2008/2009 Football (Soccer) Thread

[Paelos]

Barcelona would have to pull a rabbit out of the hat considering they just got red carded for one of the most phantom fouls I've ever seen.

EDIT: Un-fucking-believable.

[Amarr HM]

Seriously happy about that even if Barca beat United in the final thus is my hatred for those Chelsea fucks, ref was terrible no way was that a red card or even a foul.

[Jobu]

Is Didier Drogba going to have to choke a bitch?

[WayAbvPar]

I haven't seen it yet- was it worse than the call on Darren Fletcher yesterday?

CL finals, and a player from each side gets to sit out because of terrible referring. Well played, UEFA.

[Amarr HM]

I haven't seen it yet- was it worse than the call on Darren Fletcher yesterday?

CL finals, and a player from each side gets to sit out because of terrible referring. Well played, UEFA.

Yeh way worse as there was minimal intent or contact Anelka kinda tripped over, I think Abidal barely glanced his studs as he was running after him. At least with the Fletcher one when you watch the referee's angle you can see why he gave the penalty the red cards was bit harsh as he clearly played the balll. The Chelsea antics towards the ref as if they been robbed was sickening considering Barca had been playing with ten men due to his bad decisions for 36 minutes. Both Ballack and Drogba should be heavily reprimanded for their behaviour towards the referee even though he was terrible.

[sidereal]

I maintain that flopping should be a suspendable offense.  Have a panel of officials go over each foul called after a game, and if a player induced a foul with no or minimal contact, they're suspended for some number of games based on the call that resulted.  1 game for a basic foul, 3 if it induced a card, 5 if it induced a penalty.

Get the fuck up off the grass.  You're killing the sport.

[WayAbvPar]

At the very least start handing out yellow cards for diving, even if it is after the game. That is one thing that football gets right compared to hockey: in hockey if a dive induces a penalty, both the diver and the player involved in the phantom foul go to the box. How stupid is that?

They need to call it what it is: a blatant attempt to deceive the referee. If a player ran up and shielded the referee's view while someone on his team fouled the shit out of someone, there would be repercussions. This should be the same.

[Paelos]

Soccer players are seen as nothing but whiny pussys in the US. Frankly, I can't understand how they are respected in other countries for the shit they pull on the pitch. I've played for many years myself, and the funny part is the diving gets worse as you go up the skill ladder. I'm trying hard to think of another sport like that, and I'm coming up short.

Granted, I was a keeper, so I'm biased to hate pretty much everyone on offense and tried my best to manhandle them if they ever got within arms reach.

EDIT: I mean can you imagine a baseball player doing any kind of arguing like they do in soccer to an umpire? Their ass would be ejected so fast it would make their head spin.

[lamaros]

Probably the worst performance by a ref I have ever seen. Should have given about 2 penalties to Chelsea. Shouldn't have sent of Abidal.

Unsure how I feel about the final result. Chelsea should have won 2 or 3 zip, but then they only have themselves to blame for not hitting another goal, Drogba missed a few 1 on 1s. At the same time Barca didn't deserve to win because they had one shot on target the whole game and played horribly.

And if Anelka was diving, which I don't think (but some of you seem to be saying) then you can apply the same thing to Messi, who did a clear dive soon after.

[Xuri]

If sending off one player erroneously and avoiding to give a few penalties is the worst performance by a ref you've ever seen, then you haven't seen much.

[lamaros]

If sending off one player erroneously and avoiding to give a few penalties is the worst performance by a ref you've ever seen, then you haven't seen much.

Of course. But context is everything.

[Amarr HM]

He should have sent Ballack off for manhandling him and Drogba as he was walking down the tunnel. I think it was his lack of control over the game that made him terrible for me, his worst decision was the sending off the penalty claims were mostly dubious, one sure was a penalty but he had a bad angle and from behind it looked like Toure won the ball. Of course this left Drogba flapping around on the ground like a wet fish, seriously what a chump. I think this brings forward the argument of allowing video replays for refs like in rugby it seems a lot of top refs buckle under the pressure of CL football, so it should be brought in at the highest level.

[Paelos]

The first Barca handball in the box has to be called. The fact the ref that go was a blatant disregard for the rules. The second that they were crying about near the end was just a ball that hit a guy in the back.

[HaemishM]

The Chelsea antics towards the ref as if they been robbed was sickening business as usual

Fixed that for you. Chelsea players have always been enormous raging douchebags towards the refs. It got better for a little bit after they got rid of Mourinho and because of the whole "respect" campaign in the Premier League (how's that working out for ya?). But Drogba has always been an enormous thugdouche and Lampard is the epitome of whiney doucheface. For a while there, it was very rare that any foul call was made on the field without 5 Chelsea players surrounding the ref flapping their sandy vaginas and begging for the ref to let them off or give their opponents a card.

Chelsea is a team of douchebags.

[Amarr HM]

My sentiments exactly.

[Hoax]

Soccer players are seen as nothing but whiny pussys in the US. Frankly, I can't understand how they are respected in other countries for the shit they pull on the pitch. I've played for many years myself, and the funny part is the diving gets worse as you go up the skill ladder. I'm trying hard to think of another sport like that, and I'm coming up short.

Granted, I was a keeper, so I'm biased to hate pretty much everyone on offense and tried my best to manhandle them if they ever got within arms reach.

EDIT: I mean can you imagine a baseball player doing any kind of arguing like they do in soccer to an umpire? Their ass would be ejected so fast it would make their head spin.

Never watched an NCAA/NBA game eh?  Feel free to go with Americans only started that when the eurofags came over.

[Endie]

I've played rugby up to (Scottish) premiership level and I occasionally ref the odd game as well and, while it's not uniformly good at all levels (weaker refs at lower levels sometimes put up with more chat), I have never in over four hundred and fifty games played seen a player confront and intimidate a referee in the way that Chelsea (and others like Keane-era Man Utd) will do: the player would be in Murrayfield for a disciplinary hearing within a fortnight, and banned for a month on the first offence.

Mind you, that ref in the Barca match was bloody awful, to both sides at various times.

[sigil]

[Jobu]

Hahahaha, that bottom one is fucking brilliant!

[Paelos]

Soccer players are seen as nothing but whiny pussys in the US. Frankly, I can't understand how they are respected in other countries for the shit they pull on the pitch. I've played for many years myself, and the funny part is the diving gets worse as you go up the skill ladder. I'm trying hard to think of another sport like that, and I'm coming up short.

Granted, I was a keeper, so I'm biased to hate pretty much everyone on offense and tried my best to manhandle them if they ever got within arms reach.

EDIT: I mean can you imagine a baseball player doing any kind of arguing like they do in soccer to an umpire? Their ass would be ejected so fast it would make their head spin.

Never watched an NCAA/NBA game eh?  Feel free to go with Americans only started that when the eurofags came over.

Basketball had it's issues with certain players like Vlade Divac in the 90s. Either way, at least the league makes some efforts to stop "flopping" in the NBA. In 1997 they put in the semi-circle under the basket to reduce charges. Then, they made it a technical foul. Since 2008, they've added fines and suspensions for it.

When FIFA starts actually doing something about it, then you might have a point. The amount of harassment the refs have to put up with is shameful. They need to do better job of protecting those guys.

[Amarr HM]

That's seriously funny.

[sidereal]

These are great
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgPgOUisPeI

Edit: My absolute favorites are the fake headbutts where both guys go down hoping to draw a card

[NowhereMan]

I think they should introduce video refs and for one season a rule that if a player drops in pain and looks for a foul, play is stopped and the tape is reviewed. If the video ref doesn't think there's a foul then the player who dropped is red carded and banned for the next 3 games. I'm willing to bet they could relax it somewhat after that without a return to raging doucheiness of high level football.

[lamaros]

I think they should introduce video refs and for one season a rule that if a player drops in pain and looks for a foul, play is stopped and the tape is reviewed. If the video ref doesn't think there's a foul then the player who dropped is red carded and banned for the next 3 games. I'm willing to bet they could relax it somewhat after that without a return to raging doucheiness of high level football.

I think the injury thing is a hard one to get right, because people can get sore from what looks to be trivial, or no contact at all. It's probably better to just take the 'pain' bit out and look at clear dives.

There are a few Chelsea players who I don't think are idiots and feel a little sorry for, Essien being the best example. And I didn't see Lampard being an idiot at the end of that match, I just remember him swapping shirts with Iniestia and looking reasonably devastated about it. Bit unfair to lump him in with Drogba, Ballack, and Terry.

[Amarr HM]

I've played rugby up to (Scottish) premiership level and I occasionally ref the odd game as well and, while it's not uniformly good at all levels (weaker refs at lower levels sometimes put up with more chat), I have never in over four hundred and fifty games played seen a player confront and intimidate a referee in the way that Chelsea (and others like Keane-era Man Utd) will do: the player would be in Murrayfield for a disciplinary hearing within a fortnight, and banned for a month on the first offence.

As much as rugby has come on leaps and bounds the coverage and money that's involved in football is another level, so it's understandeable how a first time referee would shirk a bit under the spotlight not to mention the Combat 18 element of the Chelsea support. At least United at their most I'll behaved would just whine to the press and that would be it, Roy Keane to his credit was too busy kicking lumps out of his least favourite player to be bothered with the refs. I actually believe Arsenal were the first team to start doing that shit to referees though I must say they've curbed there attitude since the whole pizza debacle.  But any team that incurs death threats is a serious concern to how much you should value a bunch of grown men trying to encourage a ball of leather through two large sticks.This is also along the lines why I think Celtic & Rangers will probably never be allowed in the Premiership though I could be wrong about that. Every few years that story comes out but with no real substance.

I thought the ref kept his calm pretty well in the face of such abuse which is a credit to him, but he got a few rushes of blood to the head with some decisions under the massive spotlight. I just read he had commented ahead of the game that he was surprised that his team of officials had been selected for such a big match & it also looks like Drogba, Ballack and co are going to be hit with hefty bans which is fair enough.

[HaemishM]

There are a few Chelsea players who I don't think are idiots and feel a little sorry for, Essien being the best example. And I didn't see Lampard being an idiot at the end of that match, I just remember him swapping shirts with Iniestia and looking reasonably devastated about it. Bit unfair to lump him in with Drogba, Ballack, and Terry.

Essien is one of the least heralded best players on the planet, IMO. He makes any team he's on better. Lampard might not have been douchey the other night, but he is often one of the main culprits of douchey behaviour.

[Amarr HM]

Essien is one of the least heralded best players on the planet, IMO. He makes any team he's on better. Lampard might not have been douchey the other night, but he is often one of the main culprits of douchey behaviour.

I thought he was pretty heralded everyone talks about how amazing he is over here, although he hasn't gotten many media-plaudits of late probably cause his last few managers were too stupid to realise he was the best defensive midfielder in the Premiership. I don't think any midfielder has struck as much fear into the hearts of other midfielders since Roy Keane walked out on the pitch, not even "Mash".

[sigil]

Saw that Barca is going to play the Sounders in a friendly on the first week of august. Anyone here going?

[sidereal]

Saw that Barca is going to play the Sounders in a friendly on the first week of august. Anyone here going?

Yep.  Season ticket holders already have tickets for it.  And the Chelsea match.  I'm not sure if the third friendly's been announced yet.

Edit: I just checked and the third 'friendly' is the MLS Cup semifinal.  Weird, but I'll take it.

[WayAbvPar]

I am assuming tickets are going to be rare and prohibitively expensive, so I doubt I will make it. Saw ManU v Celtic a few years ago (it may have been the first event @ Qwest Field) seats high enough that passing satellites were obstructing my view. Fun, but not sure it was worth the $65 per ticket I paid (sherpa guide tip not included).

[Tale]

When I watched the match live, I thought the Barca-Chelsea referee was awful. Then I watched late night highlights, with all the incidents in slo-mo from multiple angles, and thought the referee was absolutely right in most cases. The Chelsea players were way out of line at the end of the match. It was a solid refereeing performance with only a couple of errors, which isn't an unusual match. The referee was also disciplined under pressure, walking away from situations to give players a chance to cool down and only yellow carding Drogba when he deserved a red.

[Abagadro]

I was watching that CL game in a little bar in Barcelona and when Iniesta hit that goal the entire town went nuts and it stayed that way for four hours.  Our hotel was right by where the fans like to get together after games and they were setting off bombs until 2 in the morning.

The Barca home game I went to was a trip as well although the end result was a letdown (could have clinched the league title but gave up an injury time equalizer down a man).  Watching Messi dribble in the middle of 5 guys live is a thing to behold.  I'll post some pics when I get home (currently in the JFK Sky Club)

[Jobu]

So with summer coming up, I'm waiting for the epic Ronaldo transfer drama to come up. For the life of me, I just don't understand why he would want to move away from Old Trafford, especially to Real Madrid of all places. His ego and his expectations for quality of play is going to bitterly disappoint once he dons the white strip. How long is he going to be able to handle two coaches every season and getting knocked out of competitions all the time? Seriously, what the hell do they have to offer other than money? I just don't get it. And not only because I desperately want him to stay and keep winning titles for us.

[sidereal]

what the hell do they have to offer other than money? I just don't get it.

Have you ever been to Manchester?

[Jobu]

Have you ever been to Manchester?

Nah, I'm a foreign intruder who's really just hopping on a bandwagon.

What is it? Ugly women? Bad weather? Smelly river? No good Ferrari repairmen?