Moneyball won't win the Premiership 2012-13

speechless

makes him look even more like a horse

he looks simulataneously hilarious and huge and absolutely terrifying like some discarded time bandits character

isnt that a dutch thing? "black peter" etc. dudes in blackface with santa claus on a speedboat hand out presents to kiddies.

yeah but horsefaced record champions league goalscorer in blackface with santa claus on a speedboat handing out presents to kiddies is, in the inimitable words of marcello carlin, a Good Story

Martin Keown is dressed up like Al Jolson and gaining on him in a jetski, while bellowing furiously.

@paddypower: We've shortened Man Utd into 4/5 to beat Liverpool on Sunday after Howard Webb was appointed referee

RVN wasn't being Black Peter. He was being Balthasar, one of the Magi who brought gifts to the infant Jesus.

But in a linking twist, Swarte Piet is supposed to be from Spain.

i dunno, i have a standing joke about every club in the country having an "ex-Man U" player

Let's hear it!

no, that's it, not a joke as such, just a lot of middling players in lower league clubs who seem to have been on the youth books at some point. the clubs seem to proudly point to this illustrious upbringing even tho the guy in question is a donkey who got let go at 16.

Ben Thornley's one that springs to mind. His every appearance for Aberdeen prompted someone to use the words "former Manchester United starlet".

adebayor travels to ACN

also juve might want to sign him? just playing him for negotiations with llorente probably, but would be sweet if levy made a profit from adebayor. hopefully spurs will sign a striker. damaio being talked about again, i would prefer soldado or negredo.

Grant Brebner was always referred to as former Man U youth captain.

see? there's hundreds of them, like mediocre Brazilians in middling international sides

John Thorrington and Kenny Cooper are two MLS vets who still get the "ex-Man United" tag regularly

No, that's just the legacy of Big Phil's long con (is Rafael Scheidt the most conspicuous example of that?). xp

He's probably been the most expensive.

lol at that XI of the year

Casillas; Alves, Pique, Ramos, Marcelo; Alonso, Xavi, Iniesta; Messi, Falcao, Ronaldo

ouch

that'll be some team once Adán's back from suspension.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BAB6b_OCIAAmiPC.jpg

the votes: http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/ballond%27or/playeroftheyear%28men%29/01/98/07/84/fboawardmenplayer2012-bycountry.pdf

and the top 23

1. Messi
2. Ronaldo
3. Iniesta
4. Xavi
5. Falcao
6. Casillas
7. Pirlo
8. Drogba
9. Van Persie
10. Zlatan
11. Alonso
12. Touré
13. Neymar
14. Özil
15. Rooney
16. Buffon
17. Agüero
18. Ramos
19. Neuer
20. Busquets
21. Piqué
22. Benzema
23. Balotelli

anyone who voted for Balotelli is just enabling him

I think being 23rd out of 23 will annoy him more than missing out altogether

15. Rooney
16. Buffon
17. Agüero
18. Ramos
19. Neuer
20. Busquets

hmmmmm

i was going to c&p 15-17 like 300 times itt but idk how to do that efficiently on an iphone

Ben Thornley and John Thorrington ha!. When Thorrington played for Town he was described in the match program as 'ex Man Utd, Bayern Leverkusen starlet and USA international JOHN THORRINGTON!' This was in league 2. Ben Thornley was one of them players who give up the game when he was sold to Town and spent the rest of his time getting fat and working on his property portfolio.

Captain Belgium Kompany Vincent Messi Lionel Xavi Falcao Radamel

Worst superhero ever

Coach Korea DPR Yun Jong Su Messi Lionel Rooney Wayne Özil Mesut

so blame north korea

Nigeria's coach is the only guy to go wall-to-wall epl

Thailand's coach voted Busquets No. 1

they love to go down easily in thailand amirite lol bantzzzzzzzzzz

Hearing rumors that more MLSers are on full trials in the Prem... of course they're all with West Ham. Zusi, Agudelo, Alonso all there currently.

I wonder, with Geoff Cameron doing well at Stoke and Roger Espinoza joining Wigan, are we going to see an increase in the plundering of relatively cheap MLS talent by lower-tier clubs?

It surprises me that we don't get more of them tbh - I'd've thought the eager to learn, humble, no-nonsense types that I imagine populate domestic US soccer would be perfect fits for authoritarian epl management structures

everton, fulham and bolton had been on dat ting notably in the past, right?

gonna pick up the ginger minime brother and jam some before bed

Yeah previously it was mostly Everton and Fulham it seemed. My thinking is aligned with IK's in that these guys already kinda play for the love being over here, but they definitely have some talent that could be expanded upon. Zusi and Alonso were named to the league best 11 last season, but Agudelo probably has the highest upside being only 20.

this is not the thread to post what you are doing btw

gd deems you are being quite the gatekeeper today, first the comedy thread facetiousness now this

going to post nothing but blackout crew youtubes and pictures of wildfowl itt for the next week

that was a reference to my xp tbf

During the summer of 2011, Mr Steve Kean was this Club’s manager and accompanied the players of Blackburn Rovers on a pre-season tour of the Far East.

Whilst in Hong Kong, Mr Kean was in a bar and falsely alleged that Sam Allardyce, our previous manager, was sacked by us because he was a crook.

This is completely false and we apologise to Mr Allardyce for the embarrassment and distress caused to him by Mr Kean.

i bet they pronounce the b in subtle

During the summer of 2011, Mr Steve Kean was this Club’s manager and accompanied the players of Blackburn Rovers on a pre-season tour of the Far East.

Whilst in Hong Kong, Mr Kean was in a bar and falsely alleged that Sam Allardyce, our previous manager, was sacked by us because he was a crook.

This is completely false and we apologise to Mr Allardyce for the embarrassment and distress caused to him by Mr Kean.

isn't this the clip that was on youtube?

City send a third of their allocation back to Arsenal.

This is the game I flagged last month as a slow-seller. I happened to check this morning and there were still about 90 of the original 3,000 left for red members. Arsenal aren't selling out anything at the moment - all the home games on at the moment (including this, West Ham and Liverpool) still have some kind of tickets available.