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They have doughnuts in England?![]()
Fattest country in Europe, m'lud.

^ And by 'Gasp' I actually mean Ranieri ![]()
It literally feels like just weeks since Gasp was fired.

lol @ those De Gea pics ![]()
Speaking of crazy and awful, Milan's loss...no midfield to speak of this season

Niall Quinn is leaving his role as chairman at Sunderland to take charge of "international development".
Erm, Michael's going to have to explain this one to me.

Niall Quinn is leaving his role as chairman at Sunderland to take charge of "international development".Erm, Michael's going to have to explain this one to me.
This news hasn't come as a total shock - it's long been rumoured that Niall was looking to end his day-to-day duties at the club, having originally planned to act as chairman for no more than five years. With that said, the timing of it is indeed odd. There's a suggestion in the local press that it's a way to weaken Bruce's position at the club without Quinn having to do the dirty on his mate* but I'm not sure it's as cut-and-dried as all that. I personally think that if Ellis Short had wanted to sack Bruce before now, he could easily have done it. As owner he would have that right, irrespective of Quinn's presence as chairman. Still, there's no denying Bruce has lost a close ally in Quinn and unless things improve on the park sharpish, Short will be far less forgiving. We may not be alone in our current mediocrity, but we're in no position to deny that we're in a relegation scrap.
So anyway, so long Niall and thanks for singlehandedly dragging us out of complete freefall. A contribution that won't be equalled in a hurry. ![]()
*(Author's note: Niall may have form in this department - in 2005, Mick McCarthy was bizarrely and unceremoniously sacked shortly before Quinn's consortium took over. That isn't to say MickMac didn't do a crap job - in fact he was clueless, but it was long after the horse had bolted. When the buyout eventually happened, I put it down to Niall being reluctant to show his old Republic manager the door.)

That's 3 points over the arch-nemesis to take me off the bottom of the BZPL. Haha! Take THAT Average

Which means I'm busted down to last place the BZPL, despite scoring my first win this week. Officially, curse you Ed! :persuazn:
Unofficially, in your face Average!

Another crazy football moment proudly brought to you by Mad Jens Pty Ltd.
(feel free to click mute)

As I've said in the past about Mario Balotelli, I wish there were 100 more like Jens Lehmann in the Premier League. Am I alone in thinking there was a hint of intent about the collision with the photographer? ![]()

I've missed The Special One ![]()
Is that story about De Gea true? No way, right?

Despite how much I hate that rat-faced bastard (no, not Benayoun), I gotta admit Gary Neville's piece about England was worth reading.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...ry-Neville.html

Is that story about De Gea true? No way, right?
Not exactly. He was spotted eating the doughnut before he'd paid for it and apparently, received a stern talking to from a security guard. Kind of a non-story in all honesty but as non-stories go, pretty funny. ![]()
Despite how much I hate that rat-faced bastard (no, not Benayoun), I gotta admit Gary Neville's piece about England was worth reading.
A few salient points there, but he did let himself down at the end with the ludicrous suggestion that Frank Lampard is versatile. ![]()
I've never understood this consensus in the press that Lampard should be treated as an England mainstay, when he's done nothing on the international stage to justify his continuing presence in the squad. He's failed miserably for England time and again and at 33, he isn't going to get any better. The sooner his lovestruck mates in the media stop talking him up as if he's our answer to Xavi or Iniesta, the better off we'll all be. A very good club player down the years but nothing more.
Rooney only scores against Switzerland anyway.

Ever wondered what routine Pepe Reina's follows before a game? In his new autobiography, Pepe gives us a rough account of his pre-match rituals. (Read the full article here)
"Six hours before kick-off at Anfield and before I can even think about the game, I have to get to a petrol station. After getting into the car, I turn the engine on and look at the fuel gauge. It is almost full. I still need petrol, though, so I head to the same garage that I always go to when Liverpool are at home, a small filling station on Queens Drive that is almost exactly halfway between my home in South Liverpool and the stadium. I get there, open the petrol cap and begin to refuel. I am only at the pump for 20 seconds or so and the tank is full so I go in to pay. The cashier gives me a bit of a funny look. To be fair, I cannot blame him. I have just pulled on to his forecourt, queued up for five minutes behind other motorists and all for £8 worth of petrol, just so my tank is full to the brim."When I get to Anfield I always park in the same space — bay number 39 in the car park in front of the Centenary Stand. I have tried number 41 and 42 and a few others but when I went to 39 we kept clean sheets two weeks in a row and so I have stayed there ever since."
"I always get undressed in the same order — jacket, tie, shirt, shoes, trousers and socks — and then I get onto the massage bed so that Rob, our physio, can work his magic on me. I lie there reading the match programme while he is bending and stretching my legs. Then I strap myself up and put my kit on. I always sit in the same place, just next to the wall as soon as you walk in, right next to Carra."
"I go to the toilet to have a pee about three or four times in the hour before kick-off because of my nerves. Then I go out a little bit before the rest of the lads to do my warm-up."
"I then have to make sure that I am the last one out onto the pitch before kick-off, and I always touch the This Is Anfield sign with both hands as I walk down the tunnel. When I cross the white line I have to do it twice with my right foot. Stepping on, then off and then back on again. For some reason — and probably not a very good one — it helps keep me calm. Then I head towards my goal but before I get there I have to touch fists with my back four — except Carra, who doesn't like doing that so we share a high five instead — and then clap the supporters on the Kop to show my appreciation for their support of me. As I get to my goal I go straight to the right post, bang my studs against it, then touch the crossbar, then bang my studs against the left post, then go back to the middle.
"Next, I take six steps to the edge of the six yard box, another six steps to the penalty spot, another six to the edge of the 18-yard box and then do the same thing in reverse. Then I stretch up, do some high knees, jump, sprint to the right, jump, sprint to the left, wave hello to my wife in the stand — and then I'm ready."

Continuing on the "crazy football moments", Werder Bremen's Tim Wiese —who had said Lehmann belonged on the Muppets Show, which left Lehmann no choice but to file a lawsuit against Wiese— attempted a... kung fu kick? on Thomas Müller last season in the Bundesliga.
Brilliant stuff.

^(Y)
"The question is whether Capello should still take Rooney. Unquestionably, he should." - I flippin' love David Pleat. ![]()

^(Y)"The question is whether Capello should still take Rooney. Unquestionably, he should." - I flippin' love David Pleat.
Here's one for you, if Capello does take Rooney to the Euros, Will he get to kick a ball in the tournament?