Rival Watch

You reckon kuyt will be playing striker? i didn't think he was too good at leading the line, i figured he was more of a SS?

also, maxi?

Kiwigunner wrote:You reckon kuyt will be playing striker? i didn't think he was too good at leading the line, i figured he was more of a SS?

also, maxi?

Nah Kuyt was excellent as striker since kenny came in.he scored something like 8 in 9 games since played as striker.Also we didnt play with SS last season.

Maxi played wide left but often interchanged with Meireles and Suarez.So its hard to say where exactly he will played.I would reckon he will be replaced by Downing in the starting line up if we sign him up.

Ah right, I kinda figured he was a little like Arshavin with the striker->winger change and that he isn't particularly tall or fast, but you'd know better than me anyway.

So what would happen to maxi? Do you think he'll be sold, or just kept as 5th choice winger?

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL FELLOW GUNNERS RIVAL SPURS ABOUT TO LOOSE ONE OF THEIR BEST PLAYERS MODRIC

'I reminded the chairman of our gentleman's agreement when we were in Dubrovnik last summer and I agreed a contract extension with Tottenham,' Modric told Croatian newspaper Sportske Novosti.

'At that time, I had an open chat with Levy - that if a bigger club came in with a concrete offer, we would consider it and agree the best solution for all concerned.

'Now Levy doesn't want to talk to me and said there is no possibility that I can leave Spurs. He threatened me - he said if I didn't accept the club's stance, they would make me sit on the bench or in the stands.'

'A lot has been published in the press about the meeting with Levy, who gave the public a twisted account of what happened, said Modric.

'I must say that I am genuinely disappointed about what Levy said to me. He didn't care about what I was telling him.

'It all only convinced me further that I was right to consider moving on to another club.

'I hope that eventually he will understand the situation and that we will reach an agreement and go our separate ways in an appropriate manner.'

There is no doubt that Chelsea want me - they sent a concrete offer to Tottenham,' he added.

'I know that the new Chelsea boss (Andre Villas-Boas) said he wants me in his team. Of course I am flattered by this interest in me - it's a club that all players dream of joining, fighting for every competition available.

'It wasn't a snap decision - I talked a long time with my family and people whose opinions I respect. I thought about it, weighed it all up, and finally decided this was the best option,' he added.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2013149/Luka-Modric-My-dream-join-Chelsea.html#ixzz1RiSIk5Zq
[i]

More LFC fans in here than AFC fans. :geek:

Kiwigunner wrote:Ah right, I kinda figured he was a little like Arshavin with the striker->winger change and that he isn't particularly tall or fast, but you'd know better than me anyway.

So what would happen to maxi? Do you think he'll be sold, or just kept as 5th choice winger?

Yep Kuyt isnt tall or fast but finishing and heading are top notch and very underrated.What i say may seem stupid but i think his finishing of half chances is better than Torres.Kuyt cant score wonder goals like Torres neither can he create something out of nothing like Torres used to do with ease but he do have the striker's knack of getting in at the right time and incredibly cool infront of goal.

As for Maxi i think he would stay this season may move to home club in Argentina next season.

ynwa wrote:More LFC fans in here than AFC fans. :geek:

Lol.. We are very warm to our guests here < Unless they start trolling >

Modric leaving spurs lessens Spurs ability to catch up with us so this is good.

Aston Villa confirming last night that they'd accepted a £20m offer from Liverpool for Stewart Downing.

Sneijder agrees United deal after Glazers sanction £35m bid for Inter midfielder

Manchester United hope to complete the £35million transfer of Wesley Sneijder after agreeing terms of around £190,000 a week with the Inter Milan midfielder.

Sneijder was forced to compromise on his initial wage demands of £250,000-a-week, but an agreement has been struck and a deal is close to completion.

The Glazer family, who own United, have sanctioned the fee for the 27-year-old Holland star as a replacement for Paul Scholes, who retired at the end of last season.

Chief executive David Gill met his Inter counterparts in Zurich yesterday at a meeting of the European Club Association.

It is understood Gill made clear United's willingness to pay £35m, with an official bid expected to be lodged before the weekend. Although Inter are reluctant to sell, they accept they cannot turn down such a lucrative bid.

Gill hopes to have the deal wrapped up before he flies to the US tomorrow.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2014547/Wesley-Sneijder-agrees-Manchester-United-deal.html#ixzz1S3yWOToA

Modric hands in transfer request

Tottenham Hotspur ace Luka Modric has handed in a transfer request in an attempt to force through a move to Chelsea.

According to the Guardian, Modric took the decision on Wednesday after Tottenham rejected a second offer from Chelsea which valued the Croatia international at £27million.

Modric did fly out to South Africa with his team-mates for Tottenham's pre-season tour but the newspaper notes the breakdown in relations between Modric and club chairman, Daniel Levy, has reached a new low following the transfer request.

It is understood that Modric opted to join his team-mates for the pre-season tour out of respect for his manager, Harry Redknapp, who has shown great empathy for his star midfielder's situation. Redknapp has publicly joined Levy in declaring that Modric is not for sale but has also not shied away from praising the Croatian's attitude and even claimed he understood why the player was keen to join Chelsea.

Modric has repeatedly stated that he is determined to complete a "dream" move to Stamford Bridge and even took the extraordinary step of criticising Levy. He accused the chairman of breaking a gentleman's agreement to sell him to a bigger club this summer.

Tottenham have denied making any such agreement.

Redknapp said: "Hopefully he will go away and get a bit of football now and just get on with it. We hope that he will come back and get ready for the new season."

William Gallas has not travelled with the squad due to a calf problem and Ledley King and Sandro are both out with knee injuries.

Sandro will report to the club's training ground on Thursday to be assessed
after the Brazilian Football Federation sent him home from the Copa America amid fears that he had torn the meniscus in his knee.

Steven Pienaar would be one of the players who would benefit most from Modric's departure, but he said this afternoon that he hopes the former Dinamo Zagreb man stays.

"You are always looking to strengthen and for us it's important that we all stick together as a team and make the most of it," Pienaar told Sky Sports News.

Tottenham play Kaizer Chiefs on Saturday and they then take on Orlando Pirates on Tuesday before playing the winner of a play-off between the two home teams on July 23.

Pienaar is excited about playing in his homeland and having the chance to put his fitness problems behind him having been troubled by knee and groin injuries last term.

"I am looking forward to the tour," the former Everton man said.

"I have had a lot of ups and downs in my first few months at the club but hopefully I can put it behind me now.

"I am almost there with my fitness. I'm still working on it. Hopefully I will get a game."

Captain Michael Dawson, meanwhile, has reacted angrily to claims that he has fallen out with the club's hierarchy over a new contract.

Reports this morning suggested that Dawson was unhappy at the Spurs' refusal to offer him an improved deal, but he insists he is completely happy at the club.

"I have no idea where this story has come from - it certainly has not come from myself or any of my representatives," Dawson said.

"I think I have always demonstrated that I am a proud player and captain of this club and nothing has changed in that respect.

"I have an excellent relationship with everyone at this club from the chairman, to the players to the supporters and I wouldn't want false reporting such as this to impact on that.

"There has been absolutely no fallout with anyone whatsoever. I still have four years left on my current contract and have no issues regarding it whatsoever.

"It is an honour to be captain of this football club and my sole focus is on getting ready for the new season with Spurs and, hopefully, England as well."

<Source>

If Tottenham lose Modric, this would help push them back further away from us a bit.

Gaps of 5pts and 6pts in the last 2 seasons is too close.

Sir Alex: United not keen on Sneijder

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson claims his club have "no real interest" in signing Inter Milan playmaker Wesley Sneijder.

Following Paul Scholes' retirement, Ferguson has been on the look out for a replacement.

Sneijder appeared to fit the bill, particularly as Luka Modric is seemingly bound for Chelsea if Tottenham agree to sell, and Ferguson also suspects Arsenal's Samir Nasri will join Manchester City if he leaves the Emirates Stadium.

Speculation has mounted regarding Sneijder over the past few days but, after landing in Seattle following a six-hour flight from Boston, Ferguson rejected the theory outright.

"There is no real interest at this moment in time in Wesley Sneijder," he said.

Ferguson added there was "nothing imminent" in terms of signings, although the underlying theme of his comments suggested there might have been discussion over Sneijder.

"I have not been involved in this situation," he said.

"There is no real interest for a lot of reasons. There is nothing I can tell you about it."

Whether there is any likelihood of such a transfer being resurrected is open to debate.

There has been a suspicion Sneijder would welcome a move away from the San Siro and that Inter were prepared to sell their star man if the price was right.

However, the numbers will have to stack up for United given Sneijder is now 27 and his resale value would not be high if he was handed a long-term contract.

Ferguson did admit the search for Scholes' replacement would go on, though, even if getting the right man will prove difficult.

"It is a loss. He was a player of a lifetime. In his 20 years at the club, it is hard to pick out a bad game," said the Scot.

"He was such a great, consistent player for us. I don't think we will find another Paul Scholes.

"But hopefully we can replace him. Maybe we will find a different type of player. Manchester United do that.

"Time and time again we have faced this problem. We have lost great players and you are worrying about it.

"But eventually something turns up, either through our youth system or we will identify someone.

"Obviously, there is a bit of work being done on that at the moment by our scouting department.

"But also we are analysing the capabilities of the young players from our youth team. We will give them that opportunity."

<source>

Porto striker Falcao has agreed a new two-year deal with the club, seemingly ending any prospect of a move to Chelsea.

Falcao, who scored 38 goals last season as Porto won an eye-catching treble, was reportedly a target for new Blues boss Andre-Villas Boas, who himself made the switch from the Estadio do Dragao this summer.

A release clause of €30million had been in place, a figure that has now been raised to €45million, or nearly £40million.

The Colombian striker, who had also been linked with Atletico Madrid, is now contracted to the club until the end of the 2015 season.

<source>

After being irritated with our result all afternoon, my day was made cause Spuds lost 0 -1 to Kaizer Chiefs LOL!!

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has confirmed that the club have accepted Corinthians' bid for wantaway striker Carlos Tevez.

Chelsea stutter against Malaysia XI
Chelsea stumbled to a narrow 1-0 win in their second pre-season friendly under Andre Villas-Boas against a Malaysian XI.
The Blues won the first match of their far east tour in Kuala Lumpur but, as in their victory at Portsmouth just over a week earlier, they were far from convincing.
And, like at Fratton Park, they needed an own goal to avoid a goalless draw in a match that saw new manager Villas-Boas again play two entirely different XIs in each half.
The winner arrived 12 minutes from time when Didier Drogba won a free-kick, which he took and smashed against the post, only for the ball to hit goalkeeper Mohd Izham Tarmizi and spin back towards the line.
The substitute thought he had retrieved the ball in time but the goal was controversially awarded.
Otherwise, Chelsea struggled against a side who conceded 10 times against recent tourists Arsenal and Liverpool.
Playing in what was extreme heat in front of a packed 84,980, the visitors began the match with captain John Terry, Drogba and Ashley Cole on the bench, and Fernando Torres spearheading a 4-3-3 formation.
The Spaniard missed an early chance, while Frank Lampard could easily have opened the scoring in the 17th minute when he was gifted the ball 10 yards out and stabbed wide.
Ryan Bertrand was forced off with a knock after 38 minutes before Lampard sent another shot wide and Yossi Benayoun and substitute Patrick van Aanholt also went close.
Chelsea's second-half team did not fare much better and were fortunate not to fall behind with a quarter of the game remaining when Syahrul Azwari blazed over after being played through.
Terry twice headed off target from a Drogba free-kick and Yury Zhirkov corner, moments which sandwiched a good chance for Daniel Sturridge, whose left-foot curler was palmed away by Mohd Farizal Marlias.
Drogba then looked to have spared any blushes Chelsea might have had, but the hosts should have levelled with six minutes left, Thamil Arasu wasting the chance to his and his team-mates disbelief.
Villas-Boas will be hoping for an improved performance in Sunday's game with Thailand All Stars in Bangkok, before heading to Hong Kong for the Barclays Asia Trophy.

srigooner wrote:Chelsea stutter against Malaysia XI
Chelsea stumbled to a narrow 1-0 win in their second pre-season friendly under Andre Villas-Boas against a Malaysian XI.
The Blues won the first match of their far east tour in Kuala Lumpur but, as in their victory at Portsmouth just over a week earlier, they were far from convincing.
And, like at Fratton Park, they needed an own goal to avoid a goalless draw in a match that saw new manager Villas-Boas again play two entirely different XIs in each half.
The winner arrived 12 minutes from time when Didier Drogba won a free-kick, which he took and smashed against the post, only for the ball to hit goalkeeper Mohd Izham Tarmizi and spin back towards the line.
The substitute thought he had retrieved the ball in time but the goal was controversially awarded.
Otherwise, Chelsea struggled against a side who conceded 10 times against recent tourists Arsenal and Liverpool.
Playing in what was extreme heat in front of a packed 84,980, the visitors began the match with captain John Terry, Drogba and Ashley Cole on the bench, and Fernando Torres spearheading a 4-3-3 formation.
The Spaniard missed an early chance, while Frank Lampard could easily have opened the scoring in the 17th minute when he was gifted the ball 10 yards out and stabbed wide.
Ryan Bertrand was forced off with a knock after 38 minutes before Lampard sent another shot wide and Yossi Benayoun and substitute Patrick van Aanholt also went close.
Chelsea's second-half team did not fare much better and were fortunate not to fall behind with a quarter of the game remaining when Syahrul Azwari blazed over after being played through.
Terry twice headed off target from a Drogba free-kick and Yury Zhirkov corner, moments which sandwiched a good chance for Daniel Sturridge, whose left-foot curler was palmed away by Mohd Farizal Marlias.
Drogba then looked to have spared any blushes Chelsea might have had, but the hosts should have levelled with six minutes left, Thamil Arasu wasting the chance to his and his team-mates disbelief.
Villas-Boas will be hoping for an improved performance in Sunday's game with Thailand All Stars in Bangkok, before heading to Hong Kong for the Barclays Asia Trophy.

lol this is nothing new. u should look at porto stats and u will find out most of their wins are like this. AVB is master at this.

Sergio Aguero has undergone a medical ahead of his proposed move to Manchester City from Atletico Madrid.

The Argentina international has jetted in to Manchester and will hold talks with the Eastlands outfit over personal terms with a fee, understood to be in the region of £38million, believed to have been agreed.

City boss Roberto Mancini confirmed his interest in the gifted forward earlier this month and admitted on Monday that he was keen to see a deal concluded this week.

And with the talented 23-year-old having jetted into the North West, it appears his proposed big-money switch to the ambitious Premier League club is a significant step closer to being completed.

"Just arrived in Manchester to finalise the details of signing with City," Aguero wrote on Twitter.

Going well

"Everything is going very well! I'll tell you more in a while."

Aguero confirmed earlier in the summer that he was planning to leave Atletico, who he joined in 2006 from Independiente in his homeland.

Real Madrid was believed to be his most likely destination, before City confirmed their interest and moved swiftly to the head of the queue for his signature.

Aguero was recently on international duty for Argentina in the Copa America, but was unable to prevent the hosts from suffering a disappointing early exit from the tournament.

It has been suggested that the arrival of the highly-rated attacker could pave the way for Carlos Tevez to leave, but Mancini has always insisted he wants his skipper to remain despite his well-publicised desire to depart.

sky

Chelsea have agreed a fee for Oriol Romeu apparently..

Also, Chelsea seem to be offering 27million plus Sturridge to sign Luka Modric

Think someone showed Balotelli a video of that chap who recently took a penalty with a back heel..

Anyway, this pissed Mancini of a LOT and he subbed Balotelli 30 mins into the first half for Dzeko.. The match ended 1-1 against LA Galaxy and the ensuing penalty shootout was won 9-8 by city..

AGUEROOOOOOOOO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1


RELEGATION LOOMS FOR THE REST OF US !!!!!

Fun fact: Aguero and Dzeko both play together on my current FM2011 save...

...at Atletico Madrid.

Shame that instead of sticking with Dzeko and trying to get him back to his Bundesliga form, City went and got Aguero. Such a waste of talent.

*such a waste of money

but its okay for them i guess.

Talent and money as well. City are becoming very strong though, and I truly believe that our squad will not be good enough to compete if we don't sign at least one more quality player. Chelsea seem to be on the verge of spending too.