DISQUS

Excellent article - well done, Kartik.

I'd say all of your selections were made on merit and I for one will be looking forward to seeing them (especially Behrami as a West Ham fan!)

I heard a glowing reference to Villanueva the other day but at one point he was described as 'Dos Santos Lite' because he hasn't got the Tottenham man's pace. Is this so, would you say, and will it impede him in any way?

My good lady wife and I have registered, Gaffer. Looking forward to watching the action unfold!

I think it's rather good, myself.

The same Umbro 'stripes across the shoulder' design as the currently England away kit, of course, but no worse off for it.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't Teddy Sheringham on here somewhere?

My thoughts are that Martin Tyler is the best of all of them - a great tone of voice to accompany the well-judged commentary.

I think Andy Gray's quite incisive in his commentary and speak's like an ex-player who really knows his stuff.

Alan Parry, I'm afraid, is one of my least favourite commentators. I remember a match some years ago between Man United and West Ham in which the latter were getting really... well, hammered. Parry's commentary was so pro-United throughout that I nearly vomited.

It was all "Aren't Man United the best team in the world when they're playing like this?" and "You feel sorry for West Ham but they're not in the same class as this incredible United side..." only worse - MUCH worse.

David Pleat's just a joke, frankly. How he got a job writing a column in the Saturday Sport section of The Guardian I'll never know...

Very impressive! I'm slowly hauling my way up both leagues, but I fear the leaders are way too far in front for me to catch up!

Interesting article, TT. Amazing that you say the Japanese didn't even broadcast the World Cup draw live. Seems they can either take their football or leave it - would that be right?

What about the J-League - are they committed to that somewhat more?

I've bet on football plenty of times here in the UK but am IN NO WAY addicted to it! I see it as an occasional way of trying to win a small amount of money by betting a small stake in the first place - a bit like betting on a horse in a race like the Grand National or Kentucky Derby.

When I was about 18 years of age, I was legally able to step into one of the many betting shops here and pick up a large 'weekend' coupon that listed all the Saturday and Sunday games along with the odds for a home win, away win and draw in each case.

What they do to lure you into placing a bet is suggest something that potentially pays out lots of money, for instance "Four draws - 50/1". Sounds very easy, doesn't it - selecting four games to end in a draw from a list of about sixty, but it's much more difficult than you think!

My friend and I bet on those weekend coupons frequently in our late-teens - only ever betting £1 at a time or something - but we never won anything. Even the supposedly easier bets like "8 Homes - 33/1" we could never win because, of course, you had to find the right result in more matches.

A mugs game, really, but played on an infrequent basis it does no harm and you could, potentially, win a small amount for your trouble.

Doesn't it look strange seeing a list of remaining contenders in the FA Cup that doesn't contain any of the 'big 4'?!?!

I suppose I'd have to go for Portsmouth, but actually my secret wish is that at least one team from outside the Premier League reaches the Final. Makes it more interesting that way... :)

Taking the point about Ramos turning things around for Spurs more so than the players, I'd say there's a degree of believability in the rumours that Curbishley might be given the boot at the end of the season.

Given Curbishley's inability to get Charlton into Europe after heaven-knows-how-many seasons, I wonder if the West Ham board might get rid of him early before any staleness sets in.

As a lifelong fan, I think I can say with some justification that West Ham won't be going any higher than 10th place this season.

Don't get me wrong - I think we're all grateful for that, given last season's relegation battle... it's just that we've been stuck in 10th spot for most of the season and have never overcome the perpetual four point gap between ourselves and (usually) Blackburn in 9th.

West Ham have done well to pick up lots of draws along with their occasional wins, but it's not the sort of form that cuts the mustard when you're talking about UEFA Cup places. With Tottenham stuck in 11th place some four to six points behind The Hammers at any given time, I think West Ham are going nowhere for the foreseeable future.

Hopefully in the close season Alan Curbishley can snap up a few more quality players which will kick-start some upward movement in the table for 2008/09.

Am I missing something here? I don't understand why you were criticising The Gaffer. His comments were complementary about the kit Man Utd were wearing and he was intrigued by the kit being worn by Man City, as indeed was I.

The connection between the result / team's performances and the kits being worn seems to be entirely in the strange imaginations of many of you that have left comments. I agree that Man City either didn't need a new kit for the match or if they did it should have been made to look more like the won they wore in the late 50's. I mean no disrespect when I say that and it's not an attack on Man City - I just thought the choice of Man City kit was an odd one.

The Gaffer wasn't writing an in-depth thesis on whether the kit affected Man U on the day, nor was it a desperate attempt to find something negative to say about Man City. It was an article written about two sets of kits worn on the day - nothing else.

Great to hear from you once again, Gaffer! My thoughts are with you for a continued recovery and a return to full health and fitness very soon. All the best!

Hey Chris... So sorry to hear you're in hospital at the moment, but I've no doubt they'll have you back on your feet and fighting fit again very soon. I'm sure I speak on behalf of all your friends and podcast listeners when I say 'Get Well Soon' and we look forward to hearing from you again in the not-too-distant future. :)

Here here to that. How could I not vote for EPL Talk in either of the two awards?!? It's the best there is! :-)

I've always like Barack Obama... :)