The 2011/12 Gary Speed Memorial Thread

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Jesus saves, Van der Vaart scores the rebound.

[Crybaby Bunting]

Bah, there's only one football Jesus.

[Summers]

[Dont Fear The Reaper]

[mikevandam]

This whole Jesus thing makes me happy im agnostic

[DavidMarrio]

[Lineker]

How has nobody posted a picture of Olof Mellberg yet?

[Colly]

Jesus wasn't a Viking?

[Matt]

[Lineker]

Newcastle United striker Nile Ranger has been charged with being drunk and disorderly following a night out with friends in the city.

Northumbria Police officers arrested the 20-year-old in the early hours of Sunday in Newcastle's Cathedral Square.

A spokesman said he was due before Newcastle magistrates on 17 November.

Police said the player, who joined the club in 2008, was questioned for more than four hours before he was charged and released on bail.

The spokesman said: "At 1.40am on Sunday, October 30, police arrested a 20-year-old man for being drunk and disorderly in the Cathedral Square area of Newcastle city centre.

"Nile Ranger, 20, has been charged and will appear at Newcastle Magistrates' Court on 17 November."

The player has only just been reinstated to Newcastle's first-team training after a three-month exile in the club's reserves.

Sunday's arrest could land him in trouble with the club if it is proved he broke a curfew on consuming alcohol 48 hours before Monday's trip to Stoke.

He was told to find a new club in the summer after several warnings about his discipline.

Newcastle United has so far declined to comment.

How has he not been sacked yet?

[Colly]

No idea. Sooner the better.

[Dont Fear The Reaper]

What a guy

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

How has nobody posted a picture of Olof Mellberg yet?

He's more in the Thor mould.

[Lineker]

Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand has given a statement to the Football Association (FA) relating to claims of racial abuse by John Terry.

Ferdinand said he has "very strong" feelings on the matter, but will not elaborate until a "thorough" FA inquiry has been concluded.

He said he will not make any further comment in the "interests of fairness".

England captain Terry has denied the allegations, which relate to Chelsea's 1-0 loss at Loftus Road on 23 October.

In a statement released on Monday afternoon, Ferdinand said: "I have very strong feelings on the matter, but in the interests of fairness and not wishing to prejudice what I am sure will be a very thorough inquiry by the FA, this will be my last comment on the subject until the inquiry is concluded."

He also thanked everyone at QPR, including manager Neil Warnock, supporters and his team-mates, for their "unwavering" support.

The FA announced the investigation after it was claimed Chelsea captain Terry shouted racial abuse during the west London derby.

Some viewers claimed video replays from the match between the sides showed Terry using racist language, while the FA said it received a complaint.

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas earlier stated that a post-match conversation between Terry and Ferdinand had marked "the end of the story".

But the Metropolitan Police is assessing evidence from the incident after receiving a complaint.

In a statement following the Blues' loss, Terry described the incident as a "misunderstanding" and claimed that his accusers "have leapt to the wrong conclusions about the context of what I was seen to be saying".

He added: "I would never say such a thing - and I'm saddened that people would think so."

Speaking before his team's defeat at Tottenham on Sunday, QPR chairman Tony Fernandes stressed his club's condemnation of all forms of racism but added it was time to concentrate on the future.

"As a club, we will provide our players with our unequivocal support when alleged incidents like this occur," he said.

"However, we are keen to draw a line under this alleged incident and focus on our forthcoming fixtures."

Terry was stripped of the England captaincy in February 2010 after allegations that he had had an affair with the ex-girlfriend of Wayne Bridge, an international team-mate.

He was reinstated by coach Fabio Capello in March after the Italian deemed a year without the armband to have been sufficient "punishment".

This is just going to drag on, and on, and on....

[Lineker]

Stoke: Begovic, Wilkinson, Shawcross, Woodgate, Wilson, Pennant, Delap, Whelan, Etherington, Walters, Crouch.

Subs: Sorensen, Huth, Jones, Whitehead, Upson, Jerome, Palacios.

Newcastle: Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Coloccini, Ryan Taylor, Obertan, Guthrie, Cabaye, Gutierrez, Best, Ba.

Subs: Elliot, Santon, Ben Arfa, Perch, Gosling, Marveaux, Sammy Ameobi.

Referee: Mike Dean (Wirral)

No Tiote for Newcastle. Big miss.

EDIT: Shola is injured. He is replaced on the bench by Sammy.

Edited October 31, 2011 by Linniwinks

[Adam]

I feel that unbeaten run is coming to an end tonight.

[IAceI]

I think it will be a draw, Newcastle scoring in the last fifteen minutes to equalise.

Quite looking forward to the match, think the trick or treaters will be long gone so may risk going downstairs for a watch on the big TV. Think it will be an entertaining match in a weird kind of way, not as Chelsea v Arsenal was but in more of a tactical battle to a sense. Real litmus test for Newcastle tonight, but we all know that because playing Stoke on a week night is always followed by comments of that ilk, but Newcastle haven't had a great test just yet in the league so maybe this will be it. Stoke have only lost once in the Premier League in 2011 at home I think, but I think a draw is on the cards.

EDIT: Not really sure Tiote will be that much of a miss for Newcastle to be honest. I imagine the referee will be wanting to keep a tight lid on it because this sort of fixture has players where it could get quite naughty, quite quickly, so Tiote may be a yellow/red card in waiting. Plus it's not like Stoke's midfielders, or at least the central ones, are exactly ball players, more used to watching the ball sail over their heads to Crouch and then the midfield just defend more than anything - so Tiote may not be exactly in his element in this instance.

Edited October 31, 2011 by IAceI

[Crybaby Bunting]

I'm sure that Alan Smith could easily fill the hole that Tiote usually would...

Yeah, we still have him on our books :/

[IAceI]

Looks like Best may have been a yard or two offside for that goal but to be honest, Stoke deserve to be down if that's how they're going to defend. Also did I hear the commentator say "Ryan Taylor has an effort with his unfavoured right foot" - surely Taylor is right footed?

And I bet Sky are hating the mic'd up Stoke fans at the minute with the Demba Ba abused being dished out at the minute.

[MDK]

I love watching Crouch play, its like someone taught a giraffe to play football.