acrossthepond

This wouldn't nullify my outrage at the treatment of Hughton, but he ticks all the boxes and tbh he's a class manager. I wouldn't say no.

Bald bloke in my avatar

Thanks Chris. Another manager sold short and who'll no doubt be vilified for his imagined 'failings'. We know the truth though.

Same line CT's been trotting out for 2 years now, hope nobody's surprised that other Ashley cronies feel the same.

Jesus fucking Christ.

Getting more challenges in isn't exactly a positive to his game, he's got no engine at all and some of his tackles are so late they still haven't happened yet (but they arrive sooner than that yellow-card-classic from Smith today). You know, it'd be good if we had another young, promising English central midfielder to step in here...too bad Gosling is still out.

Lovenkrands can't be any worse than Shola...

Well that was gash. Jonas, Shola, Guthrie, all terrible, Campbell giving me palpitations, Simpson also looking shaky out on the right. We carry on like that in the second half and we may as well pack up now. Desperately missing Barton, Nolan would improve our team greatly as well.

Aye fuck off man, you're an idiot and a racist and that's all there is to it. Give me a couple of hours with the search function and I could produce a "Stevie's greatest hits" that'd make your head spin. Let's start with how East Asian refs shouldn't be allowed to ref major competitions because their eyes are too slanty to see the whole field, shall we, and proceed from there? The way you keep prattling on about how "I only support it because I'm a Muslim and it's in 'islamic lands'" is fucking cringeworthy and just demonstrates what kind of a cunt you are. Also, you just told me in your last two posts what a good idea a WC in the Middle East would be and now that I've shown you there's virtually nowhere but Qatar or one of the other oil-rich sheikhdoms where it would go well, you're turning around and going "oh there's more passion in Indonesia than the Middle East" - bollocks btw - "and they deserve it more." Just goes to show you know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about the topic AS USUAL. This entire blow-up started after I simply posted trying to tell people not to write off a tournament that won't happen for 12 years in a country that I'm sure most of them know nothing about except that you won't be able to booze it up there. But I see you've all got your minds made up. OK, Mystic Mags, you keep looking into your crystal balls, but I'll wait and see how good or terrible the 2022 World Cup will be and that's the last I'll say on the topic, since what I have to say is apparently so offensive it motivates people to get personal.

The 'point' is meaningless. Is this the UN or the World Cup? Would you like me to fetch you a list of countries that've hosted the World Cup and their human rights violations? Colombia was slated to host the '86 World Cup, do you think that means FIFA was endorsing the cocaine trade? South Africa is notorious for crime, rape and human trafficking, does that mean that FIFA was endorsing those things? Football is football is football. This is supposed to be the game that brings everyone together. @Oz: Don't try to play semantics with me. You've been arguing this entire time that Qatar doesn't deserve to host the World Cup, even if you never typed out that exact sentence. Obviously you think someone else deserves it more or you wouldn't be kicking up a fuss in the first place.

Every region in the world plays football, therefore every region in the world should be represented in the World Cup. Whether or not you think it makes 'sense' for people to live in the desert, people have been living there since the dawn of civilisation and for you to say that they don't deserve to host the World Cup - based on what? That they aren't part of the world football community? Who gets to decide that? You? - makes me wonder whether you've got a nosebleed from looking down on them from so high up. Take that cultural imperialism somewhere else - this is football and everyone gets to play. How do you expect me to believe it's a World Cup if it only gets passed between 3 continents? Or better yet, if it goes 'round to everyone...except the Middle East. It may be hot and sparsely populated in the Middle East, but surprisingly, people play football there anyway. That's why it's the world game and the World Cup. Australia should and will get their chance, but they deserve it no more than the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and everywhere on this earth where football is played.

Loan, yes. Permanent transfer, not in a million years. (And I think 'Arry already said it'll be a permanent deal if he leaves, not a loan.)

You're a fuckin idiot. Do one. This post to me is like what the Satanic Verses was to your parents. You ignorant cunt. Better an ignorant cunt than a drunk one, you utter, utter wanker. Have a good look at yourself when you wake up tomorrow lad. Right I've had a good look at myself, my green eyes are a bit red, but you are still an idiot. I'm all for people having opinions but yours is ridiculous. You're sat in America with no concept of the world game saying what a good thing it is for this non-event country to host a World Cup. "The only people who can have a justifiable complaint about this, imo, are the Aussies." You must be taking the piss? What about the fans and players who have to play in a climate more suitable for camels than professional athletes? That is ignorant. "People trying to suggest the USA has better football culture than the Middle East are having a laugh (and they had it in '94 anyway and it didn't change shit in this country), South Korea and Japan were never going to work for obvious reasons." Remind me the last time a Middle Eastern country made it to the World Cup Quarter Finals, and regularly gets out of the group in the finals. America's biggest participation sport in terms of kids is football up to the age of 18, and eventually it will grow to rival the other yank sports. They have a history of producing top players now, and they have a league which far outstrips anything in the middle east. I ask you again tell me the last time a middle East country had a good World Cup. The best WC I remember a middle east country having was Egypt in 1990 and I think they scored one goal. Football culture my arse. "just the same as it'll do the world some good for Qatar to have it" How?????????? How?? Explain this ridiculous remark. "This is a place where a lot can change in a very short time. Their laws are modernising, their country is growing, their infrastructure is improving. They fancy themselves as the "other Dubai" - in other words, a rich people's playground." and? I don't actually think you have a point, "yeah it's a good thing them getting it", why???? Just be honest to say it's because a muslim country has it. Like I say Egypt aye, Turkey aye, a country no cunt can point to on the map cos a. it's too small and b. no cunt knows where it is anyway. Mate do one. Firstly, you're a racist tosser and you've never been anything but and everyone knows it. I just want that on the record. The admins on this board may consistently turn a blind eye to your ways but that doesn't change the reality that you have on this occasion and so many others displayed your racist tendencies. Now to actually address your post. I don't give a shit about whether or not it's a Muslim country, but thanks for your totally baseless insinuations. I care because it will be held in the Middle East and I think the "world game" and indeed the world could do with that. You agree that it's a good idea to have the WC in a Middle Eastern country and you suggest Egypt and Turkey as alternatives. Well, Egypt got exactly zero votes for the 2006 World Cup and there's a reason for that. Of course the football culture there is very strong (I don't know what Ken is talking about - he must be referring to Persian Gulf football specifically when he talks about Middle Eastern football) but the infrastructure isn't and the place is obscenely corrupt. Nobody would be happier than me to have the WC in Egypt, but it just isn't a good host at this stage (and the heat that you and others keep complaining about is no better in Egypt, take it from me.) As for Turkey, they aren't even really in the Middle East geographically and are only considered by some to be Middle Eastern because of cultural links. They play in the European federation and they want to join the EU. How are they supposed to represent the Middle East? Turkey would be a fantastic place to hold the World Cup, in my opinion, but they don't suit our purposes. Is there any other country you think would be more suitable to represent the Middle East? Maybe Saudi? I think they've got enough people to meet your standards? No? Well, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait are all extremely similar to Qatar which you take issue with, Oman is stuck in 1950, and Yemen is a war-torn shithole. So, I guess the Gulf is out. Lebanon's a little too small and poor, Jordan is so undeveloped that it may as well not exist except for Amman...maybe Syria? Iraq? Iran? All sounding like terrible choices? So I guess it's Qatar then. Or we could have it in Israel? Now let's talk about why Qatar should have beat the USA. A climate more suitable for camels? How hot do you think it was in Pasadena in '94 in the so-vaunted country you wanted the WC sent back to? Climate really isn't an issue here, I'm sick of hearing about it, a major part of Qatar's presentation was about how they would mitigate the effects of the heat. If you think they don't have the money and desire to make that happen, you're just dead wrong, so I don't know what to tell you. You make a big deal out of me living here, all right, well let me tell you that football in this country is a sideshow and always has been and always will be. It's on the rise among young people, and that's good. But to say they merit the World Cup AGAIN is just outright wrong. It took Brazil (don't think anyone will argue they don't have a "football culture") 64 years to get it again and England is still waiting. Those are just two examples. As for your remark about the quarter finals, the USA only made it that far when it was held in America. South Korea made it to the semis when it was held there. Does that mean that since the USA are more deserving of the WC than Qatar because their national side is better, then South Korea are more deserving of it than the USA? Ludicrous. Football is THE sport in Qatar, the same as it's THE sport in the rest of the Middle East. Just because they aren't any good at it doesn't mean they shouldn't be considered a legitimate staging ground for the World Cup of the world game.

You're a fuckin idiot. Do one. This post to me is like what the Satanic Verses was to your parents. You ignorant cunt. Better an ignorant cunt than a drunk one, you utter, utter wanker. Have a good look at yourself when you wake up tomorrow lad.

I think there's a lot of potential in Ranger and he played well when he came on against Chelsea. Very glad to see him given a new contract. Williamson is decent as well and has contributed to our strong start to the season, bit of a long contract but I doubt he'll be on much, so good on him as well.

I just got done saying that Qatar had nothing 12 years ago and was a desert 24 years ago. They're building cities? Of course they're building cities, they have a country that's essentially a blank slate and unlimited money. They have something imaginatively named Education City now, which is just a built-from-the-ground-up nexus for all the divisions of various universities around the world that build their outposts in Qatar. This is a place where a lot can change in a very short time. Their laws are modernising, their country is growing, their infrastructure is improving. They fancy themselves as the "other Dubai" - in other words, a rich people's playground. Not where I would've chosen to have the first Middle Eastern world cup, but there's many worse choices. The only people who can have a justifiable complaint about this, imo, are the Aussies. People trying to suggest the USA has better football culture than the Middle East are having a laugh (and they had it in '94 anyway and it didn't change shit in this country), South Korea and Japan were never going to work for obvious reasons. Australia probably would've been a good pick but the time zone issue will have cost them. Nevertheless I expect they'll get it at some point in the future and I wish them well, it'll do the world some good for Australia to have the world cup, just the same as it'll do the world some good for Qatar to have it.

Some of the knee-jerking going on in this thread is OTT. Russia was a stitch-up and to me the far more egregious problem. Qatar is an attempt to choose a new frontier for the game, to give something positive to a region where there are relatively few positives, and to show that FIFA are capable of progress. I don't doubt that money played a massive part, but ffs, it's 2010 and some on here are writing off a World Cup that won't happen for 12 years. I think the Qatari WC will be a true spectacle. The country's administration clearly has ambition and they will spare no expense to make this a success. So much can change in 12 years in a country like Qatar. 12 years ago, it was a shadow of itself; 12 years before that it was a desert. Why don't we wait and see?

If you were serious, it moves back 2 weeks every year and it ran from 2nd week of August-2nd week of September this year. So in 12 years it'll have moved back 6 months and it'll be in February/March. Nee bother.

Qatar is a good place to host it, only thing is that their team is even more shit than South Africa. Their slogan is "expect amazing" but I'd expect embarrassment.

All too obvious that one. Good on them though.

Russia is a continent now too, Blatter now changing not only history but geography. Fuck off will you?

Russia ffs.

My game is brown envelopes?

Christ, someone fucking shoot that saggy Swiss scumbag.