Lupin

All shades of opinion, pro and con - raw nerve, chaps?

No he hasn't - much of it was accounted for by other debts before he even has to address the issue of the RBS/Wachovia sureties for refinancing (they want cash upfront - no letters of credit etc). The Canadian papers say the sale won't be finalised until sometime in August anyway. Meanwhile, Tom Hicks is having a garage sale as no-one seems to want his teams or remaining companies, having dissolved HSG...a gang of creditors and investment bankers wielding pitchforks and torches were last seen scouring downtown Houston for him...he currently owes and has defaulted upon almost $600m worth of debt in the USA alone.

I don't do online gaming or any other sort as I don't want to get 'into it' and become addicted - as a result I've got loads of time to do the things I really prefer if I'm honest, added into the bargain is the fact I haven't as a result become a fat Billy no-mates like some of my erstwhile friends have.

It's not well documented at all - it's largely assumed based on interpreting selective and highly edited 'quotes' mainly from Spanish newspapers often with a close relationship to Madrid, a few over here (such as the Mail) who so far this summer have unsuccessfully linked just about everyone in our squad with everyone else and got nothing right (including their belief that Glen Johnson would rather go back to Chelsea than come to us) and people's often dour and bizarre assertions based on Xabi having the character traits of an avaricious Lord Haw-Haw despite five years of actual evidence to the contrary. Largely he has said what everyone says in such circumstances - to wit : 'flattered to be associated with a club like (insert Madrid, Barca, Inter, AC, Chelsea etc)' while not making a view clear either way beyond 'I'm looking forward to my sixth season at Anfield', 'It's up to the two clubs' and so on and so forth. This suggests he wouldn't be remotely dissapointed to go to Madrid but is a long way from implying he is desperate to go and certainly not just for the money. If he goes in the end, it will be beacause Rafa has decided the deal was good for the club and he feels he has the money to replace/improve on him as a result. If Rafa isn't convinced of this, he won't be going anywhere and all his attempts at not burning his bridges by being ambivalent would seem more likely to imply he'll be happy enough to get on with the job.

Huge leap of the usual 'all footballers are greedy cunts' child's mentality, backed up with nothing other than tarring everyone with the lowest moral intentions. 'Liverpool want me, Madrid want me , and it's all good' is a more likely truism.

With the best will in the world, as much as I love the Mekon that is Jay Spearing, he's nowhere near ready for that - part-time in easier games, yeah - why not if we're doing well - but fulltime in tougher ones? Nope. And £25m for Xabi is good money - if someone other than the obscenely profligate Real Madrid are buying - they're not - so it's a minimum £35m to dance or fuck off Valdano. 'Few players in the world can do what Alonso does' - so pay up then, cuntface or get off the pot.

Well exactly - I think he wants to go, but not as much as some think and who knows - maybe not as much as he may have thought himself. He still might go, but with each day that passes the chances of him staying increase - he may well get pissed off with Madrid's reluctance to pay the asking price too and call an end to it.

If they don't do a Henman and bottle it, England will win as the Aussie attack is pretty toothless at the mo.

I'm a werewolf...or the booty stolen by Dennis Moore - one or the other.

Usually agree with you Andy, but if he really, really wants to go he can force the issue - and he hasn't and it seems, won't. Therefore allthough I'm happy to go along with the idea that Real may well be his first choice (and certainly his agent's), I'm still not that convinced when push comes to shove that Alonso himself is all that arsed and that if he had to stay, then he doesn't really mind that either.

Similar to my own position then, except for the emphasis. I don't think he really wants to go to Madrid (he's certainly not adverse to it however) as he could force it in a number of ways, most obviously by handing in a request. He hasn't and he won't, which in the end indicates to me that although given a straight choice he may well prefer the Madrid chance, not by much and he's not all that bothered enough to push it.

My take on this thing... Xabi would not be unhappy about going to Madrid - equally, he'd be just as happy to say where he is. On top of this, he's enjoying being in some demand, both with us and Madrid and is probably getting some minor schadenfreude style satisfaction at Rafa's minor discomfort in all this. He won't ask for a transfer not because of the money/loyalty (I've never been convinced he has that mercenary instinct) but because he's not that bothered about moving adopting the 'if they want me, then they'll pay', which given the money they've forked out for Placcy. Kaka, Benzema and even Albiol would seem a reasonable stance to take. The fact he is a Basque and his dad was a Barcalona hero won't stop him going to Madrid if they come up with the full wonga - but it might give him a wry grin at their predicament too.

In which case, please accept my app-ol-ogies.

How are we trying to sell him? If that was the case, we'd accept a lot less than £35m and get on with it. I'd say we were openly trying to keep him unless someone wants to give us silly money - i.e., Madrid who made the rod for their own backs.

Feck off :lol:

I'm sure AS dabbled in a bit of selective editing as is their way, but all the same, that quote in isolation doesn't say 'I want to go' it says 'let's see who wants me the most'

Oh go and do one - that body language says the same as Pepe's - i.e., 'I've just got off a plane after a bloody long flight and I'm knackered' - nothing else. Jeebus H.

..and to further confound the soothsaters... Gerrard Out Of Trip Writer: TOR CHITTINAND Bangkok Post Published: 20/07/2009 at 12:00 AM Newspaper section: SportsStar Liverpool player Steven Gerrard will not play in the Reds' friendly match against Thailand on Wednesday evening. Steven Gerrard Gerrard has remained in England to fight an affray charge at Liverpool Crown Court, with the rest of the squad due to arrive in Bangkok this afternoon. Xabi Alonso will feature and he will take part in a promotional event in front of CentralWorld tomorrow along with Dirk Kuyt and Albert Riera. There will also be a football clinic at Chulalongkorn stadium for 100 junior players. Both events take place at 1pm.

'Sheikh Ahmed, a member of the ruling family Ras al-Khaimah, will be honorary chairman of the club' can't be us then, as we already hav...oh, hang on...

Titanic's in trouble too...

Whatcan they say apart from 'Oh fuck' or 'Run!'

Sources in London meaning Keith Harris and Orville. No-one knows who's watching us - why would they? Why would anyone show their hand?

I think somewhere down the line they must have learned that by and large, scousers are not xenophobic, immigrant hating, tory twats and report on us accordingly. We're not mad keen on the Royal in-breds either.

Possibly, depending on the decision making process - if it was disciplinary, breach of confidence, improper conduct or a myriad of other such things it's hard to say, not to mention corporate restructuring to which Rafa may have agreed, but not made the decision. FWIW someone I know who works at the club and is an occasional visitor here has told me many teams he thinks the non-playing payroll is hugely overstaffed.

That's a good analogy up to a point, except you should add in that they have put in their 'house' (us) to the banks as collateral - the idea you're right, is only to pay a reasonable (to you) amount of interest on the debt, the rest going to your pocket until one day you sell up having creamed the cow and make another massive profit...all that of course is in an ideal situation where the economy is solid and you are not over-reached either here or through your other holdings - and that's where it's gone tits up. Now the bank could repossess or force a sale to enable them to meet their debt and possibly - just possibly walk away solvent and with a small profit if the deal is right. The only way they can keep us (if temporarily) is if the banks grant an extension - they might, but clearly or own accountants think they might not and to my eyes, even hint that they should not. If they don't, a sale is inevitable - then we'll see who wants to pick up one of the worlds greatest sporting names (brands - yuk) at a bargain (though more realistic) price.