Football Focus

[mockney piers]

Rafa, bagpiping fact into sport news!!

[mockney piers]

Boa Morte heading to Hull (if they can agree personal terms, please god oh please).

There endeth Hull's European pretensions then!!

[SimonM]

Hull reputedly wanted James Beatty but Stoke got in there first. Stoke are rhapsodising about BT's goalscoring class but appear to have forgotten his Premier League scoring record was distinctly unimpressive prior to Bryan Robson getting him to Bramall Lane. And about half the 12 goals he has got this season for Sheffield United have been penalties or directly from free kicks. And yes all of that is sour grapes - I wish he'd stayed!

[david_carnell]

How's the Killa playing these days Simon?

We could badly do with a classy defender back at Elland Rd these days. And who is Graysons first transfer? Lee Trundle. Give me strength.

[Keef]

Mouth of the tees, Robbo has it all pretty spot on from where I'm standing.

[matthew123]

Well it's a decent write-up but how the media spin stories is not as influential on results as applying the right kind of pressure on refereeing officials. I noted a slight nervousness in Rafa when he made his ground breaking revelations last Friday and I'm sort of glad he has done his warm-up in January rather than shaking like a lamb come the Spring, when it really will be gloves off or usually is for Fergie.

This is the take from Patrick Barclay - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/4213791/Managerial-mind-games-do-not-decide-titles-but-FA-must-deal-with-Sir-Alex-Fergusons-careless-remarks.html

[SimonM]

>>How's the Killa playing these days Simon? <<

He is superb.....despite apparently conceding the penalty in tonight's cup game....and handy with the occasional headed goal too.

[ratty]

wow. we are still in the fa cup. bring on the swans ffs

[Sandperson]

Kaka. ?500,000 A WEEK! I nearly choked on my museli.

[Rhinestone Cowboy]

Euro 100 mio or close to ?91 mio weekly salary from ?260k-?500k in these testing times. Milan to Manchester hmmmmm

[????]

Gets the focus off Bellamy though!

[matthew123]

Rafa back in hospital today for a 3rd kidney stone operation

...and guess who is charge of tonight's game at Old Trafford... yup you guessed it Rafa

[Sandperson]

Blimey, by remote? From his hospital bed?

[david_carnell]

Sandperson Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Kaka. ?500,000 A WEEK! I nearly choked on my

> museli.

You'd have to pay me that to get me to live in Manchester instead of Milan! And I'm useless at football!

[SimonM]

If he's being treated as an in-patient they must be pretty nasty stones....usually you just get them zapped by a Ray Gun as an outpatient

[matthew123]

BTW Sandperson, I was referring to Steve Bennett ;-)

...and as for Kaka turning down ?500,000 per week from Man City that says everything you need to know about the futile job performed by the Manchester Tourism Board.

[Sandperson]

As they say 'Liverpool, 30 miles from greatness' :))

[matthew123]

Well having just seen Ronaldo collect his World Ego of Year award from Ferguson, I couldn't help think Liverpool were actually, "30 miles from Fagan and the Artful Dodger"

[Sandperson]

Ah, edgy towards the end but 3 points, second in the league and only two points behind the nervous Spaniard.

[Sandperson]

So, Man City don't want Kaka any more, or they do and he wants clauses in his contract that Mansor will keep the club, they will have Champions League football in two years (don't make me laugh), they keep Robinho and he retains all his image rights. All that and ?175M. I think I'd put up with a bit of rain for that.

Oh, and Rooney is out for three weeks. That should help ease the selection crisis.

[matthew123]

I can understand the owners of Man City wanting to fast track their new team but the figures quoted over Kaka seem too vulgar even for Premiership football.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1117304/Propaganda-War-Is-Sir-Alex-using-United-magazine-undermine-Liverpools-title-charge-Rafa-row.html

[Rhinestone Cowboy]

Blackburn 0 Newcastle 1

Bolton 1 Man Utd 0

Chelsea 3 Stoke 0

Hull 1 Arsenal 2

Man City 1 Wigan 1

Sunderland 1 Aston Villa 1

West Brom 3 Middlesbrough 0

Tottenham 0 Portsmouth 4

West Ham 1 Fulham 0

Liverpool 0 Everton 2

[AnotherPaul]

?100m for a turd? Am i missing something?

[Ladygooner]

Blackburn 2 Newcastle 1

Bolton 1 Man Utd 2

Chelsea 3 Stoke 2

Hull 0 Arsenal 3

Man City 2 Wigan 1

Sunderland 1 Aston Villa 3

West Brom 1 Middlesbrough 1

Tottenham 4 Portsmouth 4

West Ham 2 Fulham 2

Liverpool 2 Everton 0

[matthew123]

I'm not making any predictions this weekend as they never come true!

As for Liverpol v Everton at Anfield on Monday night, Liverpool have an abysmal record against Everton in these rare night time Anfield derbies, losing the last 3 times, stretching over 21 years.

However, the last time Liverpool played this sequence of games, of an Anfield league derby proceeding an FA Cup Anfield derby, the Reds came out 3-1 winners... but 10 days later the manager quit..