I'm not sure if the form of the better teams means the league is stronger overall, or that the top sides have actually had a decline in quality and the poorer sides are capitalizing on that.

Jagielka?? Arteta?? Yakubu?? All on the way back from injury/ACN etc

And the standard in the PL has gone markedly down in the past couple of years IMO.

Yakubu is decent but I wouldn't put him at the required quality. Compare him to players like Drogba, Rooney, Torres and RvP, the difference is huge. The other two are good but I don't rate Yobo or Distin, Jagielka is quality but I don't think Distin is better than Lescott was, which is the quality they'll need. As for Arteta, another good player but I think when they were linked with the likes of Lucho and Moutinho, they're the kind of players they need. Arteta's good but when they lose him, they lack a lot of creativity in the middle, although Peanuts looked good vs. City there.

Echo says we're close to getting Jones on loan. Usually pretty bang on with their rumours, on loan sounds much better than swapping him for Babel. Jones is an average player, physically excellent but lacks ability and quality IMO. Should do for the next two months whilst Torres is out/regaining fitness. Hopefully, he'll get N'Gog in the gym with him.

Sunderland have rubbished them reports, and we've turned down a bid by Spurs for Foster.

I know it's only the [iNOTW[/i but apparantly Glazer is planning an rl11% rise in ticket pricesrl.

The [iExpress[/i claims our trip to Qatar last week will bring in a rl£1.2bn takeover by Sheikhs.rl

There are also rumours that we are lining up Pep Guardiola as an assistant manager in line to replace Fergie.

Never going to happen!

Ever. Who do they think they are? Take a top coach of a top European team and just have him sit next to Rudolph for a year or two.

Dreamland.

can't imagine anyone committing to do that at the moment.

A bit of fun and games over in Ireland news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/8464347.stm Think the number 8 could use the excuse he thought Feeney was the ball but not sure the sub also getting stuck into him would get away with that

A bit of fun and games over in Ireland news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/8464347.stm Think the number 8 could use the excuse he thought Feeney was the ball but not sure the sub also getting stuck into him would get away with that

Seriously though a few of those boys could end up in jail going off those pictures.

You would think a few will be getting hefty bans and fines from their FA at best and if the law does get involved, as you say, possibly much worse.

Photos 3 and 4

Both should be thrown out of their leagues and all cups for atleast a year.

Portsmouth didn't pay their players, rlbut Glazer asks United's players to buy his debt.rl

Could we all please spare a moment this morning for Tottenham fans. Ever since about 5 o'clock on Saturday, they have been seen and heard to be a seething, dribbling, wobbly mass of anger and injustice, brought on by another football team daring to stop them from being "entertained" by employing "dark arts", and simply refusing to roll over and die in the name of "entertainment".

"Dark arts"? What, so playing for a draw is now classified alongside diving, chasing refs, 2-footed tackles, dodgy transfer dealings and the like? If so, i'll turn my back on my club for having the nerve to perform such a task. They should rot in hell!

So, if you find a Tottenham fan wandering around in such a state, please take him to the nearest asylum/baby change unit/his mum's, and remind him things could be a lot worse. He could support Liverpool.