2008/2009 Football (Soccer) Thread

[Luxor]

Slightly OT but the beta for Football Manager 2009 is released Saturday night/Sunday morning, time to go through your team and moan about peoples stats being wrong. Wonder how much money Man City will be given this year :)

[Amarr HM]

Slightly OT but the beta for Football Manager 2009 is released Saturday night/Sunday morning, time to go through your team and moan about peoples stats being wrong. Wonder how much money Man City will be given this year :)

I officially hate you for attempting to bring Football Manager back in my life 

[Endie]

Slightly OT but the beta for Football Manager 2009 is released Saturday night/Sunday morning, time to go through your team and moan about peoples stats being wrong. Wonder how much money Man City will be given this year :)

I officially hate you for attempting to bring Football Manager back in my life 

This.

Football Manager, or the original Championship Manager, ate large periods of my life.

[sigil]

Harry Hotspur! Harry Hotspur!

They did it again!

Woeful beginning, wonderful finish.

I was Dancing around the living room.

[Mr_PeaCH]

Harry Hotspur! Harry Hotspur!

They did it again!

Woeful beginning, wonderful finish.

I was Dancing around the living room.

You and me both... nothing like a game winner in added time to put a little hop in my step.  I only saw the last 30 minutes but that was the whole game as far as Spurs were concerned.  Bentley is beginning to grow on me... still on the fence with Pavelchenko but maybe a partnership in the making alongside Bent.

[sigil]

That play was more Zokora with the nice get and the good pass.

I saw some signs of promise from Modric too. Great signs.

[Endie]

Well, it was outright theft, but three points is three points.  Or, more specifically, 7 from 9 points...

Ramos must be pissed.

[lamaros]

Arsenal. 

Utd is being VERY complacent in a few games this year. 

And my fantasy team must have done gangbusters this week. !

[Amarr HM]

Awful day for it some mad decisions and a lot of excitement, odd that Ramos puts together a decent team and Redknapp strolls in and grabs the glory, he must feel like the jilted boyfriend indeed.

[HaemishM]

That Spurs game was  I have finally come to a decision about Ryan Babel. He doesn't hold the ball up well enough to play up front. He comes inside way too much and doesn't have good crossing skills, making him an iffy winger. I think he's a change of pace sub for tired leg time. Taking Keane out for Babel was a terrible decision. Liverpool never had an attack after that.

Is this the year Arsenal finally slips out of the top 4? If so, it may be Villa's year to finally break into the big time. I don't see Everton or Portsmouth competing for that slot and as much as I love Hull, if they finish even top 10 I'll be thrilled (I'm pretty sure they won't be going down). Spurs will stay up, Bolton will stay up, but Newcastle? Sorry Toon Army, get used to the Championship.

[WayAbvPar]

I finally picked up FIFA 09 for the 360. Anyone else play it? I like the BAP mode and the graphics, but I am not yet convinced that PES wasn't better. Haven't monkeyed around with the Manager mode yet; that will be the big test.

[HaemishM]

I played FIFA 09 for the PS2. The manager mode is awesome, though it's pretty much the same manager mode as '08 - don't break what ain't broken. I found the be-a-pro mode to be a shitload more fun than I expected. I sent it back to try out the Wii version, but I really don't have high hopes for that after last year's Wii version and this year's Madden for the Wii.

[stu]

Hey, hey! Maradona is now Argentina's new head coach.

After retiring 11 years ago, Maradona has remained in the spotlight primarily as the country’s leading real-life soap opera star, waging a series of well-publicized battles with drugs, obesity, the news media and past lovers. Now, the hopes and dreams of 40 million soccer-mad Argentines will rest on the shoulders — much-slimmed after a stomach-stapling operation in 2005 — of a man who, in the words of the local newspaper columnist Horacio Pagani, will be “the least prepared manager in the history of international soccer.”

This is interesting and strange. If anything, it'll get me to pay more attention to a sport I rarely follow.

[Endie]

His first match in charge may well be against Scotland (I seem to remember he scored his debut goal against us, back in 79?)  My suspicion is that his managerial "abilities" may well be our best hope.

[Amarr HM]

I can just picture it now he'll be the Argentinian Kevin Keegan, "England have the best fans in the world and Scotland's fans are second to none"

[Amarr HM]

Or more aptly from the Keegan vernacular "I don't think there's anyone bigger or smaller than Maradona."

[WayAbvPar]

Or higher.

[Endie]

Or higher.

In horse-racing terms he's exactly one hand above 5'7 or so. 

[HaemishM]

Lulz - Arsenal. 

Also, that penalty Liverpool was given midweek against Atletico? That was total bullshit. A complete gift from a ref punching way above his weight class. I'm glad Pool got the kick, but there is no way you convince me that was a foul on Gerrard.

I've got my fingers crossed for Blackburn tomorrow.

[sigil]

I'm sure any team led by Maradona will be able to punch the ball in when it counts 

[sigil]

The bottom half of the premiership is so fucked up right now that Spurs are only three points from the upper half.

Having said that. COME ON YOU SPURS!

[Endie]

I'm delighted by what Harry is doig.  Also chuffed that Liverpool have won the first of a series of games we really must take full points from.

And then my weekend was completed by Morton somehow doing a spurs and clambering out of last place with a 4-1 away win over Queen of the South, who would otherwise have been in second place.  We'd not given any clue of that happening so far this season...

[sigil]

North American Game alert:

Columbus hosts Chicago for the Eastern Division Final on Thursday on ESPN2. The two best teams still in the playoffs.  Good talent on both sides of the ball for both teams.  Plus Blanco against Schelotto, McBride coming to where he got his start and several rising US nats going at it. Worth a look.

[HaemishM]

GO FIRE!

[sigil]

Man, Fuck the Fire.

I need Champions League again. You know how much it would suck to not have all the things like superliga and champions league? Dynamo need a treble.

[HaemishM]

Fuck the Dynamo. It's time for some new blood to hold the Cup.

[sigil]

well, I for one  was loving the instant Dynasty :)


You're just better cause Spurs whipped up on pool yesterday again. Yeah, it's carling cup, but still :)

[Endie]

Spurs, understandably, fielded a much stronger side than us.  I liked that right-back we had, though: he just got better and better as the game went on, and I think Benitez was completely wrong to take him off.  He was clearly fouled in what should have been a stone-wall penalty decision, and I think that coming back from 4-1 to 4-3 with 15 minutes left would have seen Spurs crack.

That said, I'm pleased for Redknapp and, while I hate seeing Liverpool lose, I'd happily go out of both domestic cups early if it gives our fragile and shallow squad a chance to make it through the season.

[sigil]

yes, pool was depleted. I've also only seen snippets of the match so I can't give a decent assessment.

[HaemishM]

That said, I'm pleased for Redknapp and, while I hate seeing Liverpool lose, I'd happily go out of both domestic cups early if it gives our fragile and shallow squad a chance to make it through the season.

This. I'd have liked Liverpool to go on, but really, if it means we win the title, we can lose Carling, FA and Champion's League and I won't care.

Spurs fielding the better team, hands down. I stopped watching after the third goal, because Pool just looked listless. Even Torres was just standing around. Other than Babel making some good runs and Agger defending, everyone else looked like they didn't care. But really, there were what fewer than 10 total starts on the pitch for the Reds? Plessis reminds me of Sissoko on his worst days, Lucas is promising but raw, El Zhar is a forward playing in the Kuyt mold and Degen hasn't been in any games (and I really want to see what he can do against EPL competition - maybe he'll play this Saturday). Meanwhile, Spurs had Frazier Campbell, who is a future star as well as a number of other top line players like Pavlyuchenko. Harry has got that team playing well.

[lamaros]

WTF has kyut come from this season? He's making me eat my words about him in the past. V impressed with some of his form.

[HaemishM]

I think Kuyt has just finally settled into the place Rafa has put him. He's played up front most of his career, and he didn't do that bad up front in 06/07. Rafa didn't know what to do with him last year when he decided to play one up top, so he put him on the right. I think Kuyt has gotten comfortable with his role and is starting to relish it.

Villa was awesome against the Gunners. Has Agbonlahor gotten any England caps yet? Because he really should, given how unsettled the striker postition is in that squad.

[sigil]

Gomes is shit.

I'd almost rather have freaking Matt Reis cross the pond than Gomes, although he's need some sort of cap to cover his massive bald head.

So, going american again... Columbus from the East. New York from the west. Yeah, MLS, That makes perfect fucking sense. Also those Volkswagen Road to the MLS Cup bits are funny. Seeing Ben Olsen saying "This is pure high fructose corn syrup" and sucking down a juice box makes me smile.

[Amarr HM]

I think Kuyt has just finally settled into the place Rafa has put him. He's played up front most of his career, and he didn't do that bad up front in 06/07. Rafa didn't know what to do with him last year when he decided to play one up top, so he put him on the right. I think Kuyt has gotten comfortable with his role and is starting to relish it.

Villa was awesome against the Gunners. Has Agbonlahor gotten any England caps yet? Because he really should, given how unsettled the striker postition is in that squad.

I always thought the guy was total shit terrible first touch etc. but I had seen footage of him playing in Holland and he was quite good so I just put it down to lower class league, that said he looks like a decent enough Centre forward when his confidence is up though he is still liable to let you down sometimes. Keane's been poor last few weeks he really can't play as a lone striker it's true, though he might nick a goal here and there. Agbon would totally be deserved of a place in the England squad he's been awesome for the last few seasons.

[lamaros]

Sorry that's bullshit, Keane's been playing and performing at the top for six+ years

World class Keane! 4 goals in 22 games! Keeps getting subbed!

What?