Good one this, especially for me living in the USA and having heard these stories since I arrived here. The article is taking the Michael; the LA Times is well known as being a liberal, left leaning, newspaper (see always having a go a George Bush). Los Angeles has 2 MLS franchises, one of the best university teams in the country (UCLA; Friedel's old uni), loads of kids playing, and even Rod Stewart's Hollywood United! He's playing to his audience by having a go at the intolerant folk who don't understand the rest of the world and actually get mad when football is mentioned. Some American journalists do not like the sport, they do take any opportunity they can to put it down to promote their own favourite. It will get interesting over the next few weeks as for the first time ever all world cup games are on live on TV. ESPN has been promoting it quite well and some journo's will jump on the bandwagon as it will get them reads and ESPN will be friendlier later on to those who promote what they are showing. I hope the US does well just for the coverage; they start winning and it will be like last year's Ashes series. I can't be ar$ed debating baseball, basketball, college American football attendances, it's all apples and oranges.

The US looked OK against Latvia, they gave them the runaround for a while. Donovan needs a free role, which I expect he'll get. Convey was very good when he came on.

There are a good few. The tournament is very even. The Serbs and Croats can beat anyone on their day (amazing that they were the same team at Itaila 90), the Ivory Coast will scare some, the Aussies might surprise a few, Sweden could beat anyone with Larsson and Zlatan up front and their stingy defence, the USA are a strange bunch too. Mexico will capitulate. They had all this talk last year too, during the Confederations Cup, but it will go nowhere.

I heard onceover in the pub...... that Thwaites got a licence from Carling's brewers in Burton on Trent to brew the stuff using local water. Ture or not I've no idea but it sounds good.

Disrespecting numbers? Fading stars? This should not be an issue. The starting 11 of a football team should be 1-11, Dickov was deemed as one of our top strikers so he got the shirt. Jansen crocked himself, I have some sympathy for him as accidents can be hard to recover from, but holding his number sacred is a tad daft. Kuqi wears Shearer's number, is that a slight on Shearer? Are we going to turn Yank and start retiring numbers?

You reckon? Even with Rooney fit? Sven's 11 was based on his best starting 11 injured or not. Who would get dropped for Carrick? Lampard, Gerrard, Beckham, Joe Cole (Gerrard out left then)?

Joey, it is my understanding that referee's have been told to play the advantage at every opportunity. Within a hair's breadth of Lehman's undisputed foul the ref had blown. Even he has now admitted that he was too hasty, one second to think and it's a goal. Did Lehman deny a goalscoring opportunity? Yes for Eto'o, no for Guily and Barca. Leave it 11 v. 11, 1-0 and play on. Barca were lucky with refereeing decisions, not with their finishing. Shevchenko, it would take me too long to explain my reasoning behind my post but watch Eto'o over time, he's not a natural like Fowler Gerd Muller, Romario, Van Horse and their ilk. But he has an asset that gets him plenty of goals. It was not a cristicism of him, just a comment on his style of play. Doctorryan, remind me to come and ask you when dealing with only yes and no questions. Barca may have won in 11 v. 11, but we'll never know, just like Mourinho said after Barca beat Chelsea's 10. LA Rover; USA, Australia, New Zealand, Georgia, England, Australia, Turkey, Wales, Norway, Finland, Wales. Who would want to cheer a team on filled with that many foreigners? Think about who supports the teams and where the team is from, not who plays for them.

Just played catch up with the last few pages. I find some of the posts quite interesting. One of the underlying currents is that many seem to have wanted Arsenal to lose. Am I right? I've got friends like this. They'll stick up for whoever plays against an English team in Europe because they don't like the English team. I'd rather support a home grown team any day against foreign opposition. As for the game; it was ruined by the referee. How he managed to get his whistle to his lips so quickly is a mystery to me. A showpiece spectacle, the pinnacle of world club football, an advertisement for the game was effectively over as a contest with 72 minutes to go. My enthusiasm sunk after the sending off, I knew Barca would win it, so the ecxitement went. 11 v. 11 would have been a great game of attacking football. Henry had missed one and had another one saved, he looked good. After the red Henry was forced to run it alone whilst getting booted from the fiery Mexican Marquez, yet Henry got booked for a good challenge on Van Bommell. Arsenal were unfortunate, Barca were lucky. Henry will stay. I think the Barca players p!ssed him off, he would have to build a few bridges there, and he wouldn't be top dog. At Arsenal he can rule the roost for as long as he wants. As for him not running; I'm sure there is a thread on this board about players' fitness relating to the Cup Final. He spent over an hour running like an idiot against four, he was knackered, just like the rest of the team. The soft pitch alleviated cramp. Ashley Cole looked fit but he doesn't have his match brain working yet. On the sending off he was the Arsenal player keeping Eto'o onside. He was also out of position for the second. Eto'o is blindingly fast. He's no finisher, but his speed will get him loads of goals. Henry strokes a ball in, Shearer blasts it in; both of them know what they are doing and put the ball there. Eto'o just hits and hopes, but I'd still have him playing for me. Eboue will be a class act, Arsene has found another one there. Campbell should be playing for England, not just for his attacking aerial ability but his defensive organisation. Ferdinand doesn't have that presence. Ronaldinho had a bad game last night, but no-one can touch him. Credit to Arsenal for closing him down. Ljungberg and Gilberto were excellent. One last thing. You cannot complain about bad commentators and pundits until you've experienced the ineptitude of the US ones. Once you have witnessed this you'll be very happy to have anyone on the BBC or ITV. I hope other US based posters will back me up here but I have the unfortunate prospect of listening to a World Cup with these idiots. There is an Irish bloke called Tommy Smyth who is useless beyond comprehension. His analysis is constantly wrong and spent 5 minutes waxing about Almunia's "tum". Also we have 'expert analysis' from Marcelo Balboa, an ex-US international who thought that "Ronaldino" wasn't playing well.

I disagree. For major tournaments England have always maintained a policy that the numbers 1-11 are usually the starting 11. To get number 15 means that you are a sub.

Tchocky, Oewn started with England when Shearer was holder of the number 9 shirt, he also started at Liverpool when Fowler was king. Traditionally the England number 9 is the battering ram style with the 10 being the poacher/more creative. Lineker was 10 for England.

Sven has given out his squad numbers 1-23. Looks like it's Terry and Ferdinand at the back with Joe Cole on the left.

Read this article for more ammo regarding attendances. I reads like it's written by an American but the points he makes are pretty valid. Before anyone asks I'm not having a go at Yanks by making that point.

Saying that is like saying don't play Bellamy because his hamstrings act up. When he's fit he's playing. Don't play Ashley Cole, a genuine world class player, because he is injury prone? He is now fit and ready to go, he'll have bags of energy as he hasn't just gone through the rigours of a full season. The same with Owen. Look at history. At France 98 Davor Suker was top scorer becsue he subbed all season at Real Madrid. 2002 Ronaldo scored loads after playing about 3 games that year. 2006 Owen.....

I know this is the going thread but a look in the LET pulled up this article: Give us yer passports! East Lancs has the highest concentration of banned travellers. Staggering if you ask me.

I've took the liberty of starting this topic instead of having it lodged in the Wayne Ronney hysteria section. The Rooney diaster could be a blessing as now I believe that Sven could play a 4-5-1 with both Lampard and Gerrard further forward. Robinson G. Neville Terry Campbell A. Cole Carrick Beckham J. Cole Lampard Gerrard Owen What would happen if Rooney is fit?

I think McClaren will do a decent job; he's been in the set up for a while, can coach, and has great players at his disposal. England fans would moan whoever was given the job. If he wins games all will be forgotten. Sven has never impressed me. We play hit them on the break football, try to get one and hold out. Our last two tournament exits have been down to the same managerial tactical cluelessness. Brazil in 2002; if we'd have gone in at half time 1-0 up we would have won as his plan would have worked, but it was 1-1. Sven wanted to hold on and bully the flamboyant Samba stars into submission; it did not work, because we had no other plan to get at them. Euro 2004; Rooney went off injured, the only player capable of doing something, so he brings on Vassell, the exact same style player as Owen. We then spend the next 70 munutes humping the ball up to two strikers who don't hold the ball up well and it comes straight back. England has a very talented group of players right now. Our "spine" of Robinson, Terry, Gerrard, and Rooney all have at least one more WC to play in in their 20's (Owen still has another one, he'll be 30 in 2010). Add a few more and you have the makings of a decent squad.

The FA has been a farce since its inception. The good old boy network, lining their own pockets, and gross incompetence are some of the valid criticisms toward the rulers of our national game. The most recent gaffes of the Wembley fiasco, to use a tabloid term, and the Big Phil pandering are just more examples of their idiocy. My memory and experience can only remember the 80's onward but we were, and still are, miles behind other footballing nations in our National team infastructure. The youth structure is a joke; the U-15 coaches find the biggest kids in England who can play a bit, arrange games against Brazil, beat them through kicking lumps out of them, then proclaim that we have a bright future. The U-17's, U-18's, and U-21's exist for nothing. I watched quite a bit of the U-17 world championship last summer and saw some great players (Messi and Obi Mikel being the pick of the bunch) who are being groomed for years to come. Where were the England players? Recording themselves 5hagging birds in Ibiza probably. Portugal's Euro 2004 team was, accroding to many, the culmination of a youth policy set up years ago. Figo and the like had been playing together since their youth with a view to winning something. They never did, but came close. Even the US has a decent system. They play plenty of games with a pool of players. They only bring back the ones in Europe for big games, the rest are played with the same 30 or so who go to each training camp Poor old McClaren, I feel for him. He interviews for a job, but the people who invited him made it abundantly clear that they wanted Scolari. McClaren was given the job as Sven's assistant with a view to taking over when the mercenary was finished. Sven goes and he gets pushed back a bit. Another aspect that the manager debacle throws up is the apparent lack of respect for the FA coaching badges. Roeder is getting more special dispensation to complete the necessay qualifications, Stuart Pearce still has one to go but is held with acclaim with many, but McClaren has everything, gone through the system, learned the ropes and gets shunned. Whay have it? McClaren should do decent job, he knows all the players, the core of which will have another World Cup in them, and he will bring in a left winger who he knows well. Just one thought; What does Sven do this World Cup? McClaren is taking over, does Sven let him do everything as a "training exercise" whilst he sits there counting his cash at halftime.

Bone healing depends on blood flow. There isn't that much in the foot so it could take a while. The femur (thigh bone) actually heals pretty quickly as there is muscle all aorund it. 6 weeks is the industry standard for bone breaks some are longer some are shorter. I've no doubt that Rooney will be drinking his milk, popping osteoporosis pills and sleeping in oxygen tents to get him ready for Sweden. I agree with the boot theory. Blades are dangerous not only for their knife like qualities but for having a knack of not letting you turn quickly. I got my first pair at the begining of the season and am glad that they are now ripping as I'm not getting any more. The sole of these new boots offers no protection. When you put on a pair of shoes the sole covers the foot, the lightweight boots don't have this thick protection and the foot is basically balancing on top of the blades, so when you turn your ankle the foot bends too much and; crack!

How many did we concede before the floodgates closed after Hughes took charge? He lost his first 2 by 4 goals, after that we conceded a lot less than this year. So I would vote for Bellamy, he is a class above. Nelsen is good, but the defence hasn't played up to last year's stinginess. I do remember Batty winning the player of the year one time ahead of Shearer so it's not always about goalscoring.

I voted for Tugay but forgot about MGP's volley. I'd have that every time.

Just refreshed after the weekend's fixtures and I too am in wonderment at where Newcastle have come from. As Tucker says though we have 3 more points, a game in hand and better goal difference than them. One more win should see them off but we need at least two to be certain. Brum should be a fantastic game; them fighting for their lives, us trying to get to Europe. What happens if Arsenal win the Champs League? Do Spurs get bu66ered?

Why doesn't BRFC or Sky have a "Pub Patrol" or have a wall of shame each Friday in the LET. Every home game they have a van with a couple of heavies driving around in it finding places with dodgy TV being on. They could do their research during the week. It would be easy; come on here and ask where they can watch the game. They'd get 10 answers and would be able to pay the landlords a visit. They can be independent contractors paid in cash through a middleman with no connection to the club or Sky. I think the dodgy TV watching is appealing just on the fact that it is illegal. I know people who could care less about watching football but as soon as their local or nearby boozer gets a satellite they are down there every week to 'watch the match'. The social aspect appeals to many. Landlords should bear the brunt of this, but they are apathetic to anything that involves them being responsible; they run a business that encourages drunkeness. I still believe that all games should be on TV for access. Sky can sell them domestic only and have different packages for foreign TV. The growth of the game is happening abroad as I said earlier. The consistent ticket price/game saturation arguments are testament to that. I feel that the biggest growth markets are China with its billion people and the USA with its $ billions. Only this week Beckham was trumping himself by saying that he would love to play in America, probably to watch his bank balance skyrocket. He never harps on about playing back in England does he? Dan, I apologise for getting your age wrong. Your posts did appear to be from a schoolie though.

Dan's responses are typical of today's younger fan. Going to the game isn't enough entertainment, a skin full before and a skin full after is also needed. To alot of young fans a game without a p!ss up is like fish without chips. Arguing over semantics of pricing is hardly convincing when the actual game figure is dwarfed by drinking spends. I don't think any of us would disagree with the fact that the game needs changing and Rovers don't want to get shafted as a result. We cry into our pints over a few hundred (maybe) lost to foregin football. Imagine United? They can't build stands quickly enough to fit them in. How many black market fans watch their games?

If Sky took over the TV rather than having Norway TV do it, what Modes98 says is right. The club's Sky revenue should increase as they get more game revenue. One solution for this is to have equal revenue sharing of TV money. That way every Prem team gets the same amount from the pot. More games being shown means a greater exposure elsewhere (cue Peter Kenyon and David Gill). Den, the gates in this country are going down due to numerous factors. The Premier League's biggest growth market is abroad; TV satisfies that need. Increased TV revenue plus a level revenue sharing plan would help our club more than most as you can never rely on the local public to bail Blackburn out. There aren't many Jack Walkier's waiting in the wings for us. Jan, are fans only fans when they go to watch games in the stadium? Do they owe the club or the game a living?

I reckon we'd sell roughly the same. The people who want to go will go and have been going for years. The disaffected lager swilling youth would rather go to the pub and complain than pay to get cold.