Conference hbahba::cam_sports

    Does anyone have a list of Americans currently playing soccer in
    England?
    
    NAZZ

(Reposted w/o permission)

           <<< TRUCKS::DISK$USER72:[NOTES$LIBRARY]FOOTBALL.NOTE;1 >>>
                                 -< FOOTBALL >-
================================================================================
Note 13.319                      English League                       319 of 319
FORTY2::ROBERTSON "You don't wanna do it like that " 42 lines  11-JAN-1993 10:41
                             -< Results 9th/10th >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	Sat 9th

       Arsenal            1  -  1    Sheffield Utd.     
       Blackburn Rovers   0  -  0    Wimbledon          
       Chelsea            2  -  4    Man City           
       Coventry City      0  -  1    Nottingham For     
       Crystal Palace     0  -  2    Everton            
       Ipswich Town       1  -  2    Oldham Athletic    
       Leeds Utd.         2  -  1    Southampton        
       Liverpool          1  -  2    Aston Villa        
       Man Utd.           4  -  1    Tottenham Hotspur  
       Middlesbrough      0  -  1    QPR                

	Sun 10th

       Sheffield Wed.     1  -  0    Norwich City       


        Team Name            Pld   W    D    L    F    A   Pts   GD

   1 Man Utd.                 23   11    8    4   34   18   41   16 
   2 Aston Villa              23   11    8    4   34   25   41    9 
   3 Norwich City             23   12    5    6   34   35   41   -1 
   4 Blackburn Rovers         23   10    8    5   34   20   38   14 
   5 Ipswich Town             23    8   12    3   32   25   36    7 
   6 QPR                      22   10    5    7   31   25   35    6 
   7 Chelsea                  23    9    8    6   30   26   35    4 
   8 Man City                 23    9    6    8   34   26   33    8 
   9 Arsenal                  23    9    5    9   24   23   32    1 
  10 Coventry City            23    8    8    7   33   33   32    0 
  11 Sheffield Wed.           23    7    9    7   28   29   30   -1 
  12 Liverpool                22    8    5    9   36   35   29    1 
  13 Tottenham Hotspur        23    7    8    8   23   31   29   -8 
  14 Leeds Utd.               23    7    7    9   35   38   28   -3 
  15 Middlesbrough            23    6    9    8   33   34   27   -1 
  16 Crystal Palace           23    6    9    8   29   35   27   -6 
  17 Everton                  23    7    5   11   23   30   26   -7 
  18 Oldham Athletic          21    6    6    9   35   40   24   -5 
  19 Southampton              23    5    9    9   23   28   24   -5 
  20 Sheffield Utd.           22    5    7   10   19   29   22  -10 
  21 Wimbledon                23    4    9   10   26   33   21   -7 
  22 Nottingham For           22    4    6   12   21   33   18  -12 

(Reposted w/o permission)

           <<< TRUCKS::DISK$USER72:[NOTES$LIBRARY]FOOTBALL.NOTE;1 >>>
                                 -< FOOTBALL >-
================================================================================
Note 13.323                      English League                       323 of 324
FORTY2::ROBERTSON "You don't wanna do it like that " 30 lines  27-JAN-1993 10:14
                             -< Tuesday's results >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
       Blackburn Rovers   2  -  5    Coventry City      
       Middlesbrough      2  -  1    Southampton        
       Oldham Athletic    0  -  1    Man City           
       Wimbledon          1  -  3    Everton            


        Team Name            Pld   W    D    L    F    A   Pts   GD

   1 Man Utd.                 24   12    8    4   37   19   44   18 
   2 Aston Villa              24   12    8    4   39   26   44   13 
   3 Norwich City             24   12    6    6   35   36   42   -1 
   4 Blackburn Rovers         25   11    8    6   37   25   41   12 
   5 Coventry City            26   10    9    7   42   36   39    6 
   6 Man City                 25   10    6    9   35   27   36    8 
   7 Ipswich Town             24    8   12    4   32   28   36    4 
   8 QPR                      23   10    5    8   32   28   35    4 
   9 Arsenal                  24   10    5    9   25   23   35    2 
  10 Chelsea                  24    9    8    7   30   29   35    1 
  11 Sheffield Wed.           24    8    9    7   30   29   33    1 
  12 Everton                  25    9    5   11   28   31   32   -3 
  13 Middlesbrough            25    7    9    9   36   40   30   -4 
  14 Liverpool                23    8    5   10   36   37   29   -1 
  15 Tottenham Hotspur        24    7    8    9   23   33   29  -10 
  16 Leeds Utd.               24    7    7   10   35   40   28   -5 
  17 Southampton              25    6    9   10   25   30   27   -5 
  18 Crystal Palace           24    6    9    9   29   36   27   -7 
  19 Sheffield Utd.           23    6    7   10   22   29   25   -7 
  20 Wimbledon                25    5    9   11   29   36   24   -7 
  21 Oldham Athletic          24    6    6   12   35   45   24  -10 
  22 Nottingham For           23    5    6   12   24   33   21   -9 


================================================================================
Note 13.324                      English League                       324 of 324
FORTY2::ROBERTSON "You don't wanna do it like that " 31 lines  28-JAN-1993 17:55
                            -< Last night's games >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
       Aston Villa        3  -  1    Sheffield Utd.     
       Man Utd.           2  -  0    Nottingham For     
       Norwich City       4  -  2    Crystal Palace     
       QPR                1  -  1    Chelsea            
       Tottenham Hotspur  0  -  2    Ipswich Town       


        Team Name            Pld   W    D    L    F    A   Pts   GD

   1 Man Utd.                 25   13    8    4   39   19   47   20 
   2 Aston Villa              25   13    8    4   42   27   47   15 
   3 Norwich City             25   13    6    6   39   38   45    1 
   4 Blackburn Rovers         25   11    8    6   37   25   41   12 
   5 Coventry City            26   10    9    7   42   36   39    6 
   6 Ipswich Town             25    9   12    4   34   28   39    6 
   7 Man City                 25   10    6    9   35   27   36    8 
   8 QPR                      24   10    6    8   33   29   36    4 
   9 Chelsea                  25    9    9    7   31   30   36    1 
  10 Arsenal                  24   10    5    9   25   23   35    2 
  11 Sheffield Wed.           24    8    9    7   30   29   33    1 
  12 Everton                  25    9    5   11   28   31   32   -3 
  13 Middlesbrough            25    7    9    9   36   40   30   -4 
  14 Liverpool                23    8    5   10   36   37   29   -1 
  15 Tottenham Hotspur        25    7    8   10   23   35   29  -12 
  16 Leeds Utd.               24    7    7   10   35   40   28   -5 
  17 Southampton              25    6    9   10   25   30   27   -5 
  18 Crystal Palace           25    6    9   10   31   40   27   -9 
  19 Sheffield Utd.           24    6    7   11   23   32   25   -9 
  20 Wimbledon                25    5    9   11   29   36   24   -7 
  21 Oldham Athletic          24    6    6   12   35   45   24  -10 
  22 Nottingham For           24    5    6   13   24   35   21  -11 

>    
>    Does anyone know if the Blackburn Rovers are still alive in the FA Cup? 
>    


I don't think so, Paul, but let me ship this off to my expert source.
Should have an answer for you soon.....


'Saw

From Tom Hill:


From:	DECWRL::"[email protected]" "Tom Hill" 12-MAR-1993 09:13:05.67
To:	AreyoureadyfortherealMcC <cam::way>
CC:	
Subj:	RE>Little help wif a question.....

Hi Saw,

I found a convenience store that sells the Mirror, one of the London tabloids, 
so that's where I've been getting a lot of my fitba news. What can be 
confusing about the English League is all the Cups. There's the FA Cup and the 
CocaCola League Cup (formerly Rumbelows Cup, Milk Cup, etc.) The FA Cup is 
more presigious, but the winners of the Coke Cup get a place in Europe for the 
UEFA Cup (and all the money that goes with it!) so that's an added incentive. 
This is the lowdown as far as I know:

In the FA Cup, Arsenal play Tottenham in one semi-final and the other semi is 
still in the "replay" stage.  Sheffield United and Blackburn, and Sheffield 
Wednesday and Derby County tied in their quarterfinals, so they play again 
this weekend (I think). The 2 winners play, with the Sheff U/Blackburn winner 
at home. The Semifinals are Scheduled for April 4th.

In the Coke Cup, Arsenal beat Crystal Palace, and I didn't hear who won 
between Blackburn and Sheffield Wednesday. These are the Semis, and the final 
is sometime in April.

It's funny how some of the same clubs ate alive in both competitions. It's a 
little unusual, since the FA Cup involves EVERY organiSed team in England and 
the Coke is for all 96 "League" Clubs.

Here's hoping Sheffield Wednesday can do the "Cup Double".  In the League, 
Wednesday climbed up to 4th place. They still could win it, but it looks more 
like a 2 horse race between Villa and Man United, and the Owls good for a UEFA 
Cup place next season.

>    
>    So Blackburn might still be alive.  Great.  Thanks for the info.
>    If possible, I would love to see a Blackburn - Tottenham finals.
>    I take it Liverpool didn't do so well this year in the cup.    


Sheffield Wednesday ousted Blackburn from the Cup competition this past
weekend.  The final will be Arsenal and Sheffield Wednesday.  John Harkes,
an American, plays mid-field for Sheffield.

Liverpool, my beloved Reds, have not done at all well this season, either
in league play or cup play.....


Still the Pride of Merseyside however.....8^)


'Saw
    

    I heard a vicious rumor that Manchester United might be a-takin'
    the gaspipe and hearin' the footsteps from Blackburn in the
    Premier League??..!!?? Any truth to that, eh wot the UKers out there??
    
    Not that it matters to moi, me favorite Everton club is languishing
    near the bottom of the division.
    
    MikeL, member of the ABL club
    (Anybody but Liverpool)
    
    

Man Utd threatened in the League? Not really. Blackburn could only really
overtake Man Utd if Utd start losing, and that's pretty unlikely.

The top of the table looks like this:

			      Pld  Won  Tie  Lost For  Agn  Pts  Goal Diff
   1 Man. Utd.                28   20    7    1   57   25   67   32 
   2 Blackburn Rovers         28   18    6    4   42   20   60   22 
   3 Arsenal                  29   12   12    5   33   16   48   17 
   4 Leeds Utd.               28   12   10    6   41   29   46   12 
   5 Newcastle Utd.           28   13    6    9   47   30   45   17 
   6 Aston Villa              27   12    8    7   36   27   44    9 
   7 Liverpool                29   12    8    9   48   40   44    8 
   8 Sheffield Wed.           28   11   10    7   52   37   43   15 
   9 Norwich City             28   10   12    6   46   36   42   10 
  10 Q.P.R.                   27   11    6   10   42   36   39    6

United are also in the quarter finals of the F.A. Cup and the semi finals of the
League Cup. They won the league last year, and they are going to win everything
this year. 8-(

mike

>Man Utd threatened in the League? Not really. Blackburn could only really
>overtake Man Utd if Utd start losing, and that's pretty unlikely.

Agreed....



And MikeL:

	Everton SUCKS!



Go Reds!

'Saw

    I see the 7 point differential and that's not insumountable save
    for a Manc collapse? The Red (not Liverpool Frank) are playing
    good football obviously they seem to be closing in on the FA,
    Premier and ?? Cups..
    
    Now 28 games have been played. how many remaining games in Premier
    play for Blackburn and Manchester United?
    
    Do they play each other?
    Do the schedule favor Mancs??
    
    I know 3 pts for a win and 2 for a draw.. I guess concession to ManU
    might be in order?
    
    Now Frank, I know Everton is poor this year (hope they don't get
    relegated), but I'm hoping for a turnaround next season to dump the
    bleedin' Scousers into the Mersey...
    BTW, Liverpool aren't faring too well either now, are they!!
    
    Thanks Mike,
    
    MikeL
    

>    Now Frank, I know Everton is poor this year (hope they don't get
>    relegated), but I'm hoping for a turnaround next season to dump the
>    bleedin' Scousers into the Mersey...

hahahahaha....


>    BTW, Liverpool aren't faring too well either now, are they!!
    
They're not up to their usual standards and did go out of the FA cup
way too early 8^), but they'll always be better than Everton....


'Saw

    

    Slight correction:  3 points for a win, only one for a draw.
    
    Blackburn was down 13 points to United only two weeks ago.  They are on
    a hot streak, but I'm not sure how many games are left in the regular
    season.
    
    Question:  Is Roy Wegerle still with Coventry?
    
    NAZZ

>    
>    Question:  Is Roy Wegerle still with Coventry?
>    


I think so.

'Saw

There are 42 games in the season, so 14 left for Man Utd and Blackburn. They
still have to play at Ewood Park (Blackburn's home ground) but Man Utd will kill
them unfortunately. It's all over bar the shouting. Even if Blackburn do the
unthinkable and defeat the Mancs, they will still be four points behind.

Man Utd are the most widely supported sports club in the world, and probably one
of the richest. Their strength in depth will carry them home for the next few
years I think. AC Milan of Italy offered a reputed �17 million for Ryan Giggs (a
Man Utd player) recently and had it turned down. Blackburn are rich but nowhere
near as popular and have nothing like the squad depth. They rely almost entirely
on their striker Alan Shearer, and all it takes is one rash tackle to finish him
off for the season (which is what happened last year).

True, Liverpool are pretty poor right now, but Everton are much worse. they are
both better than my team though, so I'm keeping quiet.

mike

    MikeL, first the Rangers, then the Knicks, now soccer.  Say it ain't
    so!

    Point_a_reference Mac.
    
    I like the Rangers' and Knicks' style of play; the dreaded NY that
    precedes their names prevents me from liking them.
    
    I do like soccer. IdoIdoIdoIdoIdo like soccer,
    
    MikeL
    

> I like the Rangers' and Knicks' style of play;

Surprise! An ND fan who has some good taste.

The Crazy Met

    Your taste in sports rivals your taste in (faux) whiskey, MikeL.

Well,
	Is this the beginning of a championship race between Utd and Blackburn??
Utd lost to chelsea (again) 1 nil. Rovers beat liverpool 2-0, so the gap is now 
4 point with utd a game in hand.
	Could be an interesting last few months...
Mick

Wow, sounds like it's shaping up to be some race.

Sounds to me like Manchester is hearing footsteps and getting a little
nervous.

For my money, now that Liverpool is squarely out of it, I'd like to be
Blackburn take it -- see someone different up there.

btw, where is Arsenal?  Are they above Liverpool in the table?


'Saw

 Do Bookies give "goals" as a point spreads in soccer, or do you just bet the
 game straight up with odds?

 mike

There are lots of different bets. You can bet on who wins, or whether it is a
draw. You can bet on the exact score or who scores first. You can also do the
pools (is this a familiar concept?) where you try and guess which games are
going to be drawn 1-1. I don't know how many guesses you get, but I know that if
you get eight 1-1s, you win a fortune.

I'm trying not to consider Man Utd getting caught, because if I convince myself
that they will, and then they don't, I'll probably cry. They still have by far
the best squad in the country, and I can't imagine anyone else keeping up the
pressure.

Mike

    Yabbut Mike,
    There are 17? games left in the Premier division??
    4 points out is within range definitely it would seem.
    
    Can you give us a_analysis on Rovers and ManU remaining schedule?
    I thought Blackburn had a tremendous home record while the Mancs
    were in a draw funk..
    Is either team strong (wins as opposed to draws) on the road??
    
    MikeL
    
    P.S., OK Mike, whichj premier team is your favorite?
    It's not Spurs I hope.. 8^)
    
    

>    P.S., OK Mike, whichj premier team is your favorite?
>    It's not Spurs I hope.. 8^)

Weren't Spurs the team who played on a plastic pitch?  Or was that
Luton Town (I can't remember.....)


Mike, don't like MikeL fool you. His team is mired down in the bottom
of the table (last I looked) nearing the relegation zone.  But, at least,
because of that, I can buy him a Bushmill's for St. Patrick's Day and
he can drown his sorrows over his team's poor showing....


8^)

'Saw
    
    

    Careful there ya wilted kilt-wearer.. 8^).
    
    Bushmills for the orange, Jamieson's for the green; a fine mixture..
    
    MikeL
    

>    Careful there ya wilted kilt-wearer.. 8^).
>    
>    Bushmills for the orange, Jamieson's for the green; a fine mixture..
>    
>    MikeL
    
And a Glenfidich for this not-so-wee Scottish lad....8^)


'Saw

'Saw Glenfidich is good but

Del Whinie 15 y.o., LeGavalin 16 y.o.,McCallan are better IMO (spellings may 
be off)
There is also Achintoshin (sp?) which I recently discovered that is a wonderful
single malt scotch. Gorgeous color, bottle it comes in subtly works off
of the hue of the scotch. 

Best I ever had was a Springbank 30 year old scotch - absolute heaven. Of
course the problem is 1. it is hard to find 2. it costs about $375/bottle.

The Crazy Met

>Best I ever had was a Springbank 30 year old scotch - absolute heaven. Of
>course the problem is 1. it is hard to find 2. it costs about $375/bottle.

I had a 35 year old Scotch when I was in France.  Our tech writer friend
from Sunderland, Greg, had a bottle.  It was aged so long you could actually
almost taste the "wood" of the barrel.

Needless to say I was put to the test that evening, as we sampled a 12yr old
a 21 yr old and the aforementioned 35yr old.

Given any occasion, my preferences, in ascending priority order, 
range from Chivas, Glenlivet, Glenfidich on up....

Of course, when it's drink time with the boys, it's Jack Daniels.  Or if
I'm in a fiesty mood, Sweaty Mexican Lumberjacks....


'Saw

yeah, top single malt scotch needs to be savored; not one of those "drink
with the boys" kind of things.

The Crazy Met

>>Needless to say I was put to the test that evening, as we sampled a 12yr old
>>a 21 yr old and the aforementioned 35yr old.
    
    Well laddie I see you escaped the francais gendarmes and jealous
    males, eh wot. And I nae think you twere a braggart.... 8^)'s

  MikeL
    

>    Well laddie I see you escaped the francais gendarmes and jealous
>    males, eh wot. And I nae think you twere a braggart.... 8^)'s

Actually, while over there I was picked up by the French version of the
Gestapo -- Les Douanes.

Nasty lot, those guys -- customs police.  But the story is better told
over beers, with lots of laughing and gesticulating....


'Saw    

I'm going to have to sort out this timezone problem. 8-)

Oldham, QPR, and Luton all used to play on plastic pitchs, but none of them do
anymore. I think the only plastic pitch these days belongs to Preton North End
who currently languish in the third division.

My favourite Premier team is Aston Villa, if only because they've got the best
haircuts and the fattest manager in the league. 8-)

The current league standings are:

        Team Name            Pld   W    D    L    F    A   Pts   GD

   1 Man. Utd.                30   20    8    2   59   28   68   31 
   2 Blackburn Rovers         31   19    7    5   46   23   64   23 
   3 Arsenal                  31   14   12    5   39   17   54   22 
   4 Newcastle Utd.           30   15    6    9   52   30   51   22 

Each team plays 42 games. Man Utd have still got to play Arsenal, Blackburn, and
a few other big clubs. Blackburn are on a tremendous run at the moment, and have
closed the gap from about 17 pts to what it is now. So it's not over, and I'd
love to see the Mancs mess it up, but I don't think it's very likely. It depends
on Man Utd slipping up against Blackburn and someone else as well, and also on
Blackburn maintaining their form. Frankly, I can't see it.

You see, week in, week out, Man U have been destroying opponents, rather than
just beating them. It gets depressing after a while. They should, to be honest,
have won the last game against Chelsea.

The only thing that might work against them is that they might be too good. By
which I mean they are still in both cup competitions, unlike anyone else in the
top four. This means that they could potentially have to start playing two,
maybe three, games a week to fit them all in to the allotted time.

I'll keep hoping for a Blackburn triumph, because I'd love nothing more than for
Man U to come so close to winning a famous treble (Premier League, FA Cup,
League Cup) and end up with nothing. 8-)

Mike

    
    Pretty well explained Mike. Wanna try `The Rules of Cricket' next??
    
    Tony
    
    

I wouldn't dare. 8-)

Mike

    Cricket, cricket..
    Is that a mainly or girly-mon sport?? 
    
    MikeL
    

>    Cricket, cricket..
>    Is that a mainly or girly-mon sport?? 
    
I'd say cricket is pretty manly.   The way that ball comes in, and the
speed and spin, the damn thing could pop up and hit you square in the
'nads, and then you'd be in dire straits.

I stood in one day while one of the Irish guys I played rugby with
showed me how to "bowl" (I believe that's what it's called) and
even with a tennis ball, that thing came in hot...


In my mind, any sport that can do serious damage to your 'nads has to
at least receive a few manly points....


'Saw    

> In my mind, any sport that can do serious damage to your 'nads has to
> at least receive a few manly points....
    
    Welp, we've got baseball on the list now, any others?
    

>    
>    Welp, we've got baseball on the list now, any others?
>    

I got wanged pretty hard playing rugby one time.....


'Saw

    
    I guess that puts the uneven parallel bars on the list too.
    
    brews

When England sends a cricket team to tour the West Indies we traditionally get
at least half of our players shipped back with broken bones somewhere or other.
You've obviously never seen the classic pictures of Graham Gooch (our ex-top
batsman) screaming as the manager snaps his shattered fingers back into shape,
before picking up his bat again and returning to the crease. (The crease is
where the batsman stands to face the bowler)

Is cricket a manly sport? Let's take a look at Curtly Ambrose. When you discount
all the illusions of sport, what Curtly is basically doing is hurling a man-made
rock at 100 mph into the ground from a height of about 9 feet. The ball/missile
then goes straight at your nadgers or chest 5 balls in every 6, and the other
time it goes straight at your head. You can't get out of the way because you'll
get bowled out, and if you flinch you're likely to not hit the ball cleanly and
get caught out by a fielder. 

Even when Curtly's not bowling, you still have the lunatic fielders that stand
within 5 feet of the batsman waiting to catch the ball if he mishits it. Of
course, if he hits it sweetly, they have to get out of the way pretty darn fast.

Even in bygone times before Curtly was around, the West Indies team included a
charming fellow called Michael Holding, whose well-earned nickname was
"Whispering Death". His game plan was to bowl at the batsman until he was so
scared he'd lost the will to stick around, and then start trying to bowl him out
properly.

Yep all in all I'd say it was a pretty manly sport. 8-)

Mike

    
     Wjhat the hell are *uneven* *parallel* bars?

    How many can a sport be where all the players dress in white and the
    fans sip tea and munch on cucumber sandwiches?

    
    
   > Wjhat the hell are *uneven* *parallel* bars?
    
    The ones 12 year old prepubescent girls swing around on.
    

    
     But if they're uneven how can they be parallel?

    
 >    But if they're uneven how can they be parallel?
    
    They're not at the same height.  There is an even parallel bar
    exercise, I guess, where they're at the same height.
    

>>>>>
How many can a sport be where all the players dress in white and the
    fans sip tea and munch on cucumber sandwiches?
>>>>>

Only real men sip tea and eat cucumber sandwiches in England. It's a culture
thing. You wouldn't understand, not having any of your own. 8-)

And the players only dress in white so those real men in the crowd can
appreciate the full stomach-churning bloodletting that comes with every injury.

I hope that straightens things out.

Mike

>    
>     But if they're uneven how can they be parallel?
>


I'll do a Walt for you.  


Looking down from the top


	a ---------------------

	b ---------------------


Bar's a and b are ||, but bar a's height from the floor is 3', bar b's
height from the floor is 6'.

No matter what plane you look at them in, they are still not diverging,
thus they are ||.....



'Saw

I saw some Austrlian Cricket when I was in France, on TV.

It was pretty cool, I thought.  I liked the fact that they'd break
for tea at tea time -- thought it was highly refined...

The players don't wear ALL white any more than the home team with a traditional
baseball uniform does -- I've seen sweaters with some maroon and blue
striping etc.


In baseball, if you throw at the batter intentionally, you're gonna get
in a lot of trouble.   However, I guess in Cricket, the batsman is fair
game, eh?


'Saw

    high tension wires sag differently, but are still parallel as well.

    
     *Uneven parallel* just has a funny ring to it (to me anyways).
    Sort of like 'jumbo shrimp' or 'smart Arizonan'.

>     *Uneven parallel* just has a funny ring to it (to me anyways).
>    Sort of like 'jumbo shrimp' or 'smart Arizonan'.

Semi-bonless ham comes to mind too -- to quote ol' George, it either has
a bone or it doesn't.....


I'd like to see Walt draw us a picture, in three dimensions, to scale,
and with a nice gynmast doing something cool on the uneven bars....


'Saw

>     *Uneven parallel* just has a funny ring to it (to me anyways).
>    Sort of like 'jumbo shrimp' or 'smart Arizonan'.
    
    You know if I was an Arizonan I'd take offense to that.

    
    Gee, Tommy, just because you were unable to grasp a concept everyone
    else in here understood is no reason to lambast a whole state with a
    terribly predjudiced blanket statement.
    
    
    brews, a dum arizonan, i guess, but with a solid understanding of
    spatial geometry

    
     Brews, had I not watched 60 Minutes last night I might be inclined
    to agree with you. But after seeing the piece on the convicted murder
    turned law student I stand by what I said. Common sense obviously isn't
    in surplus down there.

    
    While I was out shopping with the lady Sat. evening, I happened
    to poke around a coupla sporting attire shops where I perused
    the USA '94 World Cup paraphenalia.
    
    Lo and behold there were a pantload of "USA '94 World Cup( country of
    your choice"" caps. There were plenty of USA's, Mexico's, Argentina's,
    Italia's, and off to the side sat a rack of England caps..
    Any of y'all English blokes want a collector's item??
    USA '94 World Cup England caps fer barter.. I promise to keep the ahem,
    thiev, er, overhead to a reasonable price!!  Unless of course, the
    English shops have hordes of these as well..
    
    MikeL
    

Careful lads, this is coming from an Irish bloke....  8^)

    But 'Sawmain, I do not lie!!!( gotsta get a few quid for a finder's
    fee)
    
    I also saw a "Cameroon" cap as well.. did they qualify?
    
    MikeL
    
    

    The Mighty Indomitables from Cameroon will once again grace the World
    Cup scene!
    
    Any results from this weekend in the Premier League?
    
    NAZZ

    >     Brews, had I not watched 60 Minutes last night I might be inclined
>    to agree with you. But after seeing the piece on the convicted murder
>    turned law student I stand by what I said. Common sense obviously isn't
>    in surplus down there.

    Weren't some criticized by you last week for not giving people the
    benefit of the doubt?  I would think someone as "open-minded" as you
    would believe that people can be rehabilitated.  Then again, you could
    say don't believe everything you see on TV.

  >> Weren't some criticized by you last week for not giving people the
  >> benefit of the doubt?  

     No, some were criticized by me for making rude jokes.

  >> I would think someone as "open-minded" as you would believe that people 
  >> can be rehabilitated. 

     I don't recall ever saying that they couldn't be.

  >> Then again, you could say don't believe everything you see on TV.

     And you do?
    

    ok thanks for clearing that up.  I guess I confused you with some other
    pigeon-holer.
    
    >     And you do?
    
    you know better than that.

    RE .60
    
    27/3/94
    
    WEMBLEY STADIUM
    
    Aston Villa 3                  Manchester United 1
    Atkinson, Saunders 2 (1 Pen)   Hughes
    
    An excellent match and an excellent result, a sending off for the
    Russian Kanchelskis for Manchester United, but actually seeing
    Manchester United not looking lethal as they have been all season.
    Dean Saunders had a good game, but Man of the Match went to Aston
    Villas Kevin Richardson.  Go Villa in Europe!!

    Hasn't United's lead over Blackburn shrunk from 14 points to 4 or 5,
    with plenty of matches left to go?  Should be a great finish!
    
    NAZZ

Blacburn closed the gap to 3 points, and were due to play United on Saturday.
Unfortunately, Blackburn got stuffed last night and have now played one more
game than Man Utd. United play tonight, so if they win that they will go into
Saturday's match 6 points ahead of Blackburn.

		Pld	Won	Drawn	Lost	For	Agnst	Points	GD
Man Utd		33	21	10	2	68	32	73	+36
Blackburn	34	21	7	6	52	29	70	+23
Newcastle	34	19	6	9	68	33	63	+35
Arsenal		34	16	13	5	46	19	61	+27
Leeds		34	14	13	7	47	33	55	+6
Liverpool	34	15	8	11	53	45	53	+8

There are 42 games in a season. If both teams finish with the same number of
points, the one with the best goal difference (GD) wins. man Utd play Liverpool
tonight, and on Saturday it's the big one: Man Utd versus Blackburn at Ewood
Park. I don't care anymore, because Villa have already won something. 8-)

Mike

    
    THEY DID WIN 1-0 AGAINST LIVERPOOL, WHO SHOULD HAVE HAD A PENALTY.
    
    ROB - NOT A MAN UTD FAN.

>    
>    THEY DID WIN 1-0 AGAINST LIVERPOOL, WHO SHOULD HAVE HAD A PENALTY.
>    
>    ROB - NOT A MAN UTD FAN.

That sucks.


These are some sad days for the Pride of Merseyside indeed.......


'Saw
A Liverpool fan

    YesYesYesYesYes!!!!!!
    
    Even tho I'm not a Manc fan, anyone who beat up on the despised bloody
    scousers deserves a well done!! May the "pride" of Mersey side "slide"
    into the Merseyside...Go Everton(weakly)..
    
    MikeL
    

Hah!  Everton.  How pathetic.....8^)

The Reds will rise again to their former glory -- once they get a good
manager.....


'Saw

    Congrats to Blackburn, 2-0 winners over Manchester United Last
    Saturday, in the biggest game of the year in the premier league.  I
    believe they are tied at the top of the table, with around seven games
    to play.
    
    NAZZ

Blackburn are still three points behind Man Utd. Both teams played and won
yesterday, Blackburn beat Everton 3-0 and Man Utd beat oldham 3-2.

Mike

    What are you on about, Everton are one of the worst teams this season,
    since they poached Mike Walker things have been looking pretty gloomy,
    I was lucky enough to go to Anfield a few weeks ago when Liverpool beat
    Everton 2-1 and it was great to see all those Evertonians with their
    heads down.  Liverpool Pride of Merseyside FOREVER.
    
    ROB

Personally, I think Everton are awful, and I hope that will always be the case
until they swallow their white supremacist egos and buy a black player.
Liverpool are much better, and have nicer shirts. They will be a challenger next
year, honest, whereas Everton will survive the drop this year and continue with
their long standing tradition of mid table anonymity for the rest of time.

Mike

    For those of you in the Boston area to get NESN, the Manchester United
    vs Blackburn game from last Saturday will be shown this afternoon at
    5:00.
    
    NAZZ

    	Oh boy Nazz!  I got to run home and put a tape in the VCR!

Without a doubt NAZZ is right.  Biggest match of the year.  And I'm
glad Blackburn won...

The only player I like on Everton is Southall.  I was very disappointed
when Beardsley jumped the them from the Reds.  

What was that slogan I read one time, "You'll never walk alone"....

Anyway, Liverpool will be back and contending...


'Saw

>> What was that slogan I read one time, "You'll never walk alone"....

 Isn't that a song by Floyd????????

 ;^)

Well, actually, the one I know comes from the Rodgers and
Hammerstein musical "Carousel".

But, if I'm not mistaken, I saw it on a LIverpool scarf, or
a book or something about the Reds.

I have to confess I'm not totally up on Floyd, just knowing
their more well known songs.....


'Saw

    I just have a brief story for you.
    
    I went to Liverpool a few weeks ago to watch them play Everton (joke
    this season) with a few friends on a coach trip, before we got there we
    were given our tickets on the coach, and as soon as we got off we all
    went to the pub for a pint, then another and another and another. 
    After consuming rather too much we decided we better get into Anfield.
    I then put my hand in my pocket to discover i had lost my TICKET!!
    AHHHHH.
    
    I had to scrounge up 20 quid off my mates to get another one off a
    scouse tout (after a lot of arguing i managed to plead with him that i
    travelled all the way from South Wales) and managed to get in the
    famous SPION KOP, with an excellent atmosphere singing 'You'll Never
    Walk Alone' (a song frequently sung in the kop) and watching a cracking
    match, and have since payed my mates their money back and plan to go to
    watch the mighty reds next season.
    
    ROB.

Ah, The Kop.

One of these days, one of these days, I'll make the trip across
the pond and take in the match from The Kop.   

The Kop is legend.   

I don't know if they'd accept a Yank in their midst, but I'd
keep my mouth shut, and hopefully no one would know 8^)


A supporter of the READ Pride of Merseyside,
'Saw

�I have to confess I'm not totally up on Floyd, just knowing
�their more well known songs.....

Floyd, the Singing Barber - what a set of pipes...

'Saw,

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm afraid the Kop is more history than
legend. With the advent of all-seater stadiums this is the last season for the
famous Kop (an all-standing terrace behind one of the goalmouths at Anfield).

Beardsley has left Everton, by the way, and now plays for the pride of Tyneside,
Newcastle United.

Cheers,

mike

>I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm afraid the Kop is more history than
>legend. With the advent of all-seater stadiums this is the last season for the
>famous Kop (an all-standing terrace behind one of the goalmouths at Anfield).

Damn.  I guess I waited too long.  I've heard stories of how great it
was to see the games from the terraces....  Oh well.....


|Beardsley has left Everton, by the way, and now plays for the pride of Tyneside,
|Newcastle United.

Now that you mention that, it does ring a bell.   


Thanks, Mike,
'Saw

�Damn.  I guess I waited too long.  I've heard stories of how great it
�was to see the games from the terraces....  Oh well.....
    
    Yah, it was great until people started getting crushed.

>    Yah, it was great until people started getting crushed.

That was at Wembley, not Anfield....

�That was at Wembley, not Anfield....
    
    Yabbut, it led to new seating policies at all the stadia and has even
    carried over onto the rugby grounds.

Yep, that's true.

It's unfortunate, because a tradition is going by.  But, I'm all for
safety, no doubt about that....


'Saw

'Sawmain where is your spirit of adventure??? You can still get to Kop.
England is just 6-7 hours away and you can get there and back pretty cheap 
at the moment.

The Crazy Met

|'Sawmain where is your spirit of adventure??? You can still get to Kop.
|England is just 6-7 hours away and you can get there and back pretty cheap 
|at the moment.

After the $1100 truck job, most of my "mad money" is non-existent....

Such is life....


'Saw

    OK boyos,
    It's Crunch time over in auld engerland...
    
    Where's all the UK prognosticators to guide us colonials through the
    last gasps of Premier football?? 
    Blackburn and ManU are locked at 79 points a piece in firsted place
    with only a handful of games remaining. Are the Red taking the gaspipe
    as we all asked a coupla months ago? Or is it just that this great
    run by the Rovers will capture them the flag?
    
    It looks as if ManU supporters claim of a treble might come through,
    although exactly opposite to their hopes.
    
    Let's see, the Mancs already lost the Coca Cola Cup to Aston Villa.
    They tied lowly Oldham in the semis of the F.A Cup and have to
    hope to win the replay in order to meet Chelsea at Wembley for the Cup.
    And we already know they're pissing away the Premier League Championship
    to Blackburn...
    
    Choke?
    
    MikeL
    
    P.S. But lest we forget it's ABL (AnybodyButLiverpool)..
    
    
    
    

I'm pulling for Blackburn, if for nothing more than Kenny Dalglish.

Plus Manchester's a bunch o' whiners.


I've lost track over the last few years, but Liverpool still has more
league championships than anyone else, and they're one of but three
teams to three-peat as league champs.   They will rise again.....8^)


Go Rovers!


'Saw

    Ah 'Saw,
    Because Dalglish is a ex-Scouse or a Scotsman??
    
    I'm pulling for Blackburn as well because they seemed to rise from
    nowhere. Were they not in Division 1 last year? If so, that's quite
    a feat to capture the Premier flag in their first year in the league.
    Even if I'm wring about that, I don't recall them being in contention
    last year(I think the Mancs nosed out Leeds, no?).
    
    MikeL
    

Isn't Dalglish the Cotland Yard inspector in PD James' mystery books?

The Crazy Met

>    Ah 'Saw,
>    Because Dalglish is a ex-Scouse or a Scotsman??

Both......  King Kenny!


>    I'm pulling for Blackburn as well because they seemed to rise from
>    nowhere. Were they not in Division 1 last year? If so, that's quite
>    a feat to capture the Premier flag in their first year in the league.
>    Even if I'm wring about that, I don't recall them being in contention
>    last year(I think the Mancs nosed out Leeds, no?).
    
Yeah, I like that.

Manchester won last year, beating out Leeds, but I believe that Leeds
won the year before, yes?  Then, prior to that it was the dreaded
Arsenal Gunners....  (gawd I hate them).....


Go Rovers!

'Saw    

Blackburn rose from the wallet of their chairman, who has to date invested
�90million in them. This is a colossal amount for a UK football team, by the
way. this includes spending �23million buying players, so it's no real surprise
that they are doing so well.

Last year Man U won, but Aston Villa were second and Norwich were third. Leeds
were awful, and didn't win a single away game all season.

The year before that Leeds won and Man U were second. The year before that was a
run away Arsenal triumph. The only team to beat them in the league that year was
Chelsea (1-0).

Blackburn and Man Utd are now level on points at the top, but Man Utd have
played one less game and have a goal difference that is 8 better. Man Utd almost
got knocked out of the FA Cup at the weekend by Oldham, but scored a last minute
miracle to take the game to a replay tonight. It all adds to that fixture
congestion. 8-)

Mike

    This is Blackburn's second year in the top English football league.
    
    Nice to see someone put lots of money into a team, and not get in the
    way of the coach or antagonize the players!  Isn't he also completely
    rebuilding their stadium even as season is going on?  I seem to
    remember the announcers for the Blackburn-Manchester Untied game saying
    they were sitting up on scaffolding!  Three of the sides of the stadium
    were complete, and they were broadcasting from the 4th!
    
    NAZZ

Yep, one side of the stadium is a building site. Man Utd stuffed Oldham 4-1 last
night in the F.A. Cup semi-final. They looked like they were back to their best.

Mike

Both Man Utd and Blackburn lost at the weekend. Blackburn lost 3-1 to
Southampton and Man U lost 1-0 to Wimbledon. Newcastle beat Liverpool 2-0,
Arsenal beat Chelsea 1-0. Arsenal drew 1-1 with Wimbledon on Tuesday night.

The table now looks like this:

        Team Name            Pld   W    D    L    F    A   Pts   GD

   1 Man. Utd.                37   23   10    4   72   37   79   35 
   2 Blackburn Rovers         38   24    7    7   59   32   79   27 
   3 Newcastle Utd.           38   20    8   10   72   36   68   36 
   4 Arsenal                  38   17   16    5   50   22   67   28 
   5 Leeds Utd.               37   16   14    7   54   34   62   20 
   6 Sheffield Wed.           38   15   13   10   68   51   58   17 
   7 Liverpool                39   16    9   14   56   51   57    5 
   8 Wimbledon                38   15   11   12   45   47   56   -2 
   9 Aston Villa              38   14   12   12   41   38   54    3 
  10 Q.P.R.                   37   15    9   13   57   55   54    2 
  11 Norwich City             39   11   16   12   63   59   49    4 
  12 Coventry City            38   12   12   14   39   43   48   -4 
  13 West Ham Utd.            37   12   11   14   40   51   47  -11 
  14 Chelsea                  37   11   10   16   40   46   43   -6 
  15 Man. City                39    9   16   14   35   44   43   -9 
  16 Ipswich Town             39    9   15   15   34   51   42  -17 
  17 Everton                  39   11    7   21   39   58   40  -19 
  18 Tottenham Hotspur        38    9   12   17   47   55   39   -8 
  19 Southampton              38   11    6   21   42   57   39  -15 
  20 Oldham Athletic          36    9   10   17   38   58   37  -20 
  21 Sheffield Utd.           38    6   17   15   36   56   35  -20 
  22 Swindon Town             38    4   15   19   42   88   27  -46  

Mike

    Mike,
    I take it that the Rovers loss to Southampton was unexpecxted?
    And that ManU's loss (away?) to Wimbledon wasn't an upset?
    
    So does this mean that ManU still has one game in hand and are
    still considered favorites to hold on?
    It looks like Blackburn blew an opportunity to get a foot up(no pun)
    on the Mancs and put the pressure back on the Red.
    
    MikeL
    

Tie breakers -- does wins take precedence over goal difference?


'SAw

    Good question 'Saw.  I also am curious if it applies to the bottom of
    the table as well.
    
    Swindon and Sheffield United seem assured of relegation, but the third
    team seems very much up in the air.  Everton appears in real jeopardy,
    as Oldham is only three points behind them and has three games in hand.
    Both Southampton and the Spurs are a point behind with one game in
    hand.  This race will be as exciting as the battle at the top!
    
    NAZZ

In the Premier League, the tie-breaker is goal difference followed by goals
scored. Spurs have still got to play Southampton and Oldham, so it's going to be
dicey for them. Personally I hope they go down. 8-)

Both of the weekend losses for the leaders were unexpected, although the
Blackburn result was more so. Some people may say that Blackburn were unlucky in
that they conceded a penalty, and consequently a goal, because the referee made
a completely incorrect call. There are no replays in football. 8-)

Mike

>Both of the weekend losses for the leaders were unexpected, although the
>Blackburn result was more so. Some people may say that Blackburn were unlucky in
>that they conceded a penalty, and consequently a goal, because the referee made
>a completely incorrect call. There are no replays in football. 8-)

Yeah, I hear you Mike.  So much of what happens in the penalty area is
a judgement call by the ref, and you never know what they'll come up 
with.

All you can do is hope that the refs are not as bad as the refs in the NHL....


Go Blackburn....


'Saw

There was a classic referee mess-up in a game onvolving Wimbledon recently. An
opposing player kicked the ball into the chest of a Wimbledon player who was
stood several feet outside of the penalty area, and the ref gave a penalty. Even
the opposing team looked embarrassed, but it didn't stop them scoring and then
winning the game 1-0. Life's hard, but nobody likes Wimbledon anyway. 8-)

Mike

man Utd won the English premier League this wekend by beating Ipswich 2-1, while
Blackburn choked as per usual and got beat 2-1 by Coventry. Oh misery.

Liverpool got beat by Norwich and Everton got panned and now look like getting
relegated.

Mike

>man Utd won the English premier League this wekend by beating Ipswich 2-1, while
>Blackburn choked as per usual and got beat 2-1 by Coventry. Oh misery.

How much does that suck?

>Liverpool got beat by Norwich 

That sucks worse.


>and Everton got panned and now look like getting
>relegated.

At least you sent some good news to this side of the pond, Mike....8^)



'Saw

    There is no question that United is the best team in the Premier
    League, especially when they got Cantona back in the lineup after his
    suspension.  Rovers certainly needed another goalscorer to compliment
    Alan Shearer - he is a terrific player but he couldn't do it all by
    himself.
    
    Glad to see Everton get relegated.  I automatically root against racist
    teams.  I know Swindon has been doomed to relegation for some time, but
    who is the third team going down?  Are there any games left this
    weekend that may decide who survives and who doesn't?
    
    NAZZ

Everton aren't definitely down yet, but they are certainly in a lot of trouble.
There are still a lot of teams that could go down, but I think it's probably
going to be Swindon, Everton, and Oldham. So, no great loss there. The other
teams that could potentially replace Everton and/or Oldham in the relegation
zone are Sheffield United, Southampton, Spurs, Ipswich and Man City. As long as
one lot of Mancs goes down, I don't care whether it's Oldham or City. 8-)

The League finishes on Saturday, although a couple of teams have midweek games
before then.

Mike

Mike,

Who might be promoted from Division I?


'Saw

Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest are definitely up. There is a tournament
between the next placed four teams to see who is the third team to go up. So, it
will be any one of Millwall, Leicester City, Derby County, or Tranmere Rovers. 

My favourite to clinch it would be Tranmere, powered as they are by the mighty
John Aldridge. I have tenuous ancestral links to Liverpool so it'll be good to
see more scousers that aren't Everton in the top division. 8-)

Doncaster Rovers are 18th out of 22 in the bottom division (in case you care).

Cheers,

Mike

>Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest are definitely up. There is a tournament
>between the next placed four teams to see who is the third team to go up. So, it
>will be any one of Millwall, Leicester City, Derby County, or Tranmere Rovers. 

I'd forgotten that Forest had slid down last year.

>My favourite to clinch it would be Tranmere, powered as they are by the mighty
>John Aldridge. I have tenuous ancestral links to Liverpool so it'll be good to
>see more scousers that aren't Everton in the top division. 8-)

Aldo!  Aldo!  The GREAT Aldo!

Aldridge is a long-time favorite.  Why, two years ago, in the Ireland-Portugal
game that I attended, we forced the Irish coach to put the Great Aldo in the
game with our constant shouting of "Aldo, Aldo, Aldo".   While he didn't
score, he clearly had the Portuguese keeper quaking in his boots, as
he was the perfect decoy on a late Irish goal.

Why, we half expected the Portuguese team to leave the field and concede
the match, when the Great Aldo strode onto the pitch, so great was his
aura that day....8^)

I hope Tranmere comes up.

I hope Liverpool regains their former glory next season and displaces
Manchester....


>Doncaster Rovers are 18th out of 22 in the bottom division (in case you care).

Okay, I'll bite.  What's your tie to Doncaster?  Just a personal favorite?

Cheers,
'Saw

I was born and brought up near Doncaster, before moving to Grimsby. They are
crap and always have been, but it's a loyalty thing. 25 years of misery, but it
can't last much longer. Can it? I vaguely follow lots of other teams that win
occasionally (variety is the spice of life) but I'm a Rovers fan born and bred.
8-)

Tranmere basically stole John Aldridge from Real Sociedad in Spain. Aldo made it
pretty clear he wanted to go back to Merseyside, and Tranmere got him for
�250,000. By way of comparison, Blackburn Rovers made more or less  �4 million
for Alan Shearer. Aldo has scored hatfuls of goals every season since he joined
Tranmere.

Mike

>Tranmere basically stole John Aldridge from Real Sociedad in Spain. Aldo made it
>pretty clear he wanted to go back to Merseyside, and Tranmere got him for
>�250,000. By way of comparison, Blackburn Rovers made more or less  �4 million
>for Alan Shearer. Aldo has scored hatfuls of goals every season since he joined
>Tranmere.

When I was in France I used to watch SUPER channel, and they'd play
the highlight show, and every week it seemed I was seeing Rush and Aldo
playing for Liverpool.  I believe that was the year they lost the championship
on a 90th minute goal to Arsenal, but they beat Everton for the FA Cup
after 2 extra times....


Aldo and Rush...I could watch them all day....


'Saw

this is the English Premiership with one match to go (Saturday). The bottom
three go down.


       Team Name            Pld   W    D    L    F    A   Pts   GD

     1 Man. Utd.                41   27   10    4   80   38   91   42
     2 Blackburn Rovers         41   25    8    8   63   36   83   27
     3 Newcastle Utd.           41   22    8   11   80   41   74   39
     4 Arsenal                  41   18   17    6   53   26   71   27
     5 Leeds Utd.               41   17   16    8   60   39   67   21
     6 Wimbledon                41   18   11   12   54   50   65    4
     7 Sheffield Wed.           41   16   15   10   75   53   63   22
     8 Liverpool                41   17    9   15   58   53   60    5
     9 Q.P.R.                   41   15   12   14   60   60   57    0
    10 Coventry City            41   14   13   14   43   45   55   -2
    11 Aston Villa              41   14   12   15   44   49   54   -5
    12 Norwich City             41   12   16   13   64   60   52    4
    13 West Ham Utd.            41   13   12   16   44   55   51  -11
    14 Chelsea                  41   12   12   17   46   51   48   -5
    15 Tottenham Hotspur        41   11   12   18   53   57   45   -4
    16 Man. City                41    9   17   15   37   48   44  -11
    17 Southampton              41   12    6   23   46   63   42  -17
    18 Sheffield Utd.           41    8   18   15   40   57   42  -17
    19 Ipswich Town             41    9   15   17   35   58   42  -23
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    20 Everton                  41   11    8   22   39   61   41  -22
    21 Oldham Athletic          41    9   12   20   41   67   39  -26
    22 Swindon Town             41    5   15   21   47   95   30  -48


Mike

    Three questions Mike: 
    
    1) Who does Everton play tomorrow?
    
    2) Is John Harkes still with Derby?
    
    3) Any other Americans on the rosters of those teams movinf up?
    
    NAZZ

NAZZ,

1) Oldham are away to Norwich, Everton are at home to Wimbledon, Ipswich are    
   away to Blackburn.

2) I think so, but I suspect that he's injured.

3) Millwall have an American keeper (Casey Keller). The only other American     
   player I know of in English footie is Jurgen Sommer, who is Luton's keeper.

Cheers,

Mike

    Yes - I remember the controversy over Bora not selecting Keller to the
    World Cup team.  He is only 23 or so, and has been called the best
    keeper in the league by his coach at Millwall.  Apparently, Bora didn't
    choose him for the team because he could be involved in playoffs to
    move up to the Premier league for the next three or four weeks.
    
    I know Roy Wegerle is with Coventry, but he's the only other American
    I knew of in English football.  How good a keeper is Keller in your
    opinion, and for that matter, how good is the other guy, Sommer?
    
    NAZZ

    What about Johnnie Harkes? Left Sheffield Wed.??
    
    MikeL
    

I've seen Keller a few times this season, but I wouldn't go so far as to say he
is the best keeper in the league. Every manager says that about his keeper.
Keller's good at acrobatic saves, but sometimes messes up when he's under
pressure at short range, for example, in goalmouth scrambles. Also, I have a few
doubts as to his ability to keep control of the defence. But no keeper's perfect
and he has always looked to me like he's a ton better than Sommer, who is
supremely average. Luton (his team) have been fighting against relegation all
season so he can't be that good. I was surprised you didn't pick Keller, but
what do I know.

Harkes I haven't heard anything about recently He's still with derby so
theoretically he could be back in the Premiership next year, because Derby have
made it into the promotion playoffs. I think Harkes is a classy player, and was
stunned when Wednesday let him go for a poxy � of a million.

Weekend results (that I can remember):

Man Utd 0, Coventry 0,		Blackburn 0, Ipswich 0, 
Aston Villa 2, Liverpool 1,	West Ham 3, Southampton 3, 
Chelsea 3, Sheff. Utd. 2,	Swindon 0, Leeds 5,
Newcastle 2, Arsenal 0,		Spurs 1, QPR 2,
Everton 3, Wimbledon 2,		Norwich 1, Oldham 1,
Sheff Weds 1, Man City 1

Relegated: Swindon Town, Oldham, Sheffield United.

Until the last minute of Saturday's games, Everton and Sheff Utd were both
drawing 2-2, which meant that Everton would have gone down instead of United. 8-(

Promoted from Div 1 to the Premiership: Crystal Palace, Notts Forest
Playoff for final place: Tranmere, Derby, Leicester, Millwall.

Mike

>Playoff for final place: Tranmere, Derby, Leicester, Millwall.

Darn.

Now I can't fully pull for Tranmere (and the Great Aldo) because
of Derby and Millwall both having American players...

'Saw

    Saw - just root against Leicester - then you'll be happy whichever of
    the other three makes it!
    
    When are the playoff games, Mike?
    
    NAZZ

Some time over the next couple of weeks. The highlights of the first round and
the final are televised so I'll let you know how your countrymen do.

Next year the F.A. want to reduce the size of the top division to 20 clubs (from
22) so 4 teams will go down, and only two come up. I think whichever team gets
the final promotion place this year will be hard pressed to survive more than a
year in the Premier. 8-)

As for who's going to win the playoffs, my heart says Tranmere but my head says
Leicester. Leicester lost in the final to Swindon last year, so they've got
experience on their side. They are, however, one of the most dreary sides it has
ever been my misfortune to see. Derby have got a chance but I can't see Millwall
getting anywhere.

Mike

>>>>>
Darn.

Now I can't fully pull for Tranmere (and the Great Aldo) because
of Derby and Millwall both having American players...

'Saw
>>>>>

Root for Tranmere. After all, there are millions of Americans, but there's only
one John Aldridge.

The first round of the play-offs pits Leicester against Tranmere and Derby
against Millwall.

I lied when I said it was over the next two weeks. The final is at the very end
of June.

Mike

>Root for Tranmere. After all, there are millions of Americans, but there's only
>one John Aldridge.
>

Yeah, Mike, I don't know what the hell is wrong with me.  There is only
one Aldo!


'Saw

The FA Cup final was won 4-0 by Man Utd on Saturday.

The first division play-offs first legs were on Sunday. Tranmere and leicester
drew 0-0, and Derby beat Millwall 2-0. Tranmere were robbed. A Leicester player
handled the ball on his goal line and the referee didn't give a penalty. Even
the Leicester City manager said it should have beena penalty. 

Mike

>
>The FA Cup final was won 4-0 by Man Utd on Saturday.
>

How long's it been since someone "doubled"?


>The first division play-offs first legs were on Sunday. Tranmere and leicester
>drew 0-0, and Derby beat Millwall 2-0. Tranmere were robbed. A Leicester player
>handled the ball on his goal line and the referee didn't give a penalty. Even
>the Leicester City manager said it should have beena penalty. 

I guess refs suck the world over....

Go Tranmere!

'Saw

Liverpool doubled in 81 I think. Spurs in the 60s possibly, but it's not been
done more than a handful of times. Galling though it is to admit it, Man Utd
have been head and shoulders above everyone else this year.

I think Tranmere will be lucky to qualify for the wembley play-off final now,
which is a shame. Still I've been wrong before. 8-)

Aldo and Ronnie Whelan look set to be named in the republic of ireland squad to
compete in the World cup this summer.

Mike

>Liverpool doubled in 81 I think. Spurs in the 60s possibly, but it's not been
>done more than a handful of times. Galling though it is to admit it, Man Utd
>have been head and shoulders above everyone else this year.

I have to agree, much as it pains me...8^)


>I think Tranmere will be lucky to qualify for the wembley play-off final now,
>which is a shame. Still I've been wrong before. 8-)

Go Tranmere....

>Aldo and Ronnie Whelan look set to be named in the republic of ireland squad to
>compete in the World cup this summer.

The Great Aldo.  Hope he gets some good playing time....


'Saw

The second legs of the play-off semis were last night. Leicester beat Tranmere
2-1, and Derby beat Millwall 3-1 (winning 5-1 on aggregate).

Unfortunately, hooliganism reared its ugly head yet again:

Article 503 of clari.world.europe.uk:
Path:
nntpd.lkg.dec.com!jac.zko.dec.com!crl.dec.com!crl.dec.com!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!w
upost!looking!bass!clarinews
Approved: [email protected]
From: [email protected] (AP)
Newsgroups: clari.sports.misc,clari.world.europe.uk,clari.news.trouble
Subject: Derby Wins, Players Attacked
Keywords: soccer game summaries
Copyright: 1994 by The Associated Press, R
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
References: <[email protected]>
X-Supersedes: <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, 18 May 94 17:40:19 PDT
Expires: Wed, 8 Jun 94 17:40:19 PDT
ACategory: sports
Slugword: British-Soccer
Priority: regular
ANPA: Wc: 480/0; Id: V0230; Src: ap; Sel: -----; Adate: 05-18-N/A; Ver: 0/1
Codes: APO-2051
Lines: 45
Xref: nntpd.lkg.dec.com clari.sports.misc:18171 clari.world.europe.uk:503
clari.news.trouble:10108

	LONDON (AP) -- Two Derby players were attacked by Millwall fans
during Wednesday night's English League Division One playoff, and a
1,000-person mob attacked cars at New Den Stadium after the game.
	Play at Millwall was stopped twice for a total of 31 minutes.
About a dozen fans ran onto the field midway through the first half
after Millwall captain Terry Hurlock was assessed a yellow card.
Referee Brian Hill ordered the teams off the field and play resumed
only after a large contingent of mounted police restored order.
	The second interruption occurred in the 74th minute when more
than 100 fans went onto the field. Derby goalkeeper Martin Taylor
was kicked to the ground by a fan and defender Paul Williams had
punches thrown at him.
	``We knew it was going to be hostile, but not like that,''
Taylor said. ``It was a bit frightening. I got punched in the ribs.
That was the most intimidating atmosphere I've ever played in.''
	Hill blew the final whistle about two minutes early and the
players ran for the locker rooms. About 1,000 Millwall fans then
attacked cars and overturned a British Broacasting Corp. radio
vehicle. Police on horseback and on foot dispersed some of them.
	``I've been traveling home and away for 10 years, and the car
has only been attacked twice in all that time -- at Millwall's old
ground three years ago and tonight,'' BBC sports producer Colin
Gibson said. ``I've seen crowd trouble before, but I've never seen
anything like this in my life.''
	A television cameraman trying to film the incidents was spat on
and threatened, and other reporters were attacked. Fans from Derby
were kept inside the stadium for 40 minutes after the game before
they were marched away under police escort.
	Derby, the team of U.S. midfielder John Harkes, won the first
leg of the total-goals series 2-0 Sunday and will play Leicester on
May 30 at Wembley Stadium. The winner is promoted to the Premier
League next season.
	Marco Gabbiadini and Tommy Johnson scored for Derby and Millwall
defender Pat Van Den Hauwe put the ball in his own net. Greg Berry
scored for Millwall, the team of American goalkeeper Kasey Keller.
	Leicester beat Tranmere 2-1 at home on David Speedie's go-ahead
goal after a scoreless tie in the first leg. Just before the final
whistle, Speedie was ejected along with Tranmere goalkeeper Eric
Nixon following a 20-man fight.
	``I think the playoffs are a recipe for violence,'' Millwall
chairman Reg Burr said. ``It is not a coincidence that there were
problems in all the other matches tonight. If I had my way, the
playoffs would be scrapped or else changed radically. The people
who were causing the problems aren't people who normally come here.
They just come when there is a big match.''


Mike

>
>The second legs of the play-off semis were last night. Leicester beat Tranmere
>2-1, and Derby beat Millwall 3-1 (winning 5-1 on aggregate).
>

Bummer...

>Unfortunately, hooliganism reared its ugly head yet again:


Not much different than US fans after a World Series win....8^)


btw, Mike, who's "Little Frank", and what's "bobbins"?????


'Saw

>>>>>
btw, Mike, who's "Little Frank", and what's "bobbins"?????
>>>>>

Ahem, it's a reference to a very obscure (and not very popular) British comedian
called Frank Sidebottom. It refers to the fact that his glove puppet sidekick
(Little Frank) isn't very good at football (he has no legs or arms). I suppose
you had to be there. 

I'm seeing a professional. 8-)

I think Derby will stuff Leicester in the play-off final, making it three
defeats in three years, and giving Harkes a chance to play in the Premiership
again.

Mike

>Ahem, it's a reference to a very obscure (and not very popular) British comedian
>called Frank Sidebottom. It refers to the fact that his glove puppet sidekick
>(Little Frank) isn't very good at football (he has no legs or arms). I suppose
>you had to be there. 
>
>I'm seeing a professional. 8-)

Cool!  As Hawk, a former sportsnoter would say "I wanna party with you!"

I've needed professional help for years myself, but it's nothing a few
beers won't cure...



>I think Derby will stuff Leicester in the play-off final, making it three
>defeats in three years, and giving Harkes a chance to play in the Premiership
>again.

Yep, agreed....


'Saw

Well, I was wrong. Leicester beat Derby 2-1 and will take the last promotion
place to the Premiership for next season. Derby, meanwhile, have spent loads of
money buying new players and have nothing to show for it. Kasey Keller was on tv
last night. He needs a haircut and a personality implant. 8-)

Mike

Caught my main main Jurgen Klinsmann with Tottenham Hotspur on Friday
I believe, on the English League highlight show.

I believe they were playing Manchester United (Ince and Co.) and were ahead
1-nil I think.

I had just gotten a cable converter with NESN and HBO on it, so I was doing
some surfing of the new channels.


He looked good.


And one of the Romanians was on the team -- Dimitrescou I think.....


'Saw

Dumitrescu signed after the World Cup, and they're trying to get Popescu now.
Klinsmann is joint top scorer in the Premiership with 4 goals from 4 games (I
think). Cobi Jones and Brad Friedel have been refused work permits. Dan Petrescu
of Romania has joined Sheffield Wednesday and Danial Amokachi has joined Everton.

Mike

>Dumitrescu signed after the World Cup, and they're trying to get Popescu now.
>Klinsmann is joint top scorer in the Premiership with 4 goals from 4 games (I
>think). Cobi Jones and Brad Friedel have been refused work permits. Dan Petrescu
>of Romania has joined Sheffield Wednesday and Danial Amokachi has joined Everton.

Mike,

Why can't Jones and Friedel get work permits?  Any details?


And what was the final score last night.  The US looked like SHIT (excuse
the language, but it was the best descriptive term I could think of) against
Shearer and Company....   At least that's what my Dad told me.   When he
turned in for the night, he said it was 2-nil, and that Friedel had made
one helluva save to prevent Shearer from getting the hat trick.....


'Saw

The Professional Footballers Association have ultra restrictive rules for
foreigners, because they want to protect their members. The rule is that you
have to have played in 75% of your country's competitive fixtures (not including
friendlies) over the last 2 years. Quite how Casey Keller gets round that I
don't know. Newcastle have given up trying to get a permit for Friedel as far as
I'm aware.

I watched Reading-Millwall live on Saturday. Millwall have the American Keller
in goal, and I think their striker, John Kerr, is also American He might be
Canadian though, I'm not sure. Keller didn't have loads to do but looked sound
and distributed the ball well He made two fantastic saves and looked a street
better than the rest of your boys. He's also cut his hair to an almost
respectable length. Kerr was excellent, and threatened every time he got the
ball. 

The final score last night was 2-0. You were, I hate to say it, crap. Shearer,
in my opinion, is one of the very best strikers in Europe. He's not as flashy as
Romario or baggio, but he's stronger and probably a better finisher. He doesn't
fart around either; he always goes straight for the jugular. All round, I'd take
Baggio any day, but inside the penalty area with an inch of space give me Big
Al. 

I think if we'd had Ince in midfield instead of Venison, Gascoigne instead of
Barnes, and Beardsley instead of Sheringham you'd have been lucky to get away
with 2-0. But then, I guess you were missing players too. 8-)

Mike

>friendlies) over the last 2 years. Quite how Casey Keller gets round that I
>don't know. Newcastle have given up trying to get a permit for Friedel as far as
>I'm aware.

I'm not sure about Keller.  I know that he sat on bench quite a bit behind
Meola, but I don't know if that counts.


>I watched Reading-Millwall live on Saturday. Millwall have the American Keller
>in goal, and I think their striker, John Kerr, is also American He might be
>Canadian though, I'm not sure. Keller didn't have loads to do but looked sound
>and distributed the ball well He made two fantastic saves and looked a street
>better than the rest of your boys. 

I think that a lot of the Americans who play over in Europe will rise to the
occasion, and hopefully improve.  Those that can't, well, bugger them...8^)


>The final score last night was 2-0. You were, I hate to say it, crap. Shearer,
>in my opinion, is one of the very best strikers in Europe. He's not as flashy as
>Romario or baggio, but he's stronger and probably a better finisher. He doesn't
>fart around either; he always goes straight for the jugular. All round, I'd take
>Baggio any day, but inside the penalty area with an inch of space give me Big
>Al. 

I was afraid of that.  I should have had my Dad tape it for me, but considering
the outcome, perhaps I'm better off.   I agree with you on Shearer -- he is
one awesome player.

I don't like Romario, personally, I think he's overrated, but Baggio is
most definitely top of the heap....


>I think if we'd had Ince in midfield instead of Venison, Gascoigne instead of
>Barnes, and Beardsley instead of Sheringham you'd have been lucky to get away
>with 2-0. But then, I guess you were missing players too. 8-)

From what it sounded like, we WERE lucky to get away with 2-0.....

Oh well, back to the drawing board.   I'm beginning to wonder if Coach
Bora isn't a lot like Emile Francis of the NHL -- he could take bad teams
and make them mediocre, but that was as far as he could get them.  Bora
seems the same way......


My Dad didn't remember Tab Ramos playing -- he must still be recovering
from his skull fracture at the hands of that Brazilian bastard.  He's one of
our best midfielders and he's always missed.  I don't know if Harkes played
or not.....


'Saw

>>>>>
>fart around either; he always goes straight for the jugular. All round, I'd take
>Baggio any day, but inside the penalty area with an inch of space give me Big
>Al. 

I was afraid of that.  I should have had my Dad tape it for me, but considering
the outcome, perhaps I'm better off.   I agree with you on Shearer -- he is
one awesome player.

I don't like Romario, personally, I think he's overrated, but Baggio is
most definitely top of the heap....
>>>>>

Agreed. Personally, I don't think Romario can finsih to save his life, which is
why I'd take a lethal finisher like Shearer. Baggio's the best player around at
the moment though, no arguments there.

Your team last night was:
			Friedel
	  Agoos	   Lalas	Balboa	Caligiuri
	Jones	Sorber	Dooley	Reyna	Perez
			Stewart
Wynalda cam on for Perez at half time, Lapper for Agoos at 71 mins, Klopas for
Reyna, 81, Moore for Stewart, 81, Sommer for Friedel, 81.

Lalas got beat for both goals.

Mike

>Your team last night was:
>			Friedel
>	  Agoos	   Lalas	Balboa	Caligiuri
>	Jones	Sorber	Dooley	Reyna	Perez
>			Stewart
>Wynalda cam on for Perez at half time, Lapper for Agoos at 71 mins, Klopas for
>Reyna, 81, Moore for Stewart, 81, Sommer for Friedel, 81.

Yeah, sounds like we were hurting.

Right off, we're missing Ramos and Harkes, and both players are essential
to Team USA.  Perez is like ancient, Lapper sucks.  Dooley hasn't done much
lately to impress me either.

I guess Meola gave up soccer to try out for the New York Jets (and last
I knew Nick Lowry was kicking for them, so Tony must've been a flash in
the pan).

Don't know about Sommer, but Friedel *seems* okay, not great....


>Lalas got beat for both goals.

Ouch.  That's three important goals he's given up.   I know in the World Cup
he was out of position trying to cover someone else's mistake.  I wonder
if that was the case last night....


'Saw

>>>>>
>Lalas got beat for both goals.

Ouch.  That's three important goals he's given up.   I know in the World Cup
he was out of position trying to cover someone else's mistake.  I wonder
if that was the case last night....
>>>>>

For the first goal, Shearer ran at Lalas. Lalas backed off, Shearer continued
running, Lalas backed off a bit more, and Shearer smacked it past him and into
the back of the net. Friedel should have stopped it, but he let it beat him on
his near post which is a bit sad. 

For the second, I'd say Lalas was guilty of waiting too long for the ball to
reach him. The cross came in, Lalas stood up, Shearer dived at it, and smacked a
tremendous header past the stranded Friedel.

Mike

Oh.  

Well, hopefully his play in the Italian League will improve some of that.

They definitely were mistakes, but they almost sound like the kind where
he was a) unaware of his opponent's abilities, and b) a little
inexperienced.

Mistakes nevertheless however....

    I definitely agree with the comparison of Bora to Emile Francis.  His
    history is to make bad sides competitive, which the US certainly is
    now.  I don't think he has a clue as to how to take them to the next
    step.  Bora's contract is up in December - I hope that it doesn't get
    renewed.  It was painfully obvious that the US was outcoached last
    night.  Sadly, it looked like they were playing for a 0-0 draw, and
    once England scored, they had no clue how to attack.
    
    Harkes, Wegerle, Ramos were all missed.  Reyne looked impressive at
    times, but his lack of experience showed.  Balboa and Cobi Jones were
    the besdt US players last night.  Lalas unfortunately was the goat on
    defense for both goals, especially the first.
    
    NAZZ

I began to wonder about Bora when he decided to play turtle with Brazil.

When you retreat, and let all the play happen within 30 yards of your goal,
you're never going to win.  You have to lay it all on the line and try to
attack.

I'm concerned now that he's regressed to the level of the jerk we had coaching
before, who stressed nothing but defense.

I'd love to get someone like Beckenbauer, or someone of that caliber that
knows what it's like to win the whole enchilada....

You can have graham Taylor if you want. 8-)

Mike

Re .142

> Oh well, back to the drawing board.   I'm beginning to wonder if Coach
> Bora isn't a lot like Emile Francis of the NHL -- he could take bad teams
> and make them mediocre, but that was as far as he could get them.  Bora
> seems the same way......

You can only go so far with the material available.  What Americans need
right now is top level competition.  Most of the members of the World Cup
side haven't much of it, if they've had any (Tom Dooley, for example,
has spent more of his career in the 2nd Division than in the Bundesliga,
and Wynalda only had a year before Saarbruecken were relegated).  There
will only be progress in football in the US if there is a league, and
I wouldn't bet on that.

Re a couple back:

You really think the Americans should have opened up against Brazil????
They would probably have lost 9-2.  Their only hope was to take it to
penalties, and they very nearly did.  Admittedly, it was colossally
dull, but how else are you going to play against a side that's about
four classes better?

Steve

Up from Division 1:
	Crystal Palace (champions)
	Nottingham Forest (runners up)
	Leicester (play-off winners)

Down to Division 1:
	Swindon
	Oldham
	Sheff Utd


This year it's 4 down and 2 up, so crap teams beware.

Mike

Steve, I guess my remarks about the Brazil game come from my personal
philosophy -- I'd rather go down shooting than sitting there trying not
to get shot....8^)


Mike -- Graham Taylor?  NOT!   Can we buy Kenny Dalglish?



'Saw

re .153

> Steve, I guess my remarks about the Brazil game come from my personal
> philosophy -- I'd rather go down shooting than sitting there trying not
> to get shot....8^)

Sure, 'Saw,  and it's a whole lot more fun to watch, too.  But what if you
are all but assured of going down shooting, and have a very real chance of
avoiding getting shot?  It's SO hard to score in football when the other
side concentrates entirely on defense that a significantly weaker team
can often hold a stronger one scoreless for 90 or 120 minutes and then
get lucky in penalties.

Is this a flaw in the game?  Is this question its own answer?

Steve

Forest are second, I think, and look good. Palace and Leicester are both very
near the bottom. I'll try and post a table at some point.

Mike

		      P  W  D  L GF GA Pts
Newcastle             5  5  0  0 19- 5 15
Nottingham F.         5  4  1  0  9- 3 13
Blackburn             5  3  2  0 11- 1 11
Liverpool             4  3  1  0 11- 1 10
Manch. U.             5  3  1  1  8- 3 10
Leeds                 5  3  1  1  7- 5 10
Chelsea               4  3  0  1 10- 6  9
Tottenham             4  3  0  1  9- 6  9 
Aston Villa           5  2  3  0  7- 4  9
Manch. C.             5  2  1  2  8- 7  7
Norwich               5  1  3  1  1- 2  6
Arsenal               5  1  2  2  3- 4  5
Queens P.             5  1  2  2  7- 9  5
Wimbledon             5  1  2  2  4- 7  5
Sheffield W.          5  1  1  3  7-11  4
Ipswich               5  1  1  3  4- 8  4
Crystal Palace        5  0  3  2  4-10  3
Southampton           4  0  2  2  3- 9  2
West Ham              5  0  2  3  1- 7  2
Coventry              5  0  2  3  3-12  2
Leicester             5  0  1  4  3-10  1
Everton               5  0  1  4  4-13  1

    Everton was lucky not to be relegated last season and will surely drop
    down this year.  The other three teams that will fall to Div. 1 will
    come from a group of 6 or 7 teams.
    
    I saw the Manchester United - Spurs game last week.  Very entertaining
    contest, with the Spurs a bit unlucky not to score.
    
    NAZZ

On current form, Newcastle will steamroller evryone in the Premiership. However,
I doubt that their current form will last more than a dozen games. Come next
May, I suspect that newcastle will be top scorers again, and Man Utd will be
runaway winners, again. 8-(

Mike

Go Liverpool.


Course, they'll probably finish mid-table again, but it's nice to see them
near the top now.......



'Saw

Go Spurs.

I've been a fan ever since the days of Danny Blanchflower, who happened to
put on a show when the first ever Cup Final was telecast back to the US
on Wide World of Sports.  Anybody remember when?  My cells have failed.

I can not get over the irony that you guys across the pond can watch
English Premiership football, while I (only across the channel) cannot.
United Europe my [Southern bodily part].

Steve

>
>I can not get over the irony that you guys across the pond can watch
>English Premiership football, while I (only across the channel) cannot.
>United Europe my [Southern bodily part].
>

Well, we get this highlight show called "English League Football", which
is pretty good.

When I was in France, five years ago, they had it on SUPER channel, but
you'd need a dish for that.....


'Saw

Super Channel is now available on cable (in Germany), but no longer has
English football.  It is now owned in part or full by NBC and has the
Tonight Show with Jay Leno (which is awful), NBC Nightly News (ditto),
and various tabloid shows.  It does look like they'll be showing college
football, so maybe there is hope for the long term.

Gotta go. Talk to you all on Friday.

Steve

Oh, bummer.  Double bummer.

Leno sucks.

Sat 29th:          Coventry 1          Manchester C. 0
                   Everton 1           Arsenal 1            
                   Ipswich 1           Liverpool 3
                   Leicester 0         Crystal Palace 1
                   Manchester U. 2     Newcastle 0
                   Notts Forest 0      Blackburn 2
                   QPR 2               Aston Villa 0
                   Sheffield Wed. 1    Chelsea 1
                   Southampton 1       Leeds 3
                   Tottenham 3         West Ham 1

Sun 30th:          Wimbledon 1         Norwich 0

		                P  W  D  L Pts
            Newcastle U.       12  9  2  1  29
            Notts Forest       12  8  3  1  27
            Manchester U.      12  8  1  3  25
            Blackburn          12  7  3  2  24
            Liverpool          11  7  2  2  23
            Leeds U.           12  6  3  3  21
            Chelsea            11  6  1  4  19
            Norwich            12  5  4  3  19
            Manchester C.      12  5  3  4  18
            Arsenal            12  5  3  4  18
           *Tottenham          12  5  2  5  17
            Southampton        12  4  3  5  15
            Coventry           12  4  3  5  15
            West Ham U.        12  4  2  6  14
            Sheffield Wed.     12  3  4  5  13
            Crystal Palace     12  3  4  5  13
            Wimbledon          12  3  3  6  12
            QPR                12  2  4  6  10
            Aston Villa        12  2  4  6  10
            Leicester          12  2  3  7   9
            Ipswich            12  2  1  9   7
            Everton            12  0  4  8   4
            * Tottenham to be deducted six points

>                   Ipswich 1           Liverpool 3

YES!

		                P  W  D  L Pts
           *Tottenham          12  5  2  5  17
            * Tottenham to be deducted six points


Why?

Dubious financial dealings a few years ago. It was originally going to be a 12
pt penalty but they appealed. They are also banned from the FA Cup this year,
and have been knocked out of the Coca-Cola Cup by the bottom team in Division 1.

Mike

>Dubious financial dealings a few years ago. It was originally going to be a 12
>pt penalty but they appealed. They are also banned from the FA Cup this year,
>and have been knocked out of the Coca-Cola Cup by the bottom team in Division 1.

Thanks Mike....

Forest and Newcastle both have their star strikers (Stan Collymore and Andy Cole
respectively) out injured for about a month. I think both teams will struggle
until they return.

Mike

Liverpool were beaten two one at QPR last night. Liverpool's goal was scored by
John Barnes.

Mike

Bummer.....

Results from last night:

	Everton 1	West Ham 0
	Ipswich 2	Leeds	 0

	Some time last week (probably wednesday)
       Coventry City      1  -  4    Crystal Palace     
       Sheffield Wed.     0  -  1    Blackburn Rovers   
       Southampton        1  -  1    Norwich City       

	Sat 5th

       Blackburn Rovers   2  -  0    Tottenham Hotspur  
       Crystal Palace     3  -  0    Ipswich Town       
       Leeds Utd.         3  -  1    Wimbledon          
       Liverpool          1  -  0    Nott'm Forest     (Fowler) 
       Man. City          3  -  3    Southampton        
       Newcastle Utd.     2  -  1    Q.P.R.             
       Norwich City       0  -  0    Everton            
       West Ham Utd.      1  -  0    Leicester City     

	Sun 6th

       Arsenal            0  -  0    Sheffield Wed.     
       Aston Villa        1  -  2    Man. Utd.          
       Chelsea            2  -  2    Coventry City 

	Mon 7th
       Forest		  0  -  0    Newcastle


        Team Name            Pld   W    D    L    F    A   Pts   GD

   1 Newcastle Utd.           14   10    3    1   31   13   33   18 
   2 Blackburn Rovers         14    9    3    2   28   12   30   16 
   3 Man. Utd.                13    9    1    3   23   10   28   13 
   4 Nott'm Forest            14    8    4    2   25   14   28   11 
   5 Liverpool                13    8    2    3   29   13   26   16 
   6 Leeds Utd.               14    7    3    4   21   16   24    5 
   7 Norwich City             14    5    6    3   13   12   21    1 
   8 Chelsea                  12    6    2    4   23   16   20    7 
   9 Man. City                13    5    4    4   24   20   19    4 
  10 Arsenal                  13    5    4    4   17   13   19    4 
  11 Crystal Palace           14    5    4    5   15   15   19    0 
  12 Southampton              14    4    5    5   22   26   17   -4 
  13 Tottenham Hotspur        13    5    2    6   21   26   17   -5 
  14 West Ham Utd.            14    5    2    7    9   15   17   -6 
  15 Coventry City            14    4    4    6   17   26   16   -9 
  16 Sheffield Wed.           14    3    5    6   15   22   14   -7 
  17 Q.P.R.                   14    3    4    7   20   25   13   -5 
  18 Wimbledon                13    3    3    7   10   21   12  -11 
  19 Aston Villa              13    2    4    7   12   20   10   -8 
  20 Ipswich Town             14    3    1   10   13   27   10  -14 
  21 Leicester City           13    2    3    8   14   25    9  -11 
  22 Everton                  14    1    5    8    9   24    8  -15 

Thanks, Mike.

Liverpool looks to be in good shape.....

they're playing very good football, and could easily have scored four or five
against forest. I suspect they'll be challenging come the end of the season.

mike

Everton sacked their club manager today.

martin dahlin, who claimed when Everton tried to sign him that he didn't want to
play in England, has apparently signed for Leeds.

mike

>Everton sacked their club manager today.

Oh.

Is Southall still playing goal for them, or is he getting old?


>martin dahlin, who claimed when Everton tried to sign him that he didn't want to
>play in England, has apparently signed for Leeds.

I wouldn't want to play for Everton either.  8^)

Southall is still there. He's not as athletic as he used to be but fortunately
he's three times the size so he doesn't have to be.

mike

>he's three times the size so he doesn't have to be.

heh, heh, heh......

    I've seen some really good fat goalies in ice hockey.  Quickness is not
    uncommon in the naturally round.

>                    -< As George showed us Saturday night >-
>
>    I've seen some really good fat goalies in ice hockey.  Quickness is not
>    uncommon in the naturally round.


Gump Worsley comes to mind....8^)

Bruce Grobbelaar, ex-Liverpool goalie, has been accused in a tabloid rag of
taking a �40,000 bribe from a gambling cartel to throw a game. If proved, Grob
faces a world wide ban. Apparently the game in question was Liverpool's 3-0
defeat by Newcastle last yearish.

mike

>
>Bruce Grobbelaar, ex-Liverpool goalie, has been accused in a tabloid rag of
>taking a �40,000 bribe from a gambling cartel to throw a game. If proved, Grob
>faces a world wide ban. Apparently the game in question was Liverpool's 3-0
>defeat by Newcastle last yearish.
>


Yowza!

When you say "tabloid rag" are you questioning the integrity of the newspaper,
and also the validity of the charge, or is "tabloid rag" just a descriptive
name for one of the tabloid newspapers over there?

Isn't Grobbelaar from Rhodesia?


'Saw

>>>>>
When you say "tabloid rag" are you questioning the integrity of the newspaper,
and also the validity of the charge, or is "tabloid rag" just a descriptive
name for one of the tabloid newspapers over there?
>>>>>

The newspaper is question is probably on a par with the National Enquirer (it's
called The Sun in case you're heard of it). The story is highly suspicious but
apprently they have taped evidence of Brucie taking the bribe.

>>>>>
Isn't Grobbelaar from Rhodesia?
>>>>>

I think most people tend to call it Zimbabwe these days, but yes, he is in their
national team along with Peter Ndlovu ov Coventry. 8-)

Roy Wegerle is also from Zimbabwe.

PC yours,

Mike

>
>The newspaper is question is probably on a par with the National Enquirer (it's
>called The Sun in case you're heard of it). The story is highly suspicious but
>apprently they have taped evidence of Brucie taking the bribe.
>

The Sun, yeah, sure -- Page 3 girls 8^)



>I think most people tend to call it Zimbabwe these days, but yes, he is in their
>national team along with Peter Ndlovu ov Coventry. 8-)

Yeah, I couldn't think of the new name of it, but I knew that it used to
be called Rhodesia...


>Roy Wegerle is also from Zimbabwe.

Ah, yes, good old Roy...

>PC yours,
>Mike

It's funny, I'm waiting for them to start calling my home town of
Glastonbury, CT by its original name of Neipsic, and old Indian name.....


8^)

>>>>>
It's funny, I'm waiting for them to start calling my home town of
Glastonbury, CT by its original name of Neipsic, and old Indian name.....


8^)
>>>>>

I think the Rhodesia-Zimbabwe transition was slightly more dramatic, but then I
suppose I might think differently if I were Indian (native American?). 8-)

Anyway, on a significantly more important note two more Premiership games were
played last night.

Liverpool 3 (Fowler 2, Ruddock)
Chelsea 1

Liverpool are now third, ahead of the Mancs who play tonight in the Utd-City
derby.

Villa 3
Wimbledon 4

Villa were 3-1 up late in the second half. 8-(

Mike

>
>I think the Rhodesia-Zimbabwe transition was slightly more dramatic, but then I
>suppose I might think differently if I were Indian (native American?). 8-)
>

I don't know much about that area of the world, but there was a lot of
fighting and stuff, right?

The Indians in Connecticut are doing VERY well -- their way of fighting
back was to open a casino on their reservation and make more money than
even the Catholic Church.  Then, they got in bed with the Governor by
making a little deal --- you don't allow any other casinos in CT and
we'll give you a little cut of the slot machine revenue....


>
>Liverpool 3 (Fowler 2, Ruddock)
>Chelsea 1
>
>Liverpool are now third, ahead of the Mancs who play tonight in the Utd-City
>derby.
>

YES!

'Saw

Mike, I heard a report of this on Sky News from my hotel room in
Nuremberg last week, but didn't get any feel for its credibility.

I was always a fan of Grobbelaar's (though not of Liverpool) and
I hope it turns out not to be true.

Could you keep us posted on developments?

Steve

Grob flew to Zimbabwe before the weekend to play for his country. UEFA had
decided not to ban him, but the FA are now threatening Grob with a ban from
playing. Bruce has said that if the FA introduce a ban, he won't return from
Zimbabwe, and has issued a libel action against the Sun who reported the story.

Pretty mcuh all the papers are going for it now, so I suspect there may actually
be something behind it. Other players from years back are coming out and saying
that someone tried to bribe them to throw matches but they refused.

Mike

Mike, I'm missing something here.  The Sun, that model of journalistic
probity, takes time off from trying to photograph the Princess of Wales
going to the can, and reports that Grobbelaar took a bribe.  Now the FA
is talking about banning him.  Surely, something happened between those
two sentences, because the first doesn't lead directly to the second.
Doesn't someone in authority review the credibility of the evidence?
Doesn't Grobbelaar get a chance to confront his accusers?

For that matter, on what basis did UEFA determine no action was required?

Anyway, thanks for the info.  I truly hope it turns out to be a red
herring.

Steve

It seems that there's something in it after all, which is a great shame for
football. The FA have today charged Grob with bringing the game into disrepute
(or so I'm told). I was as mystified as you when the FA took the Sun's claims
seriously, but I guess this means they must have had some real evidence for a
change.

Mike

Thanks for keeping me up to date, Mike.

Steve

You're welcome. Grob played on Saturday and kept a clean sheet as southampton
beat Arsenal 1-0. I went to see Aston Villa versus Tottenham, and was overjoyed
as Villa clinched a 4-3 victory with a 92nd minute injury time goal after
coughing up a 3-0 lead. 8-)

Cobi Jones scored his first goal for Coventry as they won a dour game against
Norwich 1-0. The top three is now exactly the same as last year's. Yawn. 8-(

Results:
	Spurs	    3-4	Villa
	Southampton 1-0	Arsenal
	Man Utd	    3-0 Palace
	Forest	    0-1	Chelsea
	Wimbledon   3-2 Newcastle
	Ipswich     1-3 Blackburn
	Man City    1-0 Leicester
	QPR	    3-2 Leeds
	Weds	    1-0 West Ham


Liverpool play Everton at Goodison tonight, so I'll post a table tomorrow
hopefully.

Mike
	
	

>You're welcome. Grob played on Saturday and kept a clean sheet as southampton
>beat Arsenal 1-0. I went to see Aston Villa versus Tottenham, and was overjoyed
>as Villa clinched a 4-3 victory with a 92nd minute injury time goal after
>coughing up a 3-0 lead. 8-)

That must've been a GREAT thing to see, and I'll bet you had a pint or
two in celebration afterwards -- at least I would have 8^)



>Cobi Jones scored his first goal for Coventry as they won a dour game against
>Norwich 1-0. The top three is now exactly the same as last year's. Yawn. 8-(

Cobi Jones is pretty good -- he's fast, I know that.



>Liverpool play Everton at Goodison tonight, so I'll post a table tomorrow
>hopefully.

Go Reds.  Win the Merseyside derby!	
	

Everton 2 Liverpool 0

Table as soon as I can find one.

Mike

Date: 20th November  FA Carling Premiership                   Season 1994/95 

                                    HOME             AWAY
                             P  W  D  L  F   A   W  D  L  F   A   GD PD PTS
 1 Manchester United        15  8  0  0  20   0  3  1  3  11  10  21  0  34
 2 Blackburn Rovers         15  6  0  1  20   7  4  3  1  11   6  18  0  33
 3 Newcastle United         15  5  2  0  19   7  5  1  2  14   9  17  0  33
 4 Liverpool                15  6  1  0  17   4  3  1  4  15  12  16  0  29
 5 Nottingham Forest        15  4  2  2  12   8  4  2  1  13   7  10  0  28
 6 Leeds United             15  5  1  1  13   7  2  2  4  10  12   4  0  24
 7 Chelsea                  14  4  1  2  15   6  3  1  3  10  13   6  0  23
 8 Manchester City          15  4  3  0  21   9  2  1  5   4  16   0  0  22
 9 Norwich City             15  4  3  0   9   4  1  3  4   4   9   0  0  21
10 Southampton              15  3  3  2  10   9  2  2  3  13  17  -3  0  20
11 Arsenal                  14  3  2  2  11   7  2  2  3   6   7   3  0  19
12 Crystal Palace           15  2  1  4   6  10  3  3  2   9   8  -3  0  19
13 Coventry City            15  4  1  3   9  10  1  3  3   9  16  -8  0  19
14 Wimbledon                15  4  1  3  13  13  1  2  4   4  13  -9  0  18
15 Sheffield Wednesday      15  2  4  2   8   8  2  1  4   8  14  -6  0  17
16 West Ham United          15  4  1  2   6   5  1  1  6   3  11  -7  0  17
17 Queens Park Rangers      15  4  1  3  14  12  0  3  4   9  15  -4  0  16
18 Aston Villa              15  1  3  3   6   9  2  1  5  13  18  -8  0  13
19 Tottenham Hotspur        14  2  1  4  11  14  3  1  3  13  16  -6  6  11*
20 Everton                  15  2  4  2  10  10  0  1  6   1  14 -13  0  11
21 Ipswich Town             15  2  0  6  10  16  1  1  5   4  14 -16  0  10
22 Leicester City           14  2  2  3  11  12  0  1  6   3  14 -12  0   9

* The tottenham position includes a 6pt penalty that won't be levied until May.

Spurs play Chelsea and Arsenal play Leicester on wednesday.

>Everton 2 Liverpool 0
>
>Table as soon as I can find one.

Thanks Mike, but I have to say


		Aw PISS!

Results from last night:

	Leicester	2-1	Arsenal
	Tottenham	0-0	Chelsea

                                    HOME             AWAY
                             P  W  D  L  F   A   W  D  L  F   A   GD PD PTS
 1 Manchester United        15  8  0  0  20   0  3  1  3  11  10  21  0  34
 2 Blackburn Rovers         15  6  0  1  20   7  4  3  1  11   6  18  0  33
 3 Newcastle United         15  5  2  0  19   7  5  1  2  14   9  17  0  33
 4 Liverpool                15  6  1  0  17   4  3  1  4  15  12  16  0  29
 5 Nottingham Forest        15  4  2  2  12   8  4  2  1  13   7  10  0  28
 6 Chelsea                  15  4  1  2  15   6  3  2  3  10  13   6  0  24
 7 Leeds United             15  5  1  1  13   7  2  2  4  10  12   4  0  24
 8 Manchester City          15  4  3  0  21   9  2  1  5   4  16   0  0  22
 9 Norwich City             15  4  3  0   9   4  1  3  4   4   9   0  0  21
10 Southampton              15  3  3  2  10   9  2  2  3  13  17  -3  0  20
11 Arsenal                  15  3  2  2  11   7  2  2  4   7   8   2  0  19
12 Crystal Palace           15  2  1  4   6  10  3  3  2   9   8  -3  0  19
13 Coventry City            15  4  1  3   9  10  1  3  3   9  16  -8  0  19
14 Wimbledon                15  4  1  3  13  13  1  2  4   4  13  -9  0  18
15 Sheffield Wednesday      15  2  4  2   8   8  2  1  4   8  14  -6  0  17
16 West Ham United          15  4  1  2   6   5  1  1  6   3  11  -7  0  17
17 Queens Park Rangers      15  4  1  3  14  12  0  3  4   9  15  -4  0  16
18 Aston Villa              15  1  3  3   6   9  2  1  5  13  18  -8  0  13
19 Tottenham Hotspur        15  2  2  4  11  14  3  1  3  13  16  -6  6  12*
20 Leicester City           15  3  2  3  13  13  0  1  6   3  14 -11  0  12
21 Everton                  15  2  4  2  10  10  0  1  6   1  14 -13  0  11
22 Ipswich Town             15  2  0  6  10  16  1  1  5   4  14 -16  0  10

* The tottenham position includes a 6pt penalty that won't be levied until May.

	Sat 26th

       Arsenal            0  -  0    Man. Utd.          
       Blackburn Rovers   4  -  0    Q.P.R.             
       Chelsea            0  -  1    Everton            
       Crystal Palace     0  -  0    Southampton        
       Leeds Utd.         1  -  0    Nott'm Forest      
       Liverpool          1  -  1    Tottenham Hotspur  (Fowler pen)
       Man. City          2  -  0    Wimbledon          
       Newcastle Utd.     1  -  1    Ipswich Town       
       Norwich City       2  -  1    Leicester City     
       West Ham Utd.      0  -  1    Coventry City      

	Sun 27th

       Aston Villa        1  -  1    Sheffield Wed.     


        Team Name            Pld   W    D    L    F    A   Pts   GD

   1 Blackburn Rovers         16   11    3    2   35   13   36   22 
   2 Man. Utd.                16   11    2    3   31   10   35   21 
   3 Newcastle Utd.           16   10    4    2   34   17   34   17 
   4 Liverpool                16    9    3    4   33   17   30   16 
   5 Nott'm Forest            16    8    4    4   25   16   28    9 
   6 Leeds Utd.               16    8    3    5   24   19   27    5 
   7 Man. City                16    7    4    5   27   25   25    2 
   8 Chelsea                  16    7    3    6   25   20   24    5 
   9 Norwich City             16    6    6    4   15   14   24    1 
  10 Coventry City            16    6    4    6   19   26   22   -7 
  11 Southampton              16    5    6    5   23   26   21   -3 
  12 Arsenal                  16    5    5    6   18   16   20    2 
  13 Crystal Palace           16    5    5    6   15   18   20   -3 
  14 Tottenham Hotspur        16    5    4    7   25   31   19   -6 
  15 Sheffield Wed.           16    4    6    6   17   23   18   -6 
  16 Wimbledon                16    5    3    8   17   28   18  -11 
  17 West Ham Utd.            16    5    2    9    9   17   17   -8 
  18 Q.P.R.                   16    4    4    8   23   31   16   -8 
  19 Aston Villa              16    3    5    8   20   28   14   -8 
  20 Everton                  16    3    5    8   12   24   14  -12 
  21 Leicester City           16    3    3   10   17   29   12  -12 
  22 Ipswich Town             16    3    2   11   15   31   11  -16 

	Sat 3rd Dec '94

       Coventry City      1  -  1    Liverpool   	(Rush)       
       Ipswich Town       1  -  2    Man. City          
       Leicester City     1  -  1    Aston Villa        
       Man. Utd.          1  -  0    Norwich City       
       Nott'm Forest      2  -  2    Arsenal            
       Sheffield Wed.     1  -  0    Crystal Palace     
       Southampton        0  -  1    Chelsea            
       Tottenham Hotspur  4  -  2    Newcastle Utd.     
       Wimbledon          0  -  3    Blackburn Rovers   

	Sun 4th

       Q.P.R.             2  -  1    West Ham Utd.      


        Team Name            Pld   W    D    L    F    A   Pts   GD

   1 Blackburn Rovers         17   12    3    2   38   13   39   25 
   2 Man. Utd.                17   12    2    3   32   10   38   22 
   3 Newcastle Utd.           17   10    4    3   36   21   34   15 
   4 Liverpool                17    9    4    4   34   18   31   16 
   5 Nott'm Forest            17    8    5    4   27   18   29    9 
   6 Man. City                17    8    4    5   29   26   28    3 
   7 Chelsea                  17    8    3    6   26   20   27    6 
   8 Leeds Utd.               16    8    3    5   24   19   27    5 
   9 Norwich City             17    6    6    5   15   15   24    0 
  10 Coventry City            17    6    5    6   20   27   23   -7 
  11 Tottenham Hotspur        17    6    4    7   29   33   22   -4 
  12 Arsenal                  17    5    6    6   20   18   21    2 
  13 Southampton              17    5    6    6   23   27   21   -4 
  14 Sheffield Wed.           17    5    6    6   18   23   21   -5 
  15 Crystal Palace           17    5    5    7   15   19   20   -4 
  16 Q.P.R.                   17    5    4    8   25   32   19   -7 
  17 Wimbledon                17    5    3    9   17   31   18  -14 
  18 West Ham Utd.            17    5    2   10   10   19   17   -9 
  19 Aston Villa              17    3    6    8   21   29   15   -8 
  20 Everton                  16    3    5    8   12   24   14  -12 
  21 Leicester City           17    3    4   10   18   30   13  -12 
  22 Ipswich Town             17    3    2   12   16   33   11  -17 
	
Tonight:

Everton v Leeds

Next weekend:

Aston Villa          - Everton
Blackburn Rovers     - Southampton
Leeds United         - West Ham United
Liverpool            - Crystal Palace
Manchester City      - Arsenal
Newcastle United     - Leicester City
Norwich City         - Chelsea
Nottingham Forest    - Ipswich Town
Queen's Park Rangers - Manchester United
Tottenham Hotspur    - Sheffield Wednesday
Wimbledon            - Coventry City

Last night: Everton 3 Leeds 0


        Team Name            Pld   W    D    L    F    A   Pts   GD

   1 Blackburn Rovers         17   12    3    2   38   13   39   25 
   2 Man. Utd.                17   12    2    3   32   10   38   22 
   3 Newcastle Utd.           17   10    4    3   36   21   34   15 
   4 Liverpool                17    9    4    4   34   18   31   16 
   5 Nott'm Forest            17    8    5    4   27   18   29    9 
   6 Man. City                17    8    4    5   29   26   28    3 
   7 Chelsea                  17    8    3    6   26   20   27    6 
   8 Leeds Utd.               17    8    3    6   24   22   27    2 
   9 Norwich City             17    6    6    5   15   15   24    0 
  10 Coventry City            17    6    5    6   20   27   23   -7 
  11 Tottenham Hotspur        17    6    4    7   29   33   22   -4 
  12 Arsenal                  17    5    6    6   20   18   21    2 
  13 Southampton              17    5    6    6   23   27   21   -4 
  14 Sheffield Wed.           17    5    6    6   18   23   21   -5 
  15 Crystal Palace           17    5    5    7   15   19   20   -4 
  16 Q.P.R.                   17    5    4    8   25   32   19   -7 
  17 Wimbledon                17    5    3    9   17   31   18  -14 
  18 Everton                  17    4    5    8   15   24   17   -9 
  19 West Ham Utd.            17    5    2   10   10   19   17   -9 
  20 Aston Villa              17    3    6    8   21   29   15   -8 
  21 Leicester City           17    3    4   10   18   30   13  -12 
  22 Ipswich Town             17    3    2   12   16   33   11  -17 

    The change in managers has certainly aroused Everton, hasn't it?
    
    They looked like a sure bet for relegation three weeks ago.  Now
    they appear unstoppable.
    
    NAZZ

They play Villa at Villa Park on Saturday. Villa are yet to lose under Brian
Little, and Everton are, despite the run, still only 11 crap players in
desperately poor shirts. I think the Villans will mash 'em.

But I've been wrong before.

Mike

EVerton are nothing but Merseyside pretenders....8^)

They were soooo lucky to beat Liverpool in Royale's first match in charge.
Liverpool tore them to shreds for most of the game and Everton just hung on for
dear life, scraped a lucky goal, and then stuck in another one while the pool
were busy attacking.

Everton flatter to deceive, and the next time they play a half decent team
(Saturday) they'll get beat.

Mike

	Sat 10th

       Aston Villa        0  -  0    Everton            
       Blackburn Rovers   3  -  2    Southampton        
       Leeds Utd.         2  -  2    West Ham Utd.      
       Newcastle Utd.     3  -  1    Leicester City     
       Norwich City       3  -  0    Chelsea            
       Nott'm Forest      4  -  1    Ipswich Town       
       Q.P.R.             2  -  3    Man. Utd.          
       Tottenham Hotspur  3  -  1    Sheffield Wed.     
       Wimbledon          2  -  0    Coventry City      

	Sun 11th

       Liverpool          0  -  0    Crystal Palace     


        Team Name            Pld   W    D    L    F    A   Pts   GD

   1 Blackburn Rovers         18   13    3    2   41   15   42   26 
   2 Man. Utd.                18   13    2    3   35   12   41   23 
   3 Newcastle Utd.           18   11    4    3   39   22   37   17 
   4 Liverpool                18    9    5    4   34   18   32   16 
   5 Nott'm Forest            18    9    5    4   31   19   32   12 
   6 Man. City                17    8    4    5   29   26   28    3 
   7 Leeds Utd.               18    8    4    6   26   24   28    2 
   8 Chelsea                  18    8    3    7   26   23   27    3 
   9 Norwich City             18    7    6    5   18   15   27    3 
  10 Tottenham Hotspur        18    7    4    7   32   34   25   -2 
  11 Coventry City            18    6    5    7   20   29   23   -9 
  12 Arsenal                  17    5    6    6   20   18   21    2 
  13 Crystal Palace           18    5    6    7   15   19   21   -4 
  14 Southampton              18    5    6    7   25   30   21   -5 
  15 Sheffield Wed.           18    5    6    7   19   26   21   -7 
  16 Wimbledon                18    6    3    9   19   31   21  -12 
  17 Q.P.R.                   18    5    4    9   27   35   19   -8 
  18 Everton                  18    4    6    8   15   24   18   -9 
  19 West Ham Utd.            18    5    3   10   12   21   18   -9 
  20 Aston Villa              18    3    7    8   21   29   16   -8 
  21 Leicester City           18    3    4   11   19   33   13  -14 
  22 Ipswich Town             18    3    2   13   17   37   11  -20 

Tonight:

Manchester City      - Arsenal

Next weekend:

Arsenal              - Leeds United
Chelsea              - Liverpool
Coventry City        - Newcastle United
Crystal Palace       - Norwich City
Everton              - Tottenham Hotspur
Ipswich Town         - Wimbledon
Leicester City       - Blackburn Rovers
Manchester United    - Nottingham Forest
Sheffield Wednesday  - Queen's Park Rangers
Southampton          - Aston Villa
West Ham United      - Manchester City

Last night: Man City 1   Arsenal 2

        Team Name            Pld   W    D    L    F    A   Pts   GD

   1 Blackburn Rovers         18   13    3    2   41   15   42   26 
   2 Man. Utd.                18   13    2    3   35   12   41   23 
   3 Newcastle Utd.           18   11    4    3   39   22   37   17 
   4 Liverpool                18    9    5    4   34   18   32   16 
   5 Nott'm Forest            18    9    5    4   31   19   32   12 
   6 Man. City                18    8    4    6   30   28   28    2 
   7 Leeds Utd.               18    8    4    6   26   24   28    2 
   8 Chelsea                  18    8    3    7   26   23   27    3 
   9 Norwich City             18    7    6    5   18   15   27    3 
  10 Tottenham Hotspur        18    7    4    7   32   34   25   -2 
  11 Arsenal                  18    6    6    6   22   19   24    3 
  12 Coventry City            18    6    5    7   20   29   23   -9 
  13 Crystal Palace           18    5    6    7   15   19   21   -4 
  14 Southampton              18    5    6    7   25   30   21   -5 
  15 Sheffield Wed.           18    5    6    7   19   26   21   -7 
  16 Wimbledon                18    6    3    9   19   31   21  -12 
  17 Q.P.R.                   18    5    4    9   27   35   19   -8 
  18 Everton                  18    4    6    8   15   24   18   -9 
  19 West Ham Utd.            18    5    3   10   12   21   18   -9 
  20 Aston Villa              18    3    7    8   21   29   16   -8 
  21 Leicester City           18    3    4   11   19   33   13  -14 
  22 Ipswich Town             18    3    2   13   17   37   11  -20 

Arsenal             1-3	 Leeds United
Chelsea             0-0	 Liverpool
Coventry City       0-0	 Newcastle United
Crystal Palace      0-1	 Norwich City
Everton             0-0  Tottenham Hotspur
Ipswich Town        2-2  Wimbledon
Leicester City      0-0  Blackburn Rovers
Manchester United   1-2  Nottingham Forest
Sheffield Wednesday 0-2  Queen's Park Rangers
Southampton         2-1  Aston Villa
West Ham United     3-0  Manchester City

        Team Name            Pld   W    D    L    F    A   Pts   GD

   1 Blackburn Rovers         19   13    4    2   41   15   43   26 
   2 Man. Utd.                19   13    2    4   36   14   41   22 
   3 Newcastle Utd.           19   11    5    3   39   22   38   17 
   4 Nott'm Forest            19   10    5    4   33   20   35   13 
   5 Liverpool                19    9    6    4   34   18   33   16 
   6 Leeds Utd.               19    9    4    6   29   25   31    4 
   7 Norwich City             19    8    6    5   19   15   30    4 
   8 Chelsea                  19    8    4    7   26   23   28    3 
   9 Man. City                19    8    4    7   30   31   28   -1 
  10 Tottenham Hotspur        19    7    5    7   32   34   26   -2 
  11 Arsenal                  19    6    6    7   23   22   24    1 
  12 Southampton              19    6    6    7   27   31   24   -4 
  13 Coventry City            19    6    6    7   20   29   24   -9 
  14 Q.P.R.                   19    6    4    9   29   35   22   -6 
  15 Wimbledon                19    6    4    9   21   33   22  -12 
  16 Crystal Palace           19    5    6    8   15   20   21   -5 
  17 West Ham Utd.            19    6    3   10   15   21   21   -6 
  18 Sheffield Wed.           19    5    6    8   19   28   21   -9 
  19 Everton                  19    4    7    8   15   24   19   -9 
  20 Aston Villa              19    3    7    9   22   31   16   -9 
  21 Leicester City           19    3    5   11   19   33   14  -14 
  22 Ipswich Town             19    3    3   13   19   39   12  -20 

    Thanks again for putting the table in every week.  ALl of the soccer
    fans over here really appreciate it.
    
    As we are off tomorrow for Christmas, I will be watching the Nottingham
    Forest win over United on Sportschannel (1 PM for those interested).
    
    NAZZ

Dec 26th

Arsenal		0-0	Aston Villa
Leicester	1-2	Liverpool
Chelsea		2-3	Man Utd
Coventry	0-0	Nottm Forest
Crystal Palace	0-0	QPR
Everton		1-4	Sheff Weds
Leeds		0-0	Newcastle
Man City	1-3	Blackburn
Norwich		0-2	Spurs
Southampton	2-3	Wimbledon
West Ham	1-1	Ipswich

Dec 27th

Nottm Forest	1-0	Ipswich
Spurs		0-0	Palace

Dec 28th

Villa		3-0	Chelsea
Blackburn	P-P	Leeds		(postponed)
Ipswich		0-2	Arsenal
Liverpool	2-0	Man City
Man Utd		1-1	Leicester
QPR		2-2	Southampton
Sheff Weds	5-1	Coventry
Wimbledon	1-0	West Ham

Dec 31st

Arsenal		1-3	QPR
Chelsea		1-1	Wimbledon
Coventry	0-4	Spurs
Palace		0-1	Blackburn
Everton		4-1 	Ipswich
Leeds		0-2	Liverpool
Leicester	0-1	Sheff Weds
Man City	2-2	Villa
Norwich		2-1	Newcastle
Southampton	2-2	Man Utd
West Ham	3-1	Forest

Jan 2nd

Villa		0-0	Leeds
Blackburn	4-2	West Ham
Ipswich		4-1	Leicester
Liverpool	4-0	Norwich
Newcastle	0-0	Man City
Forest		1-0	Palace
Sheff Weds	1-1	Southampton
Spurs		1-0	Arsenal
Wimbledon	2-1	Everton

Table to follow. Blackburn are 6 pts clear of Man Utd at the top, Liverpool are
3rd.

Mike

Blackburn set British transfer records for both of their star forwards. Two
years ago Alan Shearer cost them �3.5 million, and this last summer they spent
�5 million on Chris Sutton. Shearer is the best English striker in the league by
quite a margin (I think Klinsmann at Spurs would argue as to who was the best
overall), and Sutton is reckoned to be one ofthe most exciting young prospects. 

The sad thing for the rest of the league is that Blackburn have had a couple of
their best players out for the first half of the season. When midfielder David
Batty comes back, they will be even more fearsome prospect.

It'll be nice to see a new club win something, even if they have bought their
way to success. 8-)

However, the season is only about halfway through, and I still live in mortal
dread of the Mancs picking up their third straight. 8-(

Mike

Jan 3rd

Man Utd		2-0	Coventry


                                     Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       22    9  0  1 31 11    7  4  1 18  7   31   52
 2  Manchester United      23   10  1  1 25  3    5  3  3 19 16   25   49
 3  Liverpool              23    8  3  0 24  5    5  3  4 20 14   25   45
 4  Nottingham Forest      23    7  3  2 20 11    5  3  3 16 12   13   42
 5  Newcastle United       22    6  4  0 23  9    5  3  4 16 15   15   40
 6  Tottenham Hotspur      23    5  3  4 19 17    5  3  3 20 17    5   36
 7  Norwich City           23    7  3  1 16  8    2  3  7  5 15   -2   33
 8  Wimbledon              23    7  1  4 18 16    2  4  5 10 20   -8   32
 9  Leeds United           22    6  3  2 16 11    2  4  5 12 17    0   31
10  Sheffield Wednesday    23    4  5  3 15 12    4  2  5 15 19   -1   31
11  Manchester City        23    5  4  2 27 16    3  2  7  6 22   -5   30
12  Arsenal                23    3  5  3 14 12    4  3  5 13 13    2   29
13  Chelsea                22    4  3  4 18 11    4  2  5 11 19   -1   29
14  Queen's Park Rangers   22    5  2  4 20 18    2  4  5 14 20   -4   27
15  Southampton            23    4  4  4 16 16    2  5  4 18 23   -5   27
16  West Ham United        23    6  2  3 13  8    1  2  9  8 20   -7   25
17  Coventry City          23    4  4  4 10 15    2  3  6 11 25  -19   25
18  Crystal Palace         23    2  3  6  6 12    3  5  4  9 10   -7   23
19  Aston Villa            23    2  6  3 10 10    2  4  6 17 23   -6   22
20  Everton                22    4  5  3 18 15    1  2  7  3 16  -10   22
21  Ipswich Town           23    3  1  8 17 23    1  3  7  8 24  -22   16
22  Leicester City         23    3  4  5 15 17    0  2  9  7 24  -19   15

The night before last was quarter final night in the English Coca-Cola Cup
(formerly the League Cup).

Liverpool	1-0	Arsenal
Bolton		1-0	Norwich
C. Palace	4-0	Man City
Swindon		3-1	Millwall

Semi-final draw:

Liverpool v Palace
Bolton v Swindon

This means that the final will be a Premiership versus Division 1 match up.

Last Saturday there were no Premiership games, because it was the third round of
the F.A. Cup. Only one Premiership team was knocked out; Norwich (I think).

This Saturday is crunch time at the top of the table; Man Utd travel to
Newcastle Utd, and Blackburn take on Nottm Forest.

Mike

Saturday 14th January

Arsenal		1-1	Everton
Aston Villa	2-1	QPR
Blackburn	3-0	Nottm Forest
Chelsea		1-1	Sheff Weds
Crystal Palace	2-0	Leicester
Leeds		0-0	Southampton
Liverpool	0-1	Ipswich
Man City	0-0	Coventry
Norwich		1-2	Wimbledon
West Ham	1-2	Tottenham

Sunday 15th January

Newcastle	1-1	Man Utd



                                     Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       23   10  0  1 34 11    7  4  1 18  7   34   55
 2  Manchester United      24   10  1  1 25  3    5  4  3 20 17   25   50
 3  Liverpool              24    8  3  1 24  6    5  3  4 20 14   24   45
 4  Nottingham Forest      24    7  3  2 20 11    5  3  4 16 15   10   42
 5  Newcastle United       23    6  5  0 24 10    5  3  4 16 15   15   41
 6  Tottenham Hotspur      24    5  3  4 19 17    6  3  3 22 18    6   39
 7  Wimbledon              24    7  1  4 18 16    3  4  5 12 21   -7   35
 8  Norwich City           24    7  3  2 17 10    2  3  7  5 15   -3   33
 9  Leeds United           23    6  4  2 16 11    2  4  5 12 17    0   32
10  Sheffield Wednesday    24    4  5  3 15 12    4  3  5 16 20   -1   32
11  Manchester City        24    5  5  2 27 16    3  2  7  6 22   -5   31
12  Arsenal                24    3  6  3 15 13    4  3  5 13 13    2   30
13  Chelsea                23    4  4  4 19 12    4  2  5 11 19   -1   30
14  Southampton            24    4  4  4 16 16    2  6  4 18 23   -5   28
15  Queen's Park Rangers   23    5  2  4 20 18    2  4  6 15 22   -5   27
16  Crystal Palace         24    3  3  6  8 12    3  5  4  9 10   -5   26
17  Coventry City          24    4  4  4 10 15    2  4  6 11 25  -19   26
18  Aston Villa            24    3  6  3 12 11    2  4  6 17 23   -5   25
19  West Ham United        24    6  2  4 14 10    1  2  9  8 20   -8   25
20  Everton                23    4  5  3 18 15    1  3  7  4 17  -10   23
21  Ipswich Town           24    3  1  8 17 23    2  3  7  9 24  -21   19
22  Leicester City         24    3  4  5 15 17    0  2 10  7 26  -21   15

Saturday 21st January

Coventry	0-1	Arsenal
Everton		3-1	Crystal Palace	
Ipswich		2-2	Chelsea
Leicester	P-P	Leeds
Nottm Forest	1-2	Aston Villa
QPR		P-P	Norwich
Sheff Weds	0-0	Newcastle
Southampton	P-P	West Ham
Spurs		P-P	Man City
Wimbledon	P-P	Liverpool


Sunday 22nd January

Man Utd		1-0	Blackburn

                                     Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       24   10  0  1 34 11    7  4  2 18  8   33   55
 2  Manchester United      25   11  1  1 26  3    5  4  3 20 17   26   53
 3  Liverpool              24    8  3  1 24  6    5  3  4 20 14   24   45
 4  Newcastle United       24    6  5  0 24 10    5  4  4 16 15   15   42
 5  Nottingham Forest      25    7  3  3 21 13    5  3  4 16 15    9   42
 6  Tottenham Hotspur      24    5  3  4 19 17    6  3  3 22 18    6   39
 7  Wimbledon              24    7  1  4 18 16    3  4  5 12 21   -7   35
 8  Leeds Utd              23    6  4  2 16 11    3  3  5 13 16    2   34
 9  Sheffield Wednesday    25    4  6  3 15 12    4  3  5 16 20   -1   33
10  Norwich City           24    7  3  2 17 10    2  3  7  5 15   -3   33
11  Arsenal                25    3  5  4 14 14    5  3  5 14 13    1   32
12  Chelsea                24    4  4  4 19 12    4  3  5 13 21   -1   31
13  Manchester City        24    5  5  2 27 16    3  2  7  6 22   -5   31
14  Aston Villa            25    3  6  3 12 11    3  4  6 19 24   -4   28
15  Southampton            24    4  4  4 16 16    2  6  4 18 23   -5   28
16  Queen's Park Rangers   23    5  2  4 20 18    2  4  6 15 22   -5   27
17  Crystal Palace         25    3  3  6  8 12    3  5  5 10 13   -7   26
18  Everton                24    5  5  3 21 16    1  3  7  4 17   -8   26
19  Coventry City          24    4  4  5 10 16    2  4  6 11 25  -20   26
20  West Ham United        24    6  2  4 14 10    1  2  9  8 20   -8   25
21  Ipswich Town           25    3  2  8 19 25    2  3  7  9 24  -21   20
22  Leicester City         24    3  4  5 15 17    0  2 10  7 26  -21   15

Monday 23rd

West Ham	0-2	Sheff Weds

Tuesday 24th

Arsenal		1-1	Southampton
Leeds		4-0	QPR
Liverpool	0-0	Everton


Mike

Wednesday, 25th January

Aston Villa	1-0	Spurs
Chelsea		0-2	Forest
Crystal Palace	1-1	Man Utd
Man City	0-1	Leicester
Newcastle	1-2	Wimbledon
Norwich		2-2	Coventry

                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       24   10  0  1 34 11    7  4  2 18  8   33   55
 2  Manchester United      26   11  1  1 26  3    5  5  3 21 18   26   54
 3  Liverpool              25    8  4  1 24  6    5  3  4 20 14   24   46
 4  Newcastle United       25    7  5  0 26 11    5  4  4 16 15   16   45
 5  Nottingham Forest      26    7  3  3 21 13    6  3  4 18 15   11   45
 6  Tottenham Hotspur      25    5  3  4 19 17    6  3  4 22 19    5   39
 7  Leeds United           24    7  4  2 20 11    3  3  5 13 16    6   37
 8  Sheffield Wednesday    26    4  6  3 15 12    5  3  5 18 20    1   36
 9  Wimbledon              25    7  1  4 18 16    3  4  6 13 23   -8   35
10  Norwich City           25    7  4  2 19 12    2  3  7  5 15   -3   34
11  Arsenal                26    3  6  4 15 15    5  3  5 14 13    1   33
12= Chelsea                25    4  4  5 19 14    4  3  5 13 21   -3   31
12= Aston Villa            26    4  6  3 13 11    3  4  6 19 24   -3   31
14  Manchester City        25    5  5  3 27 17    3  2  7  6 22   -6   31
15  Southampton            25    4  4  4 16 16    2  7  4 19 24   -5   29
16  Crystal Palace         26    3  4  6  9 13    3  5  5 10 13   -7   27
17  Everton                25    5  5  3 21 16    1  4  7  4 17   -8   27
18  Queen's Park Rangers   24    5  2  4 20 18    2  4  7 15 26   -9   27
19  Coventry City          26    4  4  5 10 16    2  5  6 13 27  -20   27
20  West Ham United        25    6  2  5 14 12    1  2  9  8 20  -10   25
21  Ipswich Town           25    3  2  8 19 25    2  3  7  9 24  -21   20
22  Leicester City         25    3  4  5 15 17    1  2 10  8 26  -20   18

Scorers (this is slightly out of date I think)

 1= Alan Shearer (Blackburn Rovers)              20
    Robbie Fowler (Liverpool)                    20
 3  Chris Sutton (Blackburn Rovers)              13
 4= Ian Wright (Arsenal)                         12
    Les Ferdinand (QPR)                          12
    Matthew Le Tissier (Southampton)             12
    Jurgen Klinsmann (Tottenham Hotspur)         12
 8= Eric Cantona (Manchester Utd)                11
    Andrei Kanchelskis (Manchester Utd)          11
    Teddy Sheringham (Tottenham Hotspur)         11
11= Paul Rideout (Everton)                       10
    Paul Walsh (Manchester City)                 10
    John Spencer (Chelsea)                       10
14= Andy Cole (Manchester Utd)                    9 (9 for Newcastle Utd)
    Stan Collymore (Nottingham Forest)            9
16= Dean Saunders (Aston Villa)                   8
    Dion Dublin (Coventry City)                   8
    Uwe Rosler (Manchester City)                  8
19= Noel Whelan (Leeds Utd)                       7
    Robert Lee (Newcastle Utd)                    7
    Tony Cottee (West Ham Utd)                    7
22= Paul Furlong (Chelsea)                        6
    Steve McManaman (Liverpool)                   6
    Ian Rush (Liverpool)                          6
    Niall Quinn (Manchester City)                 6
    Brian Roy (Nottingham Forest)                 6
    Mark Bright (Sheffield Wednesday)             6
    Guy Whittingham (Sheffield Wednesday)         6 (2 for Aston Villa)
    Nicky Barmby (Tottenham Hotspur)              6
    Mick Harford (Wimbledon)                      6
31= Jason Wilcox (Blackburn Rovers)               5
    Dennis Wise (Chelsea)                         5
    Brian Deane (Leeds Utd)                       5
    Iwan Roberts (Leicester City)                 5
    John Barnes (Liverpool)                       5
    Mark Hughes (Manchester United)               5
    Ruel Fox (Newcastle Utd)                      5
    Stuart Pearce (Nottingham Forest)             5
    Kevin Gallen (QPR)                            5
    Ronnie Ekelund (Southampton)                  5

>    Ian Rush (Liverpool)                          6

Ian Rush is GOD(tm)

So what does that make the 21 players who have scored more than he has? 8-)

Cracking bit of controversy last night when Man Utd player Eric Cantona got sent
off. As he walked back to the dressing room, a Palace fan evidently shouted
something that wasn't to Eric's liking so Eric leapt two footed into the crowd
and started trading punches with the fan. The Football Association is
considering what to do, but I hope they ban him forever because Utd won't win
anything without him. 8-)

Mike

>So what does that make the 21 players who have scored more than he has? 8-)

God does what God wants.  He thought he'd be nice this year and let
21 others feel the glory.  8^)

>Cracking bit of controversy last night when Man Utd player Eric Cantona got sent
>off. As he walked back to the dressing room, a Palace fan evidently shouted
>something that wasn't to Eric's liking so Eric leapt two footed into the crowd
>and started trading punches with the fan. The Football Association is
>considering what to do, but I hope they ban him forever because Utd won't win
>anything without him. 8-)

That's funny in a way.  Over here in hockey that's not so unusual.  Well,
it's unusual I guess, but no surprise when it happens.

What did he get sent off for?  Double yellow or major infraction?


'Saw

He kicked a Palace defender while stood in front of the linesman. 8-)

mike

>He kicked a Palace defender while stood in front of the linesman. 8-)
>
>mike


Bad form!

    Thanks for putting the leading scorers in here!
    
    NAZZ

Only one Premiership match this weekend because everyone else was in the FA Cup.

Saturday 28th January

Blackburn	4-1	Ipswich

There are some midweek games tonight so I'll post a table tomorrow.

Mike

Wednesday 1st February

Blackburn	1-1	Leeds		(Blackburn goalie sent off after 2 mins)
Newcastle	2-0	Everton 	(Everton 2 players sent off)

                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       26   11  1  1 39 13    7  4  2 18  8   36   59
 2  Manchester United      26   11  1  1 26  3    5  5  3 21 18   26   54
 3  Newcastle United       26    8  5  0 28 11    5  4  4 16 15   18   48
 4  Liverpool              25    8  4  1 24  6    5  3  4 20 14   24   46
 5  Nottingham Forest      26    7  3  3 21 13    6  3  4 18 15   11   45
 6  Tottenham Hotspur      25    5  3  4 19 17    6  3  4 22 19    5   39
 7  Leeds United           25    7  4  2 20 11    3  4  5 14 17    6   38
 8  Sheffield Wednesday    26    4  6  3 15 12    5  3  5 18 20    1   36
 9  Wimbledon              25    7  1  4 18 16    3  4  6 13 23   -8   35
10  Norwich City           25    7  4  2 19 12    2  3  7  5 15   -3   34
11  Arsenal                26    3  6  4 15 15    5  3  5 14 13    1   33
12= Chelsea                25    4  4  5 19 14    4  3  5 13 21   -3   31
12= Aston Villa            26    4  6  3 13 11    3  4  6 19 24   -3   31
14  Manchester City        25    5  5  3 27 17    3  2  7  6 22   -6   31
15  Southampton            25    4  4  4 16 16    2  7  4 19 24   -5   29
16  Crystal Palace         26    3  4  6  9 13    3  5  5 10 13   -7   27
17  Queen's Park Rangers   24    5  2  4 20 18    2  4  7 15 26   -9   27
18  Everton                26    5  5  3 21 16    1  4  8  4 19  -10   27
19  Coventry City          26    4  4  5 10 16    2  5  6 13 27  -20   27
20  West Ham United        25    6  2  5 14 12    1  2  9  8 20  -10   25
21  Ipswich Town           26    3  2  8 19 25    2  3  8 10 28  -24   20
22  Leicester City         25    3  4  5 15 17    1  2 10  8 26  -20   18

Saturday, 4th February

Coventry	2-2	Chelsea
Everton		2-1	Norwich
Ipswich		0-2	Crystal Palace
Leicester	1-2	West Ham
Man Utd		1-0	Aston Villa
Nottm Forest	1-1	Liverpool
QPR		3-0	Newcastle
Sheff Weds	3-1	Arsenal
Southampton	2-2	Man City
Wimbledon	0-0	Leeds

Sunday, 5th February

Spurs		3-1	Blackburn


                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       27   11  1  1 39 13    7  4  3 19 11   34   59
 2  Manchester United      27   12  1  1 27  3    5  5  3 21 18   27   57
 3  Newcastle United       27    8  5  0 28 11    5  4  5 16 18   15   48
 4  Liverpool              26    8  4  1 24  6    5  4  4 21 15   24   47
 5  Nottingham Forest      27    7  4  3 22 14    6  3  4 18 15   11   46
 6  Tottenham Hotspur      26    6  3  4 22 18    6  3  4 22 19    7   42
 7  Leeds United           26    7  4  2 20 11    3  5  5 14 17    6   39
 8  Sheffield Wednesday    27    5  6  3 18 13    5  3  5 18 20    3   39
 9  Wimbledon              26    7  2  4 18 16    3  4  6 13 23   -8   36
10  Norwich City           26    7  4  2 19 12    2  3  8  6 17   -4   34
11  Arsenal                27    3  6  4 15 15    5  3  6 15 16   -1   33
12  Chelsea                26    4  4  5 19 14    4  4  5 15 23   -3   32
13  Manchester City        26    5  5  3 27 17    3  3  7  8 24   -6   32
14  Aston Villa            27    4  6  3 13 11    3  4  7 19 25   -4   31
15  Southampton            26    4  5  4 18 18    2  7  4 19 24   -5   30
16  Crystal Palace         27    3  4  6  9 13    4  5  5 12 13   -5   30
17  Queen's Park Rangers   25    6  2  4 23 18    2  4  7 15 26   -6   30
18  Everton                27    6  5  3 23 17    1  4  8  4 19   -9   30
19  West Ham United        26    6  2  5 14 12    2  2  9 10 21   -9   28
20  Coventry City          27    4  5  5 12 18    2  5  6 13 27  -20   28
21  Ipswich Town           27    3  2  9 19 27    2  3  8 10 28  -26   20
22  Leicester City         26    3  4  6 16 19    1  2 10  8 26  -21   18

    How many games are their in the Premier League season?
    
    NAZZ

Number of teams * 2 - 2 I think.  It's all home and home.

If I remember right there's now 22 teams in the premier leage, so that
would be 22 * 2 - 2, or 42 games....

Season should be about half over, I'm thinking....



'Saw

	Sat 11th

       Arsenal            1  -  1    Leicester City     
       Aston Villa        7  -  1    Wimbledon          
       Chelsea            1  -  1    Tottenham Hotspur  
       Crystal Palace     0  -  2    Coventry City   	(Cobi Jones)   
       Leeds Utd.         Postponed  Ipswich Town
       Liverpool          1  -  1    Q.P.R.             
       Man. City          0  -  3    Man. Utd.          
       Newcastle Utd.     2  -  1    Nott'm Forest      
       Norwich City       2  -  2    Southampton        

	Sun 12th

       Blackburn Rovers   3  -  1    Sheffield Wed.     

                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       28   12  1  1 42 14    7  4  3 19 11   36   62
 2  Manchester United      28   12  1  1 27  3    6  5  3 24 18   30   60
 3  Newcastle United       28    9  5  0 30 12    5  4  5 16 18   16   51
 4  Liverpool              27    8  5  1 25  7    5  4  4 21 15   24   48
 5  Nottingham Forest      28    7  4  3 22 14    6  3  5 19 17   10   46
 6  Tottenham Hotspur      27    6  3  4 22 18    6  4  4 23 20    7   43
 7  Leeds United           26    7  4  2 20 11    3  5  5 14 17    6   39
 8  Sheffield Wednesday    28    5  6  3 18 13    5  3  6 19 23    1   39
 9  Wimbledon              27    7  2  4 18 16    3  4  7 14 30  -14   36
10  Norwich City           27    7  5  2 21 14    2  3  8  6 17   -4   35
11  Arsenal                28    3  7  4 16 16    5  3  6 15 16   -1   34
12  Chelsea                27    4  5  5 20 15    4  4  5 15 23   -3   33
13  Manchester City        27    5  5  4 27 20    3  3  7  8 24   -9   32
14  Aston Villa            28    5  6  3 20 12    3  4  7 19 25    2   34
15  Southampton            27    4  5  4 18 18    2  8  4 21 26   -5   31
16  Crystal Palace         28    3  4  7  9 15    4  5  5 12 13   -3   30
17  Queen's Park Rangers   26    6  2  4 23 18    2  5  7 16 27   -6   31
18  Everton                27    6  5  3 23 17    1  4  8  4 19   -9   30
19  West Ham United        26    6  2  5 14 12    2  2  9 10 21   -9   28
20  Coventry City          28    4  5  5 12 18    3  5  6 15 27  -18   31
21  Ipswich Town           27    3  2  9 19 27    2  3  8 10 28  -26   20
22  Leicester City         27    3  4  6 16 19    1  3 10  9 27  -21   19

Blackburn have played Man Utd twice this season with United winning both.
Both games were controversial. In the first Berg of Blackburn was sent off
in incident in which a penalty was given which was shown on TV not to be a foul.
In the second Blackburn had a goal disallowed in the last minute of the match.

Scores:  Blackburn 2 Man Utd 4
	 Man Utd 1 Blackburn 0

Just a straight match up for the title from now on in  with a third of the
season to go.  Man Utd favourites as Blackburn last 5 games are more difficult.

United won 4-2 at Ewood Park on October 23rd, and 1-0 at Old Trafford on January
22nd.

Mike

Watch for Liverpool to make a late run......8^)

Liverpool play in the first leg of the Coca-Cola Cup on Wednesday at Anfield.
If they win, they meet either Swindon or Bolton, both from Division 1. Swindon
won the first leg of their semi 2-1 at home.

Mike

Cool.

Go Reds!

Mon 13th

West Ham	2-2	Everton


                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       28   12  1  1 42 14    7  4  3 19 11   36   62
 2  Manchester United      28   12  1  1 27  3    6  5  3 24 18   30   60
 3  Newcastle United       28    9  5  0 30 12    5  4  5 16 18   16   51
 4  Liverpool              27    8  5  1 25  7    5  4  4 21 15   24   48
 5  Nottingham Forest      28    7  4  3 22 14    6  3  5 19 17   10   46
 6  Tottenham Hotspur      27    6  3  4 22 18    6  4  4 23 20    7   43
 7  Leeds United           26    7  4  2 20 11    3  5  5 14 17    6   39
 8  Sheffield Wednesday    28    5  6  3 18 13    5  3  6 19 23    1   39
 9  Wimbledon              27    7  2  4 18 16    3  4  7 14 30  -14   36
10  Norwich City           27    7  5  2 21 14    2  3  8  6 17   -4   35
11  Arsenal                28    3  7  4 16 16    5  3  6 15 16   -1   34
12  Chelsea                27    4  5  5 20 15    4  4  5 15 23   -3   33
13  Manchester City        27    5  5  4 27 20    3  3  7  8 24   -9   32
14  Aston Villa            28    5  6  3 20 12    3  4  7 19 25    2   34
15  Southampton            27    4  5  4 18 18    2  8  4 21 26   -5   31
16  Crystal Palace         28    3  4  7  9 15    4  5  5 12 13   -3   30
17  Queen's Park Rangers   26    6  2  4 23 18    2  5  7 16 27   -6   31
18  Everton                28    6  5  3 23 17    1  5  8  6 21   -9   31
19  West Ham United        27    6  3  5 16 14    2  2  9 10 21   -9   29
20  Coventry City          28    4  5  5 12 18    3  5  6 15 27  -18   31
21  Ipswich Town           27    3  2  9 19 27    2  3  8 10 28  -26   20
22  Leicester City         27    3  4  6 16 19    1  3 10  9 27  -21   19


Top scorers

			Team		Goals
				League		Cups	Total
Alan Shearer		Blackburn	24	3	27
Robbie Fowler		Liverpool	21	2	23
Ashley Ward		Norwich		14	9	23
Matthew le Tissier	Southampton	13	8	21
Chris Sutton		Blackburn	14	6	20
Ian Wright		Arsenal		12	8	20
Jurgen Klinsmann	Spurs		13	6	19
Andy Cole		Man Utd		11	6	17

Saturday 18th

Coventry	2-0	West Ham
Sheff Weds	1-2	Aston Villa

Rest of Premiership involved in FA Cup.

                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       28   12  1  1 42 14    7  4  3 19 11   36   62
 2  Manchester United      28   12  1  1 27  3    6  5  3 24 18   30   60
 3  Newcastle United       28    9  5  0 30 12    5  4  5 16 18   16   51
 4  Liverpool              27    8  5  1 25  7    5  4  4 21 15   24   48
 5  Nottingham Forest      28    7  4  3 22 14    6  3  5 19 17   10   46
 6  Tottenham Hotspur      27    6  3  4 22 18    6  4  4 23 20    7   43
 7  Leeds United           26    7  4  2 20 11    3  5  5 14 17    6   39
 8  Sheffield Wednesday    29    5  6  4 19 15    5  3  6 19 23    0   39
 9  Aston Villa            29    5  6  3 20 12    4  4  7 21 26    3   37
10  Wimbledon              27    7  2  4 18 16    3  4  7 14 30  -14   36
11  Norwich City           27    7  5  2 21 14    2  3  8  6 17   -4   35
12  Arsenal                28    3  7  4 16 16    5  3  6 15 16   -1   34
13  Coventry City          29    5  5  5 14 18    3  5  6 15 27  -16   34
14  Chelsea                27    4  5  5 20 15    4  4  5 15 23   -3   33
15  Manchester City        27    5  5  4 27 20    3  3  7  8 24   -9   32
16  Southampton            27    4  5  4 18 18    2  8  4 21 26   -5   31
17  Queen's Park Rangers   26    6  2  4 23 18    2  5  7 16 27   -6   31
18  Everton                28    6  5  3 23 17    1  5  8  6 21   -9   31
19  Crystal Palace         28    3  4  7  9 15    4  5  5 12 13   -3   30
20  West Ham United        28    6  3  5 16 14    2  2 10 10 23  -11   29
21  Ipswich Town           27    3  2  9 19 27    2  3  8 10 28  -26   20
22  Leicester City         27    3  4  6 16 19    1  3 10  9 27  -21   19


Top scorers (I think)

			Team		Goals
				League		Cups	Total
Alan Shearer		Blackburn	24	3	27
Robbie Fowler		Liverpool	21	3	24
Ashley Ward		Norwich		14	9	23
Matthew le Tissier	Southampton	13	9	22
Chris Sutton		Blackburn	14	6	20
Jurgen Klinsmann	Spurs		13	7	20
Ian Wright		Arsenal		12	8	20
Andy Cole		Man Utd		11	6	17
Dean Saunders		Villa		14	2	16

Tuesday, 21st February

Arsenal		1-0	Nott'm Forest

Wednesday 22nd February

Aston Villa	4-4	Leicester
Blackburn	2-1	Wimbledon
Leeds		1-0	Everton
Man City	2-0	Ipswich
Norwich		0-2	Man Utd


                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       29   13  1  1 44 15    7  4  3 19 11   37   65
 2  Manchester United      29   12  1  1 27  3    7  5  3 26 18   32   63
 3  Newcastle United       28    9  5  0 30 12    5  4  5 16 18   16   51
 4  Liverpool              27    8  5  1 25  7    5  4  4 21 15   24   48
 5  Nottingham Forest      29    7  4  3 22 14    6  3  6 19 18    9   46
 6  Tottenham Hotspur      27    6  3  4 22 18    6  4  4 23 20    7   43
 7  Leeds United           27    8  4  2 21 11    3  5  5 14 17    7   42
 8  Sheffield Wednesday    29    5  6  4 19 15    5  3  6 19 23    0   39
 9  Aston Villa            30    5  7  3 24 16    4  4  7 21 26    3   38
10  Arsenal                29    4  7  4 17 16    5  3  6 15 16    0   37
11  Wimbledon              28    7  2  4 18 16    3  4  8 15 32  -15   36
12  Norwich City           28    7  5  3 21 16    2  3  8  6 17   -6   35
13  Manchester City        28    6  5  4 29 20    3  3  7  8 24   -7   35
14  Coventry City          29    5  5  5 14 18    3  5  6 15 27  -16   34
15  Chelsea                27    4  5  5 20 15    4  4  5 15 23   -3   33
16  Southampton            27    4  5  4 18 18    2  8  4 21 26   -5   31
17  Queen's Park Rangers   26    6  2  4 23 18    2  5  7 16 27   -6   31
18  Everton                29    6  5  3 23 17    1  5  9  6 22  -10   31
19  Crystal Palace         28    3  4  7  9 15    4  5  5 12 13   -3   30
20  West Ham United        28    6  3  5 16 14    2  2 10 10 23  -11   29
21  Leicester City         28    3  4  6 16 19    1  4 10 13 31  -21   20
22  Ipswich Town           28    3  2  9 19 27    2  3  9 10 30  -28   20


Top Scorers (probably)

			Team		Goals
					League	Cups	Total
Alan Shearer		Blackburn	26	3	27
Robbie Fowler		Liverpool	21	4	25
Ashley Ward		Norwich		14	9	23
Matthew le Tissier	Southampton	13	9	22
Chris Sutton		Blackburn	14	6	20
Jurgen Klinsmann	Spurs		13	7	20
Ian Wright		Arsenal		12	8	20
Andy Cole		Man Utd		11	6	17
Dean Saunders		Villa		15	2	17
Les Ferdinand		QPR		14	2	16
Stan Collymore		Forest		12	3	15
Teddy Sheringham	Spurs		12	3	15
Andrei Kanchelskis	Man Utd		13	1	14

Saturday, 25th February

Blackburn	1-1	Norwich
Coventry	4-2	Leicester
Crystal Palace	0-3	Arsenal
Everton		1-0	Man Utd
Ipswich		2-1	Southampton
Man City	0-0	Leeds
Newcastle	3-1	Aston Villa
Sheff Weds	1-2	Liverpool
Spurs		1-2	Wimbledon
West Ham	1-2	Chelsea

Sunday, 26th February	

QPR		1-1	Nottm Forest


                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       30   13  2  1 44 15    7  4  3 19 11   37   66
 2  Manchester United      30   12  1  1 27  3    7  5  4 26 19   31   63
 3  Newcastle United       29   10  5  0 33 13    5  4  5 16 18   18   54
 4  Liverpool              28    8  5  1 25  7    6  4  4 23 16   25   51
 5  Nottingham Forest      30    7  4  3 22 14    6  4  6 20 19    9   47
 6  Tottenham Hotspur      28    6  3  5 23 20    6  4  4 23 20    6   43
 7  Leeds United           28    8  4  2 21 11    3  6  5 14 17    7   43
 8  Arsenal                30    4  7  4 17 16    6  3  6 18 16    3   40
 9  Sheffield Wednesday    30    5  6  5 20 17    5  3  6 19 23   -1   39
10  Wimbledon              29    7  2  4 18 16    4  4  8 17 33  -14   39
11  Aston Villa            31    5  7  3 24 16    4  4  8 22 29    1   38
12  Coventry City          30    6  5  5 18 20    3  5  6 15 27  -14   37
13  Chelsea                28    4  5  5 20 15    5  4  5 17 24   -2   36
14  Norwich City           29    7  5  3 21 16    2  4  8  6 17   -6   36
15  Manchester City        29    6  6  4 29 20    3  3  7  8 24   -7   36
16  Everton                30    7  5  3 24 17    1  5  9  6 22   -9   34
17  Queen's Park Rangers   27    6  3  4 24 19    2  5  7 16 27   -6   32
18  Southampton            28    4  5  4 18 18    2  8  5 22 28   -6   31
19  Crystal Palace         29    3  4  8  9 18    4  5  5 12 13   -6   30
20  West Ham United        29    6  3  6 17 16    2  2 10 10 23  -12   29
21  Ipswich Town           29    4  2  9 21 28    2  3  9 10 30  -27   23
22  Leicester City         29    3  4  6 16 19    1  4 11 15 35  -23   20


Top Scorers (probably)

			Team		Goals
					League	Cups	Total
Alan Shearer		Blackburn	26	3	27
Robbie Fowler		Liverpool	21	4	25
Ashley Ward		Norwich		14	9	23
Matthew le Tissier	Southampton	13	9	22
Jurgen Klinsmann	Spurs		14	7	21
Chris Sutton		Blackburn	14	6	20
Ian Wright		Arsenal		12	8	20
Andy Cole		Man Utd		11	6	17
Dean Saunders		Villa		15	2	17
Les Ferdinand		QPR		14	2	16
Stan Collymore		Forest		12	3	15
Teddy Sheringham	Spurs		12	3	15
Andrei Kanchelskis	Man Utd		13	1	14

    Did Cobi Jones get any of the four goals for Coventry?
    
    BTW, I saw Alexi Lalas score for Padova in a 4-2 win over Roma in Italian
    League highleights over the weekend!
    
    NAZZ 

No, I don't think Cobi scored, but I'll check it out. He's got two this season,
but has been a substitute for the last few games. 

Mike

    According to the Coventry topic in the Football notesfile, the Coventry
    goals were scored by Flynn (2), Marsh, and Ndlovu.
    
    Steve

Tuesday, 28th February

Ipswich		0-2	Newcastle
			  Ruel Fox
			  Paul Kitson


                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       30   13  2  1 44 15    7  4  3 19 11   37   66
 2  Manchester United      30   12  1  1 27  3    7  5  4 26 19   31   63
 3  Newcastle United       30   10  5  0 33 13    6  4  5 18 18   20   57
 4  Liverpool              28    8  5  1 25  7    6  4  4 23 16   25   51
 5  Nottingham Forest      30    7  4  3 22 14    6  4  6 20 19    9   47
 6  Tottenham Hotspur      28    6  3  5 23 20    6  4  4 23 20    6   43
 7  Leeds United           28    8  4  2 21 11    3  6  5 14 17    7   43
 8  Arsenal                30    4  7  4 17 16    6  3  6 18 16    3   40
 9  Sheffield Wednesday    30    5  6  5 20 17    5  3  6 19 23   -1   39
10  Wimbledon              29    7  2  4 18 16    4  4  8 17 33  -14   39
11  Aston Villa            31    5  7  3 24 16    4  4  8 22 29    1   38
12  Coventry City          30    6  5  5 18 20    3  5  6 15 27  -14   37
13  Chelsea                28    4  5  5 20 15    5  4  5 17 24   -2   36
14  Norwich City           29    7  5  3 21 16    2  4  8  6 17   -6   36
15  Manchester City        29    6  6  4 29 20    3  3  7  8 24   -7   36
16  Everton                30    7  5  3 24 17    1  5  9  6 22   -9   34
17  Queen's Park Rangers   27    6  3  4 24 19    2  5  7 16 27   -6   32
18  Southampton            28    4  5  4 18 18    2  8  5 22 28   -6   31
19  Crystal Palace         29    3  4  8  9 18    4  5  5 12 13   -6   30
20  West Ham United        29    6  3  6 17 16    2  2 10 10 23  -12   29
21  Ipswich Town           30    4  2 10 21 30    2  3  9 10 30  -29   23
22  Leicester City         29    3  4  6 16 19    1  4 11 15 35  -23   20

    Thanks for the info.  Coventry has played really well since they
    switched managers.  Wegerle is still injured, I assume, but their
    offense has been very impressive the last few games.
    
    NAZZ

	Sat 4th Mar


       Aston Villa        0  -  1    Blackburn Rovers 
					Hendry  
       Leeds Utd.         0  -  1    Sheffield Wed. 
					Waddle    
       Leicester City     2  -  2    Everton 
	 Draper, Roberts		Limpar, Samways           
       Liverpool          2  -  0    Newcastle Utd. 
	 Fowler, Rush    
       Man. Utd.          9  -  0    Ipswich Town  
	 Cole 5, Ince, Keane, Hughes 2    
       Norwich City       1  -  1    Man. City   
	 Cureton       			Walsh?
       Nott'm Forest      2  -  2    Tottenham Hotspur 
	 Bohinen, Lee			Sheringham, Calderwood 
       Southampton        0  -  0    Coventry City      
       Wimbledon          1  -  3    Q.P.R.
	 Holdsworth?			Ferdinand 2, Holloway   

	Sun 5th Mar

       Arsenal            0  -  1    West Ham Utd.      
					Hutchison
       Chelsea		  0  -  0    Crystal Palace

                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       31   13  2  1 44 15    8  4  3 20 11   38   69
 2  Manchester United      31   13  1  1 36  3    7  5  4 26 19   40   66
 3  Newcastle United       31   10  5  0 33 13    6  4  6 18 20   18   57
 4  Liverpool              29    9  5  1 27  7    6  4  4 23 16   27   54
 5  Nottingham Forest      31    7  5  3 24 16    6  4  6 20 19    9   48
 6  Tottenham Hotspur      29    6  3  5 23 20    6  5  4 25 22    6   44
 7  Leeds United           29    8  4  3 21 12    3  6  5 14 17    6   43
 8  Sheffield Wednesday    31    5  6  5 20 17    6  3  6 20 23    0   42
 9  Arsenal                31    4  7  5 17 17    6  3  6 18 16    2   40
10  Wimbledon              30    7  2  5 19 19    4  4  8 17 33  -16   39
11  Aston Villa            32    5  7  4 24 17    4  4  8 22 29    0   38
12  Coventry City          31    6  5  5 18 20    3  6  6 15 27  -14   38
13  Chelsea                29    4  6  5 20 15    5  4  5 17 24   -2   37
14  Norwich City           30    7  6  3 22 17    2  4  8  6 17   -6   37
15  Manchester City        30    6  6  4 29 20    3  4  7  9 25   -7   37
16  Queen's Park Rangers   28    6  3  4 24 19    3  5  7 17 30   -4   35
17  Everton                31    7  5  3 24 17    1  6  9  8 24   -9   35
18  Southampton            29    4  6  4 18 18    2  8  5 22 28   -6   32
19  West Ham United        30    6  3  6 17 16    3  2 10 10 24  -11   32
20  Crystal Palace         30    3  4  8  9 18    4  6  5 12 13   -6   31
21  Ipswich Town           31    4  2 10 21 30    2  3 10 10 39  -38   23
22  Leicester City         30    3  5  6 18 21    1  4 11 15 35  -23   21

Top Scorers

			Team		Goals
					League	Cups	Total
Alan Shearer		Blackburn	26	3	27
Robbie Fowler		Liverpool	22	4	26
Ashley Ward		Norwich		14	9	23
Matthew le Tissier	Southampton	13     10	23
Andy Cole		Man Utd		16	6	22
Jurgen Klinsmann	Spurs		14	7	21
Ian Wright		Arsenal		12	9	21
Chris Sutton		Blackburn	14	6	20
Les Ferdinand		QPR		16	2	18
Dean Saunders		Villa		15	2	17
Teddy Sheringham	Spurs		13	4	17
Stan Collymore		Forest		12	3	15
Andrei Kanchelskis	Man Utd		13	1	14

>       Liverpool          2  -  0    Newcastle Utd. 
>	 Fowler, Rush    
                 ^^^^


What a great day at Anfield....


>       Man. Utd.          9  -  0    Ipswich Town  
>	 Cole 5, Ince, Keane, Hughes 2    

Oh my God!



                                    Home               Away
>   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts
>
> 1  Blackburn Rovers       31   13  2  1 44 15    8  4  3 20 11   38   69
> 2  Manchester United      31   13  1  1 36  3    7  5  4 26 19   40   66
> 3  Newcastle United       31   10  5  0 33 13    6  4  6 18 20   18   57
> 4  Liverpool              29    9  5  1 27  7    6  4  4 23 16   27   54

I like the fact that the Reds have two in hand, but best case that still
leaves them 9 shy of the top spot.....


'Saw

Little by little I'm starting to believe Rovers are for real.

Steve

Man Utd set a record for highest ever Premier League score (that's not as
impressive as it sounds; this is the third Premier League season). 

Liverpool are favourites to win the Coca-Cola Cup, and are in the quarter finals
of the FA Cup. They should win at least something this year, which would be a
pretty impressive debut season for boss Roy Evans.

Wednesday night sees the return legs in the Coca Cola Cup semis. Liverpool go to
Crystal Palace after winning 1-0 at Anfield. Swindon go to Bolton after winning
2-1 at Swindon.

Liverpool were awesome at the weekend, and could have beaten Newcastle by 7 or
8, if it wasn't for the Newcastle goalie pulling off a series of incredible
saves.

Rush is getting a bit long in the tooth these days, but he benefits from having
Robbie Fowler playing alongside him and also from having his vast experience and
knowledge of the game. Liverpool have a couple of other young players making an
impact in midfielders Jamie Redknapp and Steve McManaman. The future looks
bright for the Anfield faithful. 8-)

(My team, Doncaster Rovers, are near the top of the third division but look odds
on to be bankrupt by the end of the season. Ho hum.)

Mike

>Rush is getting a bit long in the tooth these days, but he benefits from having
>Robbie Fowler playing alongside him and also from having his vast experience and
>knowledge of the game. Liverpool have a couple of other young players making an
>impact in midfielders Jamie Redknapp and Steve McManaman. The future looks
>bright for the Anfield faithful. 8-)

Yes, he's roughly my age I believe, and that is long in the tooth for 
an athlete.

I've always had a fascination for athletes in the twilight of their careers,
when experience and guile have to make up the difference for youth and
raw power.  It's an interesting thing to watch.

The Reds do indeed seem to be on the rise after a couple of what I'd
consider to be dreadful seasons.....


'Saw

Monday, 6th March

Aston Villa	0-0	Coventry


Man City's goal on Saturday was scored by Fitzroy Simpson, not Paul Walsh (as if
anyone cares). 8-)

Mike

Tuesday, 7th March

Wimbledon	0-1	Man Utd
			  Steve Bruce

>
>Wimbledon	0-1	Man Utd
>			  Steve Bruce
                         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

With a name like that, he could be in a Monty Python sketch.  8^)

You should see his face. 8-)

Wednesday, 8th March

Blackburn	3-1	Arsenal
  Shearer 2		  Morrow
  le Saux
Forest		2-1	Everton
  Collymore		  Stuart or Limpar
  Pearce
Man City	1-2	Chelsea
  Gaudino		  Stein 2
Newcastle	2-0	West Ham
  Clark
  Kitson
Norwich		0-0	Sheff Weds
QPR		2-0	Leicester
  Holloway
  Wilson
Spurs		3-0	Ipswich
  Klinsmann		
  Barmby
  Own goal


                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       32   14  2  1 47 16    8  4  3 20 11   40   72
 2  Manchester United      32   13  1  1 36  3    8  5  4 27 19   41   69
 3  Newcastle United       32   11  5  0 35 13    6  4  6 18 20   20   60
 4  Liverpool              29    9  5  1 27  7    6  4  4 23 16   27   54
 5  Nottingham Forest      32    8  5  3 26 17    6  4  6 20 19   10   51
 6  Tottenham Hotspur      30    7  3  5 26 20    6  5  4 25 22    9   47
 7  Leeds United           29    8  4  3 21 12    3  6  5 14 17    6   43
 8  Sheffield Wednesday    32    5  6  5 20 17    6  4  6 20 23    0   43
 9  Arsenal                32    4  7  5 17 17    6  3  7 19 19    0   40
10  Chelsea                30    4  6  5 20 15    6  4  5 19 25   -1   40
11  Aston Villa            33    5  8  4 24 17    4  4  8 22 29    0   39
12  Coventry City          32    6  5  5 18 20    3  7  6 15 27  -14   39
13  Wimbledon              31    7  2  6 19 20    4  4  8 17 33  -17   39
14  Queen's Park Rangers   29    7  3  4 26 19    3  5  7 17 30   -2   38
15  Norwich City           31    7  7  3 22 17    2  4  8  6 17   -6   38
16  Manchester City        31    6  6  5 30 22    3  4  7  9 25   -8   37
17  Everton                32    7  5  3 24 17    1  6 10  9 26  -10   35
18  Southampton            29    4  6  4 18 18    2  8  5 22 28   -6   32
19  West Ham United        31    6  3  6 17 16    3  2 11 10 26  -13   32
20  Crystal Palace         30    3  4  8  9 18    4  6  5 12 13   -6   31
21  Ipswich Town           32    4  2 10 21 30    2  3 11 10 42  -41   23
22  Leicester City         31    3  5  6 18 21    1  4 12 15 37  -25   21

Top Scorers

			Team		Goals
					League	Cups	Total
Alan Shearer		Blackburn	28	3	31
Robbie Fowler		Liverpool	22	5	27
Ashley Ward		Norwich		14	9	23
Matthew le Tissier	Southampton	13     10	23
Andy Cole		Man Utd		16	6	22
Jurgen Klinsmann	Spurs		15	7	22
Ian Wright		Arsenal		12	9	21
Chris Sutton		Blackburn	14	6	20
Les Ferdinand		QPR		16	2	18
Dean Saunders		Villa		15	2	17
Teddy Sheringham	Spurs		13	4	17
Stan Collymore		Forest		13	3	16
Andrei Kanchelskis	Man Utd		13	1	14

Coca-Cola Cup semi final, second legs

Crystal Palce	0-1	Liverpool 	Liverpool through 2-0 on aggregate
			  Fowler
Bolton		3-1	Swindon		Bolton through 4-3 on aggregate
  No idea		  Fjortoft

Go Reds!

The Pride of Merseyside in Wembley on April 2nd, I believe....

I've got a friend who's going to see it live.....


'Saw

Saturday 11th March

Chelsea		0-3	Leeds
			  Yeboah 2, McAllister
Coventry	1-1	Blackburn
  Dublin		  Shearer
Leicester	2-3	Nottm Forest
  Draper, ???		  Pearce, Collymore, Lee
Sheff Weds	0-1	Wimbledon
			  ????
West Ham	2-2	Norwich
  Cottee 2		  Eadie, Ullathorne


                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       33   14  2  1 47 16    8  5  3 21 12   40   73
 2  Manchester United      32   13  1  1 36  3    8  5  4 27 19   41   69
 3  Newcastle United       32   11  5  0 35 13    6  4  6 18 20   20   60
 4  Liverpool              29    9  5  1 27  7    6  4  4 23 16   27   54
 5  Nottingham Forest      33    8  5  3 26 17    7  4  6 23 21   11   54
 6  Tottenham Hotspur      30    7  3  5 26 20    6  5  4 25 22    9   47
 7  Leeds United           30    8  4  3 21 12    4  6  5 17 17    9   46
 8  Sheffield Wednesday    33    5  6  6 20 18    6  4  6 20 23   -1   43
 9  Wimbledon              32    7  2  6 19 20    5  4  8 18 33  -16   42
10  Arsenal                32    4  7  5 17 17    6  3  7 19 19    0   40
11  Chelsea                31    4  6  6 20 18    6  4  5 19 25   -4   40
12  Coventry City          33    6  6  5 19 21    3  7  6 15 27  -14   40
13  Aston Villa            33    5  8  4 24 17    4  4  8 22 29    0   39
14  Norwich City           32    7  7  3 22 17    2  5  8  8 19   -6   39
15  Queen's Park Rangers   29    7  3  4 26 19    3  5  7 17 30   -2   38
16  Manchester City        31    6  6  5 30 22    3  4  7  9 25   -8   37
17  Everton                32    7  5  3 24 17    1  6 10  9 26  -10   35
18  West Ham United        32    6  4  6 19 18    3  2 11 10 26  -13   33
19  Southampton            29    4  6  4 18 18    2  8  5 22 28   -6   32
20  Crystal Palace         30    3  4  8  9 18    4  6  5 12 13   -6   31
21  Ipswich Town           32    4  2 10 21 30    2  3 11 10 42  -41   23
22  Leicester City         31    3  5  6 18 21    1  4 12 15 37  -25   21

F.A. Cup Quarter Finals

Crystal Palace	1-1	Wolves
  Dowie			  Cowans
Everton		1-0	Newcastle
  Watson
Liverpool	1-2	Spurs
  Fowler		  Sheringham, Klinsmann
Man Utd		2-0	QPR
  Sharpe, Irwin

Semi Final draw

Man Utd V Palace/Wolves
Spurs v Everton


Top Scorers

			Team		Goals
					League	Cups	Total
Alan Shearer		Blackburn	29	3	32
Robbie Fowler		Liverpool	22	6	28
Jurgen Klinsmann	Spurs		15	8	23
Ashley Ward		Norwich		14	9	23
Matthew le Tissier	Southampton	13     10	23
Andy Cole		Man Utd		16	6	22
Ian Wright		Arsenal		12	9	21
Chris Sutton		Blackburn	14	6	20
Les Ferdinand		QPR		16	2	18
Teddy Sheringham	Spurs		13	5	18
Dean Saunders		Villa		15	2	17
Stan Collymore		Forest		14	3	17
Andrei Kanchelskis	Man Utd		13	1	14

Tuesday 14th March

Crystal Palace	2-1	Sheff Weds
  Dowie, Armstrong	  Whittingham
Liverpool	2-3	Coventry
  Molby, og		  Ndlovu 3

>Liverpool	2-3	Coventry
>  Molby, og		  Ndlovu 3

NOT GOOD.

    re. -1
    
    >>Liverpool	   2-3      Coventry
    >>  Molby, og              Ndlovu 3
    
    >NOT GOOD.
    
    	It all depends on your point of view!  For one of the few Coventry
    City supporters in the US, it is very good!
    
    :-)
    
    Steve

Wednesday 15th March

Everton		1-1	Man City
  Unsworth		  Gaudino
Leicester	1-3	Leeds
  Roberts		  Yeboah 2, Palmer
Man Utd		0-0	Spurs
QPR		2-0	Norwich
  Ferdinand, Gallen
Southampton	1-1	West Ham
  Shipperley	 	  Hutchison


                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       33   14  2  1 47 16    8  5  3 21 12   40   73
 2  Manchester United      33   13  2  1 36  3    8  5  4 27 19   41   70
 3  Newcastle United       32   11  5  0 35 13    6  4  6 18 20   20   60
 4  Liverpool              30    9  5  2 29 10    6  4  4 23 16   26   54
 5  Nottingham Forest      33    8  5  3 26 17    7  4  6 23 21   11   54
 6  Leeds United           31    8  4  3 21 12    5  6  5 20 18   11   49
 7  Tottenham Hotspur      31    7  3  5 26 20    6  6  4 25 22    9   48
 8  Sheffield Wednesday    34    5  6  6 20 18    6  4  7 21 25   -2   43
 9  Coventry City          34    6  6  5 19 21    4  7  6 18 29  -13   43
10  Wimbledon              32    7  2  6 19 20    5  4  8 18 33  -16   42
11  Queen's Park Rangers   30    8  3  4 28 19    3  5  7 17 30    0   41
12  Arsenal                32    4  7  5 17 17    6  3  7 19 19    0   40
13  Chelsea                31    4  6  6 20 18    6  4  5 19 25   -4   40
14  Aston Villa            33    5  8  4 24 17    4  4  8 22 29    0   39
15  Norwich City           33    7  7  3 22 17    2  5  9  8 21   -8   39
16  Manchester City        32    6  6  5 30 22    3  5  7 10 26   -8   38
17  Everton                33    7  6  3 25 18    1  6 10  9 26  -10   36
18  Crystal Palace         31    4  4  8 11 19    4  6  5 12 13   -5   34
19  West Ham United        33    6  4  6 19 18    3  3 11 11 27  -13   34
20  Southampton            30    4  7  4 19 19    2  8  5 22 28   -6   33
21  Ipswich Town           32    4  2 10 21 30    2  3 11 10 42  -41   23
22  Leicester City         32    3  5  7 19 24    1  4 12 15 37  -27   21


Top Scorers

			Team		Goals
					League	Cups	Total
Alan Shearer		Blackburn	29	3	32
Robbie Fowler		Liverpool	22	6	28
Jurgen Klinsmann	Spurs		15	8	23
Ashley Ward		Norwich		14	9	23
Matthew le Tissier	Southampton	13     10	23
Andy Cole		Man Utd		16	6	22
Ian Wright		Arsenal		12	9	21
Chris Sutton		Blackburn	14	6	20
Les Ferdinand		QPR		17	2	19
Teddy Sheringham	Spurs		13	5	18
Dean Saunders		Villa		15	2	17
Stan Collymore		Forest		14	3	17
Andrei Kanchelskis	Man Utd		13	1	14

    What is the latest with the game fixing scandal with Grobbelaar and
    others (I believe Fashanu is one)?  Did Grobbelaar play last night for
    Southampton?
    
    NAZZ

John Fashanu has a Malaysian wife but I wasn't aware that she is connected to
organised crime. Grobbelaar, Fashanu and Hans Segers (Wimbledon goalie) were
released on bail yesterday morning, and are available to play. However,
Southampton went with Dave Beasant in goal because they weren't sure that Brucie
would be up to it.

Personally I think they're innocent, because you can't fix a game just by
bribing a couple of players. You'd have to bribe the whole side, and then rely
on the opposition to play well enough. 8-)

Arsenal got through to the Semi Final of the European Cup Winners' Cup last
night. Chelsea got through on Tuesday, which means that there's a chance that
there could be an all-English final. However, I suspect that there's more chance
of both teams getting knocked out. 8-)

Mike

Saturday, 18th March

Aston Villa	0-2	West Ham
			  Moncur, Hutchison
Blackburn	2-1	Chelsea
  Shearer, Sherwood	  Stein
Leeds		3-0	Coventry
  Yeboah, Gould og, Wallace
Man City	3-2	Sheff Weds
  Rosler 2, Walsh	  Whittingham, Hyde
Nottm Forest	3-0	Southampton
  Roy 2, Collymore
QPR		2-3	Everton
  Ferdinand, Gallen	  Barlow, McDonald og, Hinchcliffe
Spurs		1-0	Leicester
  Klinsmann
Wimbledon	2-0	Palace
  Jones, Gayle


Sunday, 19th March

Liverpool	2-0	Man Utd
  Redknapp, Bruce og
Newcastle	1-0	Arsenal
  Beardsley



                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       34   15  2  1 49 17    8  5  3 21 12   41   76
 2  Manchester United      34   13  2  1 36  3    8  5  5 27 21   39   70
 3  Newcastle United       33   12  5  0 36 13    6  4  6 18 20   21   63
 4  Liverpool              31   10  5  2 31 10    6  4  4 23 16   28   57
 5  Nottingham Forest      34    9  5  3 29 17    7  4  6 23 21   14   57
 6  Leeds United           32    9  4  3 24 12    5  6  5 20 18   14   52
 7  Tottenham Hotspur      32    8  3  5 27 20    6  6  4 25 22   10   51
 8  Wimbledon              33    8  2  6 21 20    5  4  8 18 33  -14   45
 9  Sheffield Wednesday    35    5  6  6 20 18    6  4  8 23 28   -3   43
10  Coventry City          35    6  6  5 19 21    4  7  7 18 32  -16   43
11  Queen's Park Rangers   31    8  3  5 30 22    3  5  7 17 30   -1   41
12  Manchester City        33    7  6  5 33 24    3  5  7 10 26   -7   41
13  Arsenal                33    4  7  5 17 17    6  3  8 19 20   -1   40
14  Chelsea                32    4  6  6 20 18    6  4  6 20 27   -5   40
15  Aston Villa            34    5  8  5 24 19    4  4  8 22 29   -2   39
16  Norwich City           33    7  7  3 22 17    2  5  9  8 21   -8   39
17  Everton                34    7  6  3 25 18    2  6 10 12 28   -9   39
18  West Ham United        34    6  4  6 19 18    4  3 11 13 27  -11   37
19  Crystal Palace         32    4  4  8 11 19    4  6  6 12 15   -7   34
20  Southampton            31    4  7  4 19 19    2  8  6 22 31   -9   33
21  Ipswich Town           32    4  2 10 21 30    2  3 11 10 42  -41   23
22  Leicester City         33    3  5  7 19 24    1  4 13 15 38  -28   21


Top Scorers

			Team		Goals
					League	Cups	Total
Alan Shearer		Blackburn	30	3	33
Robbie Fowler		Liverpool	22	6	28
Jurgen Klinsmann	Spurs		16	8	24
Ashley Ward		Norwich		14	9	23
Matthew le Tissier	Southampton	13     10	23
Andy Cole		Man Utd		16	6	22
Ian Wright		Arsenal		12	9	21
Les Ferdinand		QPR		18	2	20
Chris Sutton		Blackburn	14	6	20
Stan Collymore		Forest		15	3	18
Teddy Sheringham	Spurs		13	5	18
Uwe Rosler		Man City	11	7	18
Dean Saunders		Villa		15	2	17
Andrei Kanchelskis	Man Utd		13	1	14
Paul Rideout		Everton		13	1	14

Unfortunately, I got to see the game where Liverpool lost to Spurs 2-1
to get knocked out of the League (FA?) Cup.  Boy did that suck.

Klinsmann is good, no doubt, and Liverpool looked knackered.


I'm all confused those now.  As I remember it, there was the FA Cup and
that was the important one.  If you didn't win the League, your season
wasn't a waste if you did well in the FA Cup.  If you won the League
AND the FA Cup ("the double") you were doing phemonenally well.

Now there's the League Cup, which I'm assuming is the FA Cup, which the
Reds are out of, and there's the Coca-Cola Cup (32oz or 1 litre I'm 
assuming) which God only knows what that is for....

So, can someone help me?  My brain has fallen and it can't get up.....


'Saw

> All you have to know is that Arsenal sucks.....
    
    Gunners rule!  I asked my bro stationed in the UK to bring me back the
    jersey of the Boston Red Sox of English soccer, and this is what I
    got... ;-)
    
    glenn
    

The Gunners are the nancy boys of the Premier League...8^)

    
> The Gunners are the nancy boys of the Premier League...8^)
    
    Like I said, the Red Sox... 
    
    

|                        -< Got what I asked for... ;-) >-
|
|    
|> The Gunners are the nancy boys of the Premier League...8^)
|    
|    Like I said, the Red Sox... 

Well, actually, as PJ would tell you, the Gunners have one more than
one championship in this century.  I don't have my updated list but
I know they won one over Liverpool the year I came back from France.

Liverpool had the goal difference tie breaker, and needed to hold someone
(perhaps Arsenal) to less than two goal in the final game.  The second
goal was scored against them in injury time.....8^(


'Saw
    
    

Arsenal are having a torrid time in the league, but they won the European Cup
Winners' Cup last year, and are in the semis again this year.

The main prize for any English club is the Premiership, followed by the F.A.
Cup, and then the Coca-Cola Cup. The Coca-Cola Cup used to be called the League
Cup, until the evils of sponsorship reared their ugly head. It was won by Aston
Villa last year. Liverpool play Bolton in the final this year.

The double is when you win the league and F.A. Cup (which the Mancs did last
year).

I hope that helps.

Mike

We Tottenham fans haven't had anything to cheer about for I don't
know how long.

A Cup would be nice.

'Saw, there were always two cups: the FA cup for all professional clubs,
and the League Cup, for the first division.  But which one is now attached
to which sponsor, I'm not sure.

Steve

>>>'Saw, there were always two cups: the FA cup for all professional clubs,
>>>and the League Cup, for the first division.  But which one is now attached
>>>to which sponsor, I'm not sure.

This isn't strictly true. There's some confusion here so I'll try to clear
things up with a brief description of the complicated history of pro football in
England. 8-)

There are two bodies in England that "co-operate" to run football. They are the
Football Association (the FA) and the Football League. Until recently, the
League was responsible for all four pro divisions and the League Cup. The FA, on
the other hand, were responsible for the national side, the FA Cup, and all semi
pro and amateur football. Even Sunday league teams have to register with the FA
and abide by FA rules. 

The FA Cup was open to every team registered with the FA, and therefore had a
rich tradition of amateur giant killers and the like. The League Cup, on the
other hand, was open only to the professional teams in the four division pro
league controlled by the Football League. With it so far? 8-)

Eventually, the Football League decided to open the League Cup up to sponsorship
so it became, among other names, the Milk Cup and is now called the Coca-Cola
Cup. Premiership teams still have to enter it, but get a bye into a later round
so it doesn't cause too much fixture congestion.

However, there was an agreement in place from way back when that stated that
control of the top division would eventually pass over to the FA. This happened
in 1990, and hence the arrival of the Premier League/Premiership. Consequently,
we now have a situation where the FA control the national team, amateur footy,
the FA Cup, and the FA Premiership, whilst the Football League control the
Coca-Cola Cup and divisions 1 to 3 of the football league.

I hope this helps (but I'm not convinced). 8-)

Mike

Actually, it did help, and I understand things much better now....


thanks!
'Saw

Monday, 20th March

Norwich		3-0	Ipswich
  Cureton, Ward, Eadie

Tuesday 21st March

Wimbledon	2-0	Man City
  Thorn, Elkins

Wednesday, 22nd March

Man Utd		3-0	Arsenal
  Hughes, Sharpe, Kanchelskis
Nottm Forest	3-0	Leeds
  Roy 2, Collymore
QPR		1-0	Chelsea
  Gallen
Southampton	3-1	Newcastle	(Newcastle led 1-0 with 86 mins gone)
  Heaney, Watson, 	  Kitson
  Shipperley
Spurs		0-0	Liverpool


                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       34   15  2  1 49 17    8  5  3 21 12   41   76
 2  Manchester United      35   14  2  1 39  3    8  5  5 27 21   42   73
 3  Newcastle United       34   12  5  0 36 13    6  4  7 17 23   19   63
 4  Nottingham Forest      35   10  5  3 32 17    7  4  6 23 21   17   60
 5  Liverpool              32   10  5  2 31 10    6  5  4 23 16   28   58
 6  Leeds United           33    9  4  3 24 12    5  6  6 20 21   11   52
 7  Tottenham Hotspur      33    8  4  5 27 20    6  6  4 25 22   10   52
 8  Wimbledon              34    9  2  6 23 20    5  4  8 18 33  -12   48
 9  Queen's Park Rangers   32    9  3  5 31 22    3  5  7 17 30    0   44
10  Sheffield Wednesday    35    5  6  6 20 18    6  4  8 23 28   -3   43
11  Coventry City          35    6  6  5 19 21    4  7  7 18 32  -16   43
12  Norwich City           34    8  7  3 25 17    2  5  9  8 21   -5   42
13  Manchester City        34    7  6  5 33 24    3  5  8 10 28   -9   41
14  Arsenal                34    4  7  5 17 17    6  3  9 19 23   -4   40
15  Chelsea                33    4  6  6 20 18    6  4  7 20 28   -6   40
16  Aston Villa            34    5  8  5 24 19    4  4  8 22 29   -2   39
17  Everton                34    7  6  3 25 18    2  6 10 12 28   -9   39
18  West Ham United        34    6  4  6 19 18    4  3 11 13 27  -11   37
19  Southampton            32    5  7  4 22 20    2  8  6 22 31   -7   36
20  Crystal Palace         32    4  4  8 11 19    4  6  6 12 15   -7   34
21  Ipswich Town           33    4  2 10 21 30    2  3 12 10 45  -44   23
22  Leicester City         33    3  5  7 19 24    1  4 13 15 38  -28   21


Top Scorers

			Team		Goals
					League	Cups	Total
Alan Shearer		Blackburn	30	3	33
Robbie Fowler		Liverpool	22	6	28
Jurgen Klinsmann	Spurs		16	8	24
Ashley Ward		Norwich		15	9	24
Matthew le Tissier	Southampton	13     10	23
Andy Cole		Man Utd		16	6	22
Ian Wright		Arsenal		12	9	21
Les Ferdinand		QPR		18	2	20
Chris Sutton		Blackburn	14	6	20
Stan Collymore		Forest		16	3	19
Teddy Sheringham	Spurs		13	5	18
Uwe Rosler		Man City	11	7	18
Dean Saunders		Villa		15	2	17
Andrei Kanchelskis	Man Utd		14	1	15
Paul Rideout		Everton		13	1	14

>Southampton	3-1	Newcastle	(Newcastle led 1-0 with 86 mins gone)
>  Heaney, Watson, 	  Kitson
>  Shipperley

Now this surely would have been a match to see if you were a Southampton
supporter.  Did players from Newcastle get ejected or did they just
get totally knackered or what?

>Spurs		0-0	Liverpool

Disappointing.

> 1  Blackburn Rovers       34   15  2  1 49 17    8  5  3 21 12   41   76
> 2  Manchester United      35   14  2  1 39  3    8  5  5 27 21   42   73
> 3  Newcastle United       34   12  5  0 36 13    6  4  7 17 23   19   63
> 4  Nottingham Forest      35   10  5  3 32 17    7  4  6 23 21   17   60
> 5  Liverpool              32   10  5  2 31 10    6  5  4 23 16   28   58

'Pool is not eliminated yet, but down 18 points with but 10 games left 
is NOT good.  They've got to do some serious winning, and Blackburn and
others some serious losing to make up some ground.  Even winning the
two in hand still puts them 12 down....

Sigh.  Not this year I guess.  But you know they've done lots better
this season than last....



'Saw

Newcastle's golkeeper just went to pieces in the last few minutes and made three
very bad mistakes. 8-)

Liverpool had a few players out for the Spurs game, because Evans wanted to make
sure that they were fit for the Coca Cola Cup final in a few weeks. Spurs are a
very difficult team to beat these days, and David James in the Liverpool goal
had to save a penalty from Jurgen Klinsmann to earn his team a point. 

Pool are a couple of players off a championship winning side I think. They've
bought young winger Alan Kennedy from Millwall for 2 mill in the last few days,
but need a new striker to take over from Ian Rush.

Mike

>
>Newcastle's golkeeper just went to pieces in the last few minutes and made three
>very bad mistakes. 8-)
>

Sounds like he might be on the chopping block then....8^)

>Liverpool had a few players out for the Spurs game, because Evans wanted to make
>sure that they were fit for the Coca Cola Cup final in a few weeks. Spurs are a
>very difficult team to beat these days, and David James in the Liverpool goal
>had to save a penalty from Jurgen Klinsmann to earn his team a point. 

Well, then I must say it was a point well earned.  Any time you have to
stop Klinsmann, you're doing something.


>Pool are a couple of players off a championship winning side I think. They've
>bought young winger Alan Kennedy from Millwall for 2 mill in the last few days,
>but need a new striker to take over from Ian Rush.

I'd always wanted to get over to take in a game at Anfield Road to see
Rush in person.  I probably won't, but I'd still like to see him.....


'Saw

No Premiership games last weekend. The only real news was that Eric Cantona has
been given a two week jail sentence for common assault.

Mike

Saturday, 1st April

Arsenal		5-1	Norwich
  Hartson 2, Dixon	  Cureton
  Merson, Newman og
Chelsea		1-1	Newcastle
  Peacock		  Hottiger
Coventry	0-1	QPR
			  Sinclair
Crystal Palce	2-1	Man City
  Armstrong, Patterson	  Rosler
Everton		1-2	Blackburn
  Stuart		  Sutton, Shearer
Ipswich		0-1	Aston Villa	
 			  Swailes og
Leicester	3-4	Wimbledon
  ????			  ????
Sheff Weds	1-7	Forest
  Bright		  Pearce, Stone, Roy 2, Collymore 2, Bohinen


Sunday, 2nd April

Man Utd		0-0	Leeds
Southampton	4-3	Spurs
  le Tissier 2		  Sheringham 2
  Heaney, Magilton	  Klinsmann



                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       35   15  2  1 49 17    9  5  3 23 13   42   79
 2  Manchester United      36   14  3  1 39  3    8  5  5 27 21   42   74
 3  Newcastle United       35   12  5  0 36 13    6  5  7 18 24   19   64
 4  Nottingham Forest      36   10  5  3 32 17    8  4  6 30 22   23   63
 5  Liverpool              32   10  5  2 31 10    6  5  4 23 16   28   58
 6  Leeds United           34    9  4  3 24 12    5  7  6 20 21   11   53
 7  Tottenham Hotspur      34    8  4  5 27 20    6  6  5 28 26    9   52
 8  Wimbledon              35    9  2  6 23 20    6  4  8 22 36  -11   51
 9  Queen's Park Rangers   33    9  3  5 31 22    4  5  7 18 30    1   47
10  Arsenal                35    5  7  5 22 18    6  3  9 19 23    0   43
11  Sheffield Wednesday    36    5  6  7 21 25    6  4  8 23 28   -9   43
12  Coventry City          36    6  6  6 19 22    4  7  7 18 32  -17   43
13  Aston Villa            35    5  8  5 24 19    5  4  8 23 29   -1   42
14  Norwich City           35    8  7  3 25 17    2  5 10  9 26   -9   42
15  Chelsea                34    4  7  6 21 19    6  4  7 20 28   -6   41
16  Manchester City        35    7  6  5 33 24    3  5  9 11 30  -10   41
17  Southampton            33    6  7  4 26 23    2  8  6 22 31   -6   39
18  Everton                35    7  6  4 26 20    2  6 10 12 28  -10   39
19  Crystal Palace         33    5  4  8 13 20    4  6  6 12 15   -6   37
20  West Ham United        34    6  4  6 19 18    4  3 11 13 27  -11   37
21  Ipswich Town           34    4  2 11 21 31    2  3 12 10 45  -45   23
22  Leicester City         34    3  5  8 22 28    1  4 13 15 38  -29   21


Top Scorers

			Team		Goals
					League	Cups	Total
Alan Shearer		Blackburn	31	3	34
Robbie Fowler		Liverpool	22	6	28
Jurgen Klinsmann	Spurs		17	8	25
Matthew le Tissier	Southampton	15     10	25
Ashley Ward		Norwich		15	9	24
Andy Cole		Man Utd		16	6	22
Stan Collymore		Forest		18	3	21
Chris Sutton		Blackburn	15	6	21
Ian Wright		Arsenal		12	9	21
Les Ferdinand		QPR		18	2	20
Teddy Sheringham	Spurs		15	5	20
Uwe Rosler		Man City	12	7	19
Dean Saunders		Villa		15	2	17
Andrei Kanchelskis	Man Utd		14	1	15
Paul Rideout		Everton		13	1	14

Tuesday, 4th April

Crystal Palace	0-0	Aston Villa
QPR		0-1	Blackburn
			  Sutton

Blackburn are now 8 pts clear with six games to go.

Mike

Wednesday, 5th April

Liverpool	3-1	Southampton
  Rush 2, Fowler	  Hall

Leeds 		4-0	Ipswich
  Yeboah 3, Speed

Leicester	1-0	Norwich
  Parker


                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       36   15  2  1 49 17   10  5  3 24 13   43   82
 2  Manchester United      36   14  3  1 39  3    8  5  5 27 21   42   74
 3  Newcastle United       35   12  5  0 36 13    6  5  7 18 24   19   64
 4  Nottingham Forest      36   10  5  3 32 17    8  4  6 30 22   23   63
 5  Liverpool              33   11  5  2 34 11    6  5  4 23 16   30   61
 6  Leeds United           35   10  4  3 28 12    5  7  6 20 21   15   56
 7  Tottenham Hotspur      34    8  4  5 27 20    6  6  5 28 26    9   52
 8  Wimbledon              35    9  2  6 23 20    6  4  8 22 36  -11   51
 9  Queen's Park Rangers   34    9  3  6 31 23    4  5  7 18 30    0   47
10  Arsenal                35    5  7  5 22 18    6  3  9 19 23    0   43
11  Aston Villa            36    5  8  5 24 19    5  5  8 23 29   -1   43
12  Sheffield Wednesday    36    5  6  7 21 25    6  4  8 23 28   -9   43
13  Coventry City          36    6  6  6 19 22    4  7  7 18 32  -17   43
14  Norwich City           36    8  7  3 25 17    2  5 11  9 27  -10   42
15  Chelsea                34    4  7  6 21 19    6  4  7 20 28   -6   41
16  Manchester City        35    7  6  5 33 24    3  5  9 11 30  -10   41
17  Southampton            34    6  7  4 26 23    2  8  7 23 34   -8   39
18  Everton                35    7  6  4 26 20    2  6 10 12 28  -10   39
19  Crystal Palace         34    5  5  8 13 20    4  6  6 12 15   -6   38
20  West Ham United        34    6  4  6 19 18    4  3 11 13 27  -11   37
21  Leicester City         35    4  5  8 23 28    1  4 13 15 38  -28   24
22  Ipswich Town           35    4  2 11 21 31    2  3 13 10 49  -49   23


Top Scorers

			Team		Goals
					League	Cups	Total
Alan Shearer		Blackburn	31	3	34
Robbie Fowler		Liverpool	23	6	29
Jurgen Klinsmann	Spurs		17	8	25
Matthew le Tissier	Southampton	15     10	25
Ashley Ward		Norwich		15	9	24
Andy Cole		Man Utd		16	6	22
Stan Collymore		Forest		18	3	21
Chris Sutton		Blackburn	16	6	22
Ian Wright		Arsenal		12	9	21
Les Ferdinand		QPR		18	2	20
Teddy Sheringham	Spurs		15	5	20
Uwe Rosler		Man City	12	7	19
Dean Saunders		Villa		15	2	17
Andrei Kanchelskis	Man Utd		14	1	15
Ian Rush		Liverpool	 ?	?	15
Paul Rideout		Everton		13	1	14

>
>Liverpool	3-1	Southampton
>  Rush 2, Fowler	  Hall
>  ^^^^^^

This makes my morning!

'Saw

Saturday, 8th April

Newcastle	3-0	Norwich
  Beardsley 2
  Kitson
Nottm Forest	1-1	West Ham
  Collymore		  Dicks
QPR		3-1	Arsenal
  Impey			  Adams
  Gallen
  Ready
Sheff Weds	1-0	Leicester
  Whittingham


Sunday, 9th April

Liverpool	0-1	Leeds
			  Deane


                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       36   15  2  1 49 17   10  5  3 24 13   43   82
 2  Manchester United      36   14  3  1 39  3    8  5  5 27 21   42   74
 3  Newcastle United       36   13  5  0 39 13    6  5  7 18 24   22   67
 4  Nottingham Forest      37   10  6  3 33 18    8  4  6 30 22   23   64
 5  Liverpool              34   11  5  3 34 12    6  5  4 23 16   29   61
 6  Leeds United           36   10  4  3 28 12    6  7  6 21 21   16   59
 7  Tottenham Hotspur      34    8  4  5 27 20    6  6  5 28 26    9   52
 8  Wimbledon              35    9  2  6 23 20    6  4  8 22 36  -11   51
 9  Queen's Park Rangers   35   10  3  6 34 24    4  5  7 18 30    2   49
10  Sheffield Wednesday    37    6  6  7 22 25    6  4  8 23 28   -8   46
11  Aston Villa            36    5  8  5 24 19    5  5  8 23 29   -1   43
12  Arsenal                36    5  7  5 22 18    6  3 10 20 26   -2   43
13  Coventry City          36    6  6  6 19 22    4  7  7 18 32  -17   43
14  Norwich City           37    8  7  3 25 17    2  5 12  9 30  -13   42
15  Chelsea                34    4  7  6 21 19    6  4  7 20 28   -6   41
16  Manchester City        35    7  6  5 33 24    3  5  9 11 30  -10   41
17  Southampton            34    6  7  4 26 23    2  8  7 23 34   -8   39
18  Everton                35    7  6  4 26 20    2  6 10 12 28  -10   39
19  Crystal Palace         34    5  5  8 13 20    4  6  6 12 15   -6   38
20  West Ham United        35    6  4  6 19 18    4  4 11 14 28  -11   38
21  Leicester City         36    4  5  8 23 28    1  4 14 15 39  -29   24
22  Ipswich Town           35    4  2 11 21 31    2  3 13 10 49  -49   23


Top Scorers

			Team		Goals
					League	Cups	Total
Alan Shearer		Blackburn	31	3	34
Robbie Fowler		Liverpool	23	6	29
Jurgen Klinsmann	Spurs		17	9	26
Matthew le Tissier	Southampton	15     10	25
Ashley Ward		Norwich		15	9	24
Stan Collymore		Forest		19	3	22
Andy Cole		Man Utd		16	6	22
Chris Sutton		Blackburn	16	6	22
Ian Wright		Arsenal		12     10	22
Les Ferdinand		QPR		18	2	20
Teddy Sheringham	Spurs		15	5	20
Uwe Rosler		Man City	12	7	19
Dean Saunders		Villa		15	2	17
Andrei Kanchelskis	Man Utd		14	1	15
Ian Rush		Liverpool	 ?	?	15
Paul Rideout		Everton		13	1	14

>Sunday, 9th April
>
>Liverpool	0-1	Leeds
>			  Deane


Sigh.  Stick a fork in them, they're done.....

Monday, 10th April

Wimbledon	1-1	Chelsea
  Goodman		  Sinclair

Tuesday, 11th April

Ipswich		0-1	QPR
			  Ferdinand

Spurs		2-1	Man City
  Klinsmann		  Rosler
  Howells

Chris Sutton and Jurgen Klinsmann have been docked a goal each by the F.A.
committee that rules on disputed goals. The committee decided that the goals
were actually own goals.

Mike

Wednesday, 14th April

Arsenal		0-1	Liverpool
			  Fowler
Norwich		0-1	Forest
			  Stone
Chelsea		0-2	Southampton
			  Shipperley, le Tissier


                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       36   15  2  1 49 17   10  5  3 24 13   43   82
 2  Manchester United      36   14  3  1 39  3    8  5  5 27 21   42   74
 3  Nottingham Forest      38   10  6  3 33 18    9  4  6 31 22   24   67
 4  Newcastle United       36   13  5  0 39 13    6  5  7 18 24   22   67
 5  Liverpool              35   11  5  3 34 12    7  5  4 24 16   30   64
 6  Leeds United           36   10  4  3 28 12    6  7  6 21 21   16   59
 7  Tottenham Hotspur      35    9  4  5 29 21    6  6  5 28 26   10   55
 8  Queen's Park Rangers   36   10  3  6 34 24    5  5  7 19 30    3   52
 9  Wimbledon              36    9  3  6 24 21    6  4  8 22 36  -11   52
10  Sheffield Wednesday    37    6  6  7 22 25    6  4  8 23 28   -8   46
11  Aston Villa            36    5  8  5 24 19    5  5  8 23 29   -1   43
12  Arsenal                37    5  7  6 22 19    6  3 10 20 26   -3   43
13  Coventry City          36    6  6  6 19 22    4  7  7 18 32  -17   43
14  Southampton            35    6  7  4 26 23    3  8  7 25 34   -6   42
15  Chelsea                36    4  7  7 21 21    6  5  7 21 29   -8   42
16  Norwich City           38    8  7  4 25 18    2  5 12  9 30  -14   42
17  Manchester City        36    7  6  5 33 24    3  5 10 12 32  -11   41
18  Everton                35    7  6  4 26 20    2  6 10 12 28  -10   39
19  Crystal Palace         34    5  5  8 13 20    4  6  6 12 15   -6   38
20  West Ham United        35    6  4  6 19 18    4  4 11 14 28  -11   38
21  Leicester City         36    4  5  8 23 28    1  4 14 15 39  -29   24
22  Ipswich Town           36    4  2 12 21 32    2  3 13 10 49  -50   23


Top Scorers

			Team		Goals
					League	Cups	Total
Alan Shearer		Blackburn	31	3	34
Robbie Fowler		Liverpool	24	6	30
Jurgen Klinsmann	Spurs		17	9	26
Matthew le Tissier	Southampton	16     10	26
Ashley Ward		Norwich		15	9	24
Stan Collymore		Forest		19	3	22
Andy Cole		Man Utd		16	6	22
Ian Wright		Arsenal		12     10	22
Les Ferdinand		QPR		19	2	21
Chris Sutton		Blackburn	15	6	21
Teddy Sheringham	Spurs		15	5	20
Uwe Rosler		Man City	13	7	20
Dean Saunders		Villa		15	2	17
Andrei Kanchelskis	Man Utd		14	1	15
Ian Rush		Liverpool	 ?	?	15
Paul Rideout		Everton		13	1	14



F.A. Cup Semi replay

Man Utd		2-0	Palace
  Bruce, Pallister

>Wednesday, 14th April
>
>Arsenal		0-1	Liverpool
>			  Fowler


Now, THIS I have to love.....

Thursday, 13th April

West Ham	3-0	Wimbledon
  Dicks, Boere, Cottee


Friday, 14th April

Man City	2-1	Liverpool
  Gaudino, Summerbee	  McManaman
Crystal Palace	1-1	Spurs
  Armstrong		  Klinsmann
Everton		2-0	Newcastle
  Amokachi 2


Saturday, 15th April

Chelsea		1-0	Villa
  Stein
Coventry	2-0	Sheff Weds
  Dublin, Ndlovu
Arsenal		4-1	Ipswich
  Merson, Wright 3	  Marshall
Leicester	0-4	Man Utd
			  Cole 2, Sharpe, Ince
Leeds		1-1	Blackburn
  Deane			  Hendry
Southampton	2-1	QPR
  Watson, Shipperley	  Ferdinand


Monday, 17th April

Villa		0-4	Arsenal
			  Wright 2, Hartson 2
Wimbledon	0-2	Southampton
			  Magilton, le Tissier
Liverpool	2-0	Leicester
  Rush, Fowler
QPR		0-1	Palace
			  Dowie
Man Utd		0-0	Chelsea
Newcastle	1-2	Leeds
  Elliott		  McAllister, Yeboah
Sheff Weds	0-0	Everton
Forest		2-0	Coventry
  Woan, Collymore
Spurs		1-0	Norwich
  Sheringham
Ipswich		1-1	West Ham
  Thomsen		  Boere
Blackburn	2-3	Man City
  Hendry, Shearer	  Curle, Rosler, Walsh




                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       38   15  2  2 51 20   10  6  3 25 14   42   83
 2  Manchester United      38   14  4  1 39  3    9  5  5 31 21   46   78
 3  Nottingham Forest      39   11  6  3 35 18    9  4  6 31 22   26   70
 4  Liverpool              37   12  5  3 36 12    7  5  5 25 18   31   67
 5  Newcastle United       38   13  5  1 40 15    6  5  8 18 26   19   67
 6  Leeds United           38   10  5  3 29 13    7  7  6 23 22   17   63
 7  Tottenham Hotspur      37   10  4  5 30 21    6  7  5 29 27   11   59
 8  Queen's Park Rangers   37   10  3  7 34 25    5  5  7 19 30    2   52
 9  Wimbledon              38    9  3  7 24 23    6  4  9 22 39  -16   52
10  Arsenal                39    6  7  6 26 20    7  3 10 24 26    4   49
11  Manchester City        38    8  6  5 35 25    4  5 10 15 34   -9   47
12  Sheffield Wednesday    39    6  7  7 22 25    6  4  9 23 30  -10   47
13  Southampton            37    7  7  4 28 24    4  8  7 27 34   -3   46
14  Chelsea                38    5  7  7 22 21    6  6  7 21 29   -7   46
15  Coventry City          38    7  6  6 21 22    4  7  8 18 34  -17   46
16  Aston Villa            38    5  8  6 24 23    5  5  9 23 30   -6   43
17  Everton                37    8  6  4 28 20    2  7 10 12 28   -8   43
18  Crystal Palace         36    5  6  8 14 21    5  6  6 13 15   -5   42
19  West Ham United        37    7  4  6 22 18    4  5 11 15 29   -8   42
20  Norwich City           39    8  7  4 25 18    2  5 13  9 31  -15   42
21  Leicester City         38    4  5  9 23 32    1  4 15 15 41  -35   24
22  Ipswich Town           38    4  3 12 22 33    2  3 14 11 53  -53   24


Top Scorers

			Team		Goals
					League	Cups	Total
Alan Shearer		Blackburn	32	3	35
Robbie Fowler		Liverpool	25	6	31
Jurgen Klinsmann	Spurs		18	9	27
Matthew le Tissier	Southampton	17     10	27
Ashley Ward		Norwich		15	9	24
Stan Collymore		Forest		20	3	23
Andy Cole		Man Utd		18	6	24
Ian Wright		Arsenal		17     10	27
Les Ferdinand		QPR		20	2	22
Chris Sutton		Blackburn	15	6	21
Teddy Sheringham	Spurs		16	5	21
Uwe Rosler		Man City	14	7	21
Dean Saunders		Villa		15	2	17
Andrei Kanchelskis	Man Utd		14	1	15
Ian Rush		Liverpool	 ?	?	16
Paul Rideout		Everton		13	1	14

Thursday, 20th April

Blackburn	2-1	Palace
  Kenna, Gallacher	  Houghton

In the second legs of the semi finals of the European Cup Winners Cup, Chelsea
beat Real Zaragoza of Spain 3-1, but lost 4-3 on aggregate. Arsenal went to
Genoa to play Sampdoria, defending a 3-2 lead from the home leg at Highbury.
After full time, the score was 3-2 to Sampdoria, so it went to extra time. No
goals were scored but Arsenal eventually won on penalties, after their goalie
David Seaman made three great saves in the shootout.

Mike

    Looks like fives teams are left in the battle to survive relegation,
    with two of the five going down to Division 1 next year. 
    
    Here's how the standings look for those five teams:
    
    TEAM		PTS	TO PLAY H/A	GD
    ----------------------------------------------
    Norwich City	42	  3   	2/1	-15
    West Ham		42	  5  	4/1	-8
    Crystal Palace	42	  5  	2/3	-6
    Everton		43	  5	3/2     -8
    Aston Villa		43	  4     2/2	-6
    
    Norwich looks like a likely candidate to join Leicester and Ipswich
    in relegation, but that fourth spot is wide open.  If I were a fan of
    one of the teams sitting at 46 points, I wouldn't feel too
    comfortable yet.
    
    NAZZ	

Saturday, 29th April

Arsenal		1-1	Spurs
  Wright		  Klinsmann
Chelsea		1-0	QPR
  Sinclair
Palace		1-2	Forest
  Dowie			  Roy, Collymore
Everton		0-0	Wimbledon
Leeds		1-0	Villa
  Palmer
Leicester	2-0	Ipswich
  Whitlow, Lowe
Man City	0-0	Newcastle
Norwich		1-2	Liverpool
  Ullathorne			  Fowler, Rush
Southampton	0-0	Sheff Weds


Sunday, 30th April

West Ham	2-0	Blackburn
  Rieper, Hutchison


                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       40   16  2  2 53 21   10  6  4 25 16   41   86
 2  Manchester United      38   14  4  1 39  3    9  5  5 31 21   46   78
 3  Nottingham Forest      40   11  6  3 35 18   10  4  6 33 23   27   73
 4  Liverpool              38   12  5  3 36 12    8  5  5 27 19   32   70
 5  Newcastle United       39   13  5  1 40 15    6  6  8 18 26   19   68
 6  Leeds United           39   11  5  3 30 13    7  7  6 23 22   18   66
 7  Tottenham Hotspur      38   10  4  5 30 21    6  8  5 30 28   11   60
 8  Wimbledon              39    9  3  7 24 23    6  5  9 22 39  -16   53
 9  Queen's Park Rangers   38   10  3  7 34 25    5  5  8 19 31    1   52
10  Arsenal                40    6  8  6 27 21    7  3 10 24 26    4   50
11  Chelsea                39    6  7  7 23 21    6  6  7 21 29   -6   49
12  Manchester City        39    8  7  5 35 25    4  5 10 15 34   -9   48
13  Sheffield Wednesday    40    6  7  7 22 25    6  5  9 23 30  -10   48
14  Southampton            38    7  8  4 28 24    4  8  7 27 34   -3   47
15  Coventry City          38    7  6  6 21 22    4  7  8 18 34  -17   46
16  West Ham United        38    8  4  6 24 18    4  5 11 15 29   -6   45
17  Everton                38    8  7  4 28 20    2  7 10 12 28   -8   44
18  Aston Villa            39    5  8  6 24 23    5  5 10 23 31   -7   43
19  Crystal Palace         38    5  6  9 15 23    5  6  7 14 17   -7   42
20  Norwich City           40    8  7  5 26 20    2  5 13  9 31  -16   42
21  Leicester City         39    5  5  9 25 32    1  4 15 15 41  -33   27
22  Ipswich Town           39    4  3 12 22 33    2  3 15 11 55  -55   24


Top Scorers

			Team		Goals
					League	Cups	Total
Alan Shearer		Blackburn	32	3	35
Robbie Fowler		Liverpool	26	6	32
Jurgen Klinsmann	Spurs		19	9	28
Ian Wright		Arsenal		17     11	28
Matthew le Tissier	Southampton	17     10	27
Stan Collymore		Forest		21	3	24
Andy Cole		Man Utd		18	6	24
Ashley Ward		Norwich		15	9	24
Les Ferdinand		QPR		20	2	22
Teddy Sheringham	Spurs		16	5	21
Chris Sutton		Blackburn	15	6	21
Uwe Rosler		Man City	14	7	21
Dean Saunders		Villa		15	2	17
Ian Rush		Liverpool	 ?	?	17
Andrei Kanchelskis	Man Utd		14	1	15
Paul Rideout		Everton		13	1	14

>Norwich		1-2	Liverpool
>  Ullathorne			  Fowler, Rush
                                  ^^^^^^^^^^^^

I like the way this reads....8^)




   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       40   16  2  2 53 21   10  6  4 25 16   41   86
 2  Manchester United      38   14  4  1 39  3    9  5  5 31 21   46   78
 3  Nottingham Forest      40   11  6  3 35 18   10  4  6 33 23   27   73
 4  Liverpool              38   12  5  3 36 12    8  5  5 27 19   32   70


I think at this point, Liverpool must be officially eliminated.  They have
four left, and the best the could get would be 12 points, right?  So they're
out of it.  But at least it is nice to see them back up at the top of the
table again, instead of mired in the middle.....



'Saw

    Liverpool is pretty much assured of playing in Europe, so they have
    reached one goal, although it's not the same as winning the
    championship.  Speaking of which, West Ham may have dealt Blackburn a
    fatal blow yesterday.  United has two games in hand, an easier
    schedule, and the benefit of a bettrer goal differential, so if they
    tie in points, United wins the title.  If United wins all four of its
    remaining games, Blackburn must win both of theirs to take the title.
    
    First step towards the title run for United tonight vs Coventry.  I
    wonder if Cobi Jones is back with Coventry or if he's remaining with
    the US National team?
    
    NAZZ

Monday 1st May

Coventry	2-3	Man Utd
  Ndlovu, Pressley	  Scholes, Cole 2



			Team		Goals
					League	Cups	Total
Alan Shearer		Blackburn	32	3	35
Robbie Fowler		Liverpool	26	6	32
Ian Wright		Arsenal		18     12	30
Jurgen Klinsmann	Spurs		19	9	28
Matthew le Tissier	Southampton	17     10	27
Andy Cole		Man Utd		20	6	26
Stan Collymore		Forest		21	3	24
Ashley Ward		Norwich		15	9	24
Les Ferdinand		QPR		20	2	22
Teddy Sheringham	Spurs		16	5	21
Chris Sutton		Blackburn	15	6	21
Uwe Rosler		Man City	14	7	21
Dean Saunders		Villa		15	2	17
Ian Rush		Liverpool	 ?	?	17
Andrei Kanchelskis	Man Utd		14	1	15
Paul Rideout		Everton		13	1	14

Tuesday, 2nd May

Wimbledon	0-0	Liverpool

    Who does United have left to play?
    
    NAZZ

Man Utd have to play Sheffield Weds at home, and Southampton and West Ham away,
I think. Blackburn have to play Newcastle at home and Liverpool away.

I made a mistake on Saturday. Liverpool's scorers were Harkness and Rush.


Wednesday, 3rd May

Aston Villa	1-1	Man City
  Ehiogu		  Rosler
Everton		3-3	Chelsea
  Hinchcliffe		  Furlong 2
  Ablett		  Hopkin
  Amokachi
Newcastle	3-3	Spurs
  Gillespie		  Barmby
  Peacock		  Klinsmann
  Beardsley		  Anderton
Southampton	3-1	Palace
  Wilmot og		  Southgate
  Watson
  le Tissier
West Ham	0-0	QPR

                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       40   16  2  2 53 21   10  6  4 25 16   41   86
 2  Manchester United      39   14  4  1 39  3   10  5  5 34 23   47   81
 3  Nottingham Forest      40   11  6  3 35 18   10  4  6 33 23   27   73
 4  Liverpool              39   12  5  3 36 12    8  6  5 27 19   32   71
 5  Newcastle United       40   13  6  1 43 18    6  6  8 18 26   19   69
 6  Leeds United           39   11  5  3 30 13    7  7  6 23 22   18   66
 7  Tottenham Hotspur      39   10  4  5 30 21    6  9  5 33 31   11   61
 8  Wimbledon              40    9  4  7 24 23    6  5  9 22 39  -16   54
 9  Queen's Park Rangers   39   10  3  7 34 25    5  6  8 19 31    1   53
10  Arsenal                40    6  8  6 27 21    7  3 10 24 26    4   50
11  Southampton            39    8  8  4 31 25    4  8  7 27 34   -1   50
12  Chelsea                40    6  7  7 23 21    6  7  7 24 32   -6   50
13  Manchester City        40    8  7  5 35 25    4  6 10 16 35   -9   49
14  Sheffield Wednesday    40    6  7  7 22 25    6  5  9 23 30  -10   48
15  West Ham United        39    8  5  6 24 18    4  5 11 15 29   -6   46
16  Coventry City          39    7  6  7 23 25    4  7  8 18 34  -18   46
17  Everton                39    8  8  4 31 23    2  7 10 12 28   -8   45
18  Aston Villa            40    5  9  6 25 24    5  5 10 23 31   -7   44
19  Crystal Palace         39    5  6  9 15 23    5  6  8 15 20   -9   42
20  Norwich City           40    8  7  5 26 20    2  5 13  9 31  -16   42
21  Leicester City         39    5  5  9 25 32    1  4 15 15 41  -33   27
22  Ipswich Town           39    4  3 12 22 33    2  3 15 11 55  -55   24



			Team		Goals
					League	Cups	Total
Alan Shearer		Blackburn	32	3	35
Robbie Fowler		Liverpool	25	6	31
Ian Wright		Arsenal		18     12	30
Jurgen Klinsmann	Spurs		20	9	29
Matthew le Tissier	Southampton	18     10	28
Andy Cole		Man Utd		20	6	26
Stan Collymore		Forest		21	3	24
Ashley Ward		Norwich		15	9	24
Les Ferdinand		QPR		20	2	22
Uwe Rosler		Man City	15	7	22
Teddy Sheringham	Spurs		16	5	21
Chris Sutton		Blackburn	15	6	21
Dean Saunders		Villa		15	2	17
Ian Rush		Liverpool	 ?	?	17
Andrei Kanchelskis	Man Utd		14	1	15
Paul Rideout		Everton		13	1	14

Thursday, 4th May

Arsenal		0-0	Wimbledon

Saturday, 6th May

Aston Villa	2-0	Liverpool
  Yorke 2
Palace		1-0	West Ham
  Armstrong
Everton		0-0	Southampton
Ipswich		2-0	Coventry
  Marshall, Pressley og
Leeds		2-1	Norwich
  McAllister, Palmer	  Ward
Leicester	1-1	Chelsea
  ????			  Furlong
Forest		1-0	Man City
  Collymore
QPR		2-1	Spurs
  Ferdinand 2		  Sheringham


Sunday, 7th May

Man Utd		1-0	Sheff Weds
  May


Monday, 8th May

Blackburn	1-0	Newcastle
  Shearer



                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       41   17  2  2 54 21   10  6  4 25 16   42   89
 2  Manchester United      40   15  4  1 40  3   10  5  5 34 23   48   84
 3  Nottingham Forest      41   12  6  3 36 18   10  4  6 33 23   28   76
 4  Liverpool              40   12  5  3 36 12    8  6  6 27 21   30   71
 5  Leeds United           40   12  5  3 32 14    7  7  6 23 22   19   69
 6  Newcastle United       41   13  6  1 43 18    6  6  9 18 27   18   69
 7  Tottenham Hotspur      40   10  4  5 30 21    6  9  6 34 33   10   61
 8  Queen's Park Rangers   40   11  3  7 36 26    5  6  8 19 31    2   56
 9  Wimbledon              41    9  4  7 24 23    6  6  9 22 39  -16   55
10  Arsenal                41    6  9  6 27 21    7  3 10 24 26    4   51
11  Southampton            40    8  8  4 31 25    4  9  7 27 34   -1   51
12  Chelsea                41    6  7  7 23 21    6  8  7 25 33   -6   51
13  Manchester City        41    8  7  5 35 25    4  6 11 16 36  -10   49
14  Sheffield Wednesday    41    6  7  7 22 25    6  5 10 23 31  -11   48
15  Aston Villa            41    6  9  6 27 24    5  5 10 23 31   -5   47
16  West Ham United        40    8  5  6 24 18    4  5 12 15 30   -7   46
17  Everton                40    8  9  4 31 23    2  7 10 12 28   -8   46
18  Coventry City          40    7  6  7 23 25    4  7  9 18 36  -20   46
19  Crystal Palace         40    6  6  9 16 23    5  6  8 15 20   -8   45
20  Norwich City           41    8  7  5 26 20    2  5 14 10 33  -17   42
21  Leicester City         40    5  6  9 26 33    1  4 15 15 41  -33   28
22  Ipswich Town           40    5  3 12 24 33    2  3 15 11 55  -53   27



			Team		Goals
					League	Cups	Total
Alan Shearer		Blackburn	33	3	36
Robbie Fowler		Liverpool	25	6	31
Ian Wright		Arsenal		18     12	30
Jurgen Klinsmann	Spurs		20	9	29
Matthew le Tissier	Southampton	18     10	28
Andy Cole		Man Utd		20	6	26
Stan Collymore		Forest		22	3	25
Ashley Ward		Norwich		16	9	25
Les Ferdinand		QPR		22	2	24
Teddy Sheringham	Spurs		17	5	22
Uwe Rosler		Man City	15	7	22
Chris Sutton		Blackburn	15	6	21
Dean Saunders		Villa		15	2	17
Ian Rush		Liverpool	 ?	?	17
Andrei Kanchelskis	Man Utd		14	1	15
Paul Rideout		Everton		13	1	14

Middlesborough won the first division to gain automatic promotion to the
Premiership. Reading (!) finished second and now play Tranmere in the first leg
of the play offs for the second promotion spot. The other semi is between Wolves
and Bolton.

Mike

    Still six teams in jeopardy for the last relegation spot in the Premier
    League.  Norwich, which won only once since Christmas, is the third
    team to be relegated.  I'd like to know who's playing who for that last
    spot.
    
    BTW, huge win for Rovers last night.  It appears Shearer came through
    in the clutch for them once again.  Now Manchester United needs to win
    both its games and Blackburn must lose for United to win the title.
    
    NAZZ

Blackburn's goalie, Tim Flowers, made a string of incredible saves to protect
Blackburn's lead. Now, if Man Utd draw or lose to Southampton on Wednesday, it
will be all over.

The relegation run-in looks someting like this:

West Ham:	Liverpool (H), Man Utd (A)
Palace:		Leeds (A), Newcastle (A)
Everton:	Ipswich (A), Coventry (A)
Man City:	QPR (H)
Coventry:	Spurs (A), Everton (H)
Villa:		Norwich (A)

I think Palace are favourites to go down, because they still have to play two of
the top teams in the league, and they're both away matches. Both Leeds and
Newcastle have very impressive home records, and they're both playing for a
place in European competition next year.

Mike

    It was reported in Monday's Boston Herald that Norwich, Leicester and
    Ipswich were relegated.  Is that official?  From the looks of the
    league table in .306 that would appear to be the case.
    
    Steve

    The Coventry-Everton match could result in the loser being relegated,
    but only if Everton blows the match before it.  Is Cobi Jones still
    with the US team or back with Coventry?
    
    NAZZ

Tuesday, 9th May

Ipswich		0-1	Everton
			  Rideout
Leeds		3-1	Palace
  Yeboah 2, Wetherall	  Armstrong
Spurs		1-3	Coventry
  Anderton		  Ndlovu 2, Dublin


Coventry and Everton are now safe. The relegation battle is between Palace, West
Ham, and Villa. Ipswich, Leicester, and Norwich are already down.

Mike

    Here is what each of the three teams in jeopardy has left:
    
    Aston Villa (47 points)	at Norwich
    West Ham United (46 points) home vs Liverpool; at Man. United
    Crystal Palace  (45 points) at Newcastle
    
    Palace loses all the tiebreakers, so they need a win at Newcastle, a
    loss for Villa, and either two losses or a tie and a loss from West
    Ham.
    
    NAZZ

Wednesday, 10th May

Man Utd		2-1	Southampton
  Cole, Irwin		  ????
West Ham	3-0	Liverpool
  Hutchison 2, Holmes


West Ham are now safe. Villa and Wednesday need a point (assuming Palace win at
Newcastle).

Mike

    So, if Palace beats Newcastle and Villa wins its last game, Wednesday
    needs to at least tie or they will get relegfated due to goal
    differential.  Wow, I thought 48 points would be safe, but maybe not.
    
    On another topic - did anyone see the Arsenal-Real Zaragoza Cup Wunners
    Cup Final game yesterday?  It was perhaps the dirtiest game I've seen
    in a long, long time.  Once the Zaragoza players figured  out they were
    not going to get penalized, they kept brutally chopping down the
    Arsenal players.  Arsenal's goalie David Seaman kept them in the game
    with a couple of brilliant saves, especially in overtime when he
    deflected a header off the post and smothered the rebound.  But he
    turned into the goat when 30 seconds before the end of overtime (and
    the start of penalty shots), a Zaragoza player lofted a long ball from
    almost midfield that drifted just over Seaman's head and into the net.
    An extremely unlucky way to lose.
    
    NAZZ

Yes, the referee in the Cup Winners Cup Final was atrocious.  He lost
control of the game.

I saw multiple offenses that should have drawn at least yellows, but he
let them go, or just called a simple free kick.

Not the kind of display you'd want in a champeenship game.....


'Saw

Agreed, the referee at the Cup Winners' Cup Final was letting too much
go, but I don't think that was the reason for Zaragoza's considerable
edge on play.

But what a finish.  My jaw dropped so hard I almost dislocated it.  Poor
Seamon, he'd played a fine game, but he was way out of his net, and then
after backtracking, mistimed his leap.  He was already on the way down
when he got a fingertip on the ball, but couldn't keep it out.

Steve

Saturday, 13th May

Wimbledon	2-2	Forest
  Holdsworth 2		  Phillips, Stone


Sunday, 14th May

Chelsea		2-1	Arsenal
  Furlong, Stein	  Hartson
Coventry	0-0	Everton
Liverpool	2-1	Blackburn
  Barnes, Redknapp	  Shearer
Man City	2-3	QPR
  Quinn, Curle		  Ferdinand 2, Dichio
Newcastle	3-2	Palace
  Fox, Lee, Gillespie	  Armstrong, Houghton
Norwich		1-1	Villa
  Goss			  Staunton
Sheff Weds	4-1	Ipswich
  Whittingham 2		  Mathie
  Williams, Bright
Southampton	2-2	Leicester
  Monkou, le Tissier	  Parker, Robins
Spurs		1-1	Leeds
  Sheringham  		  Deane
West Ham	1-1	Man Utd
  Hughes		  McClair
                                    Home               Away
   Team                   Pld   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   Wn Dw Ls Fr Ag   GD  Pts

 1  Blackburn Rovers       42   17  2  2 54 21   10  6  5 26 18   41   89
 2  Manchester United      42   16  4  1 42  4   10  6  5 35 24   49   88
 3  Nottingham Forest      42   12  6  3 36 18   10  5  6 35 25   28   77
 4  Liverpool              42   13  5  3 38 13    8  6  7 27 24   28   74
 5  Leeds United           42   13  5  3 35 15    7  8  6 24 23   21   73
 6  Newcastle United       42   14  6  1 46 20    6  6  9 18 27   19   72
 7  Tottenham Hotspur      42   10  5  6 33 26    6  9  6 34 33    8   62
 8  Queen's Park Rangers   42   11  3  7 36 26    6  7  8 23 34    3   60
 9  Wimbledon              42    9  5  7 26 25    6  6  9 22 39  -16   56
10  Chelsea                42    7  7  7 25 22    6  8  7 25 33   -5   54
11  Southampton            42    8  9  4 33 27    4  9  8 28 36   -2   52
12  Arsenal                42    6  9  6 27 21    7  3 11 25 28    3   51
13  Sheffield Wednesday    42    7  7  7 26 26    6  5 10 23 31   -8   51
14  West Ham United        42    9  6  6 28 19    4  5 12 15 30   -4   50
15  Everton                42    8  9  4 31 23    3  8 10 13 28   -7   50
16  Coventry City          42    7  7  7 23 25    5  7  9 21 37  -18   50
17  Manchester City        42    8  7  6 37 28    4  6 11 16 36  -11   49
18  Aston Villa            42    6  9  6 27 24    5  6 10 24 32   -5   48
19  Crystal Palace         42    6  6  9 16 23    5  6 10 18 26  -11   45
20  Norwich City           42    8  8  5 27 21    2  5 14 10 33  -17   43
21  Leicester City         42    5  7  9 26 33    1  5 15 17 43  -33   29
22  Ipswich Town           42    5  3 13 24 34    2  3 16 12 59  -57   27



			Team		Goals
					League	Cups	Total
Alan Shearer		Blackburn	34	3	37
Robbie Fowler		Liverpool	25	6	31
Ian Wright		Arsenal		18     12	30
Jurgen Klinsmann	Spurs		20	9	29
Matthew le Tissier	Southampton	19     10	29
Les Ferdinand		QPR		24	2	26
Andy Cole		Man Utd		21	6	26
Stan Collymore		Forest		22	3	25
Ashley Ward		Norwich		16	9	25
Teddy Sheringham	Spurs		18	5	23
Uwe Rosler		Man City	15	7	22
Chris Sutton		Blackburn	15	6	21
Dean Saunders		Villa		15	2	17
Ian Rush		Liverpool	 ?	?	17
Andrei Kanchelskis	Man Utd		14	1	15
Paul Rideout		Everton		14	1	15

That's the final table, right?

    Yes - Palace is relegated, along with Norwich, Leicester, and Ipswich.
    
    And despite losing their final game of the season, Blackburn backed
    into the Premiership titleas United could only manage a draw against
    West Ham.
    
    First division is in the midst of their playoffs to see who moves up.
    
    NAZZ

Div 1 play-offs first leg:

Tranmere Rovers			1-3	Reading
Wolverhampton Wanderers		2-1	Bolton Wanderers

Second legs on Wednesday, final at Wembley a week on Sunday.

Mike

During the week, Tottenham Hotspur striker J�rgen Klinsmann signed a three
year deal with Bayern Munich for something on the order of DM 10 Million.
Klinsmann said he intends to play into 1998 and hopes to cap his career
with the World Cup that year.

Whether this is enough to turn an (apparent) fifth place finisher into a
title contender remains to be seen, but it ought to make them considerably
more entertaining.

Steve

    Who won the second leg of the Division 1 playoffs?
    
    NAZZ

There still is a writing group in Reading. I'm in it. 8-)

second legs:

Bolton 	2-0 Wolves	Bolton win 3-2 on aggregate
Reading 0-0 Tranmere 	Reading win 3-1 on aggregate


Mike

Bolton won the play-off final, coming back from 2-0 down to win 4-3 in extra
time. Bolton's manager, Bruce Rioch, has become the new Arsenal manager. Roy
MacFarland has taken over at Bolton. Southamptons manager, Alan Ball, has got
the job at Man City. Kenny Dalglish has become director of football at
Blackburn, and his assistant, Ray (?) Harford has taken over as manager. Graeme
Souness has been appointed manager of Turkish club Galatasaray.

There's been quite a few transfers that might be of no interest to you as well:

Denis Bergkamp to Arsenal, for �7.5 million.
Ruud Gullitt to Chelsea, for nothing.
Mark Hughes from Man Utd to Chelsea for �1.5 million.
Paul Ince from Man Utd to Internazionale of Milan, for �8 million.
Dean Saunders from Villa to Galatasaray for �2.35 million.
Barry Venison from Newcastle to Galatasaray.
Mike Marsh from Coventry to Galatasaray.
Les Ferdinand from QPR to Newcastle for �6 million.
Stan Collymore from Forest to Liverpool for �8.5 million.
Chris Armstrong from Palace to Spurs for �4.5 million.
Gareth Southgate from Palace to Villa for �2.5 million.
Savo Milosevic from Partizan Belgrade to Villa for �3.5 million.
Kevin Campbell from Arsenal to Forest for �2.5 million.
Chris Bart-Williams from Sheff Weds to Forest for �2.5 million.

Mike

A couple more transfers:

Warren Barton from Wimbledon to Newcastle for �4.5 million
David Ginola from Paris St. Germain to Newcastle for �2.5 million

    Seems to me Newcastle will be early favorites with ManU (although
    they will greatly miss Ince) for next season.  I'm a big Les Ferdinand 
    fan, and their other additions are sure to help.  Their offense sputtered 
    in the second half of last season, and Ferdinand will be able to get them 
    rolling.
    
    ALso appears Forest will not miss Collymore as much as they could have.
    
    NAZZ

re:-1

I think that's good analysis. Ferdinand is a class act, as is Ginola. If
Newcastle don't win something this year I think Keegan might be in big trouble.

Campbell is a much better striker than he's looked over the last couple of
years, and I also expect him to do well at Forest. They still have about 3
million left to buy another player, so that shows how grossly overpriced
Collymore was.

Villa have reportedly today signed Mark Draper from Leicester for 3.5 million,
which is a great deal if it's true. I live in hope. Draper is a fantastic player.

Mike

Watch out for the Reds next year... that's all I've got to say 8^)


btw, how much has Ruud Gullit's stock dropped, eh?  Transferred to Chelsea for
nothing??  His knee must be really f____d up, plus he's getting old....


'Saw

    
> btw, how much has Ruud Gullit's stock dropped, eh?  Transferred to Chelsea for
> nothing??  His knee must be really f____d up, plus he's getting old....
    
    Throw in the 'tude he displayed over the coaching selection before the 
    World Cup (in which Holland did quite well without you Ruud, thank you
    very much), and there's some emotional baggage here too...
    
    glenn
    

He had said he wanted to move anywhere that would let him play as sweeper, which
is the position in which he started his career. Chelsea said yes, and the added
bonus of working with Glen Hoddle must have swung it. He's still a great player,
although he's probably only got a couple of years left in him.

I think there's some bizarro rule in footy about a player being allowed a free
transfer at some point in their career, and Italian clubs tend to let players go
for next to nothing when they decide they don't want them anymore.

Mike

Sounds to me like ol' Ruud is easing his way into retirement.  He was a
wonderful player in his day, but age and injuries have slowed him down
considerably.  That said, he should be a competent sweeper on football
smarts alone.

Mike, have Spurs done anything to fill the hole where J�rgen Klinsmann
used to be?

Steve

Well, the certainly aren't going to win the league championship....that's
reserved for Liverpool, and they're engraving the name on the trophy now.  8^)

You certainly don't hear as much about the three Dutch guys who used to be the
major stars on the Dutch team anymore -- Ruud, Ronal Koemann and Marco Van
Baasten.  (I'm sure I've really killed the spellings).   

When I was in France I used to catch Dutch Football regularly on the Super
Channel.  There were a couple of other Dutch players I enjoyed watching.
There was a guy Rob Wichtge (pronounced Vichka or something like that) and
another old guy, Jan (I think) Gereltz ("hair-eltz") but he's surely retired
now cause he was old even then....

Sure has changed a lot.....


'Saw

>You certainly don't hear as much about the three Dutch guys who used to be the
>major stars on the Dutch team anymore -- Ruud, Ronal Koemann and Marco Van
>Baasten.  (I'm sure I've really killed the spellings).

Actually, 'Saw, you're close.  Last I heard Ronald Koeman (pron. Kooman) was
with Barcelona, but he might have spent the last season back in Holland.
I'm not sure what happened to Marco van Basten, but I vaguely remember
his getting badly hurt in Italy a couple of years back.  His first-timer
from an impossible angle to win the European Championship is one of the
greatest goals I ever expect to see.

>When I was in France I used to catch Dutch Football regularly on the Super
>Channel.

Right, but Super Channel has NBC's agenda now, so you could watch Jay Leno
or Geraldo Rivera.

>Sure has changed a lot.....

As far as TV sports in Germany is concerned, mostly for the worse.

Steve

Wow, I guess things have changed.

When I was in Germany the second time I stayed in this little hotel, the
Hotel Ismanigen  (or something like that) in this little town outside of 
Munich.  It was pretty cool, but the TV sucked.  8^)

In France I got by on Sky and Super Channel, and then a little later Sky
Sports.  I saw some unusual (for US TV anyway) sports -- team handball, water
polo, stuff like that.

So now NBC has taken over Super Channel, eh?  Well, maybe you'll see my main
man Beasley Reece come football season, doing color....


'Saw

We haven't got any pro football yet, but they did give us the Orange
and Rose Bowls.  The Orange Bowl was the first football game I've
watched in maybe three years.

Have a good weekend, folks.

Steve

Van Basten hasn't played for 2 years now due to an ankle injury.  I believe
he's just had another operation on it and has been given a 1 year contract
by Milan to see if ha can get fit.  I doubt that if he plays he will ever
be the same player.

Koeman played for Barcelona last year but this season will be playing in
Holland with PSV Eindhoven I think but it may be Feijenoord (sp).

Witschge was playing in France last year I think.  He seems to have been
transferred around Italy, Spain, France without actually playing many games.
He younger brother went on loan to Blackburn at the end of last season but
again didn't actually play.  He may have signed with another English club.

5 weeks to go to the new season!

Hey Mike,

Well, I just got a copy of Rothmans from my friend in Scotland.  Looked up the
Doncaster Rovers -- the pictures sure are different for the teams in the lower
divisions 8^)

Looks like lots o' young guys though on the team.  No old farts.


Found Grimsby Town too.  8^)

Great books this Rothmans....


'Saw

Rovers are building for the future. 8-)

Their ground burned down a few weeks ago in an insurance scam, sorry, I meant to
say complete accident. 8-)

Meanwhile Arsenal have bought England Captain David Platt from Sampdoria for
�4.75 million.

Mike

|
|Rovers are building for the future. 8-)
|

OK.  I'm familiar with that concept (wink, wink).....


|Their ground burned down a few weeks ago in an insurance scam, sorry, I meant to
|say complete accident. 8-)


To borrow an expression I used to hear a lot from English rugby teams that
we'd play:   UNLUCKY!


|Meanwhile Arsenal have bought England Captain David Platt from Sampdoria for
|�4.75 million.

Well, they need to do something, I guess.  They didn't have a great year (by
their standards)....


'Saw

Everton have bought defender Craig Short from Derby for �2.5 million, and winger
Andrei Kanchelskis from Man Utd for �5 million.

Mike

Sounds like they're trying to shore up a relatively poor team.

Is Beardsley still with them?

Err, no. Beardsley joined Newcastle when they got promoted to the Premiership a
couple of seasons ago. It must be nice to know your info's up to date, eh? 8-)

Mike

>
>Err, no. Beardsley joined Newcastle when they got promoted to the Premiership a
>couple of seasons ago. It must be nice to know your info's up to date, eh? 8-)
>


Oh.  Sorry.  


Seriously, I have been out of touch.  At least I have a Rothmans now.  Before I
could only follow the tables.  Now I have some idea of who's where....


'Saw

Nicky Barmby has joined Middlesboro from Spurs for �5.25 million. There are
complications in the deal that took Kanchelskis to Everton, which are going to
be sorted out by the Premiership bosses.

This coming Saturday is the Charity Shield between Everton, the Cup winners, and
Blackburn, the league champions. The season proper starts the Saturday after. 

I'm sorted with the new Villa shirt, and tickets for Villa-Spurs on August 23rd.
8-)

Mike

    How much does a shirt like that cost?
    
    NAZZ

Mine was 38 quid. You can pay a bit extra for a name and number on the back. The
shirts change on average once every two years. I've been waiting to get the new
Villa shirt for ages, because I didn't like the last one. 8-)

I went to see Villa in a pre-season friendly last night, against Portsmouth of
the 1st division. Villa have signed a new Serbian striker, who is really big and
scary. 8-) I think (hope) he'll score a hatful of goals this season.

Let me know if you want a shirt.

Mike
          

Saturday, 19th August

Aston Villa	3-1	Man Utd
  Taylor, Draper, 	  Beckham
  Yorke (pen)

Blackburn	1-0	QPR
  Shearer (pen)

Chelsea		0-0	Everton

Liverpool	1-0	Sheff Weds
  Collymore

Man City	1-1	Tottenham
  Rosler		  Sheringham

Newcastle	3-0	Coventry
  Lee, Beardsley (pen),
  Ferdinand

Southampton	3-4	Nottm Forest
  le Tissier 3 (2 pens)   Cooper, Woan, Roy 2

West Ham	1-2	Leeds
  Williamson		  Yeboah 2

Wimbledon	3-2	Bolton
  Ekoku, Earle,		  Thompson (pen), de Freitas
  Holdsworth


Sunday, 20th August

Arsenal		1-1	Middlesboro
  Wright		  Barmby

    WOW!!!  Villa really took it to United!  Were you at the game?
    
    NAZZ

Monday, 21st August 

Leeds		1-0	Liverpool
  Yeboah

8^(
8^(
8^(
8^(
8^(
8^(
8^(
8^(

Liverpool are still favourites for the title. They had a definite penalty
against Leeds denied, and Lukic in the Leeds goal made several good saves.
Elland Road is a difficult place to go and win.

Mike

>Liverpool are still favourites for the title. They had a definite penalty
>against Leeds denied, and Lukic in the Leeds goal made several good saves.
>Elland Road is a difficult place to go and win.

That's good to know.

And you're quite right, Lukic is a tough man to put the ball behind sometimes.
At least the times I've seen him that's the case....

Tuesday, 22nd August

Bolton		1-3	Newcastle
  Bergsson		  Ferdinand 2, Lee

    Les Ferdinand may have been the best signing of the off-season.
    Newcastle must rank up there with Liverpool, Blackburn, Leeds,
    and Villa as top contenders.
    
    NAZZ

I'm not convinced I'd go so far as to say that Villa are one of the favourites,
much as I'd like them to be. At the moment, the bookmakers are saying it'll be
(in descending order of likelihood) Liverpool, Newcastle, Man Utd, Blackburn,
Arsenal, or Leeds. I think that's how it stands, anyway. Villa are one of the
outsiders. I think Pool are something like 3:1, and Villa are 50:1. Personally,
I think Villa will finish 6th behind Liverpool, Man Utd, Newcastle, Leeds and
Blackburn, and they'll win the Coca-Cola Cup.

Ferdinand is a great forward, but he's getting on a bit. He's 29, which is
perhaps seven years older than Cole. I think by the end of the season, people
will be saying that Mark Draper (Leicester to Villa for �3.25 million) will have
been the best buy. He's completely revitalised Villa's midfield, and is still
only 23 or 24. Alex Feguson, the Utd manager, claimed that his great tactical
error on Saturday was that he thought a five man midfield would negate the
threat posed by Draper. Draper scored one and set up another before Ferguson
realised it wasn't working. 8-)

Mind you, I suppose some people will say Chelsea signing Ruud Gullitt for
nothing was quite a good buy, as well. 8-)

Anyway, last night's scores:

Coventry	2-1	Man City
  Telfer, Dublin	  Rosler

Everton		0-2	Arsenal
			  Platt, Wright

Man Utd		2-1	West Ham
  Scholes, Keane	  Bruce og

Nottm Forest	0-0	Chelsea

QPR		0-3	Wimbledon
 			  Leonhardsen, Holdsworth, Goodman

Sheff Weds	2-1	Blackburn
  Waddle, Pembridge	  Shearer

Tottenham	0-1	Villa
			  Ehiogu

    It's too bad Rosler doesn't play for a better squad.  He had a great
    season last year (albeit almost unnoticed) and has started off this
    year scoring both of City's goals.  Without him, they'd be a sure bet
    for relegation, and with him, they're still no sure bet to avoid the
    first division.
    
    NAZZ

I think Rosler was an East German who didn't make it into the German squad. He
is quite some striker, although he's more a guts and determination type than a
flair player.

I think Blackburn just got overtaken in the transfer market, because they didn't
buy anyone new. You also have to reckon in the fact that everyone plays harder
against the champions.

Mike

    Bolton 2, Blackburn 1!!!!!
    
    NAZZ

>    
>    Is Blackburn now 1 Win  2 losses?
>    

I think so.

Perhaps Mike could post the table every week (if it's not TOO much trouble).


'Saw

I'll post the current table, but I'm leaving the corp on Friday, 1st Sept, so
you'll have to talk some other sucker into doing it in future. 8-)

Saturday, 26th August

Bolton		2-1	Blackburn
  de Freitas, Stubbs	  Holmes

Coventry	0-0	Arsenal

Everton		2-0	Southampton
  Limpar, Amokachi

Leeds		2-0	Villa
  Speed, White

Man Utd		3-1	Wimbledon
  Keane 2, Cole		  Earle

Middlesborough	2-0	Chelsea
  Hignett, Fjortoft

Nottm Forest	1-1	West Ham
  Pearce		  Allen

QPR		1-0	Man City
  Barker

Tottenham	1-3	Liverpool
  Calderwood		  Barnes 2, Fowler


Sunday, 27th August

Newcastle	2-0	Sheff Weds
  Ginola, Beardsley


Monday, 28th August

Blackburn	1-2	Man Utd
  Shearer		  Sharpe, Beckham


League Table
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Team                Played   Won Drawn Lost   For Against   Points

Newcastle United       3      3    0    0      8     1         9
Leeds United           3      3    0    0      5     1         9
Manchester United      4      3    0    1      8     6         9
Wimbledon              3      2    0    1      7     5         6
Liverpool              3      2    0    1      4     2         6
Aston Villa            3      2    0    1      4     3         6
Arsenal                3      1    2    0      3     1         5
Nottingham Forest      3      1    2    0      5     4         5
Middlesbrough          2      1    1    0      3     1         4
Everton                3      1    1    1      2     2         4
Coventry City          3      1    1    1      2     4         4
Bolton Wanderers       3      1    0    2      5     7         3
Blackburn Rovers       4      1    0    3      4     6         3
Sheffield Wednesday    3      1    0    2      2     4         3
Queens Park Rangers    3      1    0    2      1     4         3
Chelsea                3      0    2    1      0     2         2
West Ham United        3      0    1    2      3     5         1
Manchester City        3      0    1    2      2     4         1
Tottenham Hotspur      3      0    1    2      2     5         1
Southampton            2      0    0    2      3     6         0
                                  
Top Scorers
~~~~~~~~~~~

Shearer                     3              Blackburn Rovers
Yeboah                      3              Leeds United
Keane                       3              Manchester United
Ferdinand                   3              Newcastle United
Le Tissier                  3              Southampton
Wright                      2              Arsenal
DeFreitas                   2              Bolton Wanderers
Barnes                      2              Liverpool
Rosler                      2              Manchester City
Beardsley                   2              Newcastle United
Beckham                     2              Manchester United
Lee                         2              Newcastle United
Roy                         2              Nottingham Forest
Earle                       2              Wimbledon
Holdsworth                  2              Wimbledon

Thanks Mike!

Gee, unlucky (for us, maybe lucky for you) that you're leaving.

Hope that whatever you're going to is going to be more interesting than
this place!

We'll miss you.

Don't you have an understudy that you could shove into the role for us
Yanks across the pond????


'Saw

>> Hope that whatever you're going to is going to be more interesting than
>> this place!

I hope so. I'm going to be teaching English and History in a Zulu school in
South Africa. It probably just edges out writing computer manuals in the
excitement stakes. 8-)

Mike

>
>I hope so. I'm going to be teaching English and History in a Zulu school in
>South Africa. It probably just edges out writing computer manuals in the
>excitement stakes. 8-)
>

Just don't mention Roarke's Drift....8^)


SERIOUSLY, best of luck.  Sounds like a helluva interesting post, and having
been an education major, and having an education degree, my hat is always
off to anyone willing to step in front of a classroom and impart knowledge.
'Tis a great calling....


Get an internet address and send us rugby new!  8^)


'Saw

Tuesday, 29th August

Arsenal		1-1	Nottm Forest
  Platt			  Campbell

Wednesday, 30th August

Aston Villa	1-0	Bolton
  Yorke

Chelsea		2-2	Coventry
  Wise, Hughes		  Isaias, Ndlovu

Liverpool	1-0	QPR
  Ruddock

Man City	0-2	Everton
			  Parkinson, Amokachi

Newcastle	1-0	Middlesborough
  Ferdinand

Southampton	1-1	Leeds
  Widdrington		  Dorigo

West Ham	1-1	Tottenham
  Hutchison		  Rosenthal

Wimbledon	2-2	Sheff Weds
  Goodman, Holdsworth	  Degryse, Hirst

Gotta be impressed with Mike, posting to the very end.

Given the rotten coverage here, I've probably heard the last of English
football for a while.

Mike, all the best to you.

Steve

           <<< TRUCKS::DISK$USER54:[NOTES$LIBRARY]FOOTBALL.NOTE;1 >>>
                        -<  Soccer Football Conference >-
================================================================================
Note 496.25              FA Carling Premiership 1995-96                 25 of 25
ADDULT::ROBERTSON "You are only coming through in w" 39 lines  18-SEP-1995 16:00
                                  -< Week 6 >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	Sat 16th

       Arsenal            1  -  0    West Ham Utd.      
       Aston Villa        2  -  0    Wimbledon          
       Chelsea            3  -  0    Southampton        
       Coventry City      1  -  2    Middlesbrough
       Leeds Utd.         1  -  3    Q.P.R.             
       Liverpool          3  -  0    Blackburn Rovers   
       Man. Utd.          3  -  0    Bolton Wanderers   
       Newcastle Utd.     3  -  1    Man. City          
       Sheffield Wed.     1  -  3    Tottenham Hotspur  

	Sun 17th
      
       Nott'm Forest      3  -  2    Everton            


        Team Name            Pld   W    D    L    F    A   Pts   GD

   1 Newcastle Utd.            6    5    0    1   12    3   15    9 
   2 Man. Utd.                 6    5    0    1   14    8   15    6 
   3 Aston Villa               6    4    1    1    8    4   13    4 
   4 Liverpool                 6    4    0    2    8    3   12    5 
   5 Arsenal                   6    3    3    0    6    2   12    4 
   6 Nott'm Forest             6    2    4    0   10    8   10    2 
   7 Wimbledon                 6    3    1    2   10    9   10    1 
   8 Leeds Utd.                6    3    1    2    8    7   10    1 
   9 Chelsea                   6    2    3    1    8    5    9    3 
  10 Middlesbrough             6    2    3    1    6    4    9    2 
  11 Tottenham Hotspur         6    2    2    2    8    8    8    0 
  12 Everton                   6    2    1    3    8    8    7    0 
  13 Sheffield Wed.            6    2    1    3    8    9    7   -1 
  14 Coventry City             6    1    3    2    6    9    6   -3 
  15 Q.P.R.                    6    2    0    4    4    9    6   -5 
  16 Southampton               6    1    2    3    5   10    5   -5 
  17 Blackburn Rovers          6    1    1    4    5   10    4   -5 
  18 Bolton Wanderers          6    1    1    4    6   12    4   -6 
  19 West Ham Utd.             6    0    2    4    5   10    2   -5 
  20 Man. City                 6    0    1    5    3   10    1   -7 
    

>    
>    Has any team ever gone from first one year to getting pushed down a
>    division the next year?  Blackburn isn't exactly playing top notch
>    soccer at this point.
>    


I could find that out for you, but it'd take a little time this evening.

My gut feel is that I don't believe so, but it is certainly possible.


I'll limit my search to just Premeir Division relagated to First Division.


'Saw

    Blackburn rode the incredible play of Alan Shearer to an unlikely
    league title last season, which was aided by a half dozen teams sacking
    their coaches during the season, the suspension of Eric Cantona that
    undoubtedly cost Manchester United the title, the betting scandal that
    affected at least two teams, the Tottenham cheating expose and
    subsequent enormous fines paid not to lose points in the league table,
    and other stuff that my being in Massachusetts do not allow me to pick
    up on.
    
    Blackburn plays a boring brand of soccer, and while I was happy to see
    ManU not win the title, Blackburn wasn't my top choice to win it.  this
    year, I'm rooting for Villa, Forest, Newcastle, Coventry, and now QPR 
    since they signed Jurgen Sommer to be their keeper.  I also like Liverpool 
    and Arsenal.
    
    NAZZ

>    
>    Blackburn was my top choice, my wife is from Blackburn - and she keeps
>    telling me how lousy the team is - even last year during their drive
>    to the title.
>    

That's pretty typical.  I haven't heard an English soccer fan yet who didn't
love their team and yet feel that they were lousy....  


'Saw

    
>>    Blackburn was my top choice, my wife is from Blackburn - and she keeps
>>    telling me how lousy the team is - even last year during their drive
>>    to the title.    
>   
> That's pretty typical.  I haven't heard an English soccer fan yet who didn't
> love their team and yet feel that they were lousy....  
    
    Either that or Blackburn is the Cleveland of the UK... ;-)
    
    
    glenn
    

                        -<  Soccer Football Conference >-
                                -< Weeks 7 & 8 >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	Sat 23rd Sep
       Arsenal            4  -  2    Southampton        
       Aston Villa        1  -  1    Nott'm Forest      
       Blackburn Rovers   5  -  1    Coventry City      
       Liverpool          5  -  2    Bolton Wanderers   
       Man. City          0  -  1    Middlesbrough      
       Sheffield Wed.     0  -  0    Man. Utd.          
       West Ham Utd.      2  -  1    Everton            
       Wimbledon          2  -  4    Leeds Utd.         

	Sun 24th
       Newcastle Utd.     2  -  0    Chelsea            
       Q.P.R.             2  -  3    Tottenham Hotspur  

	Sat 30th Sep
       Bolton Wanderers   0  -  1    Q.P.R.             
       Chelsea            1  -  0    Arsenal            
       Coventry City      0  -  3    Aston Villa        
       Leeds Utd.         2  -  0    Sheffield Wed.     
       Middlesbrough      2  -  0    Blackburn Rovers   
       Nott'm Forest      3  -  0    Man. City          
       Tottenham Hotspur  3  -  1    Wimbledon          

	Sun 1st Oct
       Everton            1  -  3    Newcastle Utd.     
       Man. Utd.          2  -  2    Liverpool         
       Southampton        0  -  0    West Ham Utd.      


        Team Name          Games   W    D    L  Goals  Goals  Points  Goal
			  Played	         For  Against       Differential
   1 Newcastle Utd.           8    7    0    1   17      4     21     13 
   2 Aston Villa              8    5    2    1   12      5     17      7 
   3 Man. Utd.                8    5    2    1   16     10     17      6 
   4 Liverpool                8    5    1    2   15      7     16      8 
   5 Leeds Utd.               8    5    1    2   14      9     16      5 
   6 Arsenal                  8    4    3    1   10      5     15      5 
   7 Middlesbrough            8    4    3    1    9      4     15      5 
   8 Nott'm Forest            8    3    5    0   14      9     14      5 
   9 Tottenham Hotspur        8    4    2    2   14     11     14      3 
  10 Chelsea                  8    3    3    2    9      7     12      2 
  11 Wimbledon                8    3    1    4   13     16     10     -3 
  12 Q.P.R.                   8    3    0    5    7     12      9     -5 
  13 Sheffield Wed.           8    2    2    4    8     11      8     -3 
  14 Blackburn Rovers         8    2    1    5   10     13      7     -3 
  15 Everton                  8    2    1    5   10     13      7     -3 
  16 West Ham Utd.            8    1    3    4    7     11      6     -4 
  17 Southampton              8    1    3    4    7     14      6     -7 
  18 Coventry City            8    1    3    4    7     17      6    -10 
  19 Bolton Wanderers         8    1    1    6    8     18      4    -10 
  20 Man. City                8    0    1    7    3     14      1    -11 
    

    Does anyone know what happened to the football (soccer) note?
    It just seems to have disappeared from my notes listing.
    
    Thanks.
    
    NAZZ

further proof that the Digital turnaround is for real

    .382
    
    TRUCKS::FOOTBALL
    
    
    CHARLEY

    Biiiig game on Monday.
    
    4th Round of the F.A. cup.
    
    Queens Park Rangers V Chelsea.
    
    Always a spicy tie as both teams are from West London and both are good
    footballing sides.
    
    Go on the blues.
    
    
    CHARLEY

    And those of us in the states have a rooting interest in QPR, as their
    keeper is the American Jurgen Sommer.
    
    NAZZ

    No, they moved up as Division one champions two years ago after a huge
    cash injection from Sir John Hall the Newcastle chairman.
    
    An even larger cash injection has come in the last two seasons and
    Kevin Keegan (the Newcastle manager) has invested very wisely, not
    buying two "superstars" for 7 million quid each, but spending the money
    on 7 or 8 good players so that the squad has great strength in depth.
    
    In fact, his greatest coup was selling Andy Cole to Manchester United
    in exchange for 7 million and Keith Gillespie, who in fact, IMO, is a 
    better player.
    
    
    Btw.
    
      
    Queens Park Rangers 1              Chelsea 2
    
    Quashie  67                        Gavin Peacock 19
    Bradley Allen Missed Penalty       Paul Furlong  45 
    
    Again, Ruud Guillit was the best player on the pitch.
    
    
    CHARLEY$

...is the Newcastle club at least partially owned by the folks who make
Newcastle Brown Ale?  If so, this could provide me with the rooting interest
necessary to have me follow English League Soccer.

-Roland

    
    Unfortunately, Roland, it is not.
    
    But most of the fans drink the stuff, so you could say your statement
    is true in a roundabout sort of way.
    
    The club is a P.L.C. and the major shareholder is Sir John Hall who
    made loads of green ones in property.
    
    
    CHARLEY

>    The club is a P.L.C. and the major shareholder is Sir John Hall who
>    made loads of green ones in property.

This lacks panache - I can't root for them.  Sorry...

    Don't apologise to me Roland, I'm a Chelsea fan (who knocked Newcastle
    out of the F.A. cup 2� weeks ago btw.)
    
    
    CHARLEY

    If anyone can print a current Premier League table, I'd greatly
    appreciate it.
    
    Thanks.
    
    NAZZ

    
    
    Premiership League Table  9.4.96
    
    
                        P    W    D    L    F    A   Pts
    Manchester United  34   22    7    5   63   32   73
    ===================================================
    Newcastle United   33   21    4    8   61   35   67
    Liverpool          34   19    8    7   66   31   65
    Aston Villa        34   18    8    8   51   31   62
    Arsenal            34   16    9    9   46   30   57
    Tottenham Hotspur  34   15   10    9   45   35   55
    ---------------------------------------------------
    Everton            35   15    9   11   57   41   54
    Nottingham Forest  33   14   11    8   45   43   53
    Blackburn Rovers   34   15    6   13   49   41   51
    West Ham United    34   13    7   14   40   47   46
    Chelsea            34   11   12   11   39   39   45
    Middlesbrough      35   11   10   14   34   44   43
    Leeds United       33   12    6   15   38   48   42
    Sheffield Wed      34   10    8   16   45   54   38
    Wimbledon          34    9   10   15   51   64   37
    Southampton        34    7   10   17   30   50   31
    Manchester City    35    7   10   18   29   56   31
    ---------------------------------------------------
    QPR                35    8    6   21   35   53   30
    Coventry City      34    6   12   16   39   59   30
    Bolton Wanderers   35    8    5   22   38   67   29
    
    
    Here you are Nazz.
    
    After leading the league for all of the season Newcastle had a dreadful
    week losing to Liverpool 4 - 3 a week last Wednesday (universally
    agreed to be one of the greatest games ever played) with Stan Collymore
    scoring the second of his two goals 2 1/2 minutes into injury time.
    
    On Monday of this week they lost 2 - 1 to the "one season wonders" 
    Blackburn after being 1 - 0 up with four minutes to go. It looks
    like Man U's title after taking 9 points from the last 3 games.
    
    Man U. will play Liverpool in the F.A. cup final beating Chelsea (sob)
    and Aston Villa 2 - 1 and 3 - 0 respectively in the Semi Finals.
    
    If anybody wants me to update this note on e regular basis please let
    me know.
                                     
    
    CHARLEY  

>    If anybody wants me to update this note on e regular basis please let
>    me know.
                                     
Yes, please.

I had no idea Liverpool was doing so well!  They can still pull it out...

What do they play all told?  42 games?


'Saw

    Thanks very much - I really appreciate it.  A once weekly update with some
    color commentary would be terrific.  Is the line you drew between the
    Spurs and Everton significant?  I think it may show which teams qualify
    for Eurpoean competition, but I'm not sure.
    
    NAZZ

    .395
    
    'Saw - There are 38 games to be played. Unfortunately Liverpools' title
    hopes disappeared with a 1 - 0 defeat by Coventry on the 6th April.
    
    Yes, I will update this note once a week with results etc. and the odd
    note here and there just to let you know what is going on. No probs.
    
    .396
    
    Yup, you're right. It's very complicated though. The Premier League
    winners will go into the European Champions League. The F.A. cup winners
    will go into the European Cup Winners Cup. If  both of the above is Man
    Utd (highly possible) then the F.A. cup runners up will go into that
    competion. So no matter what happens Liverpool will contest the cup
    winners cup next year if Man U. win the League. If Newcastle win the
    league then the winner of the F.A. cup will go into the CWC and the
    other will gain a place in the U.E.F.A. cup Aston Villa have already 
    qualified for the U.E.F.A. cup next year on the back on thier Coca Cola Cup
    win in March. Apart from theabove, the two next highest teams in the
    league will qualify for the U.E.F.A. cup and the the teams above the
    line are the ones with a realistic chance of doing so, although Everton
    might squeeze it.
    
    Choke job? You know it. They were 12 points clear with a game in hand
    in Mid January. on Friday they were 6 behind with two games in hand.
    
    The weekends results/table to follow (interesting)
    
    
    CHARLEY

    This weeks reults.
    
    
    Sun Apr 14 1996  4:00PM
       
    Newcastle United     (0) 1 Aston Villa          (0) 0  FT
    Ferdinand 64
                                                   Att: 36510
    
    Sat Apr 13 1996  3:00PM
       
    West Ham United      (1) 1 Bolton Wanderers     (0) 0  FT
    
    Cottee 28
                                                   Att: 23086
       
    Coventry City        (0) 1 Queens Park Rangers  (0) 0  FT
    Jess 69   
                                                   Att: 22910
      
    Middlesbrough        (1) 1 Wimbledon            (1) 2  FT
    Fleming 23                 Earle 11
                               Ekoku 64
                                                   Att: 29192
    
    Chelsea              (3) 4 Leeds United         (0) 1  FT
    Hughes 19                  McAllister 66
    Spencer 20  
    Hughes 35
    Hughes 48(pen)
    
                                                   Att: 22131
       
    Southampton          (3) 3 Manchester United    (0) 1  FT
    
    Monkou 11                  Giggs 89
    Shipperley 23
    Le Tissier 43
                                                   Att: 15262
    
    Manchester City      (0) 1 Sheffield Wednesday  (0) 0  FT
    Rosler 65
                                                   Att: 30898
    
    Nottingham Forest    (1) 1 Blackburn Rovers     (3) 5  FT
    Woan 41                    Shearer 27
                               McKinlay 31
                               Wilcox 45
                               Wilcox 68  
                               Fenton 83
                                                   Att: 25273
    
    
    Mon Apr  8 1996  3:00PM
       
    Sheffield Wednesday  (0) 1 Arsenal              (0) 0  FT
    
    Degryse 61
                                                   Att: 24349
    
    Tottenham Hotspur    (0) 1 Middlesbrough        (0) 1  FT
    Armstrong 84               Whelan 85
                                                   Att: 32036
    
    Liverpool            (2) 2 West Ham United      (0) 0  FT
    Collymore 22
    Barnes 38
                                                   Att: 40326
    
    Queens Park Rangers  (2) 3 Everton              (0) 1  FT
    Gallen 15                  Ebbrell 78 
    Hateley 42
    Impey 61
                                                   Att: 18349
    
    CURRENT TABLE
    
    
      Team                Pd   W   D   L   F   A   GD  Pts 
    1  Manchester United   35 22   7   6  64  35  +29  73
    ===================================================== 
    2  Newcastle United    34 22   4   8  62  35  +27  70 
    3  Liverpool           34 19   8   7  66  31  +35  65 
    4  Aston Villa         35 18   8   9  51  32  +19  62 
    5  Arsenal             34 16   9   9  46  30  +16  57 
    6  Tottenham Hotspur   34 15  10   9  45  35  +10  55
    ----------------------------------------------------- 
    7  Everton             35 15   9  11  57  41  +16  54 
    8  Blackburn Rovers    35 16   6  13  54  42  +12  54 
    9  Nottingham Forest   34 14  11   9  46  48   -2  53 
    10 West Ham United     35 14   7  14  41  47   -6  49 
    11 Chelsea             35 12  12  11  43  40   +3  48 
    12 Middlesbrough       36 11  10  15  35  46  -11  43 
    13 Leeds United        34 12   6  16  39  52  -13  42 
    14 Wimbledon           35 10  10  15  53  65  -12  40 
    15 Sheffield Wednesday 35 10   8  17  45  55  -10  38 
    16 Southampton         35  8  10  17  33  51  -18  34 
    17 Manchester City     36  8  10  18  30  56  -26  34
    ----------------------------------------------------- 
    18 Coventry City       35  7  12  16  40  60  -20  33 
    19 Queens Park Rangers 36  8   6  22  35  54  -19  30 
    20 Bolton Wanderers    36  8   5  23  38  68  -30  29
    
    The shock result of the weekend was Southamptons' 3 - 1 drubbing of Man
    Utd. Apparently Southampton played their best game of the season. Monkou,
    Shipperley and Le Tissier with his first non set-piece goal of the season 
    netting for Saints. Ryan Giggs scored in the dying minutes for
    Manchester, which could, at the end of the season, proove to be the goal 
    that wins the title for Man. U. Judging by the closeness of the goal 
    difference at the top.
    
    At half time the Man Utd. players changed their strip from grey to blue
    & white stripe, complaining that they couldn't pick one another out against
    the crowd.
    
    Yesterday Newcastle beat Aston Villa 1 - 0 albeit unconvincingly. If
    the Villa striker Savo Milosevic had converted 1 or even 2 of the reasonably
    simple chances that he had, the title race would be over. Saying that, it is
    true that Newcastle had most of the game but they were restricted to 
    long-range efforts that the Villa Keeper Marc Bosnich could deal easily 
    with. Villa had more clear cut chances than Newcastle but failed to 
    convert. A piece of magic on the right wing by the perennial Peter 
    Beardsley and a gorgeous cross was met in the six yard box by the head of 
    Les Ferdinand for the only goal.
    
    Tottenham Hotspur play Arsenal tonight.
    
    
    CHARLEY
    
    
                 

    And I should have mentioned Mark Hughes' hat trick for CHELSEA against
    Leeds United. Terrific.
    
    
    CHARLEY 

    Arsenal 0 - Tottenham Hotspur 0
    
    Not much to report here.
    
    
         Team                Pd   W    D   L   F   A   GD  Pts 
        1  Manchester United   35 22   7   6  64  35  +29  73
        ===================================================== 
        2  Newcastle United    34 22   4   8  62  35  +27  70 
        3  Liverpool           34 19   8   7  66  31  +35  65 
        4  Aston Villa         35 18   8   9  51  32  +19  62 
        5  Arsenal             35 16  10   9  46  30  +16  58 
        6  Tottenham Hotspur   35 15  11   9  45  35  +10  56
        ----------------------------------------------------- 
        7  Everton             35 15   9  11  57  41  +16  54 
        8  Blackburn Rovers    35 16   6  13  54  42  +12  54 
        9  Nottingham Forest   34 14  11   9  46  48   -2  53 
        10 West Ham United     35 14   7  14  41  47   -6  49 
        11 Chelsea             35 12  12  11  43  40   +3  48 
        12 Middlesbrough       36 11  10  15  35  46  -11  43 
        13 Leeds United        34 12   6  16  39  52  -13  42 
        14 Wimbledon           35 10  10  15  53  65  -12  40 
        15 Sheffield Wednesday 35 10   8  17  45  55  -10  38 
        16 Southampton         35  8  10  17  33  51  -18  34 
        17 Manchester City     36  8  10  18  30  56  -26  34
        ----------------------------------------------------- 
        18 Coventry City       35  7  12  16  40  60  -20  33 
        19 Queens Park Rangers 36  8   6  22  35  54  -19  30 
        20 Bolton Wanderers    36  8   5  23  38  68  -30  29
    
    
    CHARLEY

    Remaining fixture in the race for the title.
    
    Manchester United
    
    Wed 17 Apr 96 Leeds United (h) 8:00pm 
    
    Sun 28 Apr 96 Nottingham Forest (h) 4:00pm 
    
    Sun 5 May 96 Middlesbrough (a) 3:00pm
    
    
    Newcastle United
    
    Wed 17 Apr 96 Southampton (h) 7:45pm 
    
    Mon 29 Apr 96 Leeds United (a) 8:00pm
       
    Thu 2 May 96 Nottingham Forest (a) 7:45pm 
    
    Sun 5 May 96 Tottenham Hotspur (h) 3:00pm
    
    Amazingly enough, both clubs will have had to have played 3 of the same
    teams in their last four games. 
    
    It is very close to call but I think that Man Utd. have an advantage in
    that they have to play Leeds and Forest at home whereas Newcastle have to
    play them both away.
    
     
    Tonight - Merseyside Derby : Everton v Liverpool
    
    
    CHARLEY   

>    Tonight - Merseyside Derby : Everton v Liverpool
    

Go 'Pool!!!!!!

    Yeah, they should win as they're in cracking form at the moment (apart
    from last weeks loss to Coventry that is) and as Everton have an
    outside chance of a place in Europe, it should make the game a bit
    spicy.
    
    
    CHARLEY

      
        
         Everton 1 - 1 Liverpool
        
         Everton went ahead after keeper James slipped in the mud and Ebrell's 
         acute angled shot hit the bar to be followed up by Kanchelskis. 
            
         Collymore hit the crossbar with a long range shot. He also provided
         the cross from the touch-line which Fowler poked home with 3 minutes
         left.
         
        
         CHARLEY
       
    

>         Everton 1 - 1 Liverpool
        
Damn, could've used the points.

Oh well, at least it wasn't a LOSS....    

    Sorry about that 'Saw. Guess I put the hex on them...saying they should
    win.
    
    Mathematically Liverpool can still win the title, but a win tonight for
    Man. U against Leeds at home will completely put them out of it.
    
    This is also, IMO, Man Us biggest game of the season. At home, against
    their fiercest rivals, at this stage of the season...yes definately a
    biggie.
    
    
    CHARLEY

Well, Charley, as I get older my memory seems to go more, but if I remember
right, this season is an improvement for the Reds over last.


'Saw

    .408
    
    Yup, you're right.
    
    In the 94-95 season Liverpool finished 4th in the league (not that much
    difference but every little helps eh?8^))
    
            Team Name            Pld   W    D    L    F    A   Pts   GD
    
       1 Blackburn Rovers         42   27    8    7   80   39   89   41 
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------
       2 Man. Utd.                42   26   10    6   77   28   88   49 
       3 Nott'm Forest            42   22   11    9   72   43   77   29  
       4 Liverpool                42   21   11   10   65   37   74   28  
       5 Leeds Utd.               42   20   13    9   59   38   73   21 
       6 Newcastle Utd.           42   20   12   10   67   47   72   20   
       7 Tottenham Hotspur        42   16   14   12   66   58   62    8 
       8 Q.P.R.                   42   17    9   16   61   59   60    2 
       9 Wimbledon                42   15   11   16   48   65   56  -17 
      10 Southampton              42   12   18   12   61   63   54   -2 
      11 Chelsea                  42   13   15   14   50   55   54   -5 
      12 Arsenal                  42   13   12   17   52   49   51    3 
      13 Sheffield Wed.           42   13   12   17   49   57   51   -8 
      14 West Ham Utd.            42   13   11   18   44   48   50   -4 
      15 Everton                  42   11   17   14   44   51   50   -7 
      16 Coventry City            42   12   14   16   44   62   50  -18 
      17 Man. City                42   12   13   17   53   64   49  -11 
      18 Aston Villa              42   11   15   16   51   56   48   -5 
    ---------------------------------------------------------------------
      19 Crystal Palace           42   11   12   19   34   49   45  -15   
      20 Norwich City             42   10   13   19   37   54   43  -17    
      21 Leicester City           42    6   11   25   45   80   29  -35    
      22 Ipswich Town             42    7    6   29   36   93   27  -57  
    
    Biggest turn around this year has been Aston Villa, with basically the
    same squad as last year....different manager though.
    
    
    CHARLEY

    Wed Apr 17 1996  8:00PM                                  
    
    Manchester United    (0) 1 Leeds United         (0) 0  FT
    Keane 72                   
                                                   Att: 48382
    
    Wed Apr 17 1996  7:45PM                                  
                               
    Aston Villa          (1) 1 West Ham United      (0) 1  FT
    
    McGrath 27                 Cottee 85
                                                   Att: 26768
       
    Nottingham Forest    (0) 0 Coventry City        (0) 0  FT
                                                   Att: 24629
    
    Newcastle United     (1) 1 Southampton          (0) 0  FT
    Lee 10
                                                   Att: 36554             
       
    Sheffield Wednesday  (0) 0 Chelsea              (0) 0  FT
                                                   Att: 25094
    
    Blackburn Rovers     (1) 3 Wimbledon            (1) 2  FT
    Shearer 13                 Earle 22
    Shearer 46                 Gayle 48            
    Fenton 58
                                                   Att: 24174
    
       Team              Pd  W   D   L   F   A   GD  Pts 
    1 Manchester United  36  23  7   6  65  35  +30  76
    2 Newcastle United   35  23  4   8  63  35  +28  73 
    3 Liverpool          35  19  9   7  67  32  +35  66 
    4 Aston Villa        36  18  9   9  52  33  +19  63 
    5 Arsenal            35  16 10   9  46  30  +16  58 
    6 Blackburn Rovers   36  17  6  13  57  44  +13  57 
    7 Tottenham Hotspur  35  15 11   9  45  35  +10  56 
    8 Everton            36  15 10  11  58  42  +16  55 
    9 Nottingham Forest  35  14 12   9  46  48   -2  54 
    10 West Ham United   36  14  8  14  42  48   -6  50 
    11 Chelsea           36  12 13  11  43  40   +3  49 
    12 Middlesbrough     36  11 10  15  35  46  -11  43 
    13 Leeds United      35  12  6  17  39  53  -14  42 
    14 Wimbledon         36  10 10  16  55  68  -13  40 
    15 Sheffield Wed     36  10  9  17  45  55  -10  39 
    16 Southampton       36   8 10  18  33  52  -19  34 
    17 Coventry City     36   7 13  16  40  60  -20  34 
    18 Manchester City   36   8 10  18  30  56  -26  34
    19 Q.P.R.            36   8  6  22  35  54  -19  30 
    20 Bolton Wanderers  36   8  5  23  38  68  -30  29
    
    
           
    CHARLEY

>    Wed Apr 17 1996  8:00PM                                  
>    
>    Manchester United    (0) 1 Leeds United         (0) 0  FT
>    Keane 72                   
>    
>
>
>       Team              Pd  W   D   L   F   A   GD  Pts 
>    1 Manchester United  36  23  7   6  65  35  +30  76
>    2 Newcastle United   35  23  4   8  63  35  +28  73 
>    3 Liverpool          35  19  9   7  67  32  +35  66 


Sigh.  The inexorable raealities of math.  

A second place is possible, but not likely, because Newcastle would have to
go 0-3.

Still, we're better than Arsenal!


'Saw

Charlie,

When did they chop the premier league back to 20 teams?  Wasn't it at 22 for
a while?

'Saw

    What happens if Newcastle and ManU are tied in goal differntial and
    points at the end of the season?  A playoff for the title???
    
    NAZZ

    Another question:  how come the league is playing four fewer games this
    year?
    
    NAZZ

>                             -< 38 instead of 42 >-
>
>    Another question:  how come the league is playing four fewer games this
>    year?
    
Fewer teams:

	20 - 1 = 19 * 2 = 38.

Each plays a home and home with every other.

They had 22 last year I'm sure, if they were playing 42 games.

    Ah,  that makes sense, 'Saw.  But why cut the league down, as you asked
    earlier?  In the age of expansion, that's a refreshing move, but I
    wonder if there was a logical reason for it.
    
    NAZZ

    O.K.
    
    .411
    
    Yes it is possible albeit unlikely, considering Newcastle have still
    got to play Leeds, and Notts Forest away from home (both difficult to
    beat at home) plus Tottenham at home...well stranger things have
    happened, but I doubt it in this case.
    
    .413
    
    To be honest with you I don't know. My personal opinion would be for
    the team with the best away form to prevail. Away wins win leagues, not
    home wins. 
    
    The most popular solution being touted is a two leg playoff (sigh, anything
    to generate more money for the powers that be) one at home, one away with 
    away goals counting as double in the event of a tie over the two legs.
    
    .412 .414
    
    The Premier League or old Division one for donkeys years used to consist 
    of twenty two clubs. Due to some crap results by the English national
    teams in some tournaments, someone thought that this may be due to over
    exertion throughout the season on, not only key players, but the entire
    division. Some bright spark asked the players - not the Managing Directors 
    of the clubs as was always the case, they're bound to want more games - 
    what they thought of this workload. The answer was a unanimous condemnation
    of the amount of games they had to play in one season - In 1993-4 Man U 
    played 66 games in all competitions.
     
    (As a result of this Man U started to field understrength sides in the
    lest prestigious cup competitions and were lambasted by other clubs and
    the league - unfairly so in my book - and that's coming from a Chelsea
    supporter;^))
    
    So the league listened to the players for about the third time in about
    40 years of professional football and the league structure was changed
    to decrease the number of games over a seasons football.
    
    Next year, the premier league will be adjusted to just 18 sides to keep
    the English League in line with most European Leagues.
    
    Hope this answers your queries.
    
    
    CHARLEY

Thanks Charley.

Very good answers indeed.

    You're more than welcome.
    
    Regarding Liverpool 'Saw, you still have the F.A. Cup final on May 11th
    to look forward to. Will they be showing it on the box over there?
    
    
    CHARLEY

>    Regarding Liverpool 'Saw, you still have the F.A. Cup final on May 11th
>    to look forward to. Will they be showing it on the box over there?
    
Probably not.

I might be able to catch it a week or two after the fact.

About six or seven years ago (Liverpool v. Everton in Wembley, Liverpool
winning after two extra times) they showed it live on ESPN.  They haven't done
that since.

I miss the days of John Aldridge and Ian Rush.....

        Just out of interest to you 'Saw, Ian Rush still plays for Liverpool 
        now and again and played a big role in setting up Collymore's extra
        time goal for the 4 - 3 win over Newcastle on 3rd April. 
         
        John Aldridge has played for Tranmere Rovers (the third Liverpool side) 
        for about 5 years in the First division and for the first three years 
        he was that divisions leading scorer. 
         
        Robbie Fowler, the current Liverpool striker, is currently the Premier 
        Division's leading marksman with 36 goals, two ahead of Blackburns' 
        Alan Shearer and has just been made the Professional Footballers 
        Associations' young player of the year for the second year running. 
         
        It is likely he will gain his first full England cap against Croatia on 
        Wednesday. 
         
         
        CHARLEY 
     
    
    

Thanks Charley.  Alwasys great to hear news of the old Merseysiders and the
new.

One of these years I want to make a trip and see a match at Anfield Road.


'Saw

I've just read the last three weeks of this thread at a sitting.  Charley,
great reporting!  You've missed your calling.

They were on the verge of cutting the German league (the Bundesliga) back
to 16 teams, but then reunification happened, Rostock and Leipzig were
given automatic entry into the league, and the size was maintained.

'Saw, when you get to England, see a game at Wembley.  I saw the annual
pre-season friendly between the league champ and the cup winner some years
back, amusingly enough between Liverpool and Everton, and even at a game
that didn't mean anything, the atmosphere was electric.

Of course, I've also been to White Hart Lane, where I have a rooting interest,
but Wembley is the Montreal Forum and Yankee Stadium all rolled up into one.

Steve

        .423 
         
        Thank you for your compliment Steve, always nice to be appreciated. 
         
        re :- Wembley 
         
        Yeah, I've been there a few times. Some I wish to remember (England 
        beating Scotland in the last of the home internationals there) and some 
        I wish to forget (Man U. beating CHELSEA 4 - 0 in the F.A. cup final 
        two years ago). 
         
        I've been to many grounds around England and a few across Europe 
        but nothing, nothing I have ever heard compares to the "Wembley Roar". 
         
        The first time I ever heard it was an England V Wales match in 1983
        and I was actually scared by the intensity of the noise. Now it brings
        a lump to the throat. 
    
    
    CHARLEY                                                                

    Good morning people, hope you had a good weekend.
    
    There were no premier league games last week due to the England
    international that was played last Wednesday.
    
    This weeks results :-
    
    Sun Apr 28 1996  4:00PM                                  
                                                   
    Manchester United    (2) 5 Nottingham Forest    (0) 0  FT
    Scholes 41                 
    Beckham 44                 
    Beckham 54                                     
    Giggs 70
    Cantona 89                                               
    
    Sat Apr 27 1996  3:00PM                                  
       
    Queens Park Rangers  (0) 3 West Ham United      (0) 0  FT
    Ready 59
    Gallen 70    
    Gallen 78
                                                   Att: 18828    
       
    Liverpool            (0) 1 Middlesbrough        (0) 0  FT
    Collymore 70
                                                   Att: 40782
                                                   
    Wimbledon            (0) 0 Coventry City        (0) 2  FT
                               Ndlovu 52
                               Ndlovu 89
                                                   Att: 15540
    
    Bolton Wanderers     (0) 0 Southampton          (1) 1  FT
                               Le Tissier 26       
                                                   Att: 18795
    
    Sheffield Wednesday  (1) 2 Everton              (3) 5  FT
    Hirst 9                    Amokachi 4                    
    Degryse 64                 Ebbrell 10
                               Kanchelskis 21
                               Kanchelskis 54
                               Kanchelskis 65      
                                                   Att: 32724
    
    Aston Villa          (0) 0 Manchester City      (0) 1  FT
                               Lomas 69            
                                                   Att: 39336
    
    Tottenham Hotspur    (0) 1 Chelsea              (1) 1  FT
    Armstrong 73               Hughes 35
                                                   Att: 32918
    
    Blackburn Rovers     (1) 1 Arsenal              (0) 1  FT
    Gallacher 13               Wright 75(pen)      
                                                   Att: 29834
    
    
    The Table :-
    
    
    Team                 Pd   W   D   L   F   A   GD   Pts 
    1 Manchester United  37  24   7   6  70  35  +35    79 
    2 Newcastle United   35  23   4   8  63  35  +28    73 
    3 Liverpool          36  20   9   7  68  32  +36    69 
    4 Aston Villa        37  18   9  10  52  34  +18    63 
    5 Arsenal            36  16  11   9  47  31  +16    59 
    6 Everton            37  16  10  11  63  44  +19    58 
    7 Blackburn Rovers   37  17   7  13  58  45  +13    58 
    8 Tottenham Hotspur  36  15  12   9  46  36  +10    57 
    9 Nottingham Forest  36  14  12  10  46  53   -7    54 
    10 Chelsea           37  12  14  11  44  41   +3    50 
    11 West Ham United   37  14   8  15  42  51   -9    50 
    12 Middlesbrough     37  11  10  16  35  47  -12    43 
    13 Leeds United      35  12   6  17  39  53  -14    42 
    14 Wimbledon         37  10  10  17  55  70  -15    40 
    15 Sheffield Wed     37  10   9  18  47  60  -13    39 
    16 Coventry City     37   8  13  16  42  60  -18    37 
    17 Southampton       37   9  10  18  34  52  -18    37 
    18 Manchester City   37   9  10  18  31  56  -25    37
    19 Queens Park Rgrs  37   9   6  22  38  54  -16    33 
    20 Bolton Wanderers  37   8   5  24  38  69  -31    29
    
    It looks like Manchester United's title after a blistering 5 - 0
    annihilation of Nottingham Forest yesterday.
    
    I watched it live on cable and was probably United's best game of the
    year.
    
    Newcastle now must win their last 3 games by at least 3 - 0 to have any
    chance of the title and as they have two games away from home (Leeds
    tonight and Notts Forest on Thursday) this IMO will be too much of a
    hurdle for them.
    
    The battle at the bottom of the table is close as well with
    Q.P.R. and Bolton already being relegated, the final team for the drop
    will come from either Coventry, Southampton or Manchester City.
    
    I'm not going to call it       
     
    
    CHARLEY

    Manchester United :-
    
    Manchester United go 6 points clear with one game to play. Andy Cole was on
    the bench and his replacement Paul Scholes duly obliged with the opener in 
    the 40th minute. David Beckham followed up with the second on the stroke of
    half-time.  
    
    The second half saw Utd score three more through Beckham, Ryan Giggs
    and Eric  Cantona which set Man U's goal advantage over Newcastle to 7.
        
    Newcastle must win at Leeds tonight to maintain an interest in the
    chase.
        
    On paper United's final game at Middlesborough next sunday looks a
    formality, Middlesborough theoretically won't want the title to go
    to a NE club apart from themselves, Bryan Robson (the Middleborough
    manager probably has a soft-spot for his old team - mates at Manchester, 
    but these predictions always come back and haunt you.
    
    Don't they.
    
    
    CHARLEY 
    
    

    For 'Saw....
    
    
        Yes, yesterday saw the last kop front appearance of Ian Rush in a
        liverpool shirt (As a player)  It was a sad day for all Liverpool
        and indeed any football fans.
    
        In my opinion I don't think many will ever reach the scoring records
        he did with liverpool or indeed for any club. Rush said he would love 
        to come back and score in front of the kop for another club, I really 
        don't believe this after seeing him in tears at the end of the match.
        
    
    CHARLEY
     
    

>    
>        Yes, yesterday saw the last kop front appearance of Ian Rush in a
>        liverpool shirt (As a player)  It was a sad day for all Liverpool
>        and indeed any football fans.
>    

Whoa.  A moment of silence please.....


>        In my opinion I don't think many will ever reach the scoring records
>        he did with liverpool or indeed for any club. Rush said he would love 
>        to come back and score in front of the kop for another club, I really 
>        don't believe this after seeing him in tears at the end of the match.
        

Rush was poetry.  He never looked particularly fluid or superbly athletic, he
just scored.  Kind of a skinny guy who had this uncanny knack for finding the
net.

Seeing him and Aldridge play together was a thrill.

My biggest regret is that I never saw him in person.


Thanks for the update, Charley....


'Saw    

     
    

    Ian Rush bits and pieces....
    
    
       POSITION :-Centre-Forward DATE OF BIRTH:- 20.10.61 PLACE OF BIRTH:-St
       Asaph DATE SIGNED:-23.8.88 FROM:-Juventus HEIGHT :-6' 0" WEIGHT:-12st
       6lb HISTORY : - 
    
       Club        Transfer Fee   League Apps
     
       Liverpool    �2,800,000        214  
       Liverpool     on loan           42 
       Juventus     �3,200,000         29
       Liverpool     �300,000         182  
       Chester     from apprentice     33 
     
       IAN Rush was born in St Asaph in North Wales in October 1961. He
       represented Wales at schoolboy level before joining Chester City,
       first as an associated schoolboy in March 1977 and then as an
       apprentice in August 1978. He signed professional forms in September
       1979, having made his League debut five months earlier at home to
       Sheffield Wednesday.    
       
       Having finished the 1979-80 season as top scorer with 14 goals, he had
       started attracting attention from leading clubs. Malcolm Allison had
       wanted to buy him for Manchester City but a bid of �300,000 - a then
       record fee for a teenager - from Bob Paisley secured his services for
       Liverpool in May 1980. Before he had kicked a ball for the "Reds", he
       received the first of his Welsh caps when coming on as a substitute
       against Scotland at Hampden Park on May 21, 1980.
       
       As was the Liverpool way, he was forced to wait for his first team
       opportunity and did not make his debut until December 1980 in a 1-1 
       draw against Ipswich at Portman Road. He failed to score in his six  
       subsequent games that season - including the League Cup Final replay
       win over West Ham - and, remarkably, there were doubts that he would
       make the grade. Out of favour at the start of 1981-82, he went to see
       Bob Paisley about his future only to receive the abrupt answer "just
       score goals".          
       
       The first of the goals that have made him the club's all-time record
       goalscorer was scored as a substitute in a European Cup tie against
       Finnish part-timers Oulun Palloseura on September 30, 1981. He went on
       to finish his first full season as Liverpool's leading scorer with 30 
       goals in 48 games (all competitions).     
       
       He went on to establish a legendary strike partnership with Kenny 
       Dalglish and his scoring exploits both at home and in Liverpool's  
       European triumphs led to repeated overtures from Juventus and he   
       finally left for Italy for a then-British record fee of 3,200,000 in
       June 1987. He spent an unhappy season in Italy where the Juventus
       style did not play to his strengths and, after scoring only seven 
       goals in 29 Serie A games, he was brought back to Anfield by Kenny  
       Dalglish for �2,800,000 in August 1988.  
       
       He has won the following major honours since joining the "Reds" :   
       League Championship 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986 and 1990, FA Cup 1986, 1989
       and 1992, League Cup 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1995 and the European
       Cup in 1984. He has also won one World Club Championship, seven
       Charity Shields, four Super Cups and two Centenary Cups. Amongst the
       awards that he has won are the PFA Young PLayer of the Year, 1983, PFA
       Player of the Year, 1984, Footballer of the Year, 1984 and the     
       European Golden Boot, 1984 when his 48 goals in 65 games was a 
       Liverpool record for a season.  
       
       Rush is Liverpool's all-time record goalscorer having overtaken the
       great Roger Hunt and his 41 FA Cup goals make him the joint record Cup
       goalscorer along with Denis Law. He is also Liverpool's most capped
       player and is the current captain of both his club and country.*
    
    
    * - Profile taken from start of current season.
    
    
    CHARLEY    

Thanks Charley.

I'm going to save that one.....

One of my favorite memories is a highlight of a goal he scored that was used
by Super Channel in their advertisement for Barclay's weekly one-hour football
update program.

It showed him booting the ball in from the top of the box and all the announcer
said was "Rush!"


'Saw

    Sat 13 Jan 96 Queens Park Rangers (a) 1-0 
    Sat 20 Jan 96 Sheffield Wednesday (h) 3-0 
    Sat  3 Feb 96 Bolton Wanderers    (h) 3-1 
    Sat 10 Feb 96 Manchester United   (a) 0-1 
    Sat 24 Feb 96 Liverpool           (h) 2-3 
    Wed 28 Feb 96 Aston Villa         (a) 0-2 
    Sat  2 Mar 96 Manchester City     (a) 1-1 
    Wed 13 Mar 96 Leeds United        (h) 1-0 
    Sat 16 Mar 96 Tottenham Hotspur   (a) 3-2 
    Sat 30 Mar 96 Everton             (h) 0-3 
    Sat  6 Apr 96 Southampton         (a) 0-1 
    Mon  8 Apr 96 Newcastle United    (h) 2-1 
    Sat 13 Apr 96 Nottingham Forest   (a) 5-1 
    Wed 17 Apr 96 Wimbledon           (h) 3-2
    Sat 27 Apr 96 Arsenal             (h) 1-1 
    Sun  5 May 96 Chelsea             (a) 3:00pm
    
    
    26 points from 15 games is a pretty good hit rate, but you really need to 
    be about 32/33+ to be up with the big boys. (Man U have scored 38 in the 
    same period of time, Liverpool 31)
    
    Blackburn's biggest problem this year has been a lack of a decent
    striking partner for Alan Shearer seeing as Chris Sutton has been injured
    for most of the season. Also, the long injury to Stuart Ripley and a 
    complete reversal of form for Midfielder Tim Sherwood didn't helped
    their cause.
    
    Any more info, I'd be pleased to pass on.
    
    
    CHARLEY                                      

    
    Mon Apr 29 1996  8:00PM                                  
    
    Leeds United         (0) 0 Newcastle United     (1) 1  FT
                               Gillespie 17
                                                   Att: 38862
    
    A very close game with Leeds hitting the woodwork twice in the first 10
    minutes. Gillespie notched with his first ever headed goal for
    Newcastle.
    
    Newcastle visit Nottingham Forest tomorrow.
    
    Oh and 'Saw, Liverpool won the F.A. youth cup, beating West Ham 2 - 0.
    
    
    CHARLEY

    This puts the goal differntial between Newcastle and ManU at 6.  One
    can only hope Notts Forest rolls over for Newcastle like they did for
    ManU last week.
    
    NAZZ

    That's true Nazz, but the difference is Man U. played Forest at home
    and Newcastle must play them at Forest and Nottingham have only lost two 
    at home this year. I can't see Newcastle getting more than a +2 goal 
    difference in this game.( 3 - 1, 2 - 0, 4 - 2 etc.) If that.
    
    All sorts of speculation in the press over here, seeing as the Forest
    manager Frank Clarke used to be a Newcastle player some seem to think
    he'll ask his team to do Newcastle a favour. The same applies to Man U.
    on Sunday when they play Middlesborough. Bryan Robson is the manager
    and he used to play for Man U. 
    
    All a load of tosh if you ask me.
    
    
    CHARLEY

    Thu May  2 1996  7:45PM                                  
    
    Leeds United         (1) 1 Tottenham Hotspur    (2) 3  FT
    Wetherall 13               Armstrong 18
                               Anderton 24
                               Anderton 66         
                                                   Att: 30061
    
    Nottingham Forest    (0) 1 Newcastle United     (1) 1  FT
    Woan 75                    Beardsley 32
                                                   Att: 28280
       
    Wed May  1 1996  7:45PM                                  
       
    Arsenal              (0) 0 Liverpool            (0) 0  FT
                                                   Att: 38323
       
    
       Team               Pd   W   D   L   F   A   GD  Pts 
    1 Manchester United   37  24   7   6  70  35  +35  79
    ======================================================
    2 Newcastle United    37  24   5   8  65  36  +29  77 
    3 Liverpool           37  20  10   7  68  32  +36  70 
    4 Aston Villa         37  18   9  10  52  34  +18  63 
    5 Arsenal             37  16  12   9  47  31  +16  60 
    -----------------------------------------------------
    6 Tottenham Hotspur   37  16  12   9  49  37  +12  60 
    7 Everton             37  16  10  11  63  44  +19  58 
    8 Blackburn Rovers    37  17   7  13  58  45  +13  58 
    9 Nottingham Forest   37  14  13  10  47  54  -7   55 
    10 Chelsea            37  12  14  11  44  41  +3   50 
    11 West Ham United    37  14   8  15  42  51  -9   50 
    12 Middlesbrough      37  11  10  16  35  47  -12  43 
    13 Leeds United       37  12   6  19  40  57  -17  42 
    14 Wimbledon          37  10  10  17  55  70  -15  40 
    15 Sheffield Wed      37  10   9  18  47  60  -13  39 
    16 Coventry City      37   8  13  16  42  60  -18  37 
    17 Southampton        37   9  10  18  34  52  -18  37 
    18 Manchester City    37   9  10  18  31  56  -25  37
    19 Queens Prk Rangers 37   9   6  22  38  54  -16  33 
    20 Bolton Wanderers   37   8   5  24  38  69  -31  29       
    
    The top four teams are assured of a place in Europe next seasons. This
    weekends results will determine which competition each club will play
    in. The final European place seems to be between Arsenal and Tottenham. 
    
       Forest 1   Newcastle 1
    
       Ian Woan put one Manchester United hand on the FA Carling Premiership
       trophy with a sumptuous strike from 25 yards out that kicked Newcastle 
       in the championship teeth.       
       
       Peter Beardsley looked to have justified Kevin Keegan's decision to go
       back to St James' Park basics with a glorious first half goal which
       would have ensured a Sunday afternoon of shredded nerves on both Tyne 
       and Tees. 
    
       Manchester United only need a draw on Sunday against Middlesborough
       while Newcastle (who must win) entertain Tottenham Hotspur who, are in 
       with a very good chance of qualifying for Europe so they have 
       everything to play for and will not give much away. 
    
    
       CHARLEY

    So who got relegated?
    
    NAZZ

    Sorry Nazz  - I was off yesterday.
    
    The whole shebang follows....
    
    
    CHARLEY

          
    Sun May  5 1996  4:00PM                                  
       
    West Ham United      (0) 1 Sheffield Wednesday  (0) 1  FT
    Dicks 73                   Newsome 89
                                                   Att: 23790
    
    Nottingham Forest    (1) 3 Queens Park Rangers  (0) 0  FT
    Stone 44
    Roy 63
    Howe 77       
                                                   Att: 22910
       
    Middlesbrough        (0) 0 Manchester United    (1) 3  FT
                               May 15
                               Cole 54
                               Giggs 80
                                                   Att: 29921    
       
    Coventry City        (0) 0 Leeds United         (0) 0  FT
                                                   Att: 22769
    
    Arsenal              (0) 2 Bolton Wanderers     (0) 1  FT
    Platt 82                   Todd 76                       
    Bergkamp 84                
                                                   Att: 38104
    
    Southampton          (0) 0 Wimbledon            (0) 0  FT
                                                   Att: 15172
    
    Everton              (0) 1 Aston Villa          (0) 0  FT
    Parkinson 78                                   
                                                   Att: 40127
    
    Chelsea              (1) 2 Blackburn Rovers     (1) 3  FT
    Wise 34                    Sherwood 36
    Spencer 88                 McKinlay 47
                               Fenton 59           
                                                   Att: 28436
    
    Newcastle United     (0) 1 Tottenham Hotspur    (0) 1  FT
    Ferdinand 71               Dozzell 57
                                                   Att: 36589
    
    Manchester City      (0) 2 Liverpool            (2) 2  FT
    Rosler 71(pen)             Lomas 6(og)         
    Symons 78                  Rush 41
                                                   Att: 31436
    
                               Home                 Away
              Team       Pd  W  D  L  F  A  Pd  W  D  L  F  A  GD  Pts 
    1 Manchester United  19 15  4  0 36  9  19 10  3  6 37 26 +38   82* 
    ==================================================================
    2 Newcastle United   19 17  1  1 38  9  19  7  5  7 28 28 +29   78*** 
    3 Liverpool          19 14  4  1 46 13  19  6  7  6 24 21 +36   71** 
    4 Aston Villa        19 11  5  3 32 15  19  7  4  8 20 20 +17   63*** 
    5 Arsenal            19 10  7  2 30 16  19  7  5  7 19 16 +17   63***
    ------------------------------------------------------------------ 
    6 Everton            19 10  5  4 35 19  19  7  5  7 29 25 +20   61
    7 Blackburn Rovers   19 14  2  3 44 19  19  4  5 10 17 28 +14   61 
    8 Tottenham Hotspur  19  9  5  5 26 19  19  7  8  4 24 19 +12   61 
    9 Nottingham Forest  19 11  6  2 29 17  19  4  7  8 21 37  -4   58 
    10 West Ham United   19  9  5  5 25 21  19  5  4 10 18 31  -9   51 
    11 Chelsea           19  7  7  5 30 22  19  5  7  7 16 22  +2   50 
    12 Middlesbrough     19  8  3  8 27 27  19  3  7  9  8 23 -15   43 
    13 Leeds United      19  8  3  8 21 21  19  4  4 11 19 36 -17   43 
    14 Wimbledon         19  5  6  8 27 33  19  5  5  9 28 37 -15   41 
    15 Sheffield Wed     19  7  5  7 30 31  19  3  5 11 18 30 -13   40  
    16 Coventry City     19  6  7  6 21 23  19  2  7 10 21 37 -18   38 
    17 Southampton       19  7  7  5 21 18  19  2  4 13 13 34 -18   38
    ------------------------------------------------------------------ 
    18 Manchester City   19  7  7  5 21 19  19  2  4 13 12 39 -25   38rel 
    19 Queens Park Rgrs  19  6  5  8 25 26  19  3  1 15 13 31 -19   33rel
    20 Bolton Wanderers  19  5  4 10 16 31  19  3  1 15 23 40 -32   29rel
    
    * - Will contest the European Champions cup next season
    
    ** - Will contest the European Cup Winner's Cup next season
    
    *** - Will contest the U.E.F.A. cup next season.
    
    =====================================================================
    
                         A Tale of one city.
    
    Well, that's it for another year as far as the league is concerned,
    Manchester United are champions for the third year out of the five
    since the inaugration of the Premier League. Incredibly Manchester have
    accrued 44 points in the last 17 games, only dropping 7. Newcastle have
    only captured 28 in the last 18 games, this is what won United the
    title.
    
    Besides this, one Manchester teams joy is another  Manchester teams
    sorrow with Manchester City being relegated into the Endsleigh League
    division one, with, ironically enough, Southamptons 3 - 1 win over
    Manchester United doing ths most damage to City in the relegation
    battle. They Join Bolton and Q.P.R. in that division next season.
    
    Sunderland and Derby County are promoted into the Premiership, with one
    team still to come up after the first division playoffs.
    
    Next week, Manchester United bid to become the first Team to do the
    double twice when they take on Liverpool in the F.A. cup final. This is
    a repeat of the 1977 final in which United won 2 - 1.
    
    
    CHARLEY

    One more for you 'Saw....
    
    
    The Liverpool goals of Ian Rush 1980/81 - 1995/96 
       
       
       
    OPPONENTS               LGE FA LCUP UEFA EURO CHAR SCREEN CWC TOTAL  
    Appollon Limassol                                          5     5    
    Arsenal                   5       2                              7
    Aston Villa               8  2                                  10
    Athletic Bilbao                            1                     1       
    AZ 67 Alkamaar                             1                     1
    Barnsley                     3                                   3
    Benfica                                    5                     5
    Birmingham                6       2                              8
    Blackburn Rovers          1  2    3                              6
    Bolton Wanderers             1                                   1
    Brentford                         2                              2
    Brighton                  2  3                                   5
    Bristol City                 1                                   1
    Charlton                  1                                      1
    Chelsea                   9  1                                  10
    Chesterfield                      1                              1
    Coventry City            15                                     15
    Crewe                             5                              5
    Crystal Palace            6  1                                   7
    Derby County              3                                      3   
    Dinamo Bucharest                           2                     2    
    Dundalk                                    1                     1
    Everton                  13  5    1             1     5         25
    Exeter                            4                              4       
    Fulham                            4                              4
    Genoa                                 1                          1
    Ipswich Town              5       8                             13
    Leeds United              4                     1                5
    Leicester City            9                                      9
    Luton Town                9                                      9
    Manchester City          14       1                             15
    Manchester United         3                                      3
    Middlesbrough             3       1                              4
    Millwall                  1  1                                   2
    Newcastle United          7  2                                   9
    Norwich City              9                                      9
    Nottingham Forest        10                                     10
    Notts County              8                                      8
    Oldham Athletic           3       2                              5
    OPS Oulu                                   1                     1   
    Oxford                    6                                      6    
    Panathinaikos                              2                     2
    Port Vale                         1                              1
    QPR                      10  1                                  11       
    Rochdale                     1                                   1
    Sheffield United          3                                      3
    Sheffield Wed             6       2                              8
    Southampton              10  3                                  13
    Stoke                     1  1    4                              6
    Sunderland                4  2                                   6
    Swansea                   3  5                                   8
    Tottenham Hotspur         8  1    1             1     2         13
    Walsall                           2                              2
    Watford                   9  1                                  10
    West Bromwich A           2                                      2
    West Ham United           8                                      8
    Widzew Lodz                                1                     1
    Wigan                             2                              2
    Wimbledon                 3  1                                   4
    Wolverhampton             1                                      1   
    York                         1                                   1    
    
    TOTAL                   228 39   48   1   14    3     7    5   345
    
    LGE  = League
    FA   = F.A. Cup
    LCUP = League Cup
    UEFA = U.E.F.A. Cup
    EURO = European Cup
    CHAR = Charity Shield
    SCREEN = Screen Sport Super Cup (Not Contested Anymore)
    CWC  = Cup Winners Cup
    
    TOP 5                        
    
    EVERTON                 25        
    COVENTRY                15   
    MANCHESTER CITY         15   
    SOUTHAMPTON             13   
    TOTTENHAM               13   
    IPSWICH TOWN            12   
    QUEENS PARK RANGERS     11        
    
    Hat-Tricks : -            
    
    DATE            OPPOSITION         GOALS   SCORE   COMPETITION   
    
    26/01/82        Notts County         3      4-0      League      
    06/11/82        Everton              4      5-0      League      
    13/11/82        Coventry City        3      4-0      League      
    01/01/83        Notts County         3      5-1      League
    29/10/83        Luton Town           5      6-0      League    
    20/01/84        Aston Villa          3      3-1      League
    07/05/84        Coventry City        4      5-0      League
    24/10/84        Benfica              3      3-1      European Cup
    10/03/85        Barnsley             3      4-0      FA Cup
    30/09/86        Everton              3      4-1      Screen SportSupercup
    14/02/87        Leicester City       3      4-3      League
    09/01/90        Swansea              3      8-0      FA Cup
    09/10/90        Crewe Alexandra      3      4-1      League Cup
    16/09/92        Apollon Limassol     4      6-1      Cup Winners'
    27/10/93        Ipswich Town         3      3-2      League Cup
    30/11/94        Blackburn Rovers     3      3-1      League Cup
    
    
    CHARLEY
    
    

Thanks Charley.  Made my day again.  Seems like my man Ian liked to play
against Everton.  He'd really get up for that rivalry....


All I can say is Go Liverpool -- Beat Manchester!  8^)

    Thanks for the recap, Charley.  I know they didn't exactly choke, but
    Newcastle did not play its best the last six weeks of the season, while
    ManU certainly did - 44 out of 51 points over the last 17 games is
    incredible!  And the fact they did it with youngsters like Scholes,
    Beckham, and of course Giggs does not bode well for the rest of the
    league.
    
    NAZZ

    Yup, Sholes, Beckham, Giggs, Cole, Butt, the Neville brothers - all
    under 23. Ryan Giggs has said he wishes to play for Man U. for as long
    as poss. (A �14 million offer from A.C. Milan was rumoured last year)
    and most of the other youngsters want to stay as well.
    
    The funniest thing about this season is that at the beginning *no-one*
    tipped Man U. to win it. Most people actually tipped Liverpool and
    Newcastle with Arsenal as an outside bet. Next year I cannot see
    anybody touching Man U. or Liverpool. Newcastle need to buy one or two
    quality defenders and will be there or thereabouts.
    
    
    CHARLEY$sticking _his_neck_out

    F.A. cup final day tomorrow, Manchester United V Liverpool at Wembley.
    
    Most of the hacks over here give Liverpool the edge over Manchester
    United seeing as they already have a bit of silverware in the cabinet
    but I'm not so sure.
    
    I'll try and post the teams a bit later.
    
    
    CHARLEY

    Here we go.
    
    
    Liverpool 0 v Manchester United 1     
       
       
         _________________________________________________________________
       
       One mistake by Liverpool goalkeeper David James and the accuracy of
       Eric Cantona's shooting boots was enough to win a dour FA Cup Final  
       and give Manchester United a historic second League and Cup double.
       
       Unfortunately the game did not live up to expectations and was nowhere
       near the 'classic' that had been widely touted by the pundits as    
       neither side was prepared to play the flowing football we are used to
       witnessing in the FA Carling Premiership.  
       
       The subdued manner of the Liverpool supporters at half time best
       reflected their team's performance in the first half.
       
       Manchester United certainly started with great confidence as Liverpool
       found it hard to get a touch on the ball. On two minutes a towering
       clearance by United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel bounced awkwardly in
       the Liverpool penalty box allowing Liverpool 'keeper David James to
       beat Andy Cole to the ball. It was Cole again, two minutes later, this
       time put through by the majestic Eric Cantona, once again rising to
       the occasion as Captain, but Cole snapped at his shot which went   
       tamely wide.
       
       Perhaps the best chance for United in the first half came after just
       5 minutes, Giggs down the left picking out David Beckham who's bullet
       shot was magnificently parried by James.
       
       Liverpool didn't settle until the quarter hour as Stan Collymore    
       monopolised the Liverpool attempts on goal, although most were     
       speculative shots from outside the penalty box.
       
       As tension mounted, Robbie Fowler and Roy Keane went eye to eye
       following a poor challenge by Fowler, and Mark Wright and Andy Cole
       tangled following what appeared to be a tackle from behind by Wright.
       Referee Dermot Gallacher diffused both situations well.   
       
       Overall the quality of John Scales in the Liverpool defence wa enough
       to subdue Andy Cole and for all of United's dominance the best chance
       fell to Jamie Redknapp right on half time from a short corner but he  
       blasted over the bar from 18 yards.   
       
       The second half was even poorer than the first, although Cantona
       almost got United off to a flying start, beating an off colour Jason
       McAteer at the far post then hooking a shot from 6 yards which was   
       excellently saved by David James.    
       
       Livepool played the whole game far too deeply, Fowler and Collymore
       playing up front being starved of their usual service and receiving no
       support from their midfield, while United where much more moblie in
       all positions.    
                                                                      
       Following some tame efforts at both ends, the expected substitutions
       arrived, Andy Cole, obviously bitterly disappointed as he left the 
       field, was replaced by Paul Scholes on the hour. Ian Rush then made  
       his farewell appearance in a Liverpool shirt on 75 minutes, Stan
       Collymore, whose contribution to the game was a number of speculative
       shots from outside the box, going off.    
       
       Ten minutes later, Cantona's moment arrived. A corner from David  
       Beckham was only partly cleared by David James, who had caught every
       cross United had played in for the previous 85 minutes, and Cantona,
       from just outside the box, struck the ball with deadly accuracy 
       through a crowd of players for the winner.       
       
       It was now too late for Liverpool, who's players fell to the ground in
       stark contrast to the jubilant United victors, as the final whistle
       was blown following 90 seconds of injury time. 
       
       Roy Keane, who cooled his fiery temper as the game progressed, was the
       Littlewoods man of the match but credit must also go to John Scales
       who was all but flawless in the Liverpool defence.
       
       Eric Cantona invited club captain Steve Bruce to receive the trophy
       but the invitation was graciously declined.      
       
       Overall a disappointing match with very few chances, but on the day
       the best side won. 
       
       
       
       Liverpool : James, Jones (Thomas 87), McAteer, Wright, Babb, Scales,
       Barnes (Captain), McManaman, Redknapp, Fowler, Collymore (Rush 75). 
       
       Sub not used: Warner   
       
       Booked: Redknapp (41), Babb (60)       
       
       
       Manchester United : Schmeichel, Irwin, Pallister, May, P Neville,
       Cantona (Captain), Giggs, Keane, Cole (Scholes 63) , Butt, Beckham
       (G Neville 89).       
       
       Sub not used: Sharpe    
       
       Booked: P Neville (69)
       
       Referee: D Gallagher.
       
       Attendance: 79,007.
      
    
          
                                  FA CUP FINAL STATS
       
       How the teams measured up.
    
       Liverpool 
    
       Goals 0 
       Attempts On Goal 11 
       On Target 3  
       Off Target 8 
       Caught Offside2 
       Fouls Committed 8 
       Bookings 2  
       Corners Won 4 
    
       Man. United 
       Goals 1
       Attempts On Goal 5 
       On Target 3 
       Off Target1 
       Caught Offside 0 
       Fouls Committed 12 
       Bookings 1 
       Corners Won 6     
     
    
       CHARLEY
    
    
         
    
        
    
    

Sigh.

I saw the score in yesterday morning's sports page.  Bummer.

Oh well....


'Saw

       LEEDS RUSH TO SEAL THE DEAL 
    
       Ian Rush was today having a medical before completing his free transfer 
       from Liverpool to Leeds United.     
       
       The 34-year-old Welsh international goal king will sign a two-year  
       contract and join the club initially as a player only, though it is
       envisaged that he will eventually do some coaching. 
       
       Rush will form a potentially explosive partnership with Tony Yeboah
       who is delighted to have a proven goal scorer at his side.           
       
       Yeboah has long pleaded with manager Howard Wilkinson to recruit
       someone able to shoulder a greater share of the attacking
       responsibility and Rush is looking forward to the prospect.
       
       He said: ``Playing for Leeds United next season has given me an extra
       buzz because I know I have got to do it all over again. It is sad to
       be leaving Liverpool but I am looking forward to the new challenge.
       
       ``I have always liked playing at Elland Road and have done quite well
       there. I actually played for Leeds United once in a testimonial match
       for John Charles and Bobby Collins and scored a hat-trick against  
       Everton. Leaving Liverpool has only just sunk in.''
     
    
    CHARLEY

>                          -< bloody turncoat etc.... >-

Yes and no.

When I very first started following soccer many years ago as a younnster, they
used to put the tables in the paper every Sunday morning.  I always rooted for
Leeds United (just cause I liked the name).

However, this is a bit depressing.


Still, Rush or no, I hope Liverpool kicks Leeds in the arse!

    If anybody wants me to post details of Euro96, the European Soccer
    championship, please let me know.
    
    Cheers,
    
    
    CHARLEY

Saw an interesting report on the news regarding the attempts to minimized
hooliganism, including raids on the homes of suspected hooligans.

The British police had battering rams, but again, I saw no guns.  

Charley, how does that work over there.  I mean, if I've just robbed a store
and am running down the street, does the bobby yell

	Stop!  Or I'll yell Stop again?  

[just kidding!!!!]

On a serious note, I think it's incredible the job that they are attempting to
do, and I for one hope that the championships go well, without incident.

Who's favored to win it all?


'Saw

    >Charley, how does that work over there.  I mean, if I've just robbed a 
    >store and am running down the street, does the bobby yell
    
    >        Stop!  Or I'll yell Stop again?  
    
    
    Ha Ha! It seems like that sometimes.
    
    The general consensus is, that as we have fairly tight gun laws over
    here and that the Police are not armed (except at airports), this
    contributes to the fact that there is a far lesser percentage of armed 
    crimes over here than there is on your side of the pond. Although this is
    starting to change.:^(
    
    Don't get me wrong, things like Dunblane and Hungerford are very much
    an exception to the rule.
    
    You can actually be incarcerated on the spot for carrying a firearm in
    a public area. Those that do have guns may only use them on private
    land and in gun clubs. When at home or being transported to these venues, 
    the weapon must be kept in a locked box which has two keys. One for the
    owner and the other is kept locked up at the local Police Station.
    
    Anyway back to Euro96. The hooligan factor is a massive problem.
    Especially as one of the games is England V Scotland  (I'm going) 
    where you'll have 22,000 Scots coming down on "specials" or arriving under 
    their own steam. All converging at Railway stations and at Wembley. Add 
    this to 58,000 English supporters who will be converging at the same
    places. A potent mix if ever there was one.
    
    Me? I'm going the back way;^). 
    
    The Police know what they're doing, unfortunately they've had enough
    practice.
    
    >Saw an interesting report on the news regarding the attempts to
    >minimized hooliganism, including raids on the homes of suspected hooligans.
    
    The report you saw might have given the wrong impression. These raids
    were the result video taped evidence that was taken at a game towards the 
    end of last season.
    
    
    Apart from that, EURO96 is the biggest sporting event to hit these
    shores for 30 years. I'm looking forward to it. Results and Leagues
    will be posted here  - and don't forget to shout for England.
    
    CHARLEY
    
    P.s.
    
    Germany are the favourites @ 4-1
    Italy                      @ 5-1
    Holland                    @ 6-1
    England                    @ 8-1
    
    12-1 and up the rest.

Charley, 

Thanks for the insights.

Now that mention it, I did see some "stills" from that video.  I had the sound
way down on the TV and probably didn't get the whole story, I guess.

Good luck going to the Scotland-England game.  

    Seems to me that the odds on Italy are way too low.  They are in by far
    the toughest bracket, and with all the internal bickering on the team
    and external forces complaining about the selection process, it seems
    like the Italians will be fortunate to escape their bracket.
    
    NAZZ

    I certainly can.
    
    Group A  
    1 England          England and the Netherlands should go through this
    2 Switzerland      one assuming Shearer and Sheringham have got their
    3 Netherlands      scoring boots on. England V Holland 18th June.
    4 Scotland 
       
    Group B            I actually think that this will be the hardest group
    1 Spain            to qualify from. Four very evenly matched teams here.
    2 Bulgaria         I'm not going to call it.
    3 Romania
    4 France 
    
    Group C
    1 Germany          Interesting group this, Germany, Italy and Russia
    2 Czech Republic   are all capable of winning the entire tournament,
    3 Italy            let alone escaping from the group. The Czechs are no
    4 Russia           mugs either. Germany and Italy to go through but
                       I wouldn't be surprised if Russia make it. 
         
    Group D
    1 Denmark          Croatia and Portugal to go through here. Denmark
    2 Portugal         qualified as the reigning champions but have shown
    3 Turkey           no recent form at all and Turkey are the tournaments
    4 Croatia          rank outsiders. Still strange things happen.
    
    
    >Seems to me that the odds on Italy are way too low.  They are in by far
    >the toughest bracket, and with all the internal bickering on the team
    >and external forces complaining about the selection process, it seems
    >like the Italians will be fortunate to escape their bracket.
    
    Mmmmmm...maybe, but there was a pretty similar situation within the
    Italian camp just before the World Cup in 1994. The Italians have a
    knack of getting it right when it really matters. Very much like the
    Germans. Their game on the 19th June will be very interesting.   
    
      
     
    CHARLEY

    Seems to me Group D has four teams that would not qualify if they were
    in either Group B or Group C.  You've got to feel sorry for the Czechs,
    who as you say aren't a bad squad but will have to be extremely
    fortunate to escape their group.
    
    NAZZ

I may have found a web site of interest to those in this topic.

It looks to be a_archive of about ever year ever in English Football.

Here's the pointer and it's a beauty:

http://info.risc.uni-linz.ac.at:70/0h/misc-info/rsssf/engpaul/FLA/1994-95.html

Others years can be veiwed with this syntax, just substitute for the
"1994-95".

Enjoy,

TTom

    .455
    
    >Seems to me Group D has four teams that would not qualify if they were
    >in either Group B or Group C.  You've got to feel sorry for the
    >Czechs, who as you say aren't a bad squad but will have to be extremely 
    >fortunate to escape their group.
    
    
    Group D:  It is well documented over here, that all four teams breathed a
    sigh of relief when the draw was completed. It is the Easiest group.
    
    As to whether any of the teams would qualify in groups B or C , Croatia
    finished above Italy in their qualifying group and at one point last 
    season were rated on the F.I.F.A. world rankings as the best team in
    Europe.
    
    Portugal were the first side to qualify for the tournament (apart from
    England and Denmark obviously) and the nucleus of the side contains
    most of the side that won the world youth cup in 1994. Not to be
    sniffed at. 
    
    This should be an interesting 3 weeks as any one of ten teams, on their
    day, is capable of winning the tournament.
    
    .456
    
    Thanks.
    
    
    CHARLEY

    Mysteriously got some Euro96 paraphenalia in the mail yesterday
    from my bro at Mildenhall (Ely).  Who am I rooting for again?
    
    
    glenn
    

    Italy, of course!
    
    NAZZ

>    Italy, of course!
    
    Well, I was hooked on Italy in the World Cup after that game we saw
    against Nigeria that Baggio flat stole away, NAZZ... I can go for that.  
    Who's Italy retaining for the EuroCup?
    
    glenn
    

    
    ITALY Euro96 Squad 
    
    Player             Date of birth    Club         Caps      Pos. 
    1 Angel0 Peruzzi    16.02.1970   FC Juventus       6        GK 
    2 Luigi Apolloni    02.05.1967   AC Parma         10        DF 
    3 Paolo Maldini     26.06.1968   AC Milan         67        DF 
    4 Amedeo Carboni    06.04.1965   AS Roma          10        DF 
    5 Aless. Costacurta 24.04.1966   AC Milan         35        DF 
    6 Ciro Ferrara      11.02.1967   FC Juventus      32        DF 
    7 Roberto Donadoni  09.09.1963   AC Milan         59        MF 
    8 Roberto Mussi     25.08.1963   AC Parma          7        DF 
    9 Moreno Torricelli 23.01.1970   FC Juventus       1        DF 
    10 Demetri Albertini23.08.1971   AC Milan         34        MF 
    11 Dino Baggio      24.07.1971   AC Parma         29        MF
    12 Francesco Toldo  02.12.1971   AC Fiorentina     2        GK 
    13 Fabio Rossitto   21.09.1971   Udinese Calcio    0        MF 
    14 Alessandro Piero 09.11.1974   FC Juventus       8        FW 
    15 Angelo Di Livio  26.07.1966   FC Juventus       3        MF 
    16 Roberto Di Matteo29.05.1970   SS Lazio         10        MF 
    17 Diego Fuser      11.11.1968   SS Lazio          4        MF 
    18 Pierlu. Casiraghi04.03.1969   SS Lazio         29        FW 
    19 Enrico Chiesa    29.12.1970   UC Sampdoria      0        FW 
    20 Fav. Ravinelli   11.12.1968   FC Juventus       7        FW 
    21 Gianfranco Zola  05.07.1966   AC Parma         19        MF 
    22 Luca Bucci       13.03.1969   AC Parma          3        GK 
    
    National coach: Arrigo SACCHI (born 01.04.46)        
       
    Sacchi succeeded Azeglio Vicini in the autumn of 1991 after a   
    hugely-successful five years in which he led Milan to two European
    Champion Clubs' Cups, two league titles and two World Club        
    Championships. Sacchi was never a top league player and began his
    coaching career with Cesena youth team in 1977. He qualified from the
    Coverciano coaching centre that same year and was appointed to his
    first senior post with third division Rimini in 1982. In 1985 he
    took over Parma, bringing them out of Serie C, before succeeding Nils   
    Liedholm at Milan in 1987. Sacchi's greatest success at national
    team level so far was in taking Italy to the 1994 World Cup Final (where
    they lost on penalties to Brazil).
    
    
    CHARLEY

    
    
    Saturday 8 June  
    
    England 1 v Switzerland 1
    
    Very disappointing. In the first half we looked like we could beat the
    world, in the second we would have had trouble beating an egg. Great
    goal from Alan Shearer to put us 1 - 0 up after 25 minutes. He should
    have scored 10 mins later with a header that just went wide of the post.
    
    The second half was completely different from the first. The much
    anticipated midfield battle between Paul Gascoigne and Ciri Sforza that
    had been so convincingly won in the first half by Gascoinge turned
    around completely as Gascoinge ran out of steam. Sforza started to rule
    the show as the Swiss got ever more menacing. Terry Venables
    substituted Gascoinge with David Platt and then proceded to take off the 
    best player on the pitch - Liverpool's Steve MacMananaman and replaced him 
    with Steve Stone. After this there was little cohesion in the team, mainly 
    due to the fact that England were playing too deep in their own half.
    
    The Swiss goal came via a dubious penalty decision. The ball was
    unconvincingly cleared by Tony Adams and Grassi raced in to volley on
    goal. As he struck the ball Stuart Pearce was upon him and the ball
    rocketed against his upper arm and a penalty was award. There was no
    intent in the hamdball and I think the decision was quite harsh.  
       
    Sunday 9 June   
    
    Spain 1 v  Bulgaria 1 
    
    Dull first half, awesome second half. Great 45 minutes to watch.
       
    Germany 2 v Czech Republic 0
    
    Very impressive and very ominous performance by the Germans. If they
    play like this in every game they'll win it. The Czechs didn't get a
    shot on target in the entire game.
     
    Denmark 1 v  Portugal 1 
    
    Denmark tore up the form book and were all over Portugal from the off.
    The Portugese were very lucky to escape with a draw from this one.
    
    
    CHARLEY               

    I'm happy to see Ravinelli and Chiesa on this team, but I still think
    there should be a spot for Signori.  And while I think Peruzzi is a
    capable keeper, what happened to the two keepers from the World Cup
    (whose names escape me for the moment)?
    
    NAZZ

    Signori has had a lousy season for Lazio not scoring anywhere near as
    many as he used to. Roberto Baggio was left out for much the same
    reason.
    
    Unfortunatley Nazz, I'm buggered if I can remember the Two Italian
    keepers in '94. Oh well.
    
    Last nights results.
    
    Netherlands 0 - 0 Scotland
    
    Scotland were very lucky that the referee didn't see John Collins'
    deliberate handball on the goal-line to stop the Dutch from scoring. It
    is a sending off offence and the Dutch would have had a penalty. Apart
    from that, it was all about herioc defending fron the Scots. Numerous 6
    yard box clearances by Stuart McCall and saves from Andy Goram.
    
       
    Holland: Edwin Van Der Sar, Michael Reiziger, Winston Bogarde, Johan
    De Kock, Clarence Seedorf, Ronald de Boer (Aron Winter, 68 mins),
    Edgar Davids, Richard Witschge (Philip Cocu, 77 mins), Gaston Taument
    (Patrick Kluivert, 62 mins), Dennis Bergkamp.
    
    Scotland: Andy Goram, Stewart McKimmie, (Craig Burley, 84 mins).
    Tommy Boyd, Colin Calderwood, Colin Hendry, Kevin Gallacher (Billy   
    McKinlay, 45 mins) Stuart McCall, Gary McAllister, John Collins,
    Scott Booth (John Spencer, 45 mins), Gordon Durie.
    
    
    
    Romania 0 - 1 France
    
    
    The first 25 minutes of the game belonged to Romania, the other 65
    belonged to France. The two teams were separated by a fortunate goal
    from the French.
    
    Romania: Stelea - Lupescu, Belodedici, Mihali - Petrescu (Filipescu 77),
    Hagi, Popescu, Munteanu, Selymes - Lacatus (Ilie 55), Raducioiu
    (Moldovan 46).
    
    France: Lama - Thuram, Blanc, Desailly, Di Meco (Lizarazu 67) -Karembeu,
    Zidane (Roche 79), Deschamps, Guerin - Dugarry (Loko 67), Djorkaeff.
    
    Italy v Russia and Turkey v Croatia tonight.
    
    Do you want a detailed description of the Italy game Nazz?
    
    
    CHARLEY

Charley,

I love these reports.  Please keep them coming.

Didn't recognize anyone's name on the Scottish roster.  The only fellow I can
really remember was Gordon Strachan, but he's probably retired now.

I remember a World Cup qualifier France v. Scotland whilst I was in France,
that was shown live on Canal+.  I can't remember the Scottish keeper's name
but he made some "unconscious" saves to hold a 1 goal lead for the Scots....


'Saw

    >I remember a World Cup qualifier France v. Scotland whilst I was in France,
    >that was shown live on Canal+.  I can't remember the Scottish keeper's name
    >but he made some "unconscious" saves to hold a 1 goal lead for the Scots....
    
    Jim Leighton.
    
    >Didn't recognize anyone's name on the Scottish roster.  The only fellow
    >I can really remember was Gordon Strachan, but he's probably retired now.
    
    Gordon Strachan had a �50 bet with the ex-England captain Bryan Robson
    to see which one of them would retire first. Gordon retired before the end
    of the 1994-5 season and Robson completed that season to win the bet.
    Strachan took a job on the coaching staff at Coventry and due to
    injuries, suspensions etc. he was persuaded to come out of
    retirementthis season by the Coventry boss Ron Atkinson and was probably 
    the person most responsible for keeping Coventry in the Premier League 
    this year.
    
    Robson still hasn't returned the fifty.8^)
    
    Scotland Squad.
    
    Player             Date of birth     Club            Caps      Pos. 
    1 Jim Leighton      24.07.1958     Hibernian FC       73        GK 
    2 Stewart McKimmie  27.10.1962     Aberdeen FC        37        DF 
    3 Thomas Boyd       24.11.1965     Celtic FC Glasgow  33        DF 
    4 Colin Calderwood  20.01.1965     Tottenham Hotspur   9        DF 
    5 Colin Hendry      07.12.1965     Blackburn Rovers   16        DF 
    6 Derek Whyte       31.08.1968     Middlesbrough FC    8        DF 
    7 John Spencer      11.09.1970     Chelsea FC          7        FW 
    8 Stuart McCall     10.06.1964     Rangers FC Glasgow 32        MF 
    9 Alistair McCoist  24.09.1962     Rangers FC Glasgow 51        FW 
    10 Gary McAllister  25.12.1964     Leeds United       39        MF 
    11 John Collins     31.01.1968     Celtic FC Glasgow  31        MF
    12 Andrew Goram     13.04.1964     Rangers FC Glasgow 35        GK 
    13 Thomas McKinlay  03.12.1964     Celtic FC Glasgow   3        DF 
    14 Gordon Durie     06.12.1965     Rangers FC Glasgow 27        FW 
    15 Eoin Jess        13.12.1970     Coventry City      10        FW 
    16 Craig Burley     24.09.1971     Chelsea FC          7        DF 
    17 William McKinlay 22.04.1969     Blackburn Rovers   17        MF 
    18 Kevin Gallacher  23.11.1966     Blackburn Rovers   21        FW 
    19 Darren Jackson   25.07.1966     Hibernian FC       11        FW 
    20 Scott Booth      16.12.1971     Aberdeen FC        10        FW 
    21 Scot Gemmill     02.01.1971     Nottingham Forest   5        MF 
    22 Joseph Walker    29.09.1962     Partick Thistle     1        GK
    
    
    >I love these reports.  Please keep them coming.
    
    I'm glad you like them.
    
    Cheers,
    
    
    CHARLEY

>    
>    Jim Leighton.
>    

Bingo!


    
>    Scotland Squad.
>    
>    Player             Date of birth     Club            Caps      Pos. 
>    1 Jim Leighton      24.07.1958     Hibernian FC       73        GK 


Oh, he's an old fart just like me (29.09.58).....

    I think the starting keeper was Casiraghi, and the other was Marca-
    something.  The sub played most of the games, if I remember correctly.
    
    I'd love a detailed game report - thanks!
    
    NAZZ
    
    

    Well, the keeper was obviously not Casiraghi, as he scored two goals
    today as Italy defeated Russia 2-1!
    
    NAZZ

    .468
    
    <smirk>
    
    
    Italy (1) 2 Russia (1) 1
    
    RUSSIA, who in their Soviet Union days won the inaugural European
    Championship and reached three other finals, are destined to be the
    most accomplished first-phase casualties of Euro 96 after succumbing to
    an inspired Italian team in an excellent Group C battle at Anfield.
    
    The emphasis from both camps beforehand was that defeat was potentially
    catastrophic in view of the obligation to meet the championship
    favourites Germany during the next week. Arrigo Sacchi's message came
    through louder than that of Oleg Romantsev to the delight of most
    neutral romantics watching the tournament.
    
    There is always a buzz when Italy are involved and on this showing they
    will remain involved after the so-called Group of Death is resolved.
    Two goals from the Lazio striker Pierluigi Casiraghi gave them valuable
    breathing space; a further Anfield success over the hitherto
    disappointing Czech Republic on Friday will virtually guarantee a
    quarter-final place before their eagerly-awaited locking of horns with
    the Germans next week.
    
    Casiraghi's splendid strikes in the fifth and 53rd minutes was a
    vindication of Sacchi's bold selection decision to open the campaign
    without the Italian golden boy - his hairstyle makes Paul Gascoigne's
    look conservative -Fabrizio Ravanelli.
    
    The Juventus European Cup hero, reduced to a substitute's role in the
    wake of Achilles tendon trouble, replaced his country's match-winner 11
    minutes from the end, possibly depriving Casiraghi the chance to score
    the competition's first hat-trick as the Russians were leaving yawning
    gaps at the back in a frantic attempt to snatch a lifeline.
    
    Twice Ravanelli found himself through in those closing stages but each
    time shot without the conviction that Casiraghi had shown when taking
    his international tally into double figures.
    
    Casiraghi, who himself squandered an outstanding opportunity only two
    minutes into an open attacking encounter, made no mistake when a
    mis-hit clearance by Stanislav Cherchesov was expertly turned into his
    path by Angelo Di Livio. A right-foot shot into the far corner gave the
    goalkeeper no chance to make amends for the error.
    
    Gianfranco Zola, his partner in an imaginative attack, set up the
    chance and Casiraghi again showed superb composure to find the target
    from just inside the penalty area.
    
    After the impressive Ilia Tsimbalar had given the Russians interval
    parity by pouncing on Valeri Karpin's blocked shot to beat Angelo
    Periuzzi, Casiraghi struck again with great style early in the second
    half.
    
    Gianfranco Zola, his partner in an imaginative attack, set up the
    chance and Casiraghi again showed superb composure to find the target
    from just inside the penalty area.
    
    Italy went on to get a dozen attempts on target in a contest which was
    enhanced by Scotland's Les Mottram's forgiving style of refereeing. The
    Russians failed to force Peruzzi into a single save so, despite the
    sweetness of their overall performance featuring a fascinating duel
    between their Everton winger Andrei Kanchelskis and Italy's captain
    Paulo Maldini, there can be no complaints about the outcome.
    
    It was a pity Zola was not rewarded with a goal for his sublime
    display. The nearest the Parma striker came was when he cleverly
    rounded Russia's stylish captain, Viktor Onopko, only to see the diving
    Cherchesov make the save of the match.
    
    Zola, who had teed up the irresistible chance for Ravanelli to crown
    his brief appearance, was also close when Alessandro Del Piero picked
    him out midway through the first period. The resultant header
    surprisingly failed to trouble Cherchesov.
    
    Russia, whose Championship odds have soared from 18-1 to 50-1 with
    Ladbrokes, looked at their best shortly after Tsimbalar's equaliser.
    Far too often, though, their players snatched at shots. They must now
    regroup for Sunday's Old Trafford examination against the Germans.
    Realistically they need to win that match and then overcome the Czechs
    next Wednesday.
    
    As for Maldini, he said: "Sacchi told us at half-time that if we played
    in the second half like we had in the first we would lose. We realise
    that we were in danger of going home early so I am pleased to say we
    all raised our game."
    
    
    In the other game Croatia beat Turkey 1 - 0 in an efficient albeit
    unspectacular manner.
    
    
    CHARLEY
    
    
    

    So, a win over the Czechs will make the game with Germany meaningless
    as far as advancing goes, but will mean a lot for national pride.  That
    game is on live here on ESPN, next Wednesday at 2:25.
    
    NAZZ

    >So, a win over the Czechs will make the game with Germany meaningless
    >as far as advancing goes, but will mean a lot for national pride. 
    <That game is on live here on ESPN, next Wednesday at 2:25.
       
    A win will not make the Germany game meaningless. The winner of the group 
    will play the second placed team in group 4. As both of the final
    group 3 games are being played simultaneously on JUne 19th and Turkey are 
    playing Denmark at the same time, no one will know for sure what effect 
    the result will have. Also Italy and Germany have to win their next
    game. If either one loses or draws - well it'll be all to play for.
            
    Btw. It would be interesting to hear the Italian coach's comments on the
    fact that two-goal hero Pierluigi Casiraghi has been dropped from the
    starting 11 for the Czech game.
         
    
    CHARLEY

    Last night:
    
    Holland 2 - 0 Switzerland
    Jordi
    Bergkamp
    
    Holland to the first victory of their campaign after a completely
    dominant 2nd half.
    
    Switzerland: Pascolo - Jeanneret (Commisetti 68), Vega, Henchoz,
    Quentin - Hottiger, Sforza, Vogel - Turkyilmaz, Grassi, Chapuisat.
       
    Holland: Van den Sar - Reiziger, Blind, Bogarde - Winter, Seedorf
    (De Koek 25), R de Boer (Davids 79), Witschge - Jordi (Kluivert 84),
    Bergkamp, Hoekstra.
    
    
    Bulgaria 1 - 0 Romania
    Stoitchkov
    
    Bulgaria: Borislav Mihailov, Tzanko Tzvetanov, Trifon Ivanov, Radostin
    Kischischev, Ivaylo Iordanov, Zlatko Iankov, Iordan Letchkov (Bontcho
    Guentchev, 92 mins), Krassimir Balakov, Luboslav Penev (Nasko 
    Sirakov, 71 mins), Emil Kostadinov (Daniel Borimov, 32 mins), Hristo
    Stoitchkov.
       
    Romania: Bogdan Stelea, Dan Pretrescu, Miodrag Belodedici, Tibor
    Selymes, Daniel Prodan, Ioan Lupescu (Constantin Galca, 45 mins),
    Gheorghe Popescu, Gheorge Hagi, Dorinel Munteanu, Marius Lacatus
    (Viorei Moldovan, 28 mins), Florin Raducioiu.
    
    (Commentators nightmare;^))
    
    Romania are the first team to be officially eliminated.
    
    
    CHARLEY

>    Holland: Van den Sar - Reiziger, Blind, Bogarde - Winter, Seedorf
>    (De Koek 25), R de Boer (Davids 79), Witschge - Jordi (Kluivert 84),
>    Bergkamp, Hoekstra.
    
If I remember correctly, and maybe I don't, there were two Witschge brothers.
(Or am I wrong?)  Which was this?

What about Ronald Koeman.... did he not make the squad?  Injury?



'Saw

                            
> What about Ronald Koeman.... did he not make the squad?  Injury?
    
    Old age?  Excessive ugliness?
    
    I may have to jump back on the Holland bandwagon, per my heritage.
    They seem to have done a decent job in recent years of ridding the 
    squad of obvious primadonnas, culminating in giving mighty Brazil
    the best match of the World Cup.  Bergkamp's a player...
    
    glenn
    

Yabbut Koeman had one of the most powerful shots I've ever seen!

It might just be old age....

    i/ Ayup...Mr Koeman is too old for international football now.
    
    ii/ Richard Witschge is the only person with that surname in the Dutch
    squad.
    
    
    CHARLEY
    

>    i/ Ayup...Mr Koeman is too old for international football now.
>    

Thanks.

>    ii/ Richard Witschge is the only person with that surname in the Dutch
>    squad.
    

He did have a brother Rob (or Robb) that was in the Dutch league with him 
at one point.  Maybe an older brother.

I'm thinking (trying hard to remember through the fog of time) that he played
for Ajax, but I'm not sure.


thanks Charley!

'Saw

    I see that some of Euro96 is being carried on The Deuce (ESPN2).
    This weekend, England-Scotland at 10 AM Saturday (none of the 
    other games, apparently).
    
    glenn
    

    >This weekend, England-Scotland at 10 AM Saturday
    
    I'll be there. I'll probably go to the Central Tavern for a couple of
    beverages in the morning, a light lunch then goto Wem-ber-lee around
    1:30 p.m. Thus avoiding most of the drunken headcases who usually leave
    the pubs three minutes before kick-off;^).
    
    Oh, and it's my birthday tomorrow as well. Gimme a nice present Mr
    Shearer.8^)
    
    Have a nice weekend SPROTSfolks.
    
    
    CHARLEY                         

    
>    Oh, and it's my birthday tomorrow as well. Gimme a nice present Mr
>    Shearer.8^)
    
    Happy b-day Charley... toss a couple of wee cold/warm ones for us 
    (still PC throughout the UK).
    
    Also games on ESPN and ESPN2 the rest of the way, far as I can tell:
    
    	Tue Jun 18  2:25 PM	Holland-England		ESPN2
    	Wed Jun 19  2:25 PM	Italy-Germany		ESPN
    
    	Sat Jun 22  9:55 AM	Quarterfinal		ESPN2
    	            3:30 PM	Quarterfinal		ESPN2 (tape delay)
    
        Sun Jun 23  4:00 PM	Quarterfinal		ESPN  (tape delay)	
    	Mon Jun 24  1:30 AM	Quarterfinal		ESPN2 (tape delay)
    
    	Wed Jun 26 10:55 PM	Semifinal		ESPN2
                    2:25 PM	Semifinal		ESPN
    
    	Sun Jun 30  1:55 PM	Final			ESPN2
    
    
    glenn
    

    Cheers Glenn.
    
    
    CHARLEY

Happy Birthday Charley!

The first day I go out of the office for lunch in weeks and I've probably
missed you.

Oh well, have a great birthday.  

    >Oh, and it's my birthday tomorrow as well. Gimme a nice present Mr
    >Shearer.8^)
    
    He did as well.8^))))))))))))))))0
    
    
    
    England 2 (Shearer 52, Gascoigne 78)
    
    Scotland 0
    
    HT: 0-0. Att: 76,864. Ref: Pairetto (It)
    
    England: Seaman - G Neville, Adams, Southgate, Pearce (Redknapp 46;
    Campbell 84) - Anderton, Ince (Stone 79), Gascoigne, McManaman -
    Shearer, Sheringham.
    
    Scotland: Goram - McKimmie, Calderwood, Hendry, Boyd - Collins, McCall,
    McAllister, T McKinlay - Spencer (McCoist 66), Durie (Jess 86). 
    
    
    GOALS from Alan Shearer and Paul Gascoigne and a superb penalty save
    from David Seaman brought England possibly the most important victory
    in 124 years of the world's oldest international fixture. Scotland went
    in all-square at the interval after a nervy first half. But the game
    ran away from them in the early minutes of the second half after
    England shored up midfield by bringing on Jamie Redknapp and switching
    Steve McManaman to the right.
    
    Manager Craig Brown said: "We were unluckily beaten. It was a most even
    game and had Gary McAllister scored from the penalty we would have
    finished all-square. We wouldn't have left Gascoigne the space we did
    for England's second if we had not been chasing the game." 
    
    Scotland had produced the first shot of the game, in the third minute, when
    McAllister drove a free kick low through the wall only for Seaman to
    gather safely in the England goal. Seaman was not as secure in the 20th
    minute when he misjudged a John Collins corner from the right and
    England had some difficuty scrambling the ball away. 
    
    In the 24th minute it was Scotland captain McAllister again creating
    problems when an attempt at a cross-shot was deflected well wide for a
    corner by England skipper Tony Adams. 
    
    Not until the 31st minute did England make serious inroads into the
    Scottish goal area. Then Teddy Sheringham glanced a header wide from a
    cross by Gareth Southgate. Sheringham let an ever better opportunity go
    begging five minutes before the interval when Shearer crossed from the
    right only for the Tottenham striker to send a soft header bouncing
    safely into Goram's hands. 
    
    The second half was as vibrant as the first had been stifling.
    Suddenly, thanks initially to the pace of McManaman, England came to
    life for the first time in Euro 96. In the 50th minute he came within a
    whisker of the opening goal after dashing in from the right and
    unleashing a left-foot shot which flew just wide.
    
    England capitalised on their new-found sparkle two minutes later.
    Southgate pushed the ball up the right for Neville and his cross was
    powerfully headed in at the far post by Shearer - his second
    goal of the tournament. 
    
    Scotland were now fighting to hang on. McManaman ran across the
    Scottish defence, Sheringham passed to his right and an Anderton drive
    skidded just over Goram's bar. Then Gascoigne whipped in a dangerous
    free kick from the left and Sheringham's far-post header was well saved
    by the Scottish goalkeeper.
    
    To their credit, the Scots refused to concede an inch. Seaman saved for
    a corner when Hendry headed in a McAllister free kick after the keeper
    had been penalised for picking up a backpass from Neville. Then Collins
    centred from the left and Seaman saved brillianty, with his left hand,
    from Gordon Durie's point-blank header.
    
    Scotland forced an even better chance to equalise in the 77th
    minute. McCall stabbed in a short cross from the right and Durie went
    tumbling under a challenge from Adams. Referee Pairetto pointed to the
    spot but Seaman, diving right, deflected the luckless McAllister's
    fierce penalty kick over the bar with his elbow. 
    
    One more minute and it was all over. England took advantage of
    the gaps opening up in the Scottish defence. Anderton found Gascoigne
    who flicked the ball past Hendry and volleyed dramatically past
    Goram for England's second goal.
    
    It was all more important when, at the final whistle, England had
    managed to maintain their two-goal advantage. Crucially, it handed
    England a goal difference advantage compared with the Dutch who had
    managed to draw with the Scots 0-0.
    
    England were left knowing that a draw against Holland on the third
    matchday would secure qualification for the quarter-finals. Scotland
    were left knowing that even victory, next time out, against Switzerland
    might not be enough. 
    
    
    I had a super day. Got to London around 11:30. Caught the tube to
    Putney for some Nando's chicken for lunch (do you have Nando's in the U.S.?)
    then as planned, visited the Central Tavern near Wembley for a couple (;^))
    
    Proceeded to the hallowed turf af 1:15 and was surprised to see both
    England and Scotland fans mingling happily. There was no trouble at
    all, before during or after the game.
                                    
    As the teams came onto the pitch, the National Anthems were sung. With
    20,000 Scots in the crowd, they were never going to louder than the
    English, but they had a bloody good go though. The English sung louder
    than I've ever heard any crowd sing any National Anthem. Very uplifting.
    
    The first half didn't live up to expectation, nerves and not wanting to
    make a mistake were the order of the day. The second half went, as so
    many games in this tournament have, absolutely bananas. The
    introduction of Jamie Redknapp and the switch of Steve Macmananman
    (both Liverpool players 'Saw) changed the entire game. They ran at the
    Scots midfield and defence like Dervishes and the Scots, quite simply,
    had no answer to their probing runs. Despite this, it was Manchester
    United's Gary Neville who provided a pin point cross, over the keeper,
    inbetween two defenders, onto Shearer's loaf - 1 - 0. Noise?
    
    For the next ten minutes, Engalnd played the best football I've seen
    from any team in this tournament. Banging about 40 yard passes, taking
    on players, surging runs, it was a delight to watch. Only resolute
    defending from Colin Hendry and Stuart McCall stopped England running
    riot.
    
    This was followed by 10 minutes of Scottish pressure, where England
    just could not get the ball out of their own half. Then a  great one-handed
    save from David Seaman stopped Gordon Durie header from levelling it.
    
    A couple of minutes later a innocuous and more hopefull ball was played
    into the England penalty area and there was a little confusion about
    which of the defenders should deal with it. By this time a Scot had
    closed in and Tony Adams reached out for the ball with his leg. The
    Scot fell over (Greg Louganis would have been proud of this boy) and a
    penalty was awarded. I thought at the time that Adams had got the ball
    first and subsequent T.V. replays proved my summise to be correct.
    
    Anyway Gary McCallister took the penalty and it was, again, a superb
    reaction save from Seaman. He went the wrong way and just stuck out an
    arm to deflect it away from goal. Noise??
    
    45 seconds later it was all over, Darren Anderton picked out Gascoinge
    for the goal of the tournament so far. The ball was airborne and
    Gascoinge and Hendry were after it. It came to Gascoinge who flicked it
    on the volley over Hendry's head and as the ball came down, again
    on the volley it was smashed into the back of the net. Noise??????
    
    After the game most Scots were very good natured and sporting about the
    result, *very* few were not and I suppose that's understandable but
    again there was no hooliganism to be found.
    
    Me, I went back to my local in Reading at 09:00 p.m. to celebrate my 
    birthday and the victory in style. I left the pub at 06:30 Sunday morning. 
    
    Well...they locked me in...the sods.;^)
    
    
    CHARLEY$off_to_lunch_more _results_later    

Charley will no doubt be able to provide more detail, but among the more
significant results of the weekend:

	England 2:0 Scotland
	Germany 3:0 Russia

The England-Scotland match was a waste in the first half, with the Scots
having perhaps a slight edge on play.  Presumably Venables said something
during the break, as England seemed transformed for the second half.  Their
efforts were rewarded when Shearer converted a cross with a classic header.
The referee (who I thought generally substandard, more concerned with
asserting his own authority than maintaining the flow of play) gave the
Scots a shot at evening up by whistling what I thought was an unjustified
penalty, but McAllister was thwarted when Seaman guessed left and got his
elbow on the ball in mid-dive.  Gascoigne then sealed the victory with a
magnificent goal, taking a pass from midfield near the edge of the penalty
area, faking the defender out of his jock by flipping the ball over his head,
then blasting it home.

Gascoigne, incidentally, had been largely invisible in the first half, and
in the second didn't really seem to be at full speed.  He looks to me to be
carrying 15 or 20 pounds extra, and doesn't seem able to play 90 minutes.
He seems to pick moments to exert himself, and in those moments is brilliant.

Having already disposed of the Czechs, Germany did Russia in with three 2nd
half goals.  The Russians were in the game for an hour or so, even after
falling behind, had hit a goalpost and were putting on the pressure when
J�rgen Klinsmann scored on a counterattack.  The English fans celebrated
the goal as if it were their own:  apparently the Bayern Munich striker
made a number of friends during his year at Tottenham Hotspur.  And if I
understood the commentators correctly, Klinsmann becomes the first player
ever to score in three different European Championships.

A footnote:  Denmark, the defending champions, were eliminated by Croatia,
strengthening the latters' credentials as a dark horse.  Nonetheless, on
the evidence of their first two matches, Germany are still the favorite.

Steve

Well, I said he'd have more detail, didn't I.

Sounds like a great way to spend a Saturday, Charley.  And I figured you'd
see the penalty as I did ;*)

Steve

    
    Yes, Gazzo's goal was sweet, sweet, sweet.  But so was Neville's 
    cross for the first goal, where Shearer couldn't miss.
    
    It is kind of hard to understand how such an action-packed 2nd
    half could be preceded by a 1st half of almost total, absolute
    boredom.  You have that kind of tactical conservatism in other
    sports too, but in soccer/football due to the nature of the game
    the end result of such play is more aesthetically damaging. 
    Still, in this one 2nd half more than made up for it on the
    whole.  Were it that they could "make 'em play" in every half of
    every game...
    
    glenn
    

    >It is kind of hard to understand how such an action-packed 2nd
    >half could be preceded by a 1st half of almost total, absolute
    >boredom.  You have that kind of tactical conservatism in other
    >sports too, but in soccer/football due to the nature of the game
    >the end result of such play is more aesthetically damaging. 
    >Still, in this one 2nd half more than made up for it on the
    >whole.  Were it that they could "make 'em play" in every half of
    >every game...
        
    Bill Shankley, the old Liverpool manager, once said "Football is not a
    matter of life and death - it's more important than that."
    
    That could be said about the first half on Saturday. Neither team was
    going to go all out attack in the first half as no-one wanted to be the
    first to make a mistake. As Steve said, Scotland marginally had the
    better of the game in the first half. 
    
    Terry Venables obviously saw a flaw in the Scottish gameplan and
    switched to playing three at the back and five in midfield with Jamie 
    Redknapp replacing Stuart Pearce. Just after this substitution England
    were all over Scotland and played some very classy football indeed.
    
    Apart from that, most of the games in the tournament so far have had
    two totally contrasting halves.
    
    The weekends results follow, I apologise for lack of detail but one of
    the servers has gone apes**t.
    
    
    CHARLEY
      
    

I read that part about "an action-packed 2nd half" and knew immediatlely
that this was not the NBA or Bulls note.

Glad something was exciting in the world of sports...

TTom

    
    
    The weekends results.
    
    Scotland (0) 0 England (0) 2 
    France (0) 1 Spain (0) 1 
    Russia (0) 0 Germany (0) 3
    Czech Republic (2) 2 Italy (1) 1
    Croatia (0) 3 Denmark (0) 0
    Portugal (0) 1 Turkey (0) 0 
    
    There are now 13 teams left in the tournament with Turkey and
    surprisingly Russia following Romania out. Denmark face an uphill task
    as well.
    
    Czech Republic 2 - Italy 1
    
       THE CZECH Republic unleash the first major upset. 
       
       From Keir Radnedge Czech Republic 2 (Nedved 4, Bejbl 34)
       
       Italy 1 (Chiesa 17)        
       
       HT: 2-1. Att: 37,320. Ref: Lopez Nieto (Sp)
       
       Czech Rep: Kouba - Hornak, Kadlec, Suchoparek - Latal (Nemecek 87),
       Nemec - Poborsky, Bejbl, Nedved, Berger (Smicer 63) - Kuka.
       
       Italy: Peruzzi - Mussi, Costacurta, *Apolloni, Maldini - Fuser,
       Abertini,  D Baggio (Carboni 38), Donadoni - Ravanelli (Casiraghi 57), 
       Chiesa (Zola 77). 
    
       *Apolloni sent off, 28min.
       
       ---             
       
       THE CZECH Republic unleashed the first major upset of the 1996
       European Championship finals when they beat Italy at Anfield in the
       most dramatic match of the tournament so far.  
       Ecstatic Czech supporters, brandishing their red, white and blue flags,
       stayed singing and dancing on the terraces long after their heroes
       had disappeared to the dressing rooms, having thrown the so-called
       "Group of Death" wide open.  
       
       Goals from Pavel Nedved and Radek Bejbl brought the Czechs
       back from the brink of elimination against an Italian team who played
       with great courage with only 10 men for more than an hour after the
       first half expulsion of centre back Luigi Apolloni, who collected two
       yellow cards for fouls on striker Pavel Kuka.
       
      
       Italy had created a stir even before the start when coach Arrigo
       Sacchi made five change from the line-up which started the previous
       2-1 win over Russia. But one of those changes very nearly paid off
       almost immediately when Enrico Chiesa forced a sharp save from
       goalkeeper Petr Kouba after only three minutes. Yet, just as Italy
       appeared to be on the brink of taking an early lead, the Czechs broke
       away to steal their thunder.
       A long, low cross from the right by the inspired Karel Poborsky eluded
       the Italian defenders and sat up for Nedved to drive past keeper   
       Angelo Peruzzi from close range.      
       
       Poborski turned the Italy defence inside out again in the 17th
       minute - but this time with a very different outcome. Italy cleared  
       the ball quickly downfield, Chiesa exchanged passes with Diego Fuser
       and thrashed an equalising shot beyond Kouba. That goal failed to 
       quell Czech spirit. In the 22nd minute Poborski pierced the heart of 
       Italy's defence with a pinpoint pass but this time Nedved, with the
       goal at his mercy, slipped and lost both his footing and the chance. 
       Then came the incident on which the game turned. Apolloni, having been
       booked for bringing down Kuka in the sixth minute, tripped him just
       inside the Czech half. Spanish referee Lopez Nieto played the
       advantage and let pay continue but once the ball was dead he summoned
       Apolloni, showing him first another yellow card then the red.  
       While Italy were reorganising, with Madini moving inside alongside
       Costacurta, the  Czechs took fatal advantage of their numerical
       superiority. Kuka crossed from the right and Bejbl powered through the
       centre to sweep a first-time shot past Peruzzi.
       
       Italy brought on Amedeo Carboni at leftback with Dino Baggio going off
       in the 38th minute. The switch brought order back into their tactical
       shape and Fabrizio Ravanelli might have equalised a minute later when
       he headed a Roberto Mussi free kick over the bar.    
       
       The excitement and tension developed in a dramatic crescendo   
       throughout the second half. Italy kept two men up front and four at
       the back but that laid an immense burden on the three     
       "survivors" in midfield. As the second half continued, so the Czechs
       realised that their opponents' fatigue offered them more and more    
       opportunities on the break.     
       
       Czech goalkeeper Kouba was superb. In the 56th minute Kouba denied
       Chiesa in brilliant fashion after Ravanelli had forced an opening    
       then, with 10 minutes remaining, he saved bravely at the thrashing
       feet of the onrushing attacking substitute, Pierluigi Casiraghi. Italy
       had other chances. Maldini lunged forward only to shoot over the bar  
       after Donadoni flicked on a Fuser corner in the 56th minute then   
       Chiesa was inches wide with an angled drive after a throw-in.
       
       The Czechs had their own moments, most notably after the   
       arrival of Vladimir Smicer as substitue for tiring Patrik Berger. In 
       the 68th and 88th minutes it took all the talent of Italy keeper 
       Peruzzi to deny the Czech substitute as he then also stopper a shot
       fired at him from point-blank range by Poborsky.
       
       The match was more than two minutes into overtime when Italy created
       their greatest opportunity for an equaliser. Substitute Gianfranco
       Zola ran clear and crossed to the edge of the penalty box where     
       Casiraghi burst through, controlled the ball on his chest then, with 
       the goal yawning before him ... shot over the bar.
       
       Anfield honoured both teams with a standing ovation at the final 
        whistle. Skipper and sweeper Miroslav Kadlec, as well as Poborski,   
       Bejbl, Nedved and Kuka were the pick of the Czechs; skipper Maldini
       was even more magnificent than ever in defeat for the Italians. But
       he
       and his team-mates face the match of their lives now, against Germany 
       at Old Trafford.       
      
    
    
    

    I am still in shock over Italy's defeat to the Czechs, but considering
    that they had to play a man down for the bulk of the contest, I suppose
    the best I could have hoped for was a draw.  Now they have to beat
    Germany to advance, unless Russia stuns the Czechs.  By my
    calculations, I tie won't get it done if the Czechs win.  And even a
    win might not be enough, depending on goal differential.
    
    NAZZ

Nazz, my calculations agree with yours.  Italy should go into the match
against Germany with the attitude that they must win.

Their best hope is that Germany, having a spot in the next round a near
certainty, may take the game too lightly.  Their biggest problem is that
they are not used to playing to win.

It could be one of the best matches of the tournament so far.  It could
also be the dog of the century.

The one with the real stinkeroo potential, however, is England v Holland.
With a draw, both sides advance.  If one team wins, the loser could be
bumped aside by the winner of Scotland v Switzerland.  Shades of Germany
v Austria back in 1978.

Steve

    >The one with the real stinkeroo potential, however, is England v Holland.
                      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
    >With a draw, both sides advance.  If one team wins, the loser could be
    >bumped aside by the winner of Scotland v Switzerland.  Shades of
    >Germany v Austria back in 1978.
    
    Made me chuckle that did.
    
    Italy must win. A draw is not good enough. The Russia/Czech game is being 
    played at the same time so the Italians will not know the result in the 
    other match until the very end of their game. 
    
    They will have an advantage as the usual policy is for teams that have
    already qualified for the later stages to rest key players for the
    final group match. But then again, Germany has such strength in
    cdepth....who knows.
    
    The Italian coach Arrigo Sacchi is receiving a terrible hounding from the 
    Italian press after making five changes from the side that beat Russia
    - and rightly so. They expected to beat the Czechs easily.
    
    Also towards the end of the Russian game with Germany yesterday, the
    Russians gave up completely, heads bowed etc.  It depends on their strength
    of character whether they give the Czechs a game or not. An early goal
    for the Czechs and Italy are out....
    
    I'll print the tables tomorrow as the server has gone ballistic again.
    
    
    CHARLEY

>    Bill Shankley, the old Liverpool manager, once said "Football is not a
>    matter of life and death - it's more important than that."
    
    You know, Charley, that could be part of the "problem", that in
    these international events, national pride runs so high that it 
    becomes all-consuming.  Most of the problems around international
    soccer seem to stem from the fact that the problematics forget 
    that it is still a game (and a damned good one when played as it
    should be, imo) and this may be just another example (however 
    benign, at least, in this case).  Good in some ways, bad in others...
    
    glenn
    

    Glenn, you're right on the money mate.
    
    Mind you, I'd rather see our national team win a tedious 1 - 0 win al
    la Italia '90 second round v Belgium. Than lose an out an out blitz 
    3 - 1 a la Brazil '94.
    
    Anyway group A is resolved tonight.
    
    England V Holland
    
    Scotland V Switzerland
    
    
    CHARLEY$come_on! 

    But most of all, I'd rather see this....
    
    
    
    
       THE MOST superb England display since the 1990 World Cup. 
       
       
       England 4 (Shearer 22pen, 57, Sheringham 51, 62)          
       
       Holland 1 (Kluivert 77)   
       
       HT: 1-0. Att: 76,798. Ref: Grabher (Aus)
       
       England: Seaman - G Neville, Adams, Southgate, Pearce - McManaman,
       Ince (Platt 67), Gascoigne, Anderton - Shearer (Fowler 75),
       Sheringham (Barmby 75).
       
       Holland: Van der Sar - Reiziger, Blind, Bogarde - Winter, R de Boer
       (Cocu 71), Seedorf, Witschge (de Kock 46) - Jordi, Bergkamp, Hoekstra
       (Kluivert 77).
       
       ---                                                     
       THE MOST superb England display since the 1990 World Cup finals not
       only earned the Euro 96 hosts new respect but lifted them top of the
       group, sent them into a Wembley quarter-final against Spain and left
       Holland humiliated ... but not, amazingly, eliminated.
    
       Two goals each from Alan Shearer and Teddy Sheringham crowned an
       England team performance which mixed skill, determination and pace in
       equal measure. Holland played poorly but how much their failure was
       due to their own domestic problems and how much to England's
       superiority was hard to tell. (Nothing to do with domestic problems,
       they were totally outplayed)
       
       Unfortunately for British football solidarity, England's victory was
       not enough to help Scotland into the quarter-finals along on their
       coat tails. When England led 4-0 and Scotland led 1-0 at Villa Park,
       then Craig BRown and his men had one foot in the quarter-finals. But
       that tartan euphoria lasted only from the 61st until the 77th minute.
       Then Patrick Kluivert, only on the pitch only six minutes as a     
       substitute, stabbed home the goal which rescued Holland and, as it   
       proved, sank Scotland.
       
       Remarkably, considering the grand finale, Holland were in the game
       all the way through the first half pressuring England's defence with 
       their use of wide men Jordi on the right and Pieter Hoekstra on the 
       left. Yet there was a broad hint of things to come when England, in 
       only their first serious, almost scored. Anderton swung in a corner from
       the right and  Shearer's low drive was hacked off the goal line by 
       Richard Witschge.
       
       That was after seven minutes - and Shearer and England made no mistake
       15 minutes later. McManaman ran away from the Dutch on the 
       break and Paul Ince, bursting into the penalty box, was tripped by
       Danny Blind. The Dutch captain was booked for dissent before Shearer
       thumped his spot kick low pat Edwin van der Sar.
       
       Play swept from end to end. For England, Sheringham had a 10-yard shot
       safely gathered by Van der Sar. For Holland, Clarence Seedorf shot  
       wastefully over the bar from just outside the penalty box and Aron  
       Winter was twice close with glancing headers to Witschge corners;    
       three times Dennis Bergkamp was close - once shooting wide, once   
       heading wide from close range and once being bravely foiled by England
       goalkeper David Seaman.
    
       But for all the Dutch goal attempts, they notably fell short when it
       camerto competing for possession in midfield. Also, their defensive
       covering grew increasingly sloppy as the game went on and as their
       players, clearly, grew increasingly depressed and confused over the 
       state of overall play in the group.  
    
       The match was decided in the first 16 minutes of the second half.    
       Sheringham rose above the defence to head home a Paul Gascoigne corner
       from the left then Gascoigne and Sheringham created England's third,
       in almost nonchalant fashion, for Shearer. Bergkamp scooped a rare
       Dutch attempt ver the bar at the other end before England raced away
       for their fourth goal. Darren Anderton's shot from the centre
       of attack was deflected by Blind, Van der Sar could not hold it and
       Sheringham pounced for his second goal of the tournament. 
       
       That goal not only left Holland's defence in tatters but put them out
       of the tournament. Then, with 19 minutes to go, manager Guus Hiddink
       tried a double substitution: Philip Cocu and Kluivert replacing the  
       fading Ronald de Boer and the anonymous Hoekstra. England, happy to
       protect their qualifying investment, replaced their four-goal strikers
       with Nick Barmby and Robbie Fowler. 
    
       Perhaps an element of overconfidence set in but England's defence 
       stood back for a brief, vital moment as Seedorf swept a long angled
       pass to the edge of the penalty box, Bergkamp flicked it on and   
       Kluivert stabbed the ball beneath Seaman.     
       
       Holland were still alive and will face France at Anfield in the
       quarter-finals ... but it was only England who had earned the right to
       celebrate long into the European night. 
       ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    
       Unbelievable. This was far and away the best England performance
       for many a year and also the best international team display by
       *anybody* that I've seen for a few years as well.
    
       If the forwards were outstanding and the defenders were resolute
       then the midfielders were simply god like. Paul Ince played his
       greatest game in an England shirt. Paul Gascoinge showed us what he
       really *can* do and Macmanaman scared this piss out of the Dutch
       every time he got the ball.
    
       I'm pleased that Sheringham got a couple, he's been getting a bit of
       stick in the press recently - and Shearer? - what can I say. He's
       proved he is one of the worlds greatest strikers
    
       England play Spain in the quarter finals and Holland play France.
    
       I'm a happy puppy.
    
    
       CHARLEY

I saw the last twenty or so minutes of this game.  When I first turned on the
TV and saw the 4-nil score I almost sh*t.  Then, I heard the announcer saying
it was payback for what Holland did to England in the '94 Euro Cup.

GREAT game.  I didn't see any of the England goals (except on replay) but man
were the English just walking in....  McManaman looked really good, and then
they brought Robbie Fowler on (go 'pool!) and I was hoping that the two of them
could hook up.

Boy, those folks in the stands wearing orange looked pretty down!


Gazza does look a little overweight...8^)


Great game!


'Saw


PS  Too bad about Scotland....

    Re. Scotland.
    
    If you watch the highlights of the game you'll see that they had
    numerous goal mouth opportunities which were wasted by the Ally McCoist
    and Gordon Durie. Just one of them taken would have sufficed.
    
    Oh well, Scotland bow out again but at least Craig Brown will have a
    squad of increased confidence when they start the world cup qualifying
    campaign in October.
    
    Other results from last night.
    
    France 3 - 1 Bulgaria
    Romania 1 - 2 Spain
    
    Tonight..
    
    Italy's biggest game since the world cup final in 1994 against Germany,
    who have now been installed as 2-1 favourites for the tournament
    followed, on the strength of last nights performance, by England @ 3-1.
    
    Believe me, Germany will not be doing Italy any favours.
    
    Other games.
    
    Denmark V Turkey
    Russia V Czech Republic
    Croatia V Portugal
    
    
    Here's to Spain on Saturday.
    
    
    CHARLEY

    .497
    
    'Saw, if you get an opportunity to see the entire England game, do so.
    
    Macmanaman was simply brilliant, talismatic even, despite getting a couple 
    of clattering tackles early on. Most of the time the Ducth Left Back just 
    didn't have a clue how to deal with him.
    
    Payback? You betcha;^)
    
    
    CHARLEY

    Sorry Nazz....
    
    
    
     
    ITALY eliminated
    
    
    
    Italy    0
    
    Germany  0
    
    HT: 0-0. Att: 53,740. Ref: Goethals (Bel)
    
    Italy: Peruzzi - Mussi, Costacurta, Maldini, Carboni (Torricelli 76) -
    Fuser (Di Livio 80), Albertini, Di Matteo (Chiesa 66), Donadoni - Zola,
    Casiraghi.
    
    Germany: Kopke - Freund, Sammer, Helmer - *Strunz, Hassler, Moller,
    Eilts, Ziege - Klinsmann, Bobic. *Strunz sent off, 59min. ---
    
    ITALY, most demonstrably one of the finest teams at Euro 96, were
    eliminated by a combination of ill fortune, a penalty miss by
    Gianfranco Zola and German resilience on a night of high tension and
    mathematical turbulence. Coach Arrigo Sacchi walked, grim-faced down
    the tunnel at Old Trafford at the final whistle, knowing that he will
    be forced to abandon his #700,000-a-year post as soon as Italy arrive
    home - having failed to take advantage of their numerical superiority
    against a German side who had to play with 10 men for most of the
    second half after the expulsion of Thomas Strunz.
    
    German went through as group winners but rarely can they ever have
    looked as rattled and worried as they did in the first 25 minutes when
    the most incredible fortune kept them on terms. 
    
    German nerves were evident as early as the sixth minute when when Diego
    Fuser's angled drive from the right was punched out by Andy Kopke. But
    the German goalkeeper was even more at sea in the eighth minute when he
    tripped Pierluigi Casiraghi after the Italian centre forward had
    charged down a clearance attempt by Matthias Sammer. Controversy will
    rage long after thee finals over whether Belgian referee Guy Goethals
    should not only have awarded the penalty - as he did - but sent off
    Kopke - which he did not. 
    
    That decision in favour of the German proved crucial since the keeper
    then dived to his left to push Zola's spot kick around the post. Italy
    dominated for the next 82 minutes but they would never come as close
    again. In all the 90 minutes the Germans had only three goal attempts. 
    
    
    In the 27th minute Tommy Hassler crossed from a free kick and
    skipper Jurgen Klinsmann headed a decent chance - by his standards -
    wide. In the 42nd minute Italian goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi dived to
    save at the feet of the onrushing Christian Ziege. In the second half,
    German bothered Peruzzion only one occasion when Moller fired over the
    bar from 30 yards after a touched free kick from Hassler. And that was
    that for the German attack. 
    
    How Kopke, punching virtually everything which flew at him,
    managed to keep his goal intact will remain one of the mysteries of
    European Championship football. In the 32nd minute Kopke punched out a
    fierce drive from the left by Roberto Donadoni then Casiraghi, seven
    minutes later, burst into the German penalty box but fell under the
    pressure of a variety of defensive challenges. 
    
    Italy threw everybody forward in the second half yet it says
    much for the discipline and expertly-drilled organisation of the German
    defence that the closest the Italians came was through a couple of
    long-range rockets from Amedeo Carboni. 
    
    Sacchi brought on Enrico Chiesa in attack and the fresh legs of Moreno
    Torricelli in defence and Angelo Di Livio in midfield but all to no
    avail. 
    
    The Italian fans roared with appreciation as radio reports
    brought them news that Russia had pulled back from 2-0 down to take the
    lead 3-2 against the Czech Republic at Anfield. At that point - with 10
    minutes remaining - Italy would have gone through thanks to the Old
    Trafford draw.
     
    Instead, of course, the Czech Republic snatched a late equaliser in
    Liverpool, the Italian fans' euphoria subsided ... and a fine team went
    home. Italy and the Czech Republic finished level on four points but
    the Czechs went through by virtue of having won the direct
    confrontation between the teams. 
    
    Other results from last night.
    
    Croatia 0 - 3 Portugal
    
    Czech   3 - 3 Russia (great game to watch.)
    
    Turkey  0 - 3 Denmark
    
    
    The quarter final line-up.
    
    Sat 22 June
    
    3:00 p.m. gmt.
    
    England V Spain
    
    
    6:30 p.m.
    
    France  V Holland
    
    
    Sun 23rd June
            
    3:00 p.m
    
    Germany v Croatia
    
    
    6:30 p.m
    
    Czech V Portugal
    
    
    CHARLEY

    I have been in a total funk since 4:19 yesterday afternoon, when the
    proud but beaten Italians trudged off the pitch knowing that they would
    be going home surprisingly early.
    
    There is no doubt in my mind that Kopke should have been shown the red
    card for his clumsy challenge in the box.  However, the key to the
    entire tourney was Zola's weak, inept, and easily saved penalty kick.
    Zola's miss turned the entire game around.  Germany rarely attacked,
    and Preuzzi was never forced to make a save all day.  Another challenge
    in the box around the 15 minute mark was not rewarded with a penalty,
    with the commentator saying that the ref would never give a second
    penalty so near the first, but it was a penalty.
    
    And for you Sacchi - what were you thinking?????  Zola was useless
    after his missed opportunity.  Ravenelli should have replaced him at
    halftime.  Why have him warm up if you're not going to use him?
    Torricelli and Chiesa both should have come on earlier.  Fuser
    shouldn't have come off at all.  Mussi was completely ineffective all
    day.  Take him out!!!
    
    The Italians applied pressure in the second half, but never had a clear
    shot on goal.  The Germans packed the penalty box and never let an
    Italian roam free.  They did what they had to, and did it well, but it
    is a sorry day for Italy.
    
    NAZZ

    Yup, the German goalkeeper should have been sent off. But at the end of
    the day, the Italians' future in this tournament was in their own
    hands. An inept performance against the Czechs. A dreadful first half
    performance against the Russians. I personally do not believe they
    deserved to progress.
    
    
    CHARLEY

>>  >The one with the real stinkeroo potential, however, is England v Holland.
                      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
>>  >With a draw, both sides advance.  If one team wins, the loser could be
>>  >bumped aside by the winner of Scotland v Switzerland.  Shades of
>>  >Germany v Austria back in 1978.
    
>>  Made me chuckle that did.

Yeah, I might have been a bit off on that one.
    
>>  Also towards the end of the Russian game with Germany yesterday, the
>>  Russians gave up completely, heads bowed etc.  It depends on their strength
>>  of character whether they give the Czechs a game or not. An early goal
>>  for the Czechs and Italy are out....

'Course, you ain't much of a prophet yourself ;*)

That was one whale of a football match, too.  I had a choice of that on
Eurosport or Italy v Germany on German TV, and since I get really annoyed
when announcers openly root, I went with Eurosport.  The Russian comeback
in the second half was remarkable, and the Czech equalizer in the 89th
was for me the single most exciting moment of Euro 96 so far.

Never did see any of Germany's match, so I have no opinion on whether
K�pke should have been sent off.  I will say that I don't like seeing a
keeper red-carded if the offense is anything but blatant.  If he's trying
to play the ball, whether he does or not, IMO the penalty shot is penalty
enough.

Steve

    Yup, the Russia/Czech Republic was (for a neutral to watch) the best game 
    of the tournament for excitement so far. Russia 2 - 0 down at half time, 
    comes back to 3 - 2 up then a goal with 1 minute left. The Russian
    substitutes' goal was by far the best of the tourney so far. Closing in
    on goal 30-35 yrds out...bang!...ta da. Keeper had no chance.
    
    Re . Keepers.
    
    There are two sides to the story. There are those who believe that a
    penalty for such a misdemeanor is enough retribution for such an
    action.
    
    I do not. 
    
    The Italian *would* have scored. He rounded the goalkeeper and strode
    over the goalkeepers' legs and the keeper raised one of them and took
    him out. It was blatant, deliberate and cynical. In such an instance the 
    keeper should be sent off *and* a penalty should be awarded. That way 
    there will be a lasting punishment as penalties can be missed as shown on 
    Wednesday.
    
    There are a few in some quarters that advocate the award of a penalty
    goal and keeping the player on the pitch in such circumstances as they do 
    in Rugby Union. That way the punishment would fit the crime. IMO.
    
    
    CHARLEY

    I have no fingernails.....
    
    
    
    
    England 0 - 0 Spain (After extra time)
    
    England win 4 - 2 on penalties.
    
    
    
    ENGLAND reached the semi-finals of Euro '96 in the least
    satisfying way possible. Only a penalty shoot-out enabled them to
    overcome a superior Spanish team and qualify for a semi-final against
    Germany or Croatia here on Wednesday, but the manner of the victory
    mattered little to another capacity Wembley crowd, who sang and
    cavorted in their joy at the end.
    
    Terry Venables' team are closer than ever to glory now because Alan
    Shearer, David Platt, Stuart Pearce and Paul Gascoigne tucked away
    their penalty kicks while Spain's Fernando Hierro and Miguel Angel
    Nadal missed theirs. Hierro hit the bar, but Nadal's shot was pushed
    aside by David Seaman to a deafening roar from the massed ranks of
    English supporters.
    
    Thus the big Arsenal goalkeeper enhanced further the sizeable
    reputation for excellence he has built up during this tournament. Voted
    England's man of the match for the second time in their four games,
    Seaman made other important saves during the 120 minutes that saw the
    teams wrestling in vain to find the net.
    
    Seaman was not England's only hero. Pearce was saluted warmly by the
    English fans for having the moral courage to be one of the five
    nominated penalty takers. All of those waving the cross of St George
    needed no reminding that, for six years now, the Nottingham Forest
    stalwart has had to carry the painful memory of his miss in the penalty
    shoot-out that decided the semi-final of the 1990 World Cup in West
    Germany's favour.
    
    A tie-break was required this time because not even the introduction of
    sudden-death extra-time could produce a winner. The nearest either side
    came to scoring the so-called golden goal that would have ended the
    contest abruptly was when Andoni Zubizarreta, an insuperable obstacle
    for England most of the afternoon, palmed away the shot Gascoigne tried
    to curl over him.
    
    Even if England had won with that worthy scoring attempt, it would have
    been something of an injustice to Spain. Strong, resourceful and
    inventive in every area of the field, the Spanish were the better side
    for long periods, especially in the second half of normal time, and
    were entitled to curse their bad luck on the day.
    
    Gascoigne and Steve McManaman found it immeasurably more difficult to
    run past these opponents than they had against the less obdurate and
    committed Dutch.
    
    They had two goals disallowed for offside in the first 45 minutes of
    play, only one of which deserved not to count, and they were denied
    what looked to be two good claims for a penalty. Given those
    uncomfortable facts, it is difficult not to concede that a sense of
    destiny elbowed the application of justice out of the way underneath
    the twin towers yesterday. The only blot on England's day was Gary
    Neville's booking, two minutes into the second half, for a sliding
    challenge on Sergi. It was the young Manchester United full-back's
    second yellow card of the tournament and he will miss the semi-final.
    
    England began brightly enough, the accuracy and imagination of their
    passing and the liveliness of their movement suggesting that they would
    pick up the threads of their devastating display against Holland right
    away. Gradually, however, their enterprise was worn down by the
    superior cohesion of a Spanish team unbeaten in 20 previous matches
    since the 1994 World Cup finals.
    
    Gascoigne and Steve McManaman found it immeasurably more difficult to
    run past these opponents than they had against the less obdurate and
    committed Dutch. In addition, England's short-passing movements around
    the Spanish penalty area, so damaging against Holland, usually ended in
    a cul-de-sac here, and their passing in general gradually became poor,
    sometimes abominably so.
    
    They certainly missed the suspended Paul Ince. David Platt, recalled to
    the side without regaining the captaincy, worked hard enough to keep
    his place but was never able to establish any real authority as
    England's midfield anchorman. That was particularly noticeable from the
    number of times the Spanish flooded through the English defences.
    
    It was England who did the flooding early on, though, and only
    Zubizarreta prevented the hosts taking what might have been a decisive
    lead. Between punching away an awkward centre from Neville and diving
    to save a Gascoigne shot, Spain's veteran goalkeeper denied Shearer by
    turning over the bar a fierce shot from the tournament's hungry leading
    scorer.
    
    Once Spain had worked their way into the game, they tested England
    severely with the width and wit of their attacks. Javier Manjarin and
    Francisco Kiko gave solid support to the lone striker, the recalled and
    experienced Julio Salinas, while Sergi, the Barcelona wing-back, was a
    constant threat with his speed and accurate centres on the left.
    
    England attacked with a vengeance at the start of the second half of
    normal time, but were frustrated by a series of near-misses. 
    
    Kiko scored Spain's first disallowed goal after 22 minutes, but was
    clearly offside as he ran on to Manjarin's through pass. It was a
    different matter entirely, however, when Hierro's horribly miskicked
    shot put Salinas in a position to steer tha ball past Seaman 11 minutes
    later. The television replays suggested that Salinas had been onside
    when the ball spun off Hierro's boot.
    
    While Tony Adams forced Zubizarreta to tip the ball over the bar with a
    header from a Gascoigne free-kick, the first half ended with a fright
    for England that enabled Spain to shade the first 45 minutes. Manjarin
    beat the offside trap so well in a counter-attack that Seaman was
    compelled to sprint 10 yards out of his penalty area to tackle the
    runaway Spaniard.
    
    If that was another triumph for Seaman's judgment, a remarkable
    incident five minutes into the second half seemed to suggest this just
    had to be England's day. Gascoigne seemed to bring down Alfonso as
    Spain's second-half replacement for Salinas swept past him in the
    penalty area, and the TV replays confirmed that suspicion. However,
    Marc Batta, the French referee, not only refused to give a penalty but
    interpreted Alfonso's fall as a dive and booked him for it. 
    
    England attacked with a vengeance at the start of the second half of
    normal time, but were frustrated by a series of near-misses. The
    closest they came was when Darren Anderton drove a Shearer centre a
    foot wide of the far post and when Shearer himself could not keep the
    ball down as he lunged at Gascoigne's floated pass close to goal.
    
    Increasingly, though, England were being damaged by the skill and
    physical presence Jose Caminero brought to Spain's aid on the right
    when he replaced Manjarin at the start of the second 45 minutes. The
    big Atletico Madrid player seemed certain to score after 72 minutes
    until he was crash-tackled by Adams without receiving any sympathy from
    the referee.
    
    Spain pressed hard for the winner in closing minutes of normal time.
    They were denied, as ever, by Seaman, who dived to save a low shot from
    Kiko, then rushed off his line to kick Caminero's pass away from the
    feet of the same Spanish player.
    
    While it is certainly true that England had grounds for a penalty claim
    when Nadal bundled Steve Stone, one of three substitutes, over during
    extra time, there was no denying that Spain had turned out to be every
    bit as good a team as Venables had warned us they would be and scarcely
    deserved to be going home.
    
    ========================================================================
    
    I've never, ever sat through such a stressful match in my life. Tony
    Adams and Gareth Southgate, the two central defenders were simply
    brilliant. They both made two goal saving tackles in the six yard box
    when it seemed that all the Spanish forward had to do was breathe and
    he would score. David Platt in midfield was brilliant defending but was
    found wanting when it came to setting up attacks. I was at a Bar-b-q
    with mostly South Africans and even they were cheering the tackles the
    English defence made. The offside decision that has caused the
    controversey was one of those - Some would give it, some wouldn't
    decisions. It was too close for me to call but I'm glad the French
    linesman did. Shearer missed from two, yes two yards out. Zubizarreta
    saved brilliantly from Shearer and Gascoigne. Stone should have had a
    penalty in extra time. It was all too much. Pass the vodka.
    
    I was especially pleased to see Stuart Pearce score the third penalty.
    He's taken a lot of stick in the past because of Turin in Italia '90.
    You could see in his reaction after the goal the weight that's been
    lifted from his shoulders. He even told the manager he was taking one
    of the penalties. I think that says alot for the bloke.
    
    Other results.
    
    Czech Republic 1 - 0 Portugal
    
    France 0 - 0 Holland (after extra time)
    
    (France win 5 - 3 on penalties)
    
    Germany 2 - 1 Croatia*
    
    *This game was a travesty. Germany kicked the Croatians all over the
    park in the first half. Late tackles, elbows, high kicking.etc. Jurgen
    Klinsmann should have been sent off after 7 minutes for blatantly
    kicking a Croation midfielder, directly in front of the Ref. It was
    quite awful to watch. This continued for the first ten minutes of the
    second half until the Croatians had had enough and started to
    retaliate. After this there was much falling over and histrionics by
    Germans players. They even succeded in getting a Croatian sent off for
    a legal tackle. In the first half the swedish referee awarded a penalty
    to Germany for a handball in the Goal area by a Croat defender, when it
    was clear that the German handled the ball first. 1 - 0. The Croatians
    equalised shortly after the start of the second half. Soon after the
    Germans were playing against 10 men after a nice dive and some
    wonderful rolling about on the pitch by a German, obviously in serious
    agony, must have been a hospital case looking at it, only for the player 
    in question to jump up and trot down the pitch 3 seconds after his alleged 
    fouler received his red card. 
    
    There was a blatant foul just before the Germans second goal which the
    referee failed to spot and after this the Croats' heads dropped and
    the game degenerated into a tactical mire by the Germans, refusing to
    leave the middle third of the field.
    
    On th whole, the Croats were the better side, but the Germans have the
    referee to thank for their semi-final place against England on
    Wednesday. On the whole, not a good advertisement for football.
    
    
    CHARLEY

A certain poetic justice, however, was served when J�rgen Klinsmann pulled a
muscle in his calf.  He will miss the match against England Wednesday.

France v Czech Republic could be a good one, as well.  The Czechs played a
tactically perfect game, and were rewarded with a counterattack goal.  The
French will be favored, but the Czechs defend exceptionally well, and France
will have to guard itself against the fast break.  Their keeper, Lama, will
have to be steady, as well, and avoid his typical flights of fancy.

I'll be rooting for England and the Czechs, but the oddsmakers won't be
with me.

Steve

While I almost always root for Germany, in this case, I'm hoping that England
pulls off as big an upset as the US pulled on England at Foxboro several years
back.

    Latest Championship odds:
    
    France   7-4
    England  2-1
    Germany  9-4
    Czech R. 7-1
    
    >England's luck continues
    
    Luck?.....LUCK?!...waddaya mean luck?;^)
    
    They were...shall we say...fortunate that Spain didn't have a decent
    striker. It has to be said that the only real goalmouth save that Seaman 
    had to make was from the penalty spot in the shootout.
    
    Englands defending was simply brilliant. The midfield were not up to
    par. Too many wasted passes (especially from Platt) and not enough
    industry to give Shearer and Sheringham goal mouth opportunities. 
    I honestly believe it would have been a different story had Paul Ince not 
    been suspended.
    
    
    CHARLEY

    The first Semi final France V Czech Republic kicked off at ..erm...hold
    on....10:30 eastern. 
    
    0 - 0 @ halftime.
    
    
    CHARLEY

    the big one's tonight.  USA tv?  

    That kicks off at 14:30 eastern.
                              
                             / \
                              |
                              |
    Is my terminology correct?
    
    
    CHARLEY

    I'd love to let you know the final score. But the server is down and
    I'm off home for lagers and fingernail biting.
    
    
    CHARLEY

>
>    That kicks off at 14:30 eastern.
>                              
>                             / \
>                              |
>                              |
>    Is my terminology correct?
    
    
Yes, Charley, it is.

If you want to be super-accurate you *could* say Eastern Daylight Time, because
we're currently on daylight saving time.  Otherwise it would be eastern
standard time.

BUT, eastern covers it all.....

    France 0 - 0 Czech Republic
    
    Czech win 6 - 5 on penalties.
    
    
    
    England 1 - 1 Germany
    
    Germany win 6 - 5 on penalties.
    
    Absolutely gutted.
    
    
    CHARLEY

If the Czechs win the whole shebang, will the Slovaks be able to claim
that it was their team as well?  :-)

    
> If the Czechs win the whole shebang, will the Slovaks be able to claim
> that it was their team as well?  :-)
  
    No, we wouldn't do that... unless the victory is decisive maybe... ;-)
    
    glenn
      

Charley,

If it's any consolation I too am very disappointed this morning....

    
      Sounds like two extremely exciting games.

>    
>      Sounds like two extremely exciting games.
>

Actually, I only saw some highlights, but they probably were nail-biters if
you're a soccer fan.

I'm not a big fan of shoot-outs, but there's some real tension there too.

    Alan Shearer scored after 2 minutes and 15 seconds.
    
    Moller equalised after 20 minutes.
    
    After that it was all England, the Germans defended with all 11 men and
    were just very hard to break down. In the first period of extra time,
    Darren Anderton hit a post from six yards out and Gascoigne hesitated
    for one tenth of a second as as ball came across an open goal and his
    outstretched boot just missed the ball. Germany had a goal disallowed
    for a foul on Stuart Pearce. It was a great game to watch. Some
    Austrians and Swiss in another conference said it was the best of the
    tournament. Good game, wrong result.
    
    
    CHARLEY

    
>  Good game, wrong result.

    I didn't get to see this one, but from the game highlights, it did 
    look very exciting... Anderton's shot off the post was a reaction
    play and a bullet, tough to respond to...
    
    I agree with the comment about "wrong result".  Were it not for the
    inherent corruption in doing so (especially in international events),
    it'd almost be preferable to declare a winner based on quality of 
    play a la boxing matches, or figure skating (did I really want to
    place football/soccer in this company?) than the shootout.  Making
    things worse is that there are those teams known to be strong in the
    shootout, that can use that advantage as part of their game strategy, 
    even though the damned thing has little to do with the game itself.
    
    glenn
    

>    place football/soccer in this company?) than the shootout.  Making
>    things worse is that there are those teams known to be strong in the
>    shootout, that can use that advantage as part of their game strategy, 
>    even though the damned thing has little to do with the game itself.
    
Unfortunately, the alternative is what they USED to do in the World Cup way
back.

If tied after two extra times, then you replay the game the next day.

Kind of similar (imo) to the way the US Open played off a tie -- 18 holes the
next day.


I don't like the shootout, but it is better than the alternative.


At any rate, I believe that England made a statement in the EuroCup.    

    
>Unfortunately, the alternative is what they USED to do in the World Cup way
>back.
>
>If tied after two extra times, then you replay the game the next day.

    I'd rather they replay.  If not the next day due to the fatigue,
    then two days later.  But it's not made-for-TV, so it's definitely
    out in this day and age.
    
    The shootout is almost into the "flip-a-coin" realm... under the
    right circumstances (lotsa money at stake), a coinflip can be 
    very exciting too.
    
    glenn
    
    

>    I'd rather they replay.  If not the next day due to the fatigue,
>    then two days later.  But it's not made-for-TV, so it's definitely
>    out in this day and age.

Or scheduling....

I have a feeling (might be wrong) that these days these things are very tightly
scheduled.   Have to build in the potential for two day later replays on the
semi-finals and finals would wreak havoc with a schedule.

    
>    The shootout is almost into the "flip-a-coin" realm... under the
>    right circumstances (lotsa money at stake), a coinflip can be 
>    very exciting too.
    
Yes and no.

Having played some goal in my long ago youth, we were taught to make an
educated guess on which way the kicker would kick, and plan to go that way.
Kickers rarely (if ever) came right back up the middle, and hopefully if they 
did you could pick that up early enough and halt your move.

All of that meant that basically a penalty kick was akin to a PAT in American
Football.  Makeable 99% of the time.

So, a shootout is basically which side is going to bugger it first.

At least that's the rationale, as I see it.

Me, I'd prefer a replay too 8^)    
    

    >At any rate, I believe that England made a statement in the EuroCup.
    
    Thank you 'Saw, so do I.
    
    Re: Shootouts.
    
    A replay the next day is not really logical in a tournament where the
    final has to be played on Sunday.
    
    My personal favourite way to resolve a game would be to continue
    playing until one side scored.
    
    Mind you, you could be there for days if Arsenal were involved.;^)
    
    
    CHARLEY

    If a replay is not practical, then playing a real sudden death might
    be.  That way, a team would not do what Germany did Wednesday - play 11
    men on defense and hope to win in the Shootout.  It was atrocious
    football, and I was sorry to see England lose on penalties, as they
    were by far the more deserving side.
    
    Perhaps if a team knew they would have to play on until someone
    actually won the game, you would not see such conservative, boring
    play.  Having a game go to four or five extra sessions (keep them at 30
    minutes) would certainly tire a team out for their next game.  You
    could add one extra substitution for every extra period played to
    alleviate some of the tiredness.
    
    NAZZ

>    Perhaps if a team knew they would have to play on until someone
>    actually won the game, you would not see such conservative, boring
>    play.  Having a game go to four or five extra sessions (keep them at 30
>    minutes) would certainly tire a team out for their next game.  You
>    could add one extra substitution for every extra period played to
>    alleviate some of the tiredness.
    
It does work well for hockey.

'Saw

On the first "golden goal" of the tournament, in the fifth minute of extra
time, Germany became European Champion by defeating the Czech Republic by
two goals to nil.

The Czechs took a 1:0 lead on a penalty, awarded on Sammer's professional
foul about a meter outside of the area.  The referee got it wrong twice:
he awarded the penalty shot, but did not book Sammer.

Berti Vogts had to use his bench carefully, as injuries and suspensions
had reduced his squad to the minimum necessary to field a team.  At that,
Klinsmann was playing despite advice from the team doctor that his muscle
pull could well be aggravated to a career-ending tear.  The Germans had
already lost Dieter Eilts (whose name, by the way, is a sentence, meaning
"Dieter is in a hurry"), late in the first half.  After the Czech goal,
Vogts removed young Mehmet Scholl, who had been among the best in the first
half, in favor of another forward, Oliver Bierhoff (who had scored 17 goals
in Italy, where governments fall more often than goals).

Bierhoff immediately made Vogts look like a genius, sneaking through the
defense and heading home the equalizer off of a free kick.

In extra times, both teams seemed to be playing for the victory.  Again it
was Bierhoff, taking a pass from Klinsmann at the edge of the penalty area,
fighting off his mark, and putting it on goal.  The ball seemed to deflect
just slightly off the back of a defender.  Kouba got his fingertips on it
and deflected it to the side, but that put just enough spin on the ball
that it trickled into the corner.

This might have been the best match of the tournament, perhaps excepting
the Czech-Russian 3:3 draw.  Germany had the edge on possession and created
numerous chances, but the Czech counterattacks were always dangerous, and
K�pke was required to make tough saves in all three "halves".

Berti Vogts said after the game that, as delighted as he was with the
victory, he felt the sudden death format was unfair to the Czechs.  My
own feeling is that, with the exception of this game, it has been a recipe
for 30 cautious minutes leading up to penalties.  If teams had approached
extra time as these two did, I would be all for it.

Steve

>Berti Vogts said after the game that, as delighted as he was with the
>victory, he felt the sudden death format was unfair to the Czechs.  My
>own feeling is that, with the exception of this game, it has been a recipe
>for 30 cautious minutes leading up to penalties.  If teams had approached
>extra time as these two did, I would be all for it.

Being a real fan of sudden death, I think it was great for the game.

I only saw the highlights, but the sudden death goal took FOREVER to go in, 
it seemed.


The entire match must've been fun to watch.


'Saw

> Being a real fan of sudden death, I think it was great for the game.

It was for this game, but this was the first time either team played as
if it were trying to do anything but keep its goal clean for half an hour.
Sudden death with no time limits is the only way to fly.

> I only saw the highlights, but the sudden death goal took FOREVER to go in, 
> it seemed.

Yeah, it seemed that way watching it, but Kouba knew instantly that the
game was over.

> The entire match must've been fun to watch.

As I said, no worse than the second best of the tournament.

Let me tell you about a sudden death game.  Back in the late sixties or early
seventies, during one of many attempts to make soccer fans out of Americans,
parallel to the NASL was formed a league whose name I forget, but whose first
year representatives were some of the most prominent teams in the world.  In
LA, playing as the Los Angeles Wolves, we had Wolverhampton Wanderers.  Red
Star Belgrad was in there somewhere.  The final for the championship was played
in the LA Coliseum between Wolves and the Washington Whips, in reality Aberdeen
of Scotland.  In the twenty-five or thirty years that have passed, I've 
forgotten most of the names involved, but Aberdeen's keeper was in Scotland's
goal for many years.  It was a wide open, attacking game, finished 4-4 in
regulation and 5-5 after 30 minutes of OT.  Then they went to sudden death,
which Wolves won after about 10 minutes, ironically on an own goal, after
the Aberdeen keeper had made any number of impossible saves.  Might still
be the best game I've ever witnessed in the stadium.

Steve