Good morning lynch mob members,
I trust we’ve someone one with strong rope and another with at least directions to a stout tall tree. Although it needn’t be to tall…
Via the highly esteemed COYS and sourced as being Tweeted by one Irish journo, Ken Early we have some interesting depressing ‘quotes’ from two of our brave boys after the Republic Of Debt played The Croatianists.
Here’s the audio: http://audioboo.fm/boos/436439-modric-ireland-mixed-zone-august-9
IRL mixed zone reporter: “Can you stay sharp if you don’t get game time for Spurs?”
Robbie Keane: “How’d you know I won’t?” *awkward silence*
Modric on Chelsea move: “Idon’t want to talk about it. I said a lot of things before and things are still the same… still waiting.”
reporter: “Will you be happy if you’re still a Spurs player on September 1?” Modric: *grinning* “See you.”
On PSB there’s little to say, little in fact worth saying. He’s like that character in The Full Monty who was made redundant 6 weeks ago but still kisses his wife goodbye in the morning before frittering away his day between libraries and sitting in the park.
On Modric there can be two possible conclusions.
The first is that he has a serious Chicken Badge allergy and the second is that he has another gentleman’s agreement speech in the pipeline. This time bleating that Levy assured him of a big name or two before the window closes. A statement of intent to match his commitment for honouring his contract.
Either way, I’ve had more positive starts to a day. I think the obvious trick here would be for Modric to make a statement that he’s committed to the our money the cause for at least another season.
The statement of commitment won’t be coming. He will be sold to Chelsea in this transfer window.
i disagree, hope you’ll be on this website on 1st September !!
I’m not sure why anyone would get too upset with Ratboy’s latest squeakings. I only wish our coaching staff were so relatively tight-lipped on the subject. :angry:
In other news, Mr :cop: of N17 has asked if anyone recognises this person :ninja:
That’s Azza blud
The Real rumour is interesting. I don’t understand Levy’s PR strategy here – his message seems to be “we ain’t selling, ever” when we all know that he would sell Modric or anyone else if enough money was offered. We aren’t Barcelona after all and even Arsenal can’t hang onto Fabregas forever.
What Levy should be saying is, if Luka wants to leave, we’ll consider it, BUT we will NOT be selling him to Chelsea or any other PL club that is a threat to us. I seem to remember just a few months ago that we were sitting 4th, with Chelsea 5th, with about ten games to go in the season. If we somehow end up in a similar position next year, how stupid will you feel if we have signed a Zokora-type replacement to chase them for 4th (or beat them in a cup tie) with Modric starting for Chelsea?
If I’m Levy, my response would have been, “Yes, Luka, we agreed that if a great club comes along with big money that we would talk about it. But we are not now, or ever, selling anyone of quality to fucking Chelsea. When Real, Barcelona, or AC Milan come to town with 40 mil, then we’ll talk.”
It’s one thing, when you’re the 13th-biggest football club in the world, to sell players to the clubs in the top 5. It happens, especially when you pay your players 25% of what they might get at the best clubs.
But to sell your best players to your competitors in your league? That’s just stupid. It doubles the damage. If losing a certain player will cost you, say, six points, that’s bad enough. But if you sell him to one of your direct competitors, and they GAIN the six points, you’ve just turned your 6 point loss into a 12 point loss.
You’d think someone like Levy could understand this logic. If a club like Spurs decides to never sell players, it will affect our ability to sign them in the first place – like Wilson Palacios, they are all dreaming of Real. So saying that Luka will spend five years on the reserves is bad PR when you want to sign Rossi or Lloriente.
On the the other hand, if you say you’re willing to do business if there is stupid money offered, but just not to a cross-town rival…seems like anyone can understand that.
We have a season in the CL, and now we are too good to play in the EL. Modric has a season in the CL, and now he is too good to play for us.
Anyone starting to see pattern?
For those of us that think that the EL is a distraction, I am recalling how once Bale worked his magic, every big club in Spain and Italy were being linked with him, even after he told the edai he was happy with us.
The CL is the biggest shop window in football outside the World Cup, and we have seen a growing trend in recent years for players to announce their retirement from international football in order to prolong their club careers. The reality is that most players might have three attempts to get into the world cup finals, and many great names never make it.
On the other hand, if you play for the Sky 4, there is a realistic chance that most years you will play in the CL. It is not difficult to see that when a club makes a breakthrough into the CL, the problem then becomes one of constant qualification unless you have a very large chequebook to fend off unwanted approaches for your best players.
With our current resources, the CL makes us a hostage to fortune. In spite of this no one ever says we should not try to get into the CL because it might disrupt our winning team. What we are seeing now is the price we are paying for having failed to qualify for the premier club competition in the world.
Apart from the Carling cup, the Europa is probably our best chance of winning something. But not if we are failing to take it seriously.
I am probably in a minority here but I believe we should be “having a go” to win the EL, A run to the final brings in over €20 mill, as well as TV money and ranking points, which are vital to get good seedings.
What surprises me is the attitude of Investec, our cup shirt sponsors. They are paying £5 mill pa, to have their name on the shirts in the FA cup (remember the weakened team we play against Charlton), the FA Cup (same question against Arsenal) and now we are saying we will be fielding weakened teams in the EL.
On the plus side, for once, we have managed to cheat a bank, rather than a bank cheating us. But to be serious, if I were Investec, I would want to know why they are not going all out to win every cup and thus maximise my investment as a shirt sponsor!
I’m with you re trying to win it. Would look very nice in out trophy cabinet and a bit of European silverware is long overdue.
I would expect a strong team to be fielded against Hearts in the light of our first PL match being re-scheduled to gain match fitness but later ties will likely be a mixture of experience and fringe players, if the squad system is used properly we can achieve success on all fronts but as we know HR alienates players and is too stubborn to see this as a serious flaw in his own make up, to the detriment of the club. If HR could operate the squad rotational system we would not have the end of season excuses ref players too fatigued due to number of games played as last season.
So last season we slipped one place to fifth partly because our strikers were scoring and partly due to being in Champs league and focusing more on that.
As it stands we still have the same team, plus Kyle Walker and …yeah well Kyle Walker….and a new sub keeper.
Defoe WILL have a better season than the last one, Christ the season before Manure were “interested” in him. He was injured and then when he got goals was dropped for the next game.
He’ll get 20 in all comps.
Bale is getting better all the time.
VDV will be far better for a pre season and no World cup.
Sandro when back will improve again. Etc, etc…
Yes Liverpool have added but not neccesarily strengthened. Would we have wanted Henderson or Downing? No. Carol maybe.
Arse are dismantling the side Wanger said we should judge on last season, after years of potential, so they’re back to rebuilding.
Manure I don’t see us competing with, although they may concede a load of goals.
Chavski will probably finish second, with Citeh probably third, but Tevez would be a massive loss.
So can we beat Arse and Liverpool to fourth, yup.
Now if we do add a top striker then I would defo take our squad over Pools and Arses.
SO it’s all good!
Fuck our game with Everton has just been called off.
It’s all gloom!
We haven’t got a chance.