Official Premier League 2010/11 thread

[Lineker]

According to SSN, after Gold's speech (in which he promised an immediate return to the EPL), a fan asked a player for an autograph. He refused, saying that he was too tired or something along those lines. Fan takes great offence and cue player/fan brawl.

[therockbox]

It kicked off because somebody, apparently Demba Ba, refused to sign an autograph for a fan, because he was "too tired." Fans had been charged a shitload to attend.

Some forums are saying a few players have been arrested as well as a load of fans, the building is/was on fire and the whole street has had to be closed off.

[Lineker]

Sounds like a riot!

[King Ellis]

Getting some practice in ahead of Millwall, eh?

[Gazz]

It's the first bit of fight West Ham have shown this season.

[Gazz]

Also, the fact that this injunction has protected the man and not the woman is pathetic. They can write as much as they want about her, but she can't defend herself or say her piece because she's not allowed to mention any specifics? What kind of bullshit justice system is this?

In this particular case involving the former Welsh international with 12 Premiership winners medals who shall remain nameless, this girl approached the papers offering to sell her story, so she really doesn't have much comeback when those same papers start making her out to look bad because they're not allowed to rag on the footballer and they've got copies to sell.

[stokeriño]

Also, the fact that this injunction has protected the man and not the woman is pathetic. They can write as much as they want about her, but she can't defend herself or say her piece because she's not allowed to mention any specifics? What kind of bullshit justice system is this?

In this particular case involving the former Welsh international with 12 Premiership winners medals who shall remain nameless, this girl approached the papers offering to sell her story, so she really doesn't have much comeback when those same papers start making her out to look bad because they're not allowed to rag on the footballer and they've got copies to sell.

Fair enough, I guess.

Any insights into why Mr. Giggs is afforded greater protection under the law than Mr. Terry?

[Gazz]

Also, the fact that this injunction has protected the man and not the woman is pathetic. They can write as much as they want about her, but she can't defend herself or say her piece because she's not allowed to mention any specifics? What kind of bullshit justice system is this?

In this particular case involving the former Welsh international with 12 Premiership winners medals who shall remain nameless, this girl approached the papers offering to sell her story, so she really doesn't have much comeback when those same papers start making her out to look bad because they're not allowed to rag on the footballer and they've got copies to sell.

Fair enough, I guess.

Any insights into why Mr. Giggs is afforded greater protection under the law than Mr. Terry?

Different judges I guess, the judge overturned JT's on the basis that freedom of speech took precedent over privacy. I'm guessing this judge thinks differently, which I take to mean he secretly engages in bouts of being whipped by a malnourished Albanian prostitute while dressed as a giant baby.

[stokeriño]

Hooray for legal precedent or lack thereof.

It's weird that everyone knows about this but no one can officially say anything. We were chanting "Giggsy, Giggsy, where's your wife?" at Old Trafford the other week. I think eventually some journalist is just going to snap and break the injunction (and get himself in a lot of trouble for it).

[Lineker]

Just saw an interesting stat: without Darren Bent's goals, Aston Villa would be second bottom on 36 points, three points from safety.

In addition to being both Sunderland and Villa's top goal scorers this year he scored twice against the scum this weekend. I miss Benty

[Sam]

The problem with that stat is that it works on the assumption that nobody else would have scored the goals he scored.

[Gazz]

The problem with that stat is that it works on the assumption that nobody else would have scored the goals he scored.

Have you seen Villa's attacking options? Gabby 'Run, Forrest, run' Agbonlahor and Emile Heskey doesn't even count as a threat.

[IAceI]

Darren Bent is a natural goalscorer and us not replacing him combined with Gyan and Welbeck being unable to stay fit is what has caused us to slip from 6th to 14th so rapidly.

Goalscorers like that are a dime a dozen these days, the Shearer's Phillips', Owen's, Bent's, Hernandez's etc. If we could have kept Bent or replaced him with another goalscorer like him then I'm reasonbly confident our slump wouldn't have been as bad, it probably would still have occurred (Bramble, Cattermole, Campbell and Meyler possibly won't be fit for the start of next season, on top of about 5 other injuries for this season alone), but I don't think it would have been nearly as bad.

Still you can't keep a player whose been offered to double his wages at another club really, so fair play to him. Wherever he's been, and wherever he goes after Villa he'll score goals. Hopefully we can just get a proper replacement for him in the summer.

[Summers]

Gabby reached double figures in all the three seasons before this one. He'da scored some goals had he not signed Bent. Seeing as we have Benty, he hasn't really played at all. We're playing with one striker... it's hardly a surprise he's scored the goals. >_>

[IAceI]

The team that just keeps on giving.

Gala night ends in punch-up

Filed: Monday, 16th May 2011

By: Staff Writer

West Ham United's end of season Gala ended in chaos as Police were called after a fight erupted.

The disturbance was said to have started after one first team member - believed to be Senegalese striker Demba Ba - refused to sign an autograph, claiming he was 'too tired'.

Police were called to deal with the ensuing outbreak of violence which saw, according to reports, tables and chairs being used as weapons in a scene more suited to an old-school Western movie than an end-of-season dinner.

Fans had paid up to £250 each to attend the evening - ironically described by the club in promotional material as 'a simply unmissable evening' - which was hosted by TV personality Ben Shepherd.

Of all the players too tired to give an autograph and it's a guy who has to write "Ba"

Edited May 17, 2011 by IAceI

[Lineker]

WHUFC are saying that a player was racially abused too. Demba Ba just tweeted that he did sign the autograph and was then racially abused by the man's tone.

On the Bent subject, has a player ever finished the season as a top goal scorer for two clubs before?

Scotland footballer Garry O'Connor was detained and two Hearts players arrested on suspicion of possessing cocaine in two separate incidents.

O'Connor, 28, who started his career at Hibs, was allegedly caught with the Class A drug in Edinburgh on Saturday.

The striker, from East Lothian, was detained by police but released without charge pending further examination.

Hearts players, Ian Black, 26, and Robert Ogleby, 19, were arrested and charged on Sunday and later released.

A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Police said: "We had two people detained, both were cautioned and charged."

O'Connor's last club was Barnsley FC and he also played for Birmingham and Lokomotiv Moscow.

In recent weeks he was given training facilities by Celtic and the club's manager Neil Lennon did not rule out the possibility of signing the striker.

Black is a midfielder and a regular in the Hearts first-team. Ogleby is a striker and a member of the Hearts youth team.

The Football Association has confirmed that it will investigate evidence sent to it regarding Blackburn's signing of defender Gael Givet.

Givet claimed in The Sun that he was forced to pay money to an unlicensed "agent" for helping facilitate a £3.5m move to Rovers from Marseille in 2009.

The FA will look at the evidence before deciding whether to pursue the matter.

FA regulations state that licenced agents are the only third party allowed to be paid for a transfer.

"We will be looking into the material and the issues that may be raised by the content," said an FA spokesman.

Givet, who has won 13 caps for France, joined Blackburn from French side Marseille initially on loan in January 2009 before signing a permanent deal that summer.

Since his permanent switch, he has made 69 appearances for Rovers, scoring four goals.

[lanky316]

WHUFC are saying that a player was racially abused too. Demba Ba just tweeted that he did sign the autograph and was then racially abused by the man's tone.

This was probably the hardcore season ticket holder I heard proudly shouting racist comments about his own players on the train from London the other week then...

[IAceI]

Get racist morons at every club unfortunately, heard it all ower when I've been at matches from all sorts of people.

Also from what I've heard the blokes in question who wanted the autograph and kicked off were some East End construction workers, now I'm not one to stereotype but you can only imagine. All hearsay of course, but hey, the Sun would claim it to be a reliable source so why not speculate?

If they were racist, then they're tits - the lot of em. If they weren't racist and still kicked off, yeah, still tits actually.

[Lineker]

If you're paying north of 200 quid on this particular year's West Ham end of dinner gala, then I must agree odds are you are indeed a tit.

[Baddar]

...but hey, at least Imogen Thomas was at the dinner!