Spurf's right... http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/4171224.stm ... there would have been 5 English teams that season in the group stage had Everton qualified. Even I have to agree thats getting kind of ridiculous, so the rule isn't a surprise. Our players knew all about this rule before the Villa game and could only come up with a draw. That, and many other games (without ref errors) are why we find ourselves out of it.
Wrong. The teams finishing third and fourth in the Premier League that season - Man Utd and Everton - both had to play Champions League qualifiers the following season, as was the case at the start of the season. The only reason Everton played in the UEFA Cup was because they lost their qualifier to Villarreal.
The knives are out for Roy already... http://www.givemefootball.com/internationals/hodgson-era-begins-with-a-whimper
Apparently, Eden Hazard has decided to join MUPLC. Does anyone want to inform him that they haven't had £30m going spare for a few seasons?
[video=youtube;AleYSkW2LoQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AleYSkW2LoQ[/video] Quality
Got this kit through the post today Want to get a name on the back. Thinking (Micky) Hazard - would be very topical!
just turned the laugh at Spurs thread on the goon's board into a goon v chav argument about the CL win
Good article about the supposed spurs exodus: http://thepremierleagueowl.com/risk...ign=risk-of-tottenham-exodus-being-overplayed
One day the papers will see that the only clubs that have an exodus are either... a.) Clubs with massive debts that are trying to pay them off (i.e. Leeds, Portsmouth) b.) Clubs with massive wage bills that need to be reduced (i.e. Aston Villa - although they've seen a steady exodus of players since) c.) Clubs whose manager moved to another club and has decided to take a chunk of his former players with him (which the papers are saying Rodgers will do with Swansea) d.) Clubs that allow players' contracts to run down until they have a year left (Arsenal are looking like this currently) e.) Relegated clubs Which of these descriptions described Spurs, exactly? Frankly, the papers should be looking across to the wrong side of North London for talk of an exodus - Van Persie, Nasri and Walcott all having their contracts running down without renewal (Nasri already left, Van Persie and Walcott could follow) along with Fabregas leaving last summer. That's a lot of key players, but where's the talk of an Arsenal exodus? Heck, there was never any talk of a Villa exodus despite only Delph and Delfounso remaining from the 18-man squad from that game. It does look like the papers want us to fail, and you have to ask why.
I can see the possibility of a reserve exodus, to be honest. Redknapp obviously doesn't have much faith in a lot of them.