Babb'sBurstNad

I honestly can't see any billionaire/consortium being fooled by burying facts about profits in the small print as the accounts would be heavily scrutinised. Neither would they, if they were serious enough to be spending £500million on a club, miss the chance to bargain down any price if a key asset that brought in significant merchandising revenue was no longer attached to the investment.

Don't worry, i believe you. ;)

In size perhaps, but they've got a population of 120 million.

It's about time one of the tabloids rubbished the rumours. I almost have a miniscule amount of respect for the DM now (i said almost). I'm getting fed up of mates telling me this rumour/that rumour and convinced that the only reason it's not coming out is because of a gagging order. It's become impossible to prove them wrong as they're usually the same ones who think we've been sold but the fact that we haven't heard about the sale proves it. :wallbutt: The problem with these slurs is that as soon as one "rumour" is proved wrong someone amends it/makes up a new one and wankers of the world unite in believing it because for some strange reason they actually want it to be true.

Even better than that, he's now added a bit to his latest report about Kenny approving of Roy (apologies in advance for quoting K**talk) Anyone care to guess what made up names he'll blame it on, or will he say Roy persuaded Kenny to stay? Great quotes from Kenny from the Echo though - “The most important thing at the moment is for Roy to get on with the job in hand – and that’s to get the first team organised. Let him get on with that and when he’s got time we can sit down and have a chat." “But it isn’t about Kenny Dalglish, Roy Hodgson, Christian Purslow or the board. It’s about the football club and this is a very important time for the club. There’s no way that anyone should be looking at their own self interest – everything should be simply and purely for the benefit of the club.”

Great player, but i'm not sure he'll suit the league. He's lightweight and jack booted defenders will look to kick him into next week.

Apologies if it's already been posted, but Spurs are now apparently denying they've made such a bid - Spurs reject Palermo claim

Too many variables to say for certain one way or the other - choice of manager, keeping players, transfer funds available, not losing our opening games, fan support etc... I think the season before last we over achieved and last season we vastly under achieved, so somewhere in the middle would be about right, i'd say 5th or thereabouts. I think Spurs will find CL a bigger drag and add injuries to their squad just like Fulham have found the Europa league. Villa might lose a couple of key players like Milner or Young and i'm still not convinced Mancini is as great a manager as City fans believe and i'd bet his squad of mercenarys will fall apart. So long as we don't implode i think we'll be top 6.

Spot on. When boardroom and ownership tussles are played out in the press people bitch and moan about airing dirt laundry in public, but when it goes on behind closed doors everyone just guesses anyway. Perhaps what some see as no evidence for a takeover is simply because whether there is or isn't, it will be kept behind closed doors as it should - a lesson that finally the board/owners seem to have perhaps learnt. I'm not saying they haven't buggered up the hunt for a new manager or that we're not further than ever from being sold (although i don't think Hicks can hang on much longer without further intervention from RBS), but i firmly believe most of what we're reading in the press is just hacks guessing and people are jumping off from there with their own theories, be it Hodgson's "imminent" arrival, meltdown, takeovers, WC managers, asset stripping, etc.

Honestly, i can't see that being true. Getting people's hopes up only to have them dashed is a surefire way of creating even greater discontent. I think for all the talk of leaks and briefing the press with an agenda that the majority of what's appeared in the media recently is just guesswork pure and simple and the rumours of takeovers generally come from hopeful fans/nutters. Just read any football rumours site to see the masses of people desperate to appear in-the-know and how many stories, even in the mainstream press, can emanate from an unsubstantiated pile of shite like Dunc's drivel on K**talk. I suppose it depends on whether you think it's the board making a hash of things or journalists bullshitting to sell copy. Right now it seems a fair bet that it's a healthy amount of both.

I take your point, but the question is whether it's the player's ability with the ball or mindset that's to blame for such ineptitude. We know they can pass the ball under pressure (particularly those with CL experience), but what is it about joining the national side that seems to evaporate that ability? I think when you look at most national sides, they tend to have a system and slot players into it, but in this country with the press always pushing for those in the top teams to gain places we build a system around the idea of fitting in the biggest names, no matter if that means putting someone in an awkward position or including dead wood because one striker supposedly works well off him. I don't like to immediately jump on the manager, but the claim that he'd only take in form and fit players has not materialised. King was held together with blu-tac, Green couldn't catch herpes and Heskey apparently "does more for the team than just score goals".

I really don't buy the theory that these dismal performances are entirely down to our players simply not being as good as we/they think they are. I'd say it's more to do with the stage and whether they can reproduce the form they are capable of for club sides (sadly Green and Upson showed they can, but in the wrong manner). Some players look far better for their country and others look better at club level. Had Baros been as explosive for us as he was for his national side he'd have been fantastic. The England team has always been less than the sum of its parts and Germany the opposite. England players lose all semblance of discipline at national level and each tournament that goes by with huge pressure on them causes them to under-perform and this in turn makes it worse. The level of trepidation they played with in the group stage was ridiculous. I think it's time for a clear out and give an opportunity to some of the younger talent.

Completely agree. With the score level there'd have been no reason to press so high and leave only two inept CBs to mind the shop. Germany played some nice football, but Christ they were given a lot of room. Barry seemed almost guaranteed to lose it when he got in the final third and everyone was bunched in ten square yards like they were playing sardines. Shock horror, the only moments of genuine creativity happened when Gerrard linked up with the strikers in a more forward and central position. I don't even want to discuss Upson and Terry. Well played Germany.

It's not an "either/or" scenario though. ;)

Fair enough, personally i like to see Liverpool players doing well, but each to their own.

So are you supporting Ghana then at the WC?

My favourite is still - "He's a striker who loves to score goals"

How about if Gerrard scores?

I agree with most of that, but the one area i think Barca would notice the diff is the lack of height. Toure in particular is capable of bolstering their defence when teams try to bypass the midfield with lobbed balls, Masch wouldn't stand a chance in hell and he certainly couldn't slot in as a makeshift CB if the need arose as Toure has.

Do we even know who made the decision? To want a national squad, or any football side for that matter to do badly because of a decision that might not emanate from anywhere near the playing side/manager is frankly moronic. Yes it was tight, but does anyone think that a truly insightful question was going to come up? Are you confident? What's the mood like? Why does Capello's forehead look like a scrotum? etc etc.

I thought DIC were going tits up, selling off assets and begging for money and time to pay their loans. Frying pan and fire spring to mind, unless our new stadium is to be a giant Travelodge.

Sorry, when i say boring i mean in terms of a footballing spectacle. If England take an early goal i'll be on the edge of my seat, but i can't see it being good for an open game for the nuetrals.

Did anyone see the look on Bocanegra's face when Gyan got away from him to shoot? For some reason he was looking in the air for the ball to drop out of the sky.

England 1-0, boring game that won't live up to the hype. England to snatch an early goal and then try to defend for 75 minutes. Continual attempts to hoof the ball to Heskey/Crouch at every opportunity and Rooney'll still be playing like he's wearing orthopaedic shoes.

Good point, and given the quote "I am not there for just one year. A coach must be there for the long haul" and the fact he left Juve (albeit in somewhat acrimonious circumstances) after one year surely means he's not averse to moving onto pastures new. However, when you look at how confident the Marseille president was, i'd say it's a no-go anyway.