Grounded Wingman

I have a funny feeling that we'll see a different winner than Djokovic, Nadal or Federer in one of the Mens Grand Slams. It could be Murray or Tsonga or it could be someone way out of left field.

I think Murray's game will change a lot between now and the end of the year, and he may have a dip as he gets used to what will hopefully be a more positive style.

The women's game needs someone to come in and give it a lift - it's a joke that Serena Williams or Clijsters can be out for ages and come in and win with ease. Can't see where it will come from though - I'm sure we'll see lots of pretty faces and photo shoots but decidedly average tennis.

It'll be interesting if any of the Slams think about withdrawing equal prize money.

Kenny Shiels is appaz playing a 4-6-0 vs the huns. If that transpires I am going to be annoyed at him.

It's important for his C.V. When he applies to be next Scotland manager it will make him the front runner.

Wow, crazy first season with Wigan. I finished 5th, above Liverpool and Chelsea, and qualified for the Europa League Sunderland and Aston Villa relegated, the fuck? Became Manager of the Year, and James McCarthy Young Player of the Year Gonna be difficult to perform this well again though, with another competition I need to compete in, and some players wanting to move on to a bigger club.

I added the Turkish league after a year, and I noticed that it works pretty well but not flawless. The Turkish national team has two regens of 24 and 26 who are absolutely beasts. I didn't expect them to "fill" spots with random regens.

Why does your league table think the fourth CL qualifying spot doesn't exist?

Looking at the dates, if Chelsea have reached the Champions League final then they could still get the fourth spot ahead of City.

Yeah, what I meant was people are now going to expect us to win it.

That's inevitable. Whether it's something that happens a year before the tournament or a day before, England fans will always get worked up and start expecting to win, aided by the hyperbolic media idiots.

I'm looking forward to the experience of Euro 2012 while living in England. I expect it'll be chaos, and the whole country will have mood swings like nothing else.

For fuck's sake, people are going to think we're capable of winning the Euros now, aren't they? >_<

Any team that is in it is capable of winning. Denmark and Greece have proved that.

However, it's hard to see England as a favourite with Spain, the Netherlands, Germany and Super Mario Land all in the competition.

Armenia have been really consistent in the qaulifiers so far, we beat them over there narrowly, IIRC it was a Keith Fahy strike that saved it but combined with them pasting Slovakia recently they've kept up pace.

I don't see a way they're coming to Dublin and taking 3 points, we know what's at stake and what we need to get to go through and Trap with his rigid formation is the master of getting what's required in these situations. Looking at the other 2nd place temas I fancy our chances in the play-offs but I'll be happy just as long as it's not seeded and we're not cheated out by a massive cunt and his cunty left hand.

It's going to be seeded. The top ranked four sides will play their second leg at home. Shouldn't screw Ireland over too bad this time

Is it the top 4 ranked in the 2nd place table or is it the top 4 in the world rankings? If it's the latter it's still bullshit?

I think it's based on the UEFA co-efficient. So it's based on the qualifying and tournaments for Euro 2008, World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012.

What exactly made the Sion players ineligible?

Sion signed the players while the club was under a transfer ban

A Scottish (well, sort of Scottish) club could still be in Europe after August.

Phew, the Scottish football crisis is over. The game is in fine health.

Heading is decent. Jumping...eh?

He can pretty much only be a target man. His decision making is poor though, so make sure he doesn't have any mixed instructions. All you want him to do is use his strength to hold up the ball and to be in the box to head in any crosses.

10 million for Crouch? hahahah, oh God. Still think he would've fitted in quite nicely at Stoke with the long throws and all, but wow, 10 mil in unbelievable.

There is the slight problem that Crouch is useless in the air. Sure, he's tall, but he's so lightweight and weak that he can barely header the ball 6 yards and he's shorter when he jumps than when he stands up straight.

Would it not have been a better alternative for the FA to put up a candidate, even a joke one if necessary?

I was going to say it would help show how useless FIFA are, but that's a magnifying glass that the FA doesn't want turned on itself.

Still, the "we are protesting by sitting with our thumbs up our ass and pouting" will impress the activists out there. Nothing motivates change like complete indifference.

Just reading that Mike Grella's loan to Motherwell has been cancelled: "A day after announcing the loan, Motherwell said on its Web site Friday that while a player can register for three clubs in a year, he can play for two."

Surely this applies to Ramsay too - if he's played for Forest and Arsenal then he can't play for Cardiff - if he plays for Forest and Cardiff (the 2 loan deals) then he can't play for Arsenal until next season - correct?

If players who aren't even that good can easily get over £50,000 a week, then it's no wonder they can't face reality. It may be a stereotype that footballers are stupid but, like most stereotypes, it has some truth to it.

Ally that lack of intelligence to the fact that you can hire someone who'll wipe your ass if you ask them to, for a pittance compared to what you earn, and get everything handed to you on a silver platter, then you are going to be upset when some bloke on a 'measly' £1,000 a week blows his whistle and tells you that you can't do what you like.

It won't stop, ever, because the Premiership has no motivation to make it better. What does it care about the grass roots, as long as it gets a bumper TV deal and punters keep subscribing to SKY and keep watching their product?

Hell, SKY deny the existence of anything they don't have rights to, and they sell Monday Night football featuring Wigan vs Fulham like it El Classico mark 2.

Only problem with an 18 team league is that there aren't really enough professional teams to sustain that.

You could probably get 20-22 teams capable of going full time if they get a bit of extra money from a tv deal and getting the Old Firm once a season.

I mean, the likes of Scumdee, Dunfermline, Falkirk, Partick, Raith and Morton have all been in the top flight in the 25 years I've been following Scottish football (come to think of it, 25 years of following Scottish football, including the national team, is probably the main reason why I have grey hair and a rapidly receding hairline at the age of 32, but I digress). Other sides like Ross County, your friends in Ayr, Livvy, Airdrie etc could argue a case, and the Highland teams always have decent support and are well run.

Even a 16 team league would be better.

42 teams just now, go to 3 divisions of 18-12-12.

They got rid of a 10 team SPL when they introduced the 12 team league, plus the idiotic split, so by going back they are saying the format before was okay (which it wasn't) and that the 12 team split format is shit (which it is).

No way are any of the SPL teams going to vote for a league that doesn't see them playing the Old Firm as often as possible (thus swelling their coffers) but the best thing for the game would be a 16 or 18 team league, as the teams in the first division are not much different to those at the bottom of the SPL.

Greed wins out though - it's the way of the world.

It used to be the World Cup tournament, by a country mile, but the last few have been less than engrossing (and not just because Scotland didn't qualify )

The World Cup final is still my favourite, but the Champion's League final runs it close..

The only other sporting events that I classify at must see (even if it doesn't involve someone, or some team, that I support) are the Wimbledon men's final and the Men's 100M at the Olympics.

Darren Ferguson in talks to become Peterborough manager again.

Darren Ferguson has been named manager of Peterborough United on a four-and-a-half-year contract, just 14 months after leaving by mutual consent.

Can't see the logic of signing the same manager you sacked just over a year ago. Granted he got them promoted to the Championship but then failed, then failed in the Championship with Preston too. So what are they gonna expect, for him to get them back up to the Championship then fail again?? Crazy if you ask me.

Think of all the Man Utd and Stoke fringe players that they can get on loan though (at least until junior is sacked again).

Just as I expected, it's all Benitez's fault. How does he keep getting into the dressing room?

Have you read Jamie Redknapp's half term report over on Sky Sports? It's idiotic, even by his standards.

That there is corruption in FIFA is hardly shocking news.

However, and English newspaper embarrassing Sepp Blatter and his cronies, by proving what most of the world already nows, will have an impact on the voting, and not a positive one for England 2018.

I really don't think you can blame it on the squad. We should comfortably be beating Blackpool with the players we have. And now people are admitting that Rafa overperformed? About fucking time.

It's still mainly Rafa's squad. He didn't overperform, Hodgson is underperforming.

True but it smacks of Keegan at Newcastle and he hasn't managed a club for over a decade. I'd hate to see him tarnish his legacy just because the clubs up shit creek.

I agree. Dalglish ain't the answer, no way. To me it seems that the Liverpool squad he's got is probably a mid table team - 3 or 4 top players surrounded by a shallow, weaker squad...Who are also a bit lacking in confidence right now.

However it also shows us that Benitez made them perform ABOVE their ability and currently Hodgson has them performing BELOW their ability.

Dalglish could get them to midtable maybe, but I doubt much further.

I'd imagine Liverpool actually need much more of a sorting over at pretty much every level.

I do find myself agreeing with what the Talksport lot are saying tonight - if they're way off Champions League spots at Christmas then they need to make sure Torres is fit and flog him for as much as they can get...He'll leave in the summer if Liverpool don't get Champs League right? Sell Torres, get in a few really good players for the money.

...The problem with this plan is that the American owners will take the money to pay off their debts.

Not if they're gone. It's 2 weeks until the deadline to repay/refinance their loans, so Liverpool could belong to RBS by the time they play again.

1: Ian Rush

2: Frank Rijkaard

3: Gheorghe Hagi

4: Patrik Berger

5: Raul

6: Sami Hyypia

7: Javier Zanetti

8: Alan Main

9: John Collins

10: Gabriel Batistuta

Anyone know when the repeat will be shown? I've looked on the E4 listings and sadly found nothing.

10:30 tonight, or 11:30 on E4+1

You don't go from managing Real Madrid to managing Aston Villa.

Pellegrini's not managing Madrid though - he'd be going from managing nobody to managing Villa.

Juande Ramos - CSKA Moscow after Madrid

Bernd Schuster - Besiktas after Madrid

Frank Rijkaard's first job after Barcelona? Galatasaray

Louis Van Gaal's 1st job after Barcelona? AZ Alkmaar

Has Manuel Pellegrini got a job yet? He'd be a good one for Villa to go for.