2008/2009 Football (Soccer) Thread

[Amarr HM]

Ok Spurs supporter here calling BULLSHIT

He's on form. This is how he plays. It's how he's  always played.

Just because you slip on the shirt with the  goofy looking devil on it does not boost your skills by ten percent. Especially if you're a crafty but  permanent slacker like old Dimi :)

I don't mind the laise faire attitude plenty of great players have had that, Bergkamp, Cantona, Le Tissier list goes on. He's just not scoring or creating much at the moment I think he hasn't scored since January that's what I meant. If he was banging the odd goal in or setting them up people would be less inclined to expect him to defend.

[Endie]

I'm quite excited that it looks like Rangers and Celtic will finally get into England, starting in the Premier 2 of a revamped premiership.  I hope they stick "B" teams in the Scottish leagues as feeder clubs, but I'd love to have Liverpool up in Glasgow a couple of times a season.  The Glasgow clubs would be huge after a few years of adjustment: Celtic in particular should be challenging Man Utd in scale, with their huge fanbase both locally and worlwide, and a stadium that is already larger than most premiership examples.

[Amarr HM]

Where did you hear about that?

[HaemishM]

Yeah, links plz?

Wolves to Premiership is great. They've had a good defense for years, so I think they'll do ok in the top flight. Biggest problem I've seen with teams coming up seems to be scoring enough goals, and Ebanks-Blake seems to have taken care of that problem. Now if Hull can just manage to stay up and Reading can make it back in, I'll have too many teams to follow. 

And Abragado? You are a lucky cocksucker, Mr. Caveman Lawyer.

[sigil]

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11781_5217415,00.html

it's being talked about


wow, I don't know how I feel about this, other than you could kiss the SPL goodbye

[Xuri]

Liverpool 4 - 4 Arsenal ......... after 0 - 1 by half-time.

Three goals for Arsenal after three huge personal mistakes by Liverpool-players. So much for putting pressure on ManU. 

[Amarr HM]

A game so good even the refs didn't want it to end six minutes of injury time eh! Another blow to the hype machine, as Arshavin bangs in four.

[sidereal]

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11781_5217415,00.html

it's being talked about


wow, I don't know how I feel about this, other than you could kiss the SPL goodbye

The WPL technically exists despite the fact that Swansea and Cardiff (and Newport Co and whoever else.  Wrexham?) are in the English system.  Of course, nobody gives a shit since their best team is TNS or Rhyl and nobody's ever heard of them.

[HaemishM]

Liverpool 4 - 4 Arsenal ......... after 0 - 1 by half-time.

Three goals for Arsenal after three huge personal mistakes by Liverpool-players. So much for putting pressure on ManU. 

That was a fan-fucking-tastic game to watch, even though it didn't end how I wanted. Is Benayoun not the sleeper MVP of this fucking team these days? He has stepped up his game big-time since January.

[sigil]

Side note apropos of nothing, but good for a laugh. No, this is not my blog.

My  mom goes on vacation, for the first time in twenty years. Good on her. She finds a "soccer shirt" for me. I am touched by my mom's thoughtfullness and generosity.

I  see my mom shortly after she gets back home and she proudly hands me the gift box.

I open my present,  and my eyes fall upon.

A Manchester United Shirt...

That I now have to wear regularly because I love my mom and I want to show her that I appreciate her thought.

A couple of friends I know see me in the shirt and pronounce me a glory hunter.

Could have been worse, could have been arsenal.


Also last nights MLS match made me realize just how far our little national league has to go. That was shit on a pitch.

[sidereal]

Gomez is making a strong push for worst Premiership goalkeeper ever.

[sigil]

yes he is...

and I'm fucking gutted.

[HaemishM]

I still can't figure out why Spurs let their backup keeper from last year go (some Eastern Euro name) in favor of signing Gomez. Even Cesar (who they let go to Valencia, thank you very much) is better. They paid good money for shit. Their back 4 have always been shit at defense, so I guess you can't blame it all on the keeper.

[sidereal]

It can't be coincidence that the two Seattle games that I didn't either attend or watch live were the two losses

And the pattern is vindicated!  I go to the game and they win 2-0.

[sigil]

Go when Chicago is there and watch the old men.  :D

[WayAbvPar]

Saturday was a lot of fun. ManU goes on a rampage and buries Spurs in the second half, then I turn the draft on and see Seattle get the best player in the draft at #4. Conclude the day watching Sounders FC beat up on the hapless Earthquakes. Good times!

[Amarr HM]

Interesting to see Hull hovering above relegation at the moment after their splurge at the start of the season.

[sigil]

Klinsmann's out at Bayerm. Word has it they're going for Wegner. Klinsmann probably goes back to America, and Bob Bradley just had a little more pressure added to consistently do well in qualifying.

[Hoax]

Klinsmann's out at Bayerm. Word has it they're going for Wegner. Klinsmann probably goes back to America, and Bob Bradley just had a little more pressure added to consistently do well in qualifying.

The sooner they take the coach position serious the better.  Fuck Bradley, nice guy but he should be coaching the American U19's at highest. 

[sigil]

Bill Archer from bigsoccer came up with a pretty good solution to a number of issues with coaches in the nation and the league.

Make Sigi Schmidt US Nats coach,  make Tom Soehn his assistant. Move Bruce Arena back to DC. Move Preki to RBNY. Move Bradley back to Chivas. Send Osorio back on a boat to colombia. Make Klinsmann coach of the Galaxy. Peter Nowak can coach Philly.

[sidereal]

Make Sigi Schmidt US Nats coach

You shut your mouth.



Signed,
Seattle Sounders FC

[sigil]

you could always make a play for Mourinho   

[HaemishM]

Oh dear God, the absolute  possibilities of the Special One dealing with the US press and the typical American's indifference to soccer makes me all tingly.

[WayAbvPar]

Barcelona carrying the play to Chelsea so far. Messi will be lucky if he can walk after this game- he is getting the fuck fouled out of him despite Guus's promise that systematic fouling was not the game plan.

[Mosesandstick]

Yeah, that was a fairly ugly game.

[WayAbvPar]

And the worst injury came when Marquez went down with no one near him. That was ugly.

[lamaros]

Very similar to how Barca struggled last year against Utd. Though Barca are playing better this time and had a few chances.

[Mosesandstick]

Wow. I just wonder if the scoreline is going to get worse.

[Amarr HM]

I'm sitting here thinking this is the first time in the twenty three years or so of supporting United that there isn't a player on the pitch or the bench that makes me cringe. I know a lot of people have different opinions, but seriously just two words Laurent Blanc.

[lamaros]

I'm sitting here thinking this is the first time in the twenty three years or so of supporting United that there isn't a player on the pitch or the bench that makes me cringe. I know a lot of people have different opinions, but seriously just two words Laurent Blanc.

O'Shae won't look nearly so accomplished when he's up against a team that, you know, has decent players.

And Tomasz Kuszczak was on the bench! 

Still, I understand the sentiment.

[Amarr HM]

O'Shea's a damn fine player and has been playing extremely well this year had a brilliant game against Italy... you know the world champions, nothing too fancy just safe as houses. I swear though when I saw Silvestre on the bench I balked for a minute and then breathed a sigh of relief when I realised it was Arsenal's.

[lamaros]

O'Shea's a damn fine player and has been playing extremely well this year had a brilliant game against Italy... you know the world champions, nothing too fancy just safe as houses. I swear though when I saw Silvestre on the bench I balked for a minute and then breathed a sigh of relief when I realised it was Arsenal's.

Heh. He's been very good in a number of games like you say, but he was also poor in the recent wobble when Utd dropped a few points. I think he, like Vidic, gets a lot of confidence from playing alongside Ferdinand in a settled team, and he's still much more useful than Neville would be, but my preference if Utd had a full team to pick from would probably see him the third right back option behind Brown and Hargraves.

Take nothing away from him, he's played well, I just hope he can continue to do so if he comes up against Barca or Chelsea. I fear he might get found out, but would love to be proven wrong.

[WayAbvPar]

Whew- through to the final without losing anyone to yellow card accumulation. Of course, Fletcher is gone due to the dicey red card he got, but they have a few extra midfielders that can come in and cover his spot. I am not sure who to root for today- Barca would be the more interesting matchup, but Chelsea would provide the opportunity to see replays of John Terry falling on his ass 50000000 times before the game starts. Win/win.

[HaemishM]

The last fucking thing I want to see in the Champions League is a replay of last year's matchup. Barca can beat United. Chelsea? I'm not so sure.

[Amarr HM]

I'd like to see Barcelona United final, it's the purists choice.