We’ve been begging for years to get European refs in for Old Firm games. There is precedent for it apparently. But the SFA/SPL have repeatedly knocked the idea on the head. I wonder why :rolleyes:
What a week. 3 points at Stamford Bridge, were now (just) a top half team and we’re in the Semi’s of the carling Cup.
Just hope the lads can keep up the momentum when we lose Jay-Jay in January.
And you know just where he’s going 
Hopefully we’ll be joining you tonight. It is a mark of how bad things are that we actively want to win this thing, to get into the UEFA cup.
Owl, s Wanderers mentioned earlier, no one needs to win this God forsaken pot, just getting to the Final means UEFA Cup qualification (assuming the Launderers or Gooners also make the Final).
So win tonight against Boro, draw and beat Bolton in the Semi and . . . we’re in !
ruadh - I understand your point but isn’t that a classic example of when a neutral Ref is the only sensible appointment; about underlining impartiality at least as much as promoting quality (which is more my point) ? But anyway, bring 'em on . . . there’s got to be loads of enthusiastic East European Ref’s desperate to impress for the price of an allotment and gardening utensils . . .
And we will win the FA cup. Not.
Spurs only win Euro cups when the year ends in a 4.
Isn’t tomorrow Rio Day ?
If so, what say ye – six month ban and no Euro 2004 ?
In more important news, it seems Spurs are going shopping again!
Carrick I understand, even – at a massive, massive stretch - Scott Parker (if we have the money) – but why would Nicky Butt come to (a) London, and (b) Spurs . . . and believe me, I’m hoping someone has a convincing argument ?
Unless it’s all a bluff to keep the price of Diego this side of £9 million.
p.s. Bolton won’t have Jay-Jay Okocha for the Semi so fingers crossed for tonight and for the semi-final draw . . .
But he’ll be cup tied and won’t be any use to us.
Why would Butt come to spurs? Money and London. Other than that we have nothing to offer him.
Carrick would be a good buy.
The standard are saying that Abramovich is going to bung Raniri another £100m for January.
surely Ranieri must have run out of people to buy now? The last thing he’s going to want to do is risk upsetting those stars already at the club.
Read’s to me like the Launderers are doing two things:
Getting their share of trite headlines (apropos the Gooners and ManUre), and also playing the Sir Mad Jock and Arsne Wanker at their own psychological games.
The tabloids lap this shit up . . .
rereading the article, what he is saying is that he would be prepared to spend £100m on ONE player. Blimey.
http://www.thisislondon.com/sport/football/articles/8205833?source=Evening%20Standard
They can have Martin Keown.
Yep, I believe him; spend £100 million and determined to not be riped off. Yep, I believe every word . . .
I guess this will be Chelski’s main tactic (from here on in) for getting ManUre and the Gooners off the back pages and them on it.
For £100m they can have Anderton; poyet; actually all of them aren’t worth £100m.
LC: There will be tickets on general sale tonight.
I just noticed that. They have to be the ones right up top and where the stadium bends around corners . . . I’m keen, but not that keen.
I’m fairly certainly going to get myself a (second half) Season Ticket, though, for the last nine home games . … jingle bells, jingle bells . .
That’ll get you Newcastle; Chelsea and the Filth (and those tickets are IMPOSSIBLE to get otherwise.)
Yep, the last nine home games should be:
Brum
Liverpool
Pompy
Leicester
Newcastle
Chelski
Man. City
Arsenal - just in time to f*uck 'em for the title run in.
Blackburn
Great stuff! only problemis, we won’t win many . . .
- plus, I’d hope dibs on any FA Cup progress and hopefully the Carling Cup semi and . . . Final [sub]cough[/sub]
Bollocks.
David Pleat, possibly the worst second half tactician this side of Houllier. Week after friggin week he gets outmanoeuvred at half time . . . not to mention I doubt he could motivate an alcoholic into a pub.
Well, at least he had the sense to not start with Guf Poyet. He just brought him on with 12 mins of normal time left so he could spend extra time trying to shoot the roof off the stand, letting Boro run through, past and around him and miss an absolutely vital penalty.
I find it difficult to believe there were only 25,000, is that what we’ve come to ?
Bollocks to it all.
I’ve calmed down enough to type now.
Christ that was grim. two hours of shite (and it was freezing cold too). I keep taking my son to these games and in all honesty I can’t really explain to him what all the fuss is about. There is now a whole generation that has never seeen THFC as anything other than a mid-table mediocrity.
Man Utd next - that should be a piece of cake.
We should get the Rio verdict today though (my guess: three months ban).
Iain Dowie is off to Palace today. That leaves us in an even worse state. We have three American gentlemen who’ve reached agreement to buy Boundary Park back for £4.6m, and they seem keen to buy the club and run it on a reasonable basis (aiming for the First Division, average attendance of 8,000 etc). With Dowie leaving relegation seems more likely, though, which would leave the club looking even more unappetising to any buyers.
Hurrah! an invigourated palace - that’s our season over by January then.
There are strong rumours on the Stock Exchange that there may be a change of ownership at THFC in the near future too. The likely suitors are an Australian syndicate. Mind you only 5,000 shares have been traded today, however they are trading at a 12 month high. (29.25p)
At a financial level THFCplc shares are pretty much as close to a one way bet as it’s possible to get. In the next few months one of two things are all but certain to happen - either ENIC take the club private - whic will require a premium payment, or someone takes the club over, again requiring a premium.