It is now time to switch to a new Money AM football blog as the world cup is now over and we all look to the future.....World cup 2010 is over, Bravo Espana, and Forlan, once again and bring on the new season !.....I never expected the last thread to be such a success...thanks all.... so this new one might go on for years without the need to edit the title...we shall see...

RF thats a brave bet my full respect mind some expert from Spain on talk sport says Barca arent the Barca of old. Might have a bet myself.

Learning VAN P is out for Bayern is one hell of a blow.

The odds are really against us now.

I still believe though anything is possible in sport.

I have £20 on Chelsea this afternoon .....really risky.....in fact I'm regretting it already....not sure at all...

Giroud to score and Arse win @ 7/1

6-0 rf well done.

Crikey !...

I bet that Arsene's halftime talk sounded like Adolf Hitler's.... in the dressingroom.....4 goals let in...vee shall score 8 goalz in ze zecond half and if ze score 6 goalz ve shalz score 12 golz......

Some of those Hitler's Football videos are really quite funny.

Never seen them before...great....

So that's what you call a risky bet then ???

and against the Specialist in failure's 11 as well

From chart thread........

Chris Carson - 24 Mar 2014 08:28 - 1777 of 1781

In GF we trust :O) That Wayne Rooney what a shit player LOL!..............ends

Just because he got a long lucky goal against a bunch of donkeys (respect to the donkeys)doesnt mean he should board the plane to Brazil.

His form this year as been terrible.


Remember last time In South Africa, he was absolute crap, he couldnt even trap a ball.

And he wont be playing against Donkeys in Brazil.

Barca won at Real.....I still favour Atletico over 2 legs....Rooney must go to Brazil.....too good a player...

They said that last time and at the Euros and look what we got.......he cant go around a player these days.

Just hope Rooney is fit and not too burned out in his efforts for Man U,. can't argue he gives 100% for them. With a five year contract and that wage increase Moyes will be building his team around him for next season.

Well ManU and the Gunners need waking up.....getz me ze Adolf on ze telephone at vonce !.....and zend ze goalkeeperzs to zr traffic warden courze to Norzthampton !...

Sir Alex Ferguson verbally abused by United fans for appointing David Moyes

• First sign of open revolt against Moyes' managership
• Defeat guarantees fewest points in Premier League era

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Jamie Jackson at Old Trafford


The Guardian, Wednesday 26 March 2014

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Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes both received furious abuse from United fans after the 3-0 local derby defeat. Photograph: Peter Powell/EPA


Manchester United supporters vented their anger at the former manager Sir Alex Ferguson at the end of the shambolic 3-0 derby defeat to Manchester City at Old Trafford. In the first signs of open revolt at David Moyes, fans furiously questioned Ferguson's decision to appoint the Scot as his replacement.

With Moyes also receiving verbal abuse from supporters and stewards being asked to guard "The Chosen One" banner that hangs at the stadium's Stretford End after the 167th Manchester derby, the ire shown towards Ferguson, who is a club director, will cause serious questions at boardroom level.

Moyes has consistently spoken of how the support has stood by him throughout his overseeing of a dismal title defence. This defeat guarantees United will end with their poorest ever points tally in the Premier League era, with their previous lowest being 75.

City took only 43 seconds to take the lead through Edin Dzeko, who also scored again in the 56th minute, before Yaya Touré sealed United's humiliation with a third for City at the end. That provoked fans to target Ferguson as he sat in the directors' box at the final whistle.

The 72-year-old was the driving force in Moyes being appointed as his successor at the end of last season, with the former Everton manager being summoned to Ferguson's house to be offered his job.

While the loss made it six home defeats in the league for the first time since the 2001-2 season to leave United 18 points behind the leaders, Chelsea, and 12 from a Champions League berth, Moyes refused to blame his players. Asked to explain how a squad minus only the retired Paul Scholes has gone so far backwards this year after winning the title by 11 points, the manager said: "I take responsibility. I have to be the one who plays them, picks them and that is what it is. I think there are a lot of really good players there, some can play better, but there are a lot of really good players in the squad, a lot of international players and players who I think on their day can be a match for most players."

Of the defeat to City, which means they have now been defeated by their city rivals three consecutive times at Old Trafford in the league for the first time in more than 40 years, Moyes said: "We never gave ourselves a great opportunity to get into the game. Manchester City started really fast and conceding a goal after 30-40 seconds made it difficult. We had to try and make sure we got through that 10-15 minute period. After that we weathered it and got ourselves back into the game and finished the half quite strong. The key to it was not to concede a second goal so we could always give ourselves a chance [to get] back in there.

"I didn't think we started the second half well. We brought pressure on us by our play and in the end we conceded a corner just before that and there was another one and then that led to the second goal. It was obviously poor marking and we should have done much better.

"I just think we never came out of the blocks. You prepare the players, you warm them up, you do all the things to have them ready but we just never started. It gave them a real big lift to get a goal so early on."

In a comment that may further anger fans, Moyes stated that City are the side he wants his United team to emulate. "I think we've played a very good side and it's the sort of standard and level we need to try and aspire to get ourselves to at this moment in time," he said.

City are now only three points behind Chelsea with two games in hand. Yet Manuel Pellegrini refused to concede that it is his team's title to lose. "No I don't think so," said the manager. "The title race continues, we continue fighting with all the other three – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool. We have two games postponed but we have to win those two games. Tomorrow I start thinking about Arsenal [who City visit on Saturday] and then I think about the end of the season."

Everton's Barkley evokes memories of Maradona as Newcastle slump at home

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Guardian report


Match facts

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Newcastle 0 Everton 3

Premier League


Newcastle


Everton
Ross Barkley 22,
Romelu Lukaku 52,
Leon Osman 87


Louise Taylor at St James' Park


The Guardian, Tuesday 25 March 2014 22.02 GMT

Jump to comments (192)


Everton's Barkley
Ross Barkley celebrates after scoring a fine solo goal against Newcastle at St James' Park. Photograph: Nigel Roddis/Reuters


Ross Barkley scored the sort of outrageously audacious virtuoso goal reminiscent of Diego Maradona in his pomp as Everton suggested they could only enhance next season's Champions League. If securing a place in Europe's premier competition still represents a fairly tough task for Roberto Martínez's beautifully, and bravely, constructed side, the daunting scale of the rebuilding job required at Newcastle United this summer was fully emphasised.

The home team may have left it far too late to liberate Hatem Ben Arfa from the bench but they would probably always have been second-best to a wonderfully cohesive Everton, whose gameplan left plenty of room for improvisation from Barkley and the equally eye-catching Barcelona loanee Gerard Deulofeu.

One place and six points behind fourth-placed Arsenal but with a game in hand, Martínez is a happy man at present. "I'm proud of the performance, we never allowed Newcastle to feel at ease," he said. "Not many players can score a goal like Ross did, technically he's as gifted as you're going to get but he's also got real physical power. I know Ross will be a phenomenon."

While Martínez believes the "mature" 20-year-old is "ready" to play for England at the World Cup, much more of this and Deulofeu will be wanted back at Camp Nou. "Gerard's quite unique," said Martínez. "I'd pay to watch him."

Perhaps noting that Martínez had only selected one natural defensive midfielder in Gareth Barry, Newcastle began at a ferocious tempo which temporarily unhinged their visitors.

This entirely deceptive early storm soon passed. Indeed once Luuk de Jong's shot had been deflected to safety and one apiece from Yoan Gouffran and Papiss Cissé were blocked, Everton regrouped to devastating effect. With Deulofeu and Barkley cleverly supporting Romelu Lukaku in attack, it was not long before Martínez's players were giving Newcastle quite a few frights. Deulofeu especially was giving the home defence, and the left-back Paul Dummett in particular, a torrid time.

Tim Krul made a splendid save to keep Lukaku's low shot out at the end of a gloriously slick build-up featuring Barry, Barkley and Leon Osman, whose adroit pass bisected two defenders.

The verve and vision of Martínez's ensemble were already making Newcastle appear dull, direct and, at best, two dimensional when the evening reached a key juncture as Deulofeu nudged the ball to Barkley.

Around 70 yards from goal, he embarked on a surging run. Leaving the badly positioned Dummett – looking an increasingly weak link – and the wrong-footed Fabricio Coloccini among the defensive platoon left trailing in his powerful yet poised wake, the 20-year-old then traversed the edge of the penalty area.

By way of proving he could most definitely finish what he started, Barkley concluded matters by curling a high velocity left-foot shot beyond Krul's grasp and into the roof of the net. It is no exaggeration to say the goal contained shades of Maradona at the 1986 World Cup.

Energetic, competitive and with Cissé appearing sharp, Alan Pardew's side had dropped regular hints that they could undo Martínez's sometimes vulnerable defence but they lacked Everton's subtlety, control and creativity.

Deulofeu may occasionally have overdone his beloved stepover routines but Newcastle supporters craved similar precocity. Mild Geordie optimism prompted by the sight of Ben Arfa warming up was soon crushed as Lukaku lashed Everton's second into the roof of the net from close range. Beginning with Osman's chipped pass, it arrived following a fine cross from Deulofeu – demonstrating he is as much about incision as fancy footwork – and was gratefully seized on by Lukaku.

John Carver, deputising in the technical area while Pardew served the final game of his stadium ban, wasted no time in replacing De Jong with Ben Arfa, and Martínez immediately ordered James McCarthy to keep a close eye on a newcomer who also had Leighton Baines to contend with.

Undeterred, the French winger helped Newcastle raise their game. Gouffran sent a volley whizzing fractionally over the bar and Vurnon Anita shot wastefully wide from a Ben Arfa cross, but Martínez's men were not quite done.

Shortly after Krul's excellent save denied Lukaku, Osman shot unerringly into the top corner following another gorgeous preamble, this time involving Steven Naismith, Deulofeu and Lukaku.

"I should have a black suit on," said Carver. "We've come up against a really good side. The way their manager has got them playing is a credit to him."

Wonder what odds the bookies will give for Bayern Munich to score inside 45 seconds? :O)

Best wishes for the Red Shite against Spurs tonight. Everton 9/2 for 4th.

Rooney running around like a headless chicken again last night.

Looked in the second half dissinterested in the game.

Little effect on the game as per usual, cant turn it on against the top teams.

'Just another' if he goes to Brazil.

If Rooney was running around like a headless chicken then what did the rest of that team look like? I don't know what Moyes works on in the training sessions, but none of the players seem to know what role they are supposed to be playing in the team - apart from the goalkeeper.