Latest Articles
Does SOS Stand For 'Shame Of Shankly'?
There's embarrassment from Liverpool fans after Spirit Of Shankly's talk of 'chaos' at Anfield. Plus; big-ups for Roberto Martinez, perfect penalties and lots more...
It's Time For Liverpool Fans To Trust FSG
FSG seem to have adopted a scattergun approach to appointing a new manager, but one chap says it's time to trust them. Plus, Spurs fans looking up and saving money...
All Articles
If you have anything on any subject, mail us at theeditor@football365.com
A Simpler Time
Anyone remember when football used to involve talking about what happened on the pitch?
No?
Sigh.
Brett (thinking of ignoring Man U v L'pool and slapping myself around the head instead), Fife.
The Classic Turndown
Arry says he is "flattered" to be put forward for the England manager's role. That means he is going to say no. I base this on my own experience with the ladies. Whenever I asked a girl out and she replied that she was flattered this was always a polite but firm no.
Donald Macintosh
Welcome To Our World
What a disgrace the United fans were. Throwing missiles at Suarez, excessive booing, Hillsborough chants. Shameful. Blah. Idiots. Blah. Disgrace to your club blah blah blahblah
Internet warrior A, LFC
In response to Internet warrior A's nonsense email - what a disgusting bunch Liverpool fans are. Continuing to boo Evra, Munich chants. Blah. Disgrace. Blah. Kenny Dalglish is embarassing. Blah blah blahblahblah.
Internet warrior B, MUFC
Hopefully the football will get the attention tomorrow, and these mails will fade away like the photos in Back to the Future.
Dave (Thanks to Fabio for making the fixture a bit more low-key), Paris
United Fans: Cheer Suarez
This is just a thought but have any of the United fans considered not booing Luis Suarez when he comes on at Old Trafford? I mean he's already said "they are going to spur me on if they whistle at me." And if this is true do you really want him performing any better? I'd suggest, and hear me out before you shoot me... cheering him.
Whoa! Whoa! Just hear me out for a second. Luis Suarez is fully expecting to get booed when he comes on at United (I'm assuming he wont start) right? Imagine how off-putting it'll be to come on to a standing ovation. Having fully psyched himself up for a verbal crucifixion, it'll completely put him off. It's like Chinese water torture, what really drives you crazy is the expectation, not the water itself.
David (fully expecting Suarez to get booed anyway)
Simple: Stop Buying Papers
I always seem to find myself agreeing with all those who write in and blame the media for England's failed campaigns/players/managers. I agree that the media build young hopefuls up, applying unnecessary pressure to them, and then destroy them when they fail. I agree that they treat managers in much the same way.
The thing is, the media only works if people buy into it. If people stopped buying sh*t newspapers, and stopped reading sh*t websites full of rumours, then surely the press would eventually change their ways, no? I realise that there is a huge proportion of the population who enjoy the rumours, but if you don't enjoy it then don't read it!
Maybe F365 could make a start by reporting more on genuine footballing matters rather than all the scandal and bitching.
Wishful thinking I know.
Tom, Norwich
Is There A Statute Of Limitations On Racism?
I cannot believe the depths at which The Sun have plummeted to today. To name and shame one of England's most proud and longest serving players as a racist for an incident that happened in the heat of the moment 20 years ago is an absolute disgrace.
To give Stuart Pearce that type of bad publicity on taking a caretaker role for England just proves the article written by John Nicholson yesterday (which was the best thing I have read on here in 10 years by the way) to be totally correct. The media are creating this whitewash so that Harry Redknapp gets installed as England manager and I along with millions of others are plainly sick of it. To do this to Pearce is a vindictive act which is a disgusting attempt to try and tarnish his name so that he doesn't get considered for the job full time. Therefore leaving Redknapp to stroll in with a nice pat on the backside from all the British media. Why didn't this 'story' get mentioned when he took over the England Under 21's or the GB team for the Olympics? Because he wasn't an obstacle in Saint Harry's way was he?
This stinks and I for one am not going to just accept what the media want us to believe.
Ross (Now feel like Scousers do about certain papers) Jenkins
A Response To The Fergie Suggestion
Dave and Sarovar suggest that Sir Alex of Fergusson should be considered for the England job as its bigger than the Man U job. For a start, given the monopoly that the introduction of the Premiership and Sky has created there is probably no more cushy job in the world for Alex than managing Man U. He has created a glass bubble around himself and has even become slightly deluded to a certain extent thinking that he is untouchable, make no mistake, put him in any other club in the league and he would not succeed, so why any self respecting Englishman would want him is beyond me. Also, why would Alex Ferg want to risk being shown up as no more than ordinary?
Secondly, and not to take advantage of an easy setup, if he wanted a job to take it easier in his retirement years then he would be better off managing Scotland thus guaranteeing himself a summer off at least every 2 years.
Chris ITFC (Comments in bracket that are longer than the mail itself are becoming increasingly common in the mailbox, whatever happened to the quirky one liner?) Liverpool
'Being Much Better' Probably Helps Too, But...
I found reading the last five clashes between Man U and Liverpool in the league at Old Trafford very interesting mainly from the team sheets alone.
Manchester United
Total Players Used - 23
Players with only 1 appearance - 6
Players with 4+ appearances - 8
Players with 3+ appearances - 12
Players who have played in all - 6 (VDS, Vidic, Evra, Scholes, Giggs and Rooney)
Wins - 4
Liverpool
Total Players used - 34
Players with only 1 appearance - 16
Players with 4+ appearances - 5
Players with 3+ appearances - 8
Players who have played in all - 3 (Reina, Carragher and Gerrard)
Wins - 1
I will leave you to draw your own conclusions but to me it shows that keeping a close first team for a period of time can bring more success. Liverpool's turn over in players is actually quite shocking.
I have no love for either team (the opposite in fact) but given that there are a number of 'new players' to come in both teams I wouldn't want to call this one.
Philip (Yes I know there are other factors to determine a football game, just thought this was quite interesting) Thompson.
Not Fans Of Mr Terry
To Dave regarding the JT love in. I agree... But as you say only pros/expros like him, because he is our C¿ur de Lion on the pitch. That's it. Otherwise he is an insufferable oaf, who deserves nothing but contempt.
He is a nasty racist, brute, and a thug, with no class or integrity.
For most other sane, rational, non CFC fans, they probably agree with you.
To be honest, I have been trying to figure out who I hate more over the last couple of days. John Terry or Piers Morgan.
HP - MUFC
...Re John Terry
With reference to this mornings mails from Martin's email this morning about John Terry actually being a nice guy, I would like to draw everybodys attention to a incident that occured when I was 13 or 14. I played to a relatively decent standard back then and played for my district side against teams all over the South-East. One of our biggest rivals was Barking & Dagenham who sported among others, Bobby Zamora, Paul Konchesky and the mighty JT (in a CM role) back then. One of my teammates was good mates with Terry and they played for the same sunday league side as well
I remember one summers day my mate bringing JT up to the local tennis club where I was also a member. Bear in mind that at this stage he was a nobody.
I think he was on the books of Chelsea but then so were a number of other guys I knew
So there we are, all having a few sets of tennis when JT decides to take his t-shirt off. Being a private members tennis club, some of the old boys watching went mad and proceeded to ask / tell him that we didn't do that here, and that there were standards that had to be adhered to
JT, being such a nice guy even then, turned round, looked the guys up and down and told them "to F**k off and die". He then picked up the nearest tennis ball and smashed it as hard as he could. Luckily he was rubbish at tennis so he missed by a mile but even as we walked off the court he was swearing at them and saying he'd be back to "sort them out."
Paul Higgins, Guernsey
Defending Terry
In response to Dave's mail this morning in which he questions the 'JT love-in', I am happy to offer my tuppence.
To be honest I'm astounded by the sheer volume of people that demonstrate such extreme hatred for one footballer. Sometimes I have to pinch myself and double check that this man is a professional footballer, and not some megalomaniac terrorist that has our grandmothers dangling over a pit of very pi**ed off rattlesnakes.
This hatred was evident for years before the racism allegations and Bridgegate, and has seen wave after wave of bitterness in the mailbox with constant references to his wrongdoings and unsuitability as an England player. Some people even complain about his behaviour some ten years earlier when he was a teenager, or that they couldn't handle England winning a World Cup if he lifted the trophy! Scores flock in just to write, "I hate John Terry. That's all". It's an obsession, you've told people before but they must know again and again, just in case they might have forgotten.
People like me just don't understand where this obsession comes from and as is often the case, you begin to conclude that the haters are far more troubled than the hated. I'm not here to defend the guy on every accusation made and am sure he can be a kn*b, but could we get one thing straight? JT did not cause Capello's exit and was not 'dishonourable' in remaining part of the England camp. Again, this is a view of such irrational extremities that it becomes pointless arguing otherwise.
In summary, there is no JT 'love-in'. The problem is that Dave's view has become so black and white that perspective is completely lost.
Boris Chapman
International Apathy
Right on John Whelan, LUFC, Dublin. I get so bored of international weeks I lack the motivation to complain. And when Don Fabio handed his notice in my first thoughts were something along the lines of:
'this is going ruin all aspects of f365 this week' and then a little bit of
'ooooh, if this messes up Spurs' season it'll be funnier than lasagne'
Don't care basically.
James, (English) Gooner in Cardiff
A Big Weekend For Adebayor
He's being a bit of a Heskey for Spurs at the moment - not in the same style but making the same important contribution without bagging a lot of goals. His work rate (not something we were expecting) is helping van der Vaart and Bale, both of whom play in more-or-less free roles, keep the goal tally increasing.
It takes an intelligent player to work around those two - filling in on the left while Bale is playing through the middle, holding the ball up while vdV moves from a deeper position and passing accurately around an often congested penalty area - it's much appreciated by many Spurs fans.
He's also had three legitimate goals rules out for offside (the one at Stoke being particularly harsh) which would make his statistics look an awful lot better - not that they are terrible as it is.
I'm sure there will be some fans who will be moaning about him - particularly as he has had one or two of his poorer games more recently, in part because we've allowed him to be isolated but also because his first touch has deserted him on occasions, but I'm very happy with his contribution to a very entertaining season and would gladly sign him on a permanent basis is Citeh hadn't ruined the game with the ridiculous wage inflation they have created.
Audrey S. Thackeray
P.S. A friend referred to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as Oxlade-Chamberpot the other day which made me laugh. Maybe it is time for a few collections of childishly amusing alternative names given to footballers.
Pithy
Is Adebayor the new Heskey? No way, he doesn't fall over enough.
Alex G, THFC
Other Suggestions For England
Tony Adams.
Passion - Tick
Leadership - Tick
Experience of managing abroad - Tick
England caps - Tick
Looked after a club Harry Redknapp bankrupted - Tick
Outside bet - Big Tick.
Matt Kidd
...If the next England manager should be somebody that the players can respect and relate to, but doesn't necessarily need to be adept at tactics, and to the FA, money is no object, here is a far more influential alternative.
He speaks in language that the players understand, due to his lack of knowledge he would ensure that things are kept simple. The players no doubt already have huge respect for him, and would therefore be willing to try and impress him.
His box office draw would ensure bumper profits for the FA, and his missus would force the WAGs to up their game from their current amateur level.
Ladies and gentleman, I put forward, none other than Jay-Z.
VJ(99 problems...) WBA
Any Ideas?
With all of this business about Redknapp and the England job, I read Mediawatch today (of course) and there it reminded me of a question that has been nagging at me for a while. Why are managers' contracts so different from footballers i.e. if Fabio Capello can resign, why can't Carlos Tevez? And if clubs have to negotiate with other clubs for player sales, why is it not the case for managers? Anyone got any ideas?
Alex Gibson
Theory
Heart-warming tale about John Terry from Martin Coad. But why was JT so keen for this young lad to go on holiday as far away as possible? I note he took his mother with him so presumably his girlfriend stayed behind in England.
Matt Pitt
...I read the link provided by Martin Coad and found it very heartwarming about the other side to John Terry.
I sit here now full of the joys of decency and benevolence, and of the opinion that I still think he is an first class w****er.
Peter H.
Idea
Am I the only one who would like to see Martin Lipton have a crack at the England job?
Gareth (Alex Ferguson has turned down the England job twice because he's Scottish, last time I checked he still was)
