30 Jun 2015 00:25:48
Just looked at Ed001's reply to the O'Driscoll thread about recommending him back in the day and it got me thinking.
I only discovered this site around 2012/13, so a relative newbie, but I'm sure there's many (not least some of the Eds) who've been here since the beginning.
So, to those of you who've been here ages, what are the oldest rumours you can remember from this site? How nailed on where the players, especially those who didn't come off?
Also, Eds, can you think back to the first name (or names) that you recommended or yearned for when the site was but newly born?!
{Ed001's Note - I was trying to think, the earliest one I can remember is Honda, or maybe Aguero?}
30 Jun 2015 05:13:56
Aguero spotted in the streets. Then Honda and then villa. Came on board during 2011. But only started posting from last yr
30 Jun 2015 06:03:41
David Silva and David Villa during the sumner of 2008, when the site was just footballrumours.co.uk
{Ed001's Note - oh yes! I forgot about them. I still would love us to sign Silva (if they are listening!).}
30 Jun 2015 06:38:34
Ken Aguero - good shout Ed. Now THERE was a player who would have made a difference. :-)
{Ed001's Note - he could still do a job, just keep him off the Quavers and get him fit.}
30 Jun 2015 06:40:41
Arda Turan has been on this site for every transfer window, for years.
30 Jun 2015 08:21:53
When did the site start and why? Would love to know a little about it if you have time?
{Ed001's Note - Ed033 was at college studying web design and wanted an idea for a site to make for the course as a project. It was 2001, my then gf had just found out she was pregnant and the company I worked for had hit trouble and asked all of the staff to take a 15% pay cut plus reduced hours, leading to a loss of about 25% in my pay. Added to a baby on the way and a mortgage to try and pay, I realised I would not be able to afford to go to the football for a long time. So we took a look at footie sites around to see what had not already been done so we could do something different. The one thing I had noticed from the chats I would have wherever I went is that people wanted to talk about what player was going to which club. I was lucky enough to have a few contacts within the game, and so most conversations I was having at work etc tended to be people asking me if I had any news on transfers and asking about stuff from the papers. So I suggested a site to sort out which of the rumours were nonsense and which weren't, as there was literally nothing like it back then. So in July 2001 Ed033 created the website, my daughter was born in the August, and I got my first computer as a Christmas present that year, as up until then, I was writing all stuff I heard down on paper and giving it to Ed033 each night when we trained together. For the first few years it was literally just me posting up things, we used to do a page for news, a page for transfers and a page for rumours. When I was not at work I would sit up when the little un was asleep, just putting the news onto the news page, then I would go to work and fall asleep. Funny thing is no one at my job noticed I was sleeping most of my shift, as before then I used to pretty much just spend my days wandering round talking footie to everyone. I remember they did a time and motion study and the guy brought in actually stopped me after the first month of the study and asked what I was actually meant to be doing as he had never been able to figure it out!}
30 Jun 2015 09:33:16
Been on this site since 2006 when a lad called Goatman Garry ( Arsenal fan ) was the main poster. We were constantly being linked to Simao Sabrosa and a certain Fernando Torres as well as rumours of Gerrard leaving to Chelsea . even some 'cheeky' Raul rumours started to surface
Well done eds on a fantastic job throughout the years
{Ed001's Note - we did try and sign Raul when Rafa was manager, and, unless I am getting mixed up, didn't we nearly sign Simao at one point as well?}
30 Jun 2015 09:48:43
Haha brilliant ed. Great to finally hear about the sites beginnings.
30 Jun 2015 10:23:30
How did you meet ed002 and get him on board ed?
Would love a factual answer, but I fear something about rodeo clowns will be the answer 😂
{Ed001's Note - he used to post on the site and we got chatting via email about the financial side of football. When anyone says I don't change my opinion, well that is proof I do as he changed my opinion on the financial side completely. It was only due to him I was able to ask the right questions to find out just how bad a state Liverpool were in financially under G&H. So I asked if he would help out editing when the sites got so busy I needed some help.}
30 Jun 2015 10:55:53
I remember being devastated going on holiday in 2007 because I was not able to keep up on the transfers for 2 weeks. I ended getting the paper every day in Florida as an alternative. We were massively being linked with Thierry Henry and ended up buying Torres. Doesn't feel that long ago I started reading
30 Jun 2015 11:06:46
ED how bad were we under H&G? some say we were nearly bankrupt and some say it wasn't that bad
{Ed001's Note - they ran out of money and so did the club. We did very nearly go bankrupt. Administration was beckoning.}
30 Jun 2015 11:30:23
the Aguero Rumours that he was replacing FT was hilarious, the man had been sighted everywhere
30 Jun 2015 12:31:17
And this is still the best site about