Obviously, if FIFA wanted to expand the game in Russia and Qatar, getting behind the EPL's gam£ 39 and sending Wigan v Blackburn to Moscow and Wolves v Stoke to Doha would have done the trick?

BTW Ferguson is Scottish.

I agree with what you are saying. I hope your view isn’t similar to most United supporters in that you hate ‘England’ because rat-faced Neville was booed playing for England. It’s all very bitter and boring.




“in the slightest”? To me, you are trying to make the point that the PL is not even close to other countries when it comes to the best players in the World. Okay, smartie pants, name 3 leagues that have a higher standard of player.

Can you also explain that if the players in the PL are so poor, why have English clubs done so well in the CL in the last 10 years – Liverpool (two finals), Arsenal (one final), United (two finals), Chelsea (one final?) Is it the incredible coaching?





This says more about you than it does of England. It appears that your bitterness for England is stronger than your love for Scotland. Whatever keeps you warm at night… Can you be sure Scotland would not have benefitted? Maybe thousands of Scots, who live in both England and Scotland, potentially missed out on jobs. I think it’s sad that you take delight in that. Not to mention the effect it would have on Scottish tourism. And you accused the English of not knowing anything about finance?

BTW thank you for North Sea Gas.




Better to be disliked than ignored. ‘Humiliated’? Not at all. It’s like me going for a job as CEO of Apple and missing out, and you as a newspaper seller, laughing at me.

I am aware of that fact yes. I was meaning the English game as a whole as I also mentioned George Graham too



I don't hate England at all. I'm just not fussed if they win, lose or draw. And if not getting the World Cup means numerous toffs, no-nowts and some women (those that we ALL know, the ones who "love footy" every 4 years or so) leave our game well alone then that's fine with me.

Who's been reading the Scottish press too much?

Scots are so bitter these days it's laughable. At the end of the day, when the Scottish/Irish Euro bid was turned down by UEFA, out went your last chance of ever qualifying for a tournament, so to amuse yourselves, the anti-English propaganda has been turned up by yet another notch or two.

It's kind of cute in a way, even if slightly embarrassing.

www.leedsunited.com/news/2010120 ... 85_2236291 isnt this what most of us are thinking,im not a big bates fan although imo he has completly turned around leeds utd.you after admire the man for speaking how he feels instead of pussy-footing around the subject like many pundits have done in the past 24 hours.and for a change i argree with every word he says.

www.leedsunited.com/news/2010120 ... 85_2236291 isnt this what most of us are thinking,im not a big bates fan although imo he has completly turned around leeds utd.you after admire the man for speaking how he feels instead of pussy-footing around the subject like many pundits have done in the past 24 hours.and for a change i argree with every word he says.

Quote ="Enfield Exile" “in the slightest”? To me, you are trying to make the point that the PL is not even close to other countries when it comes to the best players in the World. Okay, smartie pants, name 3 leagues that have a higher standard of player. Can you also explain that if the players in the PL are so poor, why have English clubs done so well in the CL in the last 10 years – Liverpool (two finals), Arsenal (one final), United (two finals), Chelsea (one final?) Is it the incredible coaching? '" This says something doesn't it? www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uef ... k2011.html

Quote ="Enfield Exile" “in the slightest”? To me, you are trying to make the point that the PL is not even close to other countries when it comes to the best players in the World. Okay, smartie pants, name 3 leagues that have a higher standard of player. Can you also explain that if the players in the PL are so poor, why have English clubs done so well in the CL in the last 10 years – Liverpool (two finals), Arsenal (one final), United (two finals), Chelsea (one final?) Is it the incredible coaching? '" This says something doesn't it? www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uef ... k2011.html

I like Batesy, but he's talking 5hit about splitting from FIFA.

It wasn't FIFA that put us in last place in the voting, it was the rest of the football world that turned their backs on us. If other FA's aren't going to back us by voting for us to get a World Cup, they aren't going to jump ship from FIFA to join us, are they?

Blackpool v Man Utd is off

Frozen pitch

UEFA and FIFA claim to be against billionaire backing of clubs. They've introduced new rules to curtail it.

But without the billionaire backing for Russia, and especially Qatar, their bids would have been laughed at. Qatar are building 9 new stadiums, which will be dismantled at the end of the WC and shipped around the world to make stadiums for 3rd world countries. Qatar only has a population of 1.7m people. The attendances for the SA WC were over 3 million.

I think England whining about corruption is a bit rich. We had the argument with Germany when they won the WC. This time we're supposed to have agreed to go after the 2018 if the US went after the 2022. And then there's our press, which IMO rightly highlight just how bent FIFA are.

Ken Bates has been talking about this for a long time, back when he was still at Chelsea. And to be fair he is right.

FIFA use other people assets (players) to put on their tournaments, what if people denied them those assets?

WTF has happened at Inter.

Benitez?

Howard should have been off. Cole should have scored, but when he didn't make any contact with the ball it should have been a pen because of the Everton player scything into the back of him.

But we got exactly what we deserved today. Plod, plod, plod... all the way through the game. We're winning 1-0 against Everton and desperately need the win, Everton deserve to equalise but the ball comes back off the inside of and rolls along the goal line. Is that a signal that we've had a lucky escape and go up a couple of gears to secure the victory? Is it f***, it's more plodding.

Everton equalise, there's three minutes of normal time, plus seven minutes of injury time because Cech was down hurt. Do we go up a couple of gears to win the game and go back to the top? No, Everton look like they are the team who desperately want the win.

The only good thing today was JT coming back. Apart from that, nothing. I can't remember a time we really looked like scoring (well, JT hit the bar in the first half, but that's it.)

Another day of frustration for Everton. At times they are playing like a Champions League side. All they are lacking is someone to convert the chances they are making. 16 shots at goal today, away at Chelsea, and only manage to score 1. It's been like that all season.

Though Beckford scored today, perhaps their strikeforce is too weak? Saha has always been a sicknote and Yakubu doesn't get enough goals to propel a half-decent side towards the top 4.

Good comeback game from Rovers today after last weeks humiliation.Still no goals from the forwards today but i'll take the goals from anywhere if it means we stay up.

I think the "assets" and supporters might have something to say about it if England decided to pull out of international football. The idea that all these other nations will pull out of FIFA because we have a sense of entitlement about the World Cup is laughable, the FA hacked off most of the other UEFA nations when they went back on the deal with Germany regarding 2006, which nearly cost Europe that World Cup, a bit more humility wouldn't go amiss from our Governing Body.

Ken Bates is just peeved because he won't get the value of his asset improved by having a World Cup pay for his stadium (or whoever it is that owns it) redevelopment.

The Qatar decision is bizarre and the plans sound like something out of some futuristic film, logistically I wouldn't be that surprised if it doesn't actually happen, though obviously they have the money to chuck at it. The legacy (which is what FIFA and the IOC seem to be interested in nowadays, nothing wrong with that) this tournament could leave in Russia is undoubted, but what it can do for Qatar is debatable.

It is undeniable that the voting system is completely outdated and needs a complete overhaul, though if England had won the bid nothing more would have been mentioned.

I wouldn't have argued if Howard has gone but maybe Probert took the view that it was edge of the box, Distin was around covering and a penalty plus a yellow was sufficient. What Neville was thinking I've no idea, complete moment of madness. Didn't have a good enough view of the Cole one to give opinion but will see it on MOTD or Football First later.

*Edit* having seen it again Probert for the decision spot on. Not only was Distin covering Howard Anelka overhit the ball pushing it well away from himself, good chance he might not have even got there. Ancelotti was nice and honest after the game saying the decision was the right one not to send him off.



I was amazed how you fell of the game once you were in front. The timing of the penalty meant you couldn't push on to grab a second before half time but Howard was rarely called on in the second half and we really pushed on and deserved out goal. I did think Rodwell's header was in when it hit the post but why you sat off so much in the second half I'll never know. I thought it was to be one of them afternoons and we'd never score but I've never seen us have so much possession at Stamford Bridge.



Nice honest assessment too mate, I was gutted when 7 minutes was added on as I did think then you'd really push and dominate but as before it just didn't happen. We could've snatched it ourselves in the end, overall I'm delighted with another point at SB, five draws in five years for us their now, with our recent form and performances a point was a really good result.

How the Qatar bid have convinced Fifa they can build open air,yet climate controlled stadia is baffling. Can they really be built without a roof?

Having watched the game back on Football First, just how good is Leighton Baines? How he's not the established England no.1 left back by now is beyond me. He is better than Ashley Cole at the moment without any doubt and having Warnock ahead of Baines is just bizarre.

His crossing today was brilliant and he was cutting Chelsea apart going forward and the threat he posed meant Chelsea were lucky to get away with a draw today. Having said that the game probably should have been over through 2 penalties given Coleman's clinical removal of a tap in chance for Cole. They couldn't come up with a decent angle of it but it certainly looked a penalty.

Chelsea look a team with more than a few demons to me. They look woefully short in midfield without Lampard and lacking in heart. Everton wanted the win more than Chelsea today.

Should have at least been number 2 when he was at Wigan

Well in terms os Ashley Cole I can't believe how overrated he is, people in the media often to refer to him as the best left back in world football but I really don't see how. Good player but nothing more.

Don't think much of him as a person but to deny his ability is ridiculous, apart from being one-footed what exactly are the deficiencies in his game? Which left-backs are better?

In all the drivel written about our so-called "golden generation" he is the one player we've had who can be deemed "world class".

It would be ridiculous so it's a good job I am not denying his ability, he is a good player, a very good player. I just don't see what he does exceptionally well and to be the best in the world you have to stand out. I can't remember the last time he did anything for England other than look fairly solid.

I can't think off the top of my head about which players are better but he does not stand out to me like he did maybe a few years ago.