SNSUN

Jack Butland fo sho.

I'd go mad too, I have money on France winning the tournament... (and a cheeky each way on Czech Republic to get to the final.)

As it stands: 1: Manchester City. 2: Manchester United 3: Chelsea I argued that Arsenal could finish 3rd, but both Chelsea and Arsenal are in transition, and Chelsea have the financial backing to compensate for the loss of Drogba. Hulk and Hazard will be cracking signings for them. 18: Southampton 19: Reading 20: Wigan. I can see Wigan having a rocky time of it at last. Reading will simply not have the strength in depth - I can see them starting well (doing a Blackpool if you will) and getting relegated. Us? Well naturally I want us to stay up, but my predictions are based on NOW, and with currently only 3 centre backs on the books, one of whom had a serious injury last year, we'll get relegated. Of course this will be addressed before the start of the season, and my predictions for our finish will rise. There are a number of teams I can see fighting it out for safety next season, Norwich (though under Hughton they have a chance), Swansea (Could be one season wonders), Reading (depends who they sign ultimately), Us (Depends who we sign ultimately), West Ham (God I'd love that, they'd be crippled financially), Wigan (especially if they lose Martinez and sell off the crown jewels), QPR (steady old signings but could implode), West Brom (a team punching above their weight) and even Stoke (their time could come...) That's 9 of the 20 teams that arguments for relegation could be made, and throw in a bigger name in there for good measure (there's usually a bigger club that struggles) like Villa, and you have half the league. The fixture list has us starting badly (we often do anyway) but I think given the right signings, we could well progress through the season and finish mid-table.

I agree Carroll had a good game in the last match but I think it was always written in the stars that Rooney would play tonight. Perhaps had Carroll bagged a hattrick against Sweden then it'd have been hard to drop him, but Rooney offers a creativity that Carroll doesn't. Few England players are a cemented choice. Cole, Hart, Rooney and Gerrard are the exceptions. (With possibly Terry, although if I were the England manager, he wouldn't be so certain of a starting spot.) I can't watch this tonight, thank-you work, but I'll be listening in on the wireless. Ukraine will be a tough nut to crack in their home environment, but under Roy I happen to think we'll win this by two clear goals. (While hoping Sweden do us a favour against France.) I'd much rather play Italy than Spain, but after seeing Spain make hard work of Croatia, either are beatable on a good day.

I'd love 4 from our first 4 games, and after that maintaining a little over 1 point per game ratio. Meaning we'd finish with somewhere around the early 40 point mark. usually that's enough to keep a team up, which I'd settle for.

I think in hindsight our first three games being as tough as they are is a good thing. Firstly we have the summer to prepare for them. Secondly it'll bring everyone back down to earth and show them what a daunting task being in the Premier League is these days (and trying to stay in there). Thirdly, we ALWAYS start poorly, last season aside, and now not only do we have a ready made excuse, but we get rid of three tough fixtures when perhaps we'd be struggling against easier-to-beat clubs. Fourthly that Wigan game as the filling in a sh'tty sandwich gives us our best chance of getting three points now, and I expect we'll go all out to win it. Perhaps I'm looking for silver linings, but I reckon we could get 4 points from the first 4 games. Any more would be a FANTASTIC result. Any fewer and it wouldn't be the end of the world. Beat Man City? Lol

I'm amused at how my Simon Kjaer rumour from weeks ago took off on that site. I've almost started half believing it.

If I did that, it'd be just my luck somewhere like the Madejski stadium would be closed due to a health scare...

Stupid question perhaps, coming from THAT season, but was Romain Gasmi any good? A quick scout around on tinternet, his recent stats are quite impressive...

Body Shop is bearable. Lush is man poison for the nose.

Betnovate, Fucibet, E45, Aquaeous Cream, Mayo, basically whatever stops the eczema from itching.

Having never seen it before but heard the reviews, I thought I'd watch it today to see if they were wrong. I want my 2 hrs 15 mins back please. The best bit about it was the adverts. Awful, awful film in so many ways.

Spice Girls 'Spice World' is by far the best album ever released. Lock the thread.

Eeek I thought this was a thread about Tadanari for a second! Sadly there are always going to be casualties when a team gets promoted twice in two years. League One players are no longer good enough for the higher leagues. Barnard is a good striker, not amazing, but he knows where the goal is. I liked his work rate (a trait I liked in Harding too) but I always though he was a red card waiting to happen. With his injury worries and court case behind him, he'll do a club proud next season in the lower leagues, if that's Palace then good luck to them.

'The Only Way Is Up', a song made famous by Yazz and the Plastic Population, was originally written in response to Mick Channon overcoming a troublesome erection problem.

I'm not enamoured with either of our full backs in the Premier League, especially if our chairman's wont is to push on beyond survival and try and reach a top half finish or better, but both Richardson and Fox are OK if we don't sign anyone else for their positions. Stephen Crainey played in the Premiership, and yes Blackpool got relegated, but it shows it can be done. Is Fox better than Benali for instance? I know football has progressed since those days, but I'd say our current full backs CDAJFU. By all means sign better full backs though!

I heard them saying this on TalkSport today. That must have been bloody uncomfortable (excuse the pun), all credit to him for continuing to play.

He won't get many cushy jobs that make him look good quite like the Spurs job. Allardyce out, Redknapp in. You heard it here first...

Ok, I should've read this thread first....

Right now! Until it's on the Beeb website I won't believe it! http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11661/7811092/Redknapp-to-leave-Spurs-

I too think JayRod will start on the bench, but realistically I think we'll see at least a couple more signings coming in before August and so it's nigh on impossible to predict. Harsh though I may be, but only Lallana and Lambert have cemented places in our team, but you'd think that Davis, Morgan and Jos and perhaps Fox, Frazer and Cork would start. Up top is interesting. Assuming Lee is back and fully fit, it could be either of the three strikers playing alongside Lambert.

The goals Iain Dowie scored in his career were thanks to an involuntary spasm of his hamstrings.

I heard he was off to one of those high paying, little known about (in this country) leagues to earn a fortune, live in peace and bliss, and have the English media begging for his return when Fergie retires next summer.

Francis Benali's moustache was indeed a caterpillar, and after years of making itself a comfortable home beneath his nose, it lost its grip and ended up as a landing strip atop his winky. Sadly the caterpillar died in 2007, since when Franny has used a merkin.

Wiser words have never been spoken! Fortunately, besides the actualy ceremony and the first dance, we had minimal interaction all day, so the flirting largely went unnoticed by her. You should have seen her friend's sister though... :-D