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Carygrant
01-20-2013, 05:25 AM
I know Conley supports Liverpool , and Mainecoon is a Chelsea supporter . I switched allegiance to Queen's Park Rangers when club managership was taken on a month ago by ex Tottenham Hotspur genius , Harry Redknapp .
The table below shows current standings , with just over half the season gone . Each team plays the other teams on a , Home , and , Away , basis --- 38 matches in a season .
For those unacquainted with the Beautiful Game , the EPL is Football's jewel in the world crown . TV audiences for matches every week comfortably exceed one billion viewers with the game being a religion in Japan and the far east . This generates a huge income which means that over the last twenty years the money available is mind boggling with the elite of the elite players being paid £200 000 a week or occasionally even more .
The country is flooded with top managers from all over the world and there was a time that you could hardly find a British player in some of the top teams , which were almost crammed full with international players from everywhere in Europe and from Chile to the Ivory Coast . And this is still the same basically , though some efforts have been made to safeguard the future development of Football for British youngsters and young academy players .
This is one aspect of the game that insular commentators like Mister Dee do not understand . The positive effects for multi-culturism are huge . Caucasian youngsters have black and Moslem idols and many blacks and moslems have white heroes. The mixing of ethnic communities under the umbrella of football is enormous and critical .
Today , Sunday , sees two great matches between Tottenham Hotspur and leaders Manchester United and separately Chelsea versus Arsenal . I would be very reluctant to forecast the results even though Man United and Chelsea are bookmaker favourites . All four teams are arguably in the top 12 European club sides and the supposed two outsiders are each capable of outstanding brilliance on " their day".
One feature of the EPLis that even the bottom teams are excellently competitive and also capable of beating any of their opponents when "on song" .
Recently the struggle to avoid relegation -- three clubs -- has proved at least as exciting as watching the battles at the top . This year will be no exception because whilst the top probably belongs to United with Chelsea and Manchester City in close attendance , there are no certainties as we have seen year after year . And the bottom three positions are far from decided whatever the present position suggests .
I gather most US locations receive TV signals these days and somewhere you will find the channel that will give you match coverage .
Start today . The two matches feature giant clubs brim full of outstanding and colourful players . I cannot promise loads and loads of goals because the game does not often operate that way . But if you think you might like fast moving , Chess on Legs , book your seat , crack a few beers and get ready to hurl vile language at the dog and anybody else within range .

Carygrant
01-20-2013, 05:25 AM
Team
Pl
W
T
L
Pts
+/-


Manchester United (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/manchester-united/)
22
18
1
3
55
27


Manchester City (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/manchester-city/)
23
15
6
2
51
26


Chelsea (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/chelsea/)
22
12
6
4
42
24


Tottenham Hotspur (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/tottenham-hotspur/)
22
12
4
6
40
12


Everton (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/everton/)
22
9
10
3
37
9


Arsenal (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/arsenal/)
21
9
7
5
34
16


Liverpool (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/liverpool/)
23
9
7
7
34
12


West Bromwich Albion (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/west-bromwich-albion/)
23
10
4
9
34
1


Swansea City (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/swansea/)
23
8
9
6
33
7


Stoke City (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/stoke-city/)
23
6
11
6
29
-5


Sunderland (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/sunderland/)
23
7
7
9
28
-4


West Ham United (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/west-ham-united/)
22
7
6
9
27
-3


Norwich City (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/norwich-city/)
23
6
8
9
26
-15


Fulham (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/fulham/)
23
6
7
10
25
-7


Southampton (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/southampton/)
22
5
7
10
22
-10


Newcastle United (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/newcastle-united/)
23
5
6
12
21
-13


Aston Villa (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/aston-villa/)
23
4
8
11
20
-25


Reading (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/reading/)
23
4
7
12
19
-15


Wigan Athletic (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/wigan-athletic/)
23
5
4
14
19
-18


Queens Park Rangers (http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/football/queens-park-rangers/)
23
2
9
12
15
-19




The last column gives the difference between goals scored and conceded . This can determine final positions if teams are tied on points at the end of the season . The team with the highest net difference wins .

Mainecoons
01-20-2013, 08:34 AM
Pity, I think both Manchester United v Tottenham and Chelsea v Arsenal may be on today but I really have to watch those NFL playoffs. May put the soccer on one TV and the football on the other, to the delight (?) of my spouse.

I know where to find you, however. Enjoy the games and a couple of pints of real ale. :grin:

Mainecoons
01-20-2013, 08:52 AM
I know Conley supports Liverpool , and Mainecoon is a Chelsea supporter . I switched allegiance to Queen's Park Rangers when club managership was taken on a month ago by ex Tottenham Hotspur genius , Harry Redknapp .
The table below shows current standings , with just over half the season gone . Each team plays the other teams on a , Home , and , Away , basis --- 38 matches in a season .
For those unacquainted with the Beautiful Game , the EPL is Football's jewel in the world crown . TV audiences for matches every week comfortably exceed one billion viewers with the game being a religion in Japan and the far east . This generates a huge income which means that over the last twenty years the money available is mind boggling with the elite of the elite players being paid £200 000 a week or occasionally even more .
The country is flooded with top managers from all over the world and there was a time that you could hardly find a British player in some of the top teams , which were almost crammed full with international players from everywhere in Europe and from Chile to the Ivory Coast . And this is still the same basically , though some efforts have been made to safeguard the future development of Football for British youngsters and young academy players .
This is one aspect of the game that insular commentators like Mister Dee do not understand . The positive effects for multi-culturism are huge . Caucasian youngsters have black and Moslem idols and many blacks and moslems have white heroes. The mixing of ethnic communities under the umbrella of football is enormous and critical .
Today , Sunday , sees two great matches between Tottenham Hotspur and leaders Manchester United and separately Chelsea versus Arsenal . I would be very reluctant to forecast the results even though Man United and Chelsea are bookmaker favourites . All four teams are arguably in the top 12 European club sides and the supposed two outsiders are each capable of outstanding brilliance on " their day".
One feature of the EPLis that even the bottom teams are excellently competitive and also capable of beating any of their opponents when "on song" .
Recently the struggle to avoid relegation -- three clubs -- has proved at least as exciting as watching the battles at the top . This year will be no exception because whilst the top probably belongs to United with Chelsea and Manchester City in close attendance , there are no certainties as we have seen year after year . And the bottom three positions are far from decided whatever the present position suggests .
I gather most US locations receive TV signals these days and somewhere you will find the channel that will give you match coverage .
Start today . The two matches feature giant clubs brim full of outstanding and colourful players . I cannot promise loads and loads of goals because the game does not often operate that way . But if you think you might like fast moving , Chess on Legs , book your seat , crack a few beers and get ready to hurl vile language at the dog and anybody else within range .

Great post. Have you considered becoming a football (soccer) commentator?

I just don't see Queens Park making up all that lost ground at season's midpoint. Agree with your top three picks but I'd expect to see at least Arsenal and Liverpool in the bottom three at Wembly and probably Tottenham rounding out the group. However, there is still a lot of the season to go.

As I said, they love their "futbol" here and interestingly, that leads to a lot of English Premier League play that we can watch on our cable TV. Commentary is in Spanish, however. Good language practice for me.

Some Sundays, I like to walk a couple blocks up the street where the senior adult leagues play on Sundays. You would be impressed with the quality of the play, no bunch ball here. Unfortunately, our local club gets regularly trounced by the gang from 10 klicks down the road.

One of the best times in my life was when I was managing a youth football club in Washington D.C. and the coach was the former first string goalie of the Salvadoran National team, a fellow by the name of Mario Navas. He was a helluva coach and I saw to it that our bunch was smartly fitted out in green and white "Lobos" uniforms with matching jackets and hats. Our mostly South American crew showed those gringos how the game was played. :grin:

Mainecoons
01-20-2013, 09:48 AM
BTW, I certainly agree that the market for players is truly international. It does appear to me that the Mexican, Central and South American football squads have a higher proportion of home grown players than the U.K. and European squads, but within the former areas, the players of all the former areas are freely recruited and spread about the squads with little regard for specific nationalities.

It truly is an international sport. They have tried for years to make it common in the U.S. with only middling results. Even after that, I find that few of my American friends understand that there is a lot more to the game than simply the goals.

Carygrant
01-20-2013, 10:40 AM
Good and interesting and enjoyable Posts Mister Cat !
Did you know there is a January Transfer window --- clubs can buy and sell ? Not sure I approve of the idea ( another Topic) but , without it , QPR , ( my team) might be unsaveable .This QPR manager is a legendary operator in the transfer market and a remarkable man motivator . My guess is that he would have been appointed England Manager last year if everybody had felt 125% certain he would never be sentenced at some time in the future for having been a naughty boy , possibly throughout his career ( effectively taking a bung on fees). Already QPR are unrecognisable from a few weeks ago in terms of effort and organisation and this week they bought a young French international striker who got them the goal yesterday that got them a draw away at West Ham . Other signings to follow imho .
Pity they pay Manchester City next but after that I expect them to perform the greatest escape act seen in a long long time .
And incidentally they beat West Bromwich Albion away -- a much improved club --- in mid week in a third round replay FA Cup tie .
And just to get you quickly up to speed . They sacked the manager of Southampton three days ago . This man had won them promotion in two successive years and after a very tough opening twelve fixtures had got them back to good results , coming back from losing 2-0 to Chelsea to snatch a draw , again , midweek .He is being replaced by an Argentinian who does not speak a word of English who was sacked from his last job when his club propped up the bottom of the table in the Spanish league .
Southampton will drop imo .As will Aston Villa ( too young ) and previous escape specialists , Wigan -- whom I admire because they run the club on no money and have a great manager .

You will be pleased to know that Chelsea beat Arsenal 2-1 . Arsenal were very poor in the first 45 but much improved later and pressed very hard .

Mainecoons
01-20-2013, 11:21 AM
I know about Chelsea v. Arsenal, it was on the TV this morning at the restaurant we go to breakfast at on Sundays. I totally went blank on adjusting for the time difference between here and there, seven hours.

Chelsea totally dominated in the first 45 as you said. I didn't see much of the second part.

No, I wasn't aware they could make major roster changes mid season. Good idea, it creates the opportunity for some real turnarounds.

I'll keep a close eye on QPR from here out. Love those dark horse comebacks.

Cheers.

BTW, when the hell do you sleep? :grin:

Mainecoons
01-21-2013, 09:14 AM
Nice save by the Chelsea goalie at 8:30 into the game!

Caught a few minutes of a rebroadcast of the Manchester United/Tottenham Hotspurs game. Looked like they had things well in hand.

Any surprises yesterday? We sure had one in our second game as the Ravens overturned the Patriots.

Mainecoons
01-24-2013, 08:50 AM
Chelsea got stuffed by Swansea and topped it off with an ugly incident.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/01/24/u-k-soccer-star-ejected-after-kicking-ball-boy-in-the-ribs-and-cameras-caught-it-all/

Carygrant
01-28-2013, 10:51 AM
Cup competitions took over the last week and more , and some of the results have been mind stretching
It was impossible for Oldham to defeat Liverpool . But they did .
Norwich could not lose to a non league side . But they did .
Brentford could never hold Chelsea , but they did .
And so on .
I may know my Football but only a wizard could accurately predict the results .

Mainecoons
01-28-2013, 11:09 AM
I saw that Liverpool defeat. A triumph of pluck over talent IMO.

I'm getting the feeling that Chelsea may have a tendency to come up short when the squeeze is on. Of course there's still a lot of season to go.

Cheers!

Carygrant
01-28-2013, 12:25 PM
Don't worry about Chelsea now they have weathered the Brentford storm .I expect them to win by a min of four goals in the replay . Benitez is a top manager and far better than his record at Liverpool suggests.
Chelsea are already better organised under him and overall are looking a strong outfit again .
If that Fucking Russian can be persuaded to keep out of the way , three great signings could take them to the very top again . He personally wasted £80 million on Torres and Shevschenko , even though it was his own money .

Mainecoons
01-28-2013, 12:55 PM
When is the replay of Chelsea and Brentford? Definitely don't want to miss that one.

Carygrant
01-28-2013, 01:59 PM
When is the replay of Chelsea and Brentford? Definitely don't want to miss that one.


Sunday , 17th of February with a 15.00 GMT Kick off . I would guess with a certain ITV 1 coverage if you can pick that up .

STOP PRESS
Drogba signs for Galatasaray . Pity he did not come back to the EPL . The Turks must have offered him oodles of boodle plus a few girls !!

Mainecoons
01-28-2013, 05:16 PM
Thanks. I'll make note of it though I think you're stretching it a bit with that 4 goal prediction.

Mexican ESPNs and Fox Sports both carry U.K. top division and tournament soccer. Really, you would be amazed at the amount of soccer on the tube here. I doubt you have anything like it and they sure didn't carry it to this extent on the U.S. ESPN or FoxSports channels.

Easily 20 games or more per week from all over including Italy & Spain.

Carygrant
01-29-2013, 05:58 AM
Am pleased to hear you guys and gals can catch so much . We have at least the same opportunity levels here provided you also take Sky ( ESPN appears to be thrown in for nothing ) at a small extra cost. You can sit every night of the week and see everything in the German , Italian , French and Spanish leagues plus -- at the mo -- the African Cup tournament .
I ration my appetites and want more out of life than TV and PF . As I suspect you do .
But I don't smoke and now barely drink , save a few beers as background entertainment . So if I indulge occasionally , I have nobody to report to , save yours truly .
I also am a big gambler on Tennis and Boxing plus selected Football fixtures --- league matches before Champion's League matches is a speciality . In the latter you must have exact team line ups before taking odds .
Tennis Example , I had a fair sized wager on Djokovic on Sunday because Andy Pandy had one less rest day than Novak and came from a long match with Federer which tired him .Novak breezed through his semi .
As the two guys are almost equal now at this stage of their careers ( my assessment ) the UK odds were wrong --- Andy was sight odds on favourite .Therefore the Value lay with Novak . QED .Only bet short odds when it represents extra value because of faulty book making . Like it?
.

Mainecoons
01-29-2013, 08:14 PM
I forgot to mention all the soccer carried on the Mexican networks, primarily Mexican and South American.

Really, I could just sit here and watch soccer all day and night. And for a diversion, I can walk up 3 blocks on Sunday and watch some very decent adult league soccer played by the locals.

In always perfect weather, of course.

Carygrant
02-01-2013, 02:44 AM
I forgot to mention all the soccer carried on the Mexican networks, primarily Mexican and South American.


In always perfect weather, of course.

That is one thing that makes me envious .
Have been a sun worshipper forever and I am able to get the most from where I live here in the UK , allied with the good fortune of being able to arrange my own work schedule BUT I still have to travel to get my serious and consistent doses of cancer rays . Memo to self --- why am I in Belarus in 3 weeks tie in zero temps ?
The manic transfer window closed at 23.00 GMT yesterday and I will post EPL details shortly. Good for QPR , imo .

Carygrant
02-01-2013, 04:29 AM
Full January spending === In and Out .
Look at QPR .
Bottom of the league but held Man City on Tuesday and now employing Ben Bernanke as money printer .
Can't wait . That Samba is a fucking monster from the Congo . Remy we know about , Fr International signed two weeks ago . But I used to love Jenas and thought he would reshape the national team , let alone Tottenham . Seems to have lost his way but 'Arry will get him playing again .


http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01375/Arsenal-Football-C_1375383a.gif Arsenal (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/arsenal/)

INS: Daniel Boateng (Oxford United, undisclosed), Nacho Monreal (Malaga, undisclosed)

OUTS: Marouane Chamakh (West Ham, loan), Johan Djourou (Hannover, loan), Emmanuel Frimpong (Fulham, loan)

-------------------------------------------------------

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http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01505/Aston_Villa_1505554a.jpg Aston Villa (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/astonvilla/)
INS: Yacouba Sylla (Clermont, undisclosed), Simon Dawkins (Tottenham, loan)
OUTS: Alan Hutton (Real Mallorca, free), Stephen Warnock (Leeds United, loan)

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http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01377/Chelsea-Football-C_1377134a.gif Chelsea (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/chelsea/)
INS: Demba Ba (Newcastle United, £7.5m), Wallace (Fluminese, £5m. Arrives in summer)
OUTS: Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool, £12m), Lucas Piazon (Malaga, loan), Todd Kane (Blackburn Rovers, loan), Billy Clifford, Sam Walker (both Colchester United, loan)
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http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01377/Everton-Football-C_1377139a.gifEverton (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/everton/)
INS: John Stones (Barnsley, undisclosed)
OUTS: Ross Barkley (Leeds, loan), Magaye Gueye (Brest, loan)
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http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01377/Fulham-Football-Cl_1377140a.gif Fulham (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/fulham/)
INS: Chris David (FC Twente, Undisclosed), Emmanuel Frimpong (Arsenal, loan), Urby Emanuelson (AC Milan), Stanislav Manolev (PSV Eindhoven, loan), Eyong Enoh (Ajax, undisclosed)
OUTS: Stephen Kelly (Reading, undisclosed), David Stockdale (Hull City, loan), Richard Peniket (AFC Telford, loan), Chris Baird (West Brom, loan)
-------------------------------------------------------
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01377/Liverpool-Football_1377156a.gif Liverpool (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/liverpool/)
INS: Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea, £12m), Philippe Coutinho (Inter Milan £8.5m)
OUTS: Joe Cole (West Ham United, free), Michael Ngoo (Hearts, loan), Adam Morgan (Rotherham, loan), Nuri Sahin (Borussia Dortmund, loan terminated), Danny Wilson (Hearts, loan), Alexander Doni (Botafogo, free).
-------------------------------------------------------
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01377/Manchester-City-Fo_1377158a.gif Manchester City (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/mancity/)
INS: None
OUTS: Alex Nimely (Crystal Palace, loan), Omar Elabdellaoui (Eintracht Braunschweiger, loan), Jeremy Helen (Sheffield Wednesday, loan), Luca Scapuzzi (Varese, loan), Mario Balotelli (AC Milan, £22m)
-------------------------------------------------------
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01377/Manchester-United-_1377233a.gif Manchester United (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/)
INS: Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace, £10m rising to £15m), Dean Santangelo (Augsburg II, undisclosed)
OUTS: Angelo Henriquez (Wigan Athletic, loan), Bebe (Rio Ave, loan), Josh King (Blackburn Rovers, £1m), Robbie Brady (Hull City, £2m), Scott Wootton (Peterborough, loan), Davide Petrucci (Peterborough, loan), Federico Macheda (Stuttgart, loan), Luke McCullough (Cheltenham Town, loan), Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace, loan)

Carygrant
02-01-2013, 04:30 AM
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01377/Newcastle-United-F_1377162a.gif Newcastle United (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/championship/newcastleunited/)
INS: Mathieu Debuchy (Lille, £5.5m), Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa (Montpellier, £6.5m), Yoan Gouffran (Bordeaux, £2.8m), Massadio Haidara (Nancy, £1.4m) Moussa Sissoko (Toulouse, £1.8m), Kevin Mbabu (Servette, undisclosed).
OUTS: Demba Ba (Chelsea, £7m), Conor Newton (St. Mirren, loan), Paul Dummett (St Mirren, loan), Xisco (released)
-------------------------------------------------------
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01510/norwich_city_1510112a.jpg Norwich City (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/norwich-city/)
INS: Luciano Becchio (Leeds, swap), Kei Kamara (Sporting Kansas City, loan)
OUTS: Elliott Ward (Nottingham Forest, loan), Jacob Butterfield (Crystal Palace, loan), Declan Rudd (Preston North End, loan), Simon Lappin (released), Steve Morison (Leeds, swap)
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http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01505/Queens_Park_Ranger_1505868a.jpg Queens Park Rangers (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/Queens-Park-Rangers/)
INS: Loïc Remy (Marseille, undisclosed),Tal Ben Haim (unattached), Yun Suk-Young (Chunnam Dragons, undisclosed), Chris Samba (Anzhi Makhachkala) £12.5m, Jermaine Jenas (Tottenham, undisclosed), Andros Townsend (Tottenham, loan)
OUTS: Alejandro Faurlín (Palermo, loan), Ryan Nelsen (Toronto FC, retired),Djibril Cisse (Al Gharafa, loan), Tom Hitchcock (Bristol Rovers, loan) , Kieron Dyer (released), Michael Harriman (Wycombe, loan), Anton Ferdinand (Bursaspor, loan), Rob Hulse (Millwall, loan), Frankie Sutherland (Portsmouth, loan), Michael Doughty (St Johnstone, loan), Jordan Gibbons (Inverness CT, loan)
-------------------------------------------------------
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01505/Reading_1505863a.jpg Reading (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/reading/)
INS: Daniel Carrico (Sporting Lisbon, £600,000), Hope Akpan (Crawley, undisclosed), Stephen Kelly (Fulham, undisclosed), Michael Hector (Aldershot Town, undisclosed), Jake Taylor (Cheltenham Town, undisclosed), Nick Blackman (Sheffield United, undisclosed)
OUTS: Dominic Samuel (Colchester, loan), Gozie Ugwu (Plymouth Argyle, loan), Michael Hector (Cheltenham, free), Curtis Obeng (York, free)
-------------------------------------------------------
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01510/southampton_1510133a.jpg Southampton (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/southampton/)
INS: Vegard Forren (Molde, £4.2m)
OUTS: Sam Hoskins (Stevenage, loan), Ryan Dickson (Bradford, loan), Danny Seaborne (Bournemouth, loan), Jonathan Forte (Sheffield United, loan), Steve de Ridder (Bolton, loan)
-------------------------------------------------------
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01377/Stoke-City-Footbal_1377166a.gif Stoke City (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/stokecity/)
INS: Jack Butland (Birmingham, £4m), Brek Shea (FC Dallas, undisclosed)
OUTS: Maurice Edu (Bursaspor, loan), Danny Higginbotham (Sheffield United, loan), Michael Tonge (Leeds United, undisclosed), Ryan Brunt (Bristol Rovers, undisclosed), Jack Butland (Birmingham, loan), Rory Delap (Barnsley, loan), Matthew Upson (Brighton, undisclosed)
-------------------------------------------------------
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01377/Sunderland-Footbal_1377169a.gif Sunderland (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/sunderland/)
INS: Alfred N'Diaye (Bursaspor, £3m), Kader Mangane (Al-Hilal, loan), Danny Graham (Sunderland, £5m)
OUTS: David Meyler (Hull, £1.5m), Frazier Campbell (Cardiff, £650,000), Jonny Maddison (Crawley Town, loan), Blair Adams (Coventry City, undisclosed), Ahmed Elmohamady (Hull, loan), Louis Saha (released), Wayne Bridge (Brighton, free)
-------------------------------------------------------
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01504/Swansea_City_1504879a.jpg Swansea City (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/swansea-city/)
INS: Roland Lamah (Osasuna, loan)
OUTS: Jamie Proctor (Crawley Town, undisclosed), Jamie Proctor (Crawley Town, undisclosed), Leroy Lita (Sheffield Wednesday, loan), Jazz Richards (Crystal Palace, loan), Curtis Obeng (York City, loan), Danny Graham (Sunderland, £5m)
-------------------------------------------------------
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01377/Tottenham-Hotspur-_1377173a.gif Tottenham Hotspur (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/tottenham/)
INS: Ezekiel Fryers (Standard Liege, £3m), Lewis Holtby (Schalke, £1.5m)
OUTS: Carlo Cudicini (LA Galaxy, free), Iago Falque (Almeria, loan), Heurelho Gomes (Hoffenheim, loan), Alex Pritchard, Peterborough, loan), Andros Townsend (QPR, loan), Jermaine Jenas (QPR, undisclosed)
-------------------------------------------------------
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02413/wba_2413627a.jpg West Bromwich Albion (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/championship/westbromwichalbion/)
INS: None
OUTS: Chris Wood (Leicester, £1.5m rising to £2m), Gonzalo Jara (Nottingham Forest, loan), Sam Mantom (Walsall, undisclosed), Craig Dawson (Bolton, loan), Yassine El Ghanassy (Gent, undisclosed)
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http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01377/West-Ham-United-Fo_1377214a.gif West Ham United (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/west-ham)
INS: Emanuel Pogatetz (Wolfsburg, loan), Marouane Chamakh (Arsenal, loan), Joe Cole (Liverpool, free), Sean Maguire (Waterford United, undisclosed), Wellington Paulista (Cruzeiro, loan).
OUTS: Alou Diarra (Rennes, loan)
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http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01505/Wigan_Athletic_1505553a.jpg Wigan Athletic (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/wigan/)
INS: Roger Espinoza (Sporting Kansas City, free), Angelo Henriquez (Manchester United, loan), Joel Robles (Atletico Madrid, loan), Paul Scharner (Hamburg, loan)
OUTS: Mauro Boselli (Palermo, loan) Rob Kiernan, (Brentford, loan)

Carygrant
02-06-2013, 03:47 AM
WHY DO ITALIANS TOLERATE THIS DESPICABLE MAFIA PIECE OF SCUM ?
Serie A - AC Milan vice-president makes racist remark about BalotelliAC Milan vice-president Paolo Berlusconi has sparked outrage for a racist remark about new striker Mario Balotelli.Berlusconi was filmed speaking at a rally for his brother's right-wing People of Freedom party, where he described Balotelli as "the family's little n****" [negretto di famiglia].
Balotelli joined Milan on transfer deadline day last week in a £19m move, and scored twice on his debut against Udinese at the weekend.
"OK, we are all off to see the family's little n****," Berlusconi told the rally. "He's a crazy head. All the young ladies are invited as well – you can even have a chance to meet the president [Silvio Berlusconi]."
Silvio, 76, is aiming to return to the office of prime minister for a fourth time in elections later this month.
He had spoken in praise of Milan forward Kevin-Prince Boateng's decision to walk off the field during a friendly match for club in January.
He was also quoted in the same month referring to Balotelli as a "rotten apple", although he subsequently backtracked on the remarks.
"What I said was based on the fact that I feel positive people are useful in the changing room,” Silvio told Sky Italia. "I was not referring to Balotelli and I apologise if it was taken as a slur against him."

Mainecoons
02-07-2013, 06:46 PM
Wow, major changes in rosters over there!

Ah, the Italians. More like the Germans when it comes to racism and anti-semetism than we would like.

Mainecoons
02-07-2013, 06:48 PM
This "loan" category of player is something I don't understand much. How does that work? Why would a team loan another team a player that was any good?

Carygrant
02-10-2013, 02:52 AM
A lot of the Loan background is about very big clubs snapping up new blood and comparative youngsters for the future .And as much about developing their academy as about stopping the opposition from getting them .
They will then be on very high wages but getting few if any first team matches . They are therefore loaned to get valuable playing experience with lesser clubs who nearly always pick up the wages tab but are not involved in a transfer fee .

Good result for Chelsea yesterday but they were far from good . Part of that is probably because they have a European Cup fixture on Thursday and affected teams will often field weaker teams to rest key players and/or the regulars don't produce top form because they are holding back -- perhaps without realising .
In that spirit , Man United versus Everton this afternoon might be doubly interesting . United play Real Madrid on Wednesday in the Champions league . What team will Sir Alex put out ? Everton last year damaged United with a 4-4 draw with the former coming back from 4-1 from memory . And with Man City crashing yesterday , it could unconsciously lead to United relaxing today .
United are close to being a "lose" wager , if they are missing key players in their initial line up . Against that , Everton are playing OK but are not quite at their best currently. imo So probably best just to watch without a bet .

Carygrant
02-11-2013, 02:59 AM
Sir Alex made seven team changes from his original list for yesterday's match , after seeing the Manchester City result on Saturday evening .
Yesterday , United were back to almost full strength in order to tie up the League result -- now almost past the post being 12 points ahead with 12 matches to play
Once again United were not over impressive and Everton were at least their equals in the first half , yet managed to go in 2-0 down .
United versus Madrid on Wednesday could be very revealing . United will have had one less recovery day and if they can contain Real to a one goal lead , they might have an overall chance of winning . Real are favourites in my book to win the two leg tie . But I will be watching and not betting .

Mainecoons
02-13-2013, 08:51 AM
You should be a sports writer. Better than the BBC. :grin: