beejay

Dudek's penalty save from Ravinelli away to Derby in the last minute was special as well. He was very very good in his first year.

Just think - in the calendar year to today, we have won the European Cup, Super Cup, Youth Cup and FA Cup. We also collected a club record number of points in the premiership, broke records for consecutive wins, clean sheets, the list goes on. Great teams find a way to win. They nick results despite all the odds and never accept defeat. Players step up to the mark when needed and the team has characters and strong leaders running through the spine. This is very, very close to being a great team. Exciting times...

2-3 weeks for a torn groin muscle? With his history of recurring groin injuries I hope they don't patch him up and rush him back.

The other hilarious piece of sports "journalism" is in the sunday telegraph where Louise Taylor's Man of the Match is...... Dean Ashton!!

YIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIPPPPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE By mistake, my tickets were put in the "to be collected" bag instead of the special delivery so that's why they couldn't find me postal reference number. I'm on my way to collect them now - phew what a relief.

That just leaves me then. I'm STILL being told my tickets weren't pinched, the club STILL haven't given me a tracking reference (I was holding on for 25 mins earlier and finally she said she would ring me back) and I STILL haven't got my tickets. 200 f*** quid and no f*** game.

Cardie - have they sorted yout ticket yet I'm in the same boat as you (see the last page of the sticky) and just waiting for TO to open to have a final attempt.

I've been on the road all day so have tried ringing when I can. The club are still telling me I'm not on the stolen list but despite them saying FIVE times that someone would ring me back with a tracker number I'm still in the dark. I rang the Royal Mail who can't tell me where my tickets are without a tracker number but gave me the loxal sorting office who haven't got it and said that it's very unlikely it would take more than 2 days to reach them. So where's that leave me? Having read that you have now been put on the stolem list it's f*** obvious that mine are as well but it might be too late now for me to get any of the ballot tickets. Why have the club been telling - me and you - for 4 days now that my tickets haven't been nicked? I'm so mad - getting to istanbul with 5 of us was a piece of p*ss compared to this fiasco

Is there anybody on the forum who was on the ballot! I've got real sympathy for those that are, I really have! If it wasn't for this supposed "football family" that the fa bend over backwards for, more of the real fans of both sides would be going. It?s a disgrace that these corporate day trippers are treated one way, and the true fans are told tough luck by those tw*** in the FA and Millenium Stadium. Still haven?t had tickets but I've got more hope now, fingers crossed! Although if they?re not sent off by today then I?m screwed

That's my feeling too. If they don't come tomorrow I reckon mine have gone for good and all this about the club knowing exactly which tickets have been robbed is b****x. F***** L

Yeah me too, about the same time but he first asked if I had received my tickets then said I would get a call back with the tracking ref no. And no call yet. If the tickets haven't been nicked then why should it take the postie over a week special delivery to get the tickets to us? I'm still not sure the club know how many are stolen.

Source? Rafa must have at least 1 probably 2 targets for new strikers given our shortcomings in this department. Cisse's expendable for sure.

It's not going to make any difference to this jobsworth : I will not be bullied May 10 2006 By Mary Murtagh THE man behind the Millennium Stadium tickets fiasco today refused to save the FA Cup Final for 1,600 Reds fans. Stadium chief executive Paul Sergeant said he would not issue duplicate tickets to replace the 1,600 stolen in Liverpool, and told supporters: "I won't be bullied". The Cardiff arena supremo fears issuing another set of tickets could spark crowd trouble with fans fighting over seats at the sellout match. But supporters are fuming after being left in the lurch, and out of pocket, through no fault of their own. Mr Sergeant said: "I am responsible for safety at this venue and I will not be bullied. "This was not a decision we took lightly, but we're not talking about a handful of tickets here. "I've been in consultation with the FA all week and they are aware of our ticketing policy. It's there for a reason and if you have two people with only one ticket, there is a big safety issue. "I'm afraid that sometimes you have to make difficult decisions. "In 25 years involved in sport, and this is my 15th Cup Final, I have never come across something like this before." The tickets, which were in a bag of registered mail, were stolen from Walton Lane in Liverpool at around 5pm on Friday by a man posing as a Royal Mail worker. Liverpool FC Chief executive Rick Parry described the stadium's decision not to issue duplicate tickets as "totally unacceptable". He added: "We do not understand why the stadium has taken this decision - duplicate tickets have been made available at every one of the six games we have played in Cardiff. It should also be pointed out that every Premier League club is able to offer duplicate tickets where necessary." The club is continuing talks with the Football Association in a bid to resolve the impasse - but the FA insists it is powerless to intervene. A spokesman said: "We totally sympathise with the fans but we cannot act contrary to safety advice." And Mr Sergeant added: "We have a full house and there are no spare seats. We did talk about duplicating the 1,600 tickets but we do not know what has happened to those stolen tickets. "We were facing the prospect of preventing 1,600 people from entering the stadium at the same time as getting those using stolen tickets out. "I am very disappointed to learn of Rick Parry's comments. Cup Final tickets are a precious commodity and there should have been ultra-cautious handling of them. "Liverpool Football Club should have controlled the distribution method better and I am not sure that was the case." The stadium's Safety Advisory Group - comprising members of the police and fire services and Cardiff County Council - met and discussed the options after learning of Friday's theft, and yesterday revealed it would not to issue duplicates. Dave Murphy, of the Official Liverpool Supporters Club, said: "I can't understand why, in this day and age, this can't be sorted out. By their actions the Millennium Stadium is not only condoning this robbery but actively supporting it. "I really feel for people whose tickets have been stolen. Through no fault of their own they are waiting for an envelope that is never going to arrive."

That pr*ck CE of the Millenium stadium said he was not prepared to allow his staff to be abused when 2 people turn up for the same seat. That's all he cares about, the fact that 1600 people have been robbed of one of the biggest days of their life is just too bad. They should issue the duplicates, tell all Liverpool fans in that block to arrive at least an hour before kick off and put enough staff (with a strong police presence) on the gates so each ticket is checked and the stolen ones identified. Then you don't get the confrontation inside the stadium. There's been so much publicity about this by now that if people are buying tickets off a tout they will be doing it in the knowledge they may be nicked and they might be barred entry.

What walters stepover said. I can understand knox's point but would be much much happier if Owen did return, totally repentant. He's only 25 and has his best years ahead of him - it's dead easy to say that Newcastle haven't won anything for 50 years and Owen will end up another Shearer, but it's just as possible that his goals do lead them to success and that will be hard to take. What is undeniable is how badly advised he has been - but if he did come back you just know he would enjoy his football as much as Stevie G has this season and we would have the best years of both of them still to come.

Just got through to TO - they said my 3 tickets "didn't appear to be on the stolen list". I asked what that meant and she said they are still trying to identify the total number - those definitely on the list are being contacted direct by the club. They are sending me a tracking number as well.

Mine haven't

I bought mine (3) last Thursday morning and they still haven't arrived - has anyone else had theirs I'm starting to panic

Without the pun, Good Logic

4 and 6 look like faces of disgust when someones just farted!

"Here you go Mr Milner, have 20 yards to run at me, I won't even close you down, by which time I'll have fallen over my bambi like legs" I'm having second thoughts about this Simao guy now because Traore made Milner look class!

Blues move for Simao By Peter ORourke - Created on 14 Apr 2006 Simao Sabrosa Chelsea could be set to beat rivals Liverpool to Benfica ace Simao Sabrosa. Reports emanating from Portugal claim Chelsea are close to agreeing a deal with Benfica for the winger. Simao has been a long-term transfer for Liverpool and he was close to moving to Anfield last summer only for Benfica to pull the plug on the deal at the last minute. Chelsea have been keeping tabs on the former Barcelona man and it has been suggested that they are ready to make a move for Simao. Benfica are keen to keep their captain, but they know they are likely to have to field further bids for the player when the transfer window reopens. Blues boss Jose Mourinho is believed to be a big fan of Simao and sees him as a key addition to his star-studded squad at Stamford Bridge. Simao has admitted in the past he would be interested in a move to England and Chelsea's financial muscle would mean Benfica would find it hard to resist their overtures. Should Simao seal a move to West London he could be one of three new signings Mourinho wants for next season. Chelsea are already in talks with German star Michael Ballack and Mourinho believes he needs three new faces to freshen his squad up this summer with departures expected at Stamford Bridge. "We change three players," Mourinho told The Times. "Three players who want to play more and are not very happy in the club, or some players I am frustrated with and have nothing to give us. "I change them for three other players. I would say three players will come in in the summer. It is the natural process. "We have a good squad, players at a good age, not players finishing their career. [Claude] Makelele is the oldest player [33] and he looks the youngest one. "We don't have big needs. The natural tendency is we get a defender, a midfielder and an attacker." Does that sound like SWP to anyone?

Charlie Barnett is a great prospect as well as Anderson, Hamill, Hobbs & Antwi. He is consistently good and has that balance & makes it look easy like all the best players - he looks like a footballer. And a mention also for Roque coming on a sub and scoring. From what I've seen of him in defence, full back & midfield he also has the mark of a player who could reach the 1st team.

Rafa's keeping his options open...but the mention of only raul by name suggests that he is another option - and maybe a preferred option over robbie. Also - if we are considering raul - doesn't sound like morientes would be on his way. Those two are thick as thieves and if Raul did decide to come here, Nando's presence would be a key factor. Must admit, much as Rafa's the man, I would rather have Fowler and one of the other younger strikers we are linked with (Owen, Bent, Bellamy, Kuyt) than Raul & Morientes but what the f*** do I know.