Sandperson

Lozzy, it's bit unfair to say the PS3 is noisy. Mine hardly makes a noise. My PS2 was VERY noisy though.

I'd just like to wish you all, except the Scousers and the Dirty Leeds ;-), a Happy Christmas and New Year.

Simon Grayson for Dirty Leeds, eh? How do we think he'll do?

Surely Carragher is one of your most consistent and valuable players? Is Skrtel going to be good enough quick enough after his injury? I'm still undecided about Babel and Agger too. Just call me Rafa. ;-) By the way, that is not to say I am totally convinced about all of the united side either, or the Chelsea team. Balance and all that.

*inhalesdeeply* I'm sure we'd have had it shoved down our throats if the Scousers had won it in 2005. In the interests of fairness i.e. not trying to start a row just wanting to talk about football, as I am not sure about Berba, I am not sure about Keane either. If Torres continues to have an injury wrecked season and Rooney, Berba and Ronaldo continue to be goal shy it's on a plate for Chelsea, right? I can't see Keane going on a goal spree in the New Year (in fact I am still puzzled as to the thinking behind him being good enough for Liverpool, but that's another discussion), and it's going to take a while for Torres (as you know my father-in-law is Scouse through and through and even he admitted his disappointment in Torres even beyond his injuries) to slot back in, even Gerrard hasn't looked like the match saver he has been in the past. Both United and Liverpool need goals but will they start to get them?

Excellent news Matthew. I see you are getting behind the proper reds. Thanks for the vote of confidence and I look forward to seeing you in your World Champions celebration shirt!

Ok, fine, it's shit. But we are still World Champions. I've got a feeling it might impact badly on our Christmas games though.

World Champions! Doesn't it sound good though Matthew. It seems to me you might be alittle jealous. It wasn't so Mickey Mouse that your lot didn't travel to Japan to take part three years ago....and you lost.

Maybe, if the rumours are to be believed. I wonder if Torres will be fit...

As they say, there's no easy ties at this stage. United had a couple of amazing games against Real a few years back and I think we only lost to them because there was a bit of a 'wow' factor. I think that still plays a part in these games sometimes because we romanticise these Italian and Spanish clubs.

There's some good ties there. Not sure about Real, one can only hope, but they don't look good this season.

And suddenly everything becomes clear.... It's a relief to be honest. I don't have to come up with any new material I've honed it all on Keef and Anna. ;-)

matthew123 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Yes it's on days like that with Ferguson blaming > the colour of the shirts for their SIX goal > pounding rather than defensive problems (they'd > conceded FIVE at Newcastle the previous week) that > it calls into question anything he says as being > creditable. I still don't know which paragons of virtue you follow...Obviously Fergie makes no sense. I mean nine Scottish trophies, 15 English trophies (not including the 8 Community Shields and 7 European Cups of varying types means he is an idiot. All I can say is give me Fergies and loveable ways over your manager any day. So come on, give us all a laugh, who do you follow? Oh, and by-the-way, we still won the league for the 10th time in the 95-96 season, grey kit or not.

I'm sure it was all meant in the best possible taste. I find that pretty much where ever I go in the world I see just as many Liverpool and Chelsea fans as United. It's like the old cliche about United changing their kits more often than other teams it's a nice myth that rival fans liked to use as a wind-up.

Ok, so I've learnt three things from that article. 1. Madeline McCann had sight problems 2. Keef has sight problems 3. There is no such thing as too many puns Fair play to you Keef, My bowling was attrocious with full eyesight.

Keef, you have heard of such things as glasses, right?:)

There's nothing like a six goal thriller watched through the haze of Guinness at the Hamlet.

Oh, sorry, I assumed you were joking. I have been lots and lots of times. Most noteable occasions being a 1-0 loss to Liverpool mid-week after an 87th minute Danny Murphy goal. The loss to Coventry in last years Carling Cup. The 2-2 draw against a superb Bayer Leverkusen side (including Ballack) in the Champions league. And (I'm not sure if this counts) a glorious day at Villa Park when our captain was sent off, a penalty was saved and a Giggs scored one of the best goals in football history. I'm afrid I am not as lucky as you with your team. 75000 sell out most weeks and it's difficult for me to get tickets. I rely on my membership to get me mid-week tickets and friends with spare season tickets (that doesn't happen very often). I am sure this makes me less of a fan.

You know me Anna, I don't leave the confines of my front room to watch football. It's bad enough they have to play outside but the Prawn sarnies aren't as good as they were in Keane's day.:'(

I think you prove my point somewhere in your rant Matthew. You say "How is the groundsman "obviously culpable"?" then you say "As for the fine is "maybe ok" that just confirms that you know he was guilty." So that then, by your logic, proves that the groundsman was in the wrong because he too, or at least the club he works for, was fined. I think that something went on. I am sure that both parties were in the wrong, grown men fighting must mean that something was wrong but I think a ban from playing is an inappropriate punishment. As I said I think a fine for both clubs would have been a fairer conclusion. Obvioulsy Tevez is a liar and can't speak English, which seems to be important to you for some reason. You don't like Ronaldo, suprise, suprise, join the queue. Rio kicked the female steward by accident. I am sure you think it was malicious and I am sure there's nothing I can say to persuade you that he isn't a drug taking, thuggish dolt. He apologised immediately and I think he even sent the woman in question a gift (signed shirt or something). Out of interest who do you follow? You obviously feel persecuted. I love the way that people like you take the opportunity to use any story involving the biggest club in the world to slag all the teams players. As far as I was concerned and the other United fans I speak to (all from Surrey of course) a punishment was deserved and I said that, I just don't understand how a playing ban is relevent.

Damn and double damn.

Argh, Keef, I knew you'd bring that up! :)) Just reading back over some of the press of the incident their was denial of a racist element to the incident according to some papers. I guess I just don't read the right papers. I still say that if it had been two players then fair enough but the fact that it was a groundsman makes it a slightly different story. That's why a fine would be fair but a game ban (or 4) is out of order! There is no equivalent punishment for Chelsea because it's not a member of playing staff and the fact they were fined shows that there was some guilt on their part too.

matthew123 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I see Alex Ferguson has come out with more hostile > nonsense, this time saying it's a terrible black > mark against the FA for banning Evra for 4 matches > after he'd punched an overweight groundsman in the > head back in May at Stamford Bridge. Let us not > forget that to try and get themselves off the hook > United's propaganda machine at first suggested the > groundsman had racially abused Evra, that in > itself is below the belt and should have been > dealt with by the FA. > > I can't think of a bigger hypocrite in this > country than Alex Ferguson, he'd make a politician > blush. Blimey, you seem to know more about this than anyone I have read or heard talking about the incident. I haven't seen any proof against the racial abuse. The ban is a disgrace. The fine maybe ok, but to lose a player for four games for an incident after the end of the game where a member of the opposition staff is obviously culpable is a terrible decision The normal FA response....total BS as is your post :))

dulwichbloke Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Sandperson - why do you think it is acceptable to > get "angry" and "confrontational" because you > nearly get injured (you didn't say the driver was > deliberately trying to hurt you)? That sounds > like road rage. Is it ok to be angrily > confrontational because you are on a bike, rather > than driving a car? I don't think anywhere in my post I said it was 'acceptable', in fact I said I didn't know who was in the wrong and it could have been the cyclist. What I was trying to say, possibly in an an incoherent manner, was that if someone feels threatened they react in strange ways. I am sure that at all other times that cyclist is a law abiding citizen, something about the incident made them react in this way, and I would have thought it was fear. Right or wrong their was a perceived threat and a 'fight or flight' reflex kicked in. I also have to add that I think it is sometimes necessary to be confrontational - not physically. I have had several encounters with drivers where they have been unaware that they have caused a near accident and they have apologised and thanked me for pointing it out to them. I don't know if you are a cyclist but feel free to join me on a ride at any point and I can show you some of the appauling driving AND cycling that goes on.

Keef Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Why so unpleasant Horsebox, seriously? Had the bus > driver gotten out and been hit would there be > quite the same outrage? I wasn't backtracking, I > was trying to explain myself. Sorry if that's > pathetic. I really need to stop looking at this > thread as I can't help responding, and am probably > doing myself no favours, but I don't think you > have really read what I have said right from my > first post. You may not agree with me, but I still > make no apologies. The driver was wrong, but the > cyclist didn't let it drop did he? I'm sorry Keef. I'm sure you aren't trying to upset but I have to say that I understand why the cyclist didn't let it drop. Just as this thread makes me angry your comments do too. There is a possibility the cyclist was in the wrong, there is a possibility the bus driver was in the wrong but at the end of the day it is more likely that the cyclist will come off worst. Basically, we can assume, the cyclist reacted in the way he did because he felt his safety had been threatened and I defy you or anyone else to not take the same course of action. I have been in situations on my bike where I have been close to being seriously injured. The drivers in these cases, whether they be bus drivers or car drivers, at WORST, might have got a dent in their vehicles whereas I could have lost a whole lot more. That has made me angry and confrontational in the past. Now, if that's out of line, I'm sorry but I felt justified in every situation and I am sure the cyclist in this case felt justified too.