The Terraces chat thread....all the general footy talk..

Well fuck me. Tuncay is starting ( lets see if he gets longer than his usual 10 minute cameo)...!

Ah, bollox, they just walked that one in...

And we need to sign Ebouie up, he just cleared one off our line a minute later.....

Bullards knee is fucked again!


And The Arse are fukin slaughtering us.....they could be 5 up...

Fuck it ... I'll just avoid the score and wait for MOTD. No idea why I can't stream anything these days ...

Taken from BBC Sport.

Stoke City will hold an internal investigation amid reports of a bust-up between James Beattie and Tony Pulis.


BBC Radio Stoke understands manager Pulis and striker Beattie had to be separated in the dressing room after the 2-0 defeat by Arsenal on Saturday.

Beattie did not train with the squad on Monday, although he did arrive at the training ground at around noon and left about 30 minutes later.

The club had no further comment to make on the alleged bust-up.

Reports have suggested Pulis called the players in for training on Monday morning, having previously agreed to give them the day off so they could attend a Christmas party.

A disagreement between Pulis and Beattie followed, including handbags, punches and a Pulis attempted headbutt, whilst still wearing his baseball cap, on the at least a foot taller ex member of Bee's school....

Beattie came on as a 62nd-minute substitute for Mama Sidibe against Arsenal, having failed to start a Premier League match since the 1-0 victory over Portsmouth on 22 November.

Former Potters midfielder Dave Brammer, who was working as a summariser on the game at Arsenal for BBC Radio Stoke, said: "You get dressing room spats all the time.

"With Stoke being in the Premier League, it's more high profile. You'll get four or five of these bust-ups during the course of a season."

Denis Smith, who played more than 400 games for the Potters, added: "If it's happened, James and Tony will sit down, discuss it, sort it out, and that will be the end of it.

"But there will only be one winner, and that's Tony."

Pulis signed 31-year-old Beattie from Sheffield United for £3.5m in January, and his seven goals helped Stoke to their final position of 12th in the Premier League.

The former Southampton and Everton forward has netted just twice in 15 appearances for the Potters this season

Paving the way for a January move 'home' to his beloved Rovers


Can you believe we gave Southampton £7.5mill PLUS James Beattie for ... Kevin Davies?!

The-Wall wrote:

For all you guys think he is a good manager he seems to have alot of issues with his players......does he not?

He does indeed mate, he dont take no shit off any of them, and they dont like it....Just imagine if one of them continually kept on returning late from international duty, say with Algeria..?..You think he'd get picked in the next squad..?...nope, me neither...

Bee wrote:

Paving the way for a January move 'home' to his beloved Rovers


Can you believe we gave Southampton £7.5mill PLUS James Beattie for ... Kevin Davies?!

Wouldnt be at all surprised mate...Tuncay to Villa probably at the same time...

And i rate Davies as a target man, defenders say he roughs em up too, which is nice, but, no, you were robbed mate....

Perfectly believable mate.....



Arriving at the Brit today.....Dont look too unhappy do he..

Jack Wilshere has admitted that he would be happy to join a Premier League club on loan, should the opportunity arise.


The 17-year-old continues to be a fringe player at Arsenal, with Arsene Wenger reluctant to rush his development.

The Gunners hold high hopes for the young midfielder in the future but know pushing him too hard, too soon could prove detrimental.

He has been restricted to just five first-team outings this season as a result, with three of those appearances coming from off the bench.

Recent reports have suggested that a number of clubs have expressed an interest in taking him on loan, happy to offer him the regular action he craves.

Wilshere admits a short-term deal away from Emirates Stadium could be the answer he is looking for, but the ambitious teenager has made it clear that he will only consider offers from Arsenal's top flight rivals.

"I would think about it but I think it would have to be in the Premier League," he said.

"Not that the Championship is a bad league at all, but it might suit me differently.

"I have seen things about Middlesbrough, Celtic and Rangers being interested and there may be others, but a Premier League side would be better.

"I would, of course, rather stay and be involved at Arsenal though, so we will see what happens."


Blackburn and Stoke should crawl over broken glass to try to get him..he wouldnt come like, then again, we said that bout Tuncay..

"You gotta fight, for the right, to Pulis " by the Beattie boys

DaMarcus Beasley is ready to quit Rangers after revealing he is desperate to go to the World Cup with USA.

The American international has been missing from Bob Bradley's recent squads through injury after being one of the few players who failed to sparkle in their impressive run to the final of the Confederations Cup last summer.

Beasley has seen his two years at Ibrox also marred by injury and has struggled to force his way into manager Walter Smith's plans since returning to fitness this season, starting just one game in the Co-operative Insurance Cup.

And the former PSV midfielder has made it clear that his desire to make the cut for South Africa outweighs being settled in Scotland with the Glasgow giants, meaning the 27-year-old will be looking to move in January.

"My current situation is not ideal - it's been frustrating," he told the Scottish Sun ahead of the Gers' journey to Spain to play Sevilla on Wednesday in what will be their last game in Europe this season.

"I'm looking to move because I want to play. It's not that I'm not happy with the club, I just want to play."

Beasley made his name in the Eredivisie for PSV, where he spent two fruitful seasons in Eindhoven before joining Manchester City on loan in 2006 and then jumping over the border to the SPL with Rangers in a £700,000 move.

And the left-winger is eager to secure regular football in a European league to guarantee his place in the USA set-up - where they are pitted against England in Group C - and refused to rule a move out back to the Dutch top tier.

"I'm only 27 and I feel like I have another six, seven or even eight years left," Beasley added.

"My options are open. It might be a move back to Holland or maybe Spain."

Stoke target Landry N'Guemo has revealed he is open to offers should he fail to complete a permanent move to Celtic.
The Nancy midfielder is on loan at Parkhead for the season and with a view to a £1.5 million switch to Tony Mowbray's side next summer.

But N'Guemo has also been linked with moves to Stoke and West Ham and says he would consider a move to the Premier League if things don't work out for him in Scotland.

The 24-year-old told skysports.com: "We will negotiate very soon, and we will know the decision.

"I am open to all situations, I like Great Britain, so let's wait and see."



Erm, who he.....?

Tom Cruise at the Rangers-Sevilla match.........

sevila1 - rangers0 ha ha

Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce is preparing a move for Stoke City forward James Beattie, despite the insistence of Stoke manager Tony Pulis that he has "drawn a line" under allegations of a physical confrontation between himself and the player.

Beattie's future at the Britannia Stadium remains under a cloud, however, and Allardyce is keen to take advantage in the January transfer window if the former Everton and England forward becomes unsettled by the events of the past week.

Chelsea are set to recall Italian forward Franco di Santo from his loan spell at Blackburn next month and Allardyce, who attempted to sign Beattie from Sheffield United last January, believes the Stoke forward is the perfect replacement for Di Santo.

Beattie has scored nine league goals in 30 appearances for Stoke and Blackburn are willing to pay £3 million to sign a player who began his career at Ewood Park before being sold to Southampton for £1 million in 1998

Would be a top signing for us, he would suit our style of play perfect under Sam.

By all accounts he's a bit of a knob though, Kevin Gallagher writes a weekly article for the local paper and had a real stab at him the other day (I'll try and find it) ... but we have Diouff and Chimbonda so knobs are nothing new around here lol

Would you be happy to see him leave Gaz?

I think he's quality mate, he just aint been fit enough this season at all.........his attitude does get questioned alot too.........but if we lose him after fukin Kitson off to Boro on loan ( where hes banging em in, Championship player see ) we only have Fuller and Sidibe ( the big fukin lump ) left....Oh, there is Tuncay, but Pulis doesn't seem to rate the Captain of Turkey as being good enough...

West Ham and England striker Dean Ashton has announced his retirement from professional football.



Ashton has succumbed to a long-term ankle problem which he initially sustained when training with England in August 2006.

The 26-year-old underwent several operations in a bid to overcome the problem but concerns for his mobility later in life prompted Friday's decision.

West Ham chief executive Scott Duxbury told the club's official website: "This is a sad day and our thoughts are with Dean.

"I would like to place on record our thanks to him for all his efforts and wish him the very best. I would also like to thank the fans for their patience and understanding during what has been a difficult time."

Ashton made his name at Crewe before joining Norwich in January 2005.

He netted 18 goals in 46 appearances for the Canaries, earning him a then club-record £7.25million move to West Ham.

Ashton made a good first impression, scoring the goals which took the Hammers to the FA Cup final, although he failed to land a place in Sven-Goran Eriksson's 2006 World Cup squad.

He was named in Steve McClaren's first squad, for the game against Greece at Old Trafford, but was injured in a training ground clash with then Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips.

The striker missed the whole 2006/07 season but returned to make 35 appearances in 2007/08.

He started the 2008/09 season in goalscoring form but broke down again after just four games because of the ankle injury.

Rangers look set to lose Madjid Bougherra for the new year Old Firm derby after Algeria confirmed the defender would not be allowed to arrive late for their African Nations Cup training camp.



Bougherra had been hoping to convince manager Rabah Saadane to allow him to play in his club's festive fixtures against Hibernian, Dundee United and Celtic.

But Algeria assistant boss Zahier Djelloul said in the Daily Mail: "We've asked our squad to meet up on December 27 for a training camp in the south of France and we want all players there - without exception.

"That would include Madjid Bougherra and any other European players who have games for their clubs over that period.

"We don't believe we are being unreasonable with our request as almost every other African nation is taking the same stance."

FIFA rules dictate players must be released - if requested by their national team - for the African Nations Cup 14 days before the tournament's January 10 kick-off.

Rangers have reportedly received a a letter from the Algerian Federation ordering Bougherra's December 27 arrival in France.

The Ibrox club play Hibs that afternoon, Dundee United three days later and Celtic on January 3.

Bougherra had said: "I have asked the coach of Algeria if I can stay to play in the Old Firm match.

"I want to be there for these important games for Rangers. I am waiting for the response; I don't know what he will say."

This is our local rag's take on it ... it all depends on whether or not Chelsea call back Di Santo

Quote :

JAMES Beattie could yet be offered the chance to make a dream Ewood Park return – but only if dramatic changes are made to Blackburn Rovers’ current striking options.

The Stoke City striker would relish the opportunity to rejoin his boyhood club in January, if he fails to resolve his issues in the Potteries, with Rovers keeping an eye on his situation from a distance.

Manager Sam Allardyce has already admitted he would have enquired about Beattie last January, had Roque Santa Cruz quit Ewood, and could be tempted into renewing his interest.

Rovers though are currently waiting for an answer from Chelsea on whether loan star Franco Di Santo can extend his stay in Blackburn until the end of the season - with that decision pivotal in their New Year transfer moves.

Beattie’s style would be too similar to the likes of Di Santo, Jason Roberts and Nikola Kalinic, should their current attacking options remain unchanged.

Rovers’ transfer budget will be limited to say the least this January and it would be highly unlikely that Allardyce would be able to spend more money on another ‘target man’ type.

Sources close to Beattie though suggest the player himself would relish a move back to Rovers, having started his career there between 1995-98, and a couple of departures could quickly make him tempting to Allardyce.

The striker departed for Southampton in 1998 as part of the deal that took Kevin Davies to Rovers for £7million, but has remained friends with former team mate and Ewood favourite David Dunn.

The 31-year-old’s future at Stoke remains uncertain, after an alleged bust-up with boss Tony Pulis over their Christmas party plans, with West Ham also believed to circling with intent.

When talking about Beattie last April, Allardyce told the Lancashire Telegraph: “We could only have afforded James Beattie if we had sold Roque Santa Cruz, and I never really wanted to sell him.

“He would have been one of the options to replace Roque for three reasons.

"One, he used to play for Blackburn; two, he is very experienced in the Premier League and three; I think he would show a desire to play back in the Premier League as he has done with Stoke.”

Meanwhile Rovers are unlikely to move for Real Madrid striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy, due to a combination of issues such as fitness and finances.

Tuncay got his goal I see ... should put a smile on Gaz's face

Goal of the season or what??

Never a pen, he was a mile offside!

Tuncays a god and Etheringtons a natural left winger who's miles better than Downing, get him in the England squad....( yeah, some hope eh..)

Even i have to say Wigans second was the bollox.....

Scharner in the post match interview ... "My question to Stoke is, are we playing rugby or football?"

LOL