Official Premiership 2008/09 thread

[Baddar]

Firstly, Newcastle *double facepalm*

Secondly, anybody else think Robinho's gonna turn out to be a big waste of money, for starters, he's about the same size as a six year old child and this isn't Spain or Brazil, where you concede a free kick just by looking at the opposing player, I would imagine within the first five minutes of his debut John Terry's gonna kick him about 8 feet in the air and say 'Welcome to the Premiership!', opposing defenders are just gonna kick him off the park, can you imagine what it's gonna be like for him facing, say, Bolton or some grotty League 2 side in the cup.

Secondly, he's now proven twice (once at Santos, once at Real) to be a sulky little bastard when he doesn't get his own way, he actually went on strike to get Santos to sell him to Real and pretty much did the same thing in the last few weeks. Whats to say he won't do it again when he realises Man City won't make him the best player in the world, as he apparently strives to be.

I'm not sure he'll be a "big waste of money," but I do think City fans are taking his signing a little too seriously. They seem to think that just because he's a major world footballer, he'll be a success. I don't think that'll happen over night, and it'll take him time to settle in.

I will put my neck out and say he'll have a really quiet game against Chelsea.

[Guest Ant]

Robinho will be a big hit i reckon. Not all small players get kicked off the park. Ronaldo did/does but thats because he's a cheating twat. Cannot stand him. But besides the point.

Apparently Keegan aint sacked at all?

[Zaz]

Hoorah, my ticket for the Spurs vs. Wigan match arrived today! But for anyone who's bought tickets for a Tottenham home game before (I'd thought I'd ask here first cos the club will probably just send me a stock standard reply anyway), on the bottom of the ticket is says 'Membership card required', even though:

1. As far as I can tell, all seats are general admission, they just have varying prices

2. I only bought the ticket after they went on general sale

Is this just some standard thing on the bottom of the ticket or would I now need to buy a membership for whatever reason? Or does it mean the second ticket that came attached to the first one with my details on it?

Not really a good answer, but I'd go with contacting the club for details.

Just got a reply then (they were obviously busy typing up Corluka's contract, even in the ticket office >_>), and the dude didn't really know why it would say that so I gotta go to the ticket office on the day and get it reprinted.

Edited September 3, 2008 by Zaz

[IAceI]

Curbs has resigned, probably jumped before he was ultimately pushed eventually. I'm assuming Bilic is the favoured name to take over, but I'm sure the resident Hammer fans will be able to correct me if I'm wrong.

[Pesci]

Robinho will be a big hit i reckon. Not all small players get kicked off the park. Ronaldo did/does but thats because he's a cheating twat. Cannot stand him. But besides the point.

Ronaldo is 6'1 so I'd hardly call him small.

As for Robinho, I doubt he'll be a flop. He'll play poorly against Chelsea but the entire Man City team will, because Chelsea are still leaps and bounds better than them for now. But when Man City have games against weaker sides I expect him to play well. He probably won't be their equivalent of Ronaldo which a lot of fans are probably expecting now, but he'll make an impact.

EDIT: Also, wasn't it West Ham's best start in 8 years or something? The Chairman probably got annoyed that he didn't make any big signings this summer and pushed him I'm guessing.

Edited September 3, 2008 by Pesci

[9 to 5]

I would resign too if I had no say who out of my team was to be sold.

[Pesci]

In that case fair play to him. He always struck me as the kind of mug who'd take anything and be like "ah well, that's life". Something about his face I think. I like him though, so I hope he finds another team soon.

[Cabral_]

Good luck to him, he kept us up, had a good season last year despite all the injuries, and started off great this season despite the board going over his head and selling some key players. I always thought he was a good manager, but will admit i am frustrated with the lack of signings made throughout the summer.

Bilic is a name that has been floating around since Euro qualifiers, not sure how good he would be, he has done a great job with Croatia, but i don't think he is proven as a club manager. I think it'd be a risk hiring him. Not sure who i'd like to take the helm. Mancini :-/

Also anyone heard whether the transfers have gone through? The loans of Di Michele and the left-back, can't remember his name. Apparently they were in before the deadline but still have to be authorised?

[IAceI]

So Manucho has been given the all clear to come to Man Utd I see, so he's there as an additional striker for the team. I'm eager to see him play sometime soon, see what he can offer. And with Saha and Campbell gone there's an increased chance we'll get to see him play.

In light of all our formation talk and discussions over Man Utd needing a striker and Berbatov etc. - what kind of role does he fit into, I'm assuming he's just an attacking striker kind of player, not so likely to drop back and help out. And I assume he's fast. Because he's black.

Am I close?

[TAFKA Castroneves]

This is just like the Pardew case for me with West Ham - where I wish things go wrong for them now. Not in a sinister way, but in a way that people apprechate Curbishley for what he has done a lot more. Alike Pardew before him he did a great job and shouldn't have had the pressure on him he did, I would have walked on that alone, he was doing nothing wrong but still getting slated in the press, its insanity. Sure the fans are a bit frustrated at having to knock Macclesfield out at home via extra time but every team has an off day, and they still stuck four past 'em by the end. I just pray that Curbs gets himself a nice club to manage now where he won't get this shit he has had at Upton Park.

[Crybaby Bunting]

I wonder if bookies are genuinely confused what to pay who for whatever reasons

[lanky316]

I'm sure some must have paid out on Keegan yesterday amidst all the confusion.

[Guest Ant]

I do feel sorry for Keegan but what is it with him and walking out of jobs?

He has done it with every club/country he has managed.

[therockbox]

To be fair, what he did with England was absolutely right. At least he admitted he wasn't up to the job and walked away with a bit of dignity, rather than clinging on for the compensation like a certain ginger haired, how you shay, wally.

[Gazz]

I do feel sorry for Keegan but what is it with him and walking out of jobs?

He has done it with every club/country he has managed.

Frankly, it appears the guy is been constantly undermined by the higher echelons of power within NUFC, it appears Milner was sold without his consultation, Barton and Owen were almost sold without his consultation or against his wishes, Xisco and Ignacio were bought without his consultation. Firstly, Owen was offered an improved contract, except they didn't actually offer it to Owen until after they'd announced (read : leaked) it on the website, then hours later Owen was offered for transfer.

I don't know what Ashley thinks he's acheiving by constantly headfucking with players and staff. He taken a club which was already a laughing stock amongst fans of other clubs and turned it into a laughing stock amongst it's own, well, it would be if we didn't care so fucking much.

I believe Keegan seriously considered resigning and then thought 'fuck it, I'm gonna take this guy for all he's worth', and fair play to him, if Ashley sacks him he's going to have to pay up his contract, which is believed worth £3m a year, whereas if he resigns, he gets nothing.

Ashley's facing a rebellion amongst the fans, god knows how the players feel, to say Keegan is the 'messiah' amongst Newcastle fans isn't really hyperbole and to fuck around with him is tantamount to sacrilege, Ashley will never be forgiven, I can't imagine he'll be sitting amongst the fans in his shirt, chugging 'non-alcoholic' beer come next matchday, in short, the quicker he sells up the better.

In summary,

= cunt

[lanky316]

To be fair it's always going to be hard when your chairman has always been a season ticket holder at a rival club.

[IAceI]

He owns Sports World for God's sake. Between them and JD he's partly responsible for clothing chavs. What do you expect?

[therockbox]

I do feel sorry for Keegan but what is it with him and walking out of jobs?

He has done it with every club/country he has managed.

What do the fans generally think of Ashley wearing the Newcastle top/sitting with the fans etc? To me it seems really cheesy, and is probably one of the few things Hicks and Gillett could do that would actually make me think even less of them.

[IAceI]

Didn't he only sit with the fans because at the Tyne-and-Wear derby match Sunderland wouldn't let him wear it in the box, so he decided to go out in the fans, and it just stuck? That was the first time he done it wasn't it? Personally it's not my thing, but I'm not a Newcastle fan.

I like to see the chairman sat in a suit and looking like the business man that they are. Much the same how I like to see managers in suits, just looks more presentable. Don't care for them in tracksuits, they're not going to strip down to shorts and run on the field and start playing - no need to do it. Plus I hate Warnock and he does it

Edited September 3, 2008 by IAceI

[Gazz]

Antti Niemi's retired through injury.

Shame, always thought he was a quality keeper.