Drochit Blue

I'll be supporting the team that plays the best football. as that is likely to be Brazil or Spain I won't have to disgrace myself by supporting the England team. This don't forget is the team whose followers happily sing 'are you Scotland in disguise?' when they are murdering teams like Andorra. For that reason I hope they get gubbed. Their players are good but still overrated. For 40 years I lived down there, most of it was great but I still heard plenty of jibes about 'sweaties' because people never guessed I was from up here (ask Caley100...you'd still never guess from my accent!), even some decent people I knew would lapse into tales about Scotland being full of benefit scroungers. The English media is pernicious but thankfully they have had little to really crow about on the football field...lets not change that, it'd be unbearable!

there was a bit of history between Roy Keane and Alfie Haaland. In a game between Utd and Leeds (when Alfie played for Leeds) Keane tried to foul Alfie but tore his cruciate ligament. As he lay on the ground in agony Alfie shouted in his face that he was faking injury to avoid a red card. Later after Alfie signed for City, they were the respective captains lined up in the tunnel before a Manchester derby at Maine Road, and Alfie turned to Roy and said 'Alright Roy, how's the knee....?'. This obvious wind-up led to the tackle in the derby at Old Trafford. I was introduced to Paul Dickov by a mutual mate after that game in the players lounge. He told me that after Keane kicked Alfie he made a point of standing over him and shouting 'that's for calling me a cheat you c##t'.

I was at that game ! Sat amongst the Utd fans...nearly got myself beaten up for suggesting it was a foul. Unbelievably some there thought it was a fair tackle. Amazing what tinted specs can do

bad..but as bad as this one? Schumacher on Battiston Battiston was clear through the German defence racing towards goal. The German goalkeeper, Harald Schumacher, raced towards Battiston as the Frenchman took the shot, missing the goal. Schumacher leapt into the air, twisting his body and colliding with Battiston. In the process Schumacher's hip hit the Frenchman's face. Battiston, clattered, fell to the ground unconscious, with damaged vertebrae and teeth knocked out, later slipping into a coma. Emergency medics had to administer oxygen on the pitch. Michel Platini later said that he thought that Battiston was dead, because "he had no pulse and looked pale". The referee did not give a foul, let alone send Schumacher off. Schumacher then proceeded to take the goal-kick and play resumed. After winning the game, the goalkeeper caused more controversy when he was told that Battiston had lost three teeth, and replied: "If that's all that's wrong with him, I'll pay him the crowns."

1..0 so far against the evil empire <rubs hands>

If he was the right man for the job in May (and he was cos they kept him on), one result (ok a bad one) has changed that view?? Norwich City directors have just wasted the entire summer, pre-season and transfer window by getting it wrong I like the club but they deserve all they get

cheers it was an obvious bet (and I don't bet on anything usually). He was a class apart, even at 15. Mind you if I'd bet on every youngster who made me look an idiot on a pitch I'd have a slip backing roscoe 23 to score for Scotland too......... :P

yes, he's on...get in there! ?200 nice one Capell0 **does a samba round the dog** [i used to play footie with Milner when he was a kid in Leeds, bookie offered me 20-1 against him representing the England national team...not knowing how good he was!]

6-0 please...... :021: Note to Capell 0 : get Milner on and I win ?200 off William Hills.....go on, Johnson and Beckham both need a rest!!!

lose this one and we've no chance.......about time Miller put some goals on the end of all that running. McFadden on when we need to change things round a bit maybe? I'm still not convinced Burley is the man for the job, all I can do is hope...

time will tell....we weren't that bad last year, at least at home. The owners have publically stated that 6th is the target whilst putting together a team that should challenge the top 4. For the first time in 40 years I'm not worried about relegation!

sorry....didn't mean that to sound like a rant.....it's just that I've had it for 12 months from the Sky Big 4 dominated media as well !

ok, what have City (who, I must confess, I have followed as a season ticket holder for nearly 40 years before I came home to Scotland) done...........that other football clubs haven't been doing for years? Regarding Lescott, City put in 2 bids that were rejected, and now the player has asked for a transfer. Nothing illegal there. As for money ruining football.......did you kick up a fuss at Man Utd, Blackburn, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Celtic and Rangers buying success? And that's just the recent UK clubs. If so well done. I agree, it would be great if every club could only play with sqauds they develop, but it has never happened. for the past 100 years clubs have bought players from other clubs. The money today is indeed ridiculous, but if 50,000 people paid to watch you work 'live' + millions on telly you could reasonably ask for extortionate wages. A level playing field would be great but I've never come across one yet in any walk of life. And I should add in defence of the club I spent a small fortune on over the years, in the past 10 years City have had 27 players from their Youth academy play for their first team in the top 2 English divisions. I'd be interested to see anyone show that Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, Rangers or Celtic have done the same to develop talent? What City are doing is not affecting Caley, if it makes a foreign league more competitive just sit back and enjoy it

normally I'd agree, the sight of an over-hyped England team getting gubbed is always the highlight of any football tournament. But James did get me loads of free tickets and into the players lounge at Eastlands

I used to play football with James Milner...honest I've lived all over the UK and until a few years back I'd lived in Leeds for 20 odd years (and before that Dundee, Edinburgh, Manchester and Cambs!) and he used to join in our weekly 5-a-side. Even at 15 you could tell he was a class apart. Mind you I was nearly 40 so had no chance of catching the little ****! We used to put him in goals to even the sides up but once he caught a cross, threw it out to himself and beat 4 men before slamming a goal home...all in about 10 seconds. Those of us who like to think we know what we;re doing on a pitch.....think again, different level altogether. He played one week just using his left peg cos he wanted to improve his weaker foot! He's a nice lad unlike many pro-footballers, so for just this once I hope they win tonight

in the division we're in he should be ok at c-b I don't think he's got the pace for r-b anymore.

home or away? There's a great chippy in Golspie...

2 questions for Butcher? ok 1) Terry, I've got chills and they're getting worse. In fact, I'd say they're multiplying. Allied to this, I'm losing control. What would you do in this situation Terry? Should I shape up? 2) Can I have a game for ICT? (or at least join in training?)

you'd have thought the Northern constabulary would have noticed someone walking past with several acres of turf, but then they can't even catch the culbokie road rats when they have a sign outside on of their houses! If, as seems to be the case, ICT are relaying the pitch for next season....why don't they build a slope into the right-back areas so that Tokely will always be running downhill when chasing nippy left-wingers?

...not really it seems Villa fans......

to be honest I struggle to understand why Ferguson has been so highly rated for do long. He's never been anything more than a run of the mill midfielder in my eyes. At 31 he wsn't going to get any better. Time to blood some younger players...but where do we find them! (I'm available obv. - and having never had any pace I haven't lost any)

Just ?18m would give the season ticket holders free tickets for a season... the ?5 has had the desired effect, should be a full-house of 48k for the home leg

How are the club going to benefit from a 25% increase in crowds only paying 25% of current prices ? I dont really know :thumb04: Perhaps if we made it ?5 only for really obese people, they'd make up the extra income through pie sales? I can see it now, every row in the north stand must have 2 additional fatties, but they'd have to go at the end of the rows obviously

I know, I'm going down for it and to Hamburg (where I understand they do sell beer) for the away leg too! The reason City have dropped the prices is simply to get the crowd numbers up, it's a big stadium (48k seats) and if it's half empty the atmosphere is crap. Can't have the away fans making more noise than the City fans can we? Having said that the away fans in Europe (esp. the Danes and Germans) do very passable impersonations of British football songs, so if you hear 'We're sh#t and we know we are' sung in English it's probably the Hamburg fans.

I wish they could get Michael Johnosn as far as the bench. He's a talented lad but doesn't seem in too much of a hurry to recover from a groin injury - my spies in Manc tell me he's out on the town all the time. Gelsen is a headless chicken and won't be there long. City are being overrun by physically bigger teams. Apart from Given, Dunne and Kompany there aren't any regulars over 6 feet. We'll be ok this season but I fear the owners will replace Hughes in the summer...though I hope they don't.