Football

It'll be 0-0.

Cardiff, Villa and now Sunderland. Pellegrini can't handle the top teams!

Four home wins in a row against Manchester's blue contingent. They'd be wise not to bother turning up next year!

Who knew Yeovil's Huish Park had a capacity comparable to that of the Nou Camp?

Dave Whelan told me Wigan bring 95,000 away fans with them wherever they go so this must be true.

Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy's ongoing frostiness, Terry Butcher's goggle-eyed press photoshoot for Hibs, Paolo Di Canio and Martin O'Neill starting the type of flame war usually only reserved for the Barbara Palvin topic at BZ. Never let it be said that ex-Sunderland managers aren't doing their bit to break up the usual dullness of international week!

Look forward to our obligatory 0-2 defeat to Chile in 2028.

VAMOS CHILE!!

So how many new English players are crap/Hodgson has no clue articles have there been since the friendly?

So how many new English players are crap/Hodgson has no clue articles have there been since the friendly?

Pretty sure they were all filed by 5pm on Friday.

Recent history suggests that if England had beaten Germany tonight, Ant and Dec would have written a song about it. I ask you, would it have been worth it?

Sweden will not be going to Brazil next year  

VAMOS MEXICO!

Portugal and France are going to WC-no surprise,though France stopped to amaze me years ago

Portugal=Ronaldo.

Ronaldo--world best player.

Well that's us back to earth after defeats against Colombia (who are admittedly quite good) and Japan (who were coming off a truly horrendous run prior to their Holland friendly).

Japan game was especially worrying as we were thoroughly outplayed by Honda (a class act) and a Man U reserve (I kid, I kid).

I've noticed my very own Ashley Westwood has replaced mundane functional midfield play with an alarming tendency to slide into reckless tackles while Joe Bennett showed a few Cattermole-esque moves last year, presumably one of many reasons why he hasn't appeared much this season. Fabian Delph, improbably one of our better players in 2013, usually picks up a yellow in the eight minute of every game but its usually a mis-timed fair dinkum caution, clumsy but with no malice. Alan Hutton (the Scottish Cafu, if you prefer) was, nay, is a genuine, straight-up thug and simply had no place in the sacred colours, as Lambert recognised.

Tbh without the 1890s titles, Villa wouldn't be so succesful as they are today, isn't it?

Tbh without the 1890s titles, Villa wouldn't be so succesful as they are today, isn't it?

The best has won this trophy but I do have my doubts he will win the Balloon d'or.

Barcelona star Lionel Messi has been awarded a record third Golden Shoe trophy after finishing with the most league goals in Europe last season.

The Argentina ace netted 46 times in La Liga as the Catalan giants reclaimed their title back from Real Madrid and he was presented with the trophy in Barcelona on Wednesday.

Messi, 26, also won the award following the 2009/10 season, when he scored 34 goals, and again after the 2011/12 campaign when he found the back of the net 50 times.

He scored 31 times in the 2010/11 season but that was not enough to win the Golden Shoe with Cristiano Ronaldo taking the honours after notching 40 times for Madrid.

Messi, who is currently sidelined for eight weeks with a hamstring injury, is the only player to win the trophy three times.

A modest Messi said after being presented with the trophy by former Barca and Bulgaria forward Hristo Stoichkov, who was joint-winner in 1990: "I dedicate this award to my family, to the people who are there in the toughest times, and my team-mates.

"I want to thank them because without them I wouldn't have achieved anything. It's a prize for the squad."

Regarding his injury and the possibility of being back in action by 2014, Messi said: "I'm better, improving little by little, I'm nearly without any pain and starting to do little things.

"I haven't put a return date, if everything goes well this will be the date (first game of next year) to return, but we'll see how the recovery goes. It will happen when it has to happen."

Messi enjoyed a typically successful start to the season with eight goals in 11 Primera Divison appearances before tearing his hamstring against Real Betis earlier this month.

However, his chances of winning a fourth Golden Shoe this season will have been badly hit by that injury, with Ronaldo already having notched 16 times in La Liga this term, with two hat-tricks in his last three matches.

Not that Messi is overly concerned about that, saying: "It's not my objective to win a fourth. It wasn't even when I was fit, much less now.

"I have to strengthen my body so that nothing else happens, so that I can play with calm and without injury."

 

Tbh without the 1890s titles, Villa wouldn't be so succesful as they are today, isn't it?

 

 

It's fucking true lol.

Perhaps Marty McFly can go on one last mission to erase all them silly old trophies from our history. 

No, I am just saying they were won easier compared to modern day trophies.