And if you have something to say, drop us a line or two at theeditor@football365.com...
It Says Here That Tottenham Can Still Challenge For The Title Or At Least Catch Any Other Club, Bar Chelsea & Manchester United, Despite Starting The Season Three Months Late
Enough is enough. I have done my best to support my team but if those in charge of the club don't act quickly we may finish the season without silverware or even a UEFA cup place.
Winning the Carling cup made for a great afternoon, but since then Ramos has been completely ineffective. I don't know any Spurs fans who actually wanted him to be brought in when he was. Why did the board think an unproven foreign manager with no experience of English football at all could cut it? They should accept their mistake and ask Ramos to leave.
It's crucial that we get our next appointment right and bring in someone who can really push us on into the top four. I think Mark Hughes is probably ready to take on a position at a top club, failing that we should bring Mourinho back from Italy as he clearly hasn't settled well there.
This should at least improve the situation and then in January we can address the problems on the pitch. Finally concluding the deal for Arshavin and bringing in someone like Sergio Aguero should see things get better very quickly, and as there are no stand out teams in the league apart from Chelsea and Manu who knows how far we might go, even giving our rivals a two or three month head start?
Arthur S.
Fortunately, Some Of Them Aren't Completely Daft
I was at the Hull game yesterday, and what was interesting was that there wasn't much in the way of chanting for 'Ramos out' or chanting of anything. Everyone just seemed to be stunned and at a loss for what the solution is.
There's no doubt that Ramos's chopping and changing, and bizarre selections (Bentley coming on as right back? No left mid all game?) hasn't helped, but if he's sacked, what happens then?
The next manager will have the same problems that Ramos and Jol faced - they don't get to decide who stays and who goes.
It's not Ramos's fault we don't have a left winger, decent tackling midfielder or a decent striker. He could do things to help his position out, but if he goes, the next guy who comes in (Poyet presumably) will have the same problems. Commoli needs to go, and Levy needs to have a look at the structure he's put in place. Let the manager buy 1st team players and let the DOF bring in the youth.
Mark Cruise
...David Bentey at right full-back!!! Ramos just proved the point I was making last week even further. Fu*k me, why do you spend £15m on a creative midfield player to play him at full back?
Jamie who responded to my mail last week was clear;y 100% right on what he said about me. I must be an idiot for stating the points I made. Though there were 33,000 odd other idiots who were present with me at the Lane yesterday wondering what the ***k Ramo was doing again. Coupled with the substitution of Aaron Lennon who was getting some joy down the right flank. And Frazier Campbell left side of midfield again? Mystifying, soul-destroying.
People are saying oh wait til we get to the transfer window and we can sort out the striker situation. I'd like to see us try signing a world-class or decent-class striker into a team lodged in a relegation battle. One who currently has less points than what Derby had at this point last year.
Karl "Anyone want to buy Jermaine 'Houdini' Jenas, from us?", Dublin
What A Difference A Manager Makes
Martin Jol's Hamburg: Top of Bundesliga
Juande Ramos' Spurs: Bottom of Premier League
Arun S
Apparently It Is A Laughing Matter...
What is the difference between Tottenham Hotspur and a triangle?
A triangle has 3 points.
Zubair Umar MUFC
...Dear David Bentley,
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.
Love and Best Wishes,
Paul Ince xxx
Wahee!
'Mrtn Skrtel Dmges Lgmnts'
Fantastic headline. Give whatever kid in the sub office on work experience, who thought this up, a big pat on the back.
Gordon 'can't we all agree on one team to support?' Hunt
....Seriously, that was brilliant. Did you really intend to test the notion "that proficient readers read most words (except very long ones) principally through the first and last letters and a rapid recognition of the general shape and content of the entire word," (Sylwester, 2003, http://www.brainconnection.com/content/198_1) or were you just taking the p**s? Either way, I lol'd a little this morning. As Joe Kinnear would say, "Fair play, you tea-sipping, Corrie-watching, misshapen c***s."
David Perez
Why Owen Hasn't Been Selected
Those wondering why Capello does not select Owen or think he should at least be bench material are missing the point.
You can select a team that might be a little dodgy but you take out some insurance in the form of Owen. If it all goes t*ts up, he may come and score one and save our bacon. This strategy has killed England over the years.
On the other hand you can select a team based on strong fundamentals and a strategy to succeed. It has a higher degree of risk at the beginning but once the team gels the returns are higher. But it requires a manager with balls ~nd experience) to try.
Its like at work where someone has no idea what he is doing, screws things up royally but then pulls off some amazing feat to save things and gets applauded. But the guy who quietly gets the job done properly, the first time, gets overlooked.
Owen did England proud at one time and there may be room for him in the future, but this team is starting to play a better style of football than under the previous managers. And actually becoming fun to watch.
Paul McDevitt
Bad Karma Folks
Subject: Martin Skrtel
I just want to respond to some of the idiots who contributed to this morning's mailbox who suggested that Skrtel had it coming. They are a bunch of sick t*****s, how can any injury be deserved?! How can anyone take pleasure in seeing someone in so much pain and be happy that the injured footballer is on a lengthy lay off. Football is a contact sport, Skrtel is like every other premier league defender - he is very physical so to suggest he had it coming is complete and utter b******s. Look at the treatment Torres, Ronaldo, Fabregas and other top stars get from the meanest defenders in the league. For example, Dunne always kicks the crap out of Torres, but if Dunne was to get injured and break his leg- i would most certainly not say he had it coming. In fact I applaud these defenders, because they take the risks no other players do in other parts of the pitch. Defending can be a dirty game, but someone has to do it. The t*****s from this mornings mailbox need to grow up and get a reality check.
Bismillah Choudhry, LFC Fan
And Staying On The Subject
So in short, David O is comparing a wee scratch on the opposing player's back (out of action for approx. 35 seconds) and a red card (which no Liverpool fan can deny Skrtle deserved for that kung fu kick, accumulating in a mandatory 3 match ban) to damaged ligaments (out of action for X months).
I'm fairly certain anyone who's been injured in such a way wouldn't wish it upon anyone.
But alas, David O goes there. Congrats, you got your name in the mailbox - and now everyone knows David O from London is a c**t.
"You reap what you sow" - indeed you do, you c*nt.
Alan (I have an actual last name) Taylor, Aberdeen
No, Far From AloneAm I the only person in the country to notice that when Robinho performed his "miss of the season" yesterday that he was a good two yards offside? Not one person, including "expert" Lawro on MOTD2 noticed this. How do I get a job on the Beeb?
Dave (Warrington)
Good Injuries For ManYoo
Injuries are never a good thing, even if they are to Carrick, but at last, with Scholesy, Hargreaves and Michael all out, Anderson can get a run of games. Woo-hoo.
Joe D
Money Matters At Sunderland
Ren Fernando painted a picture of little Sunderland having no where the resources of the mighty Goliath that is Arsenal, as an excuse for his team to sit back and defend at home.
Well hers' a little fact for you Ren..... Sunderland squad actually cost more to put together than Arsenal's.
Mally Smith
...So, Ren Fernando thinks that Arsene Wenger has a lot more moolah to fiddle with than Roy Keane does he? Like Roy Keane is some kind of football management hobo with his scruffy beard, roaming the streets for any old bit of soccer sustenance to get him by from game to game.
He may look like a beggar but bugger me, poor man Roy has spent a frigging fortune in just three transfer windows in the Premiership. The only thing thats cheap about him is his ambition. Spunking a small fortune to steal points and survive. If I was a Mackem I'd be expecting a bit more entertainment from my club and I'd be annoyed with the manager's 'no easy games' mantra after every bloody match.
I can understand a crap and frugal team like say, Stoke, playing like that but not free-spending Sunderland.
Jesus H Flippin' Christ.
Nick Price, Stoke-on-Trent
Just A Selection Of The Mails We Received On This
Dear F365,
To Sunil, LFC, I have a couple of points to make:
1. Kuyt might have vented his frustration admirably at the turf rather than the referee, but don't forget one of your own players -- Mascherano -- was ultimately partly responsible for bringing forth the "respect" campaign, his endless ear-bashing of the referee at Old Trafford last season that ultimately led to his thoroughly deserved dismissal being a textbook example of what the FA were trying to stamp out. Also, are you seriously claiming Gerrard is no diver?
2. I am old enough to remember when Liverpool used to win the league and your team were indeed red monsters back then. No-one liked you, apart from your own fans and the BBC (the latter being a subset of the former). I remember very clearly the unbridled joy with which Arsenal's title win in 1989 was greeted outside Merseyside (and part of north London, presumably). People don't particularly like Liverpool now; if you win titles -- which you won't, not this season anyway -- you will be hated, mark my words.
Griff
...Clearly, Sunil LFC, you didn't watch the Murkydive derby last weekend if you think Liverpool don't have players who dive or rant at the officials! Torres should have been carded at least twice for his ranting at the ref and linesman. One time - after Carragher had dived to try and get a freekick, without getting booked might I add - Torres ran 30+ yards to have a go at the ref for not giving a foul on him when he was beaten in a shoulder to shoulder challenge by Jagielka.
And clearly Sunil you missed the three dives in one match from Stevie Me last year against Blackburn. Instead of being booked and then sent off, the referee had a laugh and joke about it. Also it seems you look away from your TV (you clearly never go to a game) whenever any kind of decision is given against Carragher, he whinges and makes "dissenting gestures" a hell of a lot more than most players in the league.
Make no mistake Sunil, Liverpool have just as many whinging, cheating, diving b@stards as every other team in the league.
Jelly, Salford
Not Such A Great Comeback
I really had to take exception to the comment I heard on Match of the Day 2 last night when the announcer (not sure who it was) referred to Liverpool's 3-2 victory over City as "one of the greatest comebacks in Premier league history". I mean, come on, was the comeback really THAT incredible, I get the feeling the announcer is a Pool fan. Full credit on the fight back to Pool, impressive stuff, so no disrespect to their deserved victory, but you almost felt there was inevitability about the whole affair after the red card (which is a compliment to Pool).
The facts are Pool scored their first in the 56th minute and played the last 25 minutes with an extra attacker. Compare this to last year when Arsenal came back from a two goal deficit to beat Bolton 3-2 after having Diaby sent off in the 31st minute, and Arsenal didn't even get their first til the 62nd minute.
Not to mention that it kept Arsenal in the title race (albeit fruitlessly in the end), coming when morale was down on the back of 4 draws (including the infamous Eduardo Birmingham game), and a loss to Chelsea where Sagna got injured as well.
Now that is what I call a great comeback.
Angus - N16 Gooner (as you probably guessed)
