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Rio Ferdinand merks Peter Crouch

'Look out Crouchy, we're comin' for ya…' Rio has less charisma even than Ashton Kutcher, and that's some feat. I love the fact that Crouchy orders an orange squash though. Top man.

January 31, 2007 in Funny old game | Permalink | Comments (0)

Other transfer deadline news

Larsson_0506birmingham A few of the bigger transfer comings and goings listed below. Not the most exciting transfer deadline day ever, but still, a few interesting deals to mull over:
To ease the loss of Matty Upson, Birmingham sign loan star Seb Larsson (pictured) from Arsenal on a permanent basis
Everton sign Portuguese midfielder Manuel Fernandes on a six-month loan deal from Benfica
Stoke captain Michael Duberry (ex-Leeds and Chelsea) moves to Reading
Spurs' Swiss midfielder Reto Ziegler moves to Sampdoria on loan
Former England left-back Michael Ball is on his way to Man City, from PSV Eindhoven
Leicester City's talented midfielder Gareth Williams moves to Watford

January 31, 2007 in News balls | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hooray, somebody spent some money! Matthew Upson moves to West Ham

UpsonAlan 'Last of the Big Spenders' Curbishley is the first Premiership manager to splash some decent cash on transfer deadline day. Curbs has taken Birmingham City defender Matthew Upson to West Ham for an initial £6 million. The 27-year-old has decided a five-month jaunt in the Premiership is just what he needs before returning to Championship football with the Hammers next season! [Rob Parker]

January 31, 2007 in Rumours & gossip, West Ham United | Permalink | Comments (0)

Roll up, roll up, it's transfer deadline day – 40-year-old striker going cheap

_41514030_teddypa300 Today is the last day of January and that means one thing: transfer deadline day. Start the clock… Actually, it seems that there's not going to be too much last-minute action, which is a bit dull. That could change as the day progresses, so we'll keep you posted. A few titbits though:

There's news of Mascherano's loan deal to Liverpool (yet to be confirmed), rumours that a disgruntled Teddy Sheringham (still with Danielle Lloyd) will leave West Ham (for yet another London club?), while the Gareth Bale saga will be resolved with him staying at Southampton, at least until the end of the current season. Apart from that, not a lot to report at the moment…

January 31, 2007 in Rumours & gossip | Permalink | Comments (0)

Deja Vu: Arsenal vrs Spurs in 1987 League Cup Semi Final

Tonight, Arsenal take on Spurs in the decider for a place in the league cup final. Well, it must be deja-vu for some fans as 20 years ago, the two sides met in the 1987 league cup semi final, and what a thriller it was! Back then, Arsenal hadn't won a trophy since 1979 and Tottenham were the more successful of the two teams and were favourites to go through. Arsenal lost the first leg at home 0-1. In the second leg Arsenal won 2-1. Now, in those days, there was no away goals rule, and no penalties, so a third match had to decide the outcome. Watch the video below to see what happened, and pay your respects to Gunner legend David Rocastle who is sadly no longer with us...

January 31, 2007 in Arsenal, Classic Moments, Tottenham Hotspur, Video clips | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mascherano free to end West Ham nightmare, join Liverpool

92739 Liverpool have been given the green light from FIFA to sign West Ham's Argentine midfielder Javier Mascherano. The deal was in doubt because Maschy had already played for two clubs competitively this season – the Irons and Corinthians of Brazil; under FIFA rules, no player can play for three teams in a season. A statement from FIFA read: 'After due consideration of all aspects, the FIFA single judge ruled that "upon registration for Liverpool FC during the present registration period, the player Javier Mascherano is eligible to play in official matches with the said club with immediate effect".'

I'm glad to see his West Ham nightmare end. He's been shabbily treated at Upton Park – I'm willing to bet he'll do much, much better at Anfield, under a decent manager.

January 31, 2007 in Liverpool, News balls, West Ham United | Permalink | Comments (0)

Liverpool win with the power of soft rock

Bonnie_tylerYesterday, as a treat for their suffering fans, West Ham put some half time entertainment on for their game against Liverpool. Bonnie Tyler belted through a rendition of Total Eclipse of the Heart in an attempt to stir the home fans into action. Hilariously, this backfired massively when Liverpool emerged enthused by the power of soft rock and scored two wonderful goals just after the break.

So, with the debate raging about Liverpool's chances at winning the Premiership, it seems that West Ham have inadvertantly come up with the winning formula. Soft rock at the interval. So, if you're listening 'Pool, I believe Europe have a bit of time on their hands and will be willing to belt out 'The Final Countdown' for you at Anfield. Any other suggestions readers? [Mof Gimmers]

January 31, 2007 in Funny old game, Liverpool | Permalink | Comments (1)

One to watch: Julius Aghahowa

The latest Nigerian international striker to make the Premiership their stomping ground is Wigan's new signing Julius Aghahowa. The 24-year-old has a decent goalscoring record at international level. He is also the proud owner of a somersault celebration capable of making Lomano LuaLua look distinctly underwhelmed at scoring! Here is a compilation of some of his goals (starting with the scrappiest first, I presume).

[Rob Parker]

January 31, 2007 in Players to watch | Permalink | Comments (0)

Are Real Madrid bang out of order in their bid to sign Cristiano Ronaldo?

Newcristianoronaldophoto119 Real Madrid are turning up the heat in their advances to Cristiano Ronaldo, but Man U are putting up a stiff resistance. The Guardian reports that Fergie is rather concerned about Real Madrid's apparent interest in Ronaldo, and claims that he and his assistant, Carlos Queiroz, have both spoken in private to Ronaldo since he returned from a five-day break to Dubai last Friday. We don't know what they said to him, but imagine it's along the lines of: 'Madrid is not right for you, stay with us son…'

Are Madrid out of order? Or is this just a harmless bit of 'sounding out', and therefore little different to United's persistent quest to sign Owen Hargreaves? The decision is yours…

January 31, 2007 in Manchester United | Permalink | Comments (1)

THE VOTE Can Liverpool win the Premiership this season?

Picture_1_276 So here's the top of the table. Having predicted at the start of the season that Liverpool would win the Prem this season (yes, I also thought Reading were 'dead certs' for relegation, so what the hell do I know…), I'm happy to report that we now have a three-way clash for the title. Granted, it will take a major slip-up from Man Utd to let Chelsea or Liverpool back in, but you have to admit that Rafa's Reds look like a very well-drilled, hard-ro-beat team at the moment. If Fergie and Jose end up squabbling, could Liverpool yet sneak under the radar and win the title?

January 31, 2007 in Vote | Permalink | Comments (0)