Neil G

The chance you’re thinking of was in the 2-2 at the end of 98/99, when we came from two down. Iirc it was a great cross from little Davey Thommo, Carra was unmarked in the box and put his header wide. You’re right, it would have made him an instant legend, especially as it would have stopped the bastards winning the treble.

I don’t want Arsenal to win it, partly because of Wenger’s comments about us last year, and partly because the thought of hearing our Champions of Europe song being sung in a cockney accent every week makes me feel physically sick. Go on, imagine it. But the main reason is self-interest. Let’s get one thing straight: Arsenal winning the CL would be BAD FOR LIVERPOOL. They would be able to attract top players that they might not have got without that prestige, including possibly some of our own transfer targets. I know we didn’t make the best job of this last summer but I’m sure Arsenal will learn from our experience. With a couple of world class signings added to the talent they already have, and with the added confidence and self-belief that comes from being champions of Europe, they would be genuine title contenders again next season. We already have enough to do to catch Chelsea without dealing with a resurgent Arsenal as well. I don’t dispute that they play fantastic football and would be worthy winners, but I want the title next season. Arsenal winning the CL would make this less likely, and so I can’t support them. As someone else said earlier in the thread, it’s not spite, just business.

If anybody finds one, can you see if you can get one of Jerzy with them on as well. With his beard he looked just like Ali G, it was quality.

Definitely would, have been thinking that for a while and finally made my mind up watching him against Getafe tonight. Just because he isn’t first choice for Barca doesn’t mean he’s not good enough for us, there’s no shame in losing your place to Messi. I really don’t think we need to be looking for a top of the range, silly money signing for RM. Gerrard is awesome in that position as proved again tonight, plus we should definitely explore 3-5-2 / 3-4-3 more next season as it worked a treat against Newcastle and seemed to give our existing attacking players much more freedom in their respective roles. However Giuly would be a great signing at a reasonable price, he could fit equally comfortably into a standard 4-4-2 or a 3-4-3. He’s got pace, aggression, can beat a man and put in a decent cross, plus he weighs in with the odd goal. He may not be an automatic first choice but would get at least as many starts as he does for Barca, as I can see Rafa building a deeper and more versatile squad and rotating more next season. (Now watch him have a blinder of a World Cup for France and his value rocket above £10 million.)

Not sure about that. I’d have thought it would depend on whether or not his retina was detached, which as far as I’m aware isn’t known yet. There’s a link on RAWK to a story about an NFL player in the States who got a detached retina after being hit in the eye with a bottle. It’s expected that he’ll be able to carry on playing. I don’t know how much impact there is from heading a football compared to the blows NFL players get to their heads during a game, and whether one causes more stress to the eye region than the other, but that story gives some grounds for optimism.

There have been a lot of ominous headlines and rumours flying around about this, so I thought I’d throw in my two pence worth. I suffered a serious injury to my left eye a few years ago when I got my head kicked in on a night out. Among other symptoms I had a detached retina, which the doctors told me could lead to total blindness in the eye. However after three operations they managed to save my eyesight and repair the most serious damage. I now have very blurred vision in my left eye, but it doesn’t present an impediment of any kind. I have perfect vision in my good eye and don’t notice any difference when both eyes are open. So even if Momo has suffered permanent damage to the vision in his right eye, it doesn’t automatically mean that his career is over. The brain adapts over time to compensate for damage to the affected eye, as happened with me. It depends on whether the percentage loss being cited by the Portuguese doctor refers to the quality of vision or the range of vision (and as S31 said he’s not necessarily an expert anyway). If it’s quality of vision then it’s not necessarily career-threatening – my vision was 20/20 before the injury and is now 8/20, so in crude terms that’s 60 percent damage sustained to my vision without any practical difficulties caused. If the range of vision is impaired, e.g. if he ends up with a blind spot, that could be more problematic, but even then it’s possible for the brain to adapt. The thing with eye injuries is that it’s virtually impossible to make a firm diagnosis for a few days, as the eye is so sensitive and liable to bruising and swelling. So until there’s further official news from the club, I’d suggest that people ignore sensationalist headlines and unsubstantiated rumours (just like with any other story relating to Liverpool FC, in fact) and be aware that talk of Momo’s career being over is premature to say the least. The doctors who treated me did an amazing job of fixing my eye up, and that was seven years ago on the NHS. Eye surgery is a field where new advances are being made all the time, and you can guarantee the club will made sure that Momo gets the best treatment available anywhere in the world. Thoughts and prayers are with Momo in the meantime. YNWA

Hall of fame at 503, get in. Don’t usually bother posting but wanted to share that with you all. No trick to it, just instinct like Robbie hitting the corners of the net without thinking. :whistle: Nice one for putting that up, perfect antidote to a depressing evening.

Now there’s a thought. Quite a disturbing thought actually. Having previously said it might take a while, I had a flash of inspiration today and got the bones of a story together, so I’ll probably be able to get it in after all. Loved the mock-up of Platini and Zidane by the way Dave, that was class. The sad thing is, it wouldn't surprise me if there really was an Everton fan somewhere out there who's put together a picture of those two in Everton shirts and stuck it on their wall, along with all the other greats they missed out on because of us. Maybe even the luvvie himself.

Cheers lads, glad you enjoyed it. I will do another one at some point, although I doubt it’ll make the next issue, as I’m really busy at the moment and Dave said he wanted to get it out as soon as he could. I need to take my time and do it properly – Mr Rooney is about to make his entrance onto the grand stage of world history, and the event must be chronicled faithfully...