Football

[Michael*]

I was bored to tears for long periods of the final and without the whole Mourinho sideshow, it would have been a total non-event. Unfortunately the Jose saga also took some of the limelight away from his players (no change there, then). Milito had a phenomenal game and took his goals brilliantly. Bayern's only tactic was 'give it to Robben'.

[red_ed]

[Michael*]

Riquelme for West Ham?

[Michael*]

Some very odd goings on at the good old Stadium of Light yesterday. In the biggest bolt out of the blue since he joined us, club captain Lorik Cana ups sticks for Galatasaray, and now Sol Campbell appears to be headed our way. Wah?

[red_ed]

Sol Campbell to Sunderland? Who will he replace?

Silva and Toure Yaya have gone to Man City btw <_<

[Michael*]

If Campbell joins he'll probably replace John Mensah, who'll be heading back to Lyon. We had him on loan last season and he was absolutely fantastic for us - trouble is, he's not capable of playing in every game because of ongoing back and knee knack (think Ledley King but worse). Lyon won't budge on their valuation of £8m, and Bruce won't pay it without guarantees about fitness. It's a real shame for him, when injury-free he looks a genuine world-class player.

Sounds like Jerome Boateng is headed to City too. It's lucky they're rolling in money, what with the new 25-man squad rule.

Are you happy with Hodgson then, Ed?

[red_ed]

Mensah...didn't he play most of Ghana's games?

Hodgson's CV looks impressive and I think he has experience working with limited resources which is a plus, but honestly, I'm just satisfied that anyone has taken the job, given the drama that has unfolded since those muppets took over <_< Seeing as the new manager was probably going to receive no money for transfers, would have to fight with those 2 owners about any major decisions, get the most out of a squad that makes an anorexic model look healthy and obviously keep the press at a distance while doing all this, I'm actually quite surprised someone like Hodgson is willing to jump onto a sinking ship like ours. In the words of Admiral Ackbar...

[Michael*]

Yep, that's him. If memory serves, he played four times in a couple of weeks for Ghana, though he did miss one of the group games after the old injuries flared up in training. There'd be question marks against him if he came back, but even if we could only get 20 games out of him, I'd still pay the money. He's been such a revelation alongside Michael Turner at the back that he'd be worth it.

I think Hodgson was deserving of a chance to manage one of the big clubs. He knows the game inside out and he'll be better off at Liverpool than getting shafted by the England players and having his life's work undone. A lot will depend on who he's able to bring in, I guess. The spine of the team is still excellent but there's a lot of rebuilding to do and not a great deal of time for a clearout.

[red_ed]

That's a steep price to pay for an injured player imo. But it is Lyon, and Aulas is renowned for driving a hard bargain. I'm sure there's better around if you're willing to look for it though. I wonder how much David Luiz from Benfica is going for. He impressed against Liverpool last season in Europa. From what little I have seen of him, I think he can make it in the Premier League team. He can be physical and is technically adept, especially for a 23 year old CB. He can play LB too! I think he could do well if he is coached properly but definitely has potential. Otherwise, Caceras looks alright. Not so good technically, but very physical and aggressive in his play. Chgrynsky is another option, though he moved back to Donetsk. I quite like him as he is another that can play the ball out of defence but I worry about his pace and positioning at times.

Congrats! I never knew Sunderland signed Christian Riveros

Torres and Gerrard are still considering their futures and with Carra over the hill and Mascherano about to hand in a transfer request, I'm not sure there will be a spine by the time the season opener against Arsenal comes around. And who are we bringing in? We have no cash and at least part of the money from transfers will go to servicing our debts, I believe. I don't think the glitz and glamour of playing in the Europa League will be able to attract too many big names either, but Hodgson has shown he has an eye for talent at least. I'll be happy aiming for 8th.

[Michael*]

We've already been turned down by Schalke's Heiko Westermann and I could see that turning into a recurring theme if we carry on looking around Europe. The club isn't really in a position to attract that kind of talent yet and although Mensah would be expensive, I can't help thinking that a fully fit player of the same quality would have more attractive options. Hopefully though, a couple of players will be coming in sooner rather than later. The latest one to be linked is Nedum Onouha, who hasn't been getting his fair share of games at Man City. Could be a decent option if Mensah is out of the question. As if being held to ransom by Spurs every summer isn't bad enough, we're now also dealing with the European equivalent of Daniel Levy.

Can't wait to see Riveros! If we can get him up to speed sharpish and keep Cattermole fit, I dare say Cana won't be missed.

The injury to Torres in the World Cup final could be a blessing in disguise for Liverpool. There'd have been question marks against him anyway after lacking fitness last season, but this setback should put the kibosh on any potential move. If he does stay put over the summer, it'll give Hodgson a chance to stabilise before the next window rolls around. Gerrard will no doubt be priced out of any transfer and Reina seems happy enough as far as I know. Out of the key group of players, Mascherano is probably the only one I could see moving in the immediate future.

[red_ed]

BEFORE YOU READ THIS POST...

feel free to play the video below starting at 0:35. DO IT!

...and now for the official announcement

IT'S TIEM!!!

We want YOU to join Fantasy Premier League!

You can do insanely cool shit like ponder about what players to choose, stress over your measly budget and waste your life away trying to predict which WAG Terry will fcuk next! And if that's not cool enough for you, we even have secret codes!

For example, the code to join our league is: 477281-116228

and for the head-to-head league, code to join this league: 477281-132648

HAHAHA Crack those Nic Cage!

Here's what Michael* and Frederick had to say about last year's awesome 3 horse race...TO THE DEATH!

"ummm...there were only three people in the entire league all year " - Michael*

"We need more teams in the table! " - Frederick

(Quotes may not represent what participants actually said)

So, eNe, Baron, SS and anyone else who reads this thread on a fanatical, frequent, regular, semi-regular, occasional, rarely, "only after I catch up with all the posts in my neverending list of models" or "only when I'm bored and there's nothing else to read on BZ" -basis feel free to join now :|

[Michael*]

Despite the greatly distressing news that Gareth Bale is listed as a midfield player this season, I'm in!

[red_ed]

I know right! I was going to choose him so I'm deeply disappointed as well. Even though Spurs will be strong this season, there are no bargains to pick from their line-up

[Michael*]

Michael Dawson looks good value at 5.5, and Gomes could a decent option as a back-up keeper. Apart from those two, bargains in the Spurs squad look few and far between. Picking players from Man City is even more of a minefield. Adam Johnson is a favourite of mine, but it's anybody's guess who'll be named in their final squad. I dare say even Mancini has no clue.

[red_ed]

And yet I'm trying to pick 3 Citeh players. It's also getting really hard to pick a good squad. Gomes is my no. 1 :|

[Michael*]

I picked Gomes too but I tend to think of him as more of a back-up, simply because 'Arry has that strange habit of picking unpredictable teams, which always seems to make Spurs prone to the odd thrashing. Every once in a while, you can guarantee he'll throw a spanner in the Fantasy League works and play three right-backs for no apparent reason.

[Berno]

I'm in :| It was probably dodgy on my part picking King, but lets hope he has an injury free season?

Yeah, i laughed too

[Michael*]

I'm in :|

Quadruple figures!

[red_ed]

YAY! Berno is in! and my bet is on King not being able to last a week without injury, let alone a season

I've also created the Bellazon Premier League (BZPL), a head-to-head league, in case we don't have many people. We play against another team in the league every week. 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw. :lullaby: Code to join this league: 477281-132648

[SympathysSilhouette]

BEFORE YOU READ THIS POST...

feel free to play the video below starting at 0:35. DO IT!

...and now for the official announcement

IT'S TIEM!!!

We want YOU to join Fantasy Premier League!

You can do insanely cool shit like ponder about what players to choose, stress over your measly budget and waste your life away trying to predict which WAG Terry will fcuk next! And if that's not cool enough for you, we even have secret codes!

For example, the code to join our league is: 477281-116228

and for the head-to-head league, code to join this league: 477281-132648

HAHAHA Crack those Nic Cage!

Here's what Michael* and Frederick had to say about last year's awesome 3 horse race...TO THE DEATH!

"ummm...there were only three people in the entire league all year " - Michael*

"We need more teams in the table! " - Frederick

(Quotes may not represent what participants actually said)

So, eNe, Baron, SS and anyone else who reads this thread on a fanatical, frequent, regular, semi-regular, occasional, rarely, "only after I catch up with all the posts in my neverending list of models" or "only when I'm bored and there's nothing else to read on BZ" -basis feel free to join now :|

Okay, I'll give you all the chance to whoop my ass in this thing. The only experience I have with fantasy football are my erotic dreams about certain WAGs.