Frederick
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Joined
Everything posted by Frederick
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Lambert's more than fine by me but God in heaven does he have a lot to do this summer. I could easily make a case for selling 96% of the squad, whether it be for the cash or, in the majority of cases, because they're rubbish. I'm really hoping that one half decent performance for Ireland in the Euros doesn't mean Dunne will suddenly be bestowed a new contract and the captaincy. Realistically I'm hoping next season will be like the first under O'Neill: top twelve finish, positive football, development of some of the youngsters and an exit door for some of the wage sponging veterans who's sense of entitlement would shock an Arabian prince. Lambo (as I intend to call him) has a good track record plucking raw lower league talent and making them into well drilled, committed, slick passing top flight pros; the complete antithesis of the nightclub bouncer vibe McLeish instilled in every player last year. He might even be able to find the good player that supposedly resides in Fabian Delph's subconscious.
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She should always be dark haired.
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Disaster for Bayern, completely fell to pieces after Drogba's goal. Franck's injury was a blow, but Robben is almost unbearable to watch when he's in full blown catastrophe mode. I expect Jupp to be given his marching orders pretty swiftly. Hard to believe Martin O'Neill once thought Zat Knight was a superior defender to Gary Cahill, absolutely bonkers.
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Wow, you were at that game? Crikey. I think the spine of Blackpool's team, provided they can keep Matt Phillips and Ince, have one more big campaign in them. Taylor-Fletcher, weight jokes notwithstanding, was a real miss for them today, Super Kev at 38 remains a trump card as a substitute but he was never going to be able to lead the line from the get go with the same effect.
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As Mancini would say, for sure we are in good moment! Also pleased to see my bogey team, Average, have a thoroughly miserable season. Which fittingly brings me to...the England squad for Euro 2012! Goalkeepers - Joe Hart, Robert Green, John Ruddy Defenders - Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Glen Johnson, Phil Jones, Joleon Lescott, John Terry Midfielders - Gareth Barry, Stewart Downing, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Scott Parker, Theo Walcott, Ashley Young Strikers - Andy Carroll, Jermain Defoe, Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck Standby - Jack Butland, Phil Jagielka, Jordan Henderson, Adam Johnson, Daniel Sturridge
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A truly historic double, capped by an unforgettable performance. Seasons don't end any better than this, hell there were even a few howlers from monkeyman Neuer just to add extra sweetness. This is the first team EVER to beat Bayern five times in a row. Ever. EVER.
Hey, its another year in the presence of the "elite clubs" in this Barclays Premier League we all so dearly love, who could grumble with that? I suppose in McLeish's defence he's never, to my knowledge, headbutted fans, stolen candy from a baby or cackled in delight when Richard Dunne's given away a penalty for the third time in ten minutes. So under that criteria he can call himself a paragon of virtue. Its funny, everyone talks about players being disloyal chancers but managers, by and large, tend to get off incredibly lightly. If McLeish really had the dignity claimed he would quit Sunday evening but I suspect he won't because he knows that Aston Villa represents the contract pay out of his lifetime. What on earth Randy was thinking, I will never know.
The continual rise to prominence of inarticulate ex-pros sitting in pink shirts blindly defending one of their own is far more of a problem in football than the 'ungrateful' supporters of clubs like Blackburn, Villa, Sunderland, etc. Maybe if I was sitting in a comfy studio being paid to talk a lot of hogwash it would soften my senses too but until then, I, the paying customer, am well within my rights to be fed up at winning 7 out of 37 games. And all this talk about rubbish managers carrying themselves with "dignity" is a joke (I'm sure Big Eck's huge contract helps with that), especially when two minutes later the same idiotic pundit is frantically justifying a dive in the penalty area or some other form of cheating.
As deserving finalists as Bayern unquestionably are, Real threw it away big time through a combination of physical fatigue, tactical naivety and ultimately, mental disintegration. That could well be a watershed game for Toni Kroos, not a player I've often associated with the 'big occasion', I thought he was rather marvellous. As far as the suspensions go they're about even (numerically and in terms of importance). So, a final with two very flawed teams but lots of mercurial type players on display...could be very interesting.
On footballing merits, as things stand, I could hardly complain if we did go down. We're the type of team that if I didn't support them, I would resent their existence. What's been particularly worrying is that everyone around us has shown a level of desire, an attempt at a cutting edge and a willingness to try and WIN each game, be it at the Emirates or anywhere else, whereas we set out to draw home games 0-0 or gleefully roll over for the "elite clubs" (McLeish's words, not mine). Whatever happens tonight, its been a truly shameful season. Don't get me wrong, I hope to goodness we win, but the fact that we have a relegation crunch game against Bolton (who's reserve team beat our supposed best XI 0-2 in the League Cup earlier this season) is just pitiful.
