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Backing City's Boycott
The news that Manchester City have returned tickets for the game at Arsenal (c.800 I believe) due to a boycott I think is to be applauded. It's good to see a fan base finally take a stand against ludicrous prices. It is worth pointing out that the £62 they are being charged is the equivalent of the cheapest home ticket too. Arsenal fans are paying that amount or more on Sunday.
Obviously this is an Arsenal-bash-fest in the media but this is a football wide issue. City fans paid £60 at Chelsea in November (as will Arsenal fans in a fortnight's time). I have paid £50 at City and Liverpool this season watching Arsenal and it is that again for Fulham, Chelsea and Spurs later in the season. I've also spent over £40 at Villa, Stoke and United. I paid £45 at Birmingham in 2008.
I also do a bit of lower league football. £17 for Fleetwood v Wycombe? £18 to watch Wrexham in the Conference? Hardly joyful value for money.
Ticket prices are a football wide issue.
The truth is that until more fan bases take action as the City guys have we will continue to be fleeced. I hope that the City boycott is a watershed moment and encourages further action. Let's see. But as football fans united we really should be doing more about this.
Tom (empty seats won't look good on TV for a start) Cheshire Gooner
...Just wanted to say kudos to the City fans who have not bought a ticket to see the Arsenal game. £62 is ridiculous, on top of travelling down, food, drink etc. Maybe now you can understand why Arsenal fans are such a curmudgeonly bunch! The only way clubs will learn is by such boycotting.
Also, why bother go watch that match when half the decent Arsenal players on the pitch will be in their sky blue soon enough anyway.
John Matrix AFC
Congrats To Bradford
Congratulations Bradford, you were superb, you did your homework and made us look like the lower league team.
As for villa, I'm lost for words. I'm so confused/angry/frustrated that I can't even begin to get my point across. This pathetic email alone has taken 6 attempts.
You've done us fans over in the past but last night was a whole new level
Alex Sheedy
Unhappy Villa Fans
*When we got beat by Chelsea I said "keep the faith, bad day at the office"
*When we lost to spurs, I held my head up high and said "come on boys, do not despair"
*When we lost to Wigan, I sighed and said "we're turning a corner, the lads will come good"
*When we lost to Bradford City, I slumped into my chair and cried "We. Are. Sh*t."
Gumbo AVFC
...I like Paul Lambert and I think he can take us places (namely the top 8/6 in a year or two), but if we don't buy a new, experienced centre back we will get relegated and he will be rightly sacked. I'm not against him yet but time is seriously running out, we are all over the place at the back and all we need is someone to show some leadership and experience. We have Southampton at the weekend, and with our back four we are going to have to outscore them and I'm not convinced we can. Lose on Saturday and I'm afraid to say it but I think it might have to be the end for him. At least Mark Hughes can spot a centre back, Samba and Kompany to name 2!
Tim, AVFC
...So apparently you need defenders to win games. Can someone let Paul Lambert know.
Paul O'Sullivan
Is Lerner To Blame?What else can you do but laugh. We concede a jammy goal to a rubbish lower league team, dominate the 2nd half then concede a 2nd. At least that saves us from another thumping at the hands of Chelsea.
The problem with Villa is we're trying to play passing football with a team full of sh*t players. It's both amusing and agonising at the same time. Pass, pass, then pass to nowhere.
Look there can be loads of analysis of what happened over the past few weeks, but most of it is pointless. We're a really really really bad football team, with a pretty sh*t manager to boot. We just got to hope there are 3 teams worse than us.
There probably isn't so down to the Championship we may go. Damn right deserve to on evidence of the rubbish I've seen. Not making a Cup final is the least of our worries.
But make no mistake Lerner is the man at fault for what has happened to my club. Never in football have I detested a person more than him. The scale of the party I will have should we rid ourselves of his ownership would make the 9 o'clock news.
Conor Byrne
On Hart's Injury
Whilst channel surfing last night after a particularly enjoyable gamed between Bradford and Villa I stumbled across what I thought must have been a replay of an international game. Having seen a very decent League 2 Bradford side take 3-1 lead against a vulnerable looking Premier League (Not Premiership) Villa side, my faith in the wholesomeness of football was reinvigorated so an international replay was just the ticket I thought.
I had obviously joined during an injury to the keeper as Joe Hart was on the floor holding his head. The commentator, who I couldn't place, suggested that it looked serious. I tried to recall what game this could be, I couldn't remember Joe getting any kind of head injury in recent games.
Next thing the physio has come on and has started giving Joe Hart a shampoo. On the pitch. WTF! I thought to myself. It turned out that Joe had dandruff. Dandruff FFS, which was cured by a popular anti dandruff shampoo. Obviously by now I realise it's an advert. I am not one for perusing the TV much unless there is some kind of sport on, but do they not pay Joe enough at City so that he can keep away from such, mahoosively embarrassing ventures. What size bag of money do they have to put in front of you before agree to such a thing, or has it got to the stage where players will hock anything if enough 000's are added to the cheque.
I'll probably be rebuked with cries of you would do it for the money, and why shouldn't they, but am I the only one who was shaking my head in disbelief at what our top internationals are prepared to do nowadays. Is there a more embarrassing advert that I am not aware of? Who will advertise the first lady-type hygiene product? Jesus wept.
Chris ITFC, Liverpool
Beating Danny
Thank you mediawatch, I now know that I have the same number of fantasy football league points as Danny Higginbotham thus giving me incentive to keep playing through what has been a stumbling, below par season as I direct my efforts to trying to beat him. Squeaky bum time.
Incidentally, the best measure of a footballer having a great season is if he is doing well in spite of being in my team (RVP, Mata, Baines this season). Any other mailboxers feel putting players in their fantasy teams is equivalent to giving them the "kiss of death" or the "Pele prediction of greatness"?
Hakim (Ronaldo never let me down) Abdulhussein
Remember Pirlo, Roman
Dear Roman,
Please consider what happened when Berlusconi decided Pirlo was no more worth it and let him go on a free to Juventus.
Aravind, (Fergie is a vulture circling around Lamps; Roman please use some perspective), CFC, Chennai
Cupla Ideas
Liverpool should offer to play Mansfield in a preseason friendly in July. This would have a number of benefits: it would fill up Mansfield Town's bank account. It would restore some goodwill towards Liverpool. It would also help Liverpool prepare for playing Stoke in the regular season.
Phil Dewhurst LFC NYC
...I think there is only one logical way to truly see who is the best footballer on the planet and therefore the winner of the Ballon D'or. Wembly singles, simple. 10 players nominated, 10 players compete and the last one standing wins. If Ronaldo and Messi make it to the final, it would make for an intriguing battle, no ref so no diving, I think Ronaldo would just edge it knowing that he can finally be crowned the world's greatest with the destiny in his own hands. Although my money would be on Zlatan, he would have his way really, wouldn't he?
Ben (Graham Souness would own the Ballon D'or) Howarth
Who's Laughing?
Why do certain people continuously think these individuals awards are decided by some homogenous beaurocratic body? "UEFA hates the EPL" Really?
F365 you have done nothing to banish this myth and somehow I see you sniggering in the corner somewhere whenever you read one of these comments, knowing better you should be doing more to inform the unwashed masses, regardless of your indifference to these awards.
The awards are chosen by a wide array of people in football, coaches, national captains and journalists. I don't think you could have a more comprehensive poll than that, yes it will boil down to a popularity contest but the law of numbers tell you with a wide enough sample you will eventually get the correct result, which is the case for the Ballon D'or.
The FIFA/FIFPRO world XI has a lot of people up in arms at the lack of representatives from outside Spain, boo-hoo. The only exception I would have in that Team is Marcelo, I would replace him with Alba who was the stand out left back at the Euro's and was excellent for both Valencia and Barcelona. Gerard Pique's inclusion is also controversial as he was not on form for his club but was excellent in the Euro's and it wouldn't be the first time a performance across a single tournament has been sufficient to see someone scoop individual honours (Cannavaro in 2006 anyone?).
Apart from that you could argue for either, Van Persie or Silva, but that's all it will be an argument beucase you cannot categorically say that Silva deserves his place ahead of Iniesta (Player of the tournament in both Champions League and Euro's, in fact had the Ballon D'or still been a separate award from FIFA he would have won it hands down IMO) or Van Persie above Falcao (Europa league winner, UEFA Super cup winner with hat-trick to boost).
As for the idea of giving other a chance, that's literally the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Why have the award at all the in first place then if you know that the best player won't win it because you want to give others a chance.
Get over it guys, accept that there are better players elsewhere, all you have to do is look at how Mata, Silva, Carzola, Michu, Aguero et al where good players in Spain but not good enough for the Big two, yet in England they are 5 of the best players in the league. Enjoy your league and stop moaning about UEFA/FIFA conspiracies against England, it makes you look stupid.
Sizwe (Bafana Bafana looking good for Afcon 1-0 loss to 3rd string Norwegian side) JHB RSA
