He's always gonna be respected because if nothing else he is effective. If he does get us promoted, though, he'll set a really danderous precedent for the club: when in trouble, go negative. It's a cliche but West Ham have always at least tried to play decent football, even when it's fallen flat on its face. He's also got a really bad record with youth, so the Academy (probably WH's only remaining contribution to football) is bound to suffer.

And until Sullivan and Gold sell up it's just gonna get worse.

wont the parachute payments help west ham though? i hear its something like 20m thats gonna come your way so you can attract a few big names and maybe keep a few too. you are in a lot better position than birmingham right now who overspent mid season then lost out and as a leeds fan i know how that feels. wish we had a parachute payment when it counted.

I'm not sure exactly how it works but the parachute payments are spread over (I think) three or four years so it'll be a massive yearly loss compared with being in the prem. But yeah, we're in a better position than Leeds and Birmingham.

dont forget you can have a nice away day at Millwall now too. And at Palace.
South London is lovely (shame Charlton didn't come up...)

not leeds surely, we are solvent and have a burgeoning youth team with a good manager. west ham have, sam allerdice.

Big Sam is like the rusty hacksaw that amputates your arm from a piece of agricultural machinery - It will do the job, but you'll be in agony all the way.

Yeah, I meant when things started falling apart. .

Meanwhile, It's getting worse ...

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news...cle744151.html

i was at wembley yesterday and Scott Parker looked really really good (so did wiltshire).
if (when) he goes and diouf comes its not looking good.

i really dont like diouf

12 month supply of Chloroform on standby...

Of the current squad, Parker's the only one I'd regret going. As for Diouf, even Warnock hates the spitting little fucker.

In Diouf's favour, he probably hates one (likely several) of the many other ethnic groups that most west ham fans despise, so theyll probably be able to come together over something.

that's partly the most depressing part, the prospect that he might actually win over the fans.

So, after convincing me, thousands of other Porto supporters and the president himself of this (even claiming that he had his "dream job"), that Abramovich fucker showed him the money and, guess what, none of that talk seems to matter now.

I don't blame him for wanting a bigger challenge like Premier League and much more money, but you don't create expectations and then quit one week before the season starts. A talented coach like him would still have the same or better opportunities one year from now.

The Premiership doesnt start until mid August so he probably wants as much time to bed in as he can. To be fair to Abramovich its a fairly risky appointment, all things considered winning the Uefa cup doesnt carry much for most Chelsea fans. Especially given that its a squad with alot of players around the same age as VillasBoas who have been able to throw their weight around in the past.

thats a very good point. It'll be interesting how he gets on if things go a bit wrong

Even as someone who doesn't like Chelsea I think this is the most exciting managerial appointment in the prem that I can remember. He does need to knock Terry off his perch pretty quick, though, and hopefully Abramovich will have learnt his lesson and stop tinkering in transfers and just leave Villas-Boas to get on with things.

hoping mexico wins the gold cup

WHAT A GAME!

Women's World Cup 1/4 final, England-France...
Keeper Karen Bardsley helped England alot, and I feared my compatriots would lose, til Elise Bussaglia scored some wonderful goal, 2 minutes from the end...
Then, Bardsley and her partners saving whenever France shot (that was every 2 minutes)...
And the spot-kicks, with my fave seeing her shot blocked by damned Bardsley...
Some relief in the end...
England-France : 1-1 (3-4)

Germany-Japan is quite boring up to now...
Well...

It may well wear off quickly, but I'm reasonably interested about the forthcoming season - far more than I have been the last couple of seasons. I honestly can't remember the last time I went to a match, just because I don't really feel emotionally attached to Chelsea as a team in the way that I used to. The players have some time felt more like a group of people playing for Chelsea, rather than a Chelsea team (does that make sense?) - the Chelsea shirt has seemed like the shirt that they wear when they play football, and they could just as easily pull on any other shirt and it would make no difference to them. Even the players that you used to feel would run through walls for the club (Terry, Lampard) don't inspire these days. And I just had to look on the web to check who else is in the squad these days to see who else I might have considered Chelsea through and through - that says a lot, don't you think? In fact, I could probably pass 75% of the regular starting eleven in the street (possibly do, actually, seeing as I only live about three miles from the training ground) and not know them from Adam. In the days when we were crap, I would've recognised every single one of them, and probably half the reserve squad too.

Yeah, Chelsea's just a bunch of tabloid fodder and a few add-ons these days, not a football team. Not a hero among 'em.

(Apparently, though, we have a player called Bertrand. Is that THE Bertrand?)

Aw, fuck it, the interest's worn off already. But I'm going to watch them in a pre-season friendly against Portsmouth next weekend. Maybe they'll inspire more than I'm expecting. But not too much I hope, 'cos they're a fucking expensive team to support, and I haven't got the finances to see them more than a couple of times a season.

Was there a point in that? I don't know. I think there was when I started typing, but I forget what it was now.

Yes, I'm playing with Torres for Chelsea, with a two year old toddler as manager.

It ain't that different...

I'm looking forward to seeing how Liverpool does this year. Suez is my favorite player in the league he, Andy Carroll and Charlie Adams will be there for the entire year hopefully. Delglish is also there for the entire year. If they can pick up some defensive help top 4 should be in their grasp. If Tevez leaves City do they become one year wonders? I'm rather new to this but I still can't see why Terry is so highly thought of? Chelsea's going to regret the move for Torres..

I don't think Tevez going will have that big an affect on Man City. They literally have the money to buy any player they want and if they seriously want to challenge for Champions League titles, they'll need to bring in better playerts than him. Tevez is always popular when he's happy at a club but his agent continually unsettles him.

As for Terry, a once very good defender who may be coming to the end of his shelf-life. He's a big presence in the team, maybe too big a presence and Villas-Boas is gonna have a job on his hands if he's even contemplating sidelining him.

Since Dalglish took over Liverpool, they definitely seem on the up. There seems to be 6 teams realistically looking at a top 4 finish next season (qualifying them for the Champions League: Man City, Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool. I can't see either MC, MU, or Chelsea failing to make it but any one of Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool could make the other slot. A lot's gonna depend on the transfer window, I suppose.

(i can see Tevez going to Real Madrid.)

i can't see why Liverpool sold Raul Merelles and bought Charlie Adam! Just like they forced Alonso to leave by chasing Gareth Barry. I must have missed something...but yeah, they are definitely a team who will do well this season (2nd again?)

I read he's pretty close to signing for Corinthians. A bit odd seeing as how it'll have to mean a major drop in wages.

Supposedly the move to the Corinthians is to be closer to his family who have moved back to Argentina as they just can't adjust to England and the language barrier. Yes Man U will probably stay in the top 4 because of their defense and Mancini's schemes. I actually can see Chelsea as the odd team out as they're old and bound to be bickering over playing time.

Paul if you're out there are we still going to have the liquid league this year? I hope so.

Redkapp still refusing to let Mordic go as Chelsea just upped their offer.

Also did anyone else catch the USA women against Brazil? One of the best matches I have ever watched male or female.

That's becoming silly. I respect them for standing up to a team like Chelsea but once a player decides they want to go it's difficult keeping them at any price.

And yeah, Pauly, is Liquid Football being revived for this season?

Saw it too and I felt happy the US won.
I must say I don't feel the same now Rapinoe ended French hopes (to me, she's among the best players of the tournament; she's been excellent in all her games, and it relieved me seeing her on the bench; then she came on...).

I was going crazy at home wondering when the hell she (Rapinoe) was going to get into the game. Clearly the whole game switched when she came in. She was the reason they beat Brazil and now France.

More EPL rumblings Steward Downing also on his way to Liverpool and Snjeder has signed with Man U.

Let me shrug off that insult with this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X17eJ1n4QAU

(London sink)

I'd not seen that one before. Keys and Gray really are scum, and shame on Talksport for employing them.

Paul are you out there? The Barkley Premier Fantasy Page is up and running.
I picked a team today to join a public league. Still hoping we're going to have the Liquid League as my ego wants to see if I suffer a sophomore jinx or I move up into the top 5 this year. Can't wait for the season start. Lots of switches made how will they work out. Will King Kenny bring Liverpool back to the top or is Sir Alex to cagey to be caught? Is Villas Boas the answer for Chelsea? Is Torres washed up? Will Ashley Young become a superstar at the Old Trafford? Is my man Jermain Beckford ready to bring Everton to new glory? Will Luis Suez win the Golden Boot?

sorry guys..ive neglected this place a bit! yes dont worry as soon as the game gets going ill reactivate the liquid football league for season 6. if you are in it you will be automatically reentered.

chicka if your a facebooker, hook up there. i tend to use that more than here lately.

Pauly, I've had to set up a new account cos I lost the details for the last one so if you could post the league code for LF when you have it, that'd be great.

I dunno if its worth bothering seeing as bertrand seems to sweep us all up every time. I reckon he has pictures of all the head honchos at the FA and he only keeps them under wraps if he's guarenteed to win the fantasy league year on year

ok dudes

http://fantasy.premierleague.com/

liquid football 2011-2012
364825-103705

sonic league 2011-2012
364825-103704

may as well join em both. the liquid league has really taken off over the last year or so....

Thanks Pauly.

Anyway, any of our US members see this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea6t_FCQ6Vc

Can never tell if I love Balotelli or hate him. Right now I love him but he's undoubtedly an utter wanker.

I would cut his ass and eat his contract before I'd put up with his shit. He is one for all and all for me his head is never in the game. He takes stupid fouls. Sure he's big fast and has a great shot when he feels like it problem is he never feels like it.

ok Paul I sent you a request on facebook I am also known as Mike Childs.