EPL 2007 Thread

[Luxor]

Hold on until tonight to do those changes hoax. You may want to wait until this transfer is confirmed and then go for Tevez as a striker.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/w/west_ham_utd/5301068.stm

Thats an absolute mindfuck of a transfer if it's true - these guys are being chased by everyone and West Ham get em?

[HaemishM]

Chec played in the game against Blackburn, so unless he was hurt after that, I'd be surprised if he was unavailable.

[sigil]

Jesus Christ. Tevez to West Ham?

I'm calling  a Rabid ManU fan I know right now who was begging for Tevez and laughing at him.

[Jobu]

Jesus Christ. Tevez to West Ham?

I'm calling  a Rabid ManU fan I know right now who was begging for Tevez and laughing at him.

My jaw freaking hit the floor when I read that (about five minutes ago). How the HELL did they pull that off, out of nowhere?!

And Fergusson loaned Rossi off to Newcastle... for nothing in return? Wtf?

[HaemishM]

Cole Finally Transfers to Chelsea

Finally, it's done. Ashley Cole goes to Chelsea, and Gallas comes to Arsenal with 5 million pounds. I hope this doesn't mean Wayne Bridge gets pushed out of the first team. He's been good value on my fantasy team.

[Jobu]

Because everything is funnier to Benny Hill tunes:

http://liverpooldobennyhill.ytmnd.com/

hilarity.

[HaemishM]

Yeah, I'm still not sure what the fuck is wrong with Liverpool's back line, but holy shit have they let in some really easy goals. That one was just the top of the pops for stupid play.

[Righ]

Made worse because it was former Anfield tenants Everton.

[eldaec]

Happily in the CL game against PSV they were much better; altogether more organised, and Agger is offcially a house.

Which just as well given we are away to Chelsea this Sunday.

On the same day Arsenal play the Manchester Buccaneers. Sky are going apeshit with trailers.

[Righ]

Who's number one? :-D

Flashy celebration

[sigil]

You if anyone on these boards would know that the season is still young ;)

However, A scoreless draw by Spurs makes me think any  happiness this season is going to come from the UEFA also ran's cup chase.

[WayAbvPar]

I can't believe ManU couldn't beat Arsenal with Henry out. That is fucking pathetic. Very entertaining match, however. At least until the 85th minute 

[Jobu]

You if anyone on these boards would know that the season is still young ;)

If they keep it up, UEFA action is looking good for them. I don't think they'll be able to hold out in the top 4 all season though... but who knows.

Lehmann had some extraordinary saves to make up for his schoolyard error with handling the ball. His fingertip deflection, and the one that blasted off his face were the decisive factores of that game, IMHO (and the botched penalty, of course). Unbelievable that we couldn't finish the game while Arsenal spent the whole time holding the ball, scared to even attempt a cross. Watching Wenger celebrate the goal was great. He's so goofy looking when he's trying to be excited.

I'm really enjoying the new ruling that if a player goes down, you keep playing and let the referee deal with it. In that Pompey video, you can see the Chartlon player (Holland?) try to stop the play by rolling around, but the ref had none of it and the other team played on. Good stuff.

[HaemishM]

That Drogba goal against Liverpool was fucking brilliant. Someone needs to run about 300k volts through the Reds backline, as they seem to be falling asleep at just the wrong damn times.

The Man U. - Arsenal match was a good one. Man U. really seems to be missing something the last two games, seeing as how they could only tattoo Spurs with one goal and got none here.

[Jobu]

"Bungs in football are a bit like Americans who understand the offside law: everyone knows they exist, but finding the hard evidence is almost imporssible."

BBC had an exposé revealing corruption and bribery throughout English football. Managers who have accepted bribes were named, agents were secretly filmed bragging about the deals they can make.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5360700.stm (The summary of the program)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/5357420.stm (The agent they enlisted to go undercover for them)

The highlights include:

- Harry Redknapp talking about buying up Blackburn's captain
- Chelsea's youth director making advances toward's a youth Middlesbrough player (which is particularly ironic because they got busted for doing the same to Ashely Cole last season, and were warned if caught again they'd be docked points)
- Sam Allarydce and his son being specifically singled out as having accepted several bribes for a lot of Bolton's transfers.

Interesting stuff. The FA I guess is asking for all the evidence from the program since they had launched a similar investigation back in January. What will fall from it all?

P.S. Can any "locals" explain to me why they call them bungs?

[eldaec]

It all seemed a bit of a stretch to me.

Most of the evidence was really about tapping up (talking to a player without his club's permission), but they seemed to be trying to spread the muck from some agent accusing Sam Alladyce of taking a bung as wide as possible.

If the Alladyce thing pans out he'll end up with 5 yearish ban from involvement in football (based on what happened to George Graham a long while back). But it's a big 'if'.

The rest of it was slap on the wrist stuff. I find it hard to get worked up about tap ups; the official line is that you have to go to all the trouble of putting a formal bid together with the agreement of the selling club before you can even talk to a player. I find it hard to believe any club works entirely on that basis.

As for the word 'bung', it's colloquial English for throwing something to someone, the idea being that cash is being thrown at a manager or other club official.


In other news, Xabi Alonso is a god.

[sigil]

It was from the other side of the circle wasn't it? I'm waiting for video. . .


I saw DeRosario's goal for the Houston Dynamo, which was 60 yards against the wind, but that was aided by some horrendous goalkeeping. It is MLS after all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWBxRT0LxAI

[Jobu]

In other news, Xabi Alonso is a god.

Truth.

[HaemishM]

Yes, Liverpool finally learned where the goal was.

[sigil]

But really only from far away. Get up close and it's like watching Mr Magoo from the cartoons of yesteryear.

[Jobu]

Youtube provides for us all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysXBnvqd9Mk

[HaemishM]

Hardcore.

[eldaec]

The other goal...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElAHmplb-jo&NR

...is worth watching just for the awesome pass Alonso makes from the centre of the pitch to Finnan on the edge of the box.

[sigil]

Tottenham are fufilling their role  of  crusher of all hope and spirit admirably thus far.

As a side note: Red Bull New York are toying with alternate means of destroying the soft salary cap in MLS to allow for multiple  high salary players to sign with them. That could turn nasty as most of the MLS doesn't really want it to become the old farts of Europe farewell league.


Also Burger King signed a seven year marketing deal with MLS. The whopper is now the official Burger of Major League Soccer. I find that oddly amusing, but I think The King would be the ideal mascot of Real Salt Lake, which was the stupidest name in sports until Real Madrid  actually agreed to partner with them.

Not EPL, but it was quiet anyway.

[Jobu]

As a side note: Red Bull New York are toying with alternate means of destroying the soft salary cap in MLS to allow for multiple  high salary players to sign with them. That could turn nasty as most of the MLS doesn't really want it to become the old farts of Europe farewell league.

Isn't that one of the reasons the last attempt at a US league failed? Teams like the Cosmos just spending way too much money on the old farts of the era, and draining money out of the league in the process? I need to watch that Cosmos documentary...

I think the US league is developing pretty well. Admittedly, I don't watch it all that much. The game is still a little too slow, but it's improving. They need to keep poaching from the South American leagues, and building up the American talent they can find. And maybe see about entering the Copa Libertadores (this side of the world's version of the Champions League). And they need to stop fucking playing in football stadiums. I can't stand watching all the markings every 10 yards everywhere, it's way too distracting.

I missed yesterday's UEFA games to go and actually play a game at lunch. Man U. seem to be starting to choke a little, albeit they won. I hope they recover in time for Newcastle, even though Newcastle's defense is still a total joke. Even sputtering and misfiring we had better bury them.

[HaemishM]

I think the US league is developing pretty well. Admittedly, I don't watch it all that much. The game is still a little too slow, but it's improving. They need to keep poaching from the South American leagues, and building up the American talent they can find. And maybe see about entering the Copa Libertadores (this side of the world's version of the Champions League). And they need to stop fucking playing in football stadiums. I can't stand watching all the markings every 10 yards everywhere, it's way too distracting.

I'm right there with you. The MLS games I tried to watch, but either they are played on a football field that is almost completely empty, or they play in their own stadiums which look like high school stadiums. I understand that football is low man on the totem pole in America, but shit. Even the Mexican stadiums look better. Either do it right or don't fucking do it. Entering the Copa Libertadores would be the best thing they could do.

Pompey finally lost Monday, which was a real shame. But Bolton played great defense once they got the lead.

[sigil]

The following will show I follow MLS  a little too closely. I accept that, and the ridicule that  goes along with that.

MLS right now is burdened by undeveloped local youth programs and philosophy of building teams that will get points on the road. That's a hell of a lot of draws.

There's a lot of negative, defensive soccer  going on in the MLS right now.  Creativity is shunned for whatever works. New York  brought back Dema "legbreaker" Kovalenko ffs. Players at the lower end make $29,500. The All Star GK from DC United is a mortgage banker for his day job. Others are musicians or  just deal with the low pay. Clint Dempsey, the new US international golden boy, makes 86 grand a year from the league.

The early Soccer specific stadiums are lacking a bit, and the Home Depot Center's pitch has suffered from the XGames Motocross that was on it last month. Additionally, PHP in Dallas is also used by the Franklin County School system, as a means of justifying the school system paying for 15 million of the cost. Remember that most of these pitches  are new, and as such they're going to be  off for a few years. The new stadiums in Utah, Kansas City and Harrison, NJ look to be top shelf stuff.

They're putting the money they're making from the TV rights and the sponsorships to building soccer academies. and expanding their fan base. They have a plan, and it's a good one in my view. Time will tell.

OK back to the big boys. . .



I'm definitely going to have to check out that Liverpool v Galatasary match. That looks to be a dramatic one.

edit:

Once in a lifetime was a good movie. It was on ESPN2 a week ago.  You need to pull out your disco era jumpsuit though. the whole thing is a massive time trip. Shep Messing is punk, but Chingalia was the man most in need of a pimpslap from that movie. Some good stories though, especially about Pele dong his Mandingo impression.

[Jobu]

MLS right now is burdened by underveloped local youth programs...

They're putting the money they're making from the tv rights and the sponsorships to building soccer academies. and expanding their fan base. They have a plan, and it's a good one in my view. Time will tell.

Definitely. It HAS to be improved from the base with youth development. They need to embrace the young kids from non-traditional American families. Kids with names like Gonzalez, Petrovich, Mubutu or whatever. These are the ones raised with the game in their ear as kids from their expatriated parents.

It's great to hear they're building specific stadiums. Football stadiums suck not only for the ugly lines on the pitch, but the terrible atmosphere. You're so so far away from the players, you just can't get into it. Exhibition games in San Diego improved dramatically once they moved to the new baseball stadium. They cover up the dirt, and you can sit down real close to the action. Honestly, if San Diego had a team I'd try to go catch a pretty fair amount of the games.

[sigil]

Crouch yesterday with the scissor kick. . . amazing.

Tottenham puttering away to the second round of UEFA Cup, but not looking all that sharp still. *sigh*

[Hoax]

I hate Chelsea but fuck those Levski Sofia fans...   Good to know that racism is a national pastime throughout the world...   

[sigil]

And that wasn't even the good old fashioned throwing of bananas type of racial based stupidity


Tottenham won again. Granted Zokora probably cheated, but I'll take what we can get right now.

[Wolf]

I hate Chelsea but fuck those Levski Sofia fans...   Good to know that racism is a national pastime throughout the world...   

Who, what now? What did I miss? Not that I'd be surprised by anything done by a Bulgarian football fan, but still :)

At least we scored this time. NEXT STOP - A POINT!!1

edit: Ok I read up a bit on it (took a lot of googling to even find where this whole thing comes from). So our fans are racist if they boo when someone's touching the ball? That's ridiculous. Tell me you didn't mean that. And just a fact for your consideration - two of our starters are Lucio Vagner and Richard Eromoigbe. They're one of the best on the team.

[Luxor]

Tottenham won again. Granted Zokora probably cheated, but I'll take what we can get right now.

Probably? hah. Which part of the dive of the century introduced doubts into your mind? He got 10.0 from the Ukrainian judge ffs  :-D

[HaemishM]

Tottenham won again. Granted Zokora probably cheated, but I'll take what we can get right now.

Probably? hah. Which part of the dive of the century introduced doubts into your mind? He got 10.0 from the Ukrainian judge ffs  :-D

Shit, even Zokora knew it was a dive. That was a good game, marred by that completely silly incident. Porto should have at least got a draw out of that. Maybe this will convince them that LuaLua is not a starter.

[Tale]

This is not EPL, but he does play for Palermo and I just thought this was an awesome reflex goal (happened about 30 minutes before this post):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3rDqcPQ-94