European: Lets Talk Football [Archive] - Page 3

Tacitus

02-10-07, 07:54 AM

A scouting report for Liverpool's new American owners, from the ever-wonderful Football365:

Jose (Pepé) Reina

Netminder with an impressive 19 shutouts this regular season. Save average of .854 in last five outs. Replaces New Jerzy Dudek as first-choice goaltender after veteran's series of high-profile handling errors. Nicknamed after Pepé Le Pew, the cheese-eating surrender skunk.

James 'The Minister Of Defense' Carragher

Captain of defense and native 'Scouser'. 2963 minutes of field time with powerplay change-up stats of 5-6-3. Awesome displays in penalty zone versus aerial offense plays. Awesome displays at club Christmas parties. Distribution ranked only 245th in EPL. Note: communication may be difficult as James does not speak English.

Steve O'Finnan

Defensive cornerback/outside linebacker ranked six in division for forward offense running plays. Highly-rated change-up, groundspeed. 245 defensive tackle ratio. Proud Irishman: merchandising opportunities with millions of east coast Americans who are 1/64 from Cork. Vital cornerman, new shorts.

Sam Hyypia

Veteran centerblocker famed for aerial rebound ability, composureability, although lacks change-up, questions over groundplay v forwards with nimbleness quotient. Radical air with headbombs from special plays ensures a conversions per season tally average of six. Hails from Finlandland, a country in Europe that is part of the 'Axis Of Pleasantness'.

John-Arnold Riise

Cornerman who regularly features in goalshot of the month sweeps with a left peg rated in top five nationwide for sweetness. Rookie, sophomore seasons raised expectations of possible Hall of Famer status but recent semesters have seen the person of redly-challenged hair demoted to bullpen on occasion. 7-6-8.

Gerrard Steven

Team MVP, captain and midfielderman famed for power running, pass accuracy, assists. Has dressed as center, right wingerbacker (offensive and defensive) and even as secondary power forward. Can rush goal or sit back in the pocket. Career high came in Pro-Ball showdown against the Milan Tumblers in Istanbul (believed site of WMD).

Craig Bellamy

Controversial wide receiver/goal forward rated division's third most likely player to face red card takedown in grudge slams. Lightning fast in joggy work down winglines, although critics question net targeting infield. Has switched franchises several times in career amid rumors of all-star level jackassery.

Robert Bernard Fowler

Veteran strike attacker and all-time Liverpool Reds Hall of Famer. Once considered league MVP for shotzone rebounds and accuracy in the paint. Famously flagged on field for displaying his tight end to opponent Graeme Le Saux, and for calling into question The War On Drugs.

Xavi Alonso (ITA)

6-5-7, 12, 468, 0.43, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 98632548, 1, 1, 0 (?), 0, 1. 0.3.

Jermaine Pennant

Wide receiver/running forward has rushed for over 1,000 yards in Liverpool Reds rookie season. Crossfields delivery success rate well into point-seven-ohs, play action, sprinty, jigglebomb, DUI. 6.662. Off-field activities saw him given bum's rush from Steve Bruskowski's Birmingham Brums. Only soccerplayer on roster with a sensible sportsman's name.

Peter Crouch Jr

Power forward who could have potential if consortium moves into NBA. Noted for headbomb assists, ganglyhole, salmon leap, robotics. 0.673, runners batted in, three points. Traded several times early in career but has flourished under head coach Benitez at the Anfield Taco Bellodrome.

Revenge of Mr M

02-10-07, 06:59 PM

^Heh, jokes like that seem awfully redundant when they start referring to the positions as "goaltender" and "defenseman". Anyway, fat chance it will change anything there. Benitez will just go out and spend any extra money on Venezuelan left back who turns out to be as useful as David James playing up front, and when they move to their new ground, their wall of noise will be gone and suddenly away at Liverpool won't be such a 'frightening' fixture anymore.
I watched Antwerp a handful times last year, which is basically Man Utd reserves. Nice, even though none of them really stood out enough to suggest they're future first team material. Shame, their youth team has really I don't think it's anything particularly wrong with United's YTS scheme or anything, it's just a trend... English youngsters on the whole just seem to be lacking in genuine class and have been for some time... Part of the reason why we are staring non-qualification for the Euros in the face. :(

Thursday Next

02-12-07, 01:02 PM

Very funny, Tacitus :)

Anyone see Wigan v Arsenal? Thierry Henry - what a w*nker.

Tacitus

02-13-07, 06:35 AM

I don't mind Terry 'Enry actually. He's a bit up himself at times but a wonderful sight when in full flow. Plus: the goading of Neville G when they beat Man Ewe recently was top viewing.

Arrogant yes, but I don't think he's in the same 'hateful' class as Savage or Ronaldo (the overrated one, not the porky Brazilian). ;)

Mr M:

I dunno what the solution is for England's woes - apparently McLaren has had the worst start of any England manager - but all this talk of a 'Golden Generation' is, to me, bollocks. It was a handy stick with which to beat Sven when they didn't perform last summer.

Take the Italia '90 side, for example. Is John Terry better than Terry Butcher? Gerrard then Gascoigne? Owen than Lineker? Rooney (in his present form) than Beardsley? Joe Cole than Waddle? Cashley Cole than Pearce? Ferdinand than Mark Wright? Lampard than Platt? ;)

The great pity about the 1990 squad is the apparent God-given right they had to become crap managers - Shilton, Robson, Waddle, Butcher, Barnes, Platt and the current U21 boss Stu Pearce - what other manager would take on an extra job when his team is being dragged towards relegation? More to the point, what eejit would hire him in the first place?

As a bloke, I think Pearce is top notch. As a manager he seems sadly out of his depth...but representative of the apparent National disease that values 'passion' and 'commitment' above technical competence and a proven track record...

Thursday Next

02-13-07, 07:12 AM

Tacitus

02-13-07, 11:19 AM

Forgive my waffling for, in the words of Arsene Wenger, I did not see it...

I'd taped Top Gear and was watching it while forgetting MOTD was on. :rolleyes:

Tacitus

03-28-07, 09:20 AM

C'mon Norn Iron!

If we stick to our gameplan we can defeat the plucky Swedish underdogs!

Our high-class team of Premiership reserves and lower league journeymen nullified the class of Liechtenstein so we must guard against complacency tonight... ;)

Golgot

03-29-07, 09:14 PM

Why in the name of all that's been near the Blarney stone isn't there more comment here??

Commiserations Pidz. Fugging fantastic stuff by your boys Tac (from what i can tell - only saw the first half highlights. You've got a killer striker there mate ;))

Um - and is no one going to commiserate the St George's brigade that McClaren's kept his 'cap'? ;)

Tacitus

03-30-07, 08:09 AM

Hmmmm Steve McClown, a man so inept that he makes Keggy Keegle look like Brian Clough...

The press (and to a ceetain extent the English public) are reaping what they've sown in demanding an English manager. Barwick and his group of jokers at the FA unwittingly ruled out the chance of any top class coach taking the job after the mess they made of the approach to Scolari so the country is left with 6th Choice Steve.

A Boro fan I know says the national side now plays exactly the way that The Smoggies used to - completely lacking in conviction. He's a mid-table coach and an average #2 (and I think the England fans were calling him a #2 on Wednesday night ;)) who doesn't have the swingers to make tactical decisions or the ability to inspire a team of millionaires who must have thought they would be playing for a Big Name (to go with their Big Egos) manager by now, instead of the guy who used to put his arm round their shoulder after Sven told them that Jenas would be on the bench.

Healy is a gem, and no mistake, but also a conundrum for Leeds Utd. He's proved over the last 2 years that he can score against supposed world class defenders (and John Terry) but only bangs in 10 a season for his club. Apparently Wise hasn't been picking him and the previous boss played him out of position but, to be frank, they need their heads looking at - the little guy has a better international scoring record than Klinnsmann. ;)

Funeral

03-30-07, 12:58 PM

Football is my favorite as I youst to play it myself, and my team is the Washington Redskins.

adidasss

03-30-07, 01:24 PM

Someone should really make the "American rugby" thread already...

Thursday Next

03-31-07, 06:44 AM

diamondgeeza

03-31-07, 03:01 PM

McDonut can't really take all the flak about it, the players are to blame aswell, But when we need to go to the Championship for Engalnd first team players we must be in trouble!

Revenge of Mr M

04-04-07, 04:50 PM

Football is my favorite as I youst to play it myself, and my team is the Washington Redskins.

Wow. I feel kinda sorry for you. Well, mostly Joe Gibbs. Apart from so many other things, I really think they should have made a stronger play for Lance Briggs, but my pre-draft prediction is that the best you can hope for is 3rd in the East above the Giants...

As for England, the root of their problem, beisdes the ineptitude of Mclaren, the Norv Turner of association football, is that the media controls the fans. It really flew in the face of all logic last summer when people kept saying, "oh there is a problem in midfield, Lampard and Gerrard can't play together so what we'll do is drop Beckham"

The media as I'm sure we should all know has only one motive, and that is the profit motive. I read the Sun, which I'm sure speaks volumes about me to some people, but they in particular spout so much quotable polemic that is for all other purposes totally useless and baseless. So, yeah, like everyone up there has said, the papers go for the easy story, whip the supporters up in a fury and the whole pot explodes in a hideous mess. You see the same thing with Stuart Pearce who has been rexposed as a very, very average tactician and manager and they're talking about this guy possibly being groomed as Mclarens successor.

The thing now is of course that the rest of the schedule is in theory, Russia trip aside, very very easy. So we will qualify, and I think we will get out of the first round in the Euros. Which means at least three more years of Mclaren. :D Barwick has been exposed as a joke, he made it his decision alone appointing the manager, taking the choice away from the commitee. I was against his appointment from day one and he needs to go as soon as possible. I don't think he has made a single good decision during his tenure.

How to improve: For one thing, I don't think it's a good idea to play with two out and out crossing wingers when your strikers are 5'8" and 5'9". Joe Cole is coming back which is important. Play him wide. Now this is very important, ignore the media and play Gerrard wide. Leave Lampard in the middle, again ignore the media do not make him a scapegoat and remember that the ball should run faster than the man.

Revenge of Mr M

04-04-07, 04:51 PM

Thats proper Football mate!! Not that NFL *****!

NFL isn't ****...

nebbit

04-05-07, 10:39 AM

NFL isn't ****...
Revenge! so nice to see you :kiss:

Revenge of Mr M

04-05-07, 07:01 PM

Revenge! so nice to see you :kiss:

Hi! Nice to see you!:yup:

Piddzilla

04-10-07, 04:46 PM

Half time in the Man U - Roma game. Oh boy..... Talk about knock out! Ronaldo (the Portuguese) is fantastic. I'm glad he got to score his first Champions League goal.

The second half won't be very exciting probably..... But I'll keep watching...

Piddzilla

04-11-07, 05:04 PM

Manchester United - 7 : 1 - Roma

:eek:

Tacitus

04-13-07, 07:22 AM

Manchester United - 7 : 1 - Roma

:eek:

The Man Ewe fans are gonna be insufferable for a while yet. I didn't even bother watching the match because that little sh*t Ronaldo irritates me as much as Keith Gillespie used to.

He's definitely improved as a player this season, is starting to pull out performances when it matters and isn't becoming a flat track bully like Lampard, for instance.

It's his face that I hate...

Piddzilla

04-13-07, 12:44 PM

The Man Ewe fans are gonna be insufferable for a while yet. I didn't even bother watching the match because that little sh*t Ronaldo irritates me as much as Keith Gillespie used to.

He's definitely improved as a player this season, is starting to pull out performances when it matters and isn't becoming a flat track bully like Lampard, for instance.

It's his face that I hate...

I sense some kind of sexual tension in your anger, Dave.... I think you're in love with the boy. :yup:

nebbit

04-13-07, 07:25 PM

Lets talk http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:x8UcZJwlM1N31M:http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/7500/cricket20051gt.gif who slaughtered the Irish? http://bestsmileys.com/sports1/25.gif

Tacitus

04-14-07, 06:09 AM

I sense some kind of sexual tension in your anger, Dave.... I think you're in love with the boy. :yup:

You think? Sheesh that's embarrassing, I mean, how am I gonna explain falling in love with someone who plays for Man Ewe?

It's kinda like West Side Story... :confused:

Lets talk http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:x8UcZJwlM1N31M:http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/7500/cricket20051gt.gif who slaughtered the Irish?

As half our team is made up of 30-something Aussie rejects, I'd call it more a case of friendly fire than a slaughter. :D

I think your coach must be feeling relieved, though - look at what happened when we last won a match...

nebbit

04-14-07, 06:36 AM

As half our team is made up of 30-something Aussie rejects,
Is it :goof:

I think your coach must be feeling relieved, though - look at what happened when we last won a match...
I'm sure he is :yup:

Tacitus

04-14-07, 06:59 AM

Is it :goof:

I heard a few of them interviewed after we beat Pakistan and a lot of the accents were more Harold from Neighbours than Colin Farrell.

Then again, Bouncer from Neighbours would probably get a spot in our team. ;)

nebbit

04-14-07, 07:33 AM

I heard a few of them interviewed after we beat Pakistan and a lot of the accents were more Harold from Neighbours than Colin Farrell.

Then again, Bouncer from Neighbours would probably get a spot in our team. ;)
I never what Neighbours :nope: so i don't know who Harold and Bouncer are :nope:

Revenge of Mr M

05-04-07, 06:25 PM

It's funny how Milan and Liverpool are in the Champions League final despite the fact that neither is the best or even the second best team in their respective countries. So one of these teams, whose domestic seasons both effectively ended at least three months ago will be crowned in about three weeks time as the best team in Europe... precisely because they were such lame ducks in their own countries that they've been able to rest up and concentrate solely on Europe! This is just ridiculous. It just shows what a farce the 'Champions League' is. Milan shouldn't even be in European competition in the first place. Even as my own team seemingly cruises towards a league title, I'm pretty disillusioned by the entire sport right now.

Tacitus

05-05-07, 06:26 AM

The grapes are sour in your part of Madchester then? ;)

Seeing as how Barcelona won their league and the Champions League last season I can't agree with your assertion.

That non-champions are allowed into the competition at all is a moot point, however, but when have UEFA (and G14) cared about anything other than money?

Revenge of Mr M

05-05-07, 08:40 AM

^ 1) Copa Del Rey is meaningless, our first stringers always played in the FA Cup especially the replays which we've had far too many of. 2) The talent gap between 1st and 20th in the EPL is a lot smaller than the gap between 1st and 20th in La Liga 3) Barcelona had about 700 different players who could step straight into the first team though. That's another thing. Right at the start of the season, I was extremely concerned by the fact that we added no depth anywhere on the team and it ended coming back to bite us towards the end of the season. So it's equal parts poor management and fixture congestion.
Re: Milan don't know if you got my point, but it was that Milan shouldn't be in the CL in the first place, when juve and Fiorentina got thrown out, why did they stick? They should've gone too. It's only because they have all those ex-presidents and stuff on their board. The FIGC and UEFA completely bottled it.

Tacitus

05-06-07, 11:33 AM

^ 1) Copa Del Rey is meaningless, our first stringers always played in the FA Cup especially the replays which we've had far too many of.

Are you talking about this season or in general? Seeing as Man Ewe practically invented the practice of playing reserves in cup matches you must mean this campaign.

2) The talent gap between 1st and 20th in the EPL is a lot smaller than the gap between 1st and 20th in La LigaNonsense. In fact the 1st and 7th team in La Liga are separated by just 16 points wheras it's 34 in England.

3) Barcelona had about 700 different players who could step straight into the first team though. That's another thing. Right at the start of the season, I was extremely concerned by the fact that we added no depth anywhere on the team and it ended coming back to bite us towards the end of the season. So it's equal parts poor management and fixture congestion.I'll agree with you there - Barca have a strong squad and you have Kieron Richardson - which makes your season all the more outstanding. Luckily the injuries started to pile up when the league was practically won but I can't see Ferguson trusting to luck next year. The Milan result was a mixture of poor tactics (it's fine telling Ronaldo, Giggs & Rooney not to track back and harry opposition midfielders when you're playing Fulham or Watford but not to expect them to do this when you're playing a top side in their backyard with 2 away goals smacks of lunacy or arrogance) and squad shortcomings (a midfielder who can tackle and break up play is paramount for next season and seeing how Hargreaves has been whoring himself around, that's practically a done deal).

Re: Milan don't know if you got my point, but it was that Milan shouldn't be in the CL in the first place, when juve and Fiorentina got thrown out, why did they stick? They should've gone too. It's only because they have all those ex-presidents and stuff on their board. The FIGC and UEFA completely bottled it.Yup, Milan shouldn't have been there but you've got to beat who's put in front of you. I've got no bias one way or t'other towards the teams in this season's competition and can honestly say that I think Liverpool or Chelski would have done much the same to you as Milan. It would have been a different story if you could have put out a full strength team but that's a luxury afforded to few at this stage of the season. ;)

Piddzilla

05-06-07, 04:13 PM

I love Champions League.... It's a tournament that all teams want to win which ensures great entertainment.

Tacitus

05-08-07, 07:35 AM

Some wonderful quotes from Jorge Valdano:

"Football is made up of subjective feeling, of suggestion - and, in that, Anfield is unbeatable. Put a s*** hanging from a stick in the middle of this passionate, crazy stadium and there are people who will tell you it's a work of art. It's not: it's a s*** hanging from a stick,"

"Chelsea and Liverpool are the clearest, most exaggerated example of the way football is going: very intense, very collective, very tactical, very physical, and very direct."

"But, a short pass? No. A feint? No. A change of pace? No. A one-two? A nutmeg? A backheel? Don't be ridiculous. None of that. The extreme control and seriousness with which both teams played the semi-final neutralised any creative licence, any moments of exquisite skill."

"The lives of Mourinho and Benitez have crossed in a world that is ever more scrutinised and exposed by the media, which is why they look at each other with such distrust."

"But they have two things in common: a previously denied, hitherto unsatisfied hunger for glory, and a desire to have everything under control."

"Both of those things stem from one key factor: neither Mourinho nor Benitez made it as a player. That has made them channel all their vanity into coaching."

"Those who did not have the talent to make it as players do not believe in the talent of players, they do not believe in the ability to improvise in order to win football matches. In short, Benitez and Mourinho are exactly the kind of coaches that Benitez and Mourinho would have needed to have made it as players."

Quite what he thinks about the playing styles of the teams managed by less-than-great ex-players Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger is anyone's guess... ;)

Tacitus

05-22-07, 08:23 AM

According to a filthy, disreputable newspaper:

Former Blades boss Neil Warnock is tipped to take over as Northern Ireland manager.

For the love of God. Nooooooooo!!! :furiousdevil:

nebbit

05-22-07, 06:24 PM

According to a filthy, disreputable newspaper:

For the love of God. Nooooooooo!!! :furiousdevil:

Poor Tatty :( I think he is about to bust a Poopall valve http://bestsmileys.com/exploding/1.gif :kiss:

Piddzilla

05-23-07, 01:37 PM

So.... Champions League final....

Milan should win this. But then again... They should have won in 2005 as well....

Tacitus

05-24-07, 06:55 AM

So.... Champions League final....

Milan should win this. But then again... They should have won in 2005 as well....

How right you were... ;)

Milan were awful and Liverpool's failure to capitalise is testament to Benitez's approach.

How the hell he expected to win the biggest trophy in club football with Zenden and Pennant, one a has-been and the other a never-will-be, on the wings pumping in crosses so high that even Crazy Legs Crouch would have had trouble coping with.

Not as dull as the simply shameful FA Cup Final but when you have a team not playing well enough to win it verses a team never looking like they believed they could win it, a classic isn't gonna emerge...

Piddzilla

05-24-07, 06:50 PM

How right you were... ;)

Milan were awful and Liverpool's failure to capitalise is testament to Benitez's approach.

How the hell he expected to win the biggest trophy in club football with Zenden and Pennant, one a has-been and the other a never-will-be, on the wings pumping in crosses so high that even Crazy Legs Crouch would have had trouble coping with.

Not as dull as the simply shameful FA Cup Final but when you have a team not playing well enough to win it verses a team never looking like they believed they could win it, a classic isn't gonna emerge...

I totally agree. Milan were really disappointing. Only thing is Liverpool were incapable of taking advantage of that. But it is in that kind of game where individual competence becomes deciding and Inzaghi does what he's paid to do - be on side at one time during the game and deciding the game. Pretty impressive.

I can't understand though why Crouch didn't start.

Tacitus

05-25-07, 09:41 AM

I totally agree. Milan were really disappointing. Only thing is Liverpool were incapable of taking advantage of that. But it is in that kind of game where individual competence becomes deciding and Inzaghi does what he's paid to do - be on side at one time during the game and deciding the game. Pretty impressive.

I can't understand though why Crouch didn't start.

Yup, totally agree. It's one thing to have a striker bounding around the pitch for 90 minutes like a giant, football-shirted Golden Retriever but surely his job is to put the ball in the back of the net?

Kuyt's late goal was his first in the competition.

I was surprised, given that Benitez decided to play two wingers and give the ball to them at every opportunity, that Crouch didn't start, or at least get brought on earlier than the 78th minute. Dropping Alonso and moving Gerrard back to where he does the most damage (running forward from midfield) seems, with hindsight anyway, to be a better solution. Even keeping Alonso and playing Gerrard on the right would have provided more balance - I've seen a lot of praise for Pennant but can't quite understand it. The guy has been 'promising' since Arsenal signed him as a 15 year old nearly a decade ago and he still can't deliver on a regular basis.

Mascherano seems a fantastic player, by the way. I can't believe that this was the same guy who couldn't get a game for West ham earlier in the season - if ever there was a case of a player being too good for a team this is it.

It's one thing to sit in front of the back four when you know you have 4 or 5 men ahead of you but quite another when you're continually getting swamped due to the ineptitude/lack of heart of your teammates. ;)

Piddzilla

05-25-07, 04:14 PM

Tacitus

05-26-07, 05:32 AM

Still, there must be something special in the Liverpudlian spirit which brings them to their second final in three years. When you watch the names in the squad and even the way they play you would think that a quarter final, or semi final at best, would be a reasonable result for the team. Benitez must be doing something right and there appears to be some kind of harmony within the team. It's pretty hard to dislike Liverpool, even if I thought that Milan had been a better team during the cup and deserved to win the final as well in spite of playing like 41 year olds. Wait! They are 41 years old!

Aye, someone said yesterday that Maldini was like one of those players from the old Championship Manager games who just wouldn't retire. ;)

Don't get me wrong, Benitez is a fine manager and Liverpool a fine team. He's not had the money until the recent takeover to spend that Chelski or Man Ewe have, hence the less than stellar purchases of Zenden, Pennant, Bellend-mey, Fowler etc...

...Actually I doubt very much if a manager with a similar budget (for instance, Wenger) would have bought two has-beens and two jailbirds but it will be interesting to see who Liverpool end up with next season now that they've turned into a US Sports Franchise.

L'Arse would have probably bought three 17 year old Ivorians, plucked from their parent's arms, for 50p and turned them into half-decent players to sell them in a few years time in order to fund the new stadium's massive debt.

Vive la différence! :D

Revenge of Mr M

05-26-07, 11:56 AM

It's pretty hard to dislike Liverpool, even if I thought that Milan had been a better team during the cup and deserved to win the final as well in spite of playing like 41 year olds. Wait! They are 41 years old!

You're kidding, right? The only team in England as boring as Liverpool are Chelsea, and what's worse, they're intentionally boring. Their whole tactic revolves around sending the other team to sleep. Not that this is ineffective, but it's a negative 'we must lose at any cost' mentality which the Italians are always getting completely slaughtered for. Why do Liverpool escape criticism? Why is it that when any other team wins in a penalty shoot-out, it's "an injustice", "a lottery" or "cruel and inefficient way of deciding games", yet when Liverpool wins on penalties, it's "the Greatest game ever", "Truly Memorable" or, and this is an actual quote after that dreadful Chelsea game during which I literally fell asleep (could have been all that Halcion I took though) "They've won in the most dramatic fashion possible!!". I rooted against them in the Final, but was astonished by the way people like Alan Green (Liverpool fan) seemed so angry at United and Everton supporters who were happy when Pool lost, saying "Oh, but they're an English team!" Hey, even if I cared about that, what's English about them apart from Pennant's ASBO? Gerrard, some kind of scouse hero? Wasn't he the one who said repeatedly he wanted to leave so he could win things elsewhere?
So now there's all this talk about them getting a striker like Torres to push them over the edge, but I can tell you right now, and this is a fact; That any striker that goes there with Benitez as manager, will die a horrible death goals-wise. But whoever started talking about spending power of Liverpool compared to United is missing the point. It's not how much you spend, it's how; Liverpool have taken such a high volume of players recently it's ridiculous. Most of these guys are still around, so what are they gonna do now that they have all this new money? Cut them all? How much will that cost? How many of them will have to take a pay cut elsewhere and then sue Liverpool for the difference in wages left on their old contract? Liverpool already have better depth anyway than United, who haven't bought a lot of new players recently. I mean compare Mascherano (who wanted to join United but wasn't allowed) with Darren Fletcher, who I'm fairly sure is colourblind and can't tell the difference between red shirts and other shirts which is why his passing is so godawfully bad. Er... My point is however much Benitez has to spend now, it won't make too much of a difference. They'll still be the most boring team in England.

Tacitus

05-26-07, 05:09 PM

My point is however much Benitez has to spend now, it won't make too much of a difference. They'll still be the most boring team in England.

Apart from Chelski, of course, who are apparently intentionally boring. ;)

Alan Green was a Linfield season ticket holder, by the way...

You make an interesting point about Benitez killing off strikers' careers but when has he actually bought a world class striker, or even anyone close?

Fowler - Fat free transfer, worth a gamble for a season, didn't pay off so bye bye Robbie.

Crouch - Their top scorer this season and playing about as well as he can, but no world beater. A shoe-in for a UEFA Cup chasing side but that's about his level.

Bellamy - I first saw him play at Highfield Rd as a youngster and he looked like a star in the making. It's a pity that he's 'matured' into the narkyest little bastard this side of Robbie Savage and isn't half as good as he thinks he is. Again, a shoe-in for a UEFA Cup chasing side, where I imagine he'll end up next season.

Kuyt - Banged in the goals in Holland but that's hardly the exclusive preserve of a class striker. He's hit 14 in 34 for Liverpool so far (first season in England as well) and would be an excellent partner for a 6 yard box poacher. Has a wife called Gertrude, which is good enough for me. ;)

Voronin is on the way but he's never been a 20 goals a season man either so I imagine he'll take Bellamy's place on the bench.

He didn't have much in the way of world class strikers at Valencia either - John Carew and Adrian Illie anyone?

My point of view is that Liverpool need a striker who is expected to net 20+ in the league (because, unlike Man Ewe, they don't have a lot of goals in their midfield) and even though Benitez hasn't favoured that approach in the past he's gonna have to change if they're to get anywhere close to the league. Otherwise I can see them in 4th next year because L'Arse surely can't continue to be as profligate as they were this season...

Revenge of Mr M

05-27-07, 07:47 AM

Dirk Kuyt, okay, it's Holland where defences apparently don't exist, but he was still considered an elite prospect who every top team was chasing, but in Liverpool's system he hasn't looked anything like an efficient finisher.
Ditto Cissé, another elite prospect who had all the tools, arguably better both physically and technically than Kuyt. He couldn't seem to finish off any chances either.
Morientes, great in Spain, great in France, great at national team level, great when going back to Spain supposedly on the downside of his career, but what did he do at Liverpool?
Milan Baros, had a lot of potential as he displayed in the Euros but got totally mismanaged
His problem is as you pointed out, he comes from a background of no strikers and obviously doesn't have a clue what the heck to do with them! He nearly always only plays one and that guy always seems to drop back or wide.

Tacitus

05-27-07, 09:20 AM

The reason I didn't mention those guys is that they weren't Benitez signings, in fact I don't think (though may well be wrong) that Cisse and Baros even played for him - they were all Houllier men and didn't exactly perform for the former manager, anyway, so were prime candidates to get moved on. Baros went to Villa where he was equally hopeless so I'd conclude that the physicality of the English game just didn't suit him - not necessarily not suit his style of play but his personality. He seemed to have a heart the size of a pea.

Morientes, if I remember correctly, had been a perennial Real Madrid reserve who had had one good season on loan in France. He's done well back in Spain but, then again, so have Diego Forlan, Savo Milosevic and Mateja Kezman.

I think Cissé is still technically a Liverpool player but he broke his leg soon after his loan move and I doubt if he'll play for them again.

I'd say that striker is the most difficult position for a manager in the Premiership to fill successfully and it seems to take them longer to bed in than most. Remember the Drogba of 2 years ago, Henry's and Bergkamp's first seasons etc? Someone like, say, Van Nistelrooy who immediately made an impact is rare, and as Ferguson found out - one man who your team depends on to score the goals confines your club to a certain way of playing. Fine if you've got a Plan B but S'Ralex confounded everyone last season by completely doing away with his Plan A and romped to the League title. ;)

Revenge of Mr M

05-28-07, 03:45 PM

Morientes, had an international strike rate of 27 in 47, which is better than the likes of Raúl, Michael Owen and Thierry Henry. He was also a Real regular and a regular goalscorer until they signed Ronaldo.

You do have a great point about striekrs taking time to bed in. All the attention naturally focusses on them and if they struggle, it looks a hundred times worse than any other position, because they have the most tangible statistic.

Tacitus

05-30-07, 07:17 AM

Tacitus

05-31-07, 07:31 AM

Conversation of the season, between smarmy Sky Sports reporter Geoff Shreeves and Sir Red Face himself, as transcribed by the ever-wonderful Football365.com...

* "I asked him..." - Geoff Shreeves starts talking to Sir Fergie...

* "F*****g (inaudible) bastard" - Sir Alex Ferguson, Knight of the Realm, responds with the courtesy you would expect from a man of his rank.

* "Don't talk to me like that" - Shreeves.

* "F**k off to you" - Fergie.

* "Don't talk to me like that. Don't even think about it" - Shreeves.

* "Don't you think about it, you ****. F**k off. Right?" - Fergie.

* "Listen, are you going to do the interview in a professional manner or not? Do you want to do it or not?" - Shreeves.

* "You f*****g be professional. You be professional. You're the one" - Fergie. Or possibly an angry 13-year-old girl. We're losing track.

* "I'm entitled to ask...Cristiano gave the right answer" - Shreeves.

* "F*****g hell with your answers" - Fergie.

* "Don't talk to me like that. Go away. If you want to behave civilly, fine. Don't talk to me like that" - Shreeves.

* "F**k off" - Fergie

Piddzilla

05-31-07, 07:34 AM

Tacitus

05-31-07, 08:31 AM

Ha ha... What was that about, Dave?

I think it was something to do with Christiano Ronaldo's inner ear problem. Being unable to stay on his feet, in other words. Not 100% sure though. ;)

nebbit

05-31-07, 06:15 PM

That is so funny Tatty :laugh:

Tacitus

06-01-07, 03:17 PM

That is so funny Tatty :laugh:

I'm not laughing today, though.

Nigel Worthington bores his way to the Norn Iron job... (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/6708553.stm) :bawling:

Revenge of Mr M

06-03-07, 06:41 AM

I've been thinking about this, even though we'll differ on whether Benitez is ruining his strikers or not, Liverpool do have a problem scoring goals.

If the papers are to be believed, Benitez is after 2 wingers which is fair enough because the wide men at his disposal are barely adequate for a side chasing a top 10 slot, let alone one with (faint) title pretensions.

To be honest I've not watched them enough to prove my suspicion - It's Gerrard's fault!

How many times have we seen him in the centre circle launching a golf-like Hollywood ball forwards which invariably gets headed straight back at him by an opposing centre back? Gerrard definitely has his strengths - pace, power, a fierce shot when he's in the mood - but Beckham he ain't.

Of course, if I was a midfielder in a side which contained Zenden, Pennant, Kewell or Gonzalez I'd want to bypass them too...

It sometimes looks as though he tries to do too much by himself. Of course, that kind of effort is loved by fans, but it's not always backed up with efficiency. I do wonder though if he were to leave or get injured, Liverpool might suddenly become better, becoming another example of the Ewing Theory.
Just thought I'd mention, Zenden was a terrible pick-up. I just don't see how he fits into that team at all. Has he ever done anything of note for them?
Oh and also, just thought I'd mention how underwhelmed I am by United's gross overspending. Again, I'm not sure how these two, Nani and Anderson, fit into our system, I dread the ways in which the system might be altered to fit them in, and overall don't think they represent good value for money.

Tacitus

06-03-07, 08:57 AM

It sometimes looks as though he tries to do too much by himself. Of course, that kind of effort is loved by fans, but it's not always backed up with efficiency. I do wonder though if he were to leave or get injured, Liverpool might suddenly become better, becoming another example of the Ewing Theory.

Yup, I agree. It doesn't help that he's so versatile either - Benitez stuck him on the right for a lot of the season and McClaren is probably thinking smugly to himself that Lampard and Gerrard can now play together after 2 years evidence says no. He's not getting the chance to shine often where I think he does the most damage - at the head of a midfield diamond.

Liverpool playing better when he's not in the side, I think, was mirrored by L'Arse at the turn of the year. When Henry got crocked, van Persie and Adebayor began steamrolling teams until the Dutchman broke his foot. I think the similarity between Gerrard and Henry is that they try to do everything themselves. Being captain also gives them license to roam where they shouldn't, too.

Just thought I'd mention, Zenden was a terrible pick-up. I just don't see how he fits into that team at all. Has he ever done anything of note for them?If I remember correctly, Chelsea let him go because he was crap and he found his way to Middlesborough. It ain't hard being the most skilful player in a McClaren team so old Bolo probably thought that, actually, he was a good player and let his contract run down. I could see Benitez's thinking if they picked Zenden up to be a squad player for a season while they chased a bigger talent or allowed a kid to mature in the reserves but he starts far to many matches for that.

I think he's been released now, which will alert West Ham and Fulham...

Oh and also, just thought I'd mention how underwhelmed I am by United's gross overspending. Again, I'm not sure how these two, Nani and Anderson, fit into our system, I dread the ways in which the system might be altered to fit them in, and overall don't think they represent good value for money.I'd never heard of them before their names started to be bandied about in the press as Utd targets. Now, of course, they're the best two young players in the world. ;)

I'd imagine that Nani is a long term replacement for Giggs and Anderson for Scholes, their signings (along with Hargreaves) can only be good news for Utd fans, I think - can you see Fletcher and Richardson getting anywhere near the first team now?
:D

Anyway, Nigel 'Solid Pro' Worthington is the new Norn Iron manager so I'd like to offer my congratulations to Spain and Sweden in Qualifying for the Euros. :(

Hopefully Nige will prove me wrong (after all, Sanchez had an equally poor reputation when he was hired, but then again, the team were outside the world's top 100 and not 33 as they are now) but I honestly can't see it.

Revenge of Mr M

06-08-07, 10:07 PM

Haha, wella ctually I had heard of both, a good friend of mine lives in Portugal, follows Porto and every week I'd talk to him over the past year he'd tell me about something new and amazing Anderson had done. But still, £40m is a helluva lot to be spending on two guys totally untested who could turn out to be incredible busts. I wasn't worrying about Keiran Ricahrdson coming back though; isn't he in the Big Brother house now, albeit in drag? ;)

And well, to be honest I didn't hold out a lot of hope for NI qualifying. Not just the glaring lack of talent. Sure they beat Spain 3-2 but lest we forget, early on in Spains Euro 2000 qualifying campaign, they lost 3-2 to Cyprus and were bottom of their group. Historically, they always start slow and gather pace. Which is fine for 12-14 games qualifying stage but of course sucks for a 3-6 games knockout tournament.

As for Sanchez, I'm gonna go out on a limb (or not) and predict he will be Rex-posed come next season with Fulham as they nose-dive their way out of the Prem.

Tacitus

06-10-07, 08:39 AM

I wasn't worrying about Keiran Ricahrdson coming back though; isn't he in the Big Brother house now, albeit in drag? ;)

If he could play footie as well as his cousin can talk sh*te then he'd be a world beater. I always got a 'Craig Charles' vibe from the way Richardson looks - and he often plays like he's been puffing on a crack pipe too... ;)

EDIT - His cousin looks like Carlton Palmer, if that's not a politically incorrect thing to say... :D

And well, to be honest I didn't hold out a lot of hope for NI qualifying. Not just the glaring lack of talent. Sure they beat Spain 3-2 but lest we forget, early on in Spains Euro 2000 qualifying campaign, they lost 3-2 to Cyprus and were bottom of their group. Historically, they always start slow and gather pace. Which is fine for 12-14 games qualifying stage but of course sucks for a 3-6 games knockout tournament.The Denmark - Sweden result didn't help us, that's for sure.

As for Sanchez, I'm gonna go out on a limb (or not) and predict he will be Rex-posed come next season with Fulham as they nose-dive their way out of the Prem.You're not alone in thinking that Sanchez will struggle. As a club manager he did absolutely nothing, even when accounting for the confines of the division he was managing in, apart from one glorious cup run. I guess you could equate International football to club cup football as the infrequency of qualifying matches imbues them with a 'one off' cup-style significance, where motivation is the key.

Sanchez was suited to International footie with a small team in that respect. Any Norwich fans I've heard on the subject say that Worthington was an awful cup manager... :(

Piddzilla

07-09-07, 06:06 AM

Sooo, the English thought they'd gotten rid of Svennis for once and for all, eh? :D Apparently not..... This will be interesting..

Revenge of Mr M

07-28-07, 04:57 AM

i like the way City sold the club to a guy who's had half his bank accounts frozen and is facing corruption charges in his home country. A sound business move if ever I heard it. If Sinawatra sent you an e-mail with a proposition to buy your club, would it not look disturbingly similar to the e-mails sent by lawyers representing the displaced African princesses in search of somewhere to store their cashwhile they reclaim their rightful place?

Piddzilla

07-29-07, 08:06 AM

Those emails are fake?

Tacitus

08-02-07, 06:51 AM

Those emails are fake?

Of course they're not fake! People are so cynical these days... :D

Sven has either been spending the last year pimping himself around European football stadia, making notes on guys who he knows will fit into whatever system he is planning on implementing with his new club (wherever that may be) or he's deliberately spending millions on players that no one's ever heard of because he fancies a woman who works for Amnesty International...

After all, his new boss makes Abramovich look like Cliff Richard. ;)

Thursday Next

08-05-07, 11:38 AM

Here we go again then, Charity shield and all that. Boring already. For all this fuss about the tv rights to the 'big four'...I would rather watch anyone but the 'big four', and would rather anyone but the 'big four' won the league this year.

So...any predictions for the season? (Apart from the obvious, clubs will spend too much money on players who will spend too much time injured...;) )

Tacitus

08-06-07, 09:45 AM

Northern Ireland FC (Fulham branch) will scale the heady heights of 15th.

Wayne Rooney will finally get sent off for verbally abusing an official, causing mass debate amongst Surrey Reds.

England will just about scrape qualification for Euro2008 meaning McClown stays in his job.

Michael Owen will get injured, play 10 games for Newcastle then **** off at season's end to anyone willing to take a chance on him.

West Ham propose a new ground - at Pentonville Prison.

Sven resolves to field an entire team of players who are good in Football Manager 07 but no one else has ever heard of. They finish 8th.

Craig Bellamy usurps Robbie Savage as the most odious excuse for a human being playing the game and Robbie hands over his leaving present from Leicester (a teddy bear impaled on a ... female pleasuring device) in the manner of a relay baton.

Steve Coppell cracks a smile, or so we think. It's just wind, folks.

Steve Bruce and Chris Hutchings get sacked. Oops, you said not to mention the obvious... ;)

Raziel1

08-06-07, 08:47 PM

Preseason is officially under way I am so excited. In a couple of months the Bears will be Superbowl champs. I can't wait.

Piddzilla

11-23-07, 10:51 AM

Okay then.... The qualification rounds are over.

Sorry about Northern Ireland, Tacitus.... You guys had the biggest hearts in our group. Sweden made it through and my prediction is that we're going to be one of the absolute worst teams in the tournament. I can't believe that a team can play as crappy as us and still make it through...

The european championships is no picnic. Harder to win than the world cup almost and I would be very surprsied if we made it through to the quarter finals. I would actually be surprised if we ened up as third in the group. Our only hope is to get Austria in our group, I guess.

Any thoughts? Any depressed Englishmen out there?

Piddzilla

11-23-07, 11:07 AM

Qualified teams (official European ranking):

Italy (1) (World Champions)
France (2)
Germany (3)
Spain (4)
Holland (5)
Portugal (6)
Czech Republic (7)
Croatia (8)
Romania (10)
Greece (12) (European Champions)
Russia (13)
Poland (14)
Sweden (17)
Turkey (19)
Switzerland (25) (Host)
Austria (41) (Host)

adidasss

11-23-07, 12:54 PM

*smug* I think this is about all we'll achieve as far as the Euro is concerned. Our victory on Wednesday was bitter sweet really, on one hand David beat Goliath (who most certainly didn't deserve to qualify), but on the other hand it just won't be the same without England. It was certainly one of the best and most exciting football matches I've watched recently...

It appears everyone is critical of their national squad and skeptical of their abilities in the Euro...;)

Piddzilla

11-23-07, 06:30 PM

adidasss

11-23-07, 06:41 PM

Not sure about that mate, everyone I've spoken too hasn't had much confidence in this team...their track record for the past few years hasn't been stellar...:/

Tacitus

11-24-07, 05:26 AM

England will just about scrape qualification for Euro2008 meaning McClown stays in his job.

Idiot! As a clairvoyant you make a great hatstand.

Wasn't far off with a few others though. ;)

Anyway...

Our qualification dreams went up in smoke after Sanchez left for Fulham (I wonder if the IFA will delay making Worthington's appointment permanent if they think Sanchez will get the sack from Fulham and coming crawling back with his tail between his legs? All the Gok Wan lookalike has managed to do this season is piss £25 million of Al Fayed's money up a wall) and we royally ****ed up away trips to Latvia and Iceland.

All this from a team who'd already beaten Spain and Sweden. :rolleyes:

Worthington's a nice guy but a very average and limited coach. I don't think Sanchez was particularly talented but he had the ego/brass balls to convince a group of journeyman players (and the enigma that is David Healy) that they had what it takes to compete against teams with much greater expectations.

If Worthington is appointed permanently I don't see us getting remotely close to this qualifying performance again. not with the current generation of players, anyway - Our squad is so thin that one or two injuries/suspensions from the 1st XI and we're in trouble, as shown in the last match against Spain.

Well done to Sweden, though. You managed to take a point off us! :D

I'll be supporting you next summer though...

And what of En-ger-land? From the manager through the players to the FA, they should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves. With respect to Croatia, this was an easy group and England never looked anywhere near in control of it.

I've not seen a team for years so tactically inept and lacking in heart (Beckham and Crouch aside) as the one that lined up against the Croats. Maybe the singer who mucked up the Croatian national anthem (he sang "my penis is a mountain" in the final verse, apparently, and had the players giggling) helped banish the visitors' nerves but they controlled that match from beginning to end.

Here's a video of interest to anyone who thinks that McClown had a tough run with injuries - Link (http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=7941330900744785719)

It's my favourite sports documentary by a street. ;)

Poor old Graham Taylor. Castigated by the press for not qualifying for USA '94 but when you look at the shambolic collection of players he had to choose from - Carlton Palmer? Andy Sinton? Paul Warhurst? David Friggin' Batty? Star players Gascoigne, Pearce and Shearer almost always injured or half-fit - he did a hell of a lot better than the new ex-boss.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/LawrieGok.jpg

Sanchez and Wan. Separated at birth? ;)

Piddzilla

11-24-07, 07:19 AM

Well done to Sweden, though. You managed to take a point off us! :D

I'll be supporting you next summer though...

Thanks, we'll need it. Especially our games against Northern Ireland were embarrassing. To me it's clearly a coaching problem mixed with unconfident defenders. If we had the defence line we had in the 90s I would feel much better. Then we would be a force to reckon with.

Tacitus

11-25-07, 10:22 AM

Thanks, we'll need it. Especially our games against Northern Ireland were embarrassing. To me it's clearly a coaching problem mixed with unconfident defenders. If we had the defence line we had in the 90s I would feel much better. Then we would be a force to reckon with.

I've heard that Juventus are interested in Mellberg. ;)

Heck, if we had the defence (and midfield and strikers alongside Healy) that we had in 1982 we'd be good too. Of course, most of them are in their 50s now...

Pat Jennings, Martin O'Neill, Sammy McElroy, Mal Donaghy. Gerry Armstrong (who's autograph I still have after we beat Spain in '82), Billy Hamilton, Norman Whiteside etc. Happy days. :)

Tacitus

11-25-07, 01:49 PM

Looks like you're playing Denmark in the WC qualies, Pete! :D

We've got the Czechs, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and San Marino...

England have got Croatia again so I'm trying not to laugh too loudly. :up:

Thursday Next

11-25-07, 05:03 PM

England have got Croatia again so I'm trying not to laugh too loudly. :up:

I know everyone hates England in the way that everyone in England hates Man United...but surely having failed to even qualify for Euro 2008 we are crap enough for it not to be worth hating us anymore (the way people don't really hate Leeds anymore...)

Tacitus

11-25-07, 05:18 PM

I don't hate England (certainly not like I hate Man Ewe, anyway) but I have no time for some of the fans, particularly the national anthem booing, St George's Cross wearing, bullet-headed knuckle draggers that pollute bars up and down the land when a major tournament is on.

The irony with drawing the Croats again is quite delicious though, doncha think?

I wonder how many of the bottlers from Wednesday night will line up against them again next year?

Piddzilla

11-25-07, 07:22 PM

I've heard that Juventus are interested in Mellberg. ;)

Why?

Ok seriously, he's the strongest piece in the backline. But he's not enjoying having responsibility upon his shoulders like a good solid defender should feel comfortable with. He's no Glenn Hysén or Patrick Andersson.

Looks like you're playing Denmark in the WC qualies, Pete! :D

We've got the Czechs, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and San Marino...

England have got Croatia again so I'm trying not to laugh too loudly. :up:

This time the Danes want our heads.... It will be a couple of great derby games though just like the two we had this year. The one in Denmark in june is probably in my top 3 of the most classical games I've seen the Swedish national team play. You heard about it?

The Czechs and the Slovaks are in the same group? That's one tight group anyway but not impossible. You can beat all those teams.

Besides Denmark we got Portugal, Hungary, Albania and Malta. It's more or less the same situation as we had in the European qualifications except this time it's Portugal instead of Spain. But this time you have to win the group to be sure.

What about this man, Healy. Shouldn't he play in a really good club?

Piddzilla

11-25-07, 07:24 PM

And I see Svennis is doing a pretty good job with Man C. I want him to come back to Sweden and take over our national squad RIGHT NOW!

adidasss

11-25-07, 08:38 PM

I know everyone hates England in the way that everyone in England hates Man United...but surely having failed to even qualify for Euro 2008 we are crap enough for it not to be worth hating us anymore (the way people don't really hate Leeds anymore...)

I love England...:yup: I thought it was a shame they didn't qualify, even if it was deserved...:|

Tacitus

11-26-07, 07:59 AM

Why?

Ok seriously, he's the strongest piece in the backline. But he's not enjoying having responsibility upon his shoulders like a good solid defender should feel comfortable with. He's no Glenn Hysén or Patrick Andersson.

All I can remember about Hysen was that he had more grey hairs than me and that Liverpool sold him just as they entered their 'sh*t' phase. Lucky escape then. ;)

What about this man, Healy. Shouldn't he play in a really good club?

He's an enigma wrapped up in a conundrum, it has to be said.
He's scored more goals in an EC qualifying campaign than anyone else but isn't even first choice for his dreadfully average club (who'll be going down unless Sanchez is able to buy a defence, though as he's wasted enough money this season I bet he'll be sacked before he's given the chance), managed by his old International boss.

I think he's one of those players who needs a team built around him, a luxury that few clubs can afford. If he gets the service and has a big lug of a workhorse playing alongside him (ie: Lafferty), Healy will thrive. Not many teams in England play that way - especially not at the top level.

He's 28 now and looks like he can keep scoring for Norn Iron for 6 or 7 years, a la Larsson, but I think his time as a 'prospect' is fast running out in England. There were a few La Liga clubs sniffing around before he moved to Fulham and I have to say that the Spanish league would probably have served him better.

Piddzilla

11-26-07, 02:32 PM

Sedai

11-26-07, 03:05 PM

When are you guys going to start talking about football?

*hides*

Tacitus

11-27-07, 06:33 AM

There are a number of decent Liga A clubs or why not a team like Ajax or Porto or some other big European club in a not so big league. He should get the opportunity to play in Champions League. The thief... :D

Ignoring the Mod's taunting and wishing him a safe journey back to the 'rugby for big girl's blouses' thread... ;)

If Ajax or Porto could be persuaded to relocate to Belfast, I reckon Healy will be a world star. First match of the season I saw him score a typical predator's goal against Arsenal and thought he'd get 15 easily.

As far as I can remember he's only notched one since. :rolleyes:

Still, it looks like this seasons Premiership is gonna be a Hell of a lot closer than the last few.

Piddzilla

11-27-07, 04:36 PM

I wonder what's more important to Manchester City. To win the Premier League or to end up higher than Man U.

Tacitus

11-28-07, 08:33 AM

I wonder what's more important to Manchester City. To win the Premier League or to end up higher than Man U.

If they end up higher than Utd I'd say that City will have a good chance of winning the league anyway. If Man Ewe don't win the league itself I doubt if there'll be more than one team ahead of them. ;)

In further Mellberg news - the beardy defender has apparently been recommended to Juve by none other than Sven. MO'N is understandably less than pleased and has been muttering about mentioning the names of a few City players to Alex Ferguson... :D

Tacitus

11-28-07, 12:43 PM

"Would I be any good as a [England] manager? Yes, I'd be brilliant. My ego thinks I'd be good at it and the rest of me thinks I would be brilliant too" - Martin O'Neill

:D

Sedai

11-28-07, 01:28 PM

Sorry I have to ask, but, are you guys talking about Football (soccer) or Football (rugby)?

Rugby seems pretty damn cool. I hate soccer (I have a strict rule about no dots on the ball...).

That said, what is it that you folks don't like about Blouse ball?

Tacitus

11-28-07, 03:08 PM

Sorry I have to ask, but, are you guys talking about Football (soccer) or Football (rugby)?

Association Football, the original game. Rugby came along after when a guy called William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it during a football match at Rugby school and I imagine that Gridiron is a variation on that.

Rugby seems pretty damn cool. I hate soccer (I have a strict rule about no dots on the ball...).I used to play it (rugby) at a reasonably high level but got one too many broken noses for my liking. It's a dangerous game - my uncle Dan died when his neck snapped during a game 30 years ago and my little brother broke his neck a while back doing the same. He was lucky enough to make a full recovery but isn't allowed any more contact sports. He's become a fantastic Squash player, though. ;)

That said, what is it that you folks don't like about Blouse ball?
To be honest, I don't know enough about (or have the enthusiasm to learn, if I'm frank) the sport to actively dislike it. The only American sport I have time for is basketball and that's probably because it has a flow to it that I've never seen in American Football or Baseball.

I grew up watching football, my dad played to a reasonable level with a couple of local league semi-pro teams here and he was the first to take me to a match. :)

Piddzilla

11-28-07, 03:55 PM

You can't even begin to compare football (soccer) to american football. Like Tacitus touched on a bit, football has a flow to it that makes it so much different than Am football. The players are pretty much on their own out there for two halfs while the coaches in Am footie have a lot more impact on changes in tactics during the game.

There's an elegance - an almost poetic beauty to the game - of football that is very mesmerizing. To me, american football is more like a battle in a war. I haven't watched it a lot but I tend to get drawn into it the more I watch it. I like the explosivness of it, how after nothing happens really for quite some time all of a sudden - bam - and someone makes a great play.

But to me traditional football with the artistic air surrounding it, the way it really, really matters to people all around the globe, there's nothing like it.

Since it's the world's biggest sport it never risks running out of fantastic players. Just when you thought you'd seen it all some new young amazing little magician steps out.

Which brings me to....

Who is your alltime favourite player? The best of the best, so to speak?

For me, I think it has to be Zenedine Zidane.

Tacitus

11-28-07, 04:45 PM

Yep, it's not called The Beautiful Game for nothing. ;)

Who is your alltime favourite player? The best of the best, so to speak?

For me, I think it has to be Zenedine Zidane.

Tough one, very tough one.

As an attacking player, it would have to be Maradona.

I saw George Best play a couple of times but he was so far into the twilight of his career that dawn was practically breaking. There is plenty of video of him and he's a fellow Norn Irishman but I never actually saw him at his peak 'live', be that in the flesh or on TV so I'll base my criteria on that (which also rules out Pele, Garrincha, Bobby Charlton, Stanley Matthews but not Emile Heskey).

Maradona was, quite simply, a god amongst men when he was at his peak. He was the only player I've seen who could run and dribble at full speed and never look at the ball. It seemed magically welded to his toes...

Zidane would be a close second, followed by that famous Bulgarian nut-job Hristo Stoichkov. He was brilliant - mad as a bucket of fish though. ;)

There's only one midfielder on my list - Laim Brady. Taking the 'live' aspect into account I only really remember from the arse-end of his Serie A days and time at West Ham but, boy, could he control a game and did it all through finesse, timing and Irishness.

Souness might sneak in as his partner. A hard b*stard but very very skilful in his pomp.

The best defender I ever saw was unquestionably Franco Baresi. He was like a velvet boxing glove with a horseshoe in it.

If you mould all three qualities of attacking skill, finesse and defensive power you get just one man, for me. A man who's career was over at 25 through injury but he still managed to pack in two World Cups. And he's from Belfast...

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/_1966379_norman_alls300.jpg

Big Norman Whiteside!

The only blot on his copybook was the club where he spent most of his career, but I'm not holding that against him.

Much.

So yeah, I can't pick one favourite player. :)

EDIT - Arghhhh! Can I fit Bergkamp in there too? And Hagi? And Frank Rijkaard (the first footballer I ever thought was 'cool' because I once saw him wearing an REM Green t-shirt)? :D

Sedai

11-28-07, 05:23 PM

Ah, cool fellas! The thing with soccer for me, is, and I am clearly just ignorant of the subtleties of the game, is that nothing really seems to happen during the match. I know this is due to skilled play by both sides, but I find myself tiring of watching the players run up and down the field with a score of 0-0, kicking a ball (with frippin DOTS on it, no less) around and around, back and forth, back and forth....

I get it though. In that, I just don't get it. I know this, because I am a baseball fan. Most people abhor baseball, and think it is the most boring tripe on the planet. They don't understand all the little intricacies of the game that make it incredibly interesting.

This is me with soccer. I have tried to get into it, during the world cup etc., but I invariably nod off.

Meanwhile, I can't get enough Grid Iron. I watch every game, no matter who is playing, and I pour over stats constantly, looking for trends and possible breakout seasons for all the players...

http://cache.viewimages.com/xc/76968156.jpg?v=1&c=ViewImages&k=2&d=17A4AD9FDB9CF193861A1C1D75ABE90B4D53EC451549234A284831B75F48EF45

Tacitus

11-28-07, 06:50 PM

Meanwhile, I can't get enough Grid Iron. I watch every game, no matter who is playing, and I pour over stats constantly, looking for trends and possible breakout seasons for all the players...

This, I think, is the secret to American sports loving. If you were English, Seds, I suspect you'd be a cricket fan as it's the only game on this side of the Atlantic which throws up loads of numbers with decimal points in them: batting/bowling averages etc.

diamondgeeza

12-16-07, 09:23 AM

The beautiful game at it's best! (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=OWBgg36wJ10)

Tacitus

12-17-07, 12:31 PM

I was mooching around The Web (looking for a cheap copy of a Jeff Stelling book, of all things) when I found this little gem - The 50 worst footballers ever to play in the English top flight.

Gordon Strachan's quote (as usual) is fantastic for #50. ;)

Link (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/article2025420.ece)

Piddzilla

12-17-07, 02:13 PM

Tacitus

12-17-07, 03:11 PM

It was with great eager and curiosity I clicked the link to see if Tomas Brolin was on there. Spot number 2. I couldn't be more proud....

Heh, I remember Brolin as a young player and he was really rather good. The lump of coiffured lard that turned up at Leeds must have been an imposter...

Anyway, what do the BritFos think of Capello's appointment?

Personally, I think it's fantastic that the FA has had the foresightedness to hire the bastard son of Lou Reed and Ernie from Sesame Street. :D

Tacitus

01-16-08, 01:19 PM

Good grief!

Keggy Keegle returns as Newcastle manager!

Link (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/n/newcastle_united/7192457.stm)

The mind boggles...

Then again, if it leads to more outbursts like this one I'll be glued to Match Of The Day. :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXpUdBlRZe8

SmegFirk

01-17-08, 05:35 PM

Excellent

nebbit

01-17-08, 05:45 PM

Excellent
Smeggie! so nice to see you :kiss:

SmegFirk

01-17-08, 06:07 PM

Smeggie! so nice to see you :kiss:

If they are not words to later regret, I don't know what are.

Golgot

01-18-08, 10:38 PM

I get it though. In that, I just don't get it.

Seds (tho you may be now far gone from this thread), i have to say, the love for this game (for me) stems from the playing.

Just try kicking a ball between your mates, with two goals either end of you.

Then tell me (after several games), that your body doesn't question why you're punishing it so, but your mind doesn't exult when you've flicked on a pass that makes a goal-shape hit its flow :)

(Yo, i'm drunk - but what i'm saying is - it's fun to play - and yey, when the tribal flags get let out, you can get a kick out of supporting it too ;))

Golgot

01-18-08, 11:37 PM

Heh, I remember Brolin as a young player and he was really rather good. The lump of coiffured lard that turned up at Leeds must have been an imposter...

You have excelled yourself again. Brolin so did accumulate lard, & coiffure, with time ;)

Anyway, what do the BritFos think of Capello's appointment?

Personally, I think it's fantastic that the FA has had the foresightedness to hire the bastard son of Lou Reed and Ernie from Sesame Street. :D

We're hoping he's going to re-enact Stevie Wonder hits, in the centre of the field, mid-game. In this way he will demonstrate that he is blind ;).

Tacitus

01-19-08, 06:57 AM

We're hoping he's going to re-enact Stevie Wonder hits, in the centre of the field, mid-game. In this way he will demonstrate that he is blind ;).

Post. More. Often. Golg. Post. More. Often.

You little winker! ;)

Anyway, since the entire Geordie Nation seems to have been delusionally been caught up in The Cult of Keggy, here is how I remember the great man...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE8Lk2kSCDo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf-4Gbqyni4

...apart from the above "love it" clip, obviously. :D

Tacitus

01-19-08, 07:01 AM

Oh yeah, there were also moments like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0aFbXaGrms

Wasn't the England number 10 the splendidly named Tony Woodcock? :D

SmegFirk

01-20-08, 05:03 PM

While I am not going to claim the problems are solved and that the top three better start worrying next season, I am happy and I will support the new manager.

There is basically no other choice for a fan of the club. I supported the appointment of Souness and Roeder in the same vein.

Having said all of that I have changed my fantasy football team name on fantasy.premierleague.com from "Big Sam's Boolacks" to "King Kev's Kahoona's"... now that, is dedication.

Tacitus

01-21-08, 06:58 AM

Did you support Allerdyce's appointment? What a thoroughly dislikeable man..

...although now reportedly £8mil richer because he was poor at his job. ;)

SmegFirk

01-21-08, 03:53 PM

Did you support Allerdyce's appointment? What a thoroughly dislikeable man..

...although now reportedly £8mil richer because he was poor at his job. ;)
I am not too sure why Fat Freddy was so keen. It would have been better if we had kept Roeder with some continuity and given him a summer spending budget.

I just hope now they have appointed their own person, no matter who it was going to be, time is given. Certainly Freddy's hire and fire attitude was killing us.

The debt at the club was worse than it was thought. I don't know how Sheppard managed to hide the true nature as if you are buying a public company you get to look at the books. Regardless, Ashley has spent around £100m more than he thought he was going to just to wipe the debt. Apparently there was a situation where the money from a three-year shirt deal had been spent all at once, things like that.

Tacitus

02-13-08, 07:17 AM

It looks like Ireland are appointing veteran Italian coach Giovanni Trapattoni as their new manager.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bqp64q7kHmw

I'd love to see his reaction when confronted by Andy Reid and Kevin 'Zinedine' Kilbane in training. :D

SmegFirk

02-29-08, 04:46 PM

Well... somebody got out of the wrong side of the bed

witts

03-09-08, 01:52 AM

I'll tell you what does make me sad.
That almost nobody on this forum knows what AFL is.
Or, those who do - not enough to have a conversation with me about it.

http://www.aacc-houston.org/images/afl.jpg

nebbit

03-09-08, 05:10 PM

Any game that makes men wear tight tiny shorts is my kind of game :randy:

Tacitus

05-21-08, 06:55 AM

Any game that makes men wear tight tiny shorts is my kind of game :randy:

It cuts both ways, y'know. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFzaODAZ5BU

Sooooo, who is the neutral going for tonight? The Devil or the Deep Blue Sea? Russia or America? Chelski or Man Ewe?

I'm trying to make my mind up who I hate less...

Firstly there's Chelsea, built on the back of a Russian oligarch's less than transparent billions and containing such delightful human beings as John Terry, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba etc.

Then there's Manchester Utd and their largely insufferable fanbase, none of whom (apart from my stepdad, who's from Salford) seem to have any connection with the city other than smug glory hunting.

Both sides have players I quite like - Carvalho, Essien, Makalele at Chelsea and Scholes, Vidic, Evra and (even) Rooney at Man U.

The managers are two totally different beasties with the dour 'friend of the owner' Avram Grant for the Blues and the paranoid, purple-nosed shop steward-type agitator Alex Ferguson his Mancunian counterpart.

Ok, I've decided! Because Man U are likely to feature Rio Ferdinand and the little winker Ronaldo in their team I'm, by default, probably gonna 'support' Chelski.

Why can't they both lose? :D

Piddzilla

06-10-08, 06:26 PM

It wasn't beautiful, but I really think we earned that victory over Greece fair and square. They played like they were defending a 1-0 lead all game! And it's nice to see Ibra scoring for Sweden again.... Great goal! But Spain looks awfully strong. Really impressing against Russia, who actually played quite well before Spain started to score goals.

What do you guys think of the tournament so far?

Tacitus

06-11-08, 06:25 AM

So Ibrahimovic finally scored a cracker, eh? I'm not alone in thinking that he's been the most overrated player in Europe (certainly after Christiano Ronaldo evolved from show pony to flat track bully) these past few years. I'd seen his scoring record in Italy but whenever I watched him live he was totally anonymous.

I definitely saw signs of life last night - what a cracking shot. :D

Other than Sweden (who I might well support for this tournament because they're all so flippin' old - The Wild Geese!), who were not gonna look brilliant against Greece - nobody does, Holland were good, as were Spain and Germany.

Austria played like England - nervously defending for 80 minutes on their 20yd line and giving the ball away far more often than they should. France were extremely disappointing - it's worrying if they're seemingly still so dependent on the missing Viera and Henry, two guys who seem well past their best. They need a good kick up the arse because that squad looks excellent on paper.

Football ain't played on paper though, thankfully. ;)

Piddzilla

06-11-08, 07:37 AM

Ibrahimovic has been seen as overrated in Sweden probably more than anywhere else. I've always thought a lot of the criticism has been unfair since he's got more qualities than just scoring. His assists record in Inter is proof of that. But, yeah, he's scored way too few goals for the national squad than is acceptable for a world class forward. You have to remember though that Sweden in all fairness is a pretty mediocre team while Zlatan in Inter is surrounded by superstars. But last night he proved why he's the best paid player in Italy.

Larsson, last night, was very useful but I wonder what happened to his self confidence. It was almost as he'd been instructed NOT to shoot and to give the ball to Zlatan instead. He had two great opportunities in the first half to bring Sweden ahead but passed the ball instead.....

I think that Italy still will go through together with Holland. Italy played quite well but didn't get along with the (swedish) referee.

I would say that Germany and Spain have made the strongest performances so far. Portugal looks good as well.

Tacitus

06-11-08, 07:51 AM

Piddzilla

06-11-08, 06:40 PM

The TV commentators were saying exactly the same thing about Larsson last night - why didn't he shoot on at least two occasions?

Great player he may have been but at 36 and in semi-retirement, is that really the way to go in a tournament?

Maybe you should concentrate on building the side around Ibrahimovic, like we do with (Fulham reserve *cough*) Healy, although maybe that was why Larsson was attempting to pass more often than he was attempting to score. With Norn Iron we don't expect our other strikers to score, which is dangerous when Healy's not in form.

If Spain win the title does that mean Northern Ireland are the 'real' European champions? We beat the man who beat the man etc etc :D

No but since we beat Greece last night, Sweden's officially the new champions. :D

This has actually been the season when Larsson was supposed to wind down, but he's been really good in Helsingborg (in the swedish league) and everyone here seems to be agreeing on that he still belongs in the starting eleven.

Golgot

06-11-08, 11:28 PM

What do you guys think of the tournament so far?

From what I've seen, Spain and Holland have looked sweet as. (And will therefore self-destruct fairly soon, as per usual ;))

Altho what drug is Bronckhorst on? That's some pacey wingplay for a man in his 30s. (Why can't i do that on a football field? ;))

No but since we beat Greece last night, Sweden's officially the new champions.

Ahh, i feel my diluted drops of Swedish blood wishing that to were so :D

Piddzilla

06-12-08, 03:01 PM

Way to go, Croatia! Very impressive. A perfect balance of individual skills and collective team efforts. That I always, out of principle, want Germany to lose doesn't make things worse either. :)

Tacitus

06-13-08, 06:12 AM

Bilic's stock as a manager must be sky high by now. If ever a game was won by pre-match tactics it was here.

Expect him to be at a medium-sized European club (think Blackburn, Lyon or Liverpool) before the summer is out. ;)

It's weird how things have changed - International management used to be the pinnacle of the job, enjoyed by those with decades of experience at clubs (and in the case of richer nations, silverware on the sideboard). Nowadays you're just as likely to have a young ex-player in charge of his country, using it as a stepping stone for a better-paid club job.

Klinsmann, Mark Hughes, Alex McLiesh, Bilic (probably), van Basten (probably), etc.

When the young guys have gone off to paycheques new we're left with the veterens, usually 70 year-old Germans who don't want the day-to-day grind of a club job. There doesn't seem much middle ground any more.

Golgot

06-13-08, 10:36 AM

When the young guys have gone off to paycheques new we're left with the veterens, usually 70 year-old Germans who don't want the day-to-day grind of a club job. There doesn't seem much middle ground any more.

Can't blame 'em. Less scrutiny, cushdie 'retirement' paypacket, and only occasional heart attacks, rather than weekly ones :)

---

Just rewatched the Croatia game. Enjoyable on many levels :) (Totally a team/management effort - but was good to see the Spuds new boy Modric looking very capable - for a man the size of a pint bottle ;))

Tacitus

06-14-08, 07:11 AM

Can't blame 'em. Less scrutiny, cushdie 'retirement' paypacket, and only occasional heart attacks, rather than weekly ones :)

In Mrs Merton fashion I will ask, "So, Avram Grant: How stressful was it earning eight million quid for under a year's work?" :D

---

Just rewatched the Croatia game. Enjoyable on many levels :) (Totally a team/management effort - but was good to see the Spuds new boy Modric looking very capable - for a man the size of a pint bottle ;))

The naysayers seem to be harping on about his apparent weediness as a question mark over his suitability for the English game. Juninho didn't do too bad though...

Quick tip for those who don't know about it - Try the Guardian Daily's podcasts from Euro2008. They may not be quite as wonderful as their normal bi-weekly efforts but they're a refreshing antidote to the banal nonsense which passes for TV punditry (Martin O'Neill and Wee Gordan Strachan excepted).

Link (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/series/footballweekly)

Golgot

06-14-08, 11:29 AM

In Mrs Merton fashion I will ask, "So, Avram Grant: How stressful was it earning eight million quid for under a year's work?" :D

Avaricious Grant: [DRYLY] "I must now spend this on botox for my eye bags. This is the beautiful game, you know." ;)

The naysayers seem to be harping on about his apparent weediness as a question mark over his suitability for the English game. Juninho didn't do too bad though...

Ay, he looks plenty resilient to me. The same's been said of Fabregas too - and i'm kinda hopeful Mod is gonna slot into a similar role (At the risk of comparing us to our fluid North London 'rivals' that is ;))

Kinda hopeful that Berbs might be happy to stay if we keep adding flair/providers to the midfield (altho lord knows a decent defensive mid would be good too. Current word is Veloso. That'd be bout right :)). Plus it seems we ain't gonna sell him unless we get a bundle :D

And if our iron-plated/heavily-sedated back line can actual stay in one piece, we might do alright ;)

---

Hmm - Holland 4 - France 1. How cruel was that on baby-face Thierry? (sweet finish by him).

And just how hard are the Dutch setting themselves up for a fall this time eh? ;)

Tacitus

06-14-08, 01:48 PM

Aye, if Modric gives the team half as much as Fabregas (who's hardly a physical powerhouse either) gives to L'Arse then he's well worth the money.

I'd beware of Veloso actually - I signed him recently in FM2008 and he was awful... ;) I'd like to see Huddlestone get a decent run (and maybe lose 3 or 4 stone while he's at it - did he inherit Andy Reid's old chip shop? :D) but he's still too raw to rely on over a season.

You'll also need a centre back to partner Woodgate (who could well prove a masterstroke of a signing) seeing as the runours of King being unable to play more than once a week look well-founded. I don't think Ledley's got the football brain of, say, a Paul McGrath, who famously couldn't train because of accumulated injuries but was still able to continue well into his 30s.

The drink probably numbed a good deal of the pain back then.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/KingSpursPartyXPS_468x666.jpg

If this is anything to go by, Ledley might be learning from the great man...

Back to the match, Sweden are putting up a good show against Spain. ;)

Golgot

06-14-08, 02:45 PM

I'd beware of Veloso actually - I signed him recently in FM2008 and he was awful... ;) I'd like to see Huddlestone get a decent run (and maybe lose 3 or 4 stone while he's at it - did he inherit Andy Reid's old chip shop? :D) but he's still too raw to rely on over a season.

Mmm, the Chudd is a quandry. I'm tempted by the idea that he could work with wingers and a 'hole merchant' all nippy enough to track back (which we seem to have in spades right now :))

Hmmm, mind out on the Veloso thing tho - one of the old Evo games had Tony Gardener as being AMaaaaazing - i've never trusted 'em since ;)

You'll also need a centre back to partner Woodgate (who could well prove a masterstroke of a signing)

Ay, kinda hoping he can take (a) Dawson under his wing, the way King did. (Coz it does seem like the King his dead :()

Back to the match, Sweden are putting up a good show against Spain. ;)

Bah! I'm at work!

Tacitus

06-14-08, 03:04 PM

Mmm, the Chudd is a quandry. I'm tempted by the idea that he could work with wingers and a 'hole merchant' all nippy enough to track back (which we seem to have in spades right now :))

Depends how Magic Juande wants to deploy his team, I guess. He's had a nice little honeymoon period in which to have a look at what he already has at the club.

Hmmm, mind out on the Veloso thing tho - one of the old Evo games had Tony Gardener as being AMaaaaazing - i've never trusted 'em since ;)

Ha! I think where the games fall down (and I wouldn't go as far as to call it a fault) slightly is when working out which young players will develop into world class talents, as was probably the case with Gardener. I used to love the Regens (new players, completely invented by the game) who appeared after a few seasons, usually with a totally arbitrary name - I'll never forget Steinar Whelan, created after Ronnie Whelan and some Nordic type retired. He made Lionel Messi seem like Shawn Wright-Phillips...

Ay, kinda hoping he can take (a) Dawson under his wing, the way King did. (Coz it does seem like the King his dead :()

Are all Spurs fans so optimistic? :D

I wouldn't be surprised if Dawson ends up at somewhere like Bolton next season.

Bah! I'm at work!

Spain won 2-1 with a Villa goal in the 92nd minute. A shame, as Sweden were good value for the draw.

Now for the delights of Russia and Greece. The revolutionary Greek 10-0-0 formation is definitely one for the purists. Or the insomniacs. :)

Golgot

06-14-08, 03:14 PM

Depends how Magic Juande wants to deploy his team, I guess. He's had a nice little honeymoon period in which to have a look at what he already has at the club.

0-0-10 ;)

Are all Spurs fans so optimistic? :D

I wouldn't be surprised if Dawson ends up at somewhere like Bolton next season.

That's why i said (a) Dawson ;) - we've got plenty of failed 'Steinar Whelan's to pick from at the moment :D

Spain won 2-1 with a Villa goal in the 92nd minute. A shame, as Sweden were good value for the draw.

Ah well - some fun final-round games on the cards then :)

I'm assuming even France can still squeeze through if they demolish the I-T's right?

Tacitus

06-15-08, 06:35 AM

Erm, I think so. Unfortunately I'm about as good at understanding qualification ins and outs as Sinn Fein are at negotiating with the British Government...

Greece v Russia turned out to be an exercise petty, spiteful, diving futility, didn't it? Some poor finishing from the Eastern European lads, as the tight-trousered Townsend no doubt said in the studio. :D

Piddzilla

06-15-08, 06:35 PM

ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssigh........

Ok, I'll admit that Spain was the better team. We did one great half and one not so great. But I mean..... the 93rd minute???

It's quite obvious how important Ibrahimovic is to us in this tournament. Without him we lost most of our game.

Golgot

06-16-08, 11:58 AM

ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssigh........

Ok, I'll admit that Spain was the better team. We did one great half and one not so great. But I mean..... the 93rd minute???

It could be worse - you could be Czech ;)

(Just saw some of that game - amazing final goal - and hilarious Turkish near-self-destruction. Great stuff :))

Piddzilla

06-16-08, 05:25 PM

Yeah the turks are my new favourites.... They've turned around two games now in a fantastic way. And the spirit they and their coach show is great to watch. Them and Croatia are the biggest positive surprises in the tournament so far. And, of course, that Holland is that good.

Tacitus

06-17-08, 07:21 AM

I'm lovin' them Croats too. :D

The best moment from the Turkey-Czech Republic match was when the Turkish keeper got sent off (shame on you Koller!) and poor old Tuncay got sent in goal, looking like he was gonna do himself a mischief.

I've got a sneaky feeling for the Germans against Portugal, by the way. This view is in no way coloured by the Portugeezers being a bunch of smug, preening, diving sorts...

I read this somewhere else but I think it should be commented upon - has there ever been a player in the history of the game as aware that the camera is on him than C Ronaldo?

Piddzilla

06-17-08, 07:38 AM

Aaah you're just jealous because he gets all the ladies......

Yeah, the germans.... They can never be counted out.

Tacitus

06-18-08, 05:56 AM

Damn, rumbled again! :D

I regularly pray for smaller shoulders and really greasy hair...

Au revoir to les bleus, then. If Croatia has been a triumph of good coaching then the French have been the opposite. The team which reached the World Cuip final two years ago by sheer force of will went out with barely a whimper here.

At 36, Thuram was a laibility in defence (the magnificant player that he has been over the years makes this a sad thing to write) and their once world class spearhead Henry is supposedly so troubled by sciatica that he had contemplated retiring altogether before his move to Barcelona.

Why Anelka was anywhere near the squad and Trezeguet left out altogether was bizzare. Talented striker the moody Chelsea man may be when things are going well, he has a heart the size of a pea...

Oh yeah, then they play a left back in poor form in the centre of defence in their most important game of the competition.

There's light at the end of this particular tunnel, though. Raymond Domenech can go back to starring in Christopher Guest mocumentaries. :D

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/levy2-sized.jpg

The French coach. Yesterday.

Piddzilla

06-18-08, 07:27 AM

Why Anelka was anywhere near the squad and Trezeguet left out altogether was bizzare. Talented striker the moody Chelsea man may be when things are going well, he has a heart the size of a pea...

Yeah, I could never understand that either. It was the same situation in the last World Cup. The formation and the players picked for the starting 11 was a riddle to most people and France played really bad. Then, when the coaching finally started making sense, they made it to the final. But this year it was riddle me this and riddle me that all the way plus the fact that Henry and the other stars aren't the magnificent players they were a couple of years ago. And, of course, the fact that Zidane had the nerve to quit.

Tacitus

06-18-08, 08:12 AM

They're still a nation with great players, it's just that a lot of those players weren't picked for the squad. I can name Sagna, Clichy, Mexes and Flamini along with Trezeguet off the top of my head as guys that would be certain squad members for most of the European nations.

Having Thuram and 56 year old Willy Sagnol telling the coach before the Italy game that they didn't fancy it tells you all you need to know about morale in the camp, I think.

Good luck against the Russkies tonight, by the way. I'm gonna be cheering on The Wild Geese! :D

Darth Stujitzu

06-18-08, 06:12 PM

Not been here for a while, so here's my tupence for what its worth.
Tipped Portugal & Croatia to do well at the start, my only worry for Portugal is a lack of firepower
The Dutch and Spanish have impressed, but they also have the history of imploding, but Villa has done his chances of a move to Barca no harm.
Russia look a decent team, plenty of energy and pace, Germany look poor, but I know better than to bet against them.
Italy are another one of those teams that haven't hit the heights, but are still capable of going all the way, I expect Turkey to get knocked out, they've done well, but they don't have the quality of the other quater finalists.

As for France, they're a spent force, they were so lucky to be there in the first place, after all we beat them home & away, total lack of fight in their team.

Would love to see a Croatia v Holland final as they have been the most consistent teams ( I know Spain have won all 3 games, but I still have lingering doubts ).

Players that have caught the eye, Modric, Pavlyuchenko, Villa, Boruc ( don't see Celtic holding on to him, then again £12 million is a lot to pay for a keeper ) Synder, Pepe.

Piddzilla

06-18-08, 06:14 PM

*barf*

Piddzilla

06-18-08, 06:19 PM

Darth Stujitzu

06-18-08, 09:08 PM

We have to find some other place than the football field to embarrass ourselves in front of the entire Europe. Why do we always have to suck the most when we need to put up our best game?

Well, I guess it was just as well. We would have been humiliated against Holland anyway in the quarter final...

How can you say that when you've got Henrik in your team?:p
Sweden looked like the Spanish last minute winner had knocked the stuffing out of them, Zlatan ( no way I'm attempting his surname! ) still flatters to deceive, time for Sweden to go back and start bringing in some new blood, but don't be too downheartened, certain other so called bigger teams didn't even make it to the finals!
I'm prepared for the Celtic forum to be over-run with posts about Henrik coming back after he admitted he only had a contract till the end of the season, when will they learn, the King has gone, long live the King!

Who's your money on Pidd now that Sweden are out?

Golgot

06-18-08, 10:37 PM

but don't be too downheartened, certain other so called bigger teams didn't even make it to the finals!

Scotland are out, accept it :p ;)

Tacitus

06-19-08, 05:06 AM

Scotchland should play Norn Iron (who beat two of the better teams on show :p) for the title of Real European Champions, probably at a neutral venue belonging to a smaller team who also didn't qualify for the sideshow tournament.

Wembley, perhaps. :D

I feel a bit sorry for the Swedes, they had a lot of guts and graft but little craft when it mattered. Ibrahimahumovacovic (see, Stu!) was, as is usual, anonymous when the chips were down but this wasn't helped by the lack of support he had during the match.

The Russkies had that little bit of class when it mattered and they looked fantastic on the break.

Piddzilla

06-19-08, 06:55 PM

How can you say that when you've got Henrik in your team?:p
Sweden looked like the Spanish last minute winner had knocked the stuffing out of them, Zlatan ( no way I'm attempting his surname! ) still flatters to deceive, time for Sweden to go back and start bringing in some new blood, but don't be too downheartened, certain other so called bigger teams didn't even make it to the finals!
I'm prepared for the Celtic forum to be over-run with posts about Henrik coming back after he admitted he only had a contract till the end of the season, when will they learn, the King has gone, long live the King!

Who's your money on Pidd now that Sweden are out?

I wouldn't be surprised if we'll see Germany and Italy in the final. But Spain vs. Croatia would be fun.

I think it was a mistake to rely on Larsson so much. I was ok with him being on the squad but I think it's time for Elmander to take Larsson's place beside Ibrahimovic. But we had some unfortunate injuries on the midfield which forced us to use Elmander as a midfielder.

But it's time for Larsson and Ljungberg, although he was our best player last night, to retire from the national team. We need some hungry players now. I could never understand why our coach isn't using Källström much more. He should have played from the start last night.

I feel a bit sorry for the Swedes, they had a lot of guts and graft but little craft when it mattered. Ibrahimahumovacovic (see, Stu!) was, as is usual, anonymous when the chips were down but this wasn't helped by the lack of support he had during the match.

The Russkies had that little bit of class when it mattered and they looked fantastic on the break.

The Russians were awesome. Remeber, a lot of the players are playing for Zenit who won the UEFA cup and the rest are pretty successful pros in the German league and so on. But I don't agree, I think we didn't have any guts at all. Our players looked scared and as if they didn't want to play at all. That's why it was so painful to watch.

And I have to say that the criticism that Ibrahimovic is receiving is a bit unfair. We scored three goals in this tournament and Zlatan made two of them. The thing is that we have only one absolute top quality player and he's that one player. Our entire game is centered around him and all the other teams know this and immediately put two or three guys directly on him. Then since not much happens after he's passed the ball to someone else.... it's kind of hard to win. And most of our other players, Larsson included, don't seem to want the ball, they're counting on Ibrahimovic to get the job done.

I stil think he's the best player who ever played for Sweden, and this championship doesn't change that view.

Tacitus

06-20-08, 06:05 AM

I stil think he's the best player who ever played for Sweden, and this championship doesn't change that view.

Really? Better than Larsson or Ljungberg in their prime? I'm not well versed in Swedish players from previous eras, I'm afraid.

To be honest, I don't even think he's the best player in the current squad. I'd give that honour to Mellberg - he's been a classy, top-flight, defender for years and, by all accounts, is a damned nice bloke too.

Great beard as well. :D

VeronicaJ

06-20-08, 06:14 AM

The Russians were awesome. Remeber, a lot of the players are playing for Zenit who won the UEFA cup and the rest are pretty successful pros in the German league and so on. But I don't agree, I think we didn't have any guts at all. Our players looked scared and as if they didn't want to play at all. That's why it was so painful to watch.
And don't forget they've got an amazing Dutch coach! Guus really did a good job with those players. If you watch carefully you can see that he has changed a lot, and isnt quite done with them yet. Russian strikers still need to learn more about finishing it off. They had so many chances wasted last time.

And I have to say that the criticism that Ibrahimovic is receiving is a bit unfair. We scored three goals in this tournament and Zlatan made two of them. The thing is that we have only one absolute top quality player and he's that one player. Our entire game is centered around him and all the other teams know this and immediately put two or three guys directly on him. Then since not much happens after he's passed the ball to someone else.... it's kind of hard to win. And most of our other players, Larsson included, don't seem to want the ball, they're counting on Ibrahimovic to get the job done.

I stil think he's the best player who ever played for Sweden, and this championship doesn't change that view.
Im not sure i agree on this. True, Zlatan is at this point probably the best Swedish player, but last match he was awfull. Ive seen a lot of him when he was with Ajax, so i think i know his full potiential, but last match, i am sorry, he sucked. Next to that Larsson is in his final years, but when he was at his best he was better than Zlatan at his best.

Anyway.. No Dutch fans here? My guess was the final would be between Holland and Portugal, but now... Holland - Germany.. And germany will win that :sick:

Piddzilla

06-20-08, 07:40 AM

Really? Better than Larsson or Ljungberg in their prime? I'm not well versed in Swedish players from previous eras, I'm afraid.

To be honest, I don't even think he's the best player in the current squad. I'd give that honour to Mellberg - he's been a classy, top-flight, defender for years and, by all accounts, is a damned nice bloke too.

Great beard as well. :D

Mellberg was good this time around, that's for sure. I think he, Ljunberg and Ibrahimovic, possibly Isaksson as well, are the only ones who overall was ok. But it's kind of hard to compare players like Mellberg and Ibrahimovic to each other.

Overall, it's hard to compare Larsson, Ljungberg and Ibrahimovic to each other but still I would say that Ibrahimovic is the better player. Larsson was fantastic in Celtic but he played in a mediocre league with only two good teams and almost no stars. Ibrahimovic plays in probably the second or third best league in the world and is one of the most important players of the team that acctually won that league. And while Larsson was a great secret weapon as a substitute in Barcelona my guess is that Zlatan would have a better shot at the starting eleven (Barca wanted to buy him, it was rumoured recently, but Inter coughed up the dough). Ljungberg has got an enormous heart and no one falls more effectively than him, but his not a better football player than Ibrahimovic.

And again I have to point out that it isn't easy to be the star in a mediocre team. Look at Giggs or Shevchenko. I can't say that I follow the Welsh or Ukranian teams that closely but don't you think it's safe to say that they've done their best work in their club teams? I still defend Ibrahimovic... I argue that it's his team mates that makes him look average (not bad, because that's not true). On the other hand, he too can have a bad effect on his team mates since they count on him to be the creative one.

Piddzilla

06-20-08, 07:42 AM

Anyway.. No Dutch fans here? My guess was the final would be between Holland and Portugal, but now... Holland - Germany.. And germany will win that :sick:

I love the way Holland has played this year. But as soon as dinosaurs like Italy and Germany make it to the quarter finals no one's safe. It would be great if Spain or Holland or Russia or Croatia or even Turkey would go all the way this year, but right now my bet is on ....hmmm.... Germany.

Golgot

06-20-08, 10:11 AM

But as soon as dinosaurs like Italy and Germany make it to the quarter finals no one's safe.

Hmm, Dinosaur vs Turkey in the final then? ;)

I really am hoping this is the year Holland or Spain don't actually eat themselves alive on national television. One of them in the final would be reet good :)

Germany's goals were quality (well - the first one especially), and Portugal just stuttered at the wrong time (Deco was immense tho - in his little-man way ;)). But please lord can Croatia win an exiting game tonight, then beat Germany again :)

Darth Stujitzu

06-20-08, 10:32 AM

Overall, it's hard to compare Larsson, Ljungberg and Ibrahimovic to each other but still I would say that Ibrahimovic is the better player. Larsson was fantastic in Celtic but he played in a mediocre league with only two good teams and almost no stars.

I'm sticking up for King Henrik, true, the Scottish league is a two horse race every year, but Henrik performed at a consistently high standard no matter who the opposition was, he was invaluable in the Champions League and was hugely influential in helping Celtic reach the UEFA cup final in 2003.
Watch Henry's interview after the CL final, he picks Larsson out as the man that won the final for Barca, not Ronaldinho, E'to or Messi.
His short time at Manchester United proved many an English pundit wrong, claiming Henrik would not be upto the standard in the EPL was quickly reversed by many.

Zlatan may have more natural skill than Henrik, but he is nowhere near as consistent in performance or scoring, or as unselfish.

Larsson is a team player, my personal feelings are that Zlatan is only out for himself, I've seen unbelieveable moments of skill from him, but he is anonymous when the chips are down and he is needed to roll up his sleeves and get stuck in.
Henrik didn't have a great tournament, but perhaps if Zlatan was more of a leader on the park they wouldn't have had to drag Henrik out of retirement once again.

What can I say Pidd, Henrik will always have a special place in my heart, at his peak I believe he could have played for any team in the world, his movement & reading of the game are second to none, his ariel pressence is immense and he's got the caps & goals to prove it.

I hope Zlatan realises his true potential, but unfortunately I feel he is one of the more modern footballers, ie, highly paid but not highly motivated.

Don't get me started on Ronaldo.........:) :) :)

Darth Stujitzu

06-20-08, 09:10 PM

Shows you how much I know about football, both my picks for the tournament are now out!!!
Can't believe Croatia are out, would take any of their players for the mighty Hoops, would love to see Bilic as manager one day too.
He's a breath of fresh air in the hundrum world of international managers these days, I enjoy his interviews, seems really switched on and down to earth.
Golgot, you must be over the moon with Modric, looks a very good player.
Oh well now Portugal & Croatia are out, I wouldn't mind seeing Spain or Holland win it, although I've probably just cursed them both!!!

Tacitus

06-21-08, 05:50 AM

Larsson is a team player, my personal feelings are that Zlatan is only out for himself, I've seen unbelieveable moments of skill from him, but he is anonymous when the chips are down and he is needed to roll up his sleeves and get stuck in.
Henrik didn't have a great tournament, but perhaps if Zlatan was more of a leader on the park they wouldn't have had to drag Henrik out of retirement once again.

I don't mean to call your countrymen into question, Pete, but I agree with Stu here. Ibrahimovic reminds me of Anelka - undoubtedly talented but maddeningly anonymous all too frequently.

What a finale last night, eh? If nothing else, this proves that penalties are as much about mindset as they are technique - Turkey finished on a high and carried it through the shootout.

Much as I love Bilic (who's surname sounds like a suburb of Birmingham - say it in a Brummie accent, I dare you! :D) I think Fatih Terim has been equally impressive here. He seems pretty cool as well, in a Tom Jones kinda way...

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/Silencelamp7.jpg

The Croatia manager. Yesterday. ;)

Piddzilla

06-21-08, 09:39 AM

Darth, I love Henrik Larsson, don't get me wrong. And I think the most things you say about Zlatan used to be true. He used to be much more selfish and not working hard enough all over the field. But I think he's become much more of a team player during recent years and he is also much more professional and focused on the team, whether it's Sweden or Inter, in interviews. I guess Larsson is more typically swedish (if I dare say so), down to earth, never bragging about himself and always working hard for the team. He's just very likeable and he's very popular in Sweden as well. My point is that we have too few players of the Zlatan kind in Sweden. People who want to be individualists and who loves when all attention is being centered around them.

But enough allready....

How about them turks??? The third unbelievable turnaround in a row! Last night was the big midsummer holiday in Sweden so I just watched the last few minutes so I'm watching the game again now. So far it looks like the croatians were better in the first half. But you have to admire the spirit and the heart of the turks. And that coach is just so damn funny to watch.... It's a pity about Croatia though. Both Turkey and Croatia seem to have such a great team spirit and fantastic relation between the coaches and the players. It's great fun to watch.

Do you think the russians can shake Holland tonight? It should be a great game in any case.

Golgot

06-21-08, 09:51 AM

Golgot, you must be over the moon with Modric, looks a very good player.

Yep definitely :) If we make nothing but rubbish/over-priced signings for the rest of the silly-season (which is par for the course for us ;)) then at least it looks like we've snatched a star there :)

Was very impressed with his game again yesterday. Range of passing is great and he was involved in everything - got a vital tackle in right at the start at provided the two best chances going forward. Looks like a player who can change a game alright.

(I thought Tuncay had a similar-ish influence for the Turks incidentally - but perhaps i always spot him coz he reminds me of Spurs's own 'shouty pointy man' Robbie Keane ;). Reckon they're gonna miss him against The Germanic Haircut Machine anyway)

Tacitus

06-21-08, 02:10 PM

Pid - I get what you mean about Ibrahimovic. There needs to be someone standing out amongst the workmen of a side. Heck, we've got Sammy Clingan! :D

I thought Modric was great yesterday (I forgive the whole Croatian side for the pens, they were like a boxer clinging on at the end of the 12th, only to be told it's a 15 round fight), his attitude as much as his playing. He's definitely a wiry little bugger and mercifully unaffected by the inner-ear balance problem which blights most tricky midfielders these days.

I didn't see him once sitting on his arse, slapping the ground and shouting at the ref, for example...

If Holland bring their A game (whatever that means) they'll be too much for Russia, but it's been 20 years since the Dutch played well all through a tournament. They're due some infighting too - watch out for van Persie and Robben trying to poke each other in the eye at corners. ;D

Golgot

06-21-08, 02:40 PM

He's definitely a wiry little bugger and mercifully unaffected by the inner-ear balance problem which blights most tricky midfielders these days.

I didn't see him once sitting on his arse, slapping the ground and shouting at the ref, for example...

Yeah, it's good to see. (Altho he's not above standing still and letting taller players fall over him when 'going' for headers ;))

They're due some infighting too - watch out for van Persie and Robben trying to poke each other in the eye at corners. ;D

For some reason I'm expecting Davids to leap out of the crowd and apply a Cantona-Kick to one of 'em ;)

Tacitus

06-21-08, 03:05 PM

Heh, while Seedorf lobs a few petrol bombs. ;)

Golgot

06-21-08, 06:49 PM

Hmm, no 'ear biting' scenarios... and yet the script kicks in again...

Wonder what the odds are now on Spain imploding tomorrow? ;)

(Interesting point made on the Beeb boards is that all the teams that rested players for the third round have been going out. And i believe Spain... well yes... there was never any hope for them anyway :D)

Piddzilla

06-21-08, 07:13 PM

Golgot

06-21-08, 07:18 PM

Christ... The russians are fantastic. Just brilliant. The most entertaining football so far in this tournament. And against Holland the way they've been playing... Amazing. I wouldn't be surprised if we'll see a number of these players in Champions League the upcoming season.

There was talk of Spurs snaffling Arshavin to replace Berbs. Which would be great - only now even our secretive billionaires couldn't afford him i suspects. (I wouldn't know tho - as i din't get to see the game :bawling: )

Darth Stujitzu

06-21-08, 08:36 PM

Once again Darth gives the kiss of death to another nation's hopes, sorry Holland, although I've got to admit, Russia were totally deserving of their victory.
I'll appologise in advance to Spain, sorry I tipped you, start packing your bags as the Curse of Darth is upon you!!!

Lets see how good this curse is, I now predict Germany to win it...... ( don't have much love for them pesky Germans, especially Ballack!!! )

Tacitus

06-22-08, 06:05 AM

Arshavin makes that team tick, he was fantastic last night and reminded me of Fabregas. In fact, the Russian team reminded me of L'Arse in their pomp and I suppose it's not surprising that they've been mentioned in the Sunday papers as being in pole position to sign him (£10m buy-out clause in his contract apparently, I bet Zenit are wishing they didn't make it 3 times the size, they'd get it now).

Arse-Haven's said in the press that he'd only ever play for Arsenal or Chelsea if he were to leave Zenit but I bet that was just because an English journalist was asking the question...

He told me personally last week that he'd only ever play for Chimney Corner or Donegal Celtic. ;D

Anyone else (apart from me and Stu) think that the whole shebang is playing nicely into the hands of the Germans?

Golgot

06-22-08, 08:25 AM

Anyone else (apart from me and Stu) think that the whole shebang is playing nicely into the hands of the Germans?

Italy-German final? *siiiiiigh*

Turkey will get plucked. The Spanish are Dutch. And Hiddink has never quite worked a last round miracle, as such. Heigh ho ;)

Tacitus

06-22-08, 10:09 AM

This tournament's Holland are the Roy Batty of international football...

The light that burns twice as bright etc etc. ;)

I've read a few places today that Spurs have agreed a £20m fee for Villa (David, not the Brummie outfit). Of course, that really says nothing because it doesn't mention how many other clubs have agreed a fee. If it's true, £20m seems rather small, especially when you consider that The Gooners are apparently ready to let half-season-wonder Adebayor go to Spain or Italy for £24m.

Wenger could buy Villa and 7 or 8 French/African teenagers for that sort of money. It's more likely that he'll buy a few dozen 17 year old Ivorians.

Golgot

06-22-08, 11:00 AM

I've read a few places today that Spurs have agreed a £20m fee for Villa (David, not the Brummie outfit). Of course, that really says nothing because it doesn't mention how many other clubs have agreed a fee.

All balls in the wind, according to Guillem-of-SkySports (http://www.guillembalague.com/blog_desp.php?id=37).

(Mind you, he gets Steve Skoda in to talk tactics ;))

---

Villa's out of our league now i'd say - Arshavin too no doubt. Probably always was. Don't think the Ramos-effect and Villa-debts would be enough to see him come now others are slavouring for his sig.

Ramos was spot on when he said we did good business with Modric tho - lots of silly money always gets splashed after tournaments. (Dear lord - i've just remembered Zokora... {who i din't even think looked that good... aaaand, still don't ;)})

Darth Stujitzu

06-22-08, 02:43 PM

I thought we'd payed over the odds for Carrick when we bought him from Spurs, the same goes for Hargreaves, but both have proved me wrong, considering Zakora was bought as Carrick's replacement, I definetly think we got the better deal.
Seems to be around £15 to £20 million for a decent midfielder these days, total madness.
Can't believe the Ronaldo saga at the moment, but I suppose what goes around comes around, it's not as if Man U are shinning angels.
I see Celtic linked with Boularouz, would like to see him and get rid of that diddy Caldwell, but I think £6 million is a bit much for us.

Tacitus

06-23-08, 07:15 AM

I guess the old adage of not buying a player who has specifically impressed in the latest tournament still applies - I dunno if that pertains to Jordi Cruyff or not. Or Poborsky. Zakora (or Didier Zakora Zakora as I remember one Spurs fan calling him, after one of Sralex's many midfield blunders, Djemba Djemba) certainly.

Remember Daniel Amokachi? :D

Villa and Arshavin have a good enough pedigree not to be mentioned in the same breath, fortunately.

I'm kinda glad Spain went through last night but fear for them against anyone who actually tries to run at that defence of theirs. Italy got what they deserved - playing for pens as soon as the game started isn't very cool. ;)

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/greenspagbol/heat-pacino-great-ass.jpg

The Italian goalkeeper. Yesterday.

Piddzilla

06-23-08, 07:46 AM

I'm glad for Spain, but that's about the only thing I was glad for concerning yesterday's game. It's a pity that Italy's back with their clinical deconstructivism. I thought their (very well deserved) world cup victory in 2006 was the beginning of a new era where they actually wouldn't mind scoring more than once every game, and not necessarily on penalties.

I think Spain looks really good, solid and with sharp edges. I am so looking forward to their semi final against the ruskies. It should be a fantastic match which, unless Russia scores first, I think Spain will win. Only to lose in the final against Germany... *sigh*

I hear that both Milan and Man U are drooling after Arshavin, btw.... And since Ronaldo is probably moving to Real Madrid I would guess that Man U will take this one.

Tacitus

06-23-08, 09:15 AM

Here's a transcript of a great article by John Nicholson in Football365.

Watching Euro 2008 should have been an eye opener for all England fans not yet convinced of our sub-standard national team. I don't recall a time when England's national side has been so adrift from the rest of Europe's standards.

If anyone thought our failure to qualify was some sort of fluke or just because Steve McClaren was rubbish then the last three weeks should have made everyone realise that England's playing standards are a long way behind the European par.

Side after side has played the kind of flowing, controlled football that has been beyond England for years. Side after side has shown the kind of grit and bottle that has deserted England for years. Even in the games that were a bit boring, such as Italy v Spain, the Italian defence was wonderfully hard-faced and resolute even when under-strength. It's impossible to imagine England defending like that or anywhere near it. Sides such as Russia and Turkey even look much fitter than England ever do at a tournament.

While England's absence has allowed us to enjoy the tournament without tension, it may have also allowed to us to more impartially and accurately judge the form of other countries without pride, false confidence or bitter cynicism clouding our judgement.

And that should be a sobering experience for all the people both inside and outside the English game that pump up the top English players as 'world class' throughout the Premier League season.

It seems that alongside the stars of Europe there are also plenty of other un-glamorous, relatively obscure players like CSKA's Yuri Zhirkov. No hype, no bombast, no unbearable egos, just a top-quality player doing his job. We have few who can measure up to that standard on any level.

I wonder if there's there a chance that having seen Europe's finest this month that both England fans and media stop so highly rating England's so-called 'stars.'

It would certainly be healthy if we could.

While I like to think regular visitors to this site are more football-literate than most and less deluded about England than most, sadly we are not the majority. The majority still buys the hype about England players. The majority thinks England has 'world class' players and a bit of extra passion is all that's needed for us to win something. We won't be long into the new season before we'll hear people saying 'England should be beating shortly before we lose to them or scratch an awful draw. Some people can't quite come to terms with the idea that England is at best an average, limited side.

But surely it's never been more obvious that our finest players look like second rate, crude imitations of world-class players compared to so many on display this month. Even sides such as Holland and Portugal and Croatia that have already gone out have all actually played a couple of great games, some great football and utterly thrilled us. England just can't do that.

Ironically, though full of talent, the French actually performed very like England; listless, more concerned about their own reputations than team-work, poorly managed and poorly motivated. But at least France has a record of winning things.

People from outside England don't rate our players as highly as some fans and our media do. They know England don't actually under-perform as such, rather the way they perform most of the time is actually how good or more accurately bad they really are.

I live in Edinburgh and I can tell you that the Scots certainly know this. They can see how over-rated England's players are and also how deluded England fans are about the quality of the side and it's genuinely not just Auld Enemy rivalry. I think all across Europe we have been rumbled. Look at Slaven Bilic, he knows. Maybe the only people who don't accept the truth are those who rely on brown-nosing the England players for a living.

While Euro 2008 has been a thrilling, magnificent festival of football, it has only served to prove how far England have slipped behind the rest even in just the last two years in terms of quality of individual players and more importantly still, team work and team ethic.

It's to be hoped that this is obvious to Fabio Capello and that as a consequence he starts picking teams that can work together first and foremost, and abandons picking the same old squads of highly-paid, high-profile individuals who have proven to be inadequate time and again. We need something nearer to revolution than evolution.

Had England qualified for this tournament, it's quite likely we'd have been embarrassingly poor. It's not hard to imagine us losing all three games just as we did in 1988.

But here's a glimmer of hope. After that 1988 debacle, two years later we got to a World Cup semi-final. Significantly though, 50% of the 1988 squad had been replaced by 1990. We need a similar wholesale clearout if England is to even qualify in two years' time.

I just hope Capello as an outsider and with no vested interest in stroking the players' egos sees this clearly because if he doesn't, we'll be enjoying the 2010 World Cup without England.
Much as I don't like laughing at another nation's failings (no, really! ;D) I think he's spot on.

Golgot

06-23-08, 09:48 AM

I thought we'd payed over the odds for Carrick...

..and get rid of that diddy Caldwell, but I think £6 million is a bit much for us.

You support Meltic United? ;)

Here's a transcript of a great article by John Nicholson in Football365.

Ahhh, too true. And what an enjoyable tournament it's been for all that :)

I'm glad for Spain, but that's about the only thing I was glad for concerning yesterday's game. It's a pity that Italy's back with their clinical deconstructivism.

So glad i missed most of the game ;)

Even gladder for Spain tho :). But does this mean we've now entered an alternate reality? If so, i want a pet bear who can cook a wicked poached salmon. (And Berbs to stay at spurs, o'course ;))

Tacitus

06-27-08, 10:13 AM

Spain v Germany, eh?

The Spanish outclassed the Russians last night, no mistake. It doesn't matter how much running around you do, it's a bit useless if you've not got the ball.

So, will it be Let's talk about Cesc, baby on Sunday or Frings can only get better? Arf! :D

Amid more jollity, here's some TV gold. Saint Martin O'Neill tells Robbie Williams some home truths during France '98...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=aEcPlgi2s-w

Darth Stujitzu

06-29-08, 02:54 PM

Viva Espagne!!! ( still expect them pesky Germans to steal it by the odd goal! )
If there is a football God he'll see to it that Spain win tonight.

Piddzilla

06-29-08, 06:39 PM

I think this victory for Spain was great not only for them but for football in general. They play propaganda football. Very offensive minded, but with great defensive skills as well including a fantastic goalie. When their tiqui taca style really works, it's pure art. Their midfield is out of this world and Torres really lifted his game one notch just in time for the final.

They beat the Germans, they beat the Italians (apparently the first time in over 80 years) and they beat the Russian rockets - twice. And in a convincing way (well, it's hard for any team to look good against a desctructive Italy).

I'd say they are the most well deserved winners after the most entertaining final in a big championship in a very long time.

It's been a long 44 years...

¡Viva España! ¡Felicitaciones!

Tacitus

06-30-08, 06:17 AM

I'm glad Spain won as it means that Norn Iron are the de facto European Champions because of the way we crushed them at Windsor Park. :D

I think that their Brazilian import Senna was their player of the tournament. For all the flair of Xavi, Iniesta, Fabregas and De Silva (who looks a wonderful player), they wouldn't have had the platform if Senna hadn't been doing the donkey work.

Dodgy old fool that he is, the coach needs enormous credit for turning this collection of players from semi-automomous regions into, at last, a cohesive unit.

The Germans did their best but their two Neanderthal centre backs were no match for a classy, quick and powerful forward (even if he does look a bit like a hockey-playing Head Girl). Schweinsteiger, to be frank, bottled it and Ballack could only play as well as his fitness allowed.

England take note - an average collection of footballers with just a couple of genuine talents can still perform at the highest level. All it takes is belief. ;)

It's been a cracking tournament. Viva Northern Ireland! ;D

Tacitus

06-30-08, 09:55 AM

John Nic's deconstruction of the Euros from Football365. Once again, it's a cracking read...

So that's another tournament consigned to the history books. How was it for you?

Apparently the players have collectively run 6,695,679 metres and that was before the final. The highest speed recorded was by Ivica Olic (Croatia) - 31.76 kph v Germany - which sounds very fast indeed.

The fitness levels have been impressive and the wet, sometimes cool weather is a good argument for all Euros and World Cups to be held when the weather is not always blazing hot in the host country.

Turkey were an irresistible force of nature, Russia blew brilliant hot and awful cold, France were amusingly up themselves, Holland had the players but having done the hard work, lost self belief. Italy demonstrated the art of defending flawlessly, Spain won it by passing the ball quickly and accurately. Germany had the dodgiest defence ever to get to a final and one magnificent beard.

It'd all been great drama and top, top football (Richard).

And what about Colin Kazim-Richards? A stand-out performer for Turkey and yet an ordinary lower-league scuffer in England. Maybe he proves that we don't need to pick top players, just players who can perform for half a dozen games and not bottle it. That's all. So much of Euro 2008 was about mentality and attitude; England's two biggest weaknesses.

Who's to say there aren't many more like him in England just waiting for a chance to shine?

The refs were a funny bunch; a mixture of twinkly-eyed camp poncers and stern disciplinarians.

When it came to managers there were very old gadgees and the ex-pros. Coaches such as Van Basten and Donadoni cut an elegant swathe on the bench in killer suits, open-neck shirts and neat haircuts, looking like models straight out of GQ. Others like Bilic and Low wore a weary, bloodshot up-all-night-smoking-fags-and-drinking-whiskey-with-hookers look. None sported an umbrella.

Quite why there was an obsession in some quarters with Joachim Low's fitted shirt was one of the more puzzling aspects of the last three weeks. It's not as though he's on the touchline in a pink tutu and blue plastic codpiece, it's just a bleedin' white shirt.

Bilic was magnificent. His watery bug-eyed glory and heartache mirrors every fan's emotions. His post-game interviews were the antidote to the usual PR, middle-management, obfuscating garbage we get.

Mad coaches liks Fatih Terim and Scolari, who were in a perpetual state of uproar and paranoia that they are being screwed by the opposition and the officials have been lauded by commentators and pundits - often the very same people who deplore the exact same hysteria and play-acting in players.

Aragones looked like a tramp waiting for a bus by the Spanish dug-out. Beenhakker and Bruckner appeared like those unworldly university professors who have spent 56 years studying ancient Egyptian.

Sweden's Lars Lagerback looks like a bank manager who enjoys a bit of spanking in a specialist recreation club at the weekends and Romania's Victor Piþurcã just looked downright scary, as you should when your nickname is Satan and your uncle slept in a tomb.

And we watched it all unfold on BBC and ITV while lying on the sofa...well I did anyway. 23 bottles of fine wine later - was it any good?

Credit where it's due, the BBC's gathered multitudes often delivered some insightful punditry, usually through Hansen and Strachan, who were freed up from the obligation to brown-nose English players and their mates.

However, there was plenty of the regular annoying vacuity and wittering chiefly from Shearer and Lineker. O'Neill stuttered and spluttered too often. Marcel looked nice but it all added little.

Lawrenson was good at draining all joy out of the game, while Motson delivered tardy descriptions of the unfolding action. Poor stuff.

Nothing was gained by Lineker et al being in Vienna as they just sat in that glass box. Why not just put them in a glass box in London with a high def picture of Vienna behind and save us the money? The continued employment of Shearer royally rips the pish out of us all.

I'm sure Roger Mosey thinks they've done brilliantly and will waste no time in writing his blog to tell us so. God forbid they should ever suffer from self-doubt at the BBC. We are merely cash cows for these people's lifestyle.

The Third Man movie piece struck a new low in pointless use of air-time and went a long way to proving the notion that some people in the media must hoover up a lot of cocaine.

And that Garth Crooks, man he gets weirder and weirder. If he can just cross the rubicon into genuine insanity, he'll be worth his money.

Adrian Chiles was wheeled out a lot and while he is effortlessly the best the BBC have, there is such a thing as over-exposure and it's hard to shake the notion that the London-centric middle-class BBC executives love him because they can say, 'look we've got a normal person working for us. He's not even been to Eton and Oxbridge Timbo! And he's from way up north in the Midlands. That makes him ethnic doesn't it?'

On ITV David Pleat continued in his tradition of deconstructing the English language, at one point referring to Portugal as Portsmouth. He divides opinion but I find his performances enjoyable for their occasional surrealism. Clive Tyldesley too easily lapses into that say-the-players-name-in-full-just-before-he-shoots mode. And there's only one 'r' in Ronaldo, Clive eh. Noisy and fun though.

In the studio, a tubby looking Andy Townsend managed to sit very upright for every programme, as though held in position by a surgical truss.

Gary Neville was their star perfomer, articulate, insightful and didn't wear a sh*t-eating this-is-money-for-nothing grin, in short the very opposite of the publically-funded disgrace that is Shearer.

Steve Rider's head appeared to be constructed from moulded plastic with the character of plastic extracted.

All TV coverage was guilty of over-focusing on Ronaldo, who was presented to us as part ballet star, part magician.

The opening credits for the BBC were done by Aardman Animations and were much better than usual while ITV still hasn't got over 1990 yet.

On the radio Steve McClaren pitched up at 5live to do co-commentary. He was unsurprisingly free of ideas about the game. "You've just got to hope the players come through," said more than he knew about his own nature.

His presence brought with it an air of vague embarassment, especially as he had to do Croatia's games. It was as though he had to pass judgement on the sexual performance of a man who was engaged in pleasuring his wife. He came over as a slightly pitiful man.

On the 5live mics Greeny, Mike Ingham and John Murray all played a blinder with the Waddler (who on at least one occasion sounded like he had partook in a few libations - rightly so - we need more pished pundits) and Graham Taylor as stand-out pundits delivering opinion worth listening to and actually delighting in it all.

5live remains the gold standard of football broadcasting and once again put their far better-paid TV counterparts to shame.

Danny Baker came back to do 606 which while amusing and chock full of passing references to rock 'n' roll(I especially enjoyed the Pat Travers references - what do you mean, who is Pat Travers?!), the wild, glory days could never be recreated. Still, at least they didn't invite Tory ghoul David Mellor back for some 'red hot soccer chat'.

But the football was still the star of the show. And it was a mega-star. As it should be.

This tournament made an excellent case to say that international football is still the pinnacle of the game, especially for countries who retain a strong sense of national pride and have players who can perform on this stage.

So just two years to go to the World Cup. It can't come soon enough for me and even if England fail to qualify, which I suspect may well be the case, it will not spoil the party one iota for true football fans, as Euro 2008 have conclusively proved.

However, there is hope for England. Germany proved you can have at least one slow, lumbering brutish central defender, little creativity or real pace, and an old, mistake-prone keeper and still get to a final.

Piddzilla

06-30-08, 06:06 PM

Sweden's Lars Lagerback looks like a bank manager who enjoys a bit of spanking in a specialist recreation club at the weekends

My god, I've never thought of that.... ;D Here in Sweden we've always thought of him as social democracy captured in a football coach. I've never seen another man so uncomfortable in shirt and tie and yearning so much for a jogging suit.

Powdered Water

06-30-08, 08:58 PM

Can any of you hard core Footy enthusiasts explain the off sides ruling to me? Please explain it to me like I'm the village idiot. I'm an American :D I've been watching a bit of soccer off and on over the years and I have yet to hear an explanation of the off sides rule that makes sense. I have a rudimentary knowledge of the game so if you just start in with an explanation I would really appreciate it and I may even understand most of it. If not I quiz you until I'm satisfied... Deal? okay then, let the splaining begin!

Tacitus

07-01-08, 06:40 AM

Basically *cough*, if the attacker (in this case, the guy who receives the pass close to the goal he's aiming for) is nearer the goal he's attacking than the last of the defenders (not including the goalkeeper) when the ball is passed to him then he's offside.

If he's level or behind the last defender then he isn't.

Fig 1 ______________________________

.........................Y.................................

...................X....................... X..............

Fig 2 ___________________________________

.............X........... Y................. X

Fig 3 ___________________________________

...................X........................ X
..............................Y..................

X - Lumbering defender
Y - Sneaky attacker

If the line is the goal the attacher is aiming for (ie, he's playing 'upwards') and he's getting a pass from behind him then Fig 1 is offside and Figs 2 & 3 are onside. ;)

nebbit

07-01-08, 07:47 AM

Well there you go :yup: I knew i would learn something if i kept reading this thread ;D

Thanks Tatty :kiss:

Powdered Water

07-01-08, 09:33 AM

Basically *cough*, if the attacker (in this case, the guy who receives the pass close to the goal he's aiming for) is nearer the goal he's attacking than the last of the defenders (not including the goalkeeper) when the ball is passed to him then he's offside.

If he's level or behind the last defender then he isn't.

Geeeeez, its that simple? Frigging American announcers. I kid you not, I have been waiting for an explanation of that rule for a long time and I was convinced that I was going to have to take up string theory in order to comprehend the rule. Thanks Tatty. :) Maybe if I stopped watching it on Univision I would learn more as I don't really speak Spanish but I sure love it when they score.

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLL!!!!

Tacitus

07-01-08, 10:28 AM

I've heard you've got Tommy 'the onion bag' Smyth doing footie commentary for you on ESPN. No wonder the sport isn't popular over there. ;)

Nebbs - Women who understand the offside law are extremely attractive to a lot of blokes. :randy:

Finally - Why we're the real European Champions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGbnauTAGfw

Powdered Water

07-01-08, 10:36 AM

Might help if they were actually at the game as well. I heard that most of these guys are at the studio watching it on T.V. and then doing their shtick, I guess that's pretty common for some of the bigger events, but still seems a little bush league ya know?

Darth Stujitzu

07-01-08, 02:13 PM

I've heard you've got Tommy 'the onion bag' Smyth doing footie commentary for you on ESPN. No wonder the sport isn't popular over there. ;)

Tommy Smyth has to be the most clueless man about football ever.
I don't know what game he's watching, but it never seems to be the one he's commentaiting on, the man makes my blood boil!:furiousdevil: :furiousdevil: :furiousdevil: :furiousdevil:
He makes Alan " Mary Poppins " Shearer seem knowledgeable and interesting with his inept punditry.

Right Darth, rant over, think of a happy place..........

Piddzilla

07-01-08, 03:12 PM

Tommy Smyth has to be the most clueless man about football ever.
I don't know what game he's watching, but it never seems to be the one he's commentaiting on, the man makes my blood boil!:furiousdevil: :furiousdevil: :furiousdevil: :furiousdevil:
He makes Alan " Mary Poppins " Shearer seem knowledgeable and interesting with his inept punditry.

Right Darth, rant over, think of a happy place..........

The swedish commentators and "experts" have been a disaster this year. Usually, the commercially financed TV4 shares the event with the two public service channels SVT1 and SVT2, but this time TV4 hosted it on their own. The commentators were allright, I'll admit, but the players picked as experts were a disgrace. Does any of you guys remember Magnus Hedman, our goalie in Euro 2000 and the world cup in 2002? I have yet to hear the man speak a complete sentence without switching words completely around, using words I didn't know existed, using a saying for a totally wrong occasion or sluddering so much that I can't hear anything at all. And his analysis of the games, players, officials and different situations are either ridiculously obvious ("Spain won this match because they have better players") or irritatingly irrelevant. And the studio has been filled with all kind of clowns and "hip" second grade players who seem to be there more because of their hair than becuase of their knowledge of football. Barf.....

I really miss SVT's old dog Staffan Lindeborg together with former Atalanta captain and midfield maestro Glenn Strömberg who are absolutely flawless. Usually after every big championship the Swedes all agree that Strömberg should be the next national team manager. Watching their 5 minutes bits about the Euro 2008 on the SVT sports was more interesting than watching the entire 3 or 4 hour broadcast on TV4.

Darth Stujitzu

07-01-08, 03:21 PM

Magnus Hedman is a swear word to Celtic Fans, the only good thing about him was his ex-wife!!!
£18,000 a week to sit in the stands at Celtic, every time he played he let in a howler!!!

Piddzilla

07-01-08, 04:58 PM

Magnus Hedman is a swear word to Celtic Fans, the only good thing about him was his ex-wife!!!
£18,000 a week to sit in the stands at Celtic, every time he played he let in a howler!!!

Yeah she DEFINITELY had bigger balls than him................ :sick:

Hedman was always a security risk. I kind of blame him for our exit in the 2002 world cup.

Golgot

07-19-08, 06:46 AM

Bollox (http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/articles/chairmanspeaksout180708.html). Looks like we've just lost our sparkliest front line for many a year at Spurs. Wasn't expecting Keano to go as well.

Having had one night of drinking to reflect on it tho, I can live with that. They worked very well as a pair, but Keano, for all his shouty pointy verve and eccentric skill, is more replaceable than Berbs. (And in some ways he's paid his dues with us - we gave him somewhere to be settled - he's always given his all. And now he wants to go to his 'boyhood club' - who happen to offer bigger crowds and pay packets. Waddeva.)

The first half of this season is almost certainly scuppered now tho, consistency wise. (And we're in a **** negotiating position when it comes to getting a bit of star quality in. Seems the plan is to shank Manure & Rafa's Ragbag for as much cash as poss in the meantime)

Would be nice to get a proven holding/distributing DM in, as it seems we're a cert for 4-5-1/4-2-3-1 (Think we were anyway, but having only one all-out striker kinda makes it inevitable ;))

For now, i will take strange solace from the omens that were there for all to see...

Training vid from few weeks back (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRKRAIwkES4&feature=related) (wait til end of the pan shot for a classic image - and then enjoy the scene of a multi-lingual top-flight training session in all its synchronous glory :D)

nebbit

07-19-08, 07:22 AM

Hi Golly http://bestsmileys.com/waving/5.gif

Tacitus

07-19-08, 08:59 AM

How come Liddypool is everyone's 'boyhood club'? Oh yeah, he's Irish and over 20 so better themmuns than Man Ewe or *shudder* Chelski...

I first saw Keane in the (pasty) flash a decade or so ago when he was turning out for Cov City - he looked like a middle-aged man even then - and thought than he'd be a world class player when he matured, one of the best (no pun intended) to come out of this island in fact.

After that he seemed to move clubs every ten minutes until settling at Spurs but I never thought that he realised his potential. He's a great addition to the first team of a UEFA Cup team and a handy squad member for those higher up, but no more than that now. Bellamy anyone? Craig, not Dr David...

Good on Levy for highlighting the rank hypocrisy of Ferguson, though. :up:

Golgot

07-19-08, 09:58 AM

He's a great addition to the first team of a UEFA Cup team and a handy squad member for those higher up, but no more than that now.

Mm, think his star is probably starting wane. Still not looking forward to seeing 'old man' Keano in red tho (let alone 'the devil with an angel's face' joining his namesakes).

In fact, with Defo happy as larry at Pompey (not happy as Harry tho - he always looks miserable), the chances of our old strike force putting a few past us this season looks worryingly high :rolleyes:

Good on Levy for highlighting the rank hypocrisy of Ferguson, though. :up:

Ay. Altho we've done our own version, a few ranks down, with the way we unsettled-then-snaffled young Bostock from Palace. That's the way the footy food-chain works now, i guess. It's an ecology of bottom-feeders ;)

Tacitus

07-20-08, 06:17 AM

True, there aren't many of the bigger clubs who can claim innocence on this, and I see that Ferguson is now engaging in a game of 'I was misquoted and my lawyers are bigger than your lawyers'.

It's been a very dull summer so far, transfer-wise. Ronaldo and Garry Barry should just bugger off and scrawl 'slave' on their cheeks like Prince did a few years back when he was trying to get out of his record contract.

I think everyone knows my thoughts on the lovely Cristiano but Gaz Baz seemed to be quite a decent bloke. Until he wanted a loyalty bonus...

Golgot

07-20-08, 08:49 AM

True, there aren't many of the bigger clubs who can claim innocence on this, and I see that Ferguson is now engaging in a game of 'I was misquoted and my lawyers are bigger than your lawyers'.

Yeah intriguing innit. I does make me ponder whether old Mr 'Red Top' has had a little chat with The Sun in advance. ('You guys connect the dots and quote me as saying Berbatov, Levy will jump the gun thinking he has us over a barrel, I'll claim outrage, sue you for a nominal sum, hand you some cash and juicy headlines in the future, and thus catalyse the whole Berba-is-off deal')

Not beyond the boundaries of silly season double-dealing i wouldn'ta thought ;)

Altho i'm not sure Fergie would've said 'thus' ;)

Tacitus

07-20-08, 12:08 PM

He'd more likely have said 'yous', as in: Idiots, yous are all f*ckin'. ;D

You're probably right that, whether by accident or design, this has probably forced Spurs' hand to sell their star player.

Alas it has always been thus (or 'yous' :D) that the clubs with most money can cherry pick the talent. It's just a pity that the two clubs in the country with all the money are such graceless oiks, a fact that I can only put down to one Peter Kenyon...

As usual, L'arse have signed a couple of promising children (but have a huge hole in centre midfield that needs filling sharpish); Chelski have been linked with everyone who thinks they deserve 120 grand a week and the promoted clubs are desperately scrabbling around with what little cash they have to make sure that they don't start the season with Dean Windass and the like up front.

I imagine that their chairmen are still pretty pleased that they don't have Lawrie 'Gok Wan' Sanchez in charge and frittering their money away on game but limited Norn Irish trundlers. ;)

Golgot

07-20-08, 02:55 PM

Hey, Healy doesn't trundle. He kinda scuttles ;)

Find it hard to credit Arsen's 'we must sell 35mil's worth of players per season' line, or whatever it was. Possibly i just don't trust anything any manager says any more ;) (Maybe i should decide to just not see them from now on? :)).

Hleb will be missed alright. I'm sure the current signings will be several orders of magnitude better than anyone Benighted-**** has brought to liverpool tho. And i suspect they're gonna miss Riise in turn.

All kinda strange parabolas and perambulations still going on at spurs at the mo. 'Shouty pointy' fella played in the game last night, and has even been reinstalled to the front of the official page, having been taken down for a day. Curiouser and curiouser...

(EDIT: Oh, no, wait, they've just reinstalled yesterday's shoddy make-weight picture of Modric in a croatia shirt. Guess Keano is definitely on his way then ;))

Tacitus

07-21-08, 05:55 AM

Aye, Healy kinda scuttles and plays the imaginary flute at the same time. Silly boy. ;)

I think it's true that Arsenal are feeling the pinch from their stadium repayments harder than most people thought but I dunno how much of that is a convenient excuse for Wenger. I wonder if he'd rather win the league after spending £100mil or finish 2nd with some kids?

I never rated Hleb, to be honest, and think that they've done a good job in getting their money back for him. 5 assists all season and he finds time to criticise Fabregas (20 assists) for being selfish? I love footballers and their fantasy worlds. :D

On another Gooner note, if they get an offer anything like what has been reported for Adebayor they should snap whichever club's hand off - a decent player who had a terrific run for a few months last season but then reverted to type. Wenger could buy 50 young Ivorians with that much cash!

What do you make of the 'Poyet to Man Yoo' rumour? Personally, I think that the departure of Mini-Sir will be a lot more damaging than the greasy-haired ego maniac...

Darth Stujitzu

07-21-08, 06:53 AM

Been a strange pre season so far, still waiting for the transfer merry go round to get fully started.
Modric is probably the highest profile signing for the EPL so far, I feel sorry for Spurs if they loose Berbatov & Keane, but Ramos is a great manager and I'm sure he'll have very good replacements in mind.
Personally, I'd love Berbatov at Man U, and wouldn't mind Poyet too, but think one of the back room staff will get the job, possibly McClair.
Ronaldo has shown what an ungratefull petulant child he is, and Real Madrid have been found out as well over the whole affair, surely if they had bid £70M, Fergie would have taken it.

Its nice being a Man U fan these days, as Chelsea are almost as unpopular as ourselves, will be intresting to see how Big Phil copes with the EPL, expect Arsenal to be nearly men again, they still don't have the depth, and badly need a couple of experienced pros, especially in midfield & up front.
As for things north of the border, I'm still laughing at Rangers paying £2M for the headless chicken Kenny Miller, although that might come back to haunt me, as for Celtic, well we've signed that european giant Paddy McCourt from Derry.

Tacitus

07-21-08, 07:20 AM

As a good old Bhoy, Stu, were you offended by David Healy's flute playing?

I didn't see it but what I can gather he was getting a bit of a ragging from the crowd while warming up ("What were you doing on The Twelfth?" etc) and rose to the bait. Unfortunate and a bit silly (especially considering the way his fellow internationals Neil Lennon and Anton Rogan were treated by the sectarian scum at Windsor) but there seem to be sections from the support of all clubs who go out of their way to take offence...

It's PC gorn MAAAAD! /Daily Mail :D

Edit - I remember Paddy McCourt as a highly talented youngster who started to believe the hype and lost his way for a few years. He could fall flat on his face on a bigger stage than The Brandywell but equally he could turn out to be a bargain. ;)

Rangers might well have signed Miller but I think young Lafferty will do very well there.

Golgot

07-21-08, 11:51 AM

I never rated Hleb, to be honest, and think that they've done a good job in getting their money back for him. 5 assists all season and he finds time to criticise Fabregas (20 assists) for being selfish? I love footballers and their fantasy worlds. :D

Think he dropped off after promising first season. Very tidy player all told tho i still feel. The Fabregas digs were surreal tho yeah ;)

And yes, even if Ade is Kanu's secret love child (which would make him about 36 i guess) he does seem to have been playing 'above himself' recently ;)

What do you make of the 'Poyet to Man Yoo' rumour? Personally, I think that the departure of Mini-Sir will be a lot more damaging than the greasy-haired ego maniac...

Poyet has said no go. No idea if it was ever an official approach.

Looks like he's been a classy appointment. Glad to see him back n'all :) (We never quite got the best end of his playing career - but at least might get the benefit of his expertise for a bit - until United come tapping again ;))

Tacitus

07-22-08, 10:54 AM

I thought that Poyet was a great player in his day but, you're right, he probably arrived at Spurs a season or two passed his peak.

I've got a couple of Leeds-supporting mates who bemoaned his departure a lot more than that of Wise. ;)

This clip is pure genius. Darren Huckerby arrives in the MLS!

Link (http://youtube.com/watch?v=-B6ucoSoIy4)

He's a legend! :D

All this time I hadn't realised that Christopher Guest was a skilled documentary filmmaker...

Golgot

07-22-08, 01:07 PM

I've got a couple of Leeds-supporting mates who bemoaned his departure a lot more than that of Wise. ;)

I never know how to assess the influence of the assistant coach, but there's no doubt that i'd rate Poyet's nouse over Wise's anyday (always was an ironic surname ;))

He looks good on the touchline too. Attentive, shouty, and with that line in gesticulation and all-body-grimaces that South Americans do so well :D

This clip is pure genius. Darren Huckerby arrives in the MLS!

Link (http://youtube.com/watch?v=-B6ucoSoIy4)

He's a legend! :D

All this time I hadn't realised that Christopher Guest was a skilled documentary filmmaker...

:D

All we need now is for Borat to join LA Galaxy and the football fairytale will eat itself whole. Possibly while wrestling naked ;)

Tacitus

08-14-08, 08:24 AM

McClown goes native!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8oN58cyp2c

Good grief, if this man was any more of a t!t he'd be wearing a bra on his head. A Dutch cap? ;)

Golgot

08-14-08, 01:06 PM

He needs a cap in his ass

(Sorry, just making sure our American cousins can understand me ;))

But ****, i haven't cringed so much since i last watched an episode of Peep Show. And even then, that was good cringe.

---

If there's one team in the EPL that McMorrisMinor could fittingly lead, it'd be Man City. Coz Mark Hughes doesn't deserve the tragi-comedy that's imploding beneath him. (That said, i do hope Corluka's handed in a transfer request, and we get to nab him ;). Spurs are just a few players short of being able to shake up the league a bit - i suspects)

I've suspected that before tho ;)

Still not looking forward to seeing Berbs slotting neatly into the Devil's team - but seeing him turn up the sulks to 11 for us might not be that pretty either. Heigh ho ;)

These Filthy Hands

08-14-08, 01:27 PM

Football (European):
Man U and good old Italy

Football (American):
BROWNS (I know, they always suck. I'm from Cleveland and I gotta have something to get pissed about) and the Colts.

Tacitus

08-14-08, 01:33 PM

It's bizarre, innit? I can remember my sister sounding like an extra from Eastenders after a few months working in London but she was very young and it soon faded (I incorporated the occasional Scouse or Brummie phrase into my vocabulary in 11 years but no more than that, really) but McLaren is either on heavy sedation, has been partaking in some Amsterdam 'cafe culture' or is a complete and utter idiot. My money is on the latter. For shure! ;)

You've gotta feel a bit for Hughes and the players at City, but not too much. My abiding memory of Hughes the player was of him poleaxed on his face attempting to get a guy sent off for an alleged elbow while his team scored. I think it was in his second stint at Man U...

As to those poor young multi-millionaires? Well...

I think Spurs are either gonna have a wonderful, barnstorming season (but still finishing 5th) or are gonna get found out, Ardiles style, very quickly. It'll be an exciting ride, though.

Golgot

08-14-08, 01:59 PM

It's bizarre, innit? ...

Mebe his brain's got dehydrated? Lack of rain and that ;)

You've gotta feel a bit for Hughes and the players at City, but not too much. My abiding memory of Hughes the player was of him poleaxed on his face attempting to get a guy sent off for an alleged elbow while his team scored. I think it was in his second stint at Man U...

Yeah true - but i like the way he's handled himself during this debacle. (And my youthfulness-at-the-time means i mainly remember his ludicrous volleying skills from his playing days ;))

As to those poor young multi-millionaires? Well...

I think Spurs are either gonna have a wonderful, barnstorming season (but still finishing 5th) or are gonna get found out, Ardiles style, very quickly. It'll be an exciting ride, though.

Yeah, the fun is in the finding out ;)

And in barracking the bastards who don't put in 16mil£-displays ;)

Ðèstîñy

09-01-08, 06:55 PM

Sept 1 UCLA Pasadena Ca

http://home.att.net/~utvolsno1/football_time_2001.gif

or, you know, California!

http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee182/tmallicoat91/th_tennessee-football-helmet2.gif

Tacitus

09-02-08, 05:26 AM

It's been a bizarre transfer window and no mistake. ;D

Man Ewe finally get their hands on the sulky Bulgar, Liddypool sign another 7/10 player, L'Arse make do with their crèche, Chelski make do with their billions, Everton spend £15 mil on someone I've never heard of, Spurs get a very good (and very slow) defender and The New Teddy Sheringham and Man Citeh go completely bonkers...

Of course, the news that tops it all is Glentoran signing Gary Waterworth from Hamilton! The rest of the Irish League are either shaking in fear or because of too much drink last night. ;)

Golgot

09-03-08, 10:22 AM

It's been a bizarre transfer window and no mistake. ;D

Ay, it has been a little Twilight Zone out there. Knowing Citeh's luck they'll probably assemble an amazing team in January, and then get nuked for being a terrorist assest ;)

West Ham seem to have been slowly imploding ever since the Teves/Mascerano deal. (Oh shite, i just wondered over to Beeb Sport, and Curbs has just quit. I'm a prophet! :))

Everything else is a jumble. Only Manure seem to have come out of things on a solid footing. (The thoroughly-consistent bastards!)

At least we've got more than one striker in Spudsville now :) (Even if Pav is UEFA-cup-tied - and cups are our main honey pots. Heigh ho ;))

What must Cor-Luka be thinking now tho, having just left the new Chelskis? Cor-blimey? Or something stronger? ;) (I've gotta say - glad as i am to get some quality cover in, slow or not, every time King and Woody line up together they're getting better and better - and i enter a standard Spurs-fugue - where i imagine the good stuff will keep on happening - and both those quality buggers will stay fit ;))

Tacitus

09-04-08, 07:39 AM

I'd love to have been a fly on the wall when Robinho was told he was leaving Madrid...

"Yeah, it looks like you've burned your bridges here son. The club say you'll never play for them again and have accepted a bid from an English club. The bad news is that the club's not Chelsea but the good news is that the fax says 'Manchester ...' then there's a smudged bit which I can't read but, hey, there's only one team in Manchester who could afford you so what's there to worry about?"

Ten minutes later.

"I know you've already signed the contract but I had them re-send the fax. The good news is that I've got a clause in your contract where you can leave for the amount they paid Madrid if they don't make the Champions League next season or if it rains too much! My 10% will be wired to the usual place by Thursday I take it?"

EDIT - I've just read a blog calling him 'The Brazilian Stan Collymore'. That might not be too far for the truth. Apart from the 'successful International footballer' bit. ;)

Golgot

09-04-08, 10:06 AM

EDIT - I've just read a blog calling him 'The Brazilian Stan Collymore'. That might not be too far for the truth. Apart from the 'successful International footballer' bit. ;)

I won't consider him a complete failure until he's starred in a movie with Shazza Stone ;)

Tacitus

09-04-08, 12:10 PM

Or parking up on Cannock Chase at midnight in a bright red, personalised plate-wearing, Range Rover and ... well. y'know.

Or hooking up with that turkey-necked ex-weathergirl (who's name, as you might have found out, escapes me right now) with unfortunate consequences.

Stanley Victor, where did it all go wrong? He was a cracking player when his head was right (a couple of years at Forest, I think) though, and a more than decent pundit these days too.

______________________

West Ham seem to be imploding at a rate only recently experienced by Newcastle supporters. I think this is quite apt as, from my experience, their fans are second only to the Geordies in the delusion stakes. ;)

Tacitus

10-26-08, 07:40 AM

Sooooo, Not So Magic Juande (and Agent Comolli and Poyet - is this known as the night of the long cocks? ;D) has been given the chop and replaced with Harry Redknapp.

I've got no love for Redknapp (bug eyes, twitch, inflated opinion of his worth, serial unfaithfullness) and see no real lift for Spurs, certainly until January when they can try and buy the type of players that they so badly need. 5 or 6 of them.

Come back Christian Gross! :D

Golgot

10-26-08, 01:00 PM

Getting rid of Comolli, and the whole 'democracy of idiocy' slave-purchasing system, is fine by me. And if there's one thing 'Arry is good at it's getting teams out of the **** and into slightly-attractive mediocracy. That'll suit us nicely ;)

(Considering i'm expecting to wake up tomorrow with the Queen Mum's Corpse installed as majority shareholder & Jamie Redknapp's youngest as fitness coach, i will take this strange approximation of a dream :))

Oh, that and the current 1 goal lead ;) (It's a bugger on old 'One Day' that he's been given a stunted/unfamiliar team to work with - and now that he's got the inevitable boot, they might just be starting to click. Someone should base a comedy-documentary on us. If we were a glue factory, we'd make horses ;))

Tacitus

10-26-08, 03:30 PM

Apparently Redknapp Jnr Jnr is a top, top fitness coach, Richard. :D

3 points for you today but I suppose 'Arry hasn't officially taken over yet. I remember his last firefighting mission when he decided to go down that road to Southampton. That didn't exactly end well...

Golgot

05-06-10, 11:19 AM

I believe this is the correct juncture to say Championnnnns (League), Championnnnsss! :D

http://i41.tinypic.com/34ysgzo.jpg

Golgot

05-06-10, 01:29 PM

And just as a rider, this is incredibly childish... and also the best thing on the internets :D...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XALVPwkor7U

From a few games back, but a pretty good summary of how our run in has gone :)

honeykid

05-06-10, 02:37 PM

As a United fan, I'm very pleased to see Spurs secure 4th. There again, I'm one of the few, non-Spurs fans, I know who actually like Spurs. Congratulations. Now let's hope you can make it past the qualification round.

As for my boys, I can't believe that with a game to play we're still able to win the title. OK, we won't, but it's still possible. We've been distinctly average this year, poor by our standards, and I can't remember a performance that wowed me. Not over a whole game anyway. We've got the best defence in the league and Ferdinand and Vidic have only made something like 34 appearances between them all season. van der Vaar has been outstanding. I know it's all if's and but's, but if Carrick had scored that penalty against Burnley, we may be in pole position going into the final game and on for 4 in a row. However, now I'm starting to sound like an Arsenal fan, so I'll shut up. :D

I've been meaning to start a football (soccer) thread most of the year, so it's good that this has been revived. Shame it's only with a game to go. Still, there's the World Cup

Golgot

05-06-10, 03:27 PM

I think we're a bit more likeable now we're playing some easy-on-the-eye stuff more games than not ;)

Yeah it's been a weird one for you guys. Gotta love it when it goes down to the line tho :). The ex-spurs boys have been a bit of a disappointment for you guys all told tho. Lots of talk of them getting turfed. (Which i'd be fine with, coz it'd suggest to Bale and others that the grass is damn green and plentiful here south of the fence ;))

Ay, world cup should be intriguing too :) Although the Evening Standard made the horribly apt point that hardly any England players are Champions League regulars, compared to the biggest sides which are stocked with 'em. Don't think Spurs guys count on that score yet (like you say, we've still gotta qualify ;)). Reason to go in with breezy expectations anyways ;)

*EDIT* - ****, could I have put any more smilies in that?

Justin

05-06-10, 03:29 PM

Barca played poorly in the first leg. Mourinho's cheap park-the-bus "tactic" in the second leg was incredibly lame.

Starting to sound bitter now, oh well. Needed to let that out...

Tacitus

05-06-10, 06:48 PM

I'm still not a fan of Redknapp but hats off to him for moulding a cohesive unit which seems, unlike a lot of Spurs teams, to be built from the back. Dawson has been a quiet revelation.

Chelsea deserve the league, I suppose, but I feel they've backed into it slightly because of Man Utd's shortcomings.

L'Arse are still a talented but stupid side. Wenger is as contrary as I am and that's why I like the guy but he really needs to spend some wedge in the summer. In all areas.

I'm glad Man City missed out on 4th for purely altruistic reasons. It means they'll have to wait another year at least before they can lure the real superstars who'll not take anything less than Champions league football.

Liverpool. Heh.

Villa did as well as expected when you consider the lightness of their squad. I'm sure that M O'N would spend if he could and Lerner seems a terrific owner but one that just doesn't have the financial clout of the teams they want to compete with.

Team of the Year in England - Fulham. Regardless of the result in the UEFA final they've been fantastic and all done with Aaron Hughes and Chris Baird! This proves how good old Woy actually is.

Special kudos to Schteve McClaren, winning the Dutch league with FC Twente. It doesn't vindicate the England debacle but at least he can argue now that it was a job too early for him rather than one simply over his head - I don't necessarily agree with that, though. He's a Graham Taylor - A good club man, that's all.

I loved the Inter/Barca matches. I think that Barca have been hampered by the lack of sustained competition in Spain with only Real within 25 points of them - They've not been tested too often and ran out of ideas in the second leg of the semi. It really was a masterful performance by Jose and Inter and the most enthralling match I've seen this year.

Don't think that parking the bus is a cheap tactic at all, actually, especially in that situation. How would you coach the 2nd leg of a semi against an attacking force as strong as Barca while holding a narrow lead and getting a man sent off?

In more pressing areas, Glentoran have lost the league, sacked big Alan McDonald and put half their squad up for sale. They also chose to employ the hateful Keith Gillespie and are paying him a comparative King's ransom to fanny around one game in three.

honeykid

05-07-10, 10:38 AM

I think we're a bit more likeable now we're playing some easy-on-the-eye stuff more games than not ;)
I've always liked Spurs. Partly because of the Argies of the late 70's/early 80's and partly because my ultimate, all-time (non United) player, Gary Lineker played for you.

The ex-spurs boys have been a bit of a disappointment for you guys all told tho. Lots of talk of them getting turfed.
Berba I've never understood. I just didn't get what Fergie saw that he could give us, but I think the main reason he 'flopped' is that he's not got it to play at United. Some players just can't take it, it's too big for them. I know that sounds arrogant to some, but I think it's true. He's easily good enough to play for United in terms of talent and ability, he just doesn't have it. C21st Gary Birtles for me. You watch, we'll sell him this summer and he'll be really good, wherever he goes. If we get £15m-£20m for him, I'll be happy.

Carrick I'm not so sure about. He's had a poor season, a bad 18 months actually, but I'm not sure which side of the argument I fall. Again, if someone offers around £12m for him, I'd probably be able to say goodbye without thinking about it too much.

Ay, world cup should be intriguing too :) Although the Evening Standard made the horribly apt point that hardly any England players are Champions League regulars, compared to the biggest sides which are stocked with 'em. Don't think Spurs guys count on that score yet (like you say, we've still gotta qualify ;)). Reason to go in with breezy expectations anyways ;)
Really I was talking about the World Cup as a tournament, not England's participation. I'm not too bothered, though I'd like them to win obviously. I was the only person I know who was pleased we didn't qualify for Euro 2008. About 20 seconds after the final whistle went and a soaking wet Steve McClaren walked onto the pitch to a chorus of boos, I realised that there'd be no OTT paper coverage. No OTT match coverage. No plastic England flags. No face painting. I could just watch some good football and, if I was lucky, some decent analysis too.

As for England? I'd expect Quarter Finals. If we make the Semi's, then we've done better than expected. If we make the finals, I'd like you to leave me asleep, as it's probably the only way I'll see England win the World Cup this year.

Barca played poorly in the first leg. Mourinho's cheap park-the-bus "tactic" in the second leg was incredibly lame.

Starting to sound bitter now, oh well. Needed to let that out...
Gotta agree with Tacitus on this one. You couldn't really expect anything else. Barcelona were at home and knew they had to score, at least, two goals. They're the best attacking force on the planet atm and yet, even with a man advantage, they rarely looked dangerous. Had that been United, whether we'd scored the required goals or not, Inter still would've spent the last 60 minutes of that game in their own penalty area, but they'd have been sweating and nervous the whole time.

Chelsea deserve the league, I suppose, but I feel they've backed into it slightly because of Man Utd's shortcomings.
I agree. Chelsea were my pick for the title this season (as they were the season before) and I still can't believe that they've not wrapped it up. That failing almost makes it criminal that they're going to win it.

L'Arse are still a talented but stupid side. Wenger is as contrary as I am and that's why I like the guy but he really needs to spend some wedge in the summer. In all areas.
Wenger won't win because he refuses to play it smart. Great for his principles, but not for the trophy cabinet. Had they played this season (and maybe even last season) as they did the '05 FA Cup Final, they might have a couple more cups or maybe even another title to their name. That, and they've needed a decent keeper, at least since Lehman left and, IMO, even before that.

I'm glad Man City missed out on 4th for purely altruistic reasons. It means they'll have to wait another year at least before they can lure the real superstars who'll not take anything less than Champions league football.
I'm glad too. :D

Liverpool. Heh.
They've given me a great laugh this season. Shame that Benitez looks to be going. He's doing a great job. The talk atm seems to be Woy, if Benny leaves, but I'd expect Martin O'Neil to be first in the queue. He's on a rolling contract (so he costs nothing in compensation) has taken Villa about as far as he can (even more so now Spurs have nicked 4th rather than City) and the rumour mill suggests that he's gone this summer whether it's Liverpool or not.

Team of the Year in England - Fulham. Regardless of the result in the UEFA final they've been fantastic and all done with Aaron Hughes and Chris Baird! This proves how good old Woy actually is.
Completely agree with this, too. Manager of the Year as far as I'm concerned. 'Arry second and Alex McLeish third.

Tacitus

05-07-10, 11:26 AM

Re: Barbatov. I agree, the club seems too big for him and remember him speaking of being in awe of players like Rooney when he arrived.

I agree about L'Arse badly needing a new keeper as well. Can't imagine Lehmann being bullied in the way that Fabianski was in the Blackburn match. Ok, he'd probably have landed a left hook on Samba and have been sent off but bullied he would not have been. I saw a quote on a footie website this morning expecting them to sign Joe Hart only for his arm to fall off just before the new season starts. ;)

M O'N to Liverpool is an interesting one. He's not gonna get them playing beautiful football but should certainly galvanise the members of the squad who've become disenchanted. I'd say it's his last chance for one of the really big jobs in England because I've got a feeling that Man Utd will go for someone younger (and maybe Jose-shaped, if he doesn't end up at Real next season - I think they'd be a perfect match) when S'Ralex finally hangs up his wine rack.

earlsmoviepicks

05-07-10, 01:55 PM

Tacitus

05-07-10, 02:45 PM

I'm probably not best placed to comment because a) I'm an ignorant Paddy and 2) I've not seen the film, but I'll have a go.

West Ham are a club in the East End of London and are one of the smaller sides in the top division. You'll get the rest of the dull stuff via Wikipedia, I guess. :)

They've not had a lot of success in recent years but have long had a tradition of bringing through young English talent who usually get snapped up by more successful teams. Off the top of my head I can think of Rio Ferdinand and Michael Carrick (Manchester Utd) and Joe Cole and Frank Lampard (Chelsea) who are current England regulars.

In terms of hooliganism, they've always had a bit of a reputation but not significantly more than a few other London clubs like Chelsea and Millwall.

Golgot

05-07-10, 03:02 PM

As a Yank, I know nothing about the football in the UK but I keep hearing about West Ham United (Russell Brand, I think, is a huge fan and I've watched Green Street Hooligans, so I'm a bit curious.) To an outsider, who is this team, and would you consider the movie depiction accurate? Be gentle...

I've seen Brand say he identified with the Hammers so strongly as a kid because it was all colour and passion, whereas his bit of satellite-London suburbia was drabness personified. (Ain't seen the film either so don't know if that's any help ;)). Certainly they're on their fans are on the upper end of the noise/passion scale. (Sometimes for the good, sometimes the bad :|)

PS I can heartily recommend the upcoming World Cup as an intro to soccerland, if timezones allow - there's nothing quite like seeing nations expressing their own personal rhythms through the medium of running near a spherical ball ;) (while occasionally juggling it with their feet :))

earlsmoviepicks

05-07-10, 03:15 PM

Thanks for the info! Good to know, I'd like to check out the cup-- it's funny, my dad comes from Hungary and when I was a kid, I played football (soccer) in the backyard and was made fun of because I wasn't throwing a football (football) like everyone else. Things have changed, nowadays here in the US every 5-year old is on a team. In fact, watching my own son play is, shall we say.....interesting.... :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm:

Golgot

05-07-10, 04:21 PM

In fact, watching my own son play is, shall we say.....interesting.... :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm:

Yeah bless ;) (Good tip if you wanna give him an edge is get him a smaller 'size 3' ball - rather than the big ole normal one. That's what the Brazilians do, when they step up from balled socks n that - seems to work ;))

In the UK we've got a blast it / head it fixation, traditionally, which I'm convinced comes from it being the only things you can do as a kid with tiny feet, a big bobbly head, and an even larger ball ;)

christine

05-07-10, 06:37 PM

Warning: Ignorant American Question re: UK Football Below! :rolleyes:

As a Yank, I know nothing about the football in the UK but I keep hearing about West Ham United (Russell Brand, I think, is a huge fan and I've watched Green Street Hooligans, so I'm a bit curious.) To an outsider, who is this team, and would you consider the movie depiction accurate? Be gentle...

Not seen the film either but if it involves butty loads of hooliganism then it's just a silly exaggeration. We lived in West Ham 1981 to 1984. amd before that in Hackney 1976 to '81. Of course there's bad lads but there's thousands of families who love football and who've gone to games generation after generation and all the altercations they've had is heated discussions in the pub afterwards!

Def get your lad into the World Cup, it's a great spectacle for a kid :)

Tacitus

05-08-10, 09:07 AM

my dad comes from Hungary and when I was a kid, I played football (soccer) in the backyard

This explains everything! Ferenc Puskás (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferenc_Pusk%C3%A1s), one of the greatest players ever to come out of Europe. It's in yer blood. ;)

honeykid

05-12-10, 10:07 AM

Anyone care about the Championship? Personally, I'd love to see Blackpool in the Prem. OK, so they'd get hammered every other week, but it'd be great for their fans, many of whom won't have seen their team in the top league in their lifetime and I love that kind of thing. So long as they don't do a Portsmouth, of course. I really feel for those fans, as well as all the others that've had their clubs put on the brink by poor leadership at the top. Hell, give another few seasons and I could be one of them. :(

Tacitus

05-12-10, 11:14 AM

Holloway can be comedy briefly but I think he'll get seriously found out at Prem level if the get promotion.

I was just reading Football365 and clicked on a link that said 'Terry suffers suspected broken metatarsal'. The link only led to an error and I can't find any reference to it on BBC Sport.

Someone mischief-making or has Big Brave JT, England's Lion (or liability against top class opposition, take your pick) finally broken down completely?

EDIT - Chelski have confirmed he's getting his right foot scanned...

Central defence is one heck of a problem position for England at this coming WC - In addition to Right Back, reserve Left Back, Keeper, combative Midfielder, someone to play up front other than Rooney etc. If Terry's toe is, indeed, broken are we looking at a partnership of a half fit Ferdinand and a Carragher who's best days were 3 or 4 years ago and now moves like a tugboat in a storm? Then there's the practically paraplegic Ledley King (class player, no doubt, but to be relied on in a tournament situation?), Upson who's looked out of his depth at this level and the untried Dawson.

I wonder if Big Sol is waiting by the phone? I'd have him in the squad over Upson any day of the week.

honeykid

05-12-10, 03:48 PM

The whole team is a hell of a problem for England. Capello's really going to earn his corn if he's going to get us any further than Sven did. Though that was probably the case, anyway. The quarter finals are our level. True, it's been penalties the last two tournaments, but we still went out.

No break for Terry, which is good. While I think he's overrated (Mr. Chelsea, England's Lion, etc) but, aside from Rio, he's easily the best defender we've got. Actually, scratch that, he's better than Rio now that Rio's crock.

I do think that the injury to Barry might be a blessing in disguise, though. I've not heard anyone (Villa fan or not) say that Barry's been anything but disapointing this season and I'm hoping that Parker gets the nod over Carrick. Let's face it, if Hargreaves was fit, he'd be in and while he doesn't have his composure or ability to spot a pass, Hargreaves is usually used to break up play and Parker can do that in his sleep. Sure, he'll probably get found out against the top teams, but then, that applies to most of the team.

Tacitus

05-12-10, 04:47 PM

Damn, I forgot the Fulham match was on! 1-1 at half time. If Danny Murphy was a few years younger...

Yep, I agree that Terry is massively overrated but he's experienced in big game high pressure situations so he's a shoe-in to the present team alongside a fit Rio. There's just no strength in depth there.

In fact, the only area where I can see a lot of options are in right-sided midfielders.

Barry hasn't had a great season, neither has Gerrard (who has got the old 'form is temporary' argument on his side, I know) and Carrick just doesn't seem to be a big game player. Lampard needs the midfield built around him to function like he does at club level and unfortunately for England, there's no Essien. He'll do a job in a more withdrawn role but he'll need a level head beside him and that ain't Carrick.

I've not seen a lot of West Ham this season but apparently Parker has been carrying them since Christmas. Who knows? He might turn out like Nicky Butt did a few years ago. ;)

It's a real shame about Hargreaves because he's world class in his position but he's been out for far too long to take a punt on him.

On the positive side, a fit Rooney can bulldoze through any defence but I just hope that Capello can manage to rein him in and stop him charging all over the field. I really like the look of Milner and he's just the sort of guy for tournament football because he'll put a decent shift in anywhere apart from centre half.

What Capello has really accomplished is getting England to drop the pace a notch and start playing with their heads a bit more. The real test will come if they're 1-0 down at half time, Rooney's on a yellow and passes are bouncing off Big Heskey's arse.

honeykid

05-12-10, 08:49 PM

Damn, I forgot the Fulham match was on! 1-1 at half time. If Danny Murphy was a few years younger...
Poor old Fulham. Just 4 more minutes and they'd have had a shot a penalties. Usually I wouldn't put money on an English team winning a penalty shootout, but Athletico are big time bottlers, IMO, and I think Fulham would've had a better chance than they would against most other teams. I mean, the InterToto Cup exists just to tire and weed out all the teams like Fulham, so that they don't reach the final and 'spoil' these glamour events. Throw all that into the mix and I'd like Fulham against Athletico in a shootout.

Yep, I agree that Terry is massively overrated but he's experienced in big game high pressure situations so he's a shoe-in to the present team alongside a fit Rio. There's just no strength in depth there.
Yep, it's really sad. At the 2004 Euro's we had an embarassment of riches at centre half. Campbell, Ferdinand, Terry, Woodgate, King, Upson. I'm sure I'm missing someone.

In fact, the only area where I can see a lot of options are in right-sided midfielders.
Yes and all of them have yet to prove themselves, IMO.

It's a real shame about Hargreaves because he's world class in his position but he's been out for far too long to take a punt on him.
You're not kidding. Without wishing to sound like a Liverpool or Arsenal fan, I genuinely think we'd have won the league this season had he been fit. Hell, we may've even won the Champion's League last season, had we had him. He'd have been better than Anderson and Carrick, that's for sure. What the hell has happened to Anderson, BTW? Do you think he's capable of 'pulling a Nani?' I suspect he's lost his hunger. If he's shipped out this summer, that's what I'd put it down to.

I really like the look of Milner and he's just the sort of guy for tournament football because he'll put a decent shift in anywhere apart from centre half.
Milner has been the 'find' of the season as far as Capello's concerned, I'm sure. You have to wonder why Ashley Young and Gabby Agbonlahor haven't pushed on this season. At this point last year, I think most England fans would've been looking at these two and thinking that, with another season of progress and experience, they'd really be looking the part. Young especially, when you consider he's played left side at Villa. When I look at that 30 man squad, I do wonder how they've both managed to miss it.

The real test will come if they're 1-0 down at half time, Rooney's on a yellow and passes are bouncing off Big Heskey's arse.
You know what'll happen as well as I do. We'll do what we always do. I know both Sven and McClaren got hell for it, but I don't believe that these two experienced managers told those players that's what they wanted them to do.

will.15

05-12-10, 09:09 PM

Oh, that football.

Tacitus

05-13-10, 07:25 AM

Oh, that football.

It must be at least a page since the last comment like that. Wahay! :D

Fulham:

Athletico shaded it, no doubt, and deserve the win but Fulham weren't outclassed by any means and it could have been a very different result with a fit Zamora - and I never thought I'd write those last few words. For a team to be so full of cast-offs from supposed bigger sides they've had a remarkable season. Ok, poor old Chris Baird looked like what he really is, a decent Championship player, but he was the exception.

Duff looked to have been in decline since he left Chelsea, Zamora a flop at this level until now, Hughes, Konchesky and Davis decent squad men but nothing more and Danny Murphy just a few tenths short of real class.

I wonder how many England caps Mark Schwarzer might have by now if he was qualified? You could say the same about Brad Friedal, I suppose, but the big Aussie has been flying under the radar for years.

Anderson:

Ferguson hasn't been exactly stellar in the transfer market these past few years, has he? Yep, Nani has kicked on this season but how much did he and Anderson cost? Huge sums of money for a couple of promising kids, I seem to remember. If Nani can kick on again next season I'll start to be convinced by him but right now I'd put him in the Adybayor (of late 2008/early 2009) bracket - A good player who's had an exceptional few months rather than someone of genuine class.

Utd have had to rely far too much on the creaking Giggs and Scholes because Anderson and to a lesser extent Carrick don't seem up to the task in hand. Carrick's too old for the 'maturity' argument (but look at Zamora, I suppose) but Anderson, if he's not sold in the summer, seriously needs to start showing he's worthy of the reputation a few good games a couple of years ago gave him.

Agbonlahor and Young:

I'd put Agbonlahor in the same bracket as Walcott - they don't seem to have much in their armoury apart from frightening pace - but, even though Gabby has shown he can score against the big boys, something inside me says that if Walcott was one-on-one with the keeper deep into injury time he'd slot the ball coolly past him. In short, even though he's had a really frustrating season, I think there's something special about the kid and I'd pick him for the squad above someone like Agbonlahor.

Young hasn't impressed me for a couple of years, to be honest. He may just have found his level as a good club operator or else he's having serious motivational problems. I think Agbonlahor will improve but I'm not so sure about Young and that's a shame because Capello's England operate in such a way as to be perfect for a player like him.

That said, I'd have him over Wright-Phillips any day of the week so whadda I know? :D

If this World Cup goes how a lot of people expect, the British press will, as you allude to, finally have to admit that their golden generation just weren't good enough. Sven and McClaren were easy to blame (and Schteve especially did himself no favours) but if a coach with Capello's reputation can't get the team beyond the quarters it's not the manager's fault. ;)

honeykid

05-22-10, 03:53 PM

So pleased to see Blackpool winning the play-off final. Damn good game, too. Now I'm hoping that Inter can make it a double for me.

christine

05-23-10, 02:28 PM

Love the new Nike footy ad. The bit about Rooney is class!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idLG6jh23yE

honeykid

05-23-10, 11:36 PM

That's good, Christine. Nike must've been a bit put out that Ronaldinho didn't make the Brazil squad.

This is still my favourite Nike ad though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrShUb4pU14&feature=related

Well, that one and this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbFmK4zZ9Ys

As a United fan, I like this one, too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2ia_3WCsWE

A quick trawl through the sunday gossip reveals a story that has disapointed me, but Christine will love. Namely that Jack Rodwell is set to sign a 5 year deal at Everton. Of the players United have, so far, been linked with, this is the one I'd have liked to come true.

It looks like we've stopped being linked with James Milner (which I'm pleased about considering the price and competition) and I wouldn't mind seeing us take a look at Luis Suarez. I've not seen him play, though the word of mouth is always good (as are the stats) but he seems to be the best player who isn't a 'big name'. There must be a reason why no one's ever linked with him, though. There again, I thought that with Wesley Sneijder, who I've been banging on about for something like 8 years now. I thought he was the perfect replacement for Scholes years ago, but none of the big clubs took him. Hell, Real only took him (and Van der Vaart, who was another one everyone looked at but no one took) after they ran out of time chasing Ronaldo the summer before he left. But look at him now. Key member of a European Cup winning team and worth, I'd have thought, at least £40m. And still a perfect fit in the United team. I can only think that it's the pace of the Premier League that put off Ferguson from making a bid over the years.

What about your clubs? Anyone you're hoping to see the back off or come in? Any rumours that fill you with dread in either direction?

Justin

05-24-10, 12:22 AM

David Villa to Barça. Nice addition.

honeykid

05-24-10, 04:44 AM

Absolutely, Justin. Looks like you'll have Fabregas joining too.

There's talk here that West Ham are looking to take Henry to Upton Park, on around £75,000 a week. All the talk about Henry up till now have put him Stateside, either with the Seattle Sounders or, more recently, the New York Red Bulls.

christine

05-24-10, 06:03 AM

Yeah Honeykid I'm pleased about Rodwell :) hopefully it'll all be signed soon. We're also supposed to be after Sporrting Lisbon's captain Joao Moutinho. We went after him before a few years ago, but they want a lot of money for him now and I'm not convinced.
Trouble with negotiation's for Pienaar's next contract, and other clubs sniffing around. I'd be sad if he left :(

Tacitus

05-24-10, 06:29 AM

Yep, West Ham's signings of Dyer and Ljungberg went really well, didn't they? :D

Henry is a different kettle of fish, I suppose, but part of me believes him when he said that he wouldn't play for another English club apart from Arsenal (who've signed a target man who looks like he probably could hit a cow's arse with a banjo, unlike that Bendtner guy). Wenger might see it as a tidy bit of business in the Sol Campbell mould given that they were also supposedly interested in bringing Vieira back. He could back Van Persie up quite nicely and is guaranteed at least half a season as first choice given RVP's injury record but I don't see it happening.

Chris - That Moutinho deal has been on the go for a couple of years now, hasn't it?

Pienaar's a fantastic little player and I suppose it was only a matter of time before he appeared on the radars of other clubs. I see that Arsenal are supposed to be interested in Arteta if/when Fabregas leaves.

It's probably gonna be more Wenger's style to sign a foetus from Burkina Faso who's made from cardboard...

christine

05-24-10, 09:35 AM

yeah Tac. I think they want the same amount too, so that'll be more than the Blues have ever paid for anyone. What's he like? I know he's SL's captain but he's not made the Portuguese national team I read.

Tacitus

05-24-10, 10:37 AM

No idea, to be honest, other than paper gossip about him being on a few 'bigger' clubs list of potential targets a few years ago. According to Wiki he's one of the backup players for the Portugal WC squad so he's still on the fringes.

However good the guy is now I can only see him improving under Moyes, who I really rate as a manager. The Prem needs more angry little Scots!

christine

05-24-10, 10:48 AM

However good the guy is now I can only see him improving under Moyes, who I really rate as a manager. The Prem needs more angry little Scots!

I know. We think the world of him. I start sweating when I hear rumours about him leaving....

Tacitus

05-24-10, 11:15 AM

I would say you're safe unless Man Utd come calling. ;)

He's hugely respected in the game and at a well-run club, albeit one without the riches of some. I don't think he's trendy enough to interest the likes of Man City or Chelsea and would figure he has far too much integrity to consider the other lot across Stanley Park. Maybe once Wenger retires but that team would be in for a shock on their first day of training with him, no doubt. :D

I can see him fitting in well at Man Utd but I still think they're planning slightly ahead with Jose in their sights. He won't be the first manager to win trophies at Madrid and find himself sacked for the team not being exciting enough. I really despise the way Real are run these days but one positive is that they always let talented players go in the summer for a fraction of what they paid for them to make way for whoever is flavour of the month in world football.

Brodinski

05-24-10, 03:35 PM

How did you guys like the CL final? I saw one team that tried to play football, but came up short against a sh!tteam with -granted- very good counters. That 2nd goal was masterfully done although I think Van Buyten should've engaged Milito instead of just running backwards. He knows he's not the most nimble guy, so anticipate...

But all in all, I thought it was a poor match, as I don't appreciate the kind of football Inter plays. Ok, the counters were beautiful, but other than that, it was just defense which puts me asleep. Inter deserved to win though, too bad it's a sh!tteam.

Tacitus

05-24-10, 05:15 PM

I saw one team which got its tactics spot on and one who didn't or couldn't play to anywhere near their potential. Best team won and they were the strongest team in the competition. ;)

Look at the quality throughout that Inter side - They've got probably the best keeper in the world and one of the best centre backs in Lucio. Quality, rampaging full backs and a little gem in Sneijder pulling the strings in midfield. Jose took a punt on Milito and he's repaid him with 30 goals this season, reducing a striker of the class of Eto'o to a place on the wing. They're anything but sh*t. :)

It just shows how good Mourinho's man management skills are when you consider how apparently happy the notoriously volatile Eto'o is doing the donkey work.

honeykid

05-25-10, 07:16 AM

I saw it pretty much the same way that Tacitus does. I thought it was a decent game until the first Inter goal. After that, you knew exactly what'd happen and I turned the game off after the, inevitable, second goal.

I can't wait for Mourinho to take over at Real. In fact, for everything that's could happen in England and Spain next season, I'd forego the World Cup and get things moving.

Sadly, for Christine, it looks as if there's a lot of clubs with money looking at both Steven Pienaar and Mikel Arteta.

There's also talk of Man City triggering the buyout clause in Athletico's Sergio Aguero contract (which about £50m). Also talk of Berlusconi selling 25% AC Milan to Gazprom.

Today's "United are going to buy..." rumour is Daniele De Rossi, who I for one, would very much like to happen but, like most of them, I just don't see happening. Unless Roma tell him they'd like the money, I think he's 'too Roma' to move.

Tacitus

05-25-10, 07:38 AM

Do you ever listen to the Guardian football podcast? It's excellent, by the way, especially if you miss James Richardson. ;)

Aaaanyway, they were talking about De Rossi yesterday and how he's fallen out big style with Roma which is why he's starting to appear in the transfer gossip. If Hargreaves can prove his fitness I'd say you need more of a playmaker (like Arteta) but it's, sadly, a big 'if'.

Did you watch the England match last night? I only got in in time for the second half but it looked like a match with more questions than answers - Milner through the centre doesn't look the same player, Carrick is anonymous at this level (something Ferguson seems finally to have caught on to), Baines is nowhere near international class and Walcott is as frustrating as ever out wide.

Also, Aaron Lennon's little Yoda arm was in full effect last night. Watch him on YouTube and you'll see what I mean. :D

honeykid

05-25-10, 10:11 PM

Do you ever listen to the Guardian football podcast? It's excellent, by the way, especially if you miss James Richardson. ;)
Thanks for the heads up. I was hoping that, with the departure of Mr. Bland, James Richardson would take over MotD 2. Of course that wasn't going to happen, but I really wish it had. I think they've gone with Colin Murray ffs!

Aaaanyway, they were talking about De Rossi yesterday and how he's fallen out big style with Roma which is why he's starting to appear in the transfer gossip. If Hargreaves can prove his fitness I'd say you need more of a playmaker (like Arteta) but it's, sadly, a big 'if'.
Firstly, I'm glad that these rumours may have something behind them. Secondly, like you and everyone else, I'm not convinced about Hargreaves return (isn't one Ledley King enough?) and, thirdly, I agree that we need some creativity in our midfield. I was hoping that we'd pick up Joe Cole, but it appears that he's got options and they say he doesn't really want to leave London.

Did you watch the England match last night? I only got in in time for the second half but it looked like a match with more questions than answers - Milner through the centre doesn't look the same player, Carrick is anonymous at this level (something Ferguson seems finally to have caught on to), Baines is nowhere near international class and Walcott is as frustrating as ever out wide.
I didn't see the game. Your analysis seems to be in keeping with what I've read though.

I don't know how frustrating Walcott is, but I don't think he's got the footballing intelligence to make him a brilliant player. Certainly not atm, at least. Million pound talent and a ten pence brain, it seems to me. There's still time for him to get it, but not for this World Cup.