BS: Manchester United !?

Subject: BS: Manchester United !?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 09 May 10 - 10:09 AM

On July 25th, Manchester United is coming to Kansas City to play the Kansas City Wizards at their new location.

This is big news! Manchester United is pretty famous. It also means they play soccer, and here I thought they were a rugby team.

Please give me the scoop on Man U, so I can sound intelligent when they come to town.

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: gnu
Date: 09 May 10 - 10:32 AM

Try here.

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: GUEST
Date: 09 May 10 - 10:34 AM

Bests: The genius of Eric Cantona, Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Old Trafford Stadium, long history in the Football League, winning anything and everything often more than once.

Worsts: Miserable manager who intimidates referees and linesmen, self-aggrandising fans, massive financial backing, turning football into a faceless corporate machine, Gary Neville.


P.S. They're not as good as Aston Villa, who were formed in 1874 and founded the Football League in 1888, and won the FA cup in 1887. Manchester United by comparison, only rose from the Ashes of Newton Heath FC in 1902, making them young whippersappers by comparison.

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 09 May 10 - 10:44 AM

Funnily enough the confusion with the Rugby team is understandable. Man United have the nickname 'The Red Devils'. The original Red Devils were Salford Rugby League Fooltball Club as detailed here. Now, I know Wikipedia is not always spot on but in this case they are right.

As to Man U. themselves - I concur with previous comments. I live about 3 miles away from Old Trafford and used to work within a mile of the ground. The supporters are from everywhere but, seemingly, Manchester! Mancunian support tends to be for the other team, Manchester City, although where I am, in Salford, the Reds probably do seem to have a majority following. It may just be that they are noisier! Difficult to tell but, as a non football fan I can be pretty objective about it.

Enjoy the match anyway and I hope you do not get any of the 'high spirits' as 'fans' tend to call them of blocking roads, intimidating vunerable pedestians and urinating in public places!

Cheers

DeG

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: Stu
Date: 09 May 10 - 10:54 AM

That GUEST 09 May 10 - 10:34 AM was me without a cookie for some reason.

As Dave said, enjoy the match. At their best Man U (chuck that one into conversations every now and then) can play some fine football.

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: gnu
Date: 09 May 10 - 01:35 PM

Holy moly. I haven't been following The Premiership. Owen is playing for Man U. When did that happen?

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: Bonzo3legs
Date: 09 May 10 - 01:58 PM

Sadly not good enough!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 09 May 10 - 02:04 PM

And they are NOT Premiership Champions this year !

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 09 May 10 - 02:33 PM

I followed your link, gnu. Thanks.

Now, about this 'Barclay's Premier League':

1. I thought Barclay's was a bank. Can a bank own a whole league?

2. Is there another league? In America, we always have two.

3. What time of year is the usual soccer season? Or does it go on all year?

4. What kind of name is Aston Villa? Wasn't that a house in the movie 'A Room with a View'?

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: GUEST,crazy little woman
Date: 09 May 10 - 02:46 PM

"And they are NOT Premiership Champions this year !"

Good. As another Kansas Citian, I would hate for there to be a massacre.

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: MikeL2
Date: 09 May 10 - 02:57 PM

Hi

Most of the comments above are true.

I happen to be a Man United supporter who was born in Manchester and has lived most of my life around there. My father and grandfather were supporters before and so are my sons and grandsons.

Some of us have season tickets at Old Trafford and we go to most games, including many away games.

I have just got back from Old Trafford having watched them win their game against Stoke 4-0. Alas it was not good enough to win the Premiership League as Chelsea won by the " piddling " score of 8-0.

I congratulate Chelsea on their fine achievement. They fully deserved to be Champions.

By our own standards Manchester United did not really play well for much of the season and only the fantastic form of Wayne Rooney kept them in the running.

Some of this can be put down to the fact that they lost two World Class players in Ronaldo and Tevez and did not replace either of them.

Also there has been much upset and interference from the "fans"??!! continually demonstrating against the American owners The Glazer Family.

Interestingly Liverpool have have similar off the field problems with their Americam owners and completely imploded.

At their best Manchester United are a side that plays open attacking football and has that indomitable spirit and will to win that makes them the Champions they are.

They are arguably the best known soccer team in the World and one of the richest, even allowing for the huge debts that the Glazers brought with them.

I hope that you enjoy the game when they come over to play in the USA and I am sure that they will not disappoint.

One last word I do not agree with Guest'S " Worsts: Miserable manager who intimidates referees and linesmen, self-aggrandising fans, massive financial backing, turning football into a faceless corporate machine, Gary Neville."

Fergie is the best manager in the World and has proved it many times over. He is NOT miserable....cantankerous and demanding maybe.
Gary Neville, the club Captain has been a magnificent servant to both Manchester United and England.

Cheers

MikeL2

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: GUEST,Allan
Date: 09 May 10 - 02:59 PM

"And they are NOT Premiership Champions this year ! "

It is all going blue this year. Chelsea are the English champions! Rangers are the Scottish champions! And the Tories won the most seats in the election. Should we all run down to the bookies and put money on France or Italy for the World Cup now?

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 09 May 10 - 03:17 PM

Or Argentina...

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 09 May 10 - 03:27 PM

Barclays Bank are the Sponsors of the Premier League - Without the Sponsprship and Television Rights there would be very little 'professional' sport in UK '


And wouldnt THAT be nice !!



Ducking for Cover !!

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 09 May 10 - 03:42 PM

The clubs would be less wealthy and probably owned by supporters. And footballers wold earn ordinary wages, the way they used to.

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: gnu
Date: 09 May 10 - 05:57 PM

leeneia... "2. Is there another league? In America, we always have two."

The English Premiership is one of many, around the world. But, if you wanna see the best hockey in the world, you watch NHL... if you wanna see the best football in the world... there it is.

MikeL2... "Some of this can be put down to the fact that they lost two World Class players in Ronaldo and Tevez and did not replace either of them."

Lost Renaldo? After what that prick did to Rooney in The World Cup? Fuck him. That was pathetic... the whiney little twit deserves a cleat up the

Damn good footballer and I loved to watch him play, may again, but that was sickening. I wish Rooney had not just shoved him but punched his fucking lights out.

Sorry for the rant, and the violent attitude, but that kind of sportsmanship ruins the game for me.

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 09 May 10 - 06:18 PM

Sorry Mike - I apolgise unreservedly for my slight against MU and football supporters in general. It is just that I get pissed off with the excuses made for the few, that I see on a very regular basis, that spoil it for the rest. I do know there are good supporters of all clubs and I am sure you belong with the thousands who are in that league (pun intended). I occasionaly wonder why the majority, such as you, let the nutters spoil it for the rest. Then I remember - It is the same in real life as well as football!

I hope you forgive me and understand the frustration felt by someone to whom fotball is NOT a religion!

Cheers

DeG

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: Stu
Date: 10 May 10 - 06:31 AM

"Fergie is the best manager in the World and has proved it many times over. He is NOT miserable....cantankerous and demanding maybe."

I'd not expect a United fan to agree with me Mike ;-) As an expat brummie living close to Manchester I'm very well versed with the opinions of the faithful.

Still, I think Fergie uses/abuses his standing to intimidate refs (al-la Phil Dowd and the Vidić penalty). However, what's done is done and so be it. As for Gary Neville, no.

I certainly hope the protests against the Glazers come to something though; it would be great if the fans could wrestle the club back and make the moneymen realise that whilst it's only a game, for some it's a integral part of our history and a bloody important one.

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: MikeL2
Date: 10 May 10 - 06:36 AM

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: gnu - PM
Date: 09 May 10 - 05:57 PM

Hi gnu

<"MikeL2... "Some of this can be put down to the fact that they lost two World Class players in Ronaldo and Tevez and did not replace either of them."

Lost Renaldo? After what that prick did to Rooney in The World Cup? Fuck him. That was pathetic... the whiney little twit deserves a cleat up the

Damn good footballer and I loved to watch him play, may again, but that was sickening. I wish Rooney had not just shoved him but punched his fucking lights out.

Sorry for the rant, and the violent attitude, but that kind of sportsmanship ruins the game for me. ">

Very sporting of you I must say....!!!
I did not say that I liked Ronaldo as a person but admired him as a footballer of World Class.
Sometimes things happen in the heat of the moment in sport and people act stupidly.

Rooney used his head and did not aggravate the situation. For me that makes him a much more sensible person than people give him credit for.

When I was in business and I didn't have to like everyone I employed.....as long as they were good at their job they were OK with me.

Ronaldo was the best in the World while he was at Manchester. Nuff said

cheers

MikeL2

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: MikeL2
Date: 10 May 10 - 06:41 AM

hi Jack

Thanks for your comments.

Fergie is not the only manager who tries to influence referees. They all do it.

I agree with you wholeheartedly about the Glazer situation.

I agree with the prptests and demonstrations by the fans.....except for yesterday's. They were wrong the demonstrate before the game. It could have affected the team who at that stage could have been playing for the Premier League Championship. As it happens Chelsea murdered Wigan and United won but to no avail.

I expect to see some action on the Glazer front now that the season is over.

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: MikeL2
Date: 10 May 10 - 06:49 AM

Hi Dave

No apologies necessary mate.

Like you I deplore the actions of the mindless idiots who claim to be supporters of football teams.

I know that their actions affect millions of people who should not be subjected to their bevaviour.

The clubs do try to do something about it but you are right- just like in life in general we seem powerless to do something about it.

I watch a lot of different proffessional and amateur sports and there is no doubt that the "supporters" of football are by far the worst behaved.

I watch Wigan and Warrington in Rugby League and the crowd behaviour is almost always humerous and friendly - where did football go wrong ??

Thanks for you comments.

Cheers

MikeL2

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: MikeL2
Date: 10 May 10 - 06:54 AM

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United
From: Leadfingers - PM
Date: 09 May 10 - 03:27 PM

<"Barclays Bank are the Sponsors of the Premier League - Without the Sponsprship and Television Rights there would be very little 'professional' sport in UK ...And wouldnt THAT be nice !! ">

Hi LF

But wouldn't that make like dull for the millions of sports fans in the UK ??

The ignorant masses must be fed......lol

cheers

MikeL2

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: GUEST,Steamin' Willie
Date: 10 May 10 - 07:22 AM

Somebody rattling about Aston Villa and being older than Man Utd. huh, as a season ticket holder at Sheffield Wednesday, let me tell you, heritage has nothing to do with success, (1867, and as of next season, fizzy pop league.)

The original question was about wanting to know a bit more about Man Utd. I suppose if you were coming at this from a "know nothing" stance, it would be best to background football in general. I don't mean this badly, but football is not as popular in the States as it is in the rest of the world, and most of the planet's population smile with a wry grin when we hear of American sports such as baseball and American Football having "World" series / champions etc. Most of my American colleagues are equally bemused when they cannot follow their sport easily on the telly when here in the UK.

Two years ago, I was in Santa Monica CA for a short while and was delighted to see all the sports shops having lifesize cutouts of David Beckham, his replica shirts selling like hot cakes. LA Galaxy have certainly heard of Man Utd then, as Beckham was very instrumental in ensuring they retained their position as a force to be reckoned with, when other clubs were getting large financial backers and importing the world's best players.

Football is globally big on a scale that is dizzying, and if Man Utd are coming to your town for a closed season match, you are indeed lucky as you have perhaps the most well known and recognised club in the world coming.

Me? I'm one of the ignorant masses, but I'll let you into a secret; ignorance is bliss....

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: alanabit
Date: 10 May 10 - 08:06 AM

Three English clubs with obscenities in their names:

Scunthorpe - read it carefully!

Huddersfield - say it in a Northern English accent!

Manchester ****ing United!

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: Stu
Date: 10 May 10 - 09:31 AM

"heritage has nothing to do with success"

It was me rattling on about the Villa and crikey, I realise that being a Villa fan. Again. And again . . .

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 10 May 10 - 09:55 AM

http://www.manutd.com/

Is the direct link to their web site. Out of interest and to provide a very tenuous folk link they are currently sponsored by Insurance and Financial organisation, AIG.

Show of Hands latest song about financial mis-management is Arrogance Ignorance and Greed. Is it a co-incidence? Not that it reflects on the team in any case but lovers of conspiricly threories may like the link:-)

Cheers

DeG

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: GUEST,The Smiler
Date: 10 May 10 - 12:45 PM

I thoroughly agree with comments posted earlier
Quote
Worsts: Miserable manager who intimidates referees and linesmen, self-aggrandising fans, massive financial backing, turning football into a faceless corporate machine
Unquote

Another Scot interfering in the running of England.

Up the Villa

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: MikeL2
Date: 10 May 10 - 03:11 PM

hi smiler

ER...er....er What nationality is O'Neil ????

Oh and by the way Alex Ferguson does NOT run England....an Italian does that !!!

cheers

MikeL2

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: GUEST,The Smiler
Date: 10 May 10 - 03:32 PM

That goes for Oneill as well Mike :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: gnu
Date: 11 May 10 - 01:53 PM

MikeL2... Rooney used his head and did not aggravate the situation.

Rooney is the one that got carded after he lost it and pushed Renaldo with both hands to the chest. However, as I alluded to above, after Renaldo's antics and screaming... well...

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: MikeL2
Date: 11 May 10 - 02:21 PM

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: gnu - PM
Date: 11 May 10 - 01:53 PM

<" MikeL2... Rooney used his head and did not aggravate the situation.

Rooney is the one that got carded after he lost it and pushed Renaldo with both hands to the chest. However, as I alluded to above, after Renaldo's antics and screaming... well... ">

hi gnu

I am afraid that I didn't express myself fully.

I was referring to Rooney's attitude after the World Cup had finished and he and Ronaldo met for the new season.

had he not decided to accept what happened and get on with the new season things could have got out of hand and the whole team could have suffered.

cheers

MikeL2

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: gnu
Date: 11 May 10 - 02:42 PM

MikeL2

Ahhhh... indeed. But (BIG) money was at stake and money talks. Even to an Irish.

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 11 May 10 - 05:31 PM

Wait a minute!

" Manchester United currently boasts a lineup full of international stars such as
Wayne Rooney (England),
Patrice Evra (France),
Dimitar Berbatov (Bulgaria),
Nani (Portugal), [what's her last name?]

Edwin van der Sar (Netherlands),
Antonio Valencia (Ecuador),
Paul Scholes (England)
Ryan Giggs (Wales)
Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, (Mexico)"

and some people are complaining that the owners are Americans.

Ha! Get real. This is an international activity, obviously.

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: alanabit
Date: 12 May 10 - 05:46 AM

There is rarely an uncapped player in a Manchester United side!

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: MikeL2
Date: 12 May 10 - 06:02 AM

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: GUEST,leeneia - PM
Date: 11 May 10 - 05:31 PM

Hi leenia

You missed i whole load of other internationals - Ben Foster, Tomasz Kuszczak, Johnny Evans, John O'Shea, Jung Park etc etc.and I think the list should include Rio Ferdinand especially seeing that at present he is the official captain of England...tho whether that will remain true by the time the World Cup starts is open to conjecture.

I don't think the problem is that the owners are American. It is the fact that they are using the Club and it's profits to try to pay off huge debts that they have run up in other businesses.

cheers

MikeL2

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 12 May 10 - 12:10 PM

I see.

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 13 May 10 - 11:34 AM

"There is rarely an uncapped player in a Manchester United side!"

Alanabit, that is the very kind of thing I was asking about in my first post.

What does it mean? Soccer players don't wear hats or caps of any kind, at least while playing. And is 'side' the same as 'team'?

Please help us Kansas Citians out with the lingo.

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: MikeL2
Date: 13 May 10 - 02:28 PM

hi Leenia

In years gone by when soccer players ( and in other sports too) when were selected to represent their Country they were awarded a special cap as a personal trophy to celebrate the occasion. They received one for each time they were selected and so if a player has represented his Country say 24 times they say he has 24 caps.

I don't think that they actually receive caps now but the saying has stuck.

I am not sure whether other than UK Countries do this. No doubt other members here will know.

Cricketers still receive caps and sweaters and of course many cricketers actually wear their caps and sweaters whilst playing.

Regards

MikeL2

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: gnu
Date: 13 May 10 - 02:45 PM

leeneia... "This is an international activity, obviously."

Indeed it is. The best of the best from all over the world.

And, yes, there are other leagues... French, Spanish, and on and on. But, at least to me, The English Premiership League is the cream.

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: alanabit
Date: 13 May 10 - 03:22 PM

Hi leenia. MikeL2 answered your first question.

The other question: And is 'side' the same as 'team'? The answer is yes!

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: GUEST,The Smiler
Date: 13 May 10 - 04:43 PM

They get Dutch Caps :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: michaelr
Date: 13 May 10 - 05:02 PM

I think the intended questionif I read it correctly, was "are there other leagues in England beside the Barclays Premier League?" And I believe there are, no?

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 13 May 10 - 06:25 PM

I live in Manchester and I hate f***ing football!

Perhaps the good people of Kansas City might like to hang on to them once the match is finished? Perhaps you might also like to retain (or detain?)several more of our football teams so that every time I switch on the telly or the radio I don't have to listen to some boring half-wit droning on and on and on and on and on about f***ing football!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 13 May 10 - 10:29 PM

I know what you mean, Shimrod. I don't actually pay much attention to sports. I've only been to one professional soccer game. It was the longest 45 minutes I ever spent. (But it's much better than American football, where a two hour game seems to take the entire afternoon.) But of course, having a famous team from another country adds to the interest.

The day I watched the game it was quite hot. Probably over 90. MU may be an excellent team, but if they have to play when it's 90 or more, the Wizards may win because they are acclimated.

Sort of like the day my parents watched Green Bay beat Tampa, playing football when it was around zero. And I don't mean the point at which water freezes, I mean the zero way below that.

When I do watch a game, I try not to pay attention to the announcers. I like to turn the volume down so I can hear the sound of the crowd but cannot hear the announcers. That makes it more natural. And it saves me from hearing their inane remarks. Not that I do this very often - I don't even own a television.

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 14 May 10 - 04:50 AM

What bugs me most about football is the assumption that everyone gets as excited as the fans. Not only do we have to put up with the big games disrupting everyday life - As I said before I live about 4 miles from old Trafford and used to work within a mile so I know it is not just TV schedules that are affected - but we have to listen to some utter plonkers telling us that 'This is the most important event in the history of the world' or some such crap. Not only that but we are also told that the level of enthusiam, or fanatacism in a lot of cases, is acceptable.

Imagine what would happen if a morris team, for instance, wandered around the local park for a couple of hours every Saturday, not causing any actual harm but shouting and sceaming at the top of their voices. Waving banners (or hankies?), making old people and women with prams walk off the pavement to avoid them and chanting obscenities at rival teams. I am pretty sure they would soon be stopped!

On a more realistic tack - how often has it been voiced that computer games or dungeons and dragons or some other innocuous activty should be banned because someone has become so fanatical about it it has dne them harm. Yet thousands of people are just as fanatical about football with no apparant censure at all. I may be cynical but could it be beacause Morris or D&D are not multi-million pound industires? Maybe I just don't understand it but it does seem to me that, certainly in this case, money talks:-(

Once again, apologies to all you fair and sensible football fans out there. I am not getting at you - Just the idiot fans and the media that appear to excuse or even support them.

Cheers

DeG

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: GUEST,Shimrod
Date: 14 May 10 - 05:16 AM

Yes, David and leeneia I'm with you both there. I'm not against football per se (although I was crap at it at school - which was a source of humiliation). If a few lads want to kick a ball about with rules - who am I to criticise them? But it's the sheer scale of the phenomenon that gets to me - and all the associated hype and commercialism.

I read the (British) newspaper, 'The Independent' which is, generally, a fine publication, but at least a quarter to a third of it seems to be devoted to sport - and football in particular. A few weeks ago they devoted a double page spread to gardening - but that was very unusual. And yet I suspect that gardening is just as popular in the UK as football - so why so relatively little coverage?

Like David I've been inconvenienced by football fans on their way to matches. When I was working I often found that my route was clogged with the cars of fans on their way to United's ground. So many of these fans seemed to be rude and aggressive drivers with little regard for other road users. Any sense of social responsibility seems to be completely lacking in football clubs, players and fans.

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: Stu
Date: 14 May 10 - 05:55 AM

"Please help us Kansas Citians out with the lingo."

It's all quite simple really, so here goes.

Football is played by two teams or sides of 11 players each which are chosen from a squad of x number of players (the richer the club, the bigger the squad; for instance Viall ahve a squad of around 20 players whilst teams like United and Chelsea who have pots of cash have small armies of chaps ready to call up). The match, game, fixture or (in the case of cup competitions) tie is overseen by a referee and a linesman who is also called and assistant referee by FIA officials and a liner (or w*nker or other expletive) by fans. The game is played on a marked pitch also called a park and has two halves of 45 minutes each unless Manchester United are playing at home and are drawing when the second half goes on until they score and win. A score of nothing is called nil and if both teams don't score or score the same that's called a draw unless you are Manchester United when the ref was at fault. Rules to gen up on are when the goalie (keeper, goalkeeper) can handle the ball and the offside rule which no-one, least of all the players and refs can understand. Discipline is kept by the ref (except in United matches when he plays for them). Refs use cards to indicate the punishment for the offence; a yellow card for a serious infringement such as knocking a player down or a player taking his shirt off in goal-scoring celebrations (true); a red card for a very serious offence such as injuring a player or denying a goal-scoring opportunity. Players who receive red cards are sent off. If a red-card offence occurs in the box (an area of 25 yards around a goal) then a penalty is awarded unless the offence was by a Manchester United player in which case the ref puts his hands on his hips, smiles and rolls his eyes and calls him a very naughty boy and don't do it again. Everyone else gets sent off.

That's about it. To get maximum enjoyment from a match you might want to partake of one of Britain's great extant folk songforms, the football chant. These varied and often very witty ditties are frequently unique to each team's fans and they will have different versions for different opponents. Seeing as you'll no doubt be supporting your home side in Kansas then here's one to get you going:

To the tune of 'The Saints Go Marching In':

The whole of Man United went around to the pope

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: Stu
Date: 14 May 10 - 05:59 AM

Sorry, pressed the submit button by mistake:

To the tune of 'The Saints Go Marching In':

The whole of Man United went to rome to see the pope
The whole of Man United went to rome to see the pope
The whole of Man United went to rome to see the pope
And this is what he said:

Who the f*ck are are Man United?
Who the f*ck are are Man United?
Who the f*ck are are Man United?
And the ***** go marching on!

Insert chose team here ********

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 14 May 10 - 06:04 AM

Were you in Manchester during the debacle that occured between some Scottish club and some Russian club, Shimrod? It was absolute madness. At 8:30 am I was prevented from going down Deansgate by a crown of already drunken hooligans, more than one of which were urinating in the road. Liek other around me, including buses and delivery lorries, I sounded my horn. A young policeman knocked on my window and told me I would have to wait and if I tried to do anything but wait I would be arrested for behaviour likely to cause a breach of the peace. Huh!

Later that day, on going to lunch, I had to step over sleeping drunks outside Deansgate station. In the same place that I saw a young homeless woman being moved on by transport police the week before. As well as dodging drunks, pools of vomit, empty cans and smashed bottles, I was subjected to drunken Scottish chants about 'killing Rusky twats'. I did not understand the Russian response as I have not spoked Russian since I was 5 (honest!). To cap it all we had to pay for that privelege by footing the police bill:-(

Unfortunately it cannot be classed as one-off either. Things like this have happened many times before. They will keep happening until the majority of decent law abiding fans withdraw their financial support from the clubs who do nothing to stop it. Hit the sport where it really hurts - In the pocket:-)

Cheers

DeG

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: MikeL2
Date: 14 May 10 - 09:56 AM

Subject: RE: BS: Manchester United !?
From: GUEST,Shimrod - PM
Date: 13 May 10 - 06:25 PM

<" every time I switch on the telly or the radio I don't have to listen to some boring half-wit droning on and on and on and on and on about f***ing football!!! ">

Hi

If you think it is bad now....if I were you I would emigrate to the Moon for a few weeks in about a month's time.

Cheers

MikeL2