Haven't heard about that before and I'm not aware of any alliances between West Ham and a Dutch team. But I would imagine it to be a working man's club with a fanatical fanbase, like Den Haag, Utrecht, Feyenoord, Twente or even Groningen.


BTW, I should've mentioned yesterday that Dutch media reported about HSV being interested in Martin Jol as well. But I really can't imagine him going back there as he just left that club to join Ajax last year. To be honest I don't even see him leave Ajax at all... unless it's a really big club or something.

Harry Redknapp has been named Premier League manager of the season. Hope the Spurs fans here are enjoying their honeymoon period with Redknapp before he financially destroys their team. Last three clubs he managed: West Ham (escaped administration by a whisper and still completely broke); Portsmouth (say no more), Southampton (into administration three years after he left). The main should be in jail, not Europe.

leeds leeds leeds leeds leeds leeds leeds leeds!!!

Yeah, that was great. While I'm hardly a Leeds fan it somehow feels wrong seeing them in the lower divisions. I do genuinely hope they get back in the Prem after next season. They're much more a 'premiership team' than flippin' Wigan!

what do you think of the england squad?
Looks fairly strong, there's not many in there i wouldn't take except maybe Jamie Carragher who's had a bad season.
Good to see Huddlestone, Parker, Warnock and Joe Hart in there purely on form

I agree about Carragher, but he's only really in there by default. Of the others, like you, I can't really disagree with any of Capello's choices. It's going to be more interesting when he has to trim it down to 23. The defence does look a bit weak though (as Upson's inclusion demonstrates), not that I can think of anyone else I'd stick in as a replacement. Parker was a good call, although I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't make the final 23.

More importantly, I'm having mixed feelings about Zola getting sacked. Seemed like a real gentleman and had a good attitude to how the game should be played but seemed a bit out of his depth as a prem manager.

Wish him well in the future while West Ham struggle to find a decent replacement willing to work under our rent-a-gob owner David Sullivan.

I think that's only true because they're always in the same division, and even given that i'd say matches in the Championship between Cardiff and Swansea are more intense. West Ham and Millwall are mental rivals but avoid each other by being in different divisions. If they ever end up in the same league though, that really could be armageddon. The Leeds/Man U rivalry used to be intense, until Man U's success started diluting their hardcore support to accomodate more casual fans. A division that involved regular matches between Cardiff and Swansea, West Ham and Millwall, Newcastle and Sunderland and Portsmouth and Southampton would have the FA absolutely shitting itself. And while it may not be politically correct to say so, deep down I'd love to see it happen.

had west ham gone down and if millwall go up through the playoffs, cardif stay down that would have been a tastey few fixtures indeed!

i think cardiff has rivalries with 90% of teams in every league, to be honest

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGZKo...layer_embedded

here's one worth watching

i'd love Motty to go off on a Goooooooaaaaaaaaalllllllll like that one day

haha. fucking hell!

The greatest goal that never was

i thought that was going to be Freddie Sears!

Freddie's gonna be fine, once he reaches 4 foot.

I respectfully disagree.

Current Ladbrokes/Betfair World Cup Odds:

http://www.worldcup2010.pn/ladbrokes...p-betting.html

Spain 4/1
Brazil 5/1
England 6/1
Argentina 8/1
Holland 12/1
Germany 14/1
Italy 14/1
France 20/1
Portugal 28/1
Ivory Coast 33/1
Chile 66/1
Serbia 66/1
Ghana 80/1
Paraguay 80/1
USA 80/1
Cameroon 100/1

Anyone fancy a crafty punt on Cameroon?

Germany might be worth a tenner
even without Ballack they're still a good fucking team!

i cannot wait for this world cup

Yeah, I'm thinking of doing the same with Holland. If ever a team are due a World Cup win (besides England and Spain) it's surely them.

You're right about Germany though. Even when they're crap they seem to pull it together.

Teams I don't want to do well: Brazil; Italy; Portugal

Netherlands Netherlands Netherlands...

I'd be happy with a Spanish win; well, not if they face the oranges.

Germany's better off without Ballack. His future is in a wrestling association (where he could face Van Bommel).

I don't see Portugal go really far (the team seems lightweight, too reliant on Ronaldo, even neglecting Simao). And Brasil in the group might fall too. They have a tough group, and these groups never seem to do their winners any good.

I'm already making plans for a fantasy team.