The9

Well it's not a bloody kit launch if those rumours are true.

Is this you volunteering to get bitten by a police dog ? Because it sounds like it. I don't think there's one other person on this forum that intends to invade the pitch to protest that our "head coach" isn't committing his future to the club. In fact I'm not sure that many are bothered, he's only been here about 4 months, and if nothing else the manager change has shown there's not much difference in that time overall. Personally I couldn't give a toss whether he SAYS he's staying or not, it's what he's thinking that important, and by pinning his colours to the Chairman's mast what he's saying is "I'm here to do a job for the person who appointed me", not "damn I love Saints so much".

I went in on crutches in L1 against MK Dons - the club was happy to swap my season ticket to put me in the ambulant section, but the useless feckers insisted we walked around to the ticket office to hand it over to get my ticket, and then back again afterwards to collect the ST. This somewhat reduced the convenience, but then this IS a club that won't let disabled fans buy tickets online so they all have to queue outside at 9am to get (away) tickets... However, the Stoke game has already sold out, so good luck with that.

If nothing else this thread is outing the people who have never seen Bearsy comment before.

Actually I only just read this.

Course, there's "plain red" and there's "plain red" : And the away kit would sound like it wouldn't be far from this :

Is it ?

This template then (minus the sash before people all get excited) : How do you know ?

Seems to have been officially unveiled yesterday, along with that news : http://www.stokecityfc.com/news/article/away-kit-821790.aspx EDIT : I see you posted it in the matchday thread on the 14th at 2pm, so the day before.

Yes, that Nike sponsor the Premier League match ball.

Couple of hundred try and a few get bitten by dogs, other people who just want to clap and go home shout abuse at them for ruining the lap of the pitch. As opposed to the previous occasions with thousands streaming on near spontaneously in celebration and everyone else going "may as well then" for a while afterwards.

This makes precisely no sense. What does the FA get out of "keeping player values up" and why would a player be worth more if he came with the added risk of international injury, as opposed to the same quality player who was not playing in internationals ?

Hodgson on Sky Sports News (contains the bit trousers quoted) : "For a long time we didn't consider Andy Carroll because he was injured, but since he's come back from injury he's always been very much in our thoughts, and I think he is the type of player that gives another dimension to our squad, and gives us other possibilities if we care to use them. And finally in answer to your question, I'm not concerned about his playing style, I think there's always gonna be room for a centre-forward of his class and his type who are good at holding the ball up, as a centre forward and particularly very good at attacking crosses, not only in the opponents' penalty box but also in your own penalty box." I have much less reason to respect his argument now he's basically said "we need a big heading donkey up there and he's also better than Lambert at holding the ball".

I believe that has been done.

Which bit in particular ? I'm pretty sure the players will say whatever they think the person they consider their boss would like them to say.

There's no proof of motive on either Cortese or the Family's part, nor is there any proof that the Family weren't going to fund CL football anyway without Cortese's posturing, or that Cortese does actually want to pursue the CL ambitions, or any proof of the £2m wage figure you've quoted. Basically, I'm arguing that we don't know the specific reasons for the current positions, and you've decided exactly what they are why it's happening.

I mean "is it Cortese or the Family who pays the money into the account that gets sent to the players?".

Which parts are proven ?

More likely that the Liebherr family are not likely to engage in such transparent media manipulation, so Cortese has free reign in getting everyone to say what he wants them to. Does beg the question "who pays the players?" though.

Fair point. Raaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaage ! Buys newspaper, Raaaaaaaaaaage ! Explained by sensible person, backtracks on rage.

I couldn't work out the Swansea argument either... I can see why he's picked Carroll too, smacks of desperation though.

Nothing twisted about it, it's the only way to interpret what he said about Lambert and Holt being a particular sort of player more like Carroll than Sturridge/Welbeck/Defoe, and then him picking Carroll after blathering on about giving younger players a chance.

Neither of these things are at all clear at this point, and probably won't be until one or the other announces an agreement - but by all means entrench yourselves in a position.

Is this the thread for announcing my international retirement ? No ? Sorry, carry on.

Judging by what he said, which I quoted verbatim in the OP, he's taking Carroll because he's young and can develop into a useful player that can be made to suit his system, and he hasn't considered Holt or Lambert because he feels they won't or can't. It's the only logical conclusion, though why England want a striker who doesn't even look comfortable standing up with the ball at his feet, I don't know.