[Archived] Other Pl Happenings 2009/10

[mickbrown]

Fulham have bid rejected for John Greening.

I bet your relieved.....

[ffan]

I bet your relieved.....

Ach doesn't bother me to be honest. He seems a decent player, if not a little old.

[neekoy]

Liverpool have signed French left-back Chris Mavinga from Paris St Germain while forward Nabil El Zhar has penned a contract extension.

Mavinga, 18, can also play in the centre of defence and has represented his country at under-18 level.

El Zhar, 22, is the latest Reds player to sign a new deal and he has committed himself to the Anfield club until 2012.

[ffan]

Bolton defender Paul Robinson insists he has joined the club on a three-year deal, rather than as a loan signing.

The Trotters confirmed the arrival of the full-back from West Brom on Monday on a 12-month loan deal, with a view to a permanent move.

However, the combative Robinson refutes that version of events and claims the stance between the two clubs is in an effort to aid the Baggies financially.

"I have signed a three-year contract, simple as that," he told the Bolton News. "The 12-month loan deal was simply helping West Brom out for tax reasons.

"It was a bit difficult for my family to read that I was only on loan, so I wanted to clear up any doubt - I consider myself a Bolton Wanderers player on a three-year deal."

Robinson's transfer saga has dragged on for several weeks, with Wanderers boss Gary Megson and the Baggies unable to agree a fee, before an accord was eventually struck.

Massive

"It has been going on for a while now but now I'm here, I've got my head down to get stuck in with the hard work we're doing over here in Austria," he said.

"The gaffer being here was a massive part of me joining the club but so was the quality of the squad I'll be joining. I wanted to play my football in a winning team."

Robinson is happy to be joining a club who he sees as an established part of the Premier League and has no concerns about leaving behind the Baggies' fluent football for Megson's more direct approach.

"It was a difficult decision to leave West Brom because the club had been such a big part of my life," he admitted. "But the Premier League is where I want to be playing until my legs pack up and tell me to call it a day.

"Last year I was supported by quality players and some of the football West Brom played at times was magnificent. But sometimes it is about getting results and I feel I have joined a club that can dig them out, and that means they won't struggle.

"I was involved with some great people at West Brom but some were happy with going up and down between the Premier League and the Championship, and I was not."

[benhben]

Anyone watching the Carlos Tevez press conference? You would think he would have learnt some english in 3 years plus that hes been in England.

Also City in talks with Adebayor. So Bellamy, Santa Cruz, Adebayor and Tevez. LOl good luck keeping them lot happy, especially the serial moaner Bellamy.

[tcj_jones]

You're forgetting Robinho!

[Roost]

Anyone watching the Carlos Tevez press conference? You would think he would have learnt some english in 3 years plus that hes been in England.

Also City in talks with Adebayor. So Bellamy, Santa Cruz, Adebayor and Tevez. LOl good luck keeping them lot happy, especially the serial moaner Bellamy.

I thought he looked like Elsie Tanner with that bandage thing round his head - maybe its a Manchester thing..........

[Hughesy]

Robinho, Santa Cruz, Adebayor, Tevez, Bellamy, Caciedo, Bojinov, Benjani, Jo (Out on loan), Evans.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Robinho, Santa Cruz, Adebayor, Tevez, Bellamy, Caciedo, Bojinov, Benjani, Jo (Out on loan), Evans.

Too many ego's to control there IMO.

With no Europe as well its going to be harder to keep them all happy in terms of gametime.

[Hughesy]

Id expect Caciedo, Bojinov, Benjani & Evans to all go.

Leaving them with Robinho, Santa Cruz, Adebayor, Tevez, Bellamy - they might also keep one of the above incase of injuries to the likes of RSC & Bellamy.

[john-rover]

song for the start of the season.......... first game, instead of "theres only one gready basta*d", we can sing "your just a team of gready bastar*s. i thinks its quite a good un!

[DeadlyDirk]

Sky Sports Breaking News

Adebayor is having his work permit hearing tomorrow with a view to his move to City, well if that's true I can't see him failing it so that's a front 3 of RSC, Tevez and Adebayor without even thinking about the rest of them, oh yeah forgot about Robinho, he has to play, okay front 4 plus another ten to pick from as backup.

I'm getting slightly nervous about the opening day!!!!

To be honest though we have nothing to lose!! Let's go and do em!

[tcj_jones]

I can't imagine Roque and Adebayor lining up in the same side from the start. Hughes must intend Adebayor to lead the line with Tevez and Robinho behind. Roque in rotation with Adebayor and Bellamy in rotation with Tevez and Robinho.

That's a potent front line.

[john-rover]

hughes is going to run in to a brick wall soon! he has so many quality strikers, no doubting that, but his midfield is only ok/good and imo his defence is poor! he nees to stop being a kid in a sweet shop and buying loads of strikers and buy some players in different areas. i think last season they scored about the 3/4th most in the league but conceded too many, so by solving that problem he is buying more strikers and no defenders! i hope and pray it all goes tits up for him and he falls flat on his arse. they aret even in europe this year and need to get champions league next year to make these signings worthwhile which i cant see hapening, so start of next season expect there to be a big name foreign manager at eastlands and hughes at the local job centre!

[Plastic Head]

Id expect Caciedo, Bojinov, Benjani & Evans to all go.

Leaving them with Robinho, Santa Cruz, Adebayor, Tevez, Bellamy - they might also keep one of the above incase of injuries to the likes of RSC & Bellamy.

Hughes spent £100M last summer and still got 10 points less than Sven the year before. Mid-table fodder.

It would make me smile if Tevez and Adebayor "picked up an injury" in the opening game to join Santa and Bellamy on the physio's table. That's half a million a week in sick pay.....

Bring back Jim Branagan I say.

I can see Robinho doing one at some point as well. He looked about as happy as a Taliban in a pig farm last season.

[T4E]

According to SSN Adebayor is to have a Work Permit hearing in Manchester tomorrow.

[DeadlyDirk]

I think people make too much of City's 'poor' midfield and defence.

Barry is an excellent signing and can hold the midfield together, De Jong and Kompany are no slouches either, enough people in there to win the ball and get it to the front men.

In defence the likes of Dunne, Richards, Bridge, Zabaleta aren't nessicarily poor, they just had poor seasons, Dunne and Richards especially.

I wouldn't be surprised to see some defensive strengthening anyway, it seems everyone wants strikers right now so they can't afford to miss out on anyone while they are looking at defenders.

It's obviously going to come down to whether or not Hughes can make them gel and I have to at least give the owners some credit as I didn't expect Hughes to get past January at one stage.

If they can strengthen the rest of the squad half as much as they are strengthening their attack then they really could make a strong challenge on the champions league, a title challenge isn't even out of the question considering it's still a long time before the season starts.

I'd still love it if they turn up on the first day without a clue how to play together and we bury them Vieri hat trick!!!!

[Billy Castell]

I expect a 2-2-2-4 Formation at Ewood!

The front will look like this:

Ireland-Tevez

Bellamy-RSC-Adebayor-Robinho

[LeChuck]

According to SSN Adebayor is to have a Work Permit hearing in Manchester tomorrow.

Looks like Roque will be relying on injuries to get a game then. Surely it will be Adebayor spearheading the attack with Tevez and Robinho drifting from wide positions to support him with Ireland, Barry and De Jong behind those three. Wright-Phillips and Bellamy will provide cover for the support strikers and Roque will be understudy to Adebayor.

Mind you, with City I guess anything can happen at the moment. One thing I keep wondering throughout this - how does Hughes still have a job there?! I mean, he's a good manager, but they seem to be going for the absolute best they can attract in every position...Hughes just doesn't seem to come close to fitting in to that. Rather than throwing £250,000 a week John Terry's way they should be offering to Mourinho, he'd be worth more league positions than any of the new signings.

[brian_gallagher85]

I'm getting slightly nervous about the opening day!!!!

To be honest though we have nothing to lose!! Let's go and do em!

Exactly, if there's anyone who can beat City with the "anti-football" that is needed then it's Sam

Bring on the Big Time Charles!

[philipl]

Sky Sports Breaking News

Adebayor is having his work permit hearing tomorrow with a view to his move to City, well if that's true I can't see him failing it so that's a front 3 of RSC, Tevez and Adebayor without even thinking about the rest of them, oh yeah forgot about Robinho, he has to play, okay front 4 plus another ten to pick from as backup.

I'm getting slightly nervous about the opening day!!!!

To be honest though we have nothing to lose!! Let's go and do em!

If even there was a game for the long ball out of defence its going to be the City one. If Bellars doesn't play there will be three City players permanently offside when it comes back!

[alexanders]

Birmingham have bid for Barry Ferguson

Fergie back to the Premiership?

[Hughesy]

Bid accepted at £1.3m I believe.

[LeftWinger]

How is Ferguson these days? Would anyone have him back at that price? He may be 31 but you can't buy so much with that money. I'm assuming he's past it - not watched him in a long time.

[alexanders]

How is Ferguson these days? Would anyone have him back at that price? He may be 31 but you can't buy so much with that money. I'm assuming he's past it - not watched him in a long time.

I would like him back.

A great midfield terrier.