Roy Hodgson - fantastic sportsman Page 3

Quote: PhQnix @ May 14 2008, 11:21 PM BST

Miklosko, he's still on our books as a keeper actually at the ripe old age of 48. The prospect of McCarthy and Santa Cruz working together seems fearsome, strengthen in the middle and you could be the surprise package next season.

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Ah yes I was thinking of the reading defender perhaps. Yes if we have any chance of Europe we need a really good centre back, a goal scoring centre mid and to keep our best players.

I don't like thinking about it but I suppose we should start thinking about life without Brad Freidal as well. (Or the Championship as it's better known.)

The trouble with football is the greed of the big clubs.

In the old days (pre mid 90s?) away teams got a share of the gate receipts hence you'd get someone like QPR or Norwich being runners-up.

Then when they changed the rules so the home club kept all the receipts the big clubs just kept building up and up.

Watch out Manchester United - you know what happened with the Tower of Babel. (No - not the Liverpool player.

On the plus side though we don't get Delia smith giving dodgy speeches at half time.

Yeah it will be almost impossible to get into the top four now for about ten years at least.

Look at sunderland, they spent 20/30 mil last year and just stayed up. City spent 40 for mid table, fulham spent 20mil, Christ knows how much Tottenham spent?

Fulham Play very nice football and it is good to see them stay up.

Quote: jacparov @ May 14 2008, 11:36 PM BST

On the plus side though we don't get Delia smith giving dodgy speeches at half time.

Yeah it will be almost impossible to get into the top four now for about ten years at least.

Look at sunderland, they spent 20/30 mil last year and just stayed up. City spent 40 for mid table, fulham spent 20mil, Christ knows how much Tottenham spent?

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Money in fair words

Quote: David Chapman @ May 14 2008, 11:31 PM BST

Watch out Manchester United - you know what happened with the Tower of Babel. (No - not the Liverpool player.

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Well The Tower of Babel was struck down by God, the way Babel goes down most of the time he might as well have been.

I remember going to watch Everton, on the last day of the '93/'94 season, when we had to beat Wimbledon to stay up. We were 0-2 down at half-time, but managed to win 3-2. There were rumours that Hans Segars (remember him? You know, the Dutch former car thief?) let the last goal roll past him on purpose, on the instructions of Wimbledon Chairman Sam Hamman, who was good friends with our owners. Indeed, I remember standing outside the player's entrance/exit, after the game, when a grinning Hamman came out, holding up a freshly-printed copy of the Football Echo, which had a big celebratory headline written across it. He looked so happy, you'd have thought that it was Wimbledon who had just avoided the drop.

The atmosphere at that game was probably the best I've ever experienced. This fact was particularly impressive, as a stand behind one of the goals had been demolished, lowering the capacity of the stadium. Then again, some fans who hadn't got in made up for this, by climbing the trees, across the road, in Stanley Park, and watching the game sitting/standing on the branches.

We were almost relelgated again, on the last day of the '97/'98 season, but I didn't go to that game.

Quote: PhQnix @ May 14 2008, 10:46 PM BST

I am a West Ham fan so i'm obviously biased, but I think you could easily argue that our escape last season was better than Fulham's this season. Fulham have a terrible habit of getting incredibly lucky towards the end of the season.

In fact since we're appreciating nice guys in football what about Martin Laursen? He bought 3200 Aston Villa shirts for their away contingent on Sunday. They were bought as a thank you for the fan's support, a nice gesture even if it was a tiny cost compared to his wages.

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It was Olof Mellberg that bought all the fans shirts wasn't it because he is going to Juventus. Pretty sure Mellberg bought the fans shirts.

Quote: Jack Massey @ May 15 2008, 11:42 AM BST

It was Olof Mellberg that bought all the fans shirts wasn't it because he is going to Juventus. Pretty sure Mellberg bought the fans shirts.

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Yeah was Olly (I'm a Villa fan). There aren't many players who'd make such a gesture. 3200 shirts, including printing "Mellberg Thanks 4 The Support" on each one - presumably he got them at a knock down price, but thats still gotta cost around £50k. A tiny fraction of his signing on fee from Juve, but still...

Olof Mellberg - Thank you for the last 7 years and sticking through our dark days under DOL. Now, Gareth Barry...don't you go too.

Quote: Charisma @ May 15 2008, 12:15 PM BST

Yeah was Olly (I'm a Villa fan). There aren't many players who'd make such a gesture. 3200 shirts, including printing "Mellberg Thanks 4 The Support" on each one - presumably he got them at a knock down price, but thats still gotta cost around £50k. A tiny fraction of his signing on fee from Juve, but still...

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Sorry my mistake, they're both relatively fantastic Scandinavian defenders thus my confusion.

Quote: Charisma @ May 15 2008, 12:15 PM BST

Olof Mellberg - Thank you for the last 7 years and sticking through our dark days under DOL. Now, Gareth Barry...don't you go too.

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Gareth Barry should avoid Liverpool, he's good but he's definetly behind Gerrard, Mascherano and Alonso. He'd never touch the first team. Plus it would be awful that the captain of the team finishing sixth was prepared to move just to sit on the bench. That would sum up the gap between the "big four" and everyone else perfectly.

Quote: PhQnix @ May 15 2008, 6:12 PM BST

Gareth Barry should avoid Liverpool, he's good but he's definetly behind Gerrard, Mascherano and Alonso. He'd never touch the first team. Plus it would be awful that the captain of the team finishing sixth was prepared to move just to sit on the bench. That would sum up the gap between the "big four" and everyone else perfectly.

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I would swap Barry for any of those three any day; he's good, but he's not that good. It's Ashley Young that we can't afford to lose...and he'll be off at the end of next season when we don't finish in the champs league - he's good enough to get in any of the big 4 already.

Olof has been a great charactor in the Premiership.