England squad been announced:



Ben Foster (Birmingham), Joe Hart (Manchester City), Paul Robinson (Blackburn Rovers)

Wes Brown (Manchester United), Gary Cahill (Bolton Wanderers), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Michael Dawson (Tottenham Hotspur), Kieran Gibbs (Arsenal), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), John Terry (Chelsea)

Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Adam Johnson (Manchester City), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), James Milner (Aston Villa), Ashley Young (Aston Villa), Theo Walcott (Arsenal), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)

Darren Bent (Sunderland), Carlton Cole (West Ham United), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Bobby Zamora (Fulham)

Hmmm some interesting selections there and ones that I would have made for the World Cup frankly.

It will be interesting to see how the crowd respond to the players from the World Cup on Wednesday....

Got back from my holiday today to find my season ticket on the mat waiting for me... good times.

Thankfully I had SSN so I've kept up to date with what's been happening, Klasnic and Marcos Alonso signed, only one defeat in pre-season, and Cahill in the England squad which happened mid-flight from my point of view.

And now I shall start to look forward to the first game next Saturday...

Morning all
Very interesting England selection, we think that the bigwigs at the FA have been making some of Fabios decisions for him this time.
Watched Arsenals pre season friendly against Legia Warsaw yesterday. We were truly awful. I am actually worried and depressed about our prospects this season now. Although we scored 6 and came back from 3-0 down our defending was  atrocious, not helped by having Flappyhandski in goal for the first half.
We desperately need a keeper and at least one more centre back.


Disley - not sure if I told you this but Super Jack Wilshere was at the Arsenal babies match at Borehamwood last week. He was just standing with the fans behind the goal and spent the whole time signing and posing for photos. He was a class act.
Btw are you coming down for the Bolton game? I'm sitting in the block next to the Bolton fans - should be fun!

An interesting experience at the Riverside yesterday. T'was a seamless continuation from last season, same play with different players. I think we all know that Celtic and Rangers would struggle in this division so why buy their cast-offs!? Early days I suppose but we were given a lesson in Football and violence from Roy Keanne's team and during the second half silence I thought that I could hear the sound of Southgate's suppressed laughter.

Morning all, community shield today at 3pm

GJ - I couldn't understand getting rid of GS when they did. Boro were in the playoff positions when they sacked him. And to replace him with Strachan was a baffling decision imo. Like I said at the time I have a bring back Gareth Banner for you.
Your point about the SPL is a good one, Robbie the Savage said as much on 606 last night - that the Championship is streets ahead of the SPL.


Have listened to the CS but not seen the footage. What made me laugh was the fans booing the rivals England players - while cheering their own

I missed the match, chuffed about the result so bring on the highlights later.


Disappointed about Nottingham Forest yesterday, really hope they got promoted. Happy that WBA drawed with Osasuna and Wolves beat Athletic Bilbao.

I caught it late Darlo, bloody great match!  Little P looks red hot!

I was impressed, much more confident about this season. Hernandez is going to be great plus Owen and Berbatov know they have to up their game.


 Still have my concerns about the midfield though...

Bloody hell! Martin O'Neill has resigned!

Me too Darlo, me too

Yeah, I'm just listening to 606 now and have just written in Toids Noooooo thread.
There have been mutterings since the end of last season. I put it down in part to the 'Liverpool' effect. It's one thing to try and break into the top 4 when the top 4 are on form. it's another thing when 1 of them drop out and it then leaves a space.
Both Villa and Man City missed a golden opportunity last season. It will be tough this year for all of the top 7 or 8 to get those CL places I think.
Including my beloved Arsenal

Hey Veggie  It has to be all the transfers, doesn't it?
I see your side being alot stronger this season, I also think Everton are gonna do well this year. (famous last words lol).

Just seen on SSN. Given throwing his toys out the pram and says he might want to leave City if he doesn't start at the weekend. Did he have it too good at the Toon?

Not arsed about any hissy fits this season, he can sit in the reserves along with Robinho when he gets back.

Given could come and play for us

Now that would be a top signing Veggie

we're doooooooomed

 You can have him. We wouldn't want him back

I disagree Sis, I think you've got a top side, a good team spirit.

fingers crossed really pleased with Arteta signing

didnt you get my Dads Army impression?

My these grapes are sour  Evening Pam


Arsenal have been linked with every gk in the Western world I think. Anyone but Flappyhandski will make me happy. He was at fault for at least 2 of the goals we conceded against Warsaw at the weekend.
Evening Barney and Monkey


Leaves a hug for Maggie to go with the one in Toids thread

Hi Veggie, LOL , I wouldn't care, at the time I said good luck to him, he served us well and had nothing to show for it.

Football...it's a fickle game

PMSL @ Flappyhandski!!

hi veggie

will be cheering you on at the weekend

We'll need it Barney I think!
Gawd help AW if he puts Flappy in goal. I think it may come down to who is fit enough to play for both sides, I'd be surprised if RvP and Cesc play but Nasri, Wilshere and Frimpong have looked excellent pre season.
Knowing my luck Super Jack will probably get injured playing for England on Wed eve

Who do you support onetoo?

Never

Ok then, we'll have jumping Joe instead


Mancini will have to sort summat out as I don't think either of them will want to be 2nd choice


Morning all

I recon they will rotate, can't see us letting either go to any other premier league club.

Bellamy has said if he does not make the 25 then he may quit football.






Il be pissed off if he doesnt make it, best player behind Tevez this season and we get rid of him when there is Zabaleta and Vieira?

Evening all.

You will all be glad to hear that Steven Gerrard has given the country permission to boo the World Cup players tomorrow night... frankly I don't care what he has to say on anything, I am not one for booing players, in fact I was a little disappointed by the Chelsea and Man Utd fans booing each others World Cup players on Sunday ~ bloody good match though!  Man Utd are going to be the team to catch this season I think, Chelsea just don't seem to be gelling at the moment ~ until Saturday that is!

Interesting choices for the England squad tomorrow night and as I said at the weekend, players I would have liked to see in the World Cup squad.. well that's over now, time to start looking towards 2012 and building a squad for the Euro Championships and the 2014 World Cup.

We have an injury crisis already.  Graham Dorrans is 50/50 for Saturday, and a couple of other injuries and players going on international duty this week as well.  Signed Nicky Storey from the Villa, good signing for us and it looks as if we may well make another couple before the close of the transfer window.  Getting rather fed up with some of our fans though, who are expecting loads of big money signings when they know our chairman will not do this and also why should be put ourselves in a position where we could end up like Portsmouth?  Our club is financially well run and for a Premier League club we do not have much debt.  I am happy with the way things are run there and would not like to see us go into lots of debt to try and stay in the Premier League, fail and then run into huge financial trouble in a year or so.

Morning all,








England v Hungary tonight.

Phillippe Senderos out for at least 6 months after rupturing his Achilles tendon.

RIP Adam Stansfield ~ lost his fight against bowel cancer at the age of 31.

Whatever reception awaits the England team tonight will be nothing compared to what supposedly happened to the North Korean team which lost all the World Cup matches.

Per the BBC site:

Radio Free Asia reported that North Korea's national team had been summoned to a public meeting in Pyongyang, where players were criticised by officials, including the sports minister, for six hours.

The players were then ordered to reprimand their coach, the report said, quoting anonymous sources in North Korea and a Chinese businessman said to be "knowledgeable" about North Korean affairs.

The report also spoke of "rumours" that the coach was sentenced to "forced labour at a residential building site in Pyongyang".

FIFA is now investigating this report.

I agree Pinkbabe. I could not boo my own players either although I was tempted last Saturday.. I agree with the intellectual Wenger on this one. He said that we can either have the whole football system geared up to producing a great England team, or we can attempt to produce the best and most expensive football product in the world. When you hear the intellectually challenged (and I think Mr Rednapp knows who I am writing about) complain about England fixtures then you know it's all over.
Best to think of the international competitions as end-of-term occasions and no more.

So far, promising, but it's early days yet

When I was a child I had a book, amongst many others, which had stories of normal people, not fairytales. One of the stories was about a football team coming together on the back of them working together as miners in the Ruhr Kohlenpott, times have certainly changed since the ideology started.

England will have to rethink.