The 2011/12 Gary Speed Memorial Thread

[stokeriño]

Because although this in known to a) the English media and b) anyone who has something to gain from making a fuss, as 'tapping up', in the rest of the world it's known as 'normal business'.

[Hobo]

Roberto Mancini used 'Offer to Clubs'.

[Lineker]

I think it's more a case of Man City just letting it happen, as his career there is clearly over anyway and they just want the transfer to happen!

[Gazz]

Stan

[Colly]

To be fair, nobody makes him 'work' for talk'sport'.

[Lineker]

. Hopefully he'll manage to pick himself up out of this rut.

[Lineker]

Aston Villa footballer Barry Bannan has been given an 18-month driving ban after admitting drinking and driving.

The midfielder crashed on the M1 near Watnall, Nottinghamshire, on 23 October then fled across fields before being arrested.

Bannan, 21, of Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, was fined £4,500.

He also admitted failing to stop after an accident, driving without due care and attention and driving on a provisional licence.

The footballer, who has been capped nine times by Scotland, was found to have almost twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system.

Nottingham Magistrates' Court heard the player had been driving for about an hour when he failed to make a bend and hit the central reservation in his Range Rover Sport at about 05:30 BST.

Bannan saw a motorway worker using a mobile phone.

Fearing he was calling the police, he panicked and made his way over fields to a taxi office in Bulwell where he was arrested.

Bannan had been on a night out with friends in Leeds following Villa's 2-1 home defeat against local rivals West Bromwich Albion.

He got a taxi to his hotel at 03:00 BST and when friends failed to return, the footballer decided to get changed and drive back to Birmingham as he feared he would miss a meeting with a football coach.

Bannan said he took the decision to drive as he felt "alert, in control and clear headed", the court heard.

The footballer, who has held a provisional licence for three years, was found to have 61 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath - the legal limit is 35.

He believed himself to be "a safe and confident driver" who practised regularly with his girlfriend who had a licence and was insured on his car, Adrian Darbishire, representing the footballer, said.

Bannan was sorry and had admitted it was "foolish and immature".

He said he had never driven under the influence of alcohol before and "never would do again".

Bannan was disqualified from driving for 18 months, but was told this would be reduced by four months and two weeks on completion of a drink-driving rehabilitation course.

The Range Rover was found to have no mechanical defects.

[Berober]

Bannan had been on a night out with friends in Leeds following Villa's 2-1 home defeat against local rivals West Bromwich Albion.

Considering both teams are in Birmingham, why the fuck would he want to go to Leeds?

Why the fuck would anyone want to go to Leeds anyway?

[DavidMarrio]

Cause it's better than Birmingham

[stokeriño]

Or...he has friends who live in Leeds.

[EddieG]

He went clubbing with Kats, didn't he?

[MDK]

There is a nice Persian place in Leeds, they do a nice falafel wrap.

[METALMAN]

Apparently, goal-line technology could be in the PL in time for next season. About time. I'm fed up of United being screwed over because of the lack of a system.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-8dOjeVC80

[MJB]

The whole ball never crossed the line

[OGpistolpete]

You guys, I need help picking a Premier team to root for.

I've only recently started watching soccer and only have gotten into the sport because me and my friends have been playing the new FIFA like crazy and will be playing FIFA together for the next two years, plus watching soccer is pretty entertaining, but I can't handle American soccer because the players suck. But I'm having a tough time picking a team, because I have literally no relations with England, have no idea where anything is, and have no real reason to root for any team.

So here is a little background of my American sports background.

- Born in Cleveland, so I root for the Cleveland Browns, who haven't won a championship since like, 1964, and are constantly the source of scrutiny and jokes. Therefore I can handle losing, and understand the level of payoff I'm putting forward for when my team wins a championship. I'm also a Cavaliers fan, even though LeBron James left, and have had my heartbroken recently with his move and his failure in the playoffs the past four years.

- I don't want to get stuck with a loser though, it's no fun trying to follow a team that won't show improvement for the next couple of years, and I just get bored of the whole thing, not really wanting to put in the time and effort to see what's going on only to see the same thing happen every time, a loss.

- I like dynamic players to get behind. While solid teams are, well, solid; I like being dazzled by someone special as well as getting behind a leader of a team.

- Tradition is very fancy, but it's hard to get behind a tradition and act like you're apart of it, when you have no idea what is going on and wasn't there for when these traditions and classic moments were established.

- I'd like a team on the road to victory, no owner who is disconnected from what's going on and the team's fans, but not a team with an owner who just shills out money left and right like the Yankees.

- Bad ass kits are a plus++++

Help me out!

[Colly]

Wigan.

[stokeriño]

- I don't want to get stuck with a loser though, it's no fun trying to follow a team that won't show improvement for the next couple of years, and I just get bored of the whole thing, not really wanting to put in the time and effort to see what's going on only to see the same thing happen every time, a loss.

Wigan.

DOES NOT COMPUTE

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

In all seriousness, Queens Park Rangers would be a good call.

[Lineker]

Tottenham!

Or Aston Villa, EWB's most-supported team it seems.

[stokeriño]

I don't like Villa any more.

I'd second QPR really. They're a much more unproven entity than Tottenham and who knows what they'll do with their potential: they could go down again, they could push on into Europe. Who knows.

Not sure about the kits, but then I can't really pick out a single PL team that has much better kits than the others.