• Hey Guest. Check out your NeoGAF Wrapped 2025 results here!

Official Football Thread 2006/2007 (Soccer)

Status
Not open for further replies.
Gawaian said:
It's Chelsea and Liverpool. What else could you expect? :P
Click to expand...
I think tommorow's game will be great the two teams have a good ( recent) history of cup matches and hate so It should be good times. I have no idea who to root for however.
 
Ryck said:
I think tommorow's game will be great the two teams have a good ( recent) history of cup matches and hate so It should be good times. I have no idea who to root for however.
Click to expand...

I'm conflicted.


You see if Liverpool make the final and we beat them, I get to make fun of 3 of my friends for the rest of my life.

However if we lose I'll never ever hear the end of it.


Chelsea has no baggage but I hate the rent boys so much I hope they don't even make the final.


Best result, Liverpool win then get disqualified when they find Gerrard has been giving super serum injections from Benitez personally.


ps watch Paul Scholes become the unluckiest footballer around when we make it to the final but he gets booked in Milan and misses it.... AGAIN. Please Paul DON'T ****ING TACKLE ANYONE!
 
MrPing1000 said:
I'm conflicted.


You see if Liverpool make the final and we beat them, I get to make fun of 3 of my friends for the rest of my life.

However if we lose I'll never ever hear the end of it.


Chelsea has no baggage but I hate the rent boys so much I hope they don't even make the final.


Best result, Liverpool win then get disqualified when they find Gerrard has been giving super serum injections from Benitez personally.


ps watch Paul Scholes become the unluckiest footballer around when we make it to the final but he gets booked in Milan and misses it.... AGAIN. Please Paul DON'T ****ING TACKLE ANYONE!
Click to expand...
:lol :lol one for each bolding... I think Im going to root for Liverpool a good buddy of mine supports them and the week leading up to the game would be epic as far as shit talking goes. Plus I hate Chelsea more than anything in the world and I want to see them fail yet again in the Champions League.

As far as Scholesy is concerned ... sigh I hate to say this but I think we'd do better int he formation we did vs Roma ( 2nd leg) with Carrick and Fletcher in the middle...I love Scholsey but lately his european play has been.... shaky. To me his talents are better suited for Epl play.
 
Fletcher has really grown into the team. Me and my Dad used to refer to him as "Keane's legs" but he's really come on. Doesn't stop the whole 90 mins and is quick to press players all around the pitch.

Oh and I hope gnev is fit enough to play in the return leg. As long as he can walk he'll do. We've only got 3 defenders left.
 
MrPing1000 said:
ps watch Paul Scholes become the unluckiest footballer around when we make it to the final but he gets booked in Milan and misses it.... AGAIN. Please Paul DON'T ****ING TACKLE ANYONE!
Click to expand...
I'm not a big fan of Scholes, but that would suck if it happened to him again. I always wonder if there's a way to change the rules so players don't have to sit out the final, but I'm not sure the best way to do it. The problem with Scholes is when he gets that look in his eye (like Bergkamp used to) and runs around trying to plonk someone.
 
Some stats. Don't have Carrick but apparently he's not far behind Scholes percentage wise. He has less passes though.

Code: 
 Passers   Team      Passes   Accuracy         
Fabregas  Arsenal   2416     82%         
Scholes   Man Utd   1881     91%         
Alonso    Liverpool 1852     81%         
Gilberto  Arsenal   1778     82%         
Lampard   Chelsea   1712     79%
 
I would love to see Kaka in the Premiership. And Nesta and Gattuso. Doubt any will ever come though, the latter two are a bit old now and if Kaka goes anywhere, it'll probably be Spain. I've never heard him show any interest in the Premiership anyway.

As for who I want to win in the other tie...I guess Chelsea. I have nothing against Liverpool, but the prospect of a series of crucial run ins between Chelsea and Man Utd is pretty cool. Also, if Milan do get past United, I think Chelsea are better equipped to handle them than Liverpool...plus I saw the Liverpool - Milan final 2 years ago, I haven't seen a Chelsea - Milan game yet.

The following players could be suspended for the final were they to make it (because of yellow cards, a sending off would get any player suspended):

Heinze
Scholes
Ronaldo

I imagine Ronaldo will be under strict "no tackling or diving" orders for the next leg. Scholes doesn't really have that option, he has to tackle, but he'll just have to not go into any rash ones.

I think Maldini's the only crucial Milan player under threat of suspension, if any Chelsea/Liverpool fans are keeping an eye on things, but he might not play second leg anyway if he's injured.
 
bud said:
milan really need to win with 1-0 or something next week, they can do it. i don't want a crappy english final.
Click to expand...

Whatwhat? English Final in Greece would be AWESOME! :lol :lol :lol
 
I'd quite like to see a non-English final...but only if I could guarantee Milan not winning it. Which I can't, so I can't risk hoping they'll beat United.

There does seem to be a small chance that Vidic will be fit for the second leg. If Neville and Vidic were back that would be such a huge bonus.
 
I usually try to watch the Champions League matches since those are the only ones on ESPN here in the states. I have a lab every tuesday afternoon so I record the matches.

The one day I forget to record the match...****
 
Ryck said:
Fine as long as he is really ok... I don't want to see him limping off the field at the half again.
Click to expand...

Neither do I, but if he's fit, he could be a great boost for Man U.

Put Heinze on the left, Neville on the right, and Ferdinand and Brown in the middle.

But Vidic would really come in handy...
 
Izzy said:
Neither do I, but if he's fit, he could be a great boost for Man U.

Put Heinze on the left, Neville on the right, and Ferdinand and Brown in the middle.

But Vidic would really come in handy...
Click to expand...
If Vidic is fit then that would be almost back to first choice ( and really I think Hienze is playing better than Evra at the moment) so yeah that would be huge. I think the bigger issue is Milan's injuries tbh without Maldini and Gattuso they looked like a completely different side.
 
SpotLightKid said:
Rooney, you are a beautiful beautiful man.
Click to expand...
rooney3.jpg

"thanks!"
 
Bah, should have been a draw IMO. First half was for Milan, second for ManUtd.


Gattuso's injury hurt us, bad. Before that, Man Utd didn't have any grip on midfield, and that's their engine. Ronaldo was a fish out of the water. Gattuso gone, no control anymore and Man Utd are able to exersize their ability to up the tempo and play Milan to smithereens.


And why the hell is Dida still there. That Ronaldo header was just stupid. And Rooney's second was just as bad. He gave him like 3/4's of the goal to shoot into.

I don't get why you're blaming the defense before admiring Kaká's skill. That first goal ball touch was lovely. And that second was pure bliss.
 
I just realised ManUtd didn't use any of their substitutes either. That's some work rate those guys pulled off.
 
To be honest, I think an all-England Champions League final will just heap the pressure on Steve McLaren and the National side - I really think that they could do without the added pressure right now.
 
gollumsluvslave said:
To be honest, I think an all-England Champions League final will just heap the pressure on Steve McLaren and the National side - I really think that they could do without the added pressure right now.
Click to expand...

Why?

When over half the players in the pitch aren't english.
 
todays rumours:

TRANSFER RUMOURS

Arsenal midfielder Fabrice Muamba, who is on loan at Birmingham, is wanted by Blackburn. (Daily Mirror)

Chelsea director of youth development Frank Arnesen has been hunting for new players with Russia coach Guus Hiddink, the man tipped for a backroom role at Stamford Bridge next season. (The Sun)

Out-of-favour striker John Hartson will quit West Brom at the end of the season. (Various)

Bolton are on the brink of signing Real Madrid defender Paco Pavon, 27, on a four-year deal. (Daily Mail)

Manchester City and Portsmouth are battling to sign Barnsley striker Daniel Nardiello. (Daily Star)

Striker Francis Jeffers, who is currently on loan at Ipswich, is set to leave Blackburn in the summer after Rovers, who are also keeping tabs on Liverpool forward Craig Bellamy, admitted there was a question mark over his future. (Various)

Crystal Palace, Millwall and Leyton Orient are battling to sign Barnet midfielder Dean Sinclair. (Daily Star)

Derby striker Paul Peschisolido is set to leave the club in the summer as he has not been offered a new deal. (Daily Star)

Celtic are set for a £5m battle with a string of Premiership clubs in a bid to land West Brom playmaker Jason Koumas. (Daily Record)

Inverness Caledonian Thistle are to step up their interest in Hibernian striker Dean Shiels. (Daily Record)

OTHER GOSSIP

Former England bosses Sven-Goran Eriksson and Kevin Keegan have snubbed Fulham but Parma's ex-Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri is keen on taking over the helm at Craven Cottage. (The Sun)

Lawrie Sanchez faces a fight to sign Leeds and Northern Ireland striker David Healy if he lands the Fulham managerial post on a permanent basis. (Daily Express)

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho says if he had Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez's record he would have been sacked by now. (Various)

Liverpool midfielder Steve Gerrard, whose side face Chelsea in a Champions League semi-final, says "the things I have got at home, the medals and memorabilia, they mean more to me than extra noughts in my bank account". (Daily Mirror)

Blues boss Mourinho fears Liverpool players will try to provoke Didier Drogba into a booking that would lead to him missing the second leg. (Various)

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard says that the Champions League semi-final against Liverpool is not about revenge. (Daily Mirror)

Liverpool midfielder Bolo Zenden says he was right to walk away from Chelsea to join Middlesbrough in 2003, despite turning his back on title triumphs and cup wins. (Daily Mirror)

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp has written off his seventh-placed side's chances of earning a Uefa Cup spot. (Various)

San Francisco-based investment banker Jerome Simon is one of the mystery American financiers behind a move to buy into Manchester City - after earlier trying his luck with Millwall. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester City will fight off any bid by former player Ray Ranson to buy the club. (The Sun)

American billionaire Stan Kroenke has written to hundreds of Arsenal shareholders as part of his takeover bid. (Daily Star)

An agreement by Arsenal's board members not to sell their combined 45.45 per cent stake in the club in the next year is reversible. (The Independent)

Kroenke is decidedly "unimpressed" by Gunners chairman Peter Hill-Wood's personal attack on him, according to those closest to the American. (Daily Telegraph)

Newcastle striker Michael Owen was left out of Tuesday's reserve match against Bolton in a bid to ensure he is ready to face Reading in the Premiership on Monday. (The Sun)

Leicester have launched a bid to make Chelsea assistant boss Steve Clarke their manager. (Daily Express)

Portsmouth are to move from Fratton Park to a new 36,000-seater stadium. (Daily Mail)

Bolton defender Lubomir Michalik may be given his first start in Saturday's game at Chelsea as the club have injury problems at the back. (The Times)

West Ham defender Danny Gabbidon has returned to training after undergoing a second groin operation two weeks ago. (The Times)

Midfielder Mikel Arteta has reiterated his desire to stay at Everton. (The Independent)

AND FINALLY...

Former Arsenal defender Tony Adams believes Gunners boss Arsene Wenger could eventually leave the club for a political career. Adams said: "He has numerous other interests in his life, including politics. Tony Blair is a big friend and it wouldn't surprise me if one day he follows a career path in that direction." (The Sun)

Chelsea keeper Petr Cech plans to study psychology at university to help him deal with spells on the sidelines. (The Sun)

Story from BBC SPORT:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/sport1/hi/football/gossip_and_transfers/6590599.stm

Published: 2007/04/25 07:54:31 GMT
Click to expand...
 
Cornballer said:
I'm not a big fan of Scholes, but that would suck if it happened to him again. I always wonder if there's a way to change the rules so players don't have to sit out the final, but I'm not sure the best way to do it. The problem with Scholes is when he gets that look in his eye (like Bergkamp used to) and runs around trying to plonk someone.
Click to expand...


Not a fan in what sense? As a person, fair enough, but i cant imagine any one who has ever watched the game not being a fan of his titanic football ability. Both Zidane and Nedveds favorite player.
 
Sad to hear about Alan Ball. Always enjoyed his bits of commentary he would do for the BBC. Seemed like quite the character.
 
Falch said:
I haven't seen the second goal, but saying that Kaka's first goal isn't anything special is just silly. Kaka's pace and great shooting (much effect on the ball) is something you could atleast acknowledge.
Click to expand...
Fair enough, Kaka did do well to score both goals, but Van Der Sar could have done more to try and stop the first one going in and Evra could have possibly avoided taking down heinze.

PleoMax said:
Fletcher sucks.
Click to expand...
Did you watch the same game as everyone else? That was fletchers best performance of his career. I was so impressed with him yesterday. He deserves to be man of the match along with rooney and heinze. He was by far our best midfielder. Scholes had his moment of brilliance with that pass he made to rooney for the second goal, but fletcher still gets the vote for being the best midfielder. He did everything right. Fletchers receieved a lot of stick in the past for being an average player, but his last few games have been good, but his performance yesterday was a step above any of his other performances.

Rooney had an excellent game. He did so well to score his second goal. Dida's positioning was wrong, but you cant take away anything from rooney because his shot came out of no-where. I dont think anyone expected him to take a shot from the position he was in. He sdhowed his worth yesterday. When we were in a bad position he became the match winner. Thats what you expect from him and yesterday he delivered.

Heinze was the other outstanding performance last night. Ive been very critical of heinze in the last few games, but last night he was a rock, especially in the second half. He did a very good job of marking kaka and keeping our defence tight.
 
SpotLightKid said:
Not a fan in what sense? As a person, fair enough, but i cant imagine any one who has ever watched the game not being a fan of his titanic football ability. Both Zidane and Nedveds favorite player.
Click to expand...
Even as a person how can you not like him? he's one of the few players who doesnt have an ego. He's the perfect example of a football personality. You'll never hear scholes say anything daft to the press or have any stories about him printed on the back pages of the newspapers. The only thing you hear about scholes in newspapers or websites is how good he's been playing. he keeps his head down and concentrates on football. He's a perfect role model.

MrPing1000 said:
Btw there is only one player in the world that I know of that could replace Paul Scholes.

His name is Kaka
Click to expand...
If anyone can replace scholes forkm the AC milan team its pirlo. Those two are very alike. they both shoot well, they both have excellent passes and thy both play very similar roles. kaka is different to scholes. Although their bopth capable of making defence splitting passes, scholes doesnt have the pace of the dribbling ability that kaka has.
 
Darren Fletcher looks like Luke Chadwick. Good think he doesn't play like him.

Edit: Danny? Err... Darren. Too similar names.
 
Sometimes you've got to put who you support to a side when it comes to talking about players. Pires, vieiera, Henry and bergkamp are all arsenal players, but I dont find any difficulty saying that they are excellent players, even if they are arsenal player.
 
The build up to the chelsea vs Liverppol games tend to be more exiting than the game itself. This is the latest between mourinho and benitez.

http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_2086044,00.html

Jose Mourinho has scorned Rafa Benitez's record at Liverpool, questioning whether the Reds were a "big club" under the Spaniard's tutelage and suggesting that he would have been sacked at Chelski if he hadn't won the Premiership in three seasons.

Even by his own standards, the Chelski boss has been particularly outspoken in recent weeks. On Sunday, he questioned whether referees were favouring ManYoo while his press conference ahead of tonight's Champions League semi-final descended into a 20-minute destruction of Benitez's history at Anfield.

"Three years without a Premiership?" Mourinho asked incredulously, raising his eyebrows and rolling his eyes before turning to Chelski chairman Bruce Buck for dramatic effect. "That's a question to ask Mr Buck, but I don't think so."

Mourinho then belittled Liverpool's recent achievements in the Champions League, a competition they won during Benitez's first season in charge in 2005.

"If you are not a big club you choose one competition and you fight in that competition and forget the others. Big clubs cannot do this. We have to try the maximum we can. It's a risk of win everything or the risk of win nothing. It's a risk we have to take," Mourinho declared.

"I'm not a statistics man but in the last three seasons, including this one, in the Premiership I think Chelsea have had 60 more points than Liverpool," he said. "That's a lot.

"So if they are a great team in knock-out competitions, [and] we have to admit that, we have to praise them for that. They are a top knock-out team, but if you play in only one competition for half of the season then you have great conditions. And since January they have only played Champions League."

Benitez's subsequent press conference was itself a feisty affair, albeit in a rather more measured tone.

"I hear that he says Chelsea have got 60 more points than us over the last three years. Well to do that they have spent big, how much has each point cost them?" the Spaniard retorted indignantly.

Nor was he impressed with Mourinho's suggestion that his side would seek to provoke Didier Drogba into the booking that would rule the Ivorian out of the second leg.

"It had not crossed my mind," Benitez responded, "but maybe it has Mourinho's because that is what Chelsea did two seasons ago to Xabi Alonso."
Click to expand...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Unhinged Bios Official Thread
10
149
SJRB replied
  • Poll
Football (Soccer) game is abandoned because a fan used sexist language towards the ref.
24
731
T8SC replied
THE BEAUTY OF FOOTBALL
2
54
943
Ellis replied
URC 2025-2026 Official Thread
Social 
7
754
StueyDuck replied
Moana | Official Trailer
2
67
944
jason10mm replied
Top Bottom