The 2005/2006 Football Thread

[Provboy]

The Football season will be starting in less than a month, so, um... boss madpict, is it ok to start this thread again? i'm perfectly fine with moving it to the board games section too :)

[lilsuprano]

:D

Put this thread anywhere, just don't get rid of it!!!

Haha..anyways, there's already been tons of friendlies, more notably Chelsea vs. AC Milan, and the TIM Cup in Italy, which is a tournament between Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus, where each team plays against each other once in a 45 minute game...needless to say Inter won again for the second season in a row, so I guess they'll have another crappy season :p

Eric

[skateboarderx24]

har har lets see if they thread stays here

[Kristiano]

Bah. I liked Park Ji Sung's performances so far. :)

[Provboy]

Vieira's gone, but he was getting old anyways. Haven't seen any other teams play yet, no TV coverage in this part of the world. But a lot of intruiging transfer rumours and such.

BTW, where's iMacc?? Haven't seen him in a while? is he ok?

[yinyang]

the thread will stay alive number five :)

glad to see liverpool being competent with their performances so far, albeit against lesser teams!! hopefully we'll end up getting a central defender soon, as i think that's one place we are short. not sure about luis figo joining - he's asking way too much money for salary...!?

[pmad]

Does anyone else think it's funny that when Dan goes to Italy, AC Milan come to N. America. ;)

Is it just me are has Arsenal been a little quite on the transfer front.
Glad Stevie G stayed at the Pool.
Still wondering where Eissen will end up.

What's up with Rio, has he signed yet. I hope he leaves Man U. Without him their D is in a world of hurt.

Ah, It's good to be back. :D

[Provboy]

Originally posted by yinyang
the thread will stay alive number five :)

glad to see liverpool being competent with their performances so far, albeit against lesser teams!! hopefully we'll end up getting a central defender soon, as i think that's one place we are short. not sure about luis figo joining - he's asking way too much money for salary...!?

Yep, i'm actually scared of Liverpool right now. They might be contending for the prem title this year

WHERE'S IMACC? Hey Kris, aren't you worried that a fellow mayooer is missing?

[Provboy]

Originally posted by pmad
Does anyone else think it's funny that when Dan goes to Italy, AC Milan come to N. America. ;)

Is it just me are has Arsenal been a little quite on the transfer front.
Glad Stevie G stayed at the Pool.
Still wondering where Eissen will end up.

What's up with Rio, has he signed yet. I hope he leaves Man U. Without him their D is in a world of hurt.

Ah, It's good to be back. :D


HAha poor Dan.

Anything that hurts manyoo makes me happy.

and what do you guys think of chelski's spending spree again? and their offers for some of europe's best players? i think it's disgusting. they think they can buy anyone they want. sad

[pmad]

Originally posted by provboy

and what do you guys think of chelski's spending spree again? and their offers for some of europe's best players? i think it's disgusting. they think they can buy anyone they want. sad

I actually heard they were going after Andriy Shevchenko but I cannot see that happening.

[skateboarderx24]

ooo this is a thread about soccer i thought actual american football...duh

[newslang]

Originally posted by skateboarderx24
ooo this is a thread about soccer i thought actual american football...duh

They said football and meant football. Shocking.

[lilsuprano]

Chelsea is starting to scare me actually....if all their players play well, I can't see any team (including Juve) stopping them...at least not on paper :rolleyes:

I'm anxious for Champions Leauge to start again, but thats only because the Serie A only gets interesting in the last week or so :D:D

Eric

[badgerboy]

i reckon chelsea will do the quadruple for the first time next season. they have such a ridiculous squad depth, its just not funny.

[Provboy]

chelsea is just plain ridiculous

[pmad]

Man U lost to a J-league team - :D Ha Ha that makes me laugh.
Also, I can accept Chelsea winning everything because it means Man U will go home silverless again.

[Provboy]

Hehe and ruud kneed a jap player from behind. he really is a dirty player. how shameful.

Arsenal will win the league again this year!

[yinyang]

Originally posted by badgerboy
i reckon chelsea will do the quadruple for the first time next season. they have such a ridiculous squad depth, its just not funny.

it is funny cos they aren't THAT good (look at drogba) :p

[iMacc]

Don't worry provboy....I have returned.

United for the title 05/06 !!!!!!

A bad pre-season is a sign of a good start to the new campaign..............hopefully.



I'm just happy we have a place to discuss the beautiful game once more.

Still waiting for a big signing by Man Utd though.....Owen maybe..?

I also wonder if Arsenal will fall apart without Viera....Are you glad to have him Eric, or do you think he is losing it.....like i do.

[yinyang]

Originally posted by iMacc


Still waiting for a big signing by Man Utd though.....Owen maybe..?



do you guys really need another striker?

[Kristiano]

Originally posted by provboy
Hehe and ruud kneed a jap player from behind. he really is a dirty player. how shameful.

Arsenal will win the league again this year!

Sure. With Oliver Dacourt as your driving midfielder :rolleyes:

[Provboy]

Heh. what the hell are you talking about kris? :)

[Kristiano]

Originally posted by provboy
Heh. what the hell are you talking about kris? :)

Haven't you heard? After losing Vieria and Baptisa, there's talk that Oliver Dacourt is the short term replacement for Pat V.

[iMacc]

Originally posted by Kristiano
Haven't you heard? After losing Vieria and Baptisa, there's talk that Oliver Dacourt is the short term replacement for Pat V.

Not happening anymore.

[iMacc]

Originally posted by yinyang
do you guys really need another striker?


True, but i'd take Owen over Saha...

[lilsuprano]

Originally posted by iMacc
I also wonder if Arsenal will fall apart without Viera....Are you glad to have him Eric, or do you think he is losing it.....like i do.

I'm actually very happy...

Vieira, Camoranesi, Nedved and Emerson...arguably one of the best midfields in Europe....

....depending on who Chelsea buys :p

I think Owen should go to Man U though, he's better off.

Eric

[Kristiano]

Definitely.

Owen, Rooney and Van Nistelrooy would make an awesome, awesome trio indeed.

[Doug Gilmour]

Good to see this back, just stopping by for a minute.

Happy to see Gilardino finally signed!

Inter now has got Samuel, Solari, Pizzaro, and possibly Figo, definitely not going to be the same team as last year.

While Milan were in North America, I did get to see the San Siro while in Milano, quite huge really. I saw it just after the U2 concert with all the fans leaving too (Bono imitaters hooting - included :D).

I'll be back on the 10th of August when I return back home. See you all then.

-Dan

[Provboy]

Hey Dan, you'll be back just in time for the football season, after a few days resting, catching up, etc :)

[Kristiano]

Originally posted by Doug Gilmour
Good to see this back, just stopping by for a minute.

Happy to see Gilardino finally signed!

Inter now has got Samuel, Solari, Pizzaro, and possibly Figo, definitely not going to be the same team as last year.

While Milan were in North America, I did get to see the San Siro while in Milano, quite huge really. I saw it just after the U2 concert with all the fans leaving too (Bono imitaters hooting - included :D).

I'll be back on the 10th of August when I return back home. See you all then.

-Dan

Yeah great to have you back. Have fun Dan ;)

[pmad]

Originally posted by Kristiano
Definitely.

Owen, Rooney and Van Nistelrooy would make an awesome, awesome trio indeed.

True... except Man U only play 2 strikers.

[neb]

Ah, this thread needs to be graced with a touch of class, and you need a 'Boro fan to do that. Yakubu is a gamble, hopefully he's not going to be Ricketts MK II. We've signed a young left back, not really much we can say about that. One player that we did need was a midfielder, hopefully SMc has something up his sleeve. Zenden leaving us was not as bad as everyone is making out. He did a lot of puffing last season, and sometimes didn't turn up for the games. We've done a pretty good job in getting players to rejuvenate their careers, and I hope it continues. Just as long as the flop at their new clubs :)

Things are looking alright this preseason. Whilst our results have been shocking, with nothing to note, the team looks alright. It could have done with a bit more depth, but that's really it.
My main concern is not for this season but for a couple in the future. We're going to have to seriously think about the coming seasons as our defence and midfield mature considerably. But hey, that's a little while off yet.

I'm going to put us in the 5th-9th band, hopefully everyone will agree!

[lilsuprano]

Originally posted by Doug Gilmour
Good to see this back, just stopping by for a minute.

Happy to see Gilardino finally signed!

Inter now has got Samuel, Solari, Pizzaro, and possibly Figo, definitely not going to be the same team as last year.

While Milan were in North America, I did get to see the San Siro while in Milano, quite huge really. I saw it just after the U2 concert with all the fans leaving too (Bono imitaters hooting - included :D).

I'll be back on the 10th of August when I return back home. See you all then.

-Dan

All the 3 big Italian teams made some big signings this summer,

Gila --> Milan

Pizzaro + Samuel --> Inter

Vieira --> Juve

Inter really looks like a tough competitor, but Milan doesn't really scare me though...Cannavaro & company should be able to shut down Gilardino and Shevchenko...that is, if they can even get by Emerson and Vieira :D:D

Nice to have you back Dan, we've got some stuff to catch up on when you get back ;)

Eric

[pmad]

Ballack Going To Man U ... next year (http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,1563,1540850,00.html?gusrc=rss)

Fantastic signing for Man U - hate to see him go there.
Have to admit, excellent signing

[yinyang]

it's not a done deal, only a 'gentleman's agreement', so there's a lot that can hapen in the next 12 months....but he is good in his own right let alone a replacement for keane.

[Kristiano]

Originally posted by pmad
Ballack Going To Man U ... next year (http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,1563,1540850,00.html?gusrc=rss)

Fantastic signing for Man U - hate to see him go there.
Have to admit, excellent signing

:D

I never thought we'd make such brilliant signings under Glazer.

On a side note, Argentina are playing in Singapore on my birth day in November. I'll be there :D

[pmad]

Originally posted by pmad
Ballack Going To Man U ... next year (http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,1563,1540850,00.html?gusrc=rss)

Fantastic signing for Man U - hate to see him go there.
Have to admit, excellent signing \

Apparently, I was a little quick as Ballack now denies it :rolleyes:

[Provboy]

yep, seems like it isn't true.

wow kris, you change colors real quick. just a few months ago you were saying screw glazer, now you're saying wow we've made great signings under him :)

[Kristiano]

Originally posted by provboy
yep, seems like it isn't true.

wow kris, you change colors real quick. just a few months ago you were saying screw glazer, now you're saying wow we've made great signings under him :)

I haven't changed my mind. I'm still not buying any Nike or Manchester United-related products. And I definitely don't like Glazer.

All I know is that the signings weren't exactly made available by him nor was the cash supplied really his (borrowed). But, Alex Ferguson appears to have a little more free reign than as a PLC. Whether that is a good thing or not remains to be seen.

And in any case, we haven't signed Owen or Ballack. So far all we have is a Park Ji-Sung (whom we should have been able to afford in anycase) and an Edwin Van Der Sar.

[pmad]

Sorry Dan - not good news for you. :(

Figo to Inter (http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=reu-figo&prov=reuters&type=lgns)

[Kristiano]

He should have come to England. Would have loved to see a Luis Figo in the Premiership...

[badgerboy]

I couldnt see him going to newcastle to be ownest - he has too big an ego. who will newcastle go for next?

[iMacc]

Originally posted by badgerboy
I couldnt see him going to newcastle to be ownest - he has too big an ego. who will newcastle go for next?

Coco from Inter and maybe Owen

[smjr15]

have any of u done the sun dream team this year?

[pmad]

Originally posted by iMacc
Coco from Inter and maybe Owen

I think Owen makes a better fit at Newcastle than he does at ManU.

Shearer retires - Owen will be the star.

Also, I hear rumors of NUFC being sold to a friend of Keegan. I would like to see Keegan coach them again someday.

[Provboy]

yeesh community shield tomorrow, Chelski vs The Arse. That Mourinho is one pompous ### jerk.

[yinyang]

Originally posted by pmad

Also, I hear rumors of NUFC being sold to a friend of Keegan. I would like to see Keegan coach them again someday.

and have those 4-3 matches with liverpool again :D

bad for the ticker those games ;)

[Provboy]

63 minutes in Arsenal is down 2-0 to Chelski. Dammit, drog#####'s second goal was crazy

[lilsuprano]

Wow Drogba had some nice goals in that game!!! I've heard people saying that Arsenal really needs Vieira in their midfield...which makes me confident he'll do well with Juve :D:D

I hate Chelsea though...If they get Essein it would be ridiculous..

Eric

[neb]

I watched parts of the game and Viera was not as missed as I was expecting. Fabregas did the usual fantastic job (scored a goal too) and is poised to take over the Viera baton. Aresnal have an array of young talent waiting in the wings, that could well be the champions of the future, who knows?

I must admit when I first saw the Viera transfer I thought it was good business on Arsenal's part. The fee, in the region of £10m, was large to say the least. Viera had 2-3 seasons left in him before the inevitable decline, and whilst he is a large talisman he is in no way irreplacable. having said that I'm sure he's going to be a smash at Juve, and they'll get the player they were after.

The game also restored my faith in the challenge to Chelsea's proposed dominance. I don't think they've quite reached that unbeatable plateau yet. Arsenal and possibly ManUre could well be realistic challenges this time around, although it is hard to look beyond Chelsea. ManUre can match Chelsea's first XI man to man, but it's the depth where the London club has the better hand. They can replace quality with quality and that's why they should win the league again this time around. Although it may be closer than people may expect, it's always harder to win the league the second time around; some sort of mental block.

Liverpool look likely to gain 4th position at the expense of Everton, who had a bad European night tonight. Other than that it's pretty much pick 'n' choose who finishes in the 5th-10th area. In contention are Tottenham, Middlesbrough, Everton, Newcastle, Manchester City (although life without Wright-Phillips looks bleak) and Charlton Athletic.

Right, does anyone fancy doing a fantasy football league for the iLounge forum readers? I was thinking of setting up a league over at http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ , but only if there is enough interest. Let me know if you want to take part.

[lilsuprano]

Originally posted by neb
I watched parts of the game and Viera was not as missed as I was expecting. Fabregas did the usual fantastic job (scored a goal too) and is poised to take over the Viera baton. Aresnal have an array of young talent waiting in the wings, that could well be the champions of the future, who knows?

I must admit when I first saw the Viera transfer I thought it was good business on Arsenal's part. The fee, in the region of £10m, was large to say the least. Viera had 2-3 seasons left in him before the inevitable decline, and whilst he is a large talisman he is in no way irreplacable. having said that I'm sure he's going to be a smash at Juve, and they'll get the player they were after.

The game also restored my faith in the challenge to Chelsea's proposed dominance. I don't think they've quite reached that unbeatable plateau yet. Arsenal and possibly ManUre could well be realistic challenges this time around, although it is hard to look beyond Chelsea. ManUre can match Chelsea's first XI man to man, but it's the depth where the London club has the better hand. They can replace quality with quality and that's why they should win the league again this time around. Although it may be closer than people may expect, it's always harder to win the league the second time around; some sort of mental block.

Liverpool look likely to gain 4th position at the expense of Everton, who had a bad European night tonight. Other than that it's pretty much pick 'n' choose who finishes in the 5th-10th area. In contention are Tottenham, Middlesbrough, Everton, Newcastle, Manchester City (although life without Wright-Phillips looks bleak) and Charlton Athletic.

Right, does anyone fancy doing a fantasy football league for the iLounge forum readers? I was thinking of setting up a league over at http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ , but only if there is enough interest. Let me know if you want to take part.

That's true though...Chelsea still isn't unbeatable, should be close this season..

As for that fantasy football league, I wouldn't mind joining, although I don't know THAT much about the Premiership...not a bad time to start though :p

Eric

[neb]

Right guys,

Here is the link you need: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/

Go and make your team up and request to join the iLounge league by entering this code: 338384-49221

Let battle commence!

PS - Make sure you complete your team before this weekend's fixtures otherwise you'll miss out on valuable points!

[lilsuprano]

Alright I just joined....had to Google a lot of those players lol....So far we've got 2 people that joined...is anyone else gonna come?

Eric


EDIT--- I got a friend to join...hope it doesn't bother you guys

[Provboy]

Ok i'm joining after i type this

[Provboy]

As for the shape of the league, i'm pretty excited about it, look like it's going to be an exciting one, a lot more challengers for the title.

in Serie A, the top sides just keep getting stronger. Milan, Juve and Inter had great signings, and i'm pretty sure they'll be the top 3 teams when the season ends

[Jackus]

I'm joining the league. :) Premiership is my forte. ;) :D

[Provboy]

Yeah, already joined. Let the games begin!!!

[Jackus]

That took a LONG time to pick my team. :)

[Jackus]

Didn't anyone else find it hard to pick a team? Mine is FULL of rejects, cos everyone else coasts too much. :p

[neb]

MORE PEOPLE REQUIRED!

If you have a spare 5 minutes, pick a team. It's easy.

Head over to: http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ and register now!

[Doug Gilmour]

And I'm back, but it's not the 10th.. :(

Due to my flakey modem-router combo I spent hours trying to fix the thing, finally I have it working at least on my notebook.

Inter is definitely stronger than last year, but until I see how they do against Juventus on the 18th for the Supercoppa I can't judge how they'll stack up against "the big two". After all games against Crystal Palace hardly serve as a decent gauge.. Milan vs. Juventus on the 15th for the Berlusconi Trophy, should be good. I watched the Roma vs. Juventus friendly on the 9th and Roma looked pretty impressive under Spaletti. If not for Del Piero's er- swan jump at 91min that got him a penalty kick Roma would have won 2-1, still a good game though. In Italy my cousin in Sicily (stayed there for a month) has Sky, wow, amazing service! Football on constantly (around twenty channels devoted to it, including the Juventus, Milan, Inter, and Roma Channels!). Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, Premiership, etc always on!

Great to be back, and neb - I'll be joining momentarily :)

-Dan

[yinyang]

just joined - surprised it was free...i normally do the original fantasy league one, but i'll give this one a go!!

slightly different points awarded here...

looking forward to this - thanks neb!!

btw is the site agonisingly slow or is it just me...!? :confused:

[Jackus]

Ya, I found it painfully slow during the brief periods of uptime on my router.

[Provboy]

i can't even log on to the damn site. too many managers it says.

[Jackus]

My username and pw aren't working for some reason..

[Provboy]

when can we change the team roster by the way? after Sunday's games?

[Jackus]

Lucky. Lucky Arsenal. But apparently a very nice goal by Van Persie. :D
20 mins till the best result yet - Chelsea 0 - 0 Wigan. :D :D

[Jackus]

WIGAN JUST HIT THE CROSSBAR...!! Ahhhhhhh....!!

[lilsuprano]

1-0 Chelsea with a 90' goal by Crespo...I was really impressed with Wigan...If they had been able to finish, they could've score at least 1 goal, if not 2...still great game!

Eric

[Provboy]

un####ingbelievable luck was on chelski's side. great performance by Wigan though. The last 2 chances by johnson were such a waste!!!

[Jackus]

:(:(:(:(

[lilsuprano]

:D:D FIRST PLACE IN THE ILOUNGE MELTING POT!!

ha, thank god Crespo came through in the end, I was getting worried...Week 2 should be interesting!

Eric

[iMacc]

Wow! I really need to remember to check the 'board games' forum more often. I'm missing so much football talk.

Been trying to join that fantasy league but ti keeps saying too many managers.

Oh well.....i'll keep trying.

[lilsuprano]

Don't try logging in on matchdays, its nearly impossible...try during the week, you'll be better off.

Eric

[iMacc]

Managed to join up and i joined the iLounge league too.

[Provboy]

Can we change our squads, or are we stuck with the guys we picked for the whole season? I'm new to this thing :)

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by lilsuprano
:D:D FIRST PLACE IN THE ILOUNGE MELTING POT!!

ha, thank god Crespo came through in the end, I was getting worried...Week 2 should be interesting!

Eric

Worried? For what..? You like Chelsea now? Yikes!

Milan Beat Juventus for Berlusconi Trophy (http://www.goal.com/NewsDetail.aspx?idNews=79808&idSez=16)
Essien Close to Move to Chelsea (http://www.goal.com/NewsDetail.aspx?idNews=79857&idSez=20)
Mourinho Acting Like a Gentleman for Once (http://www.goal.com/NewsDetail.aspx?idNews=79780&idSez=12)
Injury Woes for Juventus (http://www.goal.com/NewsDetail.aspx?idNews=79828&idSez=16)

As for Essien, is he truly worth £24m, or are they just paying through the nose as usual? Just as Drogba cost the same, offering £37.6m for Trezeguet, and £57.5m for Shevchenko. Whenever Chelsea steps in, they know they need to offer nearly double, it seems. Take Gilardino for example, the reason Chelsea didn't pester Parma for him was because they set a £37m fee for him if he was to move to the premiership (Chelsea). In the end Milan bought him for £16.4m.

-Dan

[Jackus]

4th in iLounge Melting Pot.. THIS WILL NOT DO! :p :D

[lilsuprano]

Originally posted by Doug Gilmour
Worried? For what..? You like Chelsea now? Yikes!
-Dan

Yeah didn't you hear? I ditched Juve for them because Mourinho promised that Chelsea would win Champions Leauge..:rolleyes:


That's not the case at all...It's just that if Chelsea tied 0-0 with Wigan, it would've screwed up my fantasy team. But since he scored, not only did I get 10 points just for his goal, but Cech got a shutout also :p

Chelsea is the last team I'd support (except for maybe, AC Milan :p)

Eric

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by lilsuprano


Chelsea is the last team I'd support (except for maybe, AC Milan :p)

Eric

You hurt me Eric. I'd cheer for Juventus before I supported Chelsea.

-Dan

[lilsuprano]

Originally posted by Doug Gilmour
You hurt me Eric. I'd cheer for Juventus before I supported Chelsea.

-Dan

Ha...sorry man, but it's either Juve or the Italian National Team...there's no middle ground :P

Eric

[Jackus]

Oh I see... You get points from the teams you selected your players from for how well they did.

[Doug Gilmour]

Well, our favourite rankings have been updated again. Yes, I'm talking about the FIFA rankings.

1. Brazil
2. Argentina
3. Netherlands
4. Czech Republic
5. Mexico
6. USA
7. England

Whoa, wait a minute, didn't the England "B" squad just beat the US in New Jersey a few months ago? Apparently this doesn't bear much weight on the FIFA rankings as the US somehow managed to leap frog England all the way from 10th spot. France has also slid all the way to 9th while Italy is 10th.

Why do these bogus lists even exist..? :confused:

-Dan

[lilsuprano]

They've gotta figure out a new formula...this one just doesn't make sense...Save the rankings for when the World Cup is finished, you can't get more accurate than that.

Eric

[Jackus]

Ouch. 4-1 to Denmark. :(

Meh, Idc how england do anyway... :p

[Doug Gilmour]

Ouch. Embarrassing loss for England, great showing by Tomasson & co. Italy beat Ireland 2-1, though they should have scored at least one more (Vieri was extremely unlucky to hit the crossbar after fooling Given), while the only goal against came when Zaccardo attempted to head the ball away while in the box, but slipped, giving Reid a point blank goal. I won't complain, a win is a win. Gilardino and Pirlo score, nice Milan combo :)

-Dan

[Kristiano]

Originally posted by Jackus
Ouch. 4-1 to Denmark. :(

Meh, Idc how england do anyway... :p

Well the Asian guy does...

Pretty disgusting loss, worst in 25 years. Why the hell did he even take Robinson off for a keeper who hasn't proven himself in a decade? Give Kirkland a chance!

Still, good that Rooney emerged with some credit.

[Provboy]

Hey Kris guess what, If Manyoo and Chelski play against each other, i'm rooting for manyoo. That's the only exception :)

[iMacc]

Originally posted by Kristiano
Still, good that Rooney emerged with some credit.

Rooney is one of THE BEST players in the premiership.No question. This season he will also prove it on the world stage.

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by provboy
Hey Kris guess what, If Manyoo and Chelski play against each other, i'm rooting for manyoo. That's the only exception :)

Yeah, same goes for me, to be honest. I'd cheer for Juventus or Inter before supporting Chelsea.

-Dan

[neb]

For anyone that's interested:

My uncle married an Italian lady last year. She is also a AC Milan fan. Her surname is Anchelotti and her family originates from the same remote village as Carlos (The Milan manager). Whilst the relation is quite obscure and too difficult to prove, it is safe to say that somewhere along the line the two households are connected. It's a small world.

[Kristiano]

I doubt anyone on the Lounge supports Chelski...

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by neb
For anyone that's interested:

My uncle married an Italian lady last year. She is also a AC Milan fan. Her surname is Anchelotti and her family originates from the same remote village as Carlos (The Milan manager). Whilst the relation is quite obscure and too difficult to prove, it is safe to say that somewhere along the line the two households are connected. It's a small world.

Interesting story, but are you sure it's not Ancelotti? Anchelotti would be pronounced entirely differently as the che (pronounced differently than the argentine revolutionary) would render a softer pronunciation, basically the "h" is silent.

Supercoppa is coming up on Saturday, should be an interesting match with the revamped Inter, and with the injured Juventus.

-Dan

[pmad]

Originally posted by Doug Gilmour
Well, our favourite rankings have been updated again. Yes, I'm talking about the FIFA rankings.

1. Brazil
2. Argentina
3. Netherlands
4. Czech Republic
5. Mexico
6. USA
7. England

Whoa, wait a minute, didn't the England "B" squad just beat the US in New Jersey a few months ago? Apparently this doesn't bear much weight on the FIFA rankings as the US somehow managed to leap frog England all the way from 10th spot. France has also slid all the way to 9th while Italy is 10th.

Why do these bogus lists even exist..? :confused:

-Dan

Yeah - but we beat Panama ;)

Oh wait - I saw the score from the Denmark game - 'nuf said

Didn't Sven say that this was the stongest team he coached as England's boss about 10 hours before this game? - I love when they have to eat their words.

Yes - FIFA sucks. My opinion - Last world cup + current qualifiers + Federation Tournys (ie Euro 2004) = rankings (no friendlys allowed - they are PRACTISE

Originally posted by Kristiano
I doubt anyone on the Lounge supports Chelski...

Only when they play Man U.

And for your viewing enjoyment:

[Doug Gilmour]

Crude, yet pretty funny:



:D

-Dan

[Kristiano]

Originally posted by pmad
Yeah - but we beat Panama ;)

Oh wait - I saw the score from the Denmark game - 'nuf said

Didn't Sven say that this was the stongest team he coached as England's boss about 10 hours before this game? - I love when they have to eat their words.


A freak result occurs always at least once.

The real question is how they perform in Germany at 2006.

Form is temporary, class is forever.

[Provboy]

Hahaha i'm gonna save that pic Dan :)

[pmad]

Any one up for top five predictions?
We can compare them at the end of the season :)
Mine
1. Chelsea
2. Liverpool
3. Man U
4. Spurs
5. Arsenal

What are yours

[iMacc]

Originally posted by pmad
Any one up for top five predictions?
We can compare them at the end of the season :)
Mine
1. Chelsea
2. Liverpool
3. Man U
4. Spurs
5. Arsenal

What are yours

I'll have a piece of this.

1. Man Utd
2. Chelsea
3. Arsenal
4. Liverpool
5. Boro

[Doug Gilmour]

Chelsea
Man U
Arsenal
Liverpool
Tottenham

-Dan

[Doug Gilmour]

Juventus lose!

Veron scores in the 96th minute as Inter take the Supercoppa 1-0

Del Piero To Milan? (http://www.goal.com/NewsDetail.aspx?idNews=80895&idSez=16)

Very surprising rumour. I know this newspaper well, it is sometimes unreliable (much talk of Milan getting Ronaldo, Cassano, etc.) Ancelotti did not refute the rumour. They may have gotten this one right. I don't see any need for Del Piero, unless they're trying a 4-3-3 formation, what is the need for yet another striker? Shevchenko, Gilardino, Vieri, Inzaghi, and Del Piero? Seems a bit in excess to me. Unless one of the four are sold I don't see this happening.

-Dan

[neb]

Originally posted by Doug Gilmour
Interesting story, but are you sure it's not Ancelotti? Anchelotti would be pronounced entirely differently as the che (pronounced differently than the argentine revolutionary) would render a softer pronunciation, basically the "h" is silent.

Supercoppa is coming up on Saturday, should be an interesting match with the revamped Inter, and with the injured Juventus.

-Dan

Sorry, I got the name wrong. It is spelt the same.

[neb]

Premiership Top 5:

1. Chelsea
2. ManUre
3. Arsenal
4. Liverpool
5. Birmingham

[pmad]

Hey Dan, do I see a double post from you???? ;)
You go away for a month and you become some sort of forum rebel ;)

[Kristiano]

Originally posted by pmad
Hey Dan, do I see a double post from you???? ;)
You go away for a month and you become some sort of forum rebel ;)

HAHAHAHAHA ;)

1. Manchester United
2. Chelsea
3. Arsenal
4. Liverpool
5. West Ham (surprise-surprise?)

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by pmad
Hey Dan, do I see a double post from you???? ;)
You go away for a month and you become some sort of forum rebel ;)

The posts were 2:11 apart, that's not considered a double post. Now pipe down juniour! ;)

Speaking of forum rebels, would you mind reducing the length of your custom title by a bit? It's distorting the forum columns a bit.

-Dan

[Jackus]

Chelsea = SOAB's. That is all. :)

[pmad]

PPPPlllleeeeaaaaassssseeee be true:
Newcastle Agree to Club Record Fee with Real Madrid (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=340329&cc=5901)

Though it looks like it might only be a one year deal :(

[yinyang]

as long as he doesn't score the winning goal against liverpool in any future 4-3 matches, i wish you and him the best of luck :)

and kris....you reckon west ham for 5th - OMGWTFBBQ for sure :D

[neb]

VIDUKA, WE LOVE YOU VIDUKA!

3-0 'Boro, what a result!

Shame I put Birmingham down to finish 5th on my prediction thingy. A sneaky edit may be of order :)

[Doug Gilmour]

Eric, thanks for the Serie A find, and tip ;)

I've just got my team set-up and have an extra 2.5mln in case I need someone changed.

Gilardino ------ Makinwa ------- Adriano

Solari ----- Gattuso ----- Vieira ----- Figo

Samuel ------- Nesta ------- Cannavaro

------------------- Frey -----------------------

Makinwa is the biggest risk, but I think he'll have his breakout season with Palermo this year. I'm debating selling him for Toni though. We'll see.

For anyone else interested in joining (it's in italian, you're warned):

http://it.seriea.fantasysports.yahoo.com/football/

Click "registrati" and make a new yahoo account (my old one didn't work for some reason). Then you'll need to create a squad (tip: compra = buy, vendi = sell). Once you do you can enter in the group Eric and I are in. Where "registrati" used to be, click the new button "crea o entra in un gruppo", then click the button on the right in the new page "iscriviti...". Now enter:

ID - 188
Pass - fbtz789

Good luck for any that bother!

-Dan

[Doug Gilmour]

Champions League Update:

Both Italian teams - Inter and Udinese, advance through to the next round of the CL. Manchester United and Liverpool also advance, while Everton lose. Neville gets injured in United's match however, he'll need to miss five weeks of action.

-Dan

[iMacc]

Originally posted by neb
VIDUKA, WE LOVE YOU VIDUKA!

3-0 'Boro, what a result!

Shame I put Birmingham down to finish 5th on my prediction thingy. A sneaky edit may be of order :)

My original choice anyway neb :D

[lilsuprano]

Originally posted by Doug Gilmour
Eric, thanks for the Serie A find, and tip ;)

I've just got my team set-up and have an extra 2.5mln in case I need someone changed.

Gilardino ------ Makinwa ------- Adriano

Solari ----- Gattuso ----- Vieira ----- FIGO

Samuel ------- Nesta ------- Cannavaro

------------------- Frey -----------------------

Makinwa is the biggest risk, but I think he'll have his breakout season with Palermo this year. I'm debating selling him for Toni though. We'll see.

For anyone else interested in joining (it's in italian, you're warned):

http://it.seriea.fantasysports.yahoo.com/football/

Click "registrati" and make a new yahoo account (my old one didn't work for some reason). Then you'll need to create a squad (tip: compra = buy, vendi = sell). Once you do you can enter in the group Eric and I are in. Where "registrati" used to be, click the new button "crea o entra in un gruppo", then click the button on the right in the new page "iscriviti...". Now enter:

ID - 188
Pass - fbtz789

Good luck for any that bother!

-Dan

Nice team Dan! Here's mine:

Ibrahimovic ------ Toni ------- Esposito

De Rossi ----- Bresciano ----- Vieira

Bonera ------- Nesta ------- Cannavaro ------- Zambrotta

------------------- Abbiati-----------------------


Eric

[pmad]

Champions League Draw

Group A
Bayern
Juventus
Club Brugge KV
SK Rapid Vienna

Group B
Arsenal
Ajax
AC Sparta Prague
FC Thun

Group C
Barcellona
Panathinaikos
Werder Bremen
Udinese Calcio

Group D
Man U
Villarreal
Lille Métropole
SL Benfica

Group E
AC Milan
PSV
FC Schalke 04
Fenerbahçe SK

Group F
Real Madrid
Olympique Lyonnais
Olympiakos
Rosenborg BK

Group G
Liverpool
Chelsea
RSC Anderlecht
Real Betis Balompié

Group H
Inter
Porto
Rangers
Artmedia Bratislava

Edit - I think Barca got the best draw. Group E looks like it may be the toughest (sorry Dan)

[Doug Gilmour]

Group E is pretty tough. FC Schlake 04 is a good team, I saw them in the German cup against Stuttgart when they won 1-0 with ten men. Milan are obviously the favourites but we all saw what PSV did last year. As for the weakest group I'd saw Group B. C isn't a pushover. Barcelona, Bremen, Panathinaikos, and Udinese are all competitive teams.

-Dan

[yinyang]

some bizarre twist of fate has landed us in with chelsea...!? and the rest of the group aren't pushovers either!!

let's see if liverpool can start the season with the super cup tonight :)

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by yinyang
some bizarre twist of fate has landed us in with chelsea...!? and the rest of the group aren't pushovers either!!

let's see if liverpool can start the season with the super cup tonight :)

Yes, I'll be tuning into the Super Cup game tonight. For those that don't know, it's the UEFA Cup Champions (CSKA Moscow) vs. the Champions League Champions (Liverpool).

Luque Set To Join Newcastle (http://www.goal.com/NewsDetail.aspx?idNews=81973&progr=7)
UEFA Cup Second Round Fixtures Set (http://www.goal.com/NewsDetail.aspx?idNews=82053&progr=0)
Russian Owner Shot Dead (http://www.goal.com/NewsDetail.aspx?idNews=82049&idSez=146)
Chelsea Offer For Torres Rejected? (http://www.goal.com/NewsDetail.aspx?idNews=81993&idSez=20)
Di Michele To Roma? (http://www.goal.com/NewsDetail.aspx?idNews=82027&idSez=20)

-Dan

[neb]

Champions League

Groups B, C, E and F look the toughest to me. All those teams stand a pretty decent chance of going through. I was happy that Liverpool and Chelsea were drawn together, the only fans that should be afraid are the Liverpool ones; Chelsea are out for revenge.

UEFA Cup

Middlesbrough have been drawn against some team in Greece. Sounds like the perfect away fixture, beach and all. Yet, the location is in the North-East of the country bordering Bulgaria, which is slightly less attractive then the nice holiday resorts in the south. SHould prove to be a memorable trip, more so if I were going! I expect us to win that, no offence to the Greeks, but I'm sure our home form cannot let us down.

Newcastle

Have been busy bees recently in the transfer market. They've recently signed Luque, not sure about him, haven't seen him play. They're still in the hunt for Kuyt. I'm not impressed with him, so sounds like the perfect signing for your rivals to make. The big question mark is hanging over the future of Owen, will he? Won't he? I think he was really holding out for a move to Liverpool, or any of the top three. Still, it is World Cup season, and that may sway it for him.

[pmad]

Originally posted by neb
[Still, it is World Cup season, and that may sway it for him.

I hope so, but I think we will see him go to Liverpool on Tues or Wed of next week - Just my prediction

[pmad]

Yes Yes Yes - I was wrong
Owen Agrees to 4 yr Deal w/ Newcastle (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=341121&cc=5901)


And yes Dan, I know this is a double post (with a four day gap).

Where is everyone?????

[Doug Gilmour]

So it isn't a double post then... ;)

Could signing, though it is rather pricey... Maybe they can score a goal now? :D

-Dan

[Kristiano]

Rooney is da man :)

[pmad]

More Problems with FIFA rankings (http://sg.sports.yahoo.com/050901/1/3unzp.html)

This is funny.

That being said, while I believe Italy would probably win head-to-head with the US (They only won 1-0 in Italy in Feb 2002) and that the ranking system sucks, Italy has not made good showings as of late (WC 2002 rnd of 16 loss*; Euro 2004 did not make it out of the group)

Additionally, losing to Slovenia, and drawing with Belarus along with a 1-0 win over Moldova does not make them World Beaters.

* I know Dan, "They were robbed!" ;)
But a team of Italy's ability should not have to worry about a referee's decision robbing them of a game against Korea.

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by pmad
More Problems with FIFA rankings (http://sg.sports.yahoo.com/050901/1/3unzp.html)

This is funny.

That being said, while I believe Italy would probably win head-to-head with the US (They only won 1-0 in Italy in Feb 2002) and that the ranking system sucks, Italy has not made good showings as of late (WC 2002 rnd of 16 loss*; Euro 2004 did not make it out of the group)

Additionally, losing to Slovenia, and drawing with Belarus along with a 1-0 win over Moldova does not make them World Beaters.

* I know Dan, "They were robbed!" ;)
But a team of Italy's ability should not have to worry about a referee's decision robbing them of a game against Korea.

I've never said they were robbed! I mentioned in the previous thread that I hated when people made remarks like Korean match fix-ups or Denmark and Sweden plotting for a 2-2 draw, etc. However, this Italian team is much better I think and have brought in younger players that are going to be playing more prominent roles. Gilardino, Montella, and Toni alone will make a large difference. Not to mention a change in coaching personell.

-Dan

[neb]

So, we've managed to get rid of the biggest waste of space to hit Teesside since Maccarone. Reiziger has finally moved on! But that leaves a bit of a gap at right-back, so we've replaced him with Abel Xavier (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/middlesbrough/4164240.stm) . You may recognise him from Everton and Liverpool fame, he spent the last year at AS Roma. He's a slightly better version of Reiziger, whilst this is not completely desirable, it is a step forward.

We've also managed to tempt Rochemback (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/middlesbrough/4203062.stm) from Sporting Lisbon. This guy looks like something we've been missing, powerful with the ability to attack and defend. Should bring some dynamism to the midfield, and he's only 24; result! It's tempting to alter my fantasy footy team inlight of these new signings :)

[darling_nikki]

I remember Xavier, who can forget that facial hair

[Kristiano]

Originally posted by darling_nikki
I remember Xavier, who can forget that facial hair

HE'S BACK!!!!

[pmad]

neb - 'boro's up 2-0 over Arsenal with 25 to play.
You gotta be creamin' yourself right now ;)

[Doug Gilmour]

Ok, we need to get this back active again!

Big day, watched two games so far.

United vs. City tied 1-1, decent game.
Palermo winning 3-0 to the so called "giants" that are Inter Milan! What an impressive game so far, Palermo is really dismantling them

In fifty minutes Milan vs. Siena will start. That's the big one. Maldini and Jankulovski are out with injury though, still shouldn't be too difficult to win.

Forza Rossneri, forza Rosaneri! :D

-Dan

[Jackus]

Argh, 2-1, I can't bear this.

[Doug Gilmour]

So, Milan ended up winning 3-1, a very strange game with almost no defense and had players on both ends finished properly, the score would have been in the vicinity of 7-2.

Palermo also hung on to win 3-2. Cruz scored two goals within the last five minutes, but it was not enough. Well done Palermo, great form they're in with Makinwa and Caraciollo replacing Toni.

-Dan

[neb]

WOO WOO!

2-1 :)

Quiality performance in the second half. Got battered a bit in the first half, and if they Henry, who knows? But at the end of the day we ran out winners. Plus points include Yakubu getting his first goal, and Maccarone (confidence player) grabbing one as well. Apparently (I was at work) the passing was crisp, there were shots, and we scored goals. These are the ingredients for a happy football fan.

Hope we can continue this form into the next game and beyond. This is Xanthi (Sp?) in the UEFA Cup, we need to do the work in this leg, and possibly rest players for the Riverside game. Nice to see things coming together for a change!

[Provboy]

Arsenal sucks ### right now, but hey, Go gunners!!! congrats to boro though. Let's hope that things get better pretty fast

[Doug Gilmour]

Nice day for Milan. 3-1 win against the Turkish Fenerbahce, with the conceeded goal being off of a penalty kick.

Madrid losing 3-0, just another example of how sad their club is today...

Good luck to those who have their teams playing tomorrow.

-Dan

[lilsuprano]

Thanks! Man if Juve lose tomorrow...

*shakes fist*

Eric

[Doug Gilmour]

To Club Brugge? Doubtful, but you never know...

I was worried Milan was going to tie. It wasn't until 87' that Kaka scored his great goal, then Shevchenko scored shortly after.

-Dan

[neb]

Saw the highlights for the Milan game, commentator said the scoreline was a little flattering. I don't know whether that meant Milan didn't deserve to win, or they didn't deserve to win by two goals. I'm guessing the latter.

Villarreal Vs. ManUSA tonight. Should be a good match. Middlesbrough played them at their place last season and got totally outplayed. Although, you'd think ManUre would have too much for them, they're place is a bit of a fortress though.

[Doug Gilmour]

I can see where he's coming from, but Fenercahce collapsed in the last few minutes with Kaka's run, then his pass to Serginho which ended up as a Shevchenko goal.

I wouldn't call it luck when the other team plays poorly defensively and can't finish the job.

-Dan

[pmad]

Rooney is going to destroy his career.
I seriously think he is in need of some anger management classes.
Should we start calling him Roozza - he is the next Gasgoine.

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by pmad
Rooney is going to destroy his career.
I seriously think he is in need of some anger management classes.
Should we start calling him Roozza - he is the next Gasgoine.

What an idiot..

Well done at costing your team a possible three points. He needs to grow up and stop throwing this child-like temper tantrums.

-Dan

[Kristiano]

That was a Wayniacal performance. I don't mind Wayniacal performances if you can change the game but he didn't do anything.

He needs to curb his temper but they have to do it without losing the passion. After all, that's what makes Waz such a great player.

[neb]

So it was another victory for the men in red. 'Boro beat Xanthi 2-0 at the Riverside. But it was a nervous one. Our performance against Arsenal in the 2nd half was so assured, and well, so much better. The scoreline could have easily been reversed, and we could be looking at a rather daunting trip to Greece. So we're fortunate to be in a rather strong position, but I fancy our chances now.

SMc has gone on record as saying he wants to improve on our European record of last year. We reached the Quarter Finals, before losing to the eventual winners Sporting Lisbon. To progress further would be an honour, and something which would not have been foreseeable 5 years ago. Hurrah for progress!

Our attendance for the Arsenal game, and now the Xanthi match, has been questioned. We had a crowd of 14,000 for the game last night. This has lead many fans to question the pricing. If you watch MotD this season you'll notice one striking feature about the crowds, the lack of them. It could well be that the bubble has finally burst. 'Boro's first 10 home games are all on Sky and as a result we've seen attendances shrink. It may be that the current amount of money going around in the premiership may not be sustained within the next five years, and we could see prices of seats and players tumbling. I for one cannot afford a ticket to see them play, and that's before you factor in travel costs. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[pmad]

Originally posted by Kristiano
That was a Wayniacal performance. I don't mind Wayniacal performances if you can change the game but he didn't do anything.

He needs to curb his temper but they have to do it without losing the passion. After all, that's what makes Waz such a great player.

While I agree with you, noone is a great player when they're sitting on the bench because they've been tossed.

[neb]

Originally posted by pmad
While I agree with you, noone is a great player when they're sitting on the bench because they've been tossed.

That's an Americanism that doesn't translate well in these parts.

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by neb
That's an Americanism that doesn't translate well in these parts.

Kicked off field/benched.

-Dan

[neb]

Originally posted by Doug Gilmour
Kicked off field/benched.

-Dan

More Americanisms :rolleyes:

I think you're ment to say 'sent off'.

[pmad]

Originally posted by neb
That's an Americanism that doesn't translate well in these parts.

Actually, it was a pun for the J@ck-off Rooney

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by neb
More Americanisms :rolleyes:

I think you're ment to say 'sent off'.

Don't you english understand the basic phrase "kicked off field?" ;)

If not, then it's Canadianism...

-Dan

[Provboy]

Rooney is a tosser, and he got tossed :)

And Heinze will be out for most of the season. Not good news for kris and his gang :)

[Jackus]

Heh. Good news about Heinze... :D

[Kristiano]

Originally posted by Jackus
Heh. Good news about Heinze... :D

Stupid Arsenail fans. We'll see how Richardson does even though I'm comfortable with
O'Shea-Silvestre-Ferdinand-Neville

Heinze is out til March though :(

Sol Bloody Campbell finally scored. Why can't he do the same for England? ;)

[pmad]

Rumors/Rumours:

RONNIE MAKES MAN UTD WAIT
Cristiano Ronaldo is apparently stalling on a new Man Utd deal, according to The Sunday Mirror. 'More than two months after the club announced they had agreed a deal with the Portugal international striker the deal remains unsigned,' it claims. 'Sources in Portugal claim that Ronaldo remains unsure whether to make a long-term commitment to United - despite announcing earlier this summer that he wanted to stay at Old Trafford.'The usual suspects, Real Madrid and Barcelona, are inevitably linked with making a bid for the winger. (from Fox Soccer Channel)

Man would I love to see him leave Man U :)

Hey Dan, I assume the Great White North gets Fox Sports Channel - Did you see they are now running "Milan Weekly"? I just thought I would bring it to your attention.

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by pmad
Hey Dan, I assume the Great White North gets Fox Sports Channel - Did you see they are now running "Milan Weekly"? I just thought I would bring it to your attention.

We get Fox Sports World, but I don't catch it right now. I may buy it and get rid of some other channels I don't watch. I'd rather have Murdoch move Sky TV to North America, and buy it for myself. I watched football matches all day long in Italy with Sky. They also had Milan, Juventus, Inter, Roma channels. Now if only they'd bring it across the pond..

A pretty good week for Milan, a 2-0 win against both Lazio and Treviso, five points back of Juventus and two back from Inter. Though with those two playing against each other this Sunday (I'm thinking it will be a tie) and Milan vs. Reggina, I'm thinking the gap will be narrowed.

-Dan

[if6was9]

Originally posted by Kristiano
Sol Bloody Campbell finally scored. Why can't he do the same for England? ;)

cos he cant get a game for england thanks to terry and rio ;) hehe

shame about ronaldo not signing for man u...its really not their week is it! fans booing fergie at home isnt a good sign. i heard something about fergie refusing to talk to bbc, sky and even the mufc tv channel? is this right??

[yinyang]

gonna be a tough for week for LFC and CFC... Champs League Wed and EPL Sunday!! Draw CL and LFC to win on Sunday :

actually i hope both games don't end up as boring as the MUFC game!!

[if6was9]

depends how the game is played on wednesday...if its played like a european match, liverpool have a chance. but if its played like a prem match then chelsea should dominate. chelsea to win at anfield on sunday.

[HDerik5]

You know, the Bears defense looks tough and the NFC North is pretty weak. I think that going 8-8 might win the division. Anbody agree?

Finally with this being 20 years since the domination known as Super Bowl XX, I think that the "Super Bowl Shuffle" should be on iTunes. The song should never die!!!

Go Bears!!!

[yinyang]

Originally posted by HDerik5
You know, the Bears defense looks tough and the NFC North is pretty weak. I think that going 8-8 might win the division. Anbody agree?

Finally with this being 20 years since the domination known as Super Bowl XX, I think that the "Super Bowl Shuffle" should be on iTunes. The song should never die!!!

Go Bears!!!

welcome to the lounge :)

the football we're talking about here is the REAL football, and not that peculiar game you Americans play with that odd shapped ball that you throw...! quaint, but thoroughly uncivilised :D

but you make a good point about having terrace songs on iTMS...can you imagine some of the gems you could get!! anyone remember Man City's tribute to Patsy Kensit!!

[if6was9]

i dont think many sports are as uncivilised as football nowadays

[HDerik5]

Originally posted by if6was9
i dont think many sports are as uncivilised as football nowadays

If you mean "soccer" I totally agree. I don't really hear about too many football riots. Unless you count ripping down the goal posts after a big college football victory, but that is expected.

[if6was9]

yes we mean 'soccer'...this is the football thread. and i was talking about the spirit the game is played in, not football 'riots' which are pretty damn rare now.

[HDerik5]

...spirit...

Spirit!!!
Their is tons of spirit in football. That is what it is all about. That is way 100,000 plus people head to Michigan Stadium for every game for the past 20 years. The intensity of the classic rivalries from the late 1800s that are reborn today. That is what makes football so special.

[if6was9]

Originally posted by HDerik5
Their is tons of spirit in football. That is what it is all about.

im not comparing the spirit of football with american football. i was talking about the spirit of football. this is a football thread in case you hadnt noticed :rolleyes:

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by HDerik5
Spirit!!!
Their is tons of spirit in football. That is what it is all about. That is way 100,000 plus people head to Michigan Stadium for every game for the past 20 years. The intensity of the classic rivalries from the late 1800s that are reborn today. That is what makes football so special.

Spirit is the reason why the World Cup is the most-watched sporting event on TV, why tens of thousands will travel with their club throughout Europe to see them play and why the Champions League is arguably the most competive club tournament in all of sports. Football is played all over the world by hundreds of passionate nations, American football is not...

-Dan

[HDerik5]

But I dont even think that football is the most competive sport. Even in its North American absence, I still feel that NHL players are the best athletes making the sport the most competive. All of the skating and the checking...It is amazing. I am so glad that it is back. It is time to start getting pumped. Hopeful the Blackhawks, with a great young coach and team, can win their first cup in over 40 years.

[if6was9]

Originally posted by HDerik5
But I dont even think that football is the most competive sport. Even in its North American absence, I still feel that NHL players are the best athletes making the sport the most competive. All of the skating and the checking...It is amazing. I am so glad that it is back. It is time to start getting pumped. Hopeful the Blackhawks, with a great young coach and team, can win their first cup in over 40 years.

:o

[Kristiano]

ONE NIL!

Ryan Giggs with his hundredth apperance scores! Ok, start of 2nd half. Cheerios ;)

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by HDerik5
But I dont even think that football is the most competive sport. Even in its North American absence, I still feel that NHL players are the best athletes making the sport the most competive. All of the skating and the checking...It is amazing. I am so glad that it is back. It is time to start getting pumped. Hopeful the Blackhawks, with a great young coach and team, can win their first cup in over 40 years.

I live in Ontario, Canada, the world "capital" of hockey, and wish it never came back. I'm not watching the Leafs, I've found a new top sport, and I'm not switching. A league that cannot even get a year started, losing millions of dollars, thousands of fans, and showing just how far apart the owners and players are, is not a league, but a joke.

Juventus is winning 2-0, very good. Unfortunate that Udinese is down 3-1, but with this Iaquinta nonense it's not surprising. If he were playing this would be a much different game. He better start playing or he's gone from the nation squad, according to Lippi.

-Dan

[if6was9]

well, not a convincing victory kristiano, but a win is a win. richardson for england :)

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by if6was9
well, not a convincing victory kristiano, but a win is a win. richardson for england :)

You are a United, or a City fan?

Good win for Juventus, poor loss for Udinese.. I don't see Milan or Inter having much trouble in tomorrow's games.

Oh, and watch out for my new sig in the next couple of days.. ;)

-Dan

[if6was9]

city, but i like to see any english side do well in europe, even united.

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by if6was9
city, but i like to see any english side do well in europe, even united.

Yes, that is why I will cheer for Inter, Juventus, Udinese, etc. before any other team, save Milan.

-Dan

[HDerik5]

Originally posted by Doug Gilmour
I live in Ontario, Canada, the world "capital" of hockey, and wish it never came back. I'm not watching the Leafs, I've found a new top sport, and I'm not switching. A league that cannot even get a year started, losing millions of dollars, thousands of fans, and showing just how far apart the owners and players are, is not a league, but a joke.
-Dan

Well as a fan of one orginal 6 fan to another, I am sorry that we lost you. This will be my last post on this thread. Sorry for taking up your space, but thanks for letting me speak. I will enjoy my hockey and football this fall and winter and I hope you guys enjoy your soccer.

-Erik

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by HDerik5
Well as a fan of one orginal 6 fan to another, I am sorry that we lost you. This will be my last post on this thread. Sorry for taking up your space, but thanks for letting me speak. I will enjoy my hockey and football this fall and winter and I hope you guys enjoy your soccer.

-Erik

Don't take it as a shot against you, I have no ill will towards you, just the game :)

"Don't hate the playa, hate the game" ;)

-Dan

[Kristiano]

Originally posted by Doug Gilmour
Don't take it as a shot against you, I have no ill will towards you, just the game :)
-Dan


HAHAHHAHA.

38 in 43 now for RVN, Dan. That's better than Eusebio :D

Ruud Van Nistelrooy, tralala.

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by Kristiano
HAHAHHAHA.

38 in 43 now for RVN, Dan. That's better than Eusebio :D

Ruud Van Nistelrooy, tralala.

Yet United remain in third in England, and despite being first in UEFA, haven't been too convincing, though have been hampered with poor luck and immaturity.

Goals are not the only thing that can measure I forward's talent. Goals can only get your team so far, leadership, determination, and other qualities are also needed. I'm not saying RVN does not have these, he's very talented, but as of yet he does not have many honours attached to his name other than scoring titles, whereas Eusebio is a two-time World Cup runner up and a European Cup winner. Of course the team effort is also involved, but Eusebio was been remembered as a legend in his own right. Van Nistelrooy has yet to prove himself as a legend, though time will tell if he will be remembered thirty years from now and compared with the likes of Eusebio, Maradona, Pele, etc.

Over the summer when Chelsea offered 85m Euro for Shevchenko there we tons of rumors swirling around about a new strikers replacing him. One being Ronaldo, the other being Ruud. I'm glad they didn't sell him, though Ruud is a good player, I'd still rather have Sheva for what he does for the team, and it's not only scoring..

-Dan

[pmad]

Originally posted by Doug Gilmour
Yet United remain in third in England, and despite being first in UEFA, haven't been too convincing, though have been hampered with poor luck and immaturity.

Goals are not the only thing that can measure I forward's talent. Goals can only get your team so far, leadership, determination, and other qualities are also needed. I'm not saying RVN does not have these, he's very talented, but as of yet he does not have many honours attached to his name other than scoring titles, whereas Eusebio is a two-time World Cup runner up and a European Cup winner. Of course the team effort is also involved, but Eusebio was been remembered as a legend in his own right. Van Nistelrooy has yet to prove himself as a legend, though time will tell if he will be remembered thirty years from now and compared with the likes of Eusebio, Maradona, Pele, etc.

Over the summer when Chelsea offered 85m Euro for Shevchenko there we tons of rumors swirling around about a new strikers replacing him. One being Ronaldo, the other being Ruud. I'm glad they didn't sell him, though Ruud is a good player, I'd still rather have Sheva for what he does for the team, and it's not only scoring..

-Dan

I agree Dan. Additionally, Man U rely on RVN's cherry picking abilities (that is not negative - every team needs one) too much. When he is out, they cannot find the net.

I personally think Man U is in trouble.

RVN - fantastic goal scorer, but I don't think they can get him the ball like they used to.
Rooney - skill, yes, but melt down waiting to happen.
Smith - highly overrated - if he tried to play half as hard as he tries to draw a foul he might be something.
Giggs - pure class - but getting old.
Ronaldo - I don't like him, but he is a future superstar. - Man U do not use him properly. (Should be withdrawn striker)
Scholes - done
Park - the EPL is too fast for him right now, I think he needs a year to adjust.
O'Shea - he is coming along very nicely

Richardson, Miller, Spector, Bardsley, Pique - all show promise but not for this year.

I think Man U will have two off years and then be back (unless Glasier screws them up).


BTW - Shalke 1 - AC 1 (a goal in 22 seconds - wow)

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by pmad

BTW - Shalke 1 - AC 1 (a goal in 22 seconds - wow)

Very disappointing, Seedorf open with the third fastest goal in the tournament's history, and then concede a goal two minutes later.

Just ended 2-2. This is getting to be a trend, poor, slow defending. This needs to be fixed over the transfer window in a couple months or this team is in trouble. The forwards are doing well with Gilardino, Shevchenko, Kaka all in great form and Vieri subbing in. But this defense has been disgusting this year, especially off of set pieces. If this isn't fixed or somehow improved from within this could be a very disappointing season.

Well, at least they're still leading the group with four points...

-Dan

[Kristiano]

Originally posted by pmad
I agree Dan. Additionally, Man U rely on RVN's cherry picking abilities (that is not negative - every team needs one) too much. When he is out, they cannot find the net.

I personally think Man U is in trouble.

RVN - fantastic goal scorer, but I don't think they can get him the ball like they used to.
Rooney - skill, yes, but melt down waiting to happen.
Smith - highly overrated - if he tried to play half as hard as he tries to draw a foul he might be something.
Giggs - pure class - but getting old.
Ronaldo - I don't like him, but he is a future superstar. - Man U do not use him properly. (Should be withdrawn striker)
Scholes - done
Park - the EPL is too fast for him right now, I think he needs a year to adjust.
O'Shea - he is coming along very nicely

Richardson, Miller, Spector, Bardsley, Pique - all show promise but not for this year.

I think Man U will have two off years and then be back (unless Glasier screws them up).


Van Nistelrooy has worked best with Beckham, I don't know why he was sold but Van Nistelrooy-Beckham is a combination that brings 50 goals a season.
Rooney- We'll see if he becomes a Gazza, I doubt Fergie will let him.
Smith- I don't know why the #### he's in DMC...Don't we have money to get someone?
Giggs- True but on a European night, he's one of the best in the world at running down the wing as last night proved.
Ronaldo- I always saw him as a winger, that's where he thrives for United anr Portugal.
Scholes- One more season IMO. He hasn't been scoring lately though :(
Park- Needs to be more selfish
O'Shea- Lovely player

To be completely honest, I haven't seen Miller and Pique play before.

[iMacc]

Everyone just needs to remember that Wayne Rooney is still a teenager. He's only just out of school! (I'm not making excuses for him here, i'm just reminding everyone)

It is wrong and unfair that the Club/fans/other players around him are relying on HIM to WIN GAMES. Yes, he has a bad temper but that WILL be tamed. Players this good get over things like that, which is why they are as good as they are.

The situation with the National Team is even worse. It is disgusting that we expect him to work miracles and produce match-winning performances in every game he plays. Rooney needs to be allowed to enjoy his football. When Rooney got sent off the other week, the English press blamed him for not winning. Where was the criticism of Gerrard ? He has since admitted he wasn't even fit for the games! Not a word was said though. Lampard ran around like a man who had lost his glasses! No mention of these two next day though when every back-page has a big picture of Rooney....

Beckham was right when he talked about the disgusting way we(england as a nation) behave: We put players up on a pedestal, heap praise on them when the going is good. Then, when the tide turns we are down on these players like a tonne of bricks. Too many actually take delight in doing this, tearing strips off players if they make a mistake.

Wayne Rooney is THE BEST teenage footballer in the world, bar none, no argumets. I don't care if you don't like him (which plenty in this thread clearly don't) or you don't like him because he's English. (which others here also use as an excuse) He is a precocious talent but no matter how much potential he has, he still needs coaching and plenty of people need to cut him some slack.


Rant over...It just annoys me that everyone expects so much of one kid, when Utd & England have £10's of millions of talent at their disposal.



EDIT: United should play 4-4-2. Ruud needs two wingers supplying him balls from all over the pitch. He shouldn't be collecting the ball deep and shooting from long range, or trying to beat people. He just needs the ball putting in front of him facing goal and he will get his 30-40 per season. Rooney should play just behind ruud 'in the hole' and if Rooney doesn't play then a simple 'two strikers' would suffice.

Ronaldo IS a winger. He should keep doing what he's doing. If he crossed the ball more he would be sensational.

I have to agree with others on Scholes & Smith. I think Scholes is just about ready for retirement/a lesser club. With Smith, i just don't think he is a good enough player to be able to adapt to another position like that.

Park. Give him this season i say. It's maybe a bit too soon to judge yet.

John O'Shea. What a classy defender he is. He reminds me of Gary Pallister. Comfortable on the ball, will run with it, gets a few goals.

Giggs. Well Giggs is Giggs. enough said...

[Kristiano]

Originally posted by iMacc
Everyone just needs to remember that Wayne Rooney is still a teenager. He's only just out of school! (I'm not making excuses for him here, i'm just reminding everyone)

It is wrong and unfair that the Club/fans/other players around him are relying on HIM to WIN GAMES. Yes, he has a bad temper but that WILL be tamed. Players this good get over things like that, which is why they are as good as they are.

The situation with the National Team is even worse. It is disgusting that we expect him to work miracles and produce match-winning performances in every game he plays. Rooney needs to be allowed to enjoy his football. When Rooney got sent off the other week, the English press blamed him for not winning. Where was the criticism of Gerrard ? He has since admitted he wasn't even fit for the games! Not a word was said though. Lampard ran around like a man who had lost his glasses! No mention of these two next day though when every back-page has a big picture of Rooney....

Beckham was right when he talked about the disgusting way we(england as a nation) behave: We put players up on a pedestal, heap praise on them when the going is good. Then, when the tide turns we are down on these players like a tonne of bricks. Too many actually take delight in doing this, tearing strips off players if they make a mistake.

Wayne Rooney is THE BEST teenage footballer in the world, bar none, no argumets. I don't care if you don't like him (which plenty in this thread clearly don't) or you don't like him because he's English. (which others here also use as an excuse) He is a precocious talent but no matter how much potential he has, he still needs coaching and plenty of people need to cut him some slack.


Rant over...It just annoys me that everyone expects so much of one kid, when Utd & England have £10's of millions of talent at their disposal.



EDIT: United should play 4-4-2. Ruud needs two wingers supplying him balls from all over the pitch. He shouldn't be collecting the ball deep and shooting from long range, or trying to beat people. He just needs the ball putting in front of him facing goal and he will get his 30-40 per season. Rooney should play just behind ruud 'in the hole' and if Rooney doesn't play then a simple 'two strikers' would suffice.

Ronaldo IS a winger. He should keep doing what he's doing. If he crossed the ball more he would be sensational.

I have to agree with others on Scholes & Smith. I think Scholes is just about ready for retirement/a lesser club. With Smith, i just don't think he is a good enough player to be able to adapt to another position like that.

Park. Give him this season i say. It's maybe a bit too soon to judge yet.

John O'Shea. What a classy defender he is. He reminds me of Gary Pallister. Comfortable on the ball, will run with it, gets a few goals.

Giggs. Well Giggs is Giggs. enough said...

I don't mind us experimenting though. We can't play 4-4-2 forever.

[pmad]

iMacc, what you say about Rooney is true.
But he's still a nutter even if he is a young nutter. ;)

[Kristiano]

Dan has this theory that this unknown Italian named Luca is better than Rooney...

[iMacc]

Originally posted by Kristiano
Dan has this theory that this unknown Italian named Luca is better than Rooney...

If he was better than Rooney, then dan wouldn't need a 'theory'. He would be playing in the first-team of a World-class team...

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by Kristiano
Dan has this theory that this unknown Italian named Luca is better than Rooney...

Luca? Luca Toni....? He's 28 years old, hardly someone to compare to Rooney, with age. Though Toni is extremely consistent, currently leads Serie A in goals this season, plays for Fiorentina, and if he isn't paired with Gilardino for starting striker on the national team I will not be pleased...

Perhaps you're referring to Leo Messi, the rising 18 year old Argentinian who made waves at the U-20 tournament this summer by grabbing the most goals, winning the MVP, and getting the cup? He just turned 18, is being compared to Maradona, his buyout clause is €150million (equal to Ronaldinho). He's on Barcelona and has finally been cleared to play regularly (European passport issue). Keep your ears open for him, I've watched him play, very technically gifted, fast, and smooth.

-Dan

[iMacc]

Originally posted by Doug Gilmour
Perhaps you're referring to Leo Messi, the rising 18 year old Argentinian who made waves at the U-20 tournament this summer by grabbing the most goals, winning the MVP, and getting the cup?

-Dan


Massimo Maccarone did that too (or similar). Do you know where he plys his trade now Dan ;)

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by iMacc
Massimo Maccarone did that too (or similar). Do you know where he plys his trade now Dan ;)

Yes, Middlesbrough :D

I think he's one of three or four Italians that play in the Premiership. Cudicini, Rossi are others, Ventola played with Crystal Palace last year...

You can find all the exceptions you want; players that fail to live up to their hype, but we'll have to see what happens with Leo. I watched him over the summer and he seems to be a great player, Maradona has been praising him as well, and I think he knows a thing or two (or three ;))

Time will tell, time will tell...

-Dan

[if6was9]

and maradonas opinion has to be respected a lot more now since his clean up...oh and at last actually admitting that he punched the ball past shilton in '86

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by if6was9
and maradonas opinion has to be respected a lot more now since his clean up...oh and at last actually admitting that he punched the ball past shilton in '86

England still didn't play particularly well in that game anyways, for the majority of the match Argentina was the better team, with the exception of 10-15 minutes...

-Dan

[if6was9]

thats irrelevant. if the goal was disallowed then the whole course of the game wouldve been different. anything could have happened. granted, england werent playing the better football, but how often have you seen the team that arent playing the better football sneak the win?

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by if6was9
thats irrelevant. if the goal was disallowed then the whole course of the game wouldve been different. anything could have happened. granted, england werent playing the better football, but how often have you seen the team that arent playing the better football sneak the win?

Being neither English nor Argentine, essentially a neutral, I still am rather surprised at how many past moments in football get drudged up from the dead. This happened twenty years ago, come on! I could understand if it were the final game, and the cup was decided, but it was still in the QFs. England barely scraped by to the second round with the Poles losing out on GD, they then played a particularly weak Paraguayan club to advance to Argentina. Now, even if they had beaten Argentina (which I doubt would have happened), they would have still had to beat the Belgians (possibility) and a very strong West German squad. So it's not like this "hand of God" stole the WC from England's grasp...

I don't see what the big deal is, personally. Nothing against the English at all (I'd love to live in England one day to be honest), but I find whenever they lose there is a ton of complaining, which follows immediately. World Cup '98 with Beckham being sent off, Euro '04, etc. I'm not saying the Italians are any better (Totti '04 :rolleyes: ), but I don't hear this type of outcry from anyone else. The past is the past, what is the need in bringing up the events of twenty years ago, the squad wasn't the best in the first place (with the exception of a couple, namely Lineker)...

Though I'd expect the nearly-forty year drought would account for that.

-Dan

[if6was9]

well, as an englishman ill try and explain why it is 'drudged up from the past'...

you have to remember that this is argentina vs england. it was held 4 years after the falklands war so there was a massive rivalry and a lot of public interest in the match. ok, it wasnt the greatest game, england probably wouldve lost and they didnt have much chance of winning the competition. BUT it is remembered because it is an extraordinary moment in footballing history. there are many games decided on a dive, a bad decision, or a goal that never was...but how many games have been turned by such a blatant act of cheating that the whole world and his dog saw apart from the referee and linesmen??

take into account the fact that england do over-react slightly to going out of a major tournament, plus the falklands war fueled rivalry, plus the fact maradona blatantly cheated and then add on top the fact that maradona denied cheating after the game, despite the video evidence.

ok, it didnt steal the world cup away from us, but its a damned awful way to go out of any competition, let alone the world cup.

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by if6was9
well, as an englishman ill try and explain why it is 'drudged up from the past'...

you have to remember that this is argentina vs england. it was held 4 years after the falklands war so there was a massive rivalry and a lot of public interest in the match. ok, it wasnt the greatest game, england probably wouldve lost and they didnt have much chance of winning the competition. BUT it is remembered because it is an extraordinary moment in footballing history. there are many games decided on a dive, a bad decision, or a goal that never was...but how many games have been turned by such a blatant act of cheating that the whole world and his dog saw apart from the referee and linesmen??

take into account the fact that england do over-react slightly to going out of a major tournament, plus the falklands war fueled rivalry, plus the fact maradona blatantly cheated and then add on top the fact that maradona denied cheating after the game, despite the video evidence.

ok, it didnt steal the world cup away from us, but its a damned awful way to go out of any competition, let alone the world cup.

It's not cheating if you're not caught... ;)

Not really, but I agree it wasn't the best way to concede a goal, win or lose. Though Maradona is still one of the greatest (if not the greatest) to ever play the game, like him or not. Good to see that you agree with me on the over-reaction bit though, and I can understand the Falklands War bit.

A bit of trivia. The Mexico '86 was the first and only time Canada ever made the World Cup tournament. The result? 0 goals.. :p

-Dan

[if6was9]

Originally posted by Doug Gilmour
It's not cheating if you're not caught... ;)

Not really, but I agree it wasn't the best way to concede a goal, win or lose. Though Maradona is still one of the greatest (if not the greatest) to ever play the game, like him or not. Good to see that you agree with me on the over-reaction bit though, and I can understand the Falklands War bit.

A bit of trivia. The Mexico '86 was the first and only time Canada ever made the World Cup tournament. The result? 0 goals.. :p

-Dan

yeah maradona is a legend, as he illustrated in that very same match with his second goal.

there is an over-reaction to going out of a major tournament here, but it just sometimes seems we never go out of a tournament quietly! italia '90 still hurts...as does euro '96...and france '98...we really arent the best at penalty shootouts! :(

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by if6was9
yeah maradona is a legend, as he illustrated in that very same match with his second goal.

there is an over-reaction to going out of a major tournament here, but it just sometimes seems we never go out of a tournament quietly! italia '90 still hurts...as does euro '96...and france '98...we really arent the best at penalty shootouts! :(

USA '94 still makes me cringe... :(

Nothing wrong with brooding because of the present though, which is just what I'll do with how Milan have been playing lately. Buy some younger defenders in January!!! :mad:

-Dan

[Kristiano]

l'invasione italiana!!!!

[Provboy]

hey Dan and if6was9, thanks for the good reading material

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by provboy
hey Dan and if6was9, thanks for the good reading material

Hah. Glad I could entertain!

-Dan

[Kristiano]

Originally posted by provboy
hey Dan and if6was9, thanks for the good reading material

We have a Man City fan in the house :o

That's almost as bad as Chelski ;)

[yinyang]

Originally posted by if6was9
we really arent the best at penalty shootouts! :(

that is an understatement of epic proportions!!!

bad for your ticker having to watch england take penalties!!!

better not happen in germany 06!!

[if6was9]

Originally posted by Kristiano
We have a Man City fan in the house :o

That's almost as bad as Chelski ;)

lol, dont get me started on united supporters that arent even from manchester... :p

Originally posted by provboy
hey Dan and if6was9, thanks for the good reading material

youre welcome :)

[Kristiano]

Originally posted by if6was9
lol, dont get me started on united supporters that arent even from manchester... :p



What are you now? A nationalist? ...:rolleyes:

[if6was9]

Originally posted by Kristiano
What are you now? A nationalist? ...:rolleyes:

what?? its nothing to do with what country you are from, its to do with which team you choose to support. you made a comment about city fans being as bad as chelsea fans, and in response ive made a comment about glory supporting united fans that arent even from manchester.

dont worry, its all tongue in cheek...besides, you started it :p

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by Kristiano
What are you now? A nationalist? ...:rolleyes:

Don't jab someone without expecting to be jabbed back.... glory hunter.... ;)

-Dan

[iMacc]

Originally posted by if6was9
there is an over-reaction to going out of a major tournament here, but it just sometimes seems we never go out of a tournament quietly! italia '90 still hurts...as does euro '96...and france '98...we really arent the best at penalty shootouts! :(


The over-reaction is caused by the fact that England as a footballing nation, are THE biggest under-achievers in the game, past & present...

[if6was9]

Originally posted by iMacc
The over-reaction is caused by the fact that England as a footballing nation, are THE biggest under-achievers in the game, past & present...

yeah i think thats true. i was thinking about this earlier and i remembered something i read in an article once. there seems to be a part of the national psyche that makes winning that bit harder. i think that we all want to win things, but also, we want to give it everything. perhaps in retrospect we look back and exagerate just how close we were, because we like to think that we gave it our best and were cruelly denied, or unlucky.

ill wander off topic slightly, but take the ashes for example. england shouldve won the series by a mile, but it was a struggle for them to actually finish off tests they were winning. i think the same thing afflicts english football.

with a population of 60 million we should be a sporting powerhouse...why arent we??

Fair play? a lot of the english approach to football is to give it an 'honest go'. for example, diving is looked down upon and derided. its almost as if any indignity can be cheerfully withstood if you can conclude that "at the end of the day, sport's the winner". England have taken the Fair Play crown in no fewer than three international football tournaments since 1990.

Look on the bright side? in defeat we are undeniably optimistic about our chances. i think that we often take good from a tournament exit and talk about the potential of our team...and how next time will be our time. no matter how humiliating the defeat last time round, the england supporters irrepressible, utterly naïve optimism shines through.

know when to take the blame - when our heroes dont perform, we often get very commendable admissions of blame. take pearce and waddle's penalty in italia '90, keegan's admission he wasnt a good enough manager, beckham in euro 2004 admitting he wasnt fit enough and accepted the blame for 2 penalty misses.

these reasons on the face of it look quite positive, that is unless you are in the business of winning. perhaps to win you need to forgo some of these attributes and have a certain arrogance and steely determination.

this is why i feel very confident about our team going to the world cup next year. ok, every team wants to win, but this team is full of characters that are born to be winners. take terry, gerrard, lampard, beckham, rooney and owen. all world class players that are winners.

so im looking forward to germany 2006...besides, if we lose im sure we will have given it a good go ;)

[Kristiano]

There's more to football than cheating. I doubt anyone would look favorably if England were to win the World Cup with a hand of god...

William Gallas just said Chelsea will be champions in January (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=344525&cc=4716)...

:rolleyes:

[if6was9]

Originally posted by Kristiano
There's more to football than cheating. I doubt anyone would look favorably if England were to win the World Cup with a hand of god...


did you actually read my post? its about attitudes to winning and losing, not an endorsement of cheating.

you should write something positive and give your opinion rather than criticising others

[iMacc]

Originally posted by Kristiano
William Gallas just said Chelsea will be champions in January (http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=344525&cc=4716)...

:rolleyes:

The way things are going at the moment, he could be right.....

[Provboy]

yeah, and the 100k a week ferdinand sure is allowing a lot of goals get past him.

while Arsenal are shooting blanks. Psychological i'm sure, but damaging nonetheless

[Doug Gilmour]

Exciting weekend overall!

Milan beats Reggina 2-1, with the thirty-seven year old Maldini netting a pair! Milan is now joint-second.

Juventus beats Internazionale 2-0, to remain perfect, at 6-0-0, five point above Milan and Fiorentina.

And then the Premiership games, especially the Chelsea and Charlton matches.

-Dan

[if6was9]

Originally posted by Doug Gilmour
Exciting weekend overall!

yeah thank god. at least we shouldnt have to hear so much about how the premiership has become boring. its just been a tight start to the season thats all. the premiership will always entertain.

i was fortunate enough to watch the man u match (i dont say that too often) and was treated to an absolutely masterful display by the young rooney. the boy has unlimited potential, he'll be missed this saturday.

[Kristiano]

Originally posted by if6was9
yeah thank god. at least we shouldnt have to hear so much about how the premiership has become boring. its just been a tight start to the season thats all. the premiership will always entertain.

i was fortunate enough to watch the man u match (i dont say that too often) and was treated to an absolutely masterful display by the young rooney. the boy has unlimited potential, he'll be missed this saturday.

You are relying too much on Waz...England survived without Waz and hopefully, they will this Saturday...

4-1 Chelski. WTF...

Still, that match proved to me that Steven Gerard is the most influential player in England...

[yinyang]

Originally posted by Kristiano

4-1 Chelski. WTF...

Still, that match proved to me that Steven Gerard is the most influential player in England...

yeah WTF!!

as good as gerrard may be, sometimes, there are supposed to be 10 other players on that pitch...!?

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by yinyang
yeah WTF!!

as good as gerrard may be, sometimes, there are supposed to be 10 other players on that pitch...!?

Well, you can't blame Crouch for that. Apparently Rafa has promised him a decent Right-Mid to feed him the ball more often...

Chelsea played very well though, quick, strong, no mistakes, perfectly executed.

-Dan

[Doug Gilmour]

Oh, and check the new sig of mine, boys.... :D

Thanks to MikeM for the effort!

-Dan

[if6was9]

thats pretty sweet i have to say, very nice indeed

check out this great article regarding chelsea. alan hansen speaks a lot of sense in my mind...here (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/4304652.stm)

[Kristiano]

Originally posted by if6was9
thats pretty sweet i have to say, very nice indeed

check out this great article regarding chelsea. alan hansen speaks a lot of sense in my mind...here (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/4304652.stm)

Chelsea have got my respect but the fact of the matter is that they got there by spending loads of money and that, to some extent, damages the game. Alan Hansen didn't touch on that.

Jose will get my respect when he finally shuts up.

[if6was9]

Originally posted by Kristiano
Chelsea have got my respect but the fact of the matter is that they got there by spending loads of money and that, to some extent, damages the game. Alan Hansen didn't touch on that.

Jose will get my respect when he finally shuts up.

i like jose's comments and press conferences. he talks a lot of straight forward sense and has managed chelsea almost flawlessly thus far.

[Doug Gilmour]

And his comments about Mr. Rijkaard last year? Or perhaps his whining after the loss in the CL semis? He seems to have class at times, but at others he shows absolute disrespect. Though he has been fine lately, surely the 8-0-0 record is the reason.

-Dan

[if6was9]

well thats kinda what i like about him. he makes things interesting. nearly every other manager in the prem is incredibly dull during interviews. they say the same things over and over again (take wenger and ferguson as prime examples).

ferguson has even got bored of talking to the media now, and leaves it to queiroz to face the media...oh and coach the team. oh and choose the formation and tactics. hehe

[Kristiano]

Originally posted by if6was9
well thats kinda what i like about him. he makes things interesting. nearly every other manager in the prem is incredibly dull during interviews. they say the same things over and over again (take wenger and ferguson as prime examples).

ferguson has even got bored of talking to the media now, and leaves it to queiroz to face the media...oh and coach the team. oh and choose the formation and tactics. hehe

Oh just give Jose 2 years, lets see how interesting he'd be...

Queiroz doesn't choose the team, that's Man City bollocks ;)

Does Le Sulk pick the team too? :p

[if6was9]

Originally posted by Kristiano
Queiroz doesn't choose the team, that's Man City bollocks ;)

actually ryan giggs said it in his autobiography:

Then again maybe the fans are targeting the wrong man. In Ryan Giggs's autobiography one small paragraph has largely gone unnoticed. Ferguson has given his assistant Carlos Queiroz the responsibility to "train us, prepare us for games, organise the team and decide the things we need to work on".

full article here (http://football.guardian.co.uk/Match_Report/0,1527,1578227,00.html)

[if6was9]

Come on england! :) ill stick my neck out and predict a 2-0 win

[neb]

C'mon England.

Hopefully there will be a backlash to the recent poor performances and we'll run out easy 6-0 winners!

Either than or we'll get humnbled again.

[Doug Gilmour]

Another unconvincing result from England. Let's hope Italy plays well against Slovenia..! Peruzzi is still in goal, why not use the younger De Sanctis? Toni and Gilardino should be the pairing that goes into Germany, hopefully they're lethal today.

-Dan

[iMacc]

3 points will do for me...

[if6was9]

huzzah for holland! england were truly pants, but right now who cares! see you in germany next year :D

[Kristiano]

Originally posted by if6was9
huzzah for holland! england were truly pants, but right now who cares! see you in germany next year :D

I didn't understand the second yellow card. Becks didn't deserve to be sent off but I'm glad that instead of lamblasting him, the England fans showed him support by offering him a standing ovation.

Come on England!

[neb]

I heard the referee commented on his fram of mind. In other words he felt Becks had a lot of pent up anger, which introduces the concept of malice. It's unfortunate, but SWP could do a better job than Becks anyway. Personally I hope he plays so well that DB is dropped!

Overall the match was one big anti-climax. We didn't get the backlash I was hoping for. Niether did we get beat again. Which is what several 's other people were hoping for. Either way, this World Cup will be Sven's last.

[iMacc]

Last 3 games combined, nobody has been better than Beckham....


I hope this is Sven's last World Cup neb. Knowing the FA,they'll probably offer him another 10 years!!

[if6was9]

yeah i hope its his last too. he has taken a team of the most exciting and gifted footballers we have had for decades, and turned them into a dull and lackadaisical team. hopefully this is just a rut in form, hopefully they will perform better on wednesday with no pressure.

so who do you guys want after sven? i think big sam allardace should be our man.

[iMacc]

Originally posted by if6was9
so who do you guys want after sven? i think big sam allardace should be our man.

Totally agree with you there if6was9.

Look what he's done at Bolton with those players and limited funds. Just think what he could achieve with the country's best talent at his disposal...

[if6was9]

i like the fact that he's a no nonsense sort of guy, but obviously very bright and tactically aware. he has a record of signing players that have struggled elsewhere and got the best out of them. finally, and perhaps most importantly he hasnt shyed away from dropping big name players if and when its called for.

[Adam]

Go Croatia!!!!

So glad they qualified after a lacking 1-1 draw against Malta a month or so back. Can't wait for 2006.

Now if only Australia make it too, I'm going to be cheering like nothing else.

[if6was9]

yeah the aussies need to beat Uruguay, Chile or Colombia. do-able, but it wont be easy. didnt i read something earlier in the year about australia qualifying through the asian qualifiers next world cup? or am i mistaken

Edit: lol yeah i was right, article here (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/4092042.stm) . i think thats absolutely ridiculous. its like scotland deciding to compete in the asian qualifiers because they will have a better chance

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by Adam

Now if only Australia make it too, I'm going to be cheering like nothing else.

With the underrated genius Guus Hiddink as manager that's a distinct possibility...

-Dan

[pmad]

Originally posted by if6was9


Edit: lol yeah i was right, article here (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/internationals/4092042.stm) . i think thats absolutely ridiculous. its like scotland deciding to compete in the asian qualifiers because they will have a better chance

Yeah, you are correct. It is crap.
They should have taken the entire Oceanic group and merged it with Asia. (and give it one more qualifying spot - take one from So. Amer)

It would have many benefits:
Australia would not be outside of its geographical conference.
Austraila could fairly compete for a spot in the Cup.
There are not many legimate locals in Asia to host the Cup - this would strengthen Australia's chances to host.

W/O Austrialia the Oceanic is a joke. No one will ever qualify from there.

[Adam]

Originally posted by Doug Gilmour
With the underrated genius Guus Hiddink as manager that's a distinct possibility...

-Dan

I tend to agree with that. Every interview I've seen of him I've learnt something new. Can't wait to see what he, and the boys, are capable of doing.

And it looks like it's going to be Uruguay again......

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by Adam
I tend to agree with that. Every interview I've seen of him I've learnt something new. Can't wait to see what he, and the boys, are capable of doing.

And it looks like it's going to be Uruguay again......

The man's credential are superb as well. Champions Cup/League winner in 1988 with PSV Eindhoven a year after Gullit (World and European player of the year at the time) departed for Milan, fourth place in the 1998 World Cup with Holland, fourth with South Korea in 2002, semi-finalist in 2005 with PSV in the Champions League.

-Dan

[if6was9]

excellent response by england. the performance was encouraging and beating a resilient team like poland so convincingly was great form to take to the next match...argentina in geneva ;)

and another masterclass by mr. rooney. even more pleasing is that his attitude and temperament was first class as well.

[Doug Gilmour]

Good to see Italy win the group and end it with an "All Milan" pair of goals from Gilardino and Vieri!

-Dan

[Adam]

Uruguay - 1
Argentina - 0

Uruguay are 5th in South America and will now play off against Australia for a place in the World Cup.

The second leg of this playoff will be the night before my final (and extremely hard - 40% failure rate) exam. So it's either I'll go into it with a shattered heart or with a hangover. It's going to be big!

[Adam]

Just to anybody who hasn't been following it (or is too lazy to hunt it down):

Angola (ANG)
Cote d'Ivoire (CIV)
Togo (TOG)
Ghana (GHA)
Tunisia (TUN)
Japan (JPN)
Iran (IRN)
Korea Republic (KOR)
Saudi Arabia (KSA)
Germany (GER)
Ukraine (UKR)
Netherlands (NED)
Poland (POL)
England (ENG)
Croatia (CRO)
Italy (ITA)
Portugal (POR)
Sweden (SWE)
Serbia and Montenegro (SCG)
France (FRA)
USA (USA)
Mexico (MEX)
Costa Rica (CRC)
Argentina (ARG)
Brazil (BRA)
Ecuador (ECU)
Paraguay (PAR)

Which makes 27/32 teams for the World Cup.

[pmad]

Originally posted by Adam

Which makes 27/32 teams for the World Cup.

Leaving:
3 will make it from:
Czech Republic, Spain, Turkey, Slovakia, Switzerland and Norway

The Winner of:
Trinidad & Tobago v Bahrain

And the winner of:
Uruguay v Australia

[Doug Gilmour]

Originally posted by pmad
Leaving:
3 will make it from:
Czech Republic, Spain, Turkey, Slovakia, Switzerland and Norway

The Winner of:
Trinidad & Tobago v Bahrain

And the winner of:
Uruguay v Australia

Now with the draw it is:

Czech v. Norway
Spain v. Slovakia
Switzerland v. Turkey

My choices would be Czech, Spain, Switzerland (still undefeated in qualifying), not sure about the T & T v. Bahrain draw, and Australia.

Toronto in the MLS (in 2007) seems very likely at this point, I was just watching a ten minute bit on TV regarding it. I hope it goes through, may not be the best league but it can definitely improve the state of the league, the popularity of it in Toronto, and the improvement of the Canadian national team. I'll go watch quite a few games if they get it passed...

-Dan

[pmad]

Originally posted by Doug Gilmour
Toronto in the MLS (in 2007) seems very likely at this point, I was just watching a ten minute bit on TV regarding it. I hope it goes through, may not be the best league but it can definitely improve the state of the league, the popularity of it in Toronto, and the improvement of the Canadian national team. I'll go watch quite a few games if they get it passed...

-Dan

I saw that, my town (St. Louis), is being mentioned for expansion also. (But I don't see it happening).

My question is: Will FIFA allow Toronto? Isn't it a bit like allowing the Old Firm to play in the EPL? Is there some sort of exception because Canada has no league????

I've tried to find something on this issue but I have not been successful.

:confused: :confused:

[Kristiano]

An entire page on International Football? What is wrong with you people! :o

I'm delighted to see that a casino will not be built on Old Trafford grounds...:D

[iMacc]

Nobody has mentioned the ''Melting Pot'' for a while.....iMaccc's Mega XI has taken a slender lead.

It's just like watching Sir Alex........I haven't signed a single player since i registered my team.....!!!!