FromBelgium

There's hope!

TV link for tonight's game (commentary should obviously be in French, but does it really matter except you'll chuckle at the way english names are pronounced?): http://www.rtlinfo.be/others/livevideo/pop..._live_foot.html Enjoy the game, have fun, have a couple of beers or TV dinner (or both) and see you again in over 2 hours (bar extra-time and pens) for the banter! COYR! BTW, no news reports whatsoever about fights, stabbing etc.

This game seems to attract scouts from everywhere in Europe. Her's the official list (from SL website) Pour la GRANDE-BRETAGNE: - BIRMINGHAM CITY FC - ASTON VILLA - SHEFFIELD FC - TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR - MIDDLESBROUGH FC (reportedly for Defour) - RANGERS FC - ARSENAL FC - BLACKBURN ROVERS - NEWCASTLE FC - SUNDERLAND - PORTSMOUTH (hands off, Bagpuss!) Pour l’ALLEMAGNE - BORUSSIA DORTMUND - HANNOVER 96 - HAMBURGER SV - WOLFSBURG VFL (for Dante) - FC KOLN (for Dante) - FC SCHALKE (for Witsel) Pour la FRANCE - OGC NICE (for Witsel and Mbokani) Pour l’ITALIE - CALCIO CATANIA (for Camozzato and Dante) Pour les PAYS-BAS - AJAX (definitely for Defour, we got him from under their noses 3 years ago and they are still seething, haha!) Note: Brackets are mine from various press reports I read during the summer transfer window. I fear if you qualify there'll be a massive exodus come January. Money talks.

Shocking news if true. I'll check the Belgian press websites and keep you updated asap. On a footballing note, tonight's has sold out. ca. 30,000 people should provide a great atmosphere.

Seems De Camargo is definitely out injured.

I hope I can tell you I was wrong come the final whistle, of course (from our point of view), but I have a strange feeling about that game. I am certainly not over-confident.

If I know how to prevent Standard from being dangerous (and 2 coaches in our league have found out, so it's pretty obvious, but I won't tell you), I suspect Moyes knows as well. We don't fear you, but we know it's far from over

Mind you I stopped working for them when I left Liège to go to university, but I used to work as a guide. Fortunately, chocolate abounds everywhere in the country so no shortage. We'll revert back to football, shan't we?

Belgium is a lovely place to live if you forget about the weather and Liège + area are worth a 3 or 4 day-stay. Spa (F1 anybody?) is close, and so is lovely Cologne, Germany. Brilliant food and pubs in the town centre. If you want to mix footy and tourism, provided you have a couple of hours to spend, it's one of the places to be. Britain was the 1st democracy ever. Liège was the 2nd, no joke. Our then Principality took model. And we are very friendly, almost mediterranean, people. If you happen to speak French, don't be put off by our accent, it's very strong, nothing like you might have heard on french TV (like a Scouser's to Queen's English? ). I've been away from the area for over 20 years and I still have that lovely accent - not an accent, a gift from the gods, actually. I'm just full of love for my hometown, so forgive me if I overdo it a bit.

You are totally entiltled to be a Brititsh tourist, of course, but if your presence around is suspected to have anything to do with the footy... I see where you come from MikeO, but I also remember the days when there was no crowd segregation and it was all banter and good humour and I see how football stadia have now turned into Guantanamo security-like places because of the morons. It is very sad, it turns me off from going with my 8 year-old nipper TBH. When he wants to watch football, we go to a 4th division game next door, where cops only direct traffic, if there's any.

I wouldn't be that pessimistic. Who'd ever thought Hull would arse the Gooners? I fear that game.

By the way, what's EFC ticket allocation? How many sold?

I agree it is to a large extent, but although I strongly suspect you lot to be pretty friendly, Liège has very sad memories from the visit of Cardiff City so-called fans who ransacked the city centre and railway station (1994 if memory serves me right), not to mention how English fans went on the rampage in Charleroi at Euro 2000 and, of course, Heysel (survivor talking). Might sound stupid or patronizing, but I always advise English fans not to drink too heavily when coming over to Belgium because, however tasty and pretty cheap - the normal price for a half-pint beer in Liège should be around € 1.50 / € 1.70 - our beers are much stronger than yours and, quantities equal, get much, much more heavily to your head than the average English pint. And we all know how sparks can fly when one's had one (or twelve) too many. Add to that that there'll always be a local twit who'll want to pick up a fight and you end up with all those rather extreme measures. Precaution principle.

I wouldn't bet on Standard sitting back and play for a goalless draw. Just wouldn't fit the club's tradition and the fans would hate it. Unbeaten at home for 34 games. I wouldn't write your chances off as it's 11 v. 11, but it'll be a tough nut to crack. De Camargo is injured and doubtful, Jovanovic is finding his form again.

Back from hosp. Being a hypochondriac, it feels like I'll be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life. But I hold my head up high. I'm not dead, which is great. BTW, the home nurse is great

I think you are talking about Dalmat. Here's a link if you read French http://www.raec-mons.be/html/equipesPremie...&joueur=106 (from his previous Belgian club)

EBR, Mo's the past and we'll get on without him. Good luck to him but we have to move on. He would have left anyway and Witsel and Onyewu are the most likely to follow come January and May. Birds of prey are already flying around, believe me Jimmy, the Belgian press unanimously points at Standard's magnificent display while the English press pays lip service to our qualities and only stresses Everton's defensive lapses, which I think is a bit unfair. It takes a good side to make the other one look poor. The general feeling here is that Belgium have at long last found a side able to compete at European level and that we missed a great opportunity indeed against the lot down the road a few weeks ago. When you look at the sides playing in CL, we feel we'd have held our own and we were just terribly unlucky. Yet we already know that money will talk in the end and we won't be able to keep our best players (see above) if we keep on performing like that.

that's 3 months rehab at least, but I'm fine, thanks. lovely scar I can tell you If Wilf was a Milf, I'd go straight at his back lol

Obvious pen, yeah. You got away with murder. But Christ how I loved that first half! Wilf Dalmat was absolute class tonight and I am not saying this because he used to play for my hometown side (Mons), or am I?

Just to have a view from the other side, how would you lads rate Standard's players?

I hope there's nothing too bad about Anichebe

Nah! We couldn't compete over a season, but on one night who knows? We'd struggle at the bottom of thde table with the Fulhams, Sunderlands et al. But I felt we did ourselves proud tonight against what I thought was a very decent Everton side.

I thought Cahill was superb. SL man of the match: Dalmat

told ya you'd have a game on your hands! all partisanship aside, this is a great game

What a lovely game!