For some reason there appear to be lots on here who simply cannot grasp that ihd. 11 Thierry Henry's would win nowt, any good team is made up of 'Violinists and brickies'.

Prob a marketing exercise. I can't see him going there that's for sure but maybe with selling so many players it's likely that their season tckt sales have slumped and they are 'bigging up' their profile in any way they can to appease their fans.

You got the 1st and the 3rd in the wrong order.

Must be the heat wave that cemented it! Somebody must have told him it's like this all the time.

I dont recall so many car bombings and insurgency probs when old Maddass was in charge in Iran Philip, do you?

Duff at the Mags is mystefying alright. One can only assume that Mourhino insisted that as Chelsea had absolutely no financial need to sell Duff but that he could leave if he wished...... but not to any club in the CL or in London.

"Instead of putting the barricades up, Clifford says McClaren must develop good relationships with journalists. "It's important to be as helpful as possible - you have to know the pressure that journalists are under," he told BBC Sport. "I've been in the industry for the last 40 years, working with people like The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Muhammad Ali and Simon Cowell, and I do my best to play the game by them (journalists). "You have to be open and approachable and build relationships. "One of the first things Steve needs to do is sit down and have lengthy conversations with members of the media and get to know them." Rubbish! Thats where the woefully weakkneed media appeaser Ericcson went wrong. He spent his tenure at Lancaster Gate picking teams that suited the media. Exactly the opposite tactic of the only English manager to lift the ultimate prize, the World Cup.

I imagine Brums league position hristmas will figure largely in that scenario.

It's all jingoistic twaddle! But the strange thing is that for some reason those gormless geordies have miniscule memory capacity and continue to soak all the shyte in without question. .....I just wonder if Souness still wants his son to grow up supporting the magpies or is he in the process of converting the poor mixed up kid into a Villan?

If they are still after Beckham too then a well miffed Solano would be OK on the very cheap.

Imo the pavements in Lpool are far more dangerous than the roads.

Scumchester have been doing exactly the same thing since 1963 when the max wage was abolished. It's why everybody else hates em so much. If it's bad for football now then it was all those years ago when the expectations of any one of half a dozen or so clubs and their supporters could be justifiably high on the opening day of every season.

Well imo (from distant memory now unfortunately) there was always less time available on the ball in 5 a sides that in proper footy. Not wanting to brag (yeah right) but we won the inaugural Blackburn 5 a side competition three years running so I do realise the difference in playing style.

Oooh errr...... 1. Dodgy managers and manager's son relationship. 2. Dodgy fat chairman and even dodgier ex manager. 3. Boro...... Gibsons fabled money tree about to be pruned perhaps? New England manager involved! Lets hope any irregularities here are proven true and then we may have some chance in Euro 08! 4. Arry's sure to be in on any bung scenario. I seem to rem he was mentioned in something similar at West Ham. 5. No wonder all those faded world superstars ended up there without a transfer fee in sight. I would't be suprised if Souey was up to summert all the time he was with us. A few notables spring immediately to mind.......namely all the eytie and Jock deals.

We can certainly produce quality players with talent but underlying that (with the exception maybe of Steven Gerrard) we do not seem able to transform them from spoilt pampered little lads to mature and responsible adults until at least 10 years after they have retired from the game, and when it is too late. Think about it, imo it is very relevent. English born players with mature and adult characters like Brad Friedal and Ryan Nelson are like hens teeth these days.

Me too Rev! 9 mins extra time ! Shearers 'shove in the back' on keane that NO buggr in OT even bothered to claim for! etc etc I'll bet their were more than a few people feeling like somebody had walked over their grave all across Europe last night.

Don't be daft Phil. You'll get footy done away with. Have 11 a sides been banned in Italy, France, Brazil, Argentina and Germany? They've all won the WC since we did and at least 3 of em are highly appraised for the levels of skill of their players. Your second name isn't 'Blatter' is it?

Blowing my own trumpet again but I posted somewhere on here sometime ago that I was impressed with what I had seen of that DJ Cameron fella. Sounds like he did well..... albeit against Burton Albion!

But in reallity I expect any fall out of the real top guys to simply swell the benches of Europes biggest clubs. Jealousy will mean that squads are expanded simply to prevent the top players signing for rival clubs rather than to provide even greater strength in depth. Plus no matter who gets signed on any existing players already under contract will sit on their hands until their contracts run out. So unless players go out on loan any dispersal sale of players will have little or no effect on the likes of us.

Kiss on both cheeks followed by a stilletto between the ribs for the club President?

It's amazing what these journo's make out of ghostwriting a best selling autobiography. He had to brown nose big time but getting the job of writing Fogarty's set that Neil Bramwell up for life. Literally.

Think it through further Flopsy and you must arrive at the conclusion that it wasn't Svens fault that Lampard was playing badly but that it was totally Sven's fault that he continued to play someone so obviously out of form. SGE will be remembered as a weak manager. Anyway how do you think it makes the guys on the bench feel? To be not entrusted to take the place of a player so completely and obviously out of form can only be a huge de-motivator.

I doubt those 3 could write a paragraph between them. Some ghost writer will sensationalise everything to try and boost sales. Reading anything written by the players will represent an awful waste of time and money. You have a good understanding of football Scotty, surely you don't need to read tripe to formulate an accurate opinion. btw I was reading Mondays press last week on my hols a day after we were knocked out and Henry Winter (I think) was like all the others and queuing up to twist the knife in Ericcson (deservedly but 4 years belatedly) and one of the points that he made which I find unbelievable was that SGE allowed Beckham to stay on occasions in a different hotel to the rest of the squad! Presumably this was at his wife's behest but imo any half decent manager would have knocked that on the head pdq by not even picking the pussywhipped git for the bench! Hindsight especially by the players is pathetic but it does appear that the entire management of Ericcson is turning out to be one classic exercise in demotivation..... and I suspect that the next one will be even worse.

Waste of time dissing the outgoing manager no matter how honest the sentiments are. What I'd find more refreshing and far more useful would be the honest views of Owen and the other senior players (even in anonymity) regarding the incoming one.

Well done neekoy....... for quoting before he edited.