Impossible!

As it stands.

Pot 1 (The top seeds)
Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, South Africa.

How disappointing for Ireland, they were screwed grrr that goal should never have stood blatant handball from Henry. Funny how the incident isn't even mentioned on the FIFA website, yes I looked but Platini and Blatter will be very smug that France and Portugal made it... Henry deserves the criticism he will get but France didn't make it on fair play they had to make it by any means necessary.


Ireland can be proud of themselves, proves we need more technology.

Im laughing away with Superman here... though I do feel sorry for Shay and Dunne.

Va Va Voom eh?

I read Spurs are linked with Ben Foster, no thanks hope he stays with us so he can be our number 1 when VDS goes. He's bound to feel disappointed but he'll get his chance soon...


Spurs also interested in Hatem Ben Arfa from Marseille, he's a quality player but once I read Sevilla were interested I think straight away he would go there if he had to make a chance.

A lot of the talk on the radio last night was that Man U are interested in the young French keeper.
Makes you wonder what Fergie really thinks of Foster if he does bring in another young keeper.

Last nights obvious focal point aside the French Keeper was superb. Ireland would have been about 3 up had it not been for his excellent saves,.

We're also linked with Akinfeev from CSKA Moscow but Fergie has said that he does rate Foster, that I do believe but for now he's going with the experience of Van Der Sar he's got a season or two left then he'll have retired...


One positive for you Veggie out of France qualifying unfairly, some of the Gunners players going to SA.

Honestly Darlo, I'd rather none of our players played internationals. I am sick to my back teeth with our players getting really bad longterm injuries when they are away on international duty or from really bad fouls - or a combination.
We have RVP out for 3 months because of a friendly, we already have Clichy out and now Gibbs has picked up an injury with the U21s. Djourou is out for at least 6 months because of Switzerland and last season not only did Theo pick up an injury with England that meant we lost him for months but after one international break we had 8 yes 8 players come back injured.
I am seriously peed off with it

It's a setback for the clubs also, especially when numbers are down enough as it is.


I've missed club football a lot.

Di Mat looking to make more signings in the January transfer window, good to hear, more competition for the current squad.  We definitely need more options up front, as Luke Moore is hit and miss, Bednar is consistent but needs another consistent forward alongside him and goodness only knows when Ishmael Miller will be back.

As for last night, I am really sad for the ROI.  Didn't see the match live but have seen the replay and even the Sky commentators, who are usually impartial, were saying that the ROI were robbed of a place in South Africa.  As an England fan first and foremost, I want England to be there, but am always happy when the other 4 nations make it as well.

I do not like Henry as a person, but have loved his football down the years and am sad that this is the one thing he will probably be remembered for.. he was/is a great footballer, but it was a handball last night and he has admitted that as well.

Roll on next month and see who England get in the group stages, hope it's not France!

Hey Pinky
Di Mat should look at some loan signings, we have loaned Jay Simpson, Jay Thomas and Henry Lansbury to QPR, Blackpool and Watford as you know and they are all doing really well.
I bet you'd love one of our babies again.
Btw I don't think we can get France in the group stages as I think we are both top seeds so will each get our own group

Impossible!

As it stands.

Pot 1 (The top seeds)
Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, South Africa

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/spo...raining-session.html

Poor guy R.I.P

Can I just add on a purely selfish point how glad I am that it wasn't a current Arsenal player that did the handball

Going all out for automatic promotion.

We have Kitson already.

but Darlo, isn't the point, the wages are better in England

Morning all,

FIFA has just ruled there will be no replay of the Ireland/France game

Moin footie fans  xx
FIFA were never going to risk one of their seeded teams.

Meanwhile according to The Grauniad this country is going to cut back on the money spent to bid  for a furure world cup. 2018? They can withdraw  the lot for me. My Dad will be in his nineties, I'll be in m'sixties.
We should have had the World Cup before now instead of USA, Japan, South Korea, South Africa.

Morning footyfans

wowza keano pulls no punches ""I'd be more annoyed with my defenders and my goalkeeper than Thierry Henry. How can you let the ball bounce in your six-yard box? How can you let Thierry Henry get goal-side of you? If the ball goes into the six-yard box, where the hell is my goalkeeper? "

he makes a good point! still feel sorry of ireland though.

Hi Crossy aye, the world cup would be fab - we had a taster here in manchester for euro '96, the atmosphere in the city centre was fab during the whole tournament- I think it was croatia who were based here.

Indeed! I'm old enough to have gone to Ayresome Park to watch a World Cup game. We had the North Koreans! I've been to two in Germany since then.
We should 'ave gone for it, instead of wasting all that cash on the Olympics

An absolute joke, bet the French are as smug as anything about it. Would love to see them get knocked out in a way that is unfair to them, serves it right but in a way it's good the likes of Franck Ribery will be playing in SA.

I agree - the difficult thing about the olympics, is that it's all based around London - at least in the world cup/euro's it's a national thing, allowing the whole country to have a taste.

Championship preview...


www.skysports.com/story

.... and of course everything is in place. No need to waste 9 billion on new infrastructure and obscene logos.

Hi all Veggie  we'll have any Arsenal baby on loan at any time!!  Taught proper football, passing etc and would be great in our team.  After all we are the Arsenal of the Championship!!

As for the World Cup, we should go all out to get it as others have said, the World Cup matches would be played across the country and get everybody involved, Villa Park had group matches in Euro 96 and the atmosphere round Brum was great, we had the Dutch here and what a colourful lot (and pleasant) they are!!

I would love to see the World Cup held here as was only a couple of months old last time round and am really hoping that England will hurry up and win it again as it is always mentioned how many years it has been, 30 years of hurt and all that in 1996, just when I was rather touchy about turning 30!!

Back to Championship footy tomorrow, Bristol City at the Hawthorns so hoping for a good match, no injury worries with players who have been on international duty so glad about that.

You had to be there in '66. At one stage we were watching through our fingers. The celebrations were immense. It was only later that we realised that...........
a) Someone arranged to kick the Brazilians off the pitch. (Not such a bad thing)
b) Argentina were cheated out of it.
c) Two dodgy goals. (I still have my  "Er war nicht drin!" T-shirt)
Amongst other smaller inexplicable events.
 It wasn't until we beat 'em 5-1 in The Fatherland that I felt easy about it all.

Oh I so remember the 5 - 1 in Germany!!  My hubby (boyfriend then) was at work and when the German goal went in, he phoned and said that's it then, we'll lose, so I kept texting him when every English goal went in.

I took my mum to Asda to do some shopping just after the result and it seemed that the whole supermarket was smiling over the England result.  It just seemed so right after the penalties in both Italia '90 and Euro '96, that we should beat the Germans like that, and as I remember it was just after 9/11 and helped to make the country smile again after that terrible day.

I was at a wedding party in a village in Lower Saxony. They set up a large tellybox in the courtyard and were full of confidence especially when Carsten Janker scored the opener and wagged his finger at the camera. When we cycled  back to the city and passed anyone in the street we pretended to be French.

My pal was married on sept 1st. Alas the towers came down a week the following Tuesday, my first day back at work after my trip.

bumping footy..........COYS.

I guess you're hoping for a Liverpool win then against Man City?.

http://www.skysports.com/story



Wigan on Sunday, now most will say thats a simple 3 points but as proved before anything can happen.

A bit like the Stoke game.  , I dont have the same bad vibes this week though. Keane to score to put this weeks misery out of the way.  Hope we don;t start with Crouch, Keane & Defoe, It's too crowded up front.

I only worry about the Spurs result, No good cheering a rivals defeat, if we then go and blow it.  But it would be good if they drew.

I read on SSN Roma are interested in Pavlyuchenko, he wants to leave doesn't he?.


Awww poor Wolves got to face Chelsea tomorrow at the Bridge, at least it will be out of the way after tomorrow.



Have to say Spurs do look better prepared this time for a push to break the top 4 but they've got to keep up the momentum and consistency, then it's learning to grind out the results.

So true, got to keep your feet on the ground and hope for the result you want.



Really missed club football during this break, but John and Edward have been a welcome distraction.

I'm amazed they are still there,  
this week they may go,


Laters Darlo, times for Zzzzzzzzzzzzz, how things with college etc.