He's very similar to Lucas in the fact that he's very neat, great passer short and long, and can dictate the tempo of games. Like Rodgers said you'd think he was Spanish the way his game is.

yeah but great business for THFC

plus Pienaar back to Everton for £4.5 million

well done Mr Levy

Come on you Y$ds

But would the media be bothered?

It would help if footballers didnt keep shooting themselves and the game in the foot. But, partly because of the money and also because they are more famiiar and there to be shot at, football is judged by different standards to other sports.

At the start of the Olympics we had all that fuss about GB footballers not singing the national anthem. I reckon at least 50% of our gold medal winners haven't sung the anthem, and not all of them were too overcome by emotion. Has that been mentioned in the press?

The reaction to the cyclist who admitted to deliberately falling over to gain a restart was far more restrained than it would have been if a footballer had made a similar admission.

And how would the press have reacted if an English football team had been humiliated in the semi final of a tournament the way that GB's men's hockey team were?

I agree with everything you say there, especially the bit about singing the national anthem. On the same night that the footballers were hammered for not caring about the country and all that crap, Jessica Ennis wasn't singing the national anthem, I didn't see it mentioned anywhere.

I do think though that the FA and PL need to remind people why football is the number one game in the country, after the disappointment of the Euros and the impact of the Olympics it could affect football this season.

I think people should get off football's back, especially politicians and the mainstream media who do a lot more to damage society than professional footballers do. It's an easy option. How does John Terry's actions compare with, say, cutting back on mental health spending? I know which one is the easier to resolve and has less impact on the UK than the other.

United for the title this year IMO.

Even more so if they can land van persie. City a close second.

Two way battle between Man United & Chelsea i reckon.

Man City 3rd but will want a good shot at the Champions Lge.

Nothing again for Arsenal...& who knows how Liverpool will do?

Another disappointing season, methinks.

Rodwell to City. Strange one that?

As an Evertonian, I struggle to see the logic....Rodwell isn't even established at Everton as a first team regular (admittedly, mainly because of injuries), so I fail to see how he'd even get close to a game at City.

Mind you, with talk of United and Chelsea also being interested, if an auction was to ensue, I'd be made up to see him go if we got £15m for him and it meant we could hang onto Baines.

Everton have confirmed they've agreed a £12m fee with City over Rodwell. On the Liverpool issue they're 40-1 to win the title. I reckon that's a tidy little bet for 1/2 odds in top two.

Top deal for Everton, especially as there will be add-ons.....City have obviously signed him to fill their British players quota - He certainly won't get a regular game.

Looked promising about 3 years ago, unfortunately he'll spend more time in the treatment room....If we have to sell at least 1 player a year, which it seems obvious we do, then Rodwell would be most Evertonians choice this time around.

Ivanovic sent off in the Community Shield

Makes the Allen deal look like a snip.

Don't know why people think Chelsea will be any good this year. They have gone backwards on last year letting big game players go and they were a 5th-6th place team last season anyway. Don't let a lucky Champions League campaign let people think their something there not!