English Football

[deancoles 0]

We got Lincoln's other CB for a "nominal" fee.

[Anorak 0]

He'll have a job getting in ahead of Kisnorbo and McCarthy, who seemed a pretty settled partnership by the end of last season. Maybe we'll play all three and save even more money not getting any proper wingers in! Stearman at least would be an ideal right wing-back. I'm sure we've got a masterplan to avoid another relegation scrap somewhere.

[deancoles 0]

6386 Season tickets now sold, but close to last years 7400 if you add on players,sponsors, academy and staff tickets.

 

We usually get rid of our best player once the season tickets are Sold/Renewed.

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Saw this on sigames regarding FM 2007, finally feeder clubs are in.

 

Features for Football Manager™ 2007 PC/Mac/Intel Mac/Xbox 360™:

 

Feeder Clubs - Brand new to Football Manager 2007, and one of the most requested features on Sports Interactive’s forums has been the addition of feeder clubs to the game. This new addition works in all the ways you would expect it to in real life. You can establish your club as the small team who receives loan players from a larger club or a large club looking for support getting your youngsters match experience by loaning them out. Have the first option on players from clubs, and schedule pre-arranged friendlies each season by simply asking your board for a feeder relationship and choose from the list they compile.

 

Youth Revamp - A complete revamp of youth teams sees full youth squads for each team that has a youth set-up, thus giving a much better system for the regeneration of players in the long term game.

 

User Friendly – Football Manager™ 2007 gives players a new easier to use default skin, along with hints and tips throughout the game, and an improved tutorial. In addition to better feedback from your assistant manager and scouts as well as lots more media, customisation and multiple row selection, all this adds up to the most user friendly Sports Interactive game ever.

 

Scouting Revamp - A complete revamp of the scouting system inside the game leads to more information about players and teams being made available to managers, as well as a more realistic methodology for player scouting. This system allows scouts to grow and improve their knowledge-base of the world’s football players.

 

Player Interaction - You can now talk to any player in the world via the media. Player interaction allows you to tap up other teams stars or see if players will buckle under the pressure. An effective manager must use the media as a motivational tool - why not praise your own players in many different ways or shout at them for loss of form?

 

Team Talks - For more varied ways to talk to your team, SI have worked hard to deliver vastly improved team talks at half and full time. Not only this, but pre-match team talks will now be making their first appearance in Football Manager - so you can send your team out onto the pitch with a specific briefing.

 

 

Edit: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/t...pur/5061068.stm

 

Wonder if he'll remain a wonderkid on the game?

[deancoles 0]

http://www.crewealex.premiumtv.co.uk/page/...~837933,00.html

 

http://www.bcfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/News/...~837954,00.html

 

Fontaine looks a done deal, when he signs we'll have 7 Centre backs at the club.

[k thx 0]

Pompey have had a £12m bid for Defoe turned down by Spurs.

 

Sucks that we probably won't get him, but it's a good sign that we have the money to do that.

[Dark Age 0]

Was it an actual attempt to sign him, or just some sort of statement of intent? I mean, I like Pompey and all, and Harry Redknapp's a top bloke, but I couldn't see Defoe there, regular first team football or not. Perhaps he could be sold on working with Redknapp again, I dunno.

[deancoles 0]

Not sure how much Redknapp worked with him, Defoe was at Charlton until 99, went to Bournemouth on loan for a season in 2000 and by the time he was back Roeder was in charge.

[k thx 0]

Harry was aware if Defoe, I'm sure. I doubt he would have loaned him to Bournemouth (who was a former club if his) unless he rated him highly. If nothing else, they were aware of each other.

 

The other plus is that Pompey signed four Spurs players who had trouble getting into the team in January and gave them first team football (and made Davis and Mendes into the backbone of his team). Defoe could do with a moe to Pompey for a year or two, show everyone he deserves to be a first choice striker then move on to an Arsenal or Man U.

 

It's better than the other striker we've been linked with. Anelka.

[deancoles 0]

Fontaine will join on July 1st, may go to a tribunal over a fee.

 

We've also signed Striker Enoch Showunmi from Luton, his record last year is the same as last seasons "Big Lump with skill" Bas Savage(1 Goal) but he did do well in this league when Luton went up.

 

http://stokecity.rivals.net/default.asp?si...=2&stid=8413426

 

having the guy as manager once is bad enough, Stoke must be insane.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

Anelka's a gamble, but if it paid off you could look at a top half finish, Chave. He will score. A lot.

[k thx 0]

As much as I hate to tempt fate, I think our target's gonna be Europe next season (even if only the inter-toto cup). Certainly the Russians not gonna splash out his dodgy money for a lower mid-table team.

 

Ah, fun times ahead...

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

Yeah, fuck it, optimism! Owls 4 the playoffs dark horse going the opposite direction to blades nxt season! Oh baby...

[Anorak 0]

We're being optimistic? I'll go for 10th.

 

What? This is after hearing we're looking at Gifton Noel-Williams.

[k thx 0]

He might be a decent signing.

 

Better than Pompey going for Glen Johnson.

[Anorak 0]

I think Noel-Williams had a good season for Stoke the other year come to think of it. He just seems to have been around forever and we have De Vries (hooray!) as a big guy option upfront already. It's always better to see a young lad break through to feature instead of a journeyman who probably isn't going to get any better.

[k thx 0]

I dunno, it's good to have a journeyman or two in your team. You could do worse than Gifton.

[Anorak 0]

Yeah, he could be a solid addition but I reckon he'll be off to a League 1 club where he'll be more of a regular starter. The article in the local rag mentioned Brighton, Millwall & Forest. We might yet get Decemberists praising/slating him on here next season.

[deancoles 0]

I dunno, it's good to have a journeyman or two in your team. You could do worse than Gifton.

He was really good at Watford when they were promoted with us in 98, he then got arthritis in both knees at 19 which pretty much finished him.

[deancoles 0]

Looking forward to the fixtures being announced, we'll definitely get a home game opening day because of the Balloon Fiesta the weekend after.

[rising up out of the back seat-nuh 0]

Looking forward to the fixtures being announced, we'll definitely get a home game opening day because of the Balloon Fiesta the weekend after.

#what's this balloon fiesta all about. I moved to Bristol a few months, and people have mentioned. Is it just a bunch of people with balloons?

[deancoles 0]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Inter..._Balloon_Fiesta

http://www.bristolfiesta.co.uk/content.php?pid=18

[Dark Age 0]

So, Yakubu to Pompey. Any thoughts on that? Any truth to that, even? I must say, I'm a big fan of the Yak. He's one of my favourite players in the league, and was the striker I wanted us (Liverpool) to sign this summer, though I suspect Kuyt will take that role. I suppose bringing Yakubu back may even tempt Defoe to join for a year or so.

[deancoles 0]

Yakubu has said he'll only leave for a Champions League team.

 

Not heard any rumours about it but Defoe to Newcastle would be a good move for him if he really wants 1st team football.

[deancoles 0]

Clayton Fortune who we released is on trial at Derby, Billy Davies must want a 6'3 CB who can't head a ball.

[Anorak 0]

We're live on SKY on the opening day, away at Luton.

 

We're useless on live tv.

[deancoles 0]

Same here, only won once on TV in recent memory(play off semi)

 

We're on August 29th away to Northampton, first time we've been on since Johnson dropped the "Hand Grenade" in the dressing room.

 

Edit: We won our First Pre season game 2-1 against Skonto Riga, Brooker and McCombe got the goals, we used 22 players and only our Trialist Argentine Goalie played the 90 minutes.

[Guest Damn You Helmsley]

I wish Sky would back the fuck off with their advertising of the Premiership in mid-July. It was bad enough seeing James Nesbitt (hell, it was bad enough seeing James Nesbitt at all) talking about Premiership Plus season tickets two days after the season had finished in May but come on, lets not dwell on Reading versus Blackburn just yet. Having said that they have had no World Cup to show and according to the Sky history book football was invented in 1992, so I guess the Premiership is the holy grail to them.

[PLAGIARISM! 0]

We've got Yoann Folly off Southampton, a young holding midfielder who impressed during his loan spell, good news. We *might* still get Carson on season loan if no one better registers their interest. COME ON. We appear to have taken Talbot & Maclean to the US as our strikers, and no one else. I love Talbot and he needs to get fit, but if he gets injured (likely in any context) we are in trouble. Again. The local paper didn't list Deon Burton as included for the tour, but I can't think why he wouldn't be.

[deancoles 0]

Is he likely to be sold soon? we left Phillips,Stewart,Partridge and Smith home when we went to Latvia(won 2,drew 1 and 1 player sent off) hoping to be rid before we got back.

 

For the first time in ages we look to have a plan B, we've signed Showunmi(6'5) McCombe(6'6) and have a 6'7 inch midfielder on trial, good thing to have if Brooker and Jevons doesn't work up front.