Premiership 2005-2006

[Dapotayto]

The new season will be starting shortly so here is the new thread.

As of today, it seems likely that Gerrard will be leaving Liverpool. Both sides are blaming each other for the breakdown in contract talks but it appears as if Stevie's "agency" SFX are pulling a lot of the strings. They obviously stand to make a lot of money from a large transfer fee and a lot less money if he resigns with the Reds. Personally, if he's not fully committed I think Liverpool should sell him. Yes, he's a local boy, the captain, a talisman and so on but he also seems like a bit of a dick, to be honest. And I don't think he fits in with Rafa's tactics as well as Senor Benitez would like anyway (stop taking the ball of Xabi's foot for Christ's sake!). Thirty million pounds could buy some real quality methinks.

It would be interesting to see Gerrard at Real with Owen, Beckham and Woodgate. They'd have to start selling fish and chips at the Bernabeau.

 

[Yoda]

Wasn't Owen leaving Real?

 

[Rangerforever]

Owen

Yods:

I believe Real offered something stupid like 30 mil for Frank Lampard and they were willing to throw Owen into the deal as a tip.

I haven't heard anything else regarding Owen other than he wants to stay there.

 

[joely_the_goalie]

manutd.com- Transfer Speculation

The news that Sir Alex Ferguson will not be limited by the Glazer family in his transfer spending has fuelled the fire of speculation in the British tabloids.

Suddenly Lyon's pricey midfield star Michael Essien is once again seen as a viable option, while the Reds are also apparently in a bidding war with Arsenal for Brazilian powerhouse Julio Baptista.

And Fergie's ideal replacement for Roy Keane, a certain Mr Gerrard, could be on his way from Liverpool according to reports. Are the Glazers set to bankroll one of the biggest transfer coups in memory?


Gerrard at Old Trafford?

Last month's rumours had Owen coming to OT, but have since been squashed.

Sir Alex has apparently been given the green light to buy Essien, as well the Glazers confirmed that Sir Alex will be staying on for as long as he wants.

Also, Alan Smith would rather fight for his spot at OT than move to Newcastle.

 

[crafty cokcney]

On a more interesting note, we got Paul Konchesky from Charlton for $2 million and Roy Carroll on a free transfer.



Cheers

 

[Georgie's Best]

Gerrard may leave LFC but there is no way in He-l he will move to MU. Eissen will be the man they will move for but I'm not sure they will get him unless Eissen acts up enough to make Lyon make the deal.

If Baptista goes to United then Smith or could I say RVN will be moved. I say RVN only if the rumours about him wanting a move to Real is true.

If United pick up Eissen then the Championship race is on. Otherwise....gulp........I hate to admit it. I smell 3rd.


So far the best part of the off season is Chelsky beign shut out in the transfer market so far as players begin to think about how much time they could spend glued to a seat in the stands. They still look good but are losing depth and still lack an out and out great striker. Drogba is good but doen't want to stay. Look at Crespo. He is crying cause he might have to come back.

 

[joely_the_goalie]

Ball Keane on United
Michael Ballack has sent a signal to Sir Alex Ferguson that he is ready to play in the Premiership. The Germany captain is ready to leave Bayern Munich, where he has just one year left on his contract. And that will be music to the ears of Manchester United boss Ferguson, who is a big admirer of the world-class midfielder. Ballack, talking about the prospect of moving away from the Bundesliga, said: "There are hardly any German players who are abroad who have advised me against taking such a big step. It is good for a person's development and it would also be very interesting for me. I have always made the right decisions in my career so far. I am at a top European club and I still have the chance to move abroad. I am really relaxed about it."
Bill Thornton, Daily Star

 

[Dapotayto]

So now Gerrard has decided he wants to stay at Liverpool. I have a feeling that had Real made a bid he would probably be off but as they are trying to sign Robinho he hit the abort button. I also have a feeling, in my pants, everytime I think about naked girls with tattoos but that's a different story.

 

[willis316]

Sissoko is set to sign a four year deal with the club pending a medical which is expected to take place on Monday.

Liverpool snatched Sissoko from under the noses of local rivals Everton who tried to sign the Mali international midfielder earlier this week before negotiations broke down.

Unlucky tollies.

 

[Georgie's Best]

Sissoko is set to sign a four year deal with the club pending a medical which is expected to take place on Monday.

Liverpool snatched Sissoko from under the noses of local rivals Everton who tried to sign the Mali international midfielder earlier this week before negotiations broke down.

Unlucky tollies.

We have seen this from LFC before. Lot's of signings only to see them turn out to be crap. Oh forgot one thing. Houllier is gone so maybe Benitez knows what he is doing. Time will tell.

 

[Georgie's Best]

Essein!!

With his public announcement that he wants out of Lyon the race is on. Strange that only Chelsea has been mentioned so far. Will MU and Arsenal get on board. If Chelsea sign Essein then they are so fixed with probably the most explosive midfields of all time. Common Man U get in there ASAP.

Time for the American Lepricon to prove there in to win!!

 

[Dapotayto]

We have seen this from LFC before. Lot's of signings only to see them turn out to be crap. Oh forgot one thing. Houllier is gone so maybe Benitez knows what he is doing. Time will tell.

Rafa's transfers are done in a completely different manner than Houllier's ever were. Rafa is buying players he knows (Morientes, Garcia, Xabi, Sissoko, Reina, Gonzales) or that are proven to be a certain quality and attitude (Zenden). Houllier, I suspect, read the papers or lurked on message boards in France to determine who he should sign. Diouf? Diao? Cheyrou?

Latest rumours have Figo joining the Reds very soon and, not sure if there is any shred of truth to it but, Michael Owen apparently wanting to rejoin Liverpool as well. Not sure there is a place there for Michael though. Unless they can ship off Baros somewhere, anywhere.

 

[BlazeArmy]

Viera leaves Arsenal

Hopefully this weakens there team.

Arsenal accept Juventus' Vieira bid


MILAN, July 14 (Reuters) - Italian champions Juventus agreed to buy Arsenal captain Patrick Vieira for £13.7 million (€20 million) on Thursday.

Juventus said the French international midfielder had signed a five-year deal with the Turin-based team.


'Arsenal Football Club can confirm that terms have been agreed for the transfer of Patrick Vieira to Juventus,' the London club said in a statement.

'At this stage, Patrick is now finalising his personal terms and conditions with Juventus.'

Vieira, 29, was the core of Arsene Wenger's Highbury side which have won three league titles and four FA Cups under the French coach.

Vieira told Arsenal's website: 'When you spend nine years at the club, like I did, it is a difficult decision to leave.

'But in the end you have to make a choice for your future. It was a very difficult decision, but I am happy with it.

'I made the decision to leave because I felt it was time for me to have a new challenge. But that does not mean I was unhappy or that I was having a problem at Arsenal.

'I can go with my head held high. I did my best every day in training and in every match,' he said.

Vieira had been closely linked with moves to Real Madrid in the past two close seasons and said in May he wanted to see out the last two years of his contract with Arsenal.

His move will re-unite him with Fabio Capello, current manager of Juventus but formerly boss of AC Milan when they signed Vieira in November 1995 from Cannes.

Juventus said his fee would be paid in three instalments over two years, with an initial &euro10 million being followed by a further €5 million euros in July 2006 and July 2007.

A 1998 World Cup winner and Euro 2000 winner with France, Senegalese-born Vieira has also been one of English football's most consistent performers since making his debut in September 1996, shortly before Wenger's formal arrival at the club.

His last act in an Arsenal shirt was lifting the FA Cup in May after the penalty shootout defeat of Manchester United in the Cardiff final. Vieira scored the final spot kick.

'Patrick was a great player for us, one of the greatest in the club's history and I feel I had a special relationship with him because I made him come here,' Wenger said.

'I think his impact, not only at Arsenal but in English football overall was just tremendous.'

Vieira started his Arsenal career as a creative player but following the departure of compatriot Emmanuel Petit, he became increasingly defensive, often shoring up the Arsenal backline.

He was sent off 10 times under Wenger and had a long-standing feud with United's captain Roy Keane which made United v Arsenal games the highlights of the English season.

Turin-based Juventus have a long and successful tradition of signing French internationals, beginning with another midfielder, Michel Platini, who was the lynchpin of the team during the mid-eighties.

Vieira is the sixth member of France's 1998 World Cup-winning squad to sign for Juve after Zinedine Zidane, Didier Deschamps, Thierry Henry, David Trezeguet and Lilian Thuram.

Thuram and Trezeguet are still at the club and feature in the club's first-choice lineup as does another French international, defender Jonathan Zebina

 

[willis316]

Rafa's transfers are done in a completely different manner than Houllier's ever were. Rafa is buying players he knows (Morientes, Garcia, Xabi, Sissoko, Reina, Gonzales) or that are proven to be a certain quality and attitude (Zenden). Houllier, I suspect, read the papers or lurked on message boards in France to determine who he should sign. Diouf? Diao? Cheyrou?

Latest rumours have Figo joining the Reds very soon and, not sure if there is any shred of truth to it but, Michael Owen apparently wanting to rejoin Liverpool as well. Not sure there is a place there for Michael though. Unless they can ship off Baros somewhere, anywhere.

I say Owen can piss off. He left because he thought he would not win anything with the club he grew up with and now that they won Europe he wants back. Unlucky. Enjoy your time on Real's bench. I would not play him infront of our top three strikers. I could see him joining games late to add a spark but we would have to get him for cheap.

Happy to hear about Figo. Not much left in the tank but I think he will be valuable on set pieces. Anyway, to get a former player of the year for nothing is a quality pick up.

 

[willis316]

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho says his club has captured one of England's best players in Shaun Wright-Phillips.
The England winger, 23, is set to complete his £21m move from Manchester City to Stamford Bridge.

Looks like Chelski have found their English midfielder after all.

 

[willis316]

Crouch is officially in having passed the medical etc. Should know Figo's future by the end of the week. Apparently it is a domestic dispute over his dream of playing for Liverpool and his wife's need to maintain a quality tan in the Italian sunshine. With Crouch in looks like Baros may be going but the way he plays with Koller (sp?) it may be a nice pairing. Time will tell.

 

[termatofylakas]

Dap will love this.
http://www.koptalk.org/forums/showf...3702/page/0/view/collapsed/sb/5/o/all/fpart/1

 

[willis316]

Liverpool 4- Olympiakos 3. Two late goals made this close. Interestingly Baros came on in the second half and popped in two and set op another. It will be interesting to see the use of the strikers. Cisse and Crouch were together and Morientes and Baros were paired. Good competition for playing time.

 

[willis316]

Reds 0 M'brough 0
I felt LFC deserved better but a decent result for an opeining day road game at a place they have not had much success at recently. Gerrard had at least 3 great chances he could not capitalize on. I think Brough had had a shot or two but basically put 10 behind the ball the entire second half especially after losing a player on a clear path to goal challenge just outside the box with Gerrard again.
Morientes looked awful, Garcia possibly worse. In the end it needs to be better this year domestically.

 

[LFC2]

Reds 0 M'brough 0
I felt LFC deserved better but a decent result for an opeining day road game at a place they have not had much success at recently. Gerrard had at least 3 great chances he could not capitalize on. I think Brough had had a shot or two but basically put 10 behind the ball the entire second half especially after losing a player on a clear path to goal challenge just outside the box with Gerrard again.
Morientes looked awful, Garcia possibly worse. In the end it needs to be better this year domestically.

Agree, except on a positive note this is the type of game they would have dropped all three points last year.