Angry Fans
SO Chelsea are going to spend big this January? Cue all the red-and-white bleating about Abramovich trying to "buy" the league when all he's doing is to switch back on the tap that he turned off 18 months ago. If Chelsea spend £65m all they will be doing is playing catch up with the expenditure of Manchester United and Liverpool over that period. And if they offload some of their players — including Sidwell, Ben Haim, Malouda, and Wright-Phillips — there's a good chance the spending will be self-financing when you take into account the £31m they got for Robben, and the £40+m they will get for Drogba in the summer.
Good to hear from you Cork Blue. Have a red card. It matches the colour of the balance sheet at Stamford Bridge. Break even by 2010 my a**e.
NO, no, no, no, no, no, no. The idea of Jose Mourinho replacing Rafael Benitez makes me vomit. Why would we want that preening, self-regarding Portuguese who could never beat us in a proper game anyway?
DOESN'T look good for Rafa, and he is a man who, perversely, just makes things worse for himself. Resting Torres against Luton? Why exactly. What on earth is the point? Liverpool were lucky to get that draw. If they had gone out his number might have been up earlier than even he predicted.
WHY should Liverpool have waived their share of the fees for the Luton cup match? It was nothing to do with Anfield that they club was so poorly run for so long, and that they have contracted players whose weekly salaries vary between €200 and €9,000 a week. If they need to be baled out then it should be football as a whole that does that, although I don't recall similar demands when Leeds United nearly went down the pan. Anyway, Luton have got their pay day, the honourable way.
I THOUGHT Liverpool were extremely generous to Luton on Sunday. They played Riise and Finnan; they left Torres out of the side and even brought Voronin on. What more do people want?
OUR SHOUT: Good impersonation of Don Logan from Sexy Beast, Lim Red. You're right, of course, why would Liverpool fans want someone who won two Premier League titles and a second in three seasons? More to the point, why would Gillett and Hicks exchange one difficult latin for another? Difficult to imagine who could take over at Anfield. Perhaps Jurgen Klinsmann? At least he wouldn't have to travel over to meet the owners. And those Germans are very polite.WHY do managers such as David Moyes take such risks with the FA Cup? Sure, they're in a Carling semi-final, and have made some progress in Europe but supporters would put the FA Cup above either of those trophies. It's not as if Everton are going to win the Premier League. If Moyes is as good as you say in Champions yesterday, how come he screwed up?
AFTER David Kitson's remarks that he doesn't give two s**ts about the FA Cup (although Stephen Hunt doesn't seem to share his views) most of the Premier League teams played like that at the weekend. Fact is the FA Cup hasn't been the same since Manchester United pulled out of the competition in 2001 for some ridiculous world club championship.
Beats me what Moyes was up to. Perhaps he really fancies his chances against half-strength Chelsea tonight. As for the FA Cup, I reckon all it needs is for someone other than Liverpool, United, Arsenal or Chelsea to win it. Trouble is, those teams you fancy for a run (Blackburn, Villa, Everton) have been falling like flies. We'll all have to row in behind Manchester City then, conjuring up visions of Neil Young, Mikes Summerbee and Doyle, and Colin Bell from 1969. Those were the days.
ANOTHER rash of dismissals at the weekend for "dangerous" tackling, some of them possibly deserved, others (for example in the Ipswich game against Portsmouth) clearly not. Are referees trying to ruin the game and prevent any contact at all?
In true Graham Poll fashion, here's my verdict: Kyle Lafferty (Burnley), yellow. Liam Trotter (Ipswich), yellow — with an Oscar for Pedro Mendes. Brett Poate (Havant & Waterlooville), red to be followed by a ritual disemboweling in front of New Wembley on Cup Final Day in May
ALEX Ferguson asks when the press has ever been interested in the views of Manchester United supporters. Was he asleep during the Glazer takeover? Oh no, that's right. He rushed out and supported it didn't he. So much for the Govan shop steward and "man of the people."
IF Ferguson ever spent some time with real supporters at "The Theatre of Dreams" he would understand that the heavy-handed stewarding at Old Trafford has a lot to do with the atmosphere. Stand up and you're out. I even remember some lads from Galway being banned last season because they threw a streamer onto the pitch.
IF ORGANISATIONS like the Independent Manchester United Supporters Association aren't the conscience of the club, then I don't know who the hell is. Certainly not the Glazers who have made us the most indebted club in the world and who have now made it compulsory to buy cup tickets as part of a league season ticket (something not even Chelsea have attempted). Certainly not the millionaire players and their revolting Christmas parties. And certainly not Alex Ferguson who dragged us into trouble because of his obsession with a race-horse. Last year's Premier League title and the big summer spending, plus the form of Rooney and particularly Ronaldo have obscured the fact that a lot of things are pretty rotten at Manchester United.
THAT sign at Villa Park (where the United support was loud, please note) sums up the views of most ordinary Reds. "Love United. Hate Glazer."
Yep, Fergie should have buttoned it on this occasion. United were boring in the extreme against Birmingham. And has he ever tried to sing sitting down?
I SEE that Brian Kerr has joined the clamour for a united Ireland side citing the fact that we have joint rugby, hockey, athletics and boxing teams. How long before the logic of this becomes inescapable?
Not my area of particular specialism Anthony but I think the economic logic for an all-Ireland league is overwhelming. I'm agnostic about whether there should be a joint national team but take some convincing that it would markedly improve prospects for talented young players in either the Republic or the North. It would be a pity to lose either side I think.
ROY Keane is going to take Sunderland on a prison camp away day when the 4^th round of the FA Cup is being played. So he should for their gutless surrender against Wigan at the weekend. The chances of Sunderland staying in the Premier League don't look good I am afraid. What will happen to all those red and white jerseys in Cork then?
Ah well, there's always e-Bay. Anyway, Sunderland won't go down. You read it here first.
