Liverpool will win it.

Well, obviously I hope we do.

And let's get some of the current transfer rumors out of the way, so this thread looks really dated when it has eleventy million posts a year later...

Tevez is being linked to every club with a dime to it's name. Liverpool amongst them. We're also being linked with Zaragoza's Gabriel Milito, and Palermo's Amauri, both of whom would be more than decent signings.

Newcastle are obviously being linked with Kevin Nolan and Tal Ben Haim now that Allardyce is manager there... as well as Joey Barton, puzzlingly.

barton's a perfect newcastle player. it's all about the fights.

FIFA says it will still be "monitoring the situation very carefully", but I doubt WHU will have points docked for the Tevez situation.

Nor do I.

It'll be great if Tevez stays - I'm sure the Hammers fans would love it, too.

But if he leaves - Liverpool, please!

you prick, i just spent the last 20 minutes writing up a huge diatribe summing up the season and the following year. ill post it here because i cant let it go to waste

That's right, after all our nay saying a year ago, Manchester United won the title and are in the FA cup final, Liverpool are in the Champions League final and Chelsea brought a community shield and possibly an FA cup, results pending. Arsenal won nothing and were beset by injury's.

The manager round about is still spinning, Allardyce has taken over at Newcastle after leaving Bolton, ostensibly for some time off, but the 3million a year he's earning at Newcastle must have convinced him otherwise. Wigan have a new boss- Chris Hutchings, after Paul Jewell walked out a day after keeping them in the EPL.

Tevest Ham avoided the drop after winning seven of nine in the run home, but are apparently facing legal action from the relegated teams - Charlton, Wigan and thank fucking god i don't have to see Niel Warnock's Sheffield United untill the end of next year when the new 30million parachute payments pretty much mean that the recently demoted team's are going to smash the financially weaker Championship teams.

On the other hand, we're about to be inundated by Roy Keane press conferences as Sunderland and Birmingham are back in the EPL, they're going to be joined by either Derby who beat Southampton in the first play off or West Brom or Wolverhampton who play off for the right to play Derby for the final promotion spot.

Fairly quiet on the transfer front as such, minor delisting's on a few teams, but looks like Bellamy is out of Liverpool, Saha will be trade bait at Manchester who have apparently agreed to spend 18million on Bayern holding midfielder Hargreaves.

Liverpool have cash to splash and have apparently already signed highly rathed brazillian under-something captain Lucas from Germio

Chelsea are going to buy more expensive but ultimately unable to adept to the EPL players and probably sell Shevchenko. While Arsenal are going to get rid of a useless Spaniard and an a highly rated but also useless Brazilian and spend the off season 'getting fit'

West Ham, MSI or whoever owns Carlos Tevez, no one is really sure who, are going to be fielding offers from practically everyone. As no one really knows who owns him I'll just state now that im quite happy to act as an agent for him in exchange for a 10% cut.

So without further ado, post your year's round ups of your own team, crazy transfer rumors (especially ones about Liverpool, love a potential spending spree) and predictions for next season, remember, it's transfer season, the sillier it is the more exciting it is!

gooner scum

go back to wherever you go when you don't openly associate with a club.

It was great to see Man Ure finally end the Chelsea run, but lets hope its a really close one next season down to the last game. I think the Gooners will be back up there next year, this was a development year, it was just a real shame we couldn't take out the Carling Cup. Hope that West Ham don't get relegated, they've fought hard to avoid the drop, and hopefully Tevez stays there he is fast becoming a cult hero.

I honestly believe that with two key signings we can challenge for the Premiership next year - we need another central defender, because although Paletta and Insua look quite good for the future, neither are there yet - and either a striker to replace Bellamy (because we've already gotten Andrei Voronin from Leverkusen as our 'fourth choice' striker, and he's excellent) or a quality left midfielder to completely dismiss the possibility that Zenden might ever get a game after the Final.

I'd love the rumors that we're getting Dani Alves, especially - hope they come to fruition this time and we don't balk at the price tag.

Mind you - I'm not displeased with any of the players we're being linked with, now that we're 'cashed up'...

Hey hiponion if Kewell could stay injury-free for a season then that would be your left-mid problem solved. Of course, that is a big if.

Also, I'd be very, very happy to see Spurs, (jinx) Everton or even (jinx) Newcastle challenging for a CL spot again - it's been a long time since someone un-flukily challenged for fourth place consistently.

And hopefully all the promoted clubs stay up, and Fulham, Boro and Wigan go down... although personally I'll be slapping a twenty at very good odds on Bolton to get relegated next year. Think of it as the 'Alan Curbishley Effect' - club gets promoted from the lower leagues with a manager who then stays and fosters their development - then that manager leaves and their Premiership status leaves too.

from wiki
Blatter's 1998 election to the presidency of FIFA over UEFA President Lennart Johansson occurred amidst much controversy.[2][3] His 2002's candidacy has also been marked with rumors of financial irregularities and backroom dealings,[4] culminating with direct accusations of bribery made in the british press by the Farra Ado, vice-president of the CAF and president of the Somalian football association, who claimed to have been offered $100,000 to vote for Blatter. "The night before the election people were lining up in Le Meridien Hotel (in Paris) to receive money. Some told me they got $50,000 before the vote and the same the next day, after Blatter won".[5]

Also in 2002, FIFA's general-secretary Michael Zen-Ruffinen, drew up a dossier outlining allegations of financial mismanagement within the organisation.[6] The dossier alleged that the collapse of FIFA’s marketing partner ISL had led to losses of up to $100m under Blatter's management. The allegations were backed by Johansson,[7] and the dossier was handed to the Swiss authorities, but in the end no action was taken.[8] Also, an internal investigation within FIFA was halted by Blatter.[9] Zen-Ruffinen was removed from office by Blatter immediately before the FIFA World Cup 2002.[10]

n May 2006, British investigative reporter Andrew Jennings' book Foul[11] caused controversy within the football world by detailing an alleged international cash-for-contracts scandal following the collapse of FIFA's marketing partner ISL, and revealed how some football officials have been urged to secretly repay the sweeteners they received. The book also spoke of blatant vote-rigging that went on behind closed doors in the fight for Blatter's continued control of FIFA.

This is an extract of a review made by David Goldblatt for the british paper The Independent and published on June 09, 2006: "Official Fifa business, always an opulent inter-continental affair, has spiralled to grotesque levels. The massively enlarged carbuncle of football bureaucrats, created by Blatter as a phalanx of kept support, have lived the high life. In addition to the five-star, business-class, black-Mercedes arrangements, all have been allowed a daily expenses rate of 500 euros, for which no receipts or accounts are required. Members of the executive committee were handed $50,000 honorariums. President Blatter's salary and accounts remain, despite repeated requests, a matter of complete secrecy".[12] The publishing of the book in Switzerland was banned since Zürich-based FIFA sought and obtained a temporary injunction.[13]

West Ham aint that bad after all...

oh and apparently Mourinho is going to use third choice keeper Hilario as a striker on sunday because Chelsea are so injury riddled

Putting some dosh on Manyoo to win - i'll get great odds.

Mourinho arrested!

also, the Guardian weekly's football weekly program is now a free podcast you can listen to it here i suggest it purely because it contains such lines as 'not since Guti found out his girlfriend was transsexual has anyone fought any harder to stop going down' regarding the last week of the season/relegation battle.

Here's my end of year report for all clubs:

Manyoo - A+. I didn't think they could pull this out. Cristiano's diving and cheating in the World Cup were up there with his 50 most spectacular dives. Scholes, Giggs, and Solskjaer were too old and declining rapidly. Rooney was not the 'superstar' he was being made out to be. The defence was suspect - Evra, Silvestre, Brown, and Neville all either started with or started having fuck-outs a lot more regularly. Which makes the fact that they all bonded together and did this even more incredible. and Vidic had an absolutely monstrous season at the back.

Chelsea - C-. How can you change your transfer policy from 'buy cogs in an efficient machine' to 'let's just buy big names that are unproven and money-hungry, and shitty Dutch cover defenders a la Bogarde!' and expect to keep the title? They didn't have anyone supporting Drogba and Terry - Cech being out was key, as was Lampard's complete loss of form in the Premiership (as well as his already-established complete loss of form in every other competition), as was the injury-riddled back line... however, with the emergence of Essien, Mikel, Diarra, et al, they will be a force again next year, when they're all fully fit, and presumably have a quality signing or three... assuming Roman doesn't tell Jose who to buy again. Or presuming that Jose is actually still there.

Liverpool - B+. Unfortunately, our start handicapped us so we were always playing catch-up. And then we completely gave up the chase once it was established that we a) couldn't catch Chelsea and b) couldn't slip into 5th. But there's a lot of positives out of this year. Kuyt has been terrific, Crouch has been a great option at times (that I personally would have liked to see him use more, but whatever), Mascherano has been a revelation... but what I'd really like to see is an actual start to the Premiership next time, so we're not playing catch-up from the very beginning of the season right to the end.

Arsenal - B. Could have been so much worse. Injuries destroyed the season, yet they finished fourth. Henry's had some rest. RVP will be fit and raring to go. They will be a force next term.

Tottenham - A-. They didn't make or even challenge for the Champions League. They weren't assured of a UEFA Cup spot until the last day. This mark goes to their signing of the season, Berbatov - who carried them there almost single-handedly. The fact that they finished 5th, and played some inconsistent and even dire football at times on the way - really speaks about what they'll be able to do when they actually turn it on for a full season. Come on, challenge for the CL!

Arsenal to revive itself and challenge with Chelsea and Man U for the title.

Everton, and Tottenham to fight it out for the last CL spot.

Newcastle to remain in the same position after fat sam doesn't make a lick of difference.

Liverpool to go back to mid-table obscurity, where they belong.

Man City to finish above Man Utd in the league.

Hiponion to make bold idiotic announcements, just to be embarassed by his team's domestic form.

why's he so hated?

just look at him will you?!

I think a certain incident involving pissing on nightclub staff, or pissing on nightclub tables, or just 'being free' with his pissing in a nightclub has something to do with it. as well as all that foightin'! he got up to when he was a wee one (pun kinda intended).

meh.

you're hardly a footballer unless you've had a slash on something, be it inanimate or otherwise.

well, he's hardly unique in his adventures.

Captain Rio, shining light of England, Biffs Woodgate and, of course, everyone's favourite Scallywag altar boy Joey Barton have all done far worse.

throw in the Man U. christmas party and Cronaldo and Nani's sterling attempts to use every prostitute in Lancashire, and old JT doesn't come up that bad.

oh wait. yeah, he still does.

Wasn't Terry one of the Chelsea players who were drunk and abusing Americans in a hotel just after 9/11?

Glad to hear that Pique and Kuscek got special dispensation, and were given Premier League medals.

Ha ha, that's brilliant - just found out that Olaf Mellberg bought all 3000 travelling Villa fans a shirt with his name on the back, so they could wear them for his last game for them...that's just ace really.

ask any Villa fan about Olof, and they're unanimous - the guy was a total dude.

played like a bloody-minded hero, and gave his dues back to the supporters. very much a dying breed.

great guy. gave his all for the club. deserves a shot at medals and shit though.

so he went to Juve to play right back?

There is no way Juventus are going to challenge any time soon, have a look at their list.. it's made up of has beens who're just getting older. If it was 02 and Nedved was in his prime then maybe but honestly they've got nothing except for Buffon, Chillini and a few kids like Giovinco, Cristico, De Cegli and Marchiso showing some promise.

Also, Bosingwa to Chelsea for 15 million euros or something? anyone know any agents? i reckon i could get a pretty good transfer to a european club. Someone with a deep squad like Chelsea so i could just sit on the bench and earn 15k a week.

we're just gonna get beaten to every fucking transfer again this window, i just know it.

I hear you guys rejected a 40 million pound bid for Torres from Chelsea.

I hear you guys rejected a 40 million pound bid for Torres from Chelsea.

i didn't even think that bid was serious - what, after one year of his contract we'd sell the best striker we've had in 20 years? of course. there's thinking, roman.

But seriously, you guys are going to win the race to sign Sammy ''one win from eleven'' Lee, as well as solid links to Barry and Malouda.

Who knows though, get your off field shit sorted soon or your not going to have much to be thankful for, except Voronin, Kewell and Crouch leaving.

Hey, i don't think 40 million is an unreasonable amount to send Liverpool back to the doldrums for the next five years.

do you actually 'sign' backroom staff? anyway, that's more about morale - a liverpool old boy, and the gap when pako ayesteran was sacked by rafa seemed bigger to me than most people acknowledged. i think rafa's figured out (day to day) how to better handle conjecture about the seppos, but the sooner that shit is sorted the sooner we'll get some shit done. come on down, DIC...

barry might be good for us, i can't say. i'd prefer a couple of out and out wingers (if we're going to keep playing one up top ie. Torres) and some striking back up, plus a right back.

or, if we're going to splash cash on another striker to have the option of two up top, then at least an out and out left winger, move babbel to the right, plus buy a wingback. or two.

but it won't happen. rafa seems obsessed with central midfield combinations.

That gap was pretty big, there has been a number of articles about how Pako was the link between the dressing room and the coaching staff and how his departure hurt Liverpool.

Speaking of which Liverpool have gone all Voronin again and signed someone Swiss rightback named Philipp Degen from Dortmund. Apparently Boro had a look at signing him earlier this season and decided against it so make of that what you will.

That mug Joey Barton got six months jail for beating up a kid. Thank fucking god

Degen looked alright in the world cup for Switzerland, happy to get forward but not unable to defend a la Ca$hley.

Rumours are the Poolers are looking at Downing if the Barry move doesn't come off. And they've lowered their price on Carson from 10 mill to 6. A bit more reasonable, that.

Wasn't the world cup two years ago? you're right though, apparently there was a bit of transfer noise about him back then and nothing came of it, word is that he's strictly mediocre these days, i guess you could say he's *degen*erated.

Really though, if he was really that ace im sure we would have heard something about him, he wouldn't be coming out of contract and moseying off to Merseyside and lets be honest - Liverpool are settling for second, third or even their sixth choice at right back as he ain't no Daniel Alves or Bosingwa who in turn are no Sagna so you all lose.

Apparently Arsenal are set to announce that they've brought Samir Nasri for 13.5 million later today. Not sure how solid that is but it's on the BBC and was originally run in L'equip.

Surely Benitez has been tapping Barry up for long enough to make him want to leave, it'll probably be Crouch, Carson and some loose money to get Barry to move the other way. As for Downing, Benitez is going to rue letting Kewell go, i've got a bet with a friend as to him going to a mid table club and tearing it up.

kewell would thrive in a lower league.

when he's not crocked.

Yeah point taken about Degen, he's no Alves. But I don't think Liverpool are in the Man U/Chelsea/Meelan/Madrid market for ludicrously expensive defenders. I reckon they work on the law of diminshing returns and aim for slightly lower tier blokes (the exception to the rule being Torres) - you get a guy almost as good for a lot less cash. Probably explains why they're close but no banana most years.

Apparently Villa slapped an 18mill price tag on Barry which has cooled Rafa's interest somewhat.