2008/2009 Football (Soccer) Thread

[Endie]

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?

People who don't know much about football beyond what they see on the highlights after the news often make this mistake of confusing form with ability.  To spell it out, he scored 107 goals in 254 appearances for Spurs, scoring pretty much one-in-two for the last three seasons.  Only someone with a pretty limited knowledge fo the game would claim that 61 goals in three years at a premiership club isn't a sign of real ability.  Plus 35 goals from 85 appearances at an international level, playing for a team that has been struggling now for several years.

[sigil]

It's kind of like Landon Donovan's the  leading goal scorer in US history, with like 39 goals in 103 starts. Meh. That just shows how much this nation sucks.

[HaemishM]

Keane is a top quality striker. He's just on terribad form right now. I can't for the life of me figure out why. I think part of it is that he just isn't getting in the box enough, or staying there with enough authority. Most of the games he's been in, he's seen so few touches inside the box that I can't believe he's playing striker. He sees more balls outside the box and wide than inside.

West Ham... goddamnit, there was no reason Liverpool shouldn't have won that game other than a complete lack of cutting edge. Gerrard was so off his game. It's like the goalmouth was surrounded by an invisible ball-repellant energy field.

[Amarr HM]

He's a boyhood pool fan like most Irish people, perhaps the bright lights of Anfield are toying with his emotions a little that's my theory. Though he seems to be working his little bollox off and showing the right attitude or at least that's the report I got from my Liverpool supporting mates cause to be honest I can't vouch for how he's been playing not been watching much other than MOTD highlights this season. That statistic you mentioned above lamaros is quite similar to Rooneys at this stage of last season but I would still consider him world class go figure.

[lamaros]

All I was saying, originaly and just then, is that there is a difference between "world class" and "really good international".

That and the trolling, that is...

[Bokonon]

COYW!

:)

At the rate they are playing, I'm beginning to think their game in hand against ManU could produce some points.

[sigil]

many things:

Congrats to Clint Dempsey for starting to make a name for himself.

LOL at  Man City, 0-3 to the Forest? really? did it suddenly become thirty years ago?

It's fun to watch the slow strangulation of Arsenal. :)

FIFA for 360 is light years ahead of PS2, the mechanics, the feel, the players... you need to drop the PS haemish, it's a much better game on the next gen.

 

[HaemishM]

When I can afford a HDTV and a 360, I'll switch. The '09 game for the PS2 is better than last year's, though the play differences are VERY subtle. Mostly it has to do with the animation. But I seriously want to skullfuck the cockgobbler who turned all the EA Sports' menu systems into the same shitty shiny shades of black transparancy crap on crap that they have become since the '08 Wii versions. The worst parts about all the EA Sports titles are the menus.

[Endie]

LOL at  Man City, 0-3 to the Forest? really? did it suddenly become thirty years ago?

My mate in work is both a Forest fan and a canny gambler, and he said that was one to stick a tenner on, as Forest hadn't lost away from home since something like October, while City are a classic hard-luck story, despite their riches.  Seven-to-one odds.  I, of course, said "there's a reason it's seven to one" and passed on the deal, while he is already up for the year against the bookies.

[HaemishM]

Man City is just puzzling this year. Mark Hughes is a better manager than this team has displayed and that team has too much talent to not be challenging for a spot in UEFA. But maybe, just maybe, firing Sven was a bad fucking idea. It's probably a good thing the Dubai folks are in charage now, they just need to get everybody on the same page before more money is pissed away on a mid-table finish.

[sigil]

I'm quite happy with Sven where he is, fucking up the Mexican National Team.  Let's leave him there until the US gets the top seed out of CONCACAF. 

[Amarr HM]

Yeh I can't understand the sacking of Sven he is extremely experienced, the only problem with him is he's a bit fancy free not sure if he'll actually win you anything these days. To replace him with Hughes who doesn't have any pedigree in my book, I mean he turned Blackburn into a top seven team instead of a bottom seven team not much to holler about, still can't understand that maybe he's marked as one for the future.

[sigil]

I've got an honest question.

I want to write about  the extent of the corruption that's going into WC 2010, but don't know where I should put it. Ideally It's a political issue, but that board seems kind of a waste to put it  there.

[WayAbvPar]

Put it here. If it goes off the deep end we can always move it.

2010 is going to be a nightmare if they don't move it. SA is a fucking hellhole of crime and corruption by all accounts.

[sigil]

Put it here. If it goes off the deep end we can always move it.

2010 is going to be a nightmare if they don't move it. SA is a fucking hellhole of crime and corruption by all accounts.

FIFA and SA are made for each other. It's Crime, corruption and evil fucking people.

Seriously, The shit FIFA and it's many minions can pull is fucking insanity.  President of the country wanting  to assert your authority? fine, just don't fuck with FIFA, or you will get your dick stomped quicker than anything. American Sport owners dream of the power that these cocks have and are willing to use at a moments notice.

The latest example I have from the World Cup is the killing of a whistle blower in South Africa

But there's so much that gets done. We don't see it in the US because FIFA doesn't really have their talons into the public consciousness here, but The US Committee is no better, playing along with Jack Warner and Chuck Blazer in a nasty mess of corruption and greed.

It's kind of why I like that Soccer is a fringe sport here. If it was really mainstream... oh god the mess there would be.

[WayAbvPar]

The scary thing is that Mohlala's murder could just be a coincidence- that is how bad the crime rate is there. Either way, it is certainly no place for tens of thousands of tourists.

[HaemishM]

I'm guessing the safest investment for 2010 is going to the African illegal organs market.

[Endie]

I'm guessing the safest investment for 2010 is going to the African illegal organs market.

I'd suggest going long on whore commodities.  Which, given the astonishing rates of HIV infection in sub-saharan Africa, promises terrifying re-import rates afterwards.

[lamaros]

Benitez is a bit lost recently it seems, can't handle the pressure of being on top.

Also, Chelsea is tarnishing Scolari's reputation.

[Amarr HM]

There was a couple of surprising things yesterday that actually startled me and described fully how Chelsea have lost an edge. The main one was late on in the game, Ronaldo clipped Lampard's shin with a high tackle which could have lead to his second yellow and afterwards Lampard was just joking around. As much as I hate the sort of behaviour a couple of seasons ago Lampard would have been baiting for blood and demanding Webb send him off.  The other startling thing was how well Fletcher played in midfield! Chelsea just rolled over in a fashion I have not seen since Ruud Gullit was their dubious manager proof of the Scolari pudding is he's probably the only person who thinks Mikel is a first team player. I wonder does Benitez realise Uniteds fixtures were moved so they could play two games on the other side of the planet to try win the newly emerging World Club cup so I don't really know what all his guff was about, besides Fergie has always bullied officials it doesn't always work in his favour and sometimes he's justified in doing so, how he conducts his business is well frankly his business. But sure these aren't mind games dredging up past incidents that everybody had forgotten about is just laying out the facts, yeh right.

Jamie Carragher proving yet again he's not the brightest on Sky Sports, if I were Pool I would pull the plug on his pundity "err I agree with our gaffer the bigger clubs are always getting decisions in their favour". So Jamie are you implying that Man U are a bigger club than Liverpool? 

[Endie]

Benitez does, at the moment, look bereft of ideas, and it's not as if we've started all those 0-0 draws without any attacking or goalscoring talent available.

So against Stoke - surely a must-win game which would mean neither Man Utd nor Chelsea could go ahead of us on points regardless of their result, we have Keane and Torres both available and he starts both on the bench?  Does he even care about the Premiership?

[Amarr HM]

He just loves Kuyt doesn't he I didn't know he kept his better strikers benchwarming that's slightly annoying. I remember last season he was benching Torres against teams that would sit back under the premise that Torres works best with space behind the defenders which is true but he's far better player than Kuyt and can get goals in tight spaces too, Kuyt missed a free header to boot.

[HaemishM]

What's worse isn't that he didn't just bench Keane and Torres, he never even called Keane on. 20 minutes left to go and Keane doesn't get put into the game. If this was earlier in the season, I'd understand, but Keane's actually gotten his form lately. And yet, he gets nothing against Newcastle, Preston in the Cup or against Stoke. WTF RAFA? The man is finally scoring goals.

Yeah, Kuyt's been a good worker, but fuck's sake, he isn't the quality of either Torres or Keane when either is on form.

[WayAbvPar]

3-0.

That was glorious, although I was afraid it was going to finish 9v8 with the way the ref was handing out yellows in the first half. Chelsea just looked lost most of the game. And why the hell does Anelka come off the bench? That is at least the 2nd time I have seen that. Is he not fully fit, or is Scolari just senile?

[HaemishM]

If Drogba's staring, Anelka will come off the bench if he comes off at all. The two's playstyles do not mix or something like that.

[Amarr HM]

Drogba and Anelka also seems to be a bit of a personality clash to me. 0-0 with Stoke 20 minutes to go you really want to throw everything at them it's not a massive secret why United win a lot of games in the dying minutes it's the one thing Fergie's very good at, think Mark Robins or Soljskaer

[WayAbvPar]

Those two behemoths could have made some hay together in the area with Rio Ferdinand out, but they only got 45 minutes to try. Drogba was terrible- miskicked at least twice I can think of, continually dove with no sympathy from the ref, and committing just stupid fouls. His coiffure may be the biggest foul, however.

[Amarr HM]

Yeh Drogba's hair is seriously dodgy I was also impressed by Evans as far as I'm concerned he could stand in for Rio anytime, Vidic is the main man at the moment probably always has been.

[WayAbvPar]

Evans was solid, but Ferdinand's experience is invaluable. Also, he is awfully useful when the ball is in the air, which is more what I was alluding to earlier. If Drogba and Anelka are both in the area, Evans is less able to defend them than Ferdinand simply by stature. Deco playing the first half took it easy on Evans (who I think will be really good, and soon).

[Amarr HM]

I think I know what you mean but I personally think Ferdinand is poor in the air when compared to someone say like Vidic, but if you mean by stature his presence yeh Ferdinand has a lot of that and is terrific on the ball.

[WayAbvPar]

Vidic is definitely better in the air, but Ferdinand is so goddamned big that he can interfere with crosses without being that good 

[Endie]

Remember when Ferdinand was injured then banned for missing a drugs test (or was it the other way round)?  United struggled massively without him.  I admit that they have a better set of players around him now than then, and that Vidic is possibly technically more skilled in the air (he won me our work Fantasy football a couple of years ago with his goals), but Ferdinand is like Carragher: a steadying factor.

Except when he decides he's a midfielder. 

[WayAbvPar]

Heh. Watching him try to dribble the ball more than 10 feet is pretty painful.

[Amarr HM]

He used to play up front. Perhaps I got swayed by the 3-0 he is a top player but at 30m he'd want to be, Evans on the other hand a youth team product.

[lamaros]

Still waiting for Keane to come good...