I'd love him to do well in the prem. Did any of the really big money clubs look into him? I'd be surprised if Chelsea (esp. with the Abramovich influence) weren't interested. He really does look like an incredible player. Just glad we won't have to play against the fucker this season.

Dog Bleeds To Death After
Microchip Implant
From Katherine Albrecht
2-3-9 Dog Bleeds to Death After "Routine" Microchip Implant Procedure Grieving owner calls for an end to mandatory microchipping in Los Angeles A fluffy bundle of life, love, and enthusiasm named Charlie Brown was laid to rest last week, the victim of a microchip implant gone horribly wrong. The long-haired, purebred Chihuahua bled to death in the arms of his distraught owners, Lori and Ed Ginsberg of Agua Dulce, California, just hours after undergoing the controversial chipping procedure. "I wasn't in favor of getting Charlie chipped, but it was the law," said Lori Ginsberg, citing a Los Angeles county ordinance that requires all dog owners to chip their dogs once they reach four months of age. Dog owners who refuse to comply face a $250 fine for the first offense and up to six months in jail for continued non-compliance. "This technology is supposedly so great until it's your animal that dies," she said. "I can't believe Charlie is gone. I'm just beside myself." Dr. Reid Loken, the board certified veterinarian who performed the chipping, confirmed on Friday that Charlie died from blood loss associated with the microchip. He cited "an extreme amount of bleeding" from the "little hole in the skin where the [microchip implant] needle went in" as the cause of death. He said he was both saddened and puzzled by Charlie's death. "I just don't know what happened to him. We put the chip in the back in the shoulder blades, the standard place where we put them, and there really aren't any major blood vessels in that area," he said. "I don't think it went in too deep; it was a pretty routine chipping." Dr. Loken suspected the needle may have nicked the muscle around the scapula, causing blood to ooze from the muscle. However, his efforts to stem the bleeding with pressure bandages were unsuccessful. The bleeding could not be attributed to a congenital clotting problem, he said, since Charlie had undergone a neutering and tooth extraction without incident just weeks before. Charlie's owners were devastated by the loss. "Charlie loved to play and cuddle. He brought so much joy and life to our home," said Lori. "We loved him and took such good care of him. He meant everything to us." The Ginsbergs were quick to absolve Dr. Loken of responsibility for Charlie's death. "He's a great vet and this was not his fault. The real blame is with the people who forced us to implant our dog against our better judgment," they said. The Ginsbergs plan to petition the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to repeal the mandatory chipping law, and have sought the help of prominent consumer privacy advocate Dr. Katherine Albrecht. Albrecht is a Harvard-trained researcher who has authored a definitive academic paper citing literature that links microchips with cancer in dogs as well as laboratory animals. She has also authored an exhaustive, 47-page FAQ on microchip implants. Albrecht cites other adverse reactions stemming from microchips in the past. In one case, a struggling kitten died instantly when a microchip was accidentally injected into its brain stem. In another, a cat was paralyzed when an implant entered its spinal column. The implants have been widely reported to migrate within animals' bodies, and can cause abscesses and infection. In at least two documented cases, dogs have developed cancerous tumors surrounding or adjacent to microchip implants. "Tragedies like what happened to Charlie Brown are probably more common than we like to think," said Albrecht. "But it takes courageous people like the Ginsbergs to come forward and talk about it." Albrecht and the Ginsbergs are calling for a repeal of all mandatory animal chipping laws nationwide, and for the creation of a national registry to document adverse reactions from the chipping procedure. "It's horrible to live in a country where your choices are being take away and you don't get to make decisions about your family and your life anymore," said Lori Ginsberg. "Politicians should not take away my right to do what I thought was best for my pet." For The Media:

I think this means he's pleased about Arshavin.

Bloody hell, imagine if that had happened. It would basically be paying 25 million to have Robbie Keane piss off and come back.
Those two have been absolutely dire all season, as for Bent, isnt he one of the top 20 best paid players in Europe or something?

I'd be surprised if none of the other clubs were interested, but we got him! And from what I'm hearing, it was at a bargain price - about 1/2 what Zenit wanted.

FA Cup Replay today! My boss called me and told me not to bother coming into work tonight because 'everyone in Liverpool will be staying at home to watch the match'.

Is the match on ITV or some satellite / digital channel?

ITV1 at 8.00

Regarding Tottenham, I'd agree with demonrail, they shan't sink. Modric and Pavlyuchenko are used to challenges, so should trouble happen, they'd be there - only mentioning the newbies.

I'm still wondering why some clubs reshuffle their teams every year, not allowing its members to know each other and get to play. That's how Spurs seem to work.

I haven't seen any of their games this season. Can't judge really, just put my trust in reviews here and there.

Villa number 3, that's something I like quite a lot.
O'Neil did get interesting players who turned pretty useful (Milner, Luke Young, Heskey now, plus Sidwell who didn't cost Villa as much as what Chelsea paid when he left Reading).
And I've seen a couple of games.

I just think it's an emblem of the modern game (at least in the UK) in which smaller clubs now act as a kind of feeder pool for the top three or four teams. The minute any other team lands a decent player they're bought up almost immediately either by Man U, Chelsea, Liverpool, etc so you can never really build a team anymore. I looked up West Ham's current team and there isn't a single player whose been with the club more than ten years, and most have only been there two or three. A far cry from when I started watching football in the 70s where a player like Trevor Brooking, Billy Bonds or Alvin Martin played for the same club for over twenty years - a number of those in what was then the Second Division. That wouldn't happen now, making it far harder for smaller clubs to forge any real kind of indentity.

Liverpool were beaten 1-0 by Everton.

robbie now spurs captain.. its set upfor him to come back and hit a hatrick against the arse with their new star striker...... could happen....... will spurs let in 4 this time????? it will be a cracker of a game, cant wait for it!!!

All thanks to Lucas Leiva for getting himself sent off. He must be retarded, going in for dangerous tackles when he is already on a yellow card. I hope he never plays for Liverpool ever again. But maybe this knock-out is a blessing in disguise for Liverpool- they now have less games to play, more time to rest players for the important league games. They might make League Champions yet..

Meanwhile Everton will get beat by Aston Villa in the next round because they look like a team of sex offenders and human-fish mutant hybrids. Also their fans are 1/3 more ugly, bald, fat, ginger, and greasy than any other team's fans in the entire Premier League.

I tend to agree (about the nuisance of the FA Cup, not that Everton look like a load of peds!!). I wouldn't be surprised if half the teams still in it secretly-wished they weren't. It's too big a diversion.

balls..... f.a. cup means something and all this talk of it not meaning anything is just stupid.... same as the league cup, means fuck all if you are out of it... that shit annoys me because its always a get out excuse for man u fans... its not obligatory to enter these competitions so if it means nothing to temas like man u, arseboys and liverpool then why do they enter them in the first place!!!! id like to see the afforementioned belittling those cometitions when they are in the final.... actually..man u havent belittled the league cup at all this year... im sure they will have their excuses come 6.30 pm on the 1st of march!!!

as for other fotty shit.. how lucky were the arse to get away with a point from the lane... i wish spurs could play like that all the fucking time......

West Ham are still in the FA Cup, but I still think it's a waste of time. Unless you win the competition it's meaningless. It's a sad fact that League success/stability is now so important that anything that diverts from it will be seen as a nuisance, and not just for the top four. Clubs struggling in their own relegation or promotion battles (regardless of their division) are just as likely to have the same attitude. I'm sure Pompey this season would've forfeited their FA Cup victory last year for a better league standing in this one.

Lucky?!! We were the only team to get the ball in the net - still can't see why it was disallowed.

Good to see Eduardo and Arshavin on the bench - the future's bright.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,195...908061,00.html

idiots! thats the funniest thing i've seen in ages. Ray Wilkins stepping up

Abramovich's revolving door attitude to managers is likely to back fire pretty soon. There simply won't be any decent ones left to choose from in a year or two. Although I see that Tony Adams is now available.:D

I think Abramovich has already run out of decent managers. Currently linked with the job: Avram Grant, Sven Goran Eriksson.