BG

How dare you call me an accountant... Nothing to do with the money involved - more that I think our players confidence will take a massive hit if we go out of the CL at the group stages.

This content is not viewable to guests.

I agree with League over CL, but Champs League is pretty much over IMO if we don't win, whereas two draws in the league, while not great, would not be terminal either.

If you had to prioritise them, how would you place them? For me it would be: Besiktas Arsenal Everton

I thought even in the first half England were in danger at points. The ball was moving around England's box a fair bit and there were a couple of last ditch tackles to prevent clear chances. I thought Russia were trying to walk it in and would benefit from actually shooting a bit more around the box - which they did on the 2nd goal.

Exactly. So why would he take the England job, which has hardly been done by a stream of managerial geniuses? Mourinho's record is better than any England manager for at least the last fifty years.

Just watched the Gerrard interview on the BBC - sounded distinctly lukewarm when asked if the players were backing TCS.

Chiles is MUCH better than Lineker too.

Good mate of mine works in Puma's sponsorship division - insists Diouf is a lovely bloke.

Why would he take it?

Not so good on a few drinks, no. However I am prepaed to bet that Fat Sam and possibly even Curbishley will be considered by the FA and have supporters in the press.

Missed the last of headlines. I suspect that TCS may be disappeared by Barwick. He'll be airbrushed out of history, probably re-emerging at the sort of place he should never have escaped from: Grimsby or similar. The crying shame is that he didn't stick around at the Mancs - would have been great if he was taking over.

I'm assuming you're joking. (?) IMHO international management should be a job for managers who've achieved a lot, preferably in at least two major leagues and now may want to work a bit less hard. Hiddink himself is a good example, as would Capello be. As would, of course, Scholari. I also think being tactically brilliant is the key as, not unlike the Champions League, you are basically playing cup games and the ability to set up a team is clearly key. Candidates like Fat Sam, Curbishley and Taylor are exactly the same as TCS - have achieved nothing of any great note, never managed big players, never won anything of note, only managed in one country, never managed in the Champions League, never dealt with serious pressure that comes with expectation and never shown themselves to be tactically brilliant. Apart from that they're great candidates - all Ingerlish and all get on well with the meeja. I fully expect the FA to appoint one of them.

Do you mean Stalingrad? Nothing better than comparing a game of football with the decisive battle of WW2 which prevented all of Europe being run by the Nazis at the cost of half a million Russians.

Having seen both goals Sami wasn't great on either but Carra was awful on both.

Time for Babel and perhaps Benayoun too. By the sounds of it we are being battered. Carra was dreadful on the second goal, really dreadful. Sami pretty poor too.

If Crouchie could flick it on a bit more often as Berbatov just did, he and Torres would be useful...

Cue formation threads, Quaresma debates, 200 page speculation threads etc etc.

I find it curious, given what everyone on here is saying about Xabi being essential to our passing game and informing our attacking play, that in our biggest home game of the season last year Rafa benched Xabi.

Unusual background for a footballer. His Dad was very succesful in the media industry and young Peter will have been to a good school etc. I wouldn't be surprised if he's passed more exams than the rest of our English players combined...

Arguably, given the season ticket waiting list, the club are, from a business perspective, being quite stupid in not substantially raising prices.

I know which I consider the greater crime.

99.9% of the time JAR's shooting makes me want to kill myself.

I'm not getting anything through myp2p.eu which normoally works. Anyone direct me?

Rumour is Pako and Rafa do. I wouldn't believe much anyone but one of those two says on it personally.