Howaythetoon

Good news, decent squad player.

Same here, he rarely strings 10 consecutive games together these days and seems prone to too many niggly injuries, that and awful form that stretches back over a year now indicates to me a player whose better days are behind him. Bad signing in my opinion and typical of this club's transfer policy. Had we not signed Duff we would today have the money to buy both that Argentinian defender and the Yank, defenders we could do with. Still, you can never have too many wingers though...

The only doubt about Mourinho is whether after creating success, can he build on it consistently or not. Is he an impact manager like KK, or is he like Wenger and Fergie, able to build and build and achieve success consistently with the same club. I think he could do that but I think he gets bored easily and I couldn't see him staying at any club for long, so I guess we'll never really find out.

He's err, 18 but looks about 15. He just lacks strength and awareness, he'll come good although I doubt he'll ever be in the class of Rooney et al. If anyone can develop him into a great player though it will be Wenger. Playing him on the wing is for his own benefit, up front he'd get battered by defenders.

I'm not so much bothered with results on the pitch, if you're not good enough you're not good enough, I can live with that. It is the direction of the club and our inability to get even the simplest of things right that irk me.

The Freddy one would be better if he was pushing pasties into his moi from an ever diminshing plate.

Even next season is predictable, FS will spend all season long blaming the takeover business for not spending this transfer window and in the summer he'll spend 50m again, to show the world what a great chairman he is and how he always backs his managers, The result is Roeder will have to finish in 6th place or above because those magnificent fans deserve the best and when by January we are in midtable after a season of yet more injury crisis, he'll be sacked with Clarkie taking over as caretaker until we take our time to sift through all the top managers who you wouldn't believe want to manage Newcastle United. I'm dreading it already.

Am I the only one? If it isn't the Chairman talking shite it's Roeder or Oliver, or one of our players, I'm truly bored of the injury saga, the transfer window sagas, the excuses, the same old failures, the general borefest that is NUFC at current. I think I'm now at the stage of not caring, I honestly don't even care whether we buy anyone or not, even though it will most likely put and end to the season. There is a desperate air of dead end predictability around the whole club for me and I can't see it changing anytime soon. The only bright spark was the potential of a takeover and now that seems unlikely too. Freddy needs a new soundbite, this club is boring the arse off its supporters.

Good.

He chose Blackburn ahead of Man Utd because Dalglish and Walker sold him what they were planning to do where as Man Utd never quite did that and to be fair, he made what looked like the right decision at that time because not only were Blackburn challenging, they would later go on to win the title from Man Utd. I think most accepted, unless Blackburn could sustain their succes, he was always too big a fish for them and that eventually he'd move, I think at least in Shearer's mind that was always the case anyway. Even while at Blackburn he said in an interview (the season he was injured, our first in the Premiership), that his dream was to play for Newcastle before he retired which pissed off a few Blackburn fans at the time especially as we were coming fresh onto the scene. I personally think that was Shearer letting the powers be at St. James' Park that he wants to come back home sooner rather than later, when he's done at Blackburn, in an ideal world anyway. Had NUFC not been challenging at the time (i.e. stuck in a division below or fighting to stay up ever season), he'd have joined Man Utd without doubt and probably tried to come to us in his 30s as was always his dream to pull on the shirt, but everything at that time was perfect for him, we could afford to pay a player of his quality the wages he demanded, we had a great squad, top manager, were genuine challengers and looked like winning trophies season in season out, him being a Geordie was the icing on the cake and made it all too easy for him to snub Man Utd again. I'm not surprised Man Utd still regret the fact he snubbed them though because had he joined them, even signing after Blackburn, they'd have won much more than they did and wouldn't have spent all that money they have done on trying to find that right leader of the line, something like £70m by my reckoning over the years as Shearer would have lead that line for 10 years or so like he lead ours. I liken it to the regret of SBR not taking over KK here at Newcastle or Schmeichel being in goal THAT day which still plays on wor minds. On reflection joining NUFC proved a mistake for Shearer in my opinion (certainly professionaly) but by the same token, what he got personally from wearing the shirt he had always dreamed about, breaking the club's goalscoring record and as he put it himself just living the dream, proved far more valuable to him as an individual than trophies or awards ever could and that's what a lot of Man Utd fans can't understand but if you were from this region, you would. To a Geordie playing for the club is the biggest reward of all, nothing would ever top that, not Championship medals for Man Utd or playing in a European Cup final. That devotion to the club is what gives us our gates to be honest, not trophies or the promise of them and its the same for lads good enough to play football in our city, they don't dream about winning trophies, they dream about playing for Newcastle, probably because they've accepted the Toon and trophies isn't gonna happen When Shearer came back to Newcastle while a Blackburn player to visit friends and family, he would drive around the newly revamped St. James' Park a few times and those childhood dreams of his were right there in front of him, and something when offered, he couldn't say no to as had he, even with medals thrown in, I think he'd have truly regretted it, not playing for Newcastle at some stage of his career. Fergie to this day is still pissed at not getting Shearer and too rights because had he, well, just how much more unstoppable would they have been? They already had three great leaders in Fergie himself, Schmeichel and Keane, imagine another up front, and then there is the goals, the ability to perform consistently without an arm around the shoulder or a kick up the arse, to any manager he and his type are the perfect footballers and pretty much priceless. God, I'm fucking glad we've had 10 years of him. I wouldn't swap those 10 years for any trophy, if I'm being truthful. No doubt statements like that will rankle with some Toon fans like but we got a lot for our money. i'm sure you could have said all that in a pargraph or two instead of an 800 word op-ed I could, but why should I? I like to write down my thoughts in length, if I have a bit to say on the subject which I clearly did. No problem is there? No problem at all as long as you realise that nobody actually reads it all. So in answer the the "why should I" question: because people might be more inclined to read your posts. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that scrolls straight past your snoozefests. I don't write for the benefit of others though Gemmill, and don't really care if people read what I write or not, believe it or not I actually enjoy writing all that long winded shite, when I was at school and we were all asked to write a short story for homework, I brought back a full book's worth - I've always been like that. I'm the same when I write e-mails, ask poor Phil who had to read through thousands of them the poor bloke. Brevity has never been my strong point. Better still, ask the guy who works for Loerrach Zeitung But the point in a forum is to get your point across, and to get people to read it. If you're writing for yourself and no one is reading it, why put it on the internet? I'm getting my point across, whether people read it or not however is up to them, I don't really think about it, even if that is the point of a forum. I prefer to respond to others' points of view anyway, rather than respond to responses to my own points of view. Anyway I'm sure some do read what I write, and the main point of a forum surely is debate, and to be fair, is that not what we are doing, despite you never having read my post? I honestly don't see the big issue here, it does irk me somewhat that people keep mentioning the lengths of my posts though. There are no rules to how many words someone can write in a single post is there and really, no-one is forcing anyone to read anything are they, so I don't see the big fuss. And it isn't as if every post of mine is huge. There are lots of people on here who post bigger posts than me or equally big posts. Even that post was too long. This better?

He chose Blackburn ahead of Man Utd because Dalglish and Walker sold him what they were planning to do where as Man Utd never quite did that and to be fair, he made what looked like the right decision at that time because not only were Blackburn challenging, they would later go on to win the title from Man Utd. I think most accepted, unless Blackburn could sustain their succes, he was always too big a fish for them and that eventually he'd move, I think at least in Shearer's mind that was always the case anyway. Even while at Blackburn he said in an interview (the season he was injured, our first in the Premiership), that his dream was to play for Newcastle before he retired which pissed off a few Blackburn fans at the time especially as we were coming fresh onto the scene. I personally think that was Shearer letting the powers be at St. James' Park that he wants to come back home sooner rather than later, when he's done at Blackburn, in an ideal world anyway. Had NUFC not been challenging at the time (i.e. stuck in a division below or fighting to stay up ever season), he'd have joined Man Utd without doubt and probably tried to come to us in his 30s as was always his dream to pull on the shirt, but everything at that time was perfect for him, we could afford to pay a player of his quality the wages he demanded, we had a great squad, top manager, were genuine challengers and looked like winning trophies season in season out, him being a Geordie was the icing on the cake and made it all too easy for him to snub Man Utd again. I'm not surprised Man Utd still regret the fact he snubbed them though because had he joined them, even signing after Blackburn, they'd have won much more than they did and wouldn't have spent all that money they have done on trying to find that right leader of the line, something like £70m by my reckoning over the years as Shearer would have lead that line for 10 years or so like he lead ours. I liken it to the regret of SBR not taking over KK here at Newcastle or Schmeichel being in goal THAT day which still plays on wor minds. On reflection joining NUFC proved a mistake for Shearer in my opinion (certainly professionaly) but by the same token, what he got personally from wearing the shirt he had always dreamed about, breaking the club's goalscoring record and as he put it himself just living the dream, proved far more valuable to him as an individual than trophies or awards ever could and that's what a lot of Man Utd fans can't understand but if you were from this region, you would. To a Geordie playing for the club is the biggest reward of all, nothing would ever top that, not Championship medals for Man Utd or playing in a European Cup final. That devotion to the club is what gives us our gates to be honest, not trophies or the promise of them and its the same for lads good enough to play football in our city, they don't dream about winning trophies, they dream about playing for Newcastle, probably because they've accepted the Toon and trophies isn't gonna happen When Shearer came back to Newcastle while a Blackburn player to visit friends and family, he would drive around the newly revamped St. James' Park a few times and those childhood dreams of his were right there in front of him, and something when offered, he couldn't say no to as had he, even with medals thrown in, I think he'd have truly regretted it, not playing for Newcastle at some stage of his career. Fergie to this day is still pissed at not getting Shearer and too rights because had he, well, just how much more unstoppable would they have been? They already had three great leaders in Fergie himself, Schmeichel and Keane, imagine another up front, and then there is the goals, the ability to perform consistently without an arm around the shoulder or a kick up the arse, to any manager he and his type are the perfect footballers and pretty much priceless. God, I'm fucking glad we've had 10 years of him. I wouldn't swap those 10 years for any trophy, if I'm being truthful. No doubt statements like that will rankle with some Toon fans like but we got a lot for our money. i'm sure you could have said all that in a pargraph or two instead of an 800 word op-ed I could, but why should I? I like to write down my thoughts in length, if I have a bit to say on the subject which I clearly did. No problem is there? No problem at all as long as you realise that nobody actually reads it all. So in answer the the "why should I" question: because people might be more inclined to read your posts. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that scrolls straight past your snoozefests. I don't write for the benefit of others though Gemmill, and don't really care if people read what I write or not, believe it or not I actually enjoy writing all that long winded shite, when I was at school and we were all asked to write a short story for homework, I brought back a full book's worth - I've always been like that. I'm the same when I write e-mails, ask poor Phil who had to read through thousands of them the poor bloke. Brevity has never been my strong point. Better still, ask the guy who works for Loerrach Zeitung But the point in a forum is to get your point across, and to get people to read it. If you're writing for yourself and no one is reading it, why put it on the internet? I'm getting my point across, whether people read it or not however is up to them, I don't really think about it, even if that is the point of a forum. I prefer to respond to others' points of view anyway, rather than respond to responses to my own points of view. Anyway I'm sure some do read what I write, and the main point of a forum surely is debate, and to be fair, is that not what we are doing, despite you never having read my post? I honestly don't see the big issue here, it does irk me somewhat that people keep mentioning the lengths of my posts though. There are no rules to how many words someone can write in a single post is there and really, no-one is forcing anyone to read anything are they, so I don't see the big fuss. And it isn't as if every post of mine is huge. There are lots of people on here who post bigger posts than me or equally big posts.

Well you wouldn't. I know, who would take the wheelie bins away.

Mourinho is a lot more smarter than he's given credit for, the only winner from this is him. Chelsea will never find as good a manager as him, a more media friendly one, one who may play prettier football aye, but I doubt there is another manager out there best equipped to deal with the unique situation that is Chelsea, or strong enough. Mourinho could build a whole dynasty at Chelsea while you suspect after him they will go through a succession of managers ala Real Madrid trying to find that special one, and when they do, sack him at the first sign of trouble anyway. Meanwhile every top club in the world is now licking their lips at the prospect of Mourinho becoming available and although Chelsea have more money than anyone else, they are not a giant of football quite yet and Mourinho WILL find himself a much better job and will go on to more success. Indeed I wouldn't be at all surprised if Mourinho has engineered this himself or deliberately flamed the wars to exercise an exit strategy for himself. I get the feeling he lives for the day to day type management and is in a hurry. If Chelsea don't submit to his demands, he'll find a better job, if they do, he gets what he wants now and knows the club are right behind him. It looks like Chelsea won't be submitting to his demands and aren't behind him wich will in Mourinho's mind make up his mind to leave. Maybe this is just a test to see just how much Chelsea value him, which they clearly don't and it will be their loss, some others' gain - none more so than the man himself. I'd pay £50m to acquire his services when he does leave that's how much he's worth to any team really and I'd hope NUFC would try their damndest to get him even if the idea seems ridiculous because he is the type of manager a club like ours needs if we are to ever find success. We have no chance like, he'll go to Italy.

<borat>Jewish concentration camps</borat>

He chose Blackburn ahead of Man Utd because Dalglish and Walker sold him what they were planning to do where as Man Utd never quite did that and to be fair, he made what looked like the right decision at that time because not only were Blackburn challenging, they would later go on to win the title from Man Utd. I think most accepted, unless Blackburn could sustain their succes, he was always too big a fish for them and that eventually he'd move, I think at least in Shearer's mind that was always the case anyway. Even while at Blackburn he said in an interview (the season he was injured, our first in the Premiership), that his dream was to play for Newcastle before he retired which pissed off a few Blackburn fans at the time especially as we were coming fresh onto the scene. I personally think that was Shearer letting the powers be at St. James' Park that he wants to come back home sooner rather than later, when he's done at Blackburn, in an ideal world anyway. Had NUFC not been challenging at the time (i.e. stuck in a division below or fighting to stay up ever season), he'd have joined Man Utd without doubt and probably tried to come to us in his 30s as was always his dream to pull on the shirt, but everything at that time was perfect for him, we could afford to pay a player of his quality the wages he demanded, we had a great squad, top manager, were genuine challengers and looked like winning trophies season in season out, him being a Geordie was the icing on the cake and made it all too easy for him to snub Man Utd again. I'm not surprised Man Utd still regret the fact he snubbed them though because had he joined them, even signing after Blackburn, they'd have won much more than they did and wouldn't have spent all that money they have done on trying to find that right leader of the line, something like £70m by my reckoning over the years as Shearer would have lead that line for 10 years or so like he lead ours. I liken it to the regret of SBR not taking over KK here at Newcastle or Schmeichel being in goal THAT day which still plays on wor minds. On reflection joining NUFC proved a mistake for Shearer in my opinion (certainly professionaly) but by the same token, what he got personally from wearing the shirt he had always dreamed about, breaking the club's goalscoring record and as he put it himself just living the dream, proved far more valuable to him as an individual than trophies or awards ever could and that's what a lot of Man Utd fans can't understand but if you were from this region, you would. To a Geordie playing for the club is the biggest reward of all, nothing would ever top that, not Championship medals for Man Utd or playing in a European Cup final. That devotion to the club is what gives us our gates to be honest, not trophies or the promise of them and its the same for lads good enough to play football in our city, they don't dream about winning trophies, they dream about playing for Newcastle, probably because they've accepted the Toon and trophies isn't gonna happen When Shearer came back to Newcastle while a Blackburn player to visit friends and family, he would drive around the newly revamped St. James' Park a few times and those childhood dreams of his were right there in front of him, and something when offered, he couldn't say no to as had he, even with medals thrown in, I think he'd have truly regretted it, not playing for Newcastle at some stage of his career. Fergie to this day is still pissed at not getting Shearer and too rights because had he, well, just how much more unstoppable would they have been? They already had three great leaders in Fergie himself, Schmeichel and Keane, imagine another up front, and then there is the goals, the ability to perform consistently without an arm around the shoulder or a kick up the arse, to any manager he and his type are the perfect footballers and pretty much priceless. God, I'm fucking glad we've had 10 years of him. I wouldn't swap those 10 years for any trophy, if I'm being truthful. No doubt statements like that will rankle with some Toon fans like but we got a lot for our money. i'm sure you could have said all that in a pargraph or two instead of an 800 word op-ed I could, but why should I? I like to write down my thoughts in length, if I have a bit to say on the subject which I clearly did. No problem is there? No problem at all as long as you realise that nobody actually reads it all. So in answer the the "why should I" question: because people might be more inclined to read your posts. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one that scrolls straight past your snoozefests. I don't write for the benefit of others though Gemmill, and don't really care if people read what I write or not, believe it or not I actually enjoy writing all that long winded shite, when I was at school and we were all asked to write a short story for homework, I brought back a full book's worth - I've always been like that. I'm the same when I write e-mails, ask poor Phil who had to read through thousands of them the poor bloke. Brevity has never been my strong point. Better still, ask the guy who works for Loerrach Zeitung

Perhaps I chose the wrong word to use regarding the notion of a Super League, I am sure they could pull one off but I very much doubt it would last and I doubt further that any club, certainly English clubs, would foresake the comfort blanket that is the Premiership, the FA and the money that comes with it just to find out whether a European Super League outside of UEFA control would work or not. I'd honestly love to see the reaction of the so-called G-14 if UEFA did indeed call their bluff. They would shite themselves. The European Super League is football's version of the bogeyman to scare UEFA into submission, nothing more. The CL has already peaked, UEFA want to limit the number of teams in it because they know they are going to see revenue drop so I doubt a Super League would be that much more of a money maker. If you join that type of set-up you lose your domestic income which the last time I looked, accounted for something like 70% of turnover so is advertising going to cover that and then add extra profit on top of that? Season in season out, during dips? If anything, it is the FA who should be fearful as the Premier League grows ever more wealthy and powerful while the Football League struggles to survive. Many chairman are already asking what purpose does the FA serve and why there is a need for a middleman. It is all very complicated however and a legal minefield as clubs in order to operate have to be affiliated to an FA who to be recognised have to be affiliated to UEFA and so on all the way up to FIFA.

He chose Blackburn ahead of Man Utd because Dalglish and Walker sold him what they were planning to do where as Man Utd never quite did that and to be fair, he made what looked like the right decision at that time because not only were Blackburn challenging, they would later go on to win the title from Man Utd. I think most accepted, unless Blackburn could sustain their succes, he was always too big a fish for them and that eventually he'd move, I think at least in Shearer's mind that was always the case anyway. Even while at Blackburn he said in an interview (the season he was injured, our first in the Premiership), that his dream was to play for Newcastle before he retired which pissed off a few Blackburn fans at the time especially as we were coming fresh onto the scene. I personally think that was Shearer letting the powers be at St. James' Park that he wants to come back home sooner rather than later, when he's done at Blackburn, in an ideal world anyway. Had NUFC not been challenging at the time (i.e. stuck in a division below or fighting to stay up ever season), he'd have joined Man Utd without doubt and probably tried to come to us in his 30s as was always his dream to pull on the shirt, but everything at that time was perfect for him, we could afford to pay a player of his quality the wages he demanded, we had a great squad, top manager, were genuine challengers and looked like winning trophies season in season out, him being a Geordie was the icing on the cake and made it all too easy for him to snub Man Utd again. I'm not surprised Man Utd still regret the fact he snubbed them though because had he joined them, even signing after Blackburn, they'd have won much more than they did and wouldn't have spent all that money they have done on trying to find that right leader of the line, something like £70m by my reckoning over the years as Shearer would have lead that line for 10 years or so like he lead ours. I liken it to the regret of SBR not taking over KK here at Newcastle or Schmeichel being in goal THAT day which still plays on wor minds. On reflection joining NUFC proved a mistake for Shearer in my opinion (certainly professionaly) but by the same token, what he got personally from wearing the shirt he had always dreamed about, breaking the club's goalscoring record and as he put it himself just living the dream, proved far more valuable to him as an individual than trophies or awards ever could and that's what a lot of Man Utd fans can't understand but if you were from this region, you would. To a Geordie playing for the club is the biggest reward of all, nothing would ever top that, not Championship medals for Man Utd or playing in a European Cup final. That devotion to the club is what gives us our gates to be honest, not trophies or the promise of them and its the same for lads good enough to play football in our city, they don't dream about winning trophies, they dream about playing for Newcastle, probably because they've accepted the Toon and trophies isn't gonna happen When Shearer came back to Newcastle while a Blackburn player to visit friends and family, he would drive around the newly revamped St. James' Park a few times and those childhood dreams of his were right there in front of him, and something when offered, he couldn't say no to as had he, even with medals thrown in, I think he'd have truly regretted it, not playing for Newcastle at some stage of his career. Fergie to this day is still pissed at not getting Shearer and too rights because had he, well, just how much more unstoppable would they have been? They already had three great leaders in Fergie himself, Schmeichel and Keane, imagine another up front, and then there is the goals, the ability to perform consistently without an arm around the shoulder or a kick up the arse, to any manager he and his type are the perfect footballers and pretty much priceless. God, I'm fucking glad we've had 10 years of him. I wouldn't swap those 10 years for any trophy, if I'm being truthful. No doubt statements like that will rankle with some Toon fans like but we got a lot for our money. i'm sure you could have said all that in a pargraph or two instead of an 800 word op-ed I could, but why should I? I like to write down my thoughts in length, if I have a bit to say on the subject which I clearly did. No problem is there?

The word Shark too, which makes ze Jormans my most favourite people

He's not foreign.

He chose Blackburn ahead of Man Utd because Dalglish and Walker sold him what they were planning to do where as Man Utd never quite did that and to be fair, he made what looked like the right decision at that time because not only were Blackburn challenging, they would later go on to win the title from Man Utd. I think most accepted, unless Blackburn could sustain their succes, he was always too big a fish for them and that eventually he'd move, I think at least in Shearer's mind that was always the case anyway. Even while at Blackburn he said in an interview (the season he was injured, our first in the Premiership), that his dream was to play for Newcastle before he retired which pissed off a few Blackburn fans at the time especially as we were coming fresh onto the scene. I personally think that was Shearer letting the powers be at St. James' Park that he wants to come back home sooner rather than later, when he's done at Blackburn, in an ideal world anyway. Had NUFC not been challenging at the time (i.e. stuck in a division below or fighting to stay up ever season), he'd have joined Man Utd without doubt and probably tried to come to us in his 30s as was always his dream to pull on the shirt, but everything at that time was perfect for him, we could afford to pay a player of his quality the wages he demanded, we had a great squad, top manager, were genuine challengers and looked like winning trophies season in season out, him being a Geordie was the icing on the cake and made it all too easy for him to snub Man Utd again. I'm not surprised Man Utd still regret the fact he snubbed them though because had he joined them, even signing after Blackburn, they'd have won much more than they did and wouldn't have spent all that money they have done on trying to find that right leader of the line, something like £70m by my reckoning over the years as Shearer would have lead that line for 10 years or so like he lead ours. I liken it to the regret of SBR not taking over KK here at Newcastle or Schmeichel being in goal THAT day which still plays on wor minds. On reflection joining NUFC proved a mistake for Shearer in my opinion (certainly professionaly) but by the same token, what he got personally from wearing the shirt he had always dreamed about, breaking the club's goalscoring record and as he put it himself just living the dream, proved far more valuable to him as an individual than trophies or awards ever could and that's what a lot of Man Utd fans can't understand but if you were from this region, you would. To a Geordie playing for the club is the biggest reward of all, nothing would ever top that, not Championship medals for Man Utd or playing in a European Cup final. That devotion to the club is what gives us our gates to be honest, not trophies or the promise of them and its the same for lads good enough to play football in our city, they don't dream about winning trophies, they dream about playing for Newcastle, probably because they've accepted the Toon and trophies isn't gonna happen When Shearer came back to Newcastle while a Blackburn player to visit friends and family, he would drive around the newly revamped St. James' Park a few times and those childhood dreams of his were right there in front of him, and something when offered, he couldn't say no to as had he, even with medals thrown in, I think he'd have truly regretted it, not playing for Newcastle at some stage of his career. Fergie to this day is still pissed at not getting Shearer and too rights because had he, well, just how much more unstoppable would they have been? They already had three great leaders in Fergie himself, Schmeichel and Keane, imagine another up front, and then there is the goals, the ability to perform consistently without an arm around the shoulder or a kick up the arse, to any manager he and his type are the perfect footballers and pretty much priceless. God, I'm fucking glad we've had 10 years of him. I wouldn't swap those 10 years for any trophy, if I'm being truthful. No doubt statements like that will rankle with some Toon fans like but we got a lot for our money.

I hope he does because I think the game needs it, even if it means we see a few of our top teams break away, they will soon come back cap in hand because a superleague isn't feasable, which is why it has never happened despite the notion of one existing since the 20s and probably before. Clubs have managed to bluff UEFA before, successfuly, but UEFA should call their bluff, I guarantee they'd shite themselves - the clubs that is.

Stevie, how can you put Munich above any of those things, I'll give you Euro 96, but the others had massive massive ramifications for the British game. Munich didn't change the whole terrace culture like Hillsborough did where as Heysel brought about a ban on English teams competing in Europe which effectively made our league second rate to other continental top divisions and allowed leagues like Serie A to attain vast wealth while our game headed for bankruptcy. In terms of history changing or history making, Heysel had a far bigger impact on the game than Munich. Prior to Heysel it was English teams the dominant force in Europe. Heysel brought an abrupt end to that and no doubt didn't help England on the international stage whose players were used to playing against top-class opposition and often coming out on top. There are numerous books on Heysel that explore the impact it had on the game, you should google/ebay a few. The removal of the minimum wage made the transfer system in this country and gave birth to agents and much more which is by far a more significant part of the game's history than Munich where as Sky's impact goes without saying. Munich in reality ranks very low in the grande scheme of game changing moments, very low. The off-side law for one stands way above that, as does the introduction of floodlights which enabled night time games to be played and better TV viewing figures - all important in creating new wealth, it also meant European football was possible without disrupting domestic fixtures (too much). There are so many more significant things to have happened to the game than Munich, the introduction of managers, new systems of play, advances in medicine, treatment and rehabilitation for those injured, diet and the advent of season tickets, so many things. I'm surprised these things have been overlooked. You cite Munich for changing the landscape of support in this country, what about the introduction of season tickets? That changed things for fans and indeed clubs far more than Munich ever did, it created support bases and along with it consistent gates, least of all consistent revenue streams that allowed clubs to plan, to set aside transfer budgets for the very first time - all in which brought about a level of consistency in football and helped engender more professionalism and better infrastructure. How can anyone argue all of that, in favour of a tragic accident that involved so few and effected so few?

Good shout, Italia 90, or rather Gazza's crying had an effect on the game in this country, for certain. If you read the book 'a nation's obsession with the beautiful game' (or somethiong like that) there is a chapter about Italia 90 and the ramifications of it. Funnily enough it hardly mentions Munich...

If he threatens to do that, the major clubs will juist threaten to create their own super league... again. I wouldn't be surprised if after such talks, an extra place is awarded to the major leagues - when it all kicks off like the last time. UEFA have no teeth, it should be Champions only.