The life of a footballer, eh?

Expecting us to get a battering tonight. Will be interesting to see how we start. Last season Heskey abused Spurs at WHL and set up our goal in a dominating first half, as soon as he went off Spurs destroyed us and managed to pull out the win. So I could understand if we start with him. Ideally I'd like us to get with Herd, Petrov + 1 in CM with Gabby, Bent and Zog up top.

So I know I can only dream Torquay are Premiership but I'm not starting a League 2 thread, and they're English at least!

Went to see first game of the season on Sat, won 3-1 against Plymouth. Nothing to write home about, but check the 2nd goal for us in this. If Rooney did it, people would never shutup about it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15813576.stm

(think it's UK restricted... sorry).

Not bad. Not sure where the keeper was though.

He was pretty bad to be honest, we were in line with him in the 2nd half pretty much and his movement of feet was awful. Still though, that was a great goal, the fact he looks before he chips it too, it's not a hit and hope that people usually go mad for in this league.

Oh, and our other stand is getting rebuilt we're not that small time that we only have 3 stands!

Referee: Mark Halsey.

Not sure why I am bothering to even watch this game.

Ah, damn forgot MNF was on, nice one for the heads up!

5-1 Spurs. A penalty for them and a sending off for us.

Strange lineup though, 5 defenders?

Defenders? Where were they.

This prediction is looking a bit optimistic.

Yet another set peice goal conceeded. Fantastic!

Kaboul elbow on Heskey, nothing given.

That wasn't an elbow! He was just jumping and caught him. You'd get 20 red cards each game if that was a red.

--------------------

How were either of those free-kicks? Non-contact sport

Not really. Elbow to the face is a pretty routine red card.

Think both should've been free kicks though, neither Herd or Parker got the ball. Can't just run into people, or in Herds case, tackle through people.

GOAL!

Still going with 5-1. Might be more if we get advanturous though.

When it's an elbow, not when you're jumping and using your arm for leverage, people get caught all the time like that, look at centre backs when they do it to forwards all game long.

2-0, bring back Houllier!

Herd booked for a first offense while Kaboul gets awat with elbows, Classic Halsey.

Bale dived before contact too, no surprise.

Think I shall leave the Mark Halsey show half way through. Was never any point of watching it as predicted.

Adebayor scores an overhead kick and they spend 30 minutes analysing Bale walking out of the area

RIP Gary Speed, so sad.

Absolutely disgusting chants by a section of inbred Villa fans mocking it being quiet at Swansea today. So Racism you get kicked out for, but this is allowed? Ridiculous. There's no hope for some of these 'people'.

Props to the people who are respectful, on both sets of fans.

I still can't quite believe he's gone. Suicide apparently. Anyone mocking his passing belongs to the section of society of no morality, maturity, or compassion.

I was there Ash and heard nothing negative from our lot. In fact we started singing there's only one Gary Speed which their fans applauded and then Started applauding during the silence which they then followed. Thought it was an unnecessary touch of class from our fans.

Anyway, I'm firmly McLeish out now. That Swansea performance is one of the worst I've ever seen in the EPL and we still didn't win. His insistence on using Heskey as a number 10 and Delph despite being a league 1 player at beat is enough. Jeans and Bannan come on and we completely dominate, surprise, surprise.

There were chants of 'you're supposed to be at home' etc, mocking the quietness. It was heard, even on TV so yes there were a select few (not all obviously).

Future Milanista on the pitch

edit sent off

Balotelli red card? Oh dear...

Given visibly upset today as a good friend of Speeds and well done to him for playing and putting in a top performance. Fiar play to James Collins and all the Welsh lads on the Swansea team as well, playing through that can't be easy.

Carlos Tevez should be hanging his head in shame, these are real men.

You feel the need to refer to Tevez in every post you make? xD(bit of an excess imo).

Because it's relevant? These people played through a tradgedy to the death of a friend/boss. Tevez can't even be bothered to come on as a sub for no reason at all. I imagine every Welsh player in the Swansea team combined is on less than him as well.

I mean there is a plethora of other villains far worse than Tevez xD.

Indeed. But how many are linked with playing for Milan!?

Well,Berlusconi was trying to recruit gaddafi ;p.

Why? I'm getting a bit concerned to be honest...in the past few years we've witnessed a few suicides, attempts of suicide or sever depressions. Robert Enke and now Gary Speed, also the German referee Babak Rafati and a Belgian referee as well - who both were saved on time. And to add former Schalke coach Ralf Rangnick who resigned because of a "burn-out syndrome". Football's getting harder with the immense pressure.

People in football certainly do need to be watched for mental health and looked after. With the spotlight on them so much, they know everything they do in their personal lives is going to be magnified and exposed. Unfortunately the media care more about selling a few more papers than they do about peoples lives.

It's true of everyone really, I've known a couple of people go through it already and I'm in my early 20's! These aren't the kind of people you'd 'think' would be either, as often is the case it's the ones you least suspect. I think as Collymore tweeted all you can do is support them.

There are people who live their lives out there as woe is me, and my life's terrible etc. Though, most of them aren't depressed, they're just moaning. Issue is this often spreads to people who actually have clinical depression, or a similar mental health issue, that it's all down to 'being lazy', or the 'can't be bothered attitude' or the people who want to do nothing in their lives and live off benefits. That's the taboo about the subject really.

I know the older generation blame it as a new thing to mole-cuddle the younger generation, which it isn't. It's just nowadays we know more about it, unfortunately suicide has been prevalent a lot longer than the last century and this really in so many cases is the root cause, and has been for centuries, just it was something mis-understood.

I'm certainly not saying I agree with taking ones life to solve it, I have my own opinion on that but it's still a very, very sad issue. Especially for the guys immediate family, i.e. his wife & kids.

Yeah you're definitely right regarding how other people see depression. A mate of mine at school suffered with it and the teachers were crap, they used to just have a go at him for being lazy, when quite clearly that wasn't the issue. Think people have to accept that it's reality.

It seems the Swansea fans seemed quite pleased with us (taken from Swansea forum).

I almost hope we sign Tevez just to irritate you. Would you stop supporting the side if we did?

There's a rumour that a UK newspaper was about to out him as gay.

You mean Speed? If true, it would be horrible.

Depends how you define support. I would want Milan to win games still, but I wouldn't watch any.


His life gone possibly for the sale of a few extra newspapers then. Horrible.

I personally wouldn't define that as support. I'd still support and watch Milan even if we signed Artur Boruc, Kaka and Tevez. I'd get over myself - I'd always have a grudge against those players but no f*ckin' signing is going to stop me watching Milan. And as long as they produced the goods on the park for my club I'd reluctantly accept them being here.



Like I say, only a rumour. But a pretty strong one. It seems plausible.

Said paper instead printed his death as their headline, and discussed how tragic and awful it was. But of course, the accusation is just a rumour, I have no proof apart from the word of someone who supposedly works in News International.

At a time when the Leveson inquiry is in full swing, the bowels of the British press are coming under closer scrutiny and we're finding just how rotted to the core they are.

United 1-2 Palace AET

SF draw:

City-Liverpool
Cardiff-Palace

So after United got robbed last weekend and embarassed mid-week, they'll take it all out on us on Saturday. Brilliant.

Was surprised to find that no Italian player has won the Premier League before (Mecheda must never have reached the needed games played), Super Mario to be the first?

Celtic and Villa's old boss Martin O'Neill has agreed to take over at Sunderland.

Expect a massive improvement in their fortunes now.

Surprised he's gone there given they have no money. Though he supports them I think.

Uh oh!

Carson Yeung was in court the other day due to.. shall we say problems with the tax man. He is now also being sued for a none-payment on a loan. Birmingham have also now had their overdraft with HSBC cancelled by the bank.

Mass exodus in January is expected with administration looming. Shame.

Should have been a red card for David luiz!

Luiz is dreadful.

Can't argue with that. Definite penalty.

Krul on fire! Saved.

Krul is a beast!

Ryan taylor is worst than Antonini ;p