Moneyball won't win the Premiership 2012-13

He ended up with a new contract on that occasion and, though the leaked figures were of a weekly £180,000 salary, it later emerged that it might have been substantially more. [...] City's information was that Rooney earns around £300,000 a week, which makes him the best-paid footballer in the country.

I do wonder how long he'll last at United. Given Fergie's preferences they were never going to go with anyone else, but if he bombs and is replaced after 18 months then something tells me the board won't feel the need to go and ask Fergie for a new anointed one, and will probably end up just throwing money at whichever European manager is most successful at the time.

welcome to hell united fans.

repeat after me: "we have won more titles than any other english club."

ok, now what?

Ye stay top four, prob challenge different teams for the title

It'd be really hard to fail at Utd though, the bar is so low for such a big club now. As long as he makes third or fourth in the first couple of years he'll be fine (I think he'll do better) - can you really see four other clubs finishing ahead of them any time soon?

I've been forgetting that Moyes is a family friend. NN, if you ever want the inside story I'll, uh, try and get in contact with some cousins I haven't spoken to in years and see what they know.

can you tell him not to buy Fellaini

Moyes's main failing at Everton was his apparent inability to put together a strikeforce that was both reliable and consistently fit. Obviously that won't be a problem at United for a while but it'll be interesting to see what happens when he does have to start shelling out for forwards. He tended to buy more-or-less proven Prem types like Yakubu/Johnson/Saha who would then spend months on the sidelines.

Lol obv that wont be a problem at utd rooney

Actually if there was ever a season for the return of Robin Van Injury this'll be it.

Yakubu at least had one good, full season (20+ goals?) before being derailed by injury. Johnson, Saha (and now Jelavic) were prone to go 10+ games without a goal even when fit.

We've had five good strikers since WW2 - "Super" Dave Hickson, "Super" Roy Vernon, "Super" Joe Royle, "Super" Bob Latchford and Graeme Sharp.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0789047/

Did You Know?
Nickname: Sharpy
Star Sign: Libra

Filmography
Self (5 titles)
???? Dixie: The People's Legend (pre-production)
Himself

2011 Everton's Greatest Premier League XI (video)
Himself - Former Everton player

1987 Hero: The Official Film of the 1986 FIFA World Cup (documentary)
Himself

1985 Everton 3 - Bayern Munich 1 (video)
Himself

1984 FA Cup Final 1984: Everton v Watford (video)
Himself - Everton Player

I left out Fred Pickering (by accident) and Tony Cottee (by design).

Bit harsh on Lineker, even if he was only there one season.

"Fuck off back to Leicester" we* all sang, in Sept '85. (* - obviously I didn't swear at him, I just tutted a lot and said "Andy Gray wouldn't have missed that".) No-one was swearing at him 40 goals later. One season disqualifies him from consideration.

I also left out The Golden Vision. "Striker" is a bit vulgar for Alex Y.

What was Beardsley like at Everton? Mostly remember him for what he did at Liverpool and Newcastle, but he had a couple of seasons at your lot right?

Last player before Yakubu to score 20 goals in a season. Yeah, he was good by all accounts, in a mid-table side. I'd stopped going by then.

THE GOLDEN VISION (2005)

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0789047/thegoldenvision

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2013/may/10/joy-of-six-unique-goals-bergkamp-ronaldinho

He's right about Ronaldinho (also features a general defense of the toepoke)

Ronaldinho has been in stunning form recently. Still scoring beautiful goals.

Sounds like Rob Smyth is leaving the Guardian (judging from a sentence in The Fiver today)

His football weekly slot on Thursday was described as 'valedictory', so I guess so. He's never really stood out for me, what's the appeal?

so Pellegrini to City seems to be gathering steam

Bayern were supposed to be battling it out with Chelsea and Paris St Germain after Sportsmail revealed earlier this week that Rooney’s growing frustration with his role at United, and anger at having his fitness questioned, had triggered a verbal request to leave.

But Bayern sources ridiculed the notion that incoming coach Pep Guardiola wants the England forward and were adamant he has never once been mentioned in discussions over possible transfer targets

Don't know where that quote's from? But seems to me it's crystal clear there is no place for Rooney at Bayern. Why would they want an overweight, English striker turned into a moderatley ok number 10?

With this Bayern squad, there is no place for TWP tbh

Of the clubs you can get odds on him joining Monaco (33/1) and Anzhi (50/1) are a hell of a lot more likely than Bayern (3/2). I think he will stay where he is though.

Benteke!

Details, who's even playing, what like

How are you able to post to ILX and not check the score?

(Villa 1-0 by the way, which would make things very interesting indeed going into the last few games)

((But I think Chelsea will win))

1-0 Benteke, Ramires off second yellow

Blimey with another win Villa could finish in the top half which would be ridiculous given how utterly dogshit they've been for most of this season.

Joe Bennett is uh, he's ahahaha he's playing ahahah playing well

wtf was Ramires thinking there? Chelsea are a bit of a shambles today

Benteke should have been off for this though
http://i.minus.com/iOOwEADufcdm4.gif

Blimey with another win Villa could finish in the top half which would be ridiculous given how utterly dogshit they've been for most of this season.

― Matt DC, Saturday, 11 May 2013 13:30 (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ah come on now nobody remembers when we were shit

Benteke looks a bit wound up, can see him getting the second yellow if Lambo can't get him to chill out a bit

Former Aston Villa striker Stan Collymore: "The beast from Brussels. I love you."

nice sentiment! although Benteke is not from Brussels

The Kinshasa Killer

I can see why he didn't go with that one now that I see it tbh

The Living Liègend

cahill crap for the goal

and there we go

cuuuuuuuuuuunt

It would have to be that twat, wouldn't it?

Football out

Update

1-1, Terry stretchered off, possible handball cleared off the Villa goal-line in a way that was possibly over but difficult to say, Villa looking jaded and likely to be picked off in the aaaages of stoppage time