for one, hope that the board sees that this man is not the right candidate for the job. This may be purely in the eyes of the fans, but the fans are the life-blood of the football club. Most of us don't really expect us to get the likes of Carlo Ancelotti or even David Moyes, but we also don't expect us to hire Alex McLeish either. Being an ex-Birmingham City manager may not mean that McLeish would do a bad job but, short-sighted and biased or not, he would be a very unpopular appointment and none of the reasons above justify any reason for the fans to feel otherwise.

I've been thinking about this, as I don't usually like to come on here and make knee-jerk comments, but I really can't understand what the club are thinking. I would like to send a message such as the following to the General, but I'm sure he's being bombarded already. McLeish may have 'proven Premier League experience', but first of all, why is this so important? As other posts have pointed out, managers such as Ancelotti, Wenger, Benítez, Mourinho, and Mancini had no Premier League experience and were successful. Although our club isn't at the level of the clubs that the aforementioned managers joined (when they did), it nevertheless goes to show these 'big' clubs were happy to look abroad for their managers. Secondly, McLeish may have experience of the Premier League, but in his time as Birmingham manager - which was his only Premier League job - the club were relegated twice. Despite the League Cup success this year, and guiding Birmingham to ninth last season, these achievements are undoubtedly overshadowed by relegation. He certainly doesn't seem to offer stability. Admittedly, this may be due to problems at a higher level within the club, which partially explains his resignation. However, despite operating on a wage bill much smaller than Villa's, it cannot be argued that McLeish wasn't supported financially: over the last two seasons, Birmingham's net spend was £36.525m. Surely, this should be enough to avoid relegation? McLeish finished ninth in the 09-10 season, spent just under £20m (net) on new players - more than every other club in the league apart from Chelsea and Manchester City - in the following two transfer windows, only to see the club relegated in 10-11. This does not suggest that McLeish is a suitable candidate to offer stability (and, as the fans would like, progression) at a club who are apparently trying to reduce their spending so as to comply with the UEFA financial fair play rules. McLeish's achievements elsewhere are hardly outstanding, either. He did well as Scotland manager, but ultimately they failed to qualify for Euro 2008. In his five years as Rangers manager, he won the Scottish Premier League twice, which is decent but far from outstanding in a weak league north of the border. The fans turned against him towards the end of his tenure, resulting in his departure. It is also clear that the fans don't want him. Whist their views are clearly tainted by the fact that his last job was as manager of Birmingham, and admittedly the board and those who advise them will be much more aware of his positive connections with players and personal philosophies and managerial style, it is still clear that the majority fans would see him as an uninspiring appointment to say the least. Some may suggest that internet message boards and Facebook don't offer a fair view of all fans' opinions, but the reaction is so overwhelmingly negative that, without doubt, season ticket sales and attendances (and consequently the club's revenue) will decrease. Villa fans have endured seeing the club move between being relegation candidates, boring mid-table obscurity, and the pain of almost pushing on and qualifying for the Champions League. Whilst the latter was an exciting appearance, resulting in increased attendances and a better atmosphere around the club, for which we have Randy and his team to thank, it ended once again in a season of heartbreak for Villa fans. It is perfectly understandable that the club could not sustain this push without putting its future at risk, particularly in light of the emergence of Manchester City and, to a lesser extent, Tottenham. However, the appointment of McLeish would be seen by fans as a signal of the club's declining ambition, for many of the reasons mentioned above. Additionally, it would seem that we no longer have exciting football to look forward to either. With Ashley Young on the verge of leaving - possibly followed by Stewart Downing, with the club doing nothing to convince the fans that he himself will be convinced to stay for more than another season - we lose much of our flair and creativity, something which McLeish is not known for either. Arguably, many fans would accept mid-table finishes if we are at least entertained by exciting football, but the there seems to be little potential of even this. Whilst the board is rightly applauded for conducting its business privately, the club statement on McLeish does nothing to convince the fans that McLeish is a good appointment. In order to even begin to sway the attitudes of the supporters, Aston Villa must issue a very good explanation to the fans as to why this man would be considered a good appointment. Particularly after what many see - rightly or wrongly - as the board not being adequately prepared to replace Gérard Houllier, they have to explain what many, including much of the media, see as a strange and uninspiring potential appointment. Whilst no fan should expect to know the internal processes of a club, they have the right to be offered a decent explanation regarding the thoughts behind such a move. I, for one, hope that the board sees that this man is not the right candidate for the job. This may be purely in the eyes of the fans, but the fans are the life-blood of the football club. Most of us don't really expect us to get the likes of Carlo Ancelotti or even David Moyes, but we also don't expect us to hire Alex McLeish either. Being an ex-Birmingham City manager may not mean that McLeish would do a bad job but, short-sighted and biased or not, he would be a very unpopular appointment and none of the reasons above justify any reason for the fans to feel otherwise.

Del Horno could probably do a job for us at left-back.

What 'reports'?

Can't see this being true, but I hope it is.

Then surely all but 1 of those managers arnt not going to get the job so I'll get paid out the "payout" column wchih totals aroudn £2000 for a liability of £316? Basically, you're getting confused by the odds. Whatever you lay (for example £10) is matched by someone else ad the set odds. So, if you lay Moyes at £10, and the odds of this are 12.0 (as they have been recently), then you have to pay out at odds of 12.0 if he is appointed. This is your liability, in this case £110. However, if Moyes doesn't become manager, you win the other guy's £10. So basically, you're acting as the bookmaker. You could win £10, and you could do this for several managers, but whichever one is appointed, you must pay out at the given odds.

Why Cremonese?

Saw something on the Guardian Football website about this a while back, before it was first released. Forgot about it since then, but it looks good so I've ordered the first issue.

I have a t-shirt that says on the front: Roses are red Violets are blue I'm schizophrenic And so am I.

Jesus, some people on here really will moan about absolutely anything.