Rahul

I think Rafa should have made sure as part of his contract that he got a defined and guaranteed budget this summer. I know it sounds far fetched but with these t***ts in charge...

Well done to everyone involved!

Cheers for everything Xabi. Shame about the way its ended.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...t.html?ITO=1490 Liverpool target Steven Defour eyes Anfield move as Reds ponder Xabi Alonso replacement Steven Defour has joined Roma’s Alberto Aquilani on the list of candidates to replace Xabi Alonso at the heart of Liverpool’s midfield and has admitted his interest in an £18m Anfield move. While Real Madrid have yet to match Liverpool’s valuation on Alonso, Defour, 21, said: ‘I have an agreement with Standard Liege that I could go to a top club, and Liverpool fit the bill.’ Defour, who is under contract until 2013, is also wanted by Real Madrid should they fail to prise Alonso away from Anfield. 'Steven's name has been mentioned not only at Real Madrid, but also at Liverpool - they are looking at him too,' said the player's agent, Paul Stefani. 'Normally he would stay for another year, but nobody could say no to clubs like those - and Liege would not stand in his way.' Everton, Arsenal and Aston Villa have previously shown interest in the promising playmaker, who inspired Liege to their first title in 25 years. Championship club Barnsley, meanwhile, expect to sign Liverpool winger Adam Hammill on loan this week as well as Charlton striker Andy Gray.

This was posted on RAWK from a Roma blog concerning the injuries there. http://roma.theoffside.com/team-news/the-problems-mount.html The rumblings began at the end of last year despite the fantastic finish and a thieved scudetto. Little was paid attention because things were on the up and the future only seemed brighter. The system was evolving, the players acclimating and the team was thriving even with His Tottiness in street clothes. But there was a certain anti-Spalletti faction that forecasted doom. That angrily chastised the team’s mentality, the lack of flexibility and the rash of injuries which were slowly growing - many of them the very same injury, a pattern not escaping the keen eye. There were the players - Juan specifically - who’d spent their entire career damn near injury-free but walked through the gate of the Fiumincino airport and magically morphed into glass. At the time it was a joke - he’d just taken Chivu’s spot in the medical room - but at this point the laughter is long over, because Juan has been joined on the sidelines by many. Aquilani, Vucinic and Menez are all looking ahead to 25 yet searching frantically for the fountain of youth. Cassetti, Tonetto, Taddei, Perrotta and, last year, Ferrari have all had their woes go under the radar, but they too have all suffered frequent sets of injuries. And there’s Totti - largely a victim of his own passion, but a man who turns up injured in training, like others, on a weekly basis. And then Saturday came and it’s all been a bit much. Something has to change. i. I’ve been waiting to unleash this tirade all year, but the time has come so here goes… The injury crisis is Spalletti’s fault. Sure, a great deal of luck is involved and the medical staff probably won’t be curing AIDS, cancer or the common cold anytime soon, but he’s the main culprit. His training methods have been decried for their draconian nature for a couple years now and we’re now seeing the consequences. When Ludovic Giuly exited stage Rome he left a trail of criticism as would a spurned lover, and though much of that was birthed from emotion, there was a great deal of truth in his missiles towards Spalletti’s training. Truths which were picked up by both Baptista and Riise as soon as they arrived in Rome. Two players who’ve played in the rough’n'tumble Premier League, an all-action league which you would think requires training to extremes. And yet they also found training beyond necessary at Trigoria. Training which has sent a cavalcade of the walking wounded to the medical tables from start to finish. And though we can’t say these methods have remained throughout the year, Spalletti’s track record makes it safe to assume such - the man’s as flexible as marble. The same problems and solutions which arose during his first days have stood strong to where they remain today. It took quite a catastrophic injury crisis and the worst run of results in some years for Spalletti to transition formations - and ten weeks into the season at that. And what does this mean for the players? And who will finally have enough and say, “f*** it, I’m out”? After all bleeding for the shirt is one thing - but destroying one’s career is another entirely. Not every player is a born Roman. You can’t run your players into the ground during midweek and expect to find them standing on the weekend. Athletes are human, not indestructible machines.

I was assuming we would drop the price the amount we are saving through not paying him a loyalty bonus. In which case we make the same either way.

Don't think we should. Lets try and get this done as quickly as possible and bring in the replacement and further additions to the squad.

Has Johnson said anything about the transfer since it happened? I thought players were usually interviewed after signing.

Thanks mate.

When do we think this signing is going to go through and be officially announced?

Do you suffer from ADHD?

WTF.

God when is it all going to end. Best season in years and should be moving forward but could very well be going backwards due to these c*nts. Its a tragedy.

If thats true it makes you wonder why Rafa signed a new contract.

GW that is immense. Thanks for all the effort mate!

Oh right, fair do's.

Where did he say that mate? Would be interesting to see his comments about any potential funds we have. I'm not that optimistic.

Yeah I'd hope so but you never know with Hicks and Gillett.

Seems clear that we're just going to bring in 2 or 3 players max but of a higher quality which I think is good news. As a side point though, isn't a £20m budget a bit small considering we got about £15m back from Keane from last summer's budget?

Yes it is a joke. The FA is a joke. The ability to pressurise refs is a joke. The media is a joke. But the mancs know how to manipulate them to suit their own needs and it has the desired effect doesn't it? Obviously its a disgrace but they've identified a weakness and focussed on it.

To be honest, aside from all the claims of "corruption" etc, I just think refs like Webb, Riley and Bennett are intimidated by the Mancs and Ferguson. So is the FA. You can see that from how Ferguson hasn't been charged about ten times he should have been. But in a way, its sort of admirable. Ok not very ethical on their part, but Ferguson knows he can get away with it and does so. He knows he can intimidate the FA and influence refs and he does it. Obviously its f*cked up and detracts from the spirit of the game but he's using it to his advantage which is sort of admirable.

Absolute disgrace. Honestly why does anyone else bother when there are pr1cks like this affecting the title?

Not saying anything against Carra specifically but what the f*ck has happened to our defence in the last month? Can't believe how vulnerable we look at the back. If we hadn't defended so poorly and still drawn then fair enough, but the fact that we've pretty much given them most their goals takes the p1ss.

I feel the same. Its strange but I just care about the league so so so much more. Plus I think Barca are going to destroy whoever gets through anyway lol. I'm probably more p1ssed off about the manner in which we lost and two pretty much identical goals from corners than the actual result per se.

Lol. Same.