we have many non-white in the squad

The gossip round-up on the BBC every day is a riot at present – one report says X, the next report contradicts it.

It's simply impossible to believe anything until it actually becomes concrete.

I know, I wish I could get away with saying one thing and the very next day it's proved absolute tosh in my job!!

As a hackette myself, I've never worked for an employer who relished or encouraged such fantasy.

One of the papers last summer said we were signing Dani Alves, X and Y (can't remember the others), Dani Alves had already signed for Barcelona at this point and was a Barcelona player, a mate of mine said a few hours later he went on the paper's website and they'd removed Dani Alves from the rumour. I'm pretty sure Rafa came out laughing about it as well.

It's a guessing game for them, Rafa said we have a list of 95 players who he'd like a few out of, so suddenly the press try and link us with every name under the sun. Only time I ever believe rumours is if they're in the Echo.

Yeah, one lot are English the others are Australian. Next question..



No problem. It's also nice to see a blue who appreciates Cantona. I'd like to know how all those who slagged him off for what he did would react if someone came and shouted a racial slur towards their mothers...

Oh - and Ronaldo's fee. Reports today suggest it'll be paid in four annual installments of £20 million. Won't do the debt nor the transfer kitty any good!

i dont think we had many .if any african non white slaves come with the convicts. maybe a few convict stock slaves

Does that mean you don't know

Anybody know if he is any good?

I hope he is anyway.

[url=http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_5375178,00.htmlPlatini ignores Real Madrid's spending as he only ever slags English clubs off the French tw... Oh, wait.[/url

Don't you have any confidence in what is reported in The Sun?

Im truly shocked that he is moaning about a non English team i didnt think i would ever see that

He's rated at 90/100 on Soccer Manager

I had one hell of a battle at the paper I was at at the time to get to write an op ed on it – the overall editor (I was sports ed) wanted no comment on it for some reason. I got my way eventually. And yes, I agree about people would themselves react to such an aggressive slur.

I have fond memories of Cantona's goal in the FA Cup final in '96. God, that was a dull game that didn't come close to living up to the hype. The entire press corps was absolutely praying for someone – anyone – to score so that we wouldn't have to go through it all again.

And then Beckham's inswinging corner, James's punch and Cantona's extraordinary hop back on his left peg, the contortion of the trunk and the almost balletic strike straight into the net. One piece of absolute class to illuminate a match that, otherwise, I'd have forgotten completely.



Indeed. It's one of the things I'm happy about at City at present – apparently we just paid straight away for Barry. All done.

A lot of intended transfers will have been thrown up in the air by the Kaka & Ronaldo deals. Clubs that had intended buy certain players will now be looking to see who Real Madrid release to make way for those two. Players that had been thinking of signing for clubs will now be wondering if United might be interested in them. Its like starting all over again.

It's probably going to be a fairly mad couple of weeks or so.

Tell me about it... I don't honestly think I've seen any part of that game again, aside from the goal, since the day itself. It was a definite day to forget until that moment.

I'm truly shocked that he's moaning when the football industry is effectively a free market with no rules as to who pays what for who. Mind your own business matey!

what ever country a football club is from it is obseen to pay 80million for 1 player whether it be in installments or not.

he should have done a lot more complaining about real madrid anyway they are the ones that have broken the transfer record 4 times over.

ronaldo can leave if he wants it will end the comments about man utd being a 1 man team and give us chance to bring 2 or 3 good quality players to the club.

But don't you see?

He is only commenting because the money is going to an English club, if it was the other way round he'd be praising the deal, and maybe even giving the foreign club some extra cash from UEFA's funds.

I never thought about that the sneaky french turd

Quite frankly I think this whole campaign to put the blame on the supporter to be utterly ridiculous.

Cantona had just been red carded for kicking a Crystal Palace player. FFS there will be loads of abuse towards any opposition player after doing that. The reported abuse, calling him a "French mother[ilover[/i" is neither racist nor abusing his mother. It's just a meaningless term of abuse, even to a faux-philosophical poet.

I can understand him being a United legend. He was a great player and virtually the whole country respected the ability he had. But Mintball's fantasizing about his "class" and the attempt to make Cantona the victim at Selhurst Park is just ridiculous. He was a great player, but he was also a head-case. I can understand Mintball's bad boy fascination with him and I can understand you defending a Man United legend, but that doesn't mean you get to completely rewrite history over him.

I happened to be in the middle of an 8 hour journey from Huddersfield to Bradford in thick snow listening to the car radio when he did it. It really made my night.

I think this is the first time ever but I agree wholeheartedly.

What Cantona did was unforgiveable. Professional footballers, or for that matter professional sportsman in general take abuse from opposition fans the world over. That's the way it is, maybe not right , but the way it is none-the-less. His reaction was completely OTT and in my opinion the punishment handed down to him was nowhere near severe enough.

Quality, quality player though. His celebration after his chip (against Sunderland I think), where he just stood with his chest puffed out will last long in the memory.....

Liverpool linked with Arjen Robben.

Straight swap for Alonso. Please make this happen!!!