Premier League 2013-2014

[caller]

I wonder how Fulham fans will react to the sale? Fayed has actually been good for Fulham once he put his ego away. He has improved the ground and more changes planned to rebuild the Riverside stand and they have become a staple in the premiership. That kind of stability suits the fans and what is probably the most enjoyable London premiership experience with season tickets especially, dirt cheap. I kind of think the fans are happy with the status quo.

[Bamboo Grove]

So not only are the Gunners coming to Helsinki on 10.8 just got news that The Arsenal Away Boyz will be performing in Helsinki after the match.

[Zidane]

Rooney to Chelski......looks like it could happen.....Jose is quoted as saying "its Rooney or bust."
I see it as a good move for United and Chelsea.Rooney is now 27 and should be at the peak of his career but is nowhere near the player he was when he joined United 8 years ago.
If he sees out his contract he'll become even more mediocre.....possibly finished at 30 and another Gazza in the making ?
But a new challenge,be it to Chelsea or elsewhere,might just revive his flagging career and the transfer money United get could be spent on the two top class midfielders they desperately need.
Theres some talk of either Luiz or Mata being makeweights in the deal......much as I'd like either of those two at Old Trafford I cant see it happening,somehow.
Luiz and Mata for Rooney and Nani......what do you reckon to that,caller ? ......hope you enjoyed the game last night....
Singha All Stars 0 Chelsea 1 (Lukaku pen).

[arcadianagain]

So far Arsenal have scored 14 goals on tour, the Manchester clubs seemed to be struggling and Chelsea only scored 1 goal, therefore Arsenal are going to run away with the premiership.

[blue05]

yup, if you get to play Vietnam every week I would have money on you

[Terry]

[arcadianagain]

yup, if you get to play Vietnam every week I would have money on you

So you and your Spud amigo didn`t detect any irony?

[PeteC]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23375452

Manchester City legend Bert Trautmann dies aged 89

Bert Trautmann, the German goalkeeper who won the FA Cup with Manchester City in 1956, has died at the age of 89.

Trautmann is best remembered for playing the final 17 minutes of City's Cup final win against Birmingham City with a broken neck.

He played more than 500 times for City between 1949-64, having first arrived in England as a prisoner of war.

Bert Trautmann factfile

Born: 22 October 1923 in Bremen, Germany

1949: Joins Man City from non-league St Helens Town

1956: Wins FA Cup with City, but breaks neck 17 minutes from end of final versus Birmingham City

1964: Ends playing career after 545 appearances for City

2004: Made OBE for Anglo-German reconciliation work

Trautmann, who had survived two heart attacks this year, passed away near Valencia in Spain on Friday.

Bob Wilson, the former Arsenal goalkeeper and BBC Sport presenter, paid tribute to Trautmann on Twitter: "Sad news. My hero Bert Trautmann has died. Amazing man who helped bring our warring countries closer together. Thank you Bert."

Francis Lee, the former Manchester City player who later became the club's chairman, said: "He was one of the all-time great keepers.

"I knew Bert wasn't keeping well for the last six months but it has still come as a shock that he has passed on.

"I made my debut as a 16-year-old for Bolton against City with Bert in goal and I scored a header after a quarter of an hour. It convinced him, he later told me, that it was time to pack up."

Born in Bremen in 1923, Trautmann fought as a paratrooper in World War II before being captured on the Russian front.

Trautmann escaped captivity and returned to serve in France, but after escaping from the French resistance he was captured for a final time by the British Army and interned near Ashton-in-Makerfield, Lancashire.
Bert Trautmann (centre) after the 1956 FA Cup final

Trautmann is helped from the field after the 1956 FA Cup final, unaware he has broken his neck

Remaining in England following the end of the war in 1945, Trautmann began his English football career with non-league St Helens Town.

He signed for Manchester City in October 1949, but initially faced hostility from some supporters, with memories of the war still fresh.

However, his bravery in the 1956 FA Cup final saw Trautmann become a hero to many fans after he broke several vertebrae in his neck when he collided with Birmingham's Peter Murphy with City leading 3-1.

The German was unaware of the seriousness of the injury and played the rest of the match, with the broken neck not being discovered until three days later.

"I don't think he knew he'd broken his neck, not until they had the scans and X-rays," Lee added. "There was no way he was coming off because there were no subs in those days. He was as brave as a lion.

"He was on the Western Front as well the Eastern Front, so he saw a bit of action and a broken neck was not going to put him off."

Trautmann eventually made a full recovery and following his retirement in 1964, he managed Stockport County and helped the German Football Association promote football development in Africa and Asia.

In 2004 Trautmann was awarded the OBE for his work with the Trautmann Foundation, which promoted sportsmanship and exchange programmes between young players and amateur footballers in Germany and the UK.

[caller]

Luiz and Mata for Rooney and Nani......what do you reckon to that,caller ? ......hope you enjoyed the game last night....Singha All Stars 0 Chelsea 1 (Lukaku pen).

Well, the Luiz / Mata thing clearly never was, as for the game, well, the whole experience really, yeah, it was good. Will post a report and some photos when I get my camera to communicate with my new netbook convertible thingy. I need to go to Canon about that next week.

[arcadianagain]

Given that the Far East is responsible for a large proportion of knock-off replica shirts I wonder how many of the hundreds of thousands worn by fans on these tours are genuine and help to make a profit for English clubs.

[Bamboo Grove]

arcadianagain wrote:

So you and your Spud amigo didn`t detect any irony?

Never mind, arcadianagain, I don't know the blue Scouser but as for his Spud amigo, he's a fine, young man but sometimes suffering from so many consecutive St. Totteringham's day celebrations.

[Terry]

YOUNG

Don't worry - the irony was not lost on me

[caller]

Given that the Far East is responsible for a large proportion of knock-off replica shirts I wonder how many of the hundreds of thousands worn by fans on these tours are genuine and help to make a profit for English clubs.

From what I saw there was a mixture of both. There was a huge stall of the latest genuine Adidas Chelsea replica kits, polo's etc, inside the compound in front of the entrance and they were being snapped up at a fevered pace. All the big stores around seem to stock plenty of clubs kits, from all over, so I guess there must be a demand for the stuff?

[arcadianagain]

I recall seeing a replica shirt in a Tunisian market just after David Wossisname signed for Real Madrid, on the back was "23 Beacham"

[dtaai-maai]

Some good stuff happening at the Lane just now. We've got Paulinho and now Nacir Chadli.

Soldado would be the icing on the cake, but let's wait and see.
I'm starting to feel really good about the coming season.
Oh dear.


http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/ ... do-2071707