nidnoyham

Oh no ! How much was it Tom ? Send me your bank details and I will transfer your loss and add a few bob more for a decent bottle of Gold Watch.

Waccy, you have just given me reason to look out for a Premiership game this season. Arsenal V Man.U., with Mr Webb as referee. As I watch, I will imagine you swearing at the T.V- or are you a season ticket man ? At least two penalties against you and a red card for your Goalie. That Szczesny lad if he plays, can be a bit fire-ey !

What do you call a Scotsman at a world cup final ? Lost ! These jokes are old hat. At least a week behind the times. Frankly Tom, I'm disappointed.

Funny you should say that. Didn't Germany have a Bavarian manager and players a while back, that the rest of Germany refused to support ? I was on a fishing trip many years ago out from Pattaya. The bar boss whose birthday it was, was German speaking- Austrian. I was cold shouldered by the others, due to me being English. To make conversation, I asked one of them which part of Germany he came from ? He just barked- Bavaria ! Then walked away.

Some unelected high court judge has decided that the U.K can't refuse political asylum to Gay people who are persecuted in their own country. The lower court ruled that they can keep their homosexuality to themselves in their own country, but...... The thought came to me- "How can they prove they are Gay ? " This bloke just has to show his charge sheet and he's sorted ! Come on in mate, we need a few more like you here !

Perhaps it's because they saw he can get his head down in the area, where it counts !

And don't he look scary in that Ladbrook's ? add, with eye liner on ?

I agree me old Gooner, but people who buy tickets to watch England play abroad, want to see the blokes they watch on T.V. every Saturday. I 'ain't that fussed if they play, especially if they are unfit, or off form. Leave out Lampard, Rooney, Gerrard..... and the locals may stay away. That is what the W.C is. A carnival of Footie. FIFA and the FA, are there to provide the clowns ! I still maintain that 'goal' would have changed the game. Not necessarily the result.

As I said before, they have those huge screens at each end of the pitch showing the same picture as the T.V. viewers get. Everyone in the German team and on the bench, must have had a quick look at the repeated showing of the England ' goal'. and thought that today was their day. On the other hand, it has the exact opposite effect on the England players, to see it. The ref' was looking a bit sheepish when he came out for the second half, but it wasn't his fault if he did not see it for sure. That option should be there for him. Even the England players didn't make a lot of fuss. Not as much as we all did back home. Two England goals in as many minutes, would have put a different slant on the game. Ahh well, something to talk about for a few decades I suppose ! l

What goes around comes around. In the last Portugal game, Ronaldo was fouled at least three times and got nothing from the Ref'. I almost felt sorry for him - The Winker !

If it is a Holland- Germany final, it will be the first time a European club has won the cup outside Europe. The S. American team is still there by default. For them to win it would just about put the lid on this World Cup. Don't let it happen chaps !

You've got Spain - eventually ! Looking at how well Germany have played without their Chelsea man, I wonder if England may have done better without Rooney or Lampard ? With Heskey there is no doubt. Our Manager admits he made mistakes, perhaps a few forced changes may have given us a better team. Swiensteiger, is the player of the competition so far, even if i cant spell or pronounce his name. If Germany win, there will be much speculation about how they used that ball all season, before the W.C. A BBC commentator, said it felt like a ball you buy at a petrol station, no substance to it. I am not detracting from the Germans good performance, but be honest, did you ever see so many over hit passes/ free kicks/ penalties or shots at goal in a tournament ? No wonder your team decided to walk it into the goal. Well done beating the Argie's. At least we scored twice against you !

I would be happy to see a rule introduced where a Ref' can award a goal in the circumstance we saw last night. That was a dead cert goal, stopped illegally on the line. The offender should be red carded and a goal awarded. That certain goal turning into a maybe goal, is ridiculous. Uruguay went through by benefit of someone cheating. I have no ideas how the player who missed the penalty feels today, having 'let down' an entire Continent. The hand baller, is now a hero- well done son, worked well for us, must put that into the training manual for the youth team. In too many ways this W.C. has been a bad advert for football and I don't know how/why it happened. At least there may be some shake up at The FA after our debacle.

Most, if not all EPL clubs have academies. West Ham 40 years ago, was known as " The Academy of Football " Many of the England team today have their roots there- Lampard, Joe Cole, Ferdinand, James, Green.... 40 years ago, the entire squad were all Londoners. If the M25 ring road existed then, most would have come from inside it. Johnny Scissons came from Hayes, just next to Heathrow, he had the furthest to travel to work ! There was much concern, when they had their first 'foreign' player- a Scottish Goalkeeper. That was the thin edge. Scouts go all over the country looking for talent. It is unlikely to come from the upper class areas, where Rugby and Cricket are the school sports. Football is more for your working class lads. How many of them didn't think school was important because they were going to be a Pro' Footballer ? A Headmaster I knew, told me you get at least one in ever year. Once again it is down to money at the top level. It may cost just as much to have an apprentice on your books for years, who may turn out to be very average, to spending the money on a proven player, who you know will perform. Most football fans are working class, but it would be foolish to say all are. However most Celeb's who support football, are from modest backgrounds. Ray Winston the actor is a football man, from East London. Mick Jagger is more a cricket man. He is very Middle clas,s from Richmond, West London. At my club a few years back, we had a player D.J Campbell. One year he was working in a warehouse for DHL and playing part time for Yeading, a small club now combined with another to survive. He came to Brentford for two seasons and was sold to a Premiership club. Recently he has been on loan to Blackpool who just got promoted to the EPL. A bit of a fairy tale ending for a working man. Not a common one though.

You have summed up the reason that Fan power will not work at the turnstiles- I wish it could ! Of course i don't believe they are worth the money they get. i have said that on several occasions before. £1,000 p.w top whack ! I will not subscribe to Sky Sports for that very reason. I listen to CD's, but prefer a live concert ! EPL is the victim of it's own success, a success that does not include the supporters. I wish all those 'fans' would just pop along on a Saturday afternoon to their local game. You never know, they might just like it. They can learn to lose on a regular basis too.

No argument there, but it is not the huge money spinning monster, we are discussing here is it ? It does attract players from all over the world, but does their presence, affect the national squad ? I suppose you could throw in Whippet racing and pigeon fancying too ? Some riders at the I.O.M T.T., are amatuers too. They all have more control of their sports by people who started them, than we have over the EPL. My club is owned by the fans, but I don't get Andy Scott phoning me to ask who should play in goal. I really must e-mail him about that striker Leon Knight. He has an attitude problem, but can knock them in ! O.K for this thread, Football is not the only working class game, but it is the only one on topic.

Well I can't tell you what is wrong with the EPL. I haven't attended a game in that division, or watched the England team play for over 40 years. As far as the England fans are concerned, most don't go through EPL turnstiles on a Saturday either. Those flags in the picture have Initials of lower division teams Derby County, Not' Forrest... That is where the biggest England following comes from right down to non league. They were in S. Africa to support their country, not EPL Primadonas. They would have cheered a team of Championship players, just the same. For me, the most relevant part of that report was the fan saying " They didn't even come to clap us... " In any game I have attended, even if from one side of London to the other, the visiting team always applaud their traveling fans before and after the game. The Premiership, I assume do the same. It is a sign of respect from the players to those who pay their wages and are part of the club. This brings us to how much 'Fan Power' there is in the EPL- it ain't no Hovercraft ! As far as protesting against the England team, the chance will come at Wembley next month in a freindly. If no one buys a ticket, the FA may pay attention to the fans. that is our only weapon. I hope it happens. Those who traveled to S.A should get free entrance to the game as a 'sorry for how you were let down'- but that would never happen. The suits and Blazers are too up their own arses to give it a thought. i think the likes of Trevor Brooking and Bobby Charlton are just window dressing for the FA. NOTE - it's not the English FA, it's THE FA ! Football is the one true working class sport in England. Supporters and players are mainly from modest backgrounds- few prawn sandwiches as they say. The EPL has become like some huge sporting black hole sucking in all from around the world. Martians would be playing, but we had enough trouble from one Green man as it is. Managers, owners, players- the obscene fees and wages- bumped up by agents on commission no doubt, have all come to have a bit of the action. To own a EPL team is the equivalent to owning the Mona Lisa- unique. The Chelsea owner has a huge luxury liner, so do others. He has property and paintins worth millions, so do others, he has a beautiful wife- again... He owns the EPL champion football team... no one else does. These new owners are people who are used to getting their way. They don't like coming in second. that's why a Premiership Managers life expectancy is on par with a WWII tail gunner. They flex their cheque book to show they can and another overpaid/ priced foreigner is playing in the EPL. This has affected our National teams performance. French manager - French players. Spanish manager- Spanish players... Terry Neil, an Irishman, when manager of Arsenal many moons ago, had about eight of the Irish national side in his team. Great for Ireland to have then play along side each other every Saturday. to acheive the same thing with an English manager and players, is unlikely today. Aston Villa, Fulham, Spurs have had a go. Disapointed as I am, i feel we have lost our way nationally. when the EPL changes, so will our performance as as England- I hope. For me it's an England manager and staff to get the best from our players, who need treating with kid gloves.

You Tart !

I like it when someone in the crowd realizes they are on screen. They poke their mates- point and start waving like crazy- great stuff !

The EPL, is getting like a poker game for the mega rich- I'll see your Frank Lampard and raise you a David Silva.

Those were the days at Chelsea alright- Chopper Harris ! Charlie Cook was one of the best ball controllers I have ever seen. He would beat a defender, then go back and beat him again ! Didn't Tony Hatley join about then ? I remember one rainy Tuesday night at the old Bridge, when 'The Shed' was just that. Hately was doing his goal hanging thing and missed a sitter against Benfica or some foreign team. We were among the opposition fans, who jeered him. A London voice rang out " Shut up you lot ! We can jeer- we paid for him." Gordon Banks was the other goalkeeper one night. The crowd were singing " Bonnetti's twice as good as Banks, Halalluja....... " It was altogether different then. You could listen to a Game on the radio, without knowing the team, but still know when the British team had the ball when the commentator said their names. I am disappointed Roy has gone north. The fans have lost a hero at The Cottage. While at the same time, a long serving Liverpool man, Kenny Dalglish, is so disappointed with the decision, he may cut all contact with the club- what's going on ? Who was the last Englishman to manage 'pool ?

I can't understand how having s chip in the ball to register it crossing the line works. A football is almost 12in in diameter. The entire ball has to be over the line to score. If the chip is in the leading part of the ball, it will register a goal, even if the rest of the ball hasn't crossed the line- won't it ? The incident in the England Germany game, didn't need a chip, it just needed an instant replay for someone in radio contact with the Ref' to tell him it was a goal. It would slow down the game for less time than it takes to make a throw in, or corner. While the game is run by old men in suits, who I wouldn't trust to take my dog for a walk, it will remain in the realms of rocket science. They should take note of the Nike slogan- Just do it ! Edited to Add. There are huge TV screens at each game. Everyone in the crowd saw the replay of goal incident, at the same time we at home did. That's why " The referee's a wanker !" rang out from the England fans with such conviction. They all saw it- Why the fuck didn't the bloke making the decision ????

Oh so true- you lot can always get our backs up !

Ah now you're talking. Local girl from Teddington- same as Benny hill. When she swings her leg over the side of the Black Pearl, wearing those tight white trousers, it does show off her best asset. Ahh the great Europe along with the equally great Euro ? Nah ! I'm O.K with The Bank of England, setting my interest rate.

This being a football thread- what's he favourite position ? The Sun is running a post W.C slanging campaign. Ashley Cole is today's victim. He is supposed to have sent t a TXT message, saying he hates England and its people - New name Andy McCole I wonder who he sent it to ??? If it was to everyone who think the same, that was one expensive TXT. Did you get it Tom ?