Official Premier League 2010/11 thread

[IAceI]

We need strikers, I'd take Phillips back on a free like. Simply because if there's 20 minutes to go and we need a goal I'd much rather see a Phillips stretching off on the sidelines than virtually any other striker. Plus we only have Gyan, and there's rumours he could be off (but then there's rumours about every bloody player under the sun isn't there?).

[Colly]

If nothing else he's got that Shola-esque ability to always score in the derby, so I hope you don't get him. Sod it, I hope we do...

[IAceI]

Least Phillips can play well against other teams too. I'm sure Ameobi was put on Earth to score in the Championship and always against Sunderland. I dread to think what happens if you get the lot of them and lead the line with Shola, Sammy and Toni agaisnt us one day.

The 9-1 record that stands between us will probably be shattered

[Lineker]

Man Utd dominate 'team of the decade'

MANAGERS' TEAM OF DECADE

GK: Edwin van der Sar

RB: Gary Neville

CB: Nemanja Vidic

CB: John Terry

LB: Ashley Cole

RM: Cristiano Ronaldo

CM: Steven Gerrard

CM: Paul Scholes

LM: Ryan Giggs

S: Didier Drogba

S: Alan Shearer

[brenchill]

Shearer over Henry?

[IAceI]

Nee Bardsley? Nee Danny Collins? Blasphemy I tell you!

The Redknapp to Chelsea rumours seemed to have gathered pace (and by that I mean one outlet reported it and everyone else copied that piece) but either way I 100% can't see it happening. Chelsea will want someone in quickly to sort the team out, they can't be going and getting 2 points from 8 games just to attract Harry.

Sounds like van Basten is heavy favourite though.

[Matt]

Aside from Scholes and Neville it's hard to disagree with that. Although, who the hell has been a good right back in the last 10 years?

Edit: I suppose Shearer is pretty debatable too

[Pesci]

For the right back slot it pretty much had to be Neville, didn't it? Sagna would probably have been his closest competitor?

Henry really should've been the first choice striker. Lampard should've been there instead of Scholes or possibly even Gerrard. But apart from that it's a solid list. Surprised Gareth Bale wasn't LM with the sheer wankathon that's taken place over him this last year. He was probably second place.

[IAceI]

Bale's nee Overmars like

[Colly]

Mebbes not an out and out orthodox left winger, but I'd have thought Pires would be up there for left wing too. Can't argue with Giggs though. Shearer is debatable but only because of the number of quality centre forwards there've been. Bearing in mind he retired in 06 (with his last few years not being his best), and Henry went to Barca in 07, I wouldn't have objected to Rooney joining Drogba in the team.

I think Shearer was actually named player of the decade the decade before, were Giggs, Scholes and Neville also in that team? Impressive if so, can't argue with any of them even if G Nev is partly down the lack of a standout right back (Warren Barton notwithstanding ).

[IAceI]

I could only offer up Darren Williams or Bernt Haas so I don't think we'll be trouble the G-Man anytime soon either >_<

[Pesci]

I think the last time they did something like this was in 03 to commemorate the first 10 years of the Prem, and they had a domestic team and an overseas team.

Domestic team:

David Seaman, Gary Neville, Stuart Pearce, Tony Adams, Steve Bruce, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Paul Ince, Ryan Giggs, Alan Shearer, Michael Owen.

Overseas team:

Peter Schmeichel, Dan Petrescu, Denis Irwin, Marcel Desailly, Jaap Stam, Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira, Roy Keane, Freddie Ljungberg, Thierry Henry, Eric Cantona.

So Neville, Scholes and Giggs all made the domestic team. If they combined them you'd expect Neville to stay at RB and Giggs to stay at LM but Vieira and Keane would probably take precedence in the centre. Very impressive nonetheless but like I said, I don't think Scholes should be in for the last decade.

[Matt]

I think the last time they did something like this was in 03 to commemorate the first 10 years of the Prem, and they had a domestic team and an overseas team.

Domestic team:

David Seaman, Gary Neville, Stuart Pearce, Tony Adams, Steve Bruce, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Paul Ince, Ryan Giggs, Alan Shearer, Michael Owen.

Overseas team:

Peter Schmeichel, Dan Petrescu, Denis Irwin, Marcel Desailly, Jaap Stam, Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira, Roy Keane, Freddie Ljungberg, Thierry Henry, Eric Cantona.

So Neville, Scholes and Giggs all made the domestic team. If they combined them you'd expect Neville to stay at RB and Giggs to stay at LM but Vieira and Keane would probably take precedence in the centre. Very impressive nonetheless but like I said, I don't think Scholes should be in for the last decade.

Needs more Yeboah.

[Pesci]

Not least for this awesome story:

This month our regular columnist Peter Ndlovu recalls an unsavoury

incident from the African Cup of Nations.

"Things have been quiet this month so when I sat down to write this

article my mind went blank. Although the following tale has very little

to do with the game of football, fans will still find it quite

entertaining.

It is from the 2006 African Nations Cup in Egypt. We had just played our

final group game, ending on a high by beating a strong Ghana side but

still crashing out of the tournament. At the hotel that night we decided

to have a few drinks and toast to our victory. I had invited my friend

Tony Yeboah along (fans of English football will remember him from his

highly successful period with Leeds United) as he had been watching the

match.

The lads started giving Tony a lot of stick for his country's loss,

especially our head coach Charles Mhlauri. Tony was taking it quite

gracefully but, as a proud Ghanaian, I could sense his patience was

wearing thin. Nevertheless, the drinks kept flowing and so did the

jokes.

It came to the end of the night and some of the lads had disappeared to

bed, most notably our coach and Tony. Now during the whole tournament

Charles had personally entered the hotel rooms of our most lazy players

(Benjani was the worst) and pulled them out of bed in the morning to get

ready for training so myself and a couple of the other lads decided to

repeat the routine on him. We got the keys from reception and seven of

us bundled into his hotel room at 4 a.m. To our horror it was not

Charles who we found in bed, it was Tony Yeboah. The worst part was that

he was having sex with Charles' wife!

I quickly rounded the boys up and ushered them out of the room,

frantically hoping to keep a lid on the situation. After all, it was I

who invited Tony to the party! We found Charles in one of the hotel

bathrooms. He had had far too much to drink and crashed out.

The next morning, at breakfast, I quizzed Tony about what happened and

he delivered a line which I will remember all my life:

"When a man insults my country I insult him, by taking his woman"

Charles did eventually find out about the incident and I think he

separated from his wife for a period. The last I heard though was that

they are back together and he's now coaching in the USA.

The moral of the story is never to piss off Tony Yeboah!

[Jimmy]

Ahah, that's brilliant.

[hugobomb]

Can't blame her though, the chance to sleep with Tony Yeboah only comes once a lifetime (unlike Tony ) and you have to take it.

[Matt]

Not least for this awesome story:

This month our regular columnist Peter Ndlovu recalls an unsavoury

incident from the African Cup of Nations.

"Things have been quiet this month so when I sat down to write this

article my mind went blank. Although the following tale has very little

to do with the game of football, fans will still find it quite

entertaining.

It is from the 2006 African Nations Cup in Egypt. We had just played our

final group game, ending on a high by beating a strong Ghana side but

still crashing out of the tournament. At the hotel that night we decided

to have a few drinks and toast to our victory. I had invited my friend

Tony Yeboah along (fans of English football will remember him from his

highly successful period with Leeds United) as he had been watching the

match.

The lads started giving Tony a lot of stick for his country's loss,

especially our head coach Charles Mhlauri. Tony was taking it quite

gracefully but, as a proud Ghanaian, I could sense his patience was

wearing thin. Nevertheless, the drinks kept flowing and so did the

jokes.

It came to the end of the night and some of the lads had disappeared to

bed, most notably our coach and Tony. Now during the whole tournament

Charles had personally entered the hotel rooms of our most lazy players

(Benjani was the worst) and pulled them out of bed in the morning to get

ready for training so myself and a couple of the other lads decided to

repeat the routine on him. We got the keys from reception and seven of

us bundled into his hotel room at 4 a.m. To our horror it was not

Charles who we found in bed, it was Tony Yeboah. The worst part was that

he was having sex with Charles' wife!

I quickly rounded the boys up and ushered them out of the room,

frantically hoping to keep a lid on the situation. After all, it was I

who invited Tony to the party! We found Charles in one of the hotel

bathrooms. He had had far too much to drink and crashed out.

The next morning, at breakfast, I quizzed Tony about what happened and

he delivered a line which I will remember all my life:

"When a man insults my country I insult him, by taking his woman"

Charles did eventually find out about the incident and I think he

separated from his wife for a period. The last I heard though was that

they are back together and he's now coaching in the USA.

The moral of the story is never to piss off Tony Yeboah!

LAD!

[Lineker]

"Martin O'Neill and Aston Villa have resolved all of the issues surrounding his departure from the club in August 2010."

Bolton midfielder Gavin McCann has retired from football at the age of 33 after a 16-month absence with an ankle injury.

McCann, formerly of Everton, Sunderland and Aston Villa, will now take up a coaching role assisting the youth set up at the Bolton academy.

McCann said: "Unfortunately I've had to call it a day.

"There are times now when my ankle is sore and aches, and further down the line I will need another operation."

McCann made a total of 363 appearances at club level and won one one cap for England in a friendly against Spain at Villa Park in 2001.

He last featured for Bolton in the 4-2 defeat by Arsenal at the Emirates on 20 January 2010, and underwent surgery on his injured ankle soon after.

But despite attempting to make a return in pre-season at the beginning of the campaign, after speaking to the surgeon he made the decision to hang up his boots.

McCann continued: "I have to give thanks to the staff at Bolton, particularly the club doctor and the gaffer.

"They were accommodating and let me still train and use the facilities at the club as I tried to get back to full fitness, even though my contract had expired."

[therockbox]

A .gif that sums up this season's title race:

[Lineker]

Manuel Pellegrini's agent claims Chelsea have made an enquiry for the Malaga coach.