On the Ball (new Football Focus)

[Jah Lush]

Sir Bobby Robson came out with some wonderful Colemanballs and here's a few in tribute.

In the words of the great man: ?Maybe not goodbye, but farewell.?

Reporter to Newcastle's Shola Ameobi: 'Do you have a nickname?'

Ameobi: 'No, not really'

Reporter: 'So what does Bobby Robson call you?'

Ameobi: 'Carl Cort.'

Alan Brazil: "I'm delighted to say we've got Sir Bobby Robson on the end of the phone, fresh from getting his knighthood at Buckingham

Palace. Bobby, terrific news."

Sir Bobby Robson: "What is?"

Brazil: "You know, getting the old sword on the shoulder from Prince Charlie."

Sir Bob: Eh? [Long pause] "Oh yeah... well, it was a day I'll never forget."

And the quotes:

?We're flying on Concorde. That'll shorten the distance. That's self-explanatory.?

"We're taking 22 players to Italy, sorry, to Spain... where are we, Jim?"

?I played cricket for my local village. It was 40 overs per side, and the team that had the most runs won. It was that sort of football.?

?The first 90 minutes are the most important.?

?There will be a game where somebody scores more than Brazil, and that might be the game that they lose.?

?We don't our players to be monks, we want them to be football players because a monk doesn't play football at this level.?

?All right, Craig Bellamy came on at Liverpool and did well, but everybody thinks that he's the saviour, he's Jesus Christ. He's not Jesus Christ.?

?We didn't underestimate them. They were a lot better than we thought.?

?Andy O'Brien has an horrendous nose, the poor lad. It is massive, it is black and blue and it is awful.?

?Titus looks like Tyson when he strips off in the dressing-room, except he doesn't bite. And he has a great tackle."

"We put some good subs on to hang onto the fort."

"We can't replace Gary Speed. Where do you get an experienced player like him with a left foot and a head?"

?When Gazza was dribbling, he used to go through a minefield with his arm, a bit like you go through a supermarket.?

?Alan Shearer has done very well for us, considering his age. We have introduced some movement into his game because he has got two good legs now. Last season he played with one leg.?

?He has four lungs and two hearts ? no doubt about it.?

"They've probably played better than they've ever done for a few weeks."

"We've voodooed the hoodoo!"

"We need to get that point as soon as possible. The tooter the sweeter."

?Ray Wilkins' day will come one night.?

?Mehmet Scholl is very two footed.?

"Nobby Solano discharged himself from hospital after the Tottenham game and he's driving, living the life and aware of who he is.?

"They've never really allowed the Germans have a free head."

"Everton will want to sedate Wayne Rooney and keep the boy calm, and that is the right thing to do."

"Newcastle have always had a poor pitch in winter. We don't have the better weather. My lawn up here isn't as good as my lawn in Ipswich."

"I've just lost my house. I don't know where I'm going to sleep tonight."

"Football's like a big market place, and people go to the market every day to buy their vegetables."

"People want success. It's like coffee, they want instant."

"Titus Brambell had a very good game, which will silence all the boo-boys, and put them in the drink, and we can get on with our lives."

"We are all in the same bucket."

"I've had to come out of the dressing room because I don't want to get too excited."

"We've dropped two points against Ipswich and I mean that sincerely."

?Some of the goals were good, some of the goals were sceptical.?

"No team won anything without a dodgy keeper."

?I wouldn?t like to say ?poor? but he hasn?t subscribed to the play.?

?We haven?t had a strategic free kick all night. No one?s knocked over attackers ad lib.?

?You can?t put sixty thousand people on the training ground.?

"I would have given my right arm to be a pianist."

?Jenas is a fit lad. He gets from box to box in 90 mins.?

?He's very fast and if he gets a yard ahead of himself, nobody will catch him.?

?My father had 5 sons, I had 4 brothers.?

?If we start counting our chickens before they hatch, they won't lay any eggs in the basket.?

?They're 2 points behind us, so we're neck and neck.?

?I'm not going to look beyond the semi-final - but I'd love to lead Newcastle out at the final.?

?Well we got nine and you can't score more than that.?

?I do want to play the short ball and I do want to play the long ball. I think long and short balls is what football is about.?

?Eighteen months ago they (Sweden) were arguably one of the best three teams in Europe, and that would include Germany, Holland, Russia and anybody else if you like.?

?He never fails to hit the target, but that was a miss.?

?I'd say he's the best in Europe, if you put me on the fence.?

?Tottenham have impressed me: they haven't thrown in the towel even though they have been under the gun.?

?Denis Law once kicked me at Wembley in front of the Queen in an international. I mean, no man is entitled to do that, really?

??Hitler didn't tell us when he was going to send over those doodlebugs, did he?? - On why he was refusing to name his England team before a World Cup qualifer against Sweden in 1989.?

?Look at those olive trees. They're two hundred years old - from before the time of Christ!?

?Players never know why they are taken off or substituted - until they become managers.?

?Anything from 1-0 to 2-0 would be a nice result.?

?Home advantage gives you an advantage.?

?In a year's time, he's a year older.?

?The margin is very marginal.?

?Until we're out of the Champions' League we're still in it.?

?Gary Speed has never played better, never looked fitter, never been older.?

?Everyone's got tough games coming up. Manchester United have got Arsenal, Arsenal have got Manchester United and Leeds have got Leeds.?

?Their football was exceptionally good - and they played some good football.?

[matthew123]

The one I remember is when England won 4-1 away in Yugoslavia, and Sir Bobby proclaimed that the blood drenched Terry Butcher deserved the V.C. - obviously papers picked up on that OTT comment but it showed the passion of Sir Bobby.

On another note, what is/has happened to the Pre-Season Drinks tomorrow - Mockney speak!

[DaveR]

I'm an Ipswich fan, so obviously Bobby Robson is a near God-like figure in my house. It's often overlooked that when he was at Ipswich we played (by the standards of the time) amazing, attacking football, and that Muhren and Thissjen (who he signed from FC Twente) were among the first foreign players to have a real impact in English football. I watched both the FA Cup winning side and then the UEFA Cup winning side in a lot of games between '75 and '82 and it was magical.

He was also a genuinely nice guy, without any aggression or pointless machismo, who never really made an enemy, and still managed to be a success. A rare thing.

[Sharon_H]

R.I.P Sir Bobby Robson, seemed like a gent.

[matthew123]

French accuse Manchester United of 'minor slave trade'

http://www.clubcall.com/manchester-united/le-havre-slam-uniteds-transfer-policy-927034.html

[Sandperson]

Surely all football is slavery...obviously without the mancles, long journeys by ship, disease, separation from family, sexual and physical abuse etc etc. Unless Carrington has really gone down hill recently. :))

[????]

Right, for interest (and of course betting purposes) and away from the top..what do we all see happening down at the truly exciting and business end of the Premiership..the relegation struggle?

I think Hull look very vunerable and have been found out

Pompey are shedding players and not signing much

I think all of them coming up look vunerable as always - but Burnley may be the surprise package

Bolton will struggle and hopefully go back where they deserve

Wigan, without Bruce...long hard season methinks

These will be the the strugglers and all at risk...predictions

Pompey

Birmingham

Hull

[Ladygooner]

First silverware of the season! Doesn't Wiltshire look like a great prospect - and he is English!

[red devil]

Going down...

Hull

Wolves

Birmingham

[Atila Reincarnate]

Burnley

Stoke

Wolves

[SimonM]

Hull

Portsmouth

West Ham

[????]

logic or hope

[kpc]

Two votes for the Blues to go down!! I think not - astute signings at the back in Hart, Dann and Johnson. Pompey (given their current position) and Hull (to continue where they left off). Think Burnley will lack enough experience and quality, especially at back (though I like what Owen Coyle has done at the club).

[Atila Reincarnate]

Ladygooner Wrote:

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> First silverware of the season! Doesn't Wiltshire

> look like a great prospect - and he is English!

While I share your enthusiasm I think it needs to be rempered by the fact that we still showed some of our defensive frailties and the oppostion weren't that good. But Jack does like a good lad and Eduardo and Rosicky are looking good as is the little Russian, "I am gooner".

[Sandperson]

Is Rosicky looking fit? Will he be a regular starter?

[matthew123]

For the teams that came up they can count themselves lucky likes of Hull, Stoke, Bolton & Sunderland are still afloat because this season looks particularly weak in the bottom half.

Hull have to be favourites to sink - I'd also chuck in any team led by Mick McCarthy as dead certs to be relegated so that leaves one team.

[Ladygooner]

Sandperson Wrote:

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> Is Rosicky looking fit? Will he be a regular

> starter?

He has always looked very fit to me! But I digress - I think Wenger will use him sparingly to begin with but its almost like having two new signings with Eduardo back on form as well.

[matthew123]

Arsenal do play great carpet football but how will they fair at the Battle of Blackburn, the Bashing at Bolton, the Slaughterhouse at Sunderland, the Wind at Wigan, the Hell at Hull, the Bruising at Burnley, the Long throws at Stoke and of course the annual Maulings in Manchester?

[ratty]

As an insider I can confirm that Portsmouth will get relegated next season. It seems to be in our business plan!

[Jah Lush]

I think Burnley could do quite well. They had two very good Cup runs last season mixing it with the big boys and were a trifle unlucky against Spurs and they play a good passing game too unlike Hull, Wolves and Birmingham who are going down.

[Rhinestone Cowboy]

Burnley

Hull

Wolves

[Atila Reincarnate]

matthew123 Wrote:

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

> Arsenal do play great carpet football but how will

> they fair at the Battle of Blackburn, the Bashing

> at Bolton, the Slaughterhouse at Sunderland, the

> Wind at Wigan, the Hell at Hull, the Bruising at

> Burnley, the Long throws at Stoke and of course

> the annual Maulings in Manchester?

As usual a man with his finger on the pulse and in tune iwth the facts of the matter................NOT.

We beat Wigan at thier place 4 (count them) 1

Bolton at their place 3 (count them) 1

Blacburn home and away 4 - ZERO

Sunderland away 1 each

Man Ure away nil nil oh yes and 2 - 1 in the prem and stuck 4 past pool in their back yard

Stoke and Hull away, yes we lost, but that won't happen this time around after all we stuffed both them at the home of football cos they had been found out. Yes we Gooners welcome reasoned, articulate and factual based postings about the Arsenal from the likes of Matthew123, it makes thankful for what we've got.

[????]

Burnley, Hull, Birmingham are favourites with the bookies this morning

(then Wolves then Pompey)

[Mick Mac]

Why is arsenal the home of football atila ?

[????]

It is in Atila's house....in his library anyway