NAMING RIGHTS THREAD: Liverpool really won't win the Premiership 2010-2011

first denial would cause you serious concerns over the other two

Lots of Chelsea fans reckon Malouda, Kalou and Drogba were deliberately not passing to Torres.

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%22pass+to+torres%22

So, Pastore being heavily linked with Utd today. Anyone with more knowledge of Serie A want to tell me if he's any good?

― Number None, Monday, 7 March 2011 15:36 (Yesterday) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

He really is. I mean he is obviously playing at a club a lot below his level, so I cannot say for certain how good he genuinely is or can be but from what I've seen, it is basically Kaka Pt. 2 with his speed and the way he runs and the way he works towards attacking, you know? He most probably wouldn't fit in properly at Arsenal or Barca but more with Chelsea or Inter - he's too 'effective' in the way he thinks. I have no idea if this makes any sense btw.

It's most probably bullshit anyway, the Utd rumours i mean, considering the fee being touted is 34m. What i wouldn't give for a bit of creativity in that midfield though.

would still worry for modric/bale double bid

there's no value in the market.

Ozil being sold for 12m or whatever still baffles me

contract running out, wasnt it?

How are Modric and Bale's contracts?

Bale's under contract until 2014 and will probably get a offered new one with a load more money very soon. Modric is still contracted for a couple of years.

So you'll get good money for them. That's something.

http://www.evertonfc.com/assets/_files/images/jun_08/efc__1213717505_bainesjags.jpg

modric has 6 years

Levy will get value but i think utd will be looking to blow some cash this year to avoid the grumbles, and by the same token levy wont turn down 70m or w/e the pair

Like United are in a position to spend £70m on anyone...

You'd better not sell those two, them and vdv are the difference between you and mid-table (see also: Liverpool selling Alonso and then losing Torres/Gerrard for long spells)

That's why I'm thinking they won't both go - Levy's got his eye on the exit strategy.

i'm not advocating it, but this will be a summer of 5th place and the ensuing pressures

spurs need to thin out the likes of keane/bentley/dos santos/jenas/hutton

I'm not sure some of them couldn't go to utd instead, quite frankly

Think 5th place is going to be more of an issue for Bale than Modric really, we'll learn a lot about his character I suppose.

Try not to laugh

By "out of favour" they mean "has inexplicably started nearly every game this season"?

Yer 'avin a laff, 'Arry, 'ntcha?

i already have pastore tattooed on my chest

tbf corluka had been back in the first team until flamini shawxed him

according to this http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/78324.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Corluka has recovered and could play against milan

http://i.imgur.com/kuf6q.jpg

Dismissing the rebels as 'domestic' supporters, Gill said: 'We've done studies that show we have 333 million followers around the world. Not everyone hates the owners.

avramglazershair in fine form there

dope fauxny tail

http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/wolverhampton-wanderers-fc/2011/03/08/wolves-ready-to-buy-jamie-ohara/

Hooray. Now all we need to do is stop up.

"There's been no impact in terms of our transfers," said Gill, who stated that any extra spending power United might have had if they were debt-free was offset by the additional revenue streams the Glazers had tapped into.

Firstly, it's fairly obvious that it has had an impact in terms of tranfers, unless the club have taken a strategic decision to gradually weaken the team over the past few years. Secondly, he's basically saying that we shouldn't moan about hundreds of millions of pounds being leeched out of the club in needless interest payments as the Glazers have magically increased revenues during this time. But how have they done that?
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nrqou-Y55uc/TWPnMpt83sI/AAAAAAAAAXM/079PqT-NbTk/s1600/ST2+prices.png
(That graph probably won't load, but basically shows the huge increase in ticket prices post-takeover). So we should be grateful to the Glazers for increasing revenues, even though the supporters are actually largely responsible for that by having to pay nearly twices as much to get in, and even though the net result is that the club is still worse off than before.

Claiming United's debts were perfectly serviceable, he added: "The £45m, if that wasn't there, that would be better in some respects. "But, at the same time, it's not hampered us developing the club. Our net spend on players since the owners took over is greater than it was in the five or six years before that."

That just isn't true, as United's own accounts make clear:
http://andersred.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-not-to-communicate-with-parliament.html

Still not sure how to find a sympathetic bank manager who will loan me the money to buy a profitable business to play with.

need to find out how much Birmingham wd cost, first

WENGER GETS ON DISTIN

NBS: I have no desire to stand up for the Glazers, or Gill for that matter, but is it possible that by "net spend on players" he is including wages, and the wages might be >6M higher year-on-year? Even if that were true, it wouldn't invalidate yr broad point, I'm just trying to work out how Gill could justify what seems like a blatant public falsehood.

Ah, hm, now I've read the comments on that blog post, please ignore.

Stewart Downing reveals his far from extravagant lifestyle to court

If the defence counsel had intended the jury to be shocked by Downing's luxurious tastes, the list was a disappointment. Faustino Asprilla had spent a large amount of his salary when at Newcastle in amusement arcades and at the Metro Centre's Disney Store. William Gallas, more conventionally, paid £350,000 for a McLaren Mercedes. Manchester United's Nani has invested a proportion of his wages in a life-size marble statue of himself while Downing's Villa team-mate Stephen Ireland has a passion for aquariums, candy-coloured soft furnishings and car accessories. Downing, in contrast, has more modest tastes by modern Premier League bling standards.

OK, someone *must* have a photo of that.

no picture (other than a shitty mock-up) but plenty of info
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3250251/Manchester-United-ace-is-a-right-Nani.html

SOCCER star Nani has a life-size marble statue of HIMSELF in his lounge.

Visitors to the Manchester United winger's mansion are amazed to see the carved figure dressed in his red shirt and white shorts - with his football medals around its neck.

The bizarre statue of Portuguese ace Nani, 24, is topped off with a jester-style hat given by a fan.

One recent guest at the house in Wilmslow, Cheshire, said: "It stops you in your tracks. He's placed it on a stand in the middle of his living room. It's massive, you can't miss it.

"And it's weird when he stands next to it because it's so life-like.

"He's also stuck a red shirt with his name and number on it - and there are about five medals around its neck.

"Then he's put a jester hat with bells on the statue's head.

http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/5783/ashleycole.jpg

SOCCER star Nani has a life-size marble statue of HIMSELF in his lounge.
Visitors to the Manchester United winger's mansion are amazed to see the carved figure dressed in his red shirt and white shorts - with his football medals around its neck.

The bizarre statue of Portuguese ace Nani, 24, is topped off with a jester-style hat given by a fan.

One recent guest at the house in Wilmslow, Cheshire, said: "It stops you in your tracks. He's placed it on a stand in the middle of his living room. It's massive, you can't miss it.

"And it's weird when he stands next to it because it's so life-like.

"He's also stuck a red shirt with his name and number on it - and there are about five medals around its neck.

"Then he's put a jester hat with bells on the statue's head.

unfortunely the statue was damaged a while ago when another player walked within proximity of the statue and the statue promptly tumbled over and rolled around the floor.

there it is.

snap, crackle, pop

ken c is on a roll lately with the stale quips

lately

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqUYhOfgLjE

file with the other 10,000 "passionate northern accent sells football product with passion" ads

difficult to hear a sunderland accent without thinking of phil brown

with lauren laverne

phil brown with lauren laverne's hair

ws?