Who do you think they will get Eddie? Gianluigi Buffon - won't warm the bench for Van Der Sar Gianluca Zambrotta - Possibly but strongly linked with Real Madrid Fabio Cannavaro - Madrid bound for sure Lilian Thuram - Wants to stay in Italy Emerson - Either Madrid or Inter Patrick Vieira - Arsenal legend to the Mancs? It would be a surprise.

They had better bring the pants with deep pockets then The 5 players they are targetting are also the 5 players every other big club is targetting I don't think they will get any of those players

Sorry I misread your original post

Someone needs to learn to read the thread before posting

Suncorp 52K ANZ 48K Canberra Stadium 24K Energy Australia Stadium 26K WIN Stadium 20K Adelaide Oval 33K Princes Park 35K There's another 7 if required

What a load! This post is the exact reason why we can't eradicate racism in our sport, because there are people who just don't get it, monkey calls are just part of the game? Think maybe he took offence because of the Algerian war of independence? It's like calling WW2 veteran a war criminal, or a vietnam vet a baby killer, would you do either? and how would you react if someone called your father that? The retaliation was disgraceful but if the claim is correct at least I can go somewhere to understanding

Does this change anyones opinion on the reaction?

What language are you speaking?

Terry, Ze Roberto, Henry, Riquleme, Toni? Gerrard was better then Terry, Kaka was better then Ze Roberto, Sagnol was better the Henry, Saviola was better then Riquelme and I am not even goign to start with Toni. I can see Buffon, Cannavaro, Zambrotta and Pirlo in that list I would have had ahead of Zidane and the rest are at least on par with Figo.

I don't know where Rover6 came from, he didn't even pop up until the last round then came from nowhere

Alright then Oki, I challenge you to pick 23 players that were better then Figo and Zidane

That's a bit rough, he is my World Cup squad just not the best player of the tournament Even if it was only 2 games where he was the worlds best, he still was outstanding and a lot ahead of the majority of the rest of the players

Good on him, this gets more political every four years as the show goes around Cannavaro was the best player of the tournament, everyone including himself knows that

I said I find it difficult to believe, it may have happened, but what manager doesn't listen to his senior players? Mind you blind freddy could see Gerrard and Lampard can't play together so maybe he is just a numpty. Eddie, what did Domenech do? You are speaking in one lined riddles tonight Domenech changed his opinion on the balance of the team He started with Wiltord but it didn't give him enough width, then he tried Trezeguet up front with Henry, then he replaced Wiltord with the hard running Ribery, from there it all got better. Ribery defended from the front, allowing less defensive work for Zidane and Viera and Makelele arced the central defence. He got the balance right and his tactics payed off (until the final).

Well what do I say to that Eddie? Maybe he didn't I find it difficult to believe that if players went to Sven and said "We can't play together in this formation, we have tried but it isn't working" that nothing would change The man may be a fool in some eyes but surely not that much of a fool Everything I heard from the players comments during the World Cup is "we can play better","we are close to getting it together", "we haven't hit our peak yet" Seems pretty confident from a bunch who thought they were going to lose the WC

The more I go over this in my head, I really don't think the tactics were the problem, the balance of players was. France, Italy, Australia, Holland, Portugal and even Brazil and Spain (at one point or another) played one up front for the tournament and they all had some form of success. Gerrard and Lampard could have gone to Sven and said that they couldn't play together so make a choice or otherwise it appears they were both happy to plod along with Sven's choices. What surpises me is that all these players now coming out obviously had strong feelings before the tournament but never went to Sven to discuss their concerns. How do they explain it other then they must have thought they had a chance to win it under Sven. If that is the case then they are scapegoating. Sven has to wear the final result of this but is it necessary for the players who bear some respsonsibility to shift blame.

Yeh, if we can get anyone to come and play it. Looks as though the European players are going fall out again with their clubs so the majority of players are probably going to be locals. Oh well a chance to rebuild for he future I guess.

YAY, I win!! :ph34r:

Yeah sorry, I was flying off the cuff to ramp up excitement

I feel sorry for you mate, but not as much as the Melbournians I had a business trip to Melbourne mid next month, I might try and postpone for another four years

You would be in the minority I think FLB, taking the FIFA rankings into consideration (yes I know they really don't mean much) Japan and Croatia should have beaten us, squads with more world cup experience and all that. It would have been nice to beat Italy or even be beaten by them fairly, what could have been. I think a semi could have been possible. Germany would have done us like a dinner. Unfortunately the football renaissance has come later then AFL, Rugby and League, so it has been labled the inappropriate tag of Soccer. We have though changed to Football Federation Australia, so the right steps are being made.

I think Zidane has killed his chances Cannavaro all the way

Final Positions, congrats rover6 1 rover6isright Sam A 30 359 2 finndaloo max turton 38 327 3 Kiss The Rose Paul Cocker 24 326 4 Utopia Daniel Xio 25 319 5 No Experience Needed Andrew Batt 30 319 6 F**K WE LOST AGAIN Andrew Jordan 33 317 7 Brisbane Rovers nee koy 23 314 8 Merkins Utd mark eds 41 309 9 Fishburn Rovers Andy Fishburne 27 302 10 Ultra Joe Rover Joe 43 299 11 RoverInChina Darren Lightbown 22 298 12 Insert Name Here.... Thomas Orchard 21 295 13 3 Time Losers Liam Dowds 25 294 14 Cheese on Toast Jamie Harrington 35 288 15 AD Lousada Ricardo Silva 21 284 16 Big Club FC Troy Hamilton 26 284 17 Rovers Allstars Calum Devine 37 269 18 Big Up Front Martyn Oates 25 264 19 vandalism Eric Jack 22 261 20 Blackburn Wanderers James Kyriazis 14 241 21 Ron Burgandy FC Liam Mack 27 241 22 sternjohnsdreamteam Christian Rowley 10 238 23 EIEIEIO Mark Sinnett 18 235 24 Hezza's Hotshots Mark Heslop 7 231 25 World XI James Brooking 18 219 26 Nolan9's Danny Nolan 6 218 27 TIROia Mark Whalley 10 215 28 Inter All Stars Kamran Inayat 0 213 29 Cooper Rovers Andy Simm 6 212 30 FC Matinkylä Teemu Taponen 5 210 31 Texas Rovers Dustin branam 11 207 32 Hillbombers Clare Nolan 7 202 33 Tugay's Squirrel FC k s 6 198 34 No Nay Never No More Dan Parker 17 197 35 Downwiththedingles Robert Jessop 5 194 35 Chopps Barmy Army Ben Hopper 4 194 37 Crowleys XI Matt Crowley 2 191 38 Roger Rovers Roger Whiteside 2 161 39 The XI Ronin Andy Barbieri 13 156

Further from the amnesty plea "In the run-up to the final, Justice Minister Clemente Mastella suggested an amnesty for all the accused if Italy won the World Cup -- a call he repeated after the final whistle. "The idea of (Gianluigi) Buffon, (Fabio) Cannavaro and (Alessandro) Del Piero playing in Serie B or C next season isn't acceptable," he said. Other politicians, however, have dismissed the amnesty idea." Thank god for that, Mastella is obviously a Juve supporter

I don't really go for that kind of thing, if it came from someone I actually respected I would worry but everyone is entitled to their opinion With Zidane actions on top I guess we can't really except decent behaviour from even the most senior of participants these days Sure