Oztoffee

Absolute genius. When they were 3-0 down (I think) against South Korea he never gave up. What impressed me as a lad was that after the first goal he ran into the back of the Korean net to retrieve the ball so they could get on with it! I'd never seen that before. His goals were a magnificent testament to his skill. A great idea to show his goals again - magic!!1

A good professional - never was really a strong contender for regular starting 11, but never complained and resisted the temptation to slag off the club during interviews. I'm sure he'll do well.

The Dutch carved Oztralia up really. Should really have been all over by half time but their finishing was woeful. Neill looked like he'd never played before at the start - really out of touch. But 20 mins in he was going well and played the 90mins and ended up as perhaps their best player. Good signs! Heitenga never really had too much to do until the second half. Played right side of centre at the back and proved to be a hard, uncomprimising player. Kewell moved over to their left in the 2nd half but Heitanga was up tp it and kept him under control. A good game. Timmy was out of touch in a midfield that never really had a chance to get going. Worked hard but with little reward as the Dutch controlled midfield from the off. Was subbed at half time to rest him for an Asian Cup game on Wed. David Carney (now with FC Twente) played the full game and was doing OK until Ryan Babel came on and skinned the poor bugger every which way! Not really srprising as he's only just got started again after being on the outer at Sheff Utd. for 12 months or more. All in all a good workout for the blue-boys! COYB!

Couldn't be bothered voting. But as an aside, I thought that Yobo had a good game as he wasn't worrying about having to cover for Hibbert all night. Never really taken to Fellaini, but I thought he was better than he's been, and I thought Goose was disappointing given the chance he was offered for a 90min stint.

Absolutely right - that's my whole point! Here we are already 9 points behind the teams we are supposed to be up against in the final reckoning. It took about 5 weeks last season to get going and we still finished 5th!(fortunately Villa faded badly in the last 6/7 weeks). How well could we do if we weren't only half-cooked as the season starts? We have to be out of the blocks at top speed, not winding it up slowly on the back straight.

I put this thread up just before the start of the season. To those who poo-poohed the idea of having better opponents in pre-season - I told you so! Yes I know it's only early in the season, but this is a race and we're still doing our boots up while the teams around us at the end of last season are up and running.

The kiwi's aren't upset - it's some maori lawyers who are "upset". The average maori bloke couldn't give a rat's. Let's get this thing straight once and for all...this is not about a haka, it's about money and putting one over the pakeha (white fella). Before we get too carried away, please remember that before the whites arrived these guys regularly hacked each other to pieces and ate the tasty bits ..... tribal warfare in a big way. The tribes in NZ were numerous and to say a haka (any haka) belongs to a particular tribe any more is crap as they've intermarried etc ever since the white blokes arrival. Please put this whole thing to bed, it doesn't deserve any recognition whatsoever and is an absolute waste of time talking about it! And if your thinking that I'm a racist or uncaring...forget it. If it was worth any discussion, I'd be in! But it's not....and I'm not!

Sorry Jesse, best to keep out of this unless you know whay you are talking about. Having lived in NZ for 25 years or more, I can tell you that this is just another in a long line of bollocks! (Intellectual rights, my arse!) All this from a bunch of "what's in it for me?" lawyers. These are the same wankers who tried to sue the NZ government for selling FM radio frequencies that were "our radio waves" i.e. theirs by right. Unbelievable! SAY NO MORE!

Maybe I'm being too picky here. If I am you'll surely let me know! Why do we piss around with pre-season games against the likes of Coventry (no offence meant,really), Bury etc. and the N.American fiascos where there's no real competition, yet many of the Prem teams are playing in hard-assed competition against real opposition? Hull, Spurs & West Ham in Beijing, Manure in the Audi Cup (OK not a real competition but real opposition), like wise our esteemed neighbours are playing against top class teams. We've done this sort of thing for a few years now and our early season form has been crap for at least that long. Bout time someone at the club put 2 and 2 together. Look at last season's early form: what a difference to our whole season would a draw instead of losses or a win instead of a draw meant? OK, I know you could say that about any team, but I believe the poor early season form and our pre-season lack of competition are linked. Anyone have any better ideas?

1 I've got to say Anichebe first up - for all the reasons mentioned above. 2 I know we're short in this position, but if a half-decent replacement could be found I'd be happy to see Hibbert disappear into the sunset. Gutted that Jacobsen left, he had the goods I reckon. 3 I know Osman is a trier. I can't fault his work ethic but he goes missing at vital moments when the overlap is on and is a bit suspect in positional sense I think. Why is Nash here? We need another 'keeper and Moyes obviously doesn't trust Turner.

Let's face it, it's not about who you play for for many of these players, it's how much you get paid. If you're not a current international player and don't hold out too many hopes of becoming one then they'll choose the offer that pays the most. However, if ther's a possibility of upping your game to the next level, then the're going to go to the club that gives them the best opportunity to do that, and that means top 4 teams. Players are going to Spurs and other clubs because they're being advised (by their advisors who get a cut too) to go for the bigger money. That's why we aren't getting the signings - because we can't afford them! It's pretty simple really. However, if we do get a signing it's because the player wants to come here for another reason other than money - and they are the players we want. LOYALTY starts at that point.

Tut, Tut! Are we a litle bit touchy then? (or is it that you didn't learn how to spell correctly?) Personally, I don't mind a little SMS-spelling for a short post that is an instant reply, but please do us all a favour and leave it for SMS or your chat-room. Thanks. Do I sound REALLY old now?

Got to be the EPL hasn't it? Although the Euro League would be a close second. Prem has the bragging rights of the season-long best team, but a piece of euro-silver would go down very nicely thank you.

My missus thinks this is great fun! A bunch of blokes arguing about colours. There are only Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, Purple & Black on bloke's colour radar according to her. Women can apparently see and name at least 200 - and the colours on the shirt are Cerise & Black! At least we got one right.

I agree with much of what you say. I'm not sure about Pennant though - undeniable talent but he hasn't really broken through has he? He must have some underlying problems, otherwise he would be up there. None of the managers he's played for have had the ability to get him to perform at his best on a week in - week out basis or maybe the attitude problems mean his managers won't play him on a week to week basis. If anyone could get him up to scratch it'd be Moyes, I reckon. Great aquisition on a free!

You got your wish....just heard that he signed for Utd. Makes me wonder whether Sir Alex has lost the plot - can't for the life of me see what they hope to gain. Mind you, Sir Alex has been known to make mistakes.... Alan Smith for one that immediately comes to mind.

I'm REALLY showing my age here. Agreed, you can't really compare players from different eras, the game was so different then and so much slower. I don't know whether the post about having to be really hard to head the ball is strictly true though. You didn't think about it - you just did it. Yes the ball was leather with a pig bladder as the "inner tube" if you like and it was laced literally with a lace! The ball was still 1lb in weight as it is now. The BIG difference was that the ball was not sealed with a plastic covering and therefore absorbed water when it was wet so the ball ended the game a lot heavier than when it started. Theoretically the ball was protected (as were boots) by "Dubbin" to keep them waterproof. But as anyone who ever played before about 1965 will tell you - it didn't work so well. Boots too were very different from today's slippers! They were heavy duty leather with leather studs that had to be nailed into the sole! Many's the game I've played with the nails coming through inside the boot. Dean was a classic "goal-hanger" in that he made few goals but scored many from goalmouth scrambles and being in the right spot at the right time. He was so good in fact, that his exploits forced a change in the offside rule to something like the present situation. Previously, there only had to be one player between him and the goal - who, of course was usually the goalkeeper.

Bollocks! He was a good, solid internationally rated defender. He didn't get a good spell with us because of injury. When he did get games, be looked the goods and made Hibbert look like what he is - a poor excuse for a fullback and deffo not up to Prem standard. Hibbert must be Moyes' love-child or maybe knows something for Moyes to have so much faith in him. I too am gutted over Jacobsen leaving, Moyes must have someone up his sleeve to be so sure that Jacobsen can be replaced. I just hope it doesn't go like last season when we ended up struggling to field an experienced side early on. With the way the fixture list has shaped up, all those early games against theoretically lesser opposition could go the same way they did last season if we don't get up to speed early - badly. Just imagine had we picked up even a point against those sides early on how different last season could have been!

I see that you have Hibbert as a bench-warmer and no mention of Jacobsen. Is this an omission or do you reckon Jacobsen gets the nod? I hope it's the latter because the guy looked really comfortable in the few games he played after a long lay-off with injury and certainly proved to be a better player and more reliable than Hibbert. I reckon Moyes only gave a cup final berth to Hibbert because of loyalty (misplaced though it was!). Another suprising aspect of your list I thought, was the inclusion of Neville. While he's not the best of players technically, he more than makes up the weight in his leadership role. A vital cog when trying to build a good side.

A good lineup there. Gives Jacobsen and Castillo another run because they earned it against Chelsea. Gives Gosling a run because Osman is worn out and gives Saha an opportunity to shine because he didn't get any ball at Stamford Bridge. Fellaini & Rodwell as subs to come on and break the pattern 2nd half if things need a lift.

Thanks for the info guys! I Googled and found Finnegan's Bar near the Coliseum as suggested. They are the local hang-out for ex-pats and show all the UK games. Thanks again!! COYB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm absolutely stoked about being in the final, but now it poses a big problem for me. I'm visiting family in Wirral in May and plan to see the home game against West Ham. Havn't been to Goodison since 1970 so I'm really looking forward to it! Problem is, I have booked a coach-tour in Europe for end of May/June and it turns out the wife and I are in Rome on the BIG DAY! What to do? Do any blues know of anywhere in Rome that will show the game? My wife (an Aussie - poor thing) puts up with my blue fetish with a smile and would love to see the game too, so a nicer place than a real dive would be preferable. What time in Rome would be KO time? Any info about Rome and KO time would be REALLY appreciated! COYB!!!!!!!!!!

I thought we were the worse of 2 lousy teams on the night and we created nothing worth a goal. Jo alone is as as useless as anyone could be up there without support or getting much of the ball. Long balls for attackers to run onto don't work against a defence that played as tight as Blackburn did. At least Blackburn moved the ball around in midfield trying to create something whereas we hoofed the ball upfield more in hope than anything constructive. Really makes me wonder whether we went there determined not to lose. However. we kept a clean sheet again and got a point out of it while never really threatening to do anything more. Was I the only one thinking that Timmy would come up with a goal from a set piece and rescue us from mediocrity? I think not, but that I suppose shows how we have come to adjust to life without Arteta. We're creating very little from open play because of the hoof upfield tactics. God, I hope things get better against Middlesborough otherwise we may get a shock goalless draw and a replay at the Riverside that would be tough to win in our current frame of mind regarding tactics.

Dunno, maybe it's just me but I really do wonder why we sprung 15mill on this bloke. If he got paid for the effort he put in, he'd be paying us! 1) Can't run 2) Can't tackle without fouling 3) Can't close down opposition 4) Can't read the game enough to make himself available for passes Call me old-fashioned if you will, but I thought the above were pre-requisites at even a modest level of the game. Fellaini drifts around and occasionally gets caught up in play, where he is not quick enough or not interested enough to extend himself in any way either to cut off intended passes or to win the ball. His fouling has come about when much faster opposition feel that he's a weak link in midfield and feel confident enough to take him on. I don't think he was missed at all against Villa and would be exceedingly unhappy were others to lose their place because of his return. I know Moyes has to justify the 15mill, but shit, I'd be overjoyed if Fellaini played like he was worth 1/4 of that! So far he hasn't shown that he even has the willingness to try. My Nana could do better - oh sorry my Nana's a left back!