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Official Football Thread 2006/2007 (Soccer)

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kaizoku said:
um...dont wanna start some kind of ruckus, but why do you guys laugh when I say Man Utd get harshly treated by everyone? Curious as to what you're basing that on.

FA, UK newspapers, FIFA, UEFA, BBC etc....

Its a widely accepted fact over here, its almost a national joke. Utd are the most loved team in the world, but also the most hated. Maybe you guys need to be made more aware?

Man Utd matches are often shown last on BBC MOTD - who are banned from OT. In 1994 and 1996 Man Utd won the Double twice and DID NOT get awarded Team of the Year at all. It took a Treble for them to give us the award for the first time since 1968 - when it took a European Cup!

Multiple times when something bad happens to Utd, its ignored by the media, and in turn the public ignores it. Brown's attempted leg breaker on Giggs for example. Didnt even get a replay on the BBC, but they showed other harsh tackles i.e. Thatcher - about a hundred times on Sky Sports News.

They labelled Ronaldo a diver and mention it everytime he plays whether he dives or not, but brush over the fact that Arsenal and Chelsea are full of divers.

The FA banned Rio Ferdinand for 8 months for not taking a drugs test, whereas people who actually fail their tests got half the sentence. Sepp Blatter came out before Rio's trial to say "he better get a severe punishment or else" - ruling out the concept of a fair trial.

Ronaldo got a ban for his gesture at Benfica last season which was nothing, Rooney and Scholes had red cards in friendlies turned into proper 3 match suspensions - the first time thats happened, Gerrard et al seem to get away with red cards in friendlies, but not Utd.

The vitriol aimed at Ronaldo at the WC was stupid, not like he got Rooney sent off, we had papers saying "dont let this man back in the UK". The papers were loving the fact two of Utd's youngsters were involved in this melee.

I could go on, I know every team feels this way. But thats blatantly wrong for 2 teams. Arsenal until recently had lots of power at the FA thanks to Dein being a very important figure. Now they have Barwick who is a Liverpool fan.

BBC also have a strong Liverpool bias thanks to previous links with Barwick - look at the MOTD roster, loads of liverpool influence in there.

Arsenal and Liverpool are the darlings of the nation's media.

/lesson
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Stevie Gerrard said:
Originally Posted by kaizoku:

Scousers are famous for their their whinging and moaning about everything under the sun.
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As is usually the case, the fool always tells on himself. Surprisingly he had no response!

Luckily there are intelligent Man U fans in this thread, so one stupid apple isn't gonna ruin the whole cart.
 
brooklyngooner said:
There are a lot of Yanks playing in England these days, so one way to do it is to support your favorite national team player's side. American goalkeepers are especially successful, but McBride, Convey and some defender on Watford (the name escapes me, he's from Wisconsin) and more have done quite well.

The other way is to tell me where you're from and what sports teams you like here and I can tell you what teams approximate them in England in terms of areas they're from, supporters, history, etc. You'll get lots of input, but one thing we all agree on in this thread is that Chelsea can stick its ****ing roubles up its arse.
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The Warford defender is Jay Demerit. You also forgot to mention DeMarcus Beasley and Claudio Reyna playing for Manchester City and Charlton has Cory Gibbs. There's an American called Johann Smith on the Bolton reserves who I heard should come up in a year. Fulham has Carlos Bocanegra to go along with McBride. You're right that goalkeeping seems to be the best position for Americans with Brad Friedel, Tim Howard, and Marcus Hahnemann.

So Dormer, you can pick a good team, or you can pick a team with the Americans you like the most. Maybe you can pick a team depending on what you want. Loudest fans? Most trophies? Their play style is what you like to see?
 
brooklyngooner said:
I didn't forget them, those were just examples; it wasn't meant to be an exhaustive list.
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I wasn't expecting an exhaustive list. Sorry if it looked like I meant it that way.
 
Shinobi said:
Luckily there are intelligent Man U fans in this thread, so one stupid apple isn't gonna ruin the whole cart.
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kaizoku please let it go already, your just digging yourself deeper with every post.

Anyone watch the Watford/Fulham game? I hear it was amazing.
 
Am I alone in not being interested at all in international games at the moment?

Nearly every other week there's an interruption of the Premiership because of internationals. And that's on the back of a very disappointing world cup. A couple of years ago I was actually looking forward to international games, now it's an annoyance. Poor games against teams that nobody cares about, apart from the people from this particular country obviously.

The qualifiers have lost all their appeal to me for some reason, the only thing I can get excited about are world cups and euros. Even then it can turn into shit, like this summer.

I am more and more developing into someone that is only interested in the league. Even the champions league doesn't do much for me anymore apart from the knockout stages and don't even get me started on the UEFA cup.

I'd be really interested if it is just me that these games have lost their meaning for or if other people feel the same.
 
In response to the United gets harshly treated discussion, the only comment I have is that the Rooney and Scholes ban at the beginning of this season is the biggest ****ing bullshit ever. If any other team's players get sent off in pre-season friendlies from now on, the FA had better get their shit together and ensure that they follow the precedent set this season.
 
Am I alone in not being interested at all in international games at the moment?
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Nope. I really don't care about them at all. Such an annoying disruption to the season to have a two week break right now. Might be time for UEFA to rethink their qualifying scheme to reduce fixture congestion.

Anyone watch the Watford/Fulham game? I hear it was amazing.
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Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to check it out because my roommate was watching something else. I hear that McBride had a memorable substitute appearance and it's tough to beat the drama of 3 goals in the last 5 minutes. Good times.
 
hadareud said:
Am I alone in not being interested at all in international games at the moment?

Nearly every other week there's an interruption of the Premiership because of internationals. And that's on the back of a very disappointing world cup. A couple of years ago I was actually looking forward to international games, now it's an annoyance. Poor games against teams that nobody cares about, apart from the people from this particular country obviously.

The qualifiers have lost all their appeal to me for some reason, the only thing I can get excited about are world cups and euros. Even then it can turn into shit, like this summer.

I am more and more developing into someone that is only interested in the league. Even the champions league doesn't do much for me anymore apart from the knockout stages and don't even get me started on the UEFA cup.

I'd be really interested if it is just me that these games have lost their meaning for or if other people feel the same.
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I think at least some of it is that for people who support club teams who are regularly in European competition, european qualifiers aren't going to hold the same interest. It's interesting that almost all the St. George's you see are always Hereford United or Bristol Rovers or something, supporters of lower-league sides who will likely never witness a European club competition.

I also don't care as much because the Euro qualifiers started two months after the World Cup. I'm just not capable of gearing up again.
 
I feel a hell of a lot better going into this international break with five wins on the trot, then the previous break with one point from two league games. I still like to watch the international games...plan to watch the England U21 match against Germany on Friday, as well as several games on Saturday. But as I and others have said before, it's just twisted that this is going on mere months (hell, weeks) after the World Cup. But that's the way it is. Just gotta hope that no one gets seriously injured during these games, though we know how unlikely that hope is.
 
Ive just had a huge laugh after reading that Stan Collymore is planning to make a comeback to football and believes that he is good enough to be one of the best players in the premiership:lol :lol :lol

This article from BBC basically sums up what everyone probably thinks about the daft lad.
 
brooklyngooner said:
Did he attempt one? Was it a joke or a sad attempt to endear himself to the local supporters?
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I think he's just one of those people who picks up accents from those around him (cf Jan Molby). He still had it when he was at Derby; if he was faking it he would have stopped.
 
Arsenal's Dein to head G-14, seeks compromise with UEFA, FIFA
The Associated Press

Published: October 4, 2006



BRUSSELS, Belgium The new chairman of the G-14 group of leading European soccer clubs reached out to FIFA and UEFA on Wednesday, seeking to overcome fundamental differences that has led to court challenges and constant acrimony.

"I hope that as chairman of G-14 I will be able to build bridges with UEFA and FIFA," Arsenal vice chairman David Dein said after he was unanimously elected by Europe's leading 18 clubs.

The G-14 is supporting Belgian club Charleroi in its lawsuit against FIFA which seeks compensation when a player is injured while playing with his national team.

Many see the suit as a major test in the power struggle between clubs and federations.

The case is before the European Union's highest court, which could set new rules for all clubs and national teams in the world's richest leagues.

"There are issues, such as player release, insurance and the international football calendar, which remain a source of dissatisfaction for many professional football clubs, not just G-14 ones. We think these can be resolved if we all work together," Dein said.

Instead of the often acrimonious standoffs of the past, Dein wants to instill a sense of compromise in the ongoing discussions.

"I want to bring about change harmoniously and constructively," he said after the election.

Dein opens his two-year tenure, taking over from Juventus' Roberto Bettega.

The G-14 also approved a new management committee consisting of representatives from Lyon, Juventus, Porto, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.

The Charleroi case involves midfielder Abdelmajid Oulmers, who was injured playing for Morocco in November 2004 and sidelined for eight months. The club claimed the injury likely cost Charleroi a place in the UEFA Cup and wants FIFA to pay damages of €615,000 (US$795,000).

Since FIFA regulations demand clubs release players for national team duty, Charleroi has sued the world body.

The G-14 joined the suit, seeking €860 million (US$1.1 billion) for releasing players over the past decade. A Belgian court rejected that claim in May, but referred the Charleroi claim to the European Court of Justice.

FIFA has countered by working to establish an insurance mechanism, including launching a test program at the World Cup in June and July, that would compensate teams when a player is injured while with their national team.

The G-14 has said it wants a compromise in the case.

"I hope that over the next nine months we can achieve this," Dein said of the chances to resolve the outstanding issues.
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http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/10/04/sports/EU_SPT_SOC_G_14_Election.php

Hopefully their issues are dealt with in short order...off field stuff matters like these are always boring.


Sendaros and Clichy both played for the Gunners reserves on Tuesday, so they should be ready for first team action in a week or two.

Meanwhile Man City's stadium was awarded the 2008 UEFA Cup final. As for Wembley? They lost out in their bids to host the 2008 and 2009 Champions League finals (Moscow and Rome will get those honours). Since the stadium might not be finished before the end of the decade, this was probably a wise decision.
 
it always makes me cringe a bit when I read Arsenal and G14 in the same sentence.

ah well, maybe they can sort something out regarding the internationals. I was just thinking, why not make a 3 week international break each October instead of taking out 4 times 1 1/2 weeks in the autumn. Same thing in spring.

It would make the internationals more interesting since there would be a bit of a tournament feel to it and the players wouldn't be gone as long as well as there wouldn't be as many interruptions. I am proud of this idea, even if it will get ripped to shreds :D
 
Dr Zhivago said:
I think he's just one of those people who picks up accents from those around him (cf Jan Molby). He still had it when he was at Derby; if he was faking it he would have stopped.
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He should pick up a mockney like Madonna and Guy Ritchie.
 
More Beckham to MLS speculation. I wouldn't mind him coming here especially for my team, but he's not going to do anything for the league except raise attendances for a few games. I don't want that for $100 million. Though this article has many flaws so it's probably Red Bull trying to get attention in the New York media.

New York Times said:
October 3, 2006 -- Real Madrid midfield ace David Beckham is reportedly in secret talks over a $100 million deal to play for the Red Bulls, according to the British newspaper The People.

The People says Beckham, currently earning 12 million pounds per year, is considering signing the deal to play for the Red Bulls after discussions with Philip Anschutz. The controversial billionaire sold his stake in the Red Bulls last year, but still has strong links to the team.

A spokesman for Beckham confirmed to The People: "A move of this kind in the future cannot be ruled out. There has always been interest in David from the States."

Anschutz's AEG company is half-owner of the Red Bulls' new stadium, being built in Harrison, N.J. The stadium is expected to cost $140 million and set to be ready in 2008.
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There's been all sorts of speculation over Beckham's future this week. Madrid president said he figures David's gonna retire in two years, to which Beckham's rep said it's news to him. For Red Bull that hundred million is probably a drop in a bucket. They figure if they want to bring in the most popular player in the world at something close to resembling his prime, they'd have to fork out that sort of change to lure him away from the biggest club in the world. Whether or not it helps the league long term or it just ends up being another New York Cosmos is another story, though based on history it'd probably be the latter.

Anyway, England plays Germany in Coventry today in the first leg of an under 21 clash (3pm EST my time on FSC). Walcott's made a terrific contribution to the squad so far, and I hope to see that continue.
 
Man, how many awesome-to-decent players could be had for 100 million though? If they want to raise the quality of play in the league, one person sure as **** isn't going to do it.

He'd only cause a ripple in attendance anyways, and then everyone would go back to worshipping American football.
 
Outdoor Miner said:
Man, how many awesome-to-decent players could be had for 100 million though? If they want to raise the quality of play in the league, one person sure as **** isn't going to do it.

He'd only cause a ripple in attendance anyways, and then everyone would go back to worshipping American football.
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Exactly what I'm saying. They should invest $100 million in the youth academies instead.
 
England U21 won the first leg 1-0, thanks to a ridiculous strike by Wigan defender Leighton Baines towards the end of the game. England probably should've had two or three goals, but the German keeper was spectacular, particularly in the first half. Second leg takes place on Tuesday.

Meanwhile the Euro qualifiers take place tomorrow...if you're in North America and hit the right bar, you'll be able to see a good number of them live, though the England game is PPV.

http://livesoccertv.com/fixture-2006-10-07.php
 
LOL at England. Yes, McLaren, your team's so much better w/o Becks. Tsk, Tsk...

LOL at Spain. Yes, Aragones, your team's so much better w/o Raul, Joaquin, and Vicente. With your squad and tactics, you will be gutted alive by Argentina for sure!

LOL at Holland. Yes, you barely tied w/o Van Nistelrooy.

LOL at France for their loss to Scotland.

LOL at Brasil, who only made 4 goals gainst Kuwait. ;) It should've been 8 goals.
 
Spain match was pretty fun...Specially if you are spaniard...Last week Joaquin said that "La Selección es un despelote y un caos"...He couldn't have been more right...
 
Costa Rica has just been expelled from south america

Colo Colo 7 - 2 LD Alajuelense

Last week, 0-4

Universal score:

LD Alajuelense 2-11 Colo Colo

Ouch.
 
Osorio said:
The MLS teams better beat Alajuelense and Deportivo Saprissa next time they meet.
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Meh, we, Alajuelense, are in the worst crisis in the history of our club. There are a bunch of players who just dont care for the team. Like today, they were practically walking in the pitch while Colo Colo's players were sweating like warriors even with a huge overall lead.

At our normal level we're still better than MLS teams at least. :D
 
BatiGOOOOOOL said:
Meh, we, Alajuelense, are in the worst crisis in the history of our club. There are a bunch of players who just dont care for the team. Like today, they were practically walking in the pitch while Colo Colo's players were sweating like warriors even with a huge overall lead.

At our normal level we're still better than MLS teams at least. :D
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So how does someone let in 11 goals in 2 games?

Thats San Marino vs Italy level right there
 
lachesis said:
LOL at England. Yes, McLaren, your team's so much better w/o Becks. Tsk, Tsk...

LOL at Spain. Yes, Aragones, your team's so much better w/o Raul, Joaquin, and Vicente. With your squad and tactics, you will be gutted alive by Argentina for sure!

LOL at Holland. Yes, you barely tied w/o Van Nistelrooy.

LOL at France for their loss to Scotland.

LOL at Brasil, who only made 4 goals gainst Kuwait. ;) It should've been 8 goals.
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:lol

Good to see my boy Theo Walcott shining yesterday...came on as a sub in the second leg of the U21 England/Germany tilt, and scored two late goals to give England the 3-0 aggregate win and a place in next year's Euro finals. The second goal has been described as Henry-esque, which is good to hear (needless to say I haven't seen it).

Today's internationals should be interesting...all the teams lach laughed at have something to prove.
 
jamesinclair said:
So how does someone let in 11 goals in 2 games?

Thats San Marino vs Italy level right there
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By walking on the ptich. By not sweating your shirt for your team. By being a thief that only shows up to cash in the check and have zero compromise with the team. That's how.
 
Shinobi said:
Good to see my boy Theo Walcott shining yesterday...came on as a sub in the second leg of the U21 England/Germany tilt, and scored two late goals to give England the 3-0 aggregate win and a place in next year's Euro finals. The second goal has been described as Henry-esque, which is good to hear (needless to say I haven't seen it).
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Check them out here. They're both pretty impressive. Hope to see more of him in an Arsenal shirt soon.
 
^Anytime he's come on he's been golden. He's already got two CL assists. Wenger can't keep him on the pine much longer even if he is English.

The English U-21 side is a damn fun one to watch and there's a lot of talent there, especially in the midfield.
 
brooklyngooner said:
Anytime he's come on he's been golden. He's already got two CL assists. Wenger can't keep him on the pine much longer even if he is English.
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Definitely. I figure that with Ljungberg's continuing injury problems, Walcott is going to get more time as the season progresses.

The English U-21 side is a damn fun one to watch and there's a lot of talent there, especially in the midfield.
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Very true - I watched part of their 1-0 victory against Germany last weekend on FSC replay, and that was pretty entertaining. They were all over them, but just didn't end up scoring as much as they could.
 
Oh noes:

70th Minute....
GOAL: Croatia 2 - 0 England
An unbelievable goal! Paul Robinson goes to hack clear a back-pass from Gary Neville on the edge of the six-yard box, misses it completely and watches in horror as the ball bobbles into the goal. An astonishingly funny goal.
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Looks like the honeymoon is definitely over for McClaren.
 
LOL @ English loss. Then again, Croatia is a good solid team - especially w/ their unbeaten 29th streak at home.

Looks like we are looking at same ol' England. Just w/o Becks, who often saved the team with his magnificient cross and free-kicks.:lol
 
I wouldn't have thought that England would lose there. The only positive thing is that it shuts up the Sven was so bad and he also is (or is it because, I can't remember) a ****ing foreigner crowd a bit. Not that I am a fan of Sven in the slightest but it got to a point where it was simply ridiculous.

Anyway, Austria is leading Switzerland 2:0 - quite a surprise. But it does put alot of things right for me, Switzerland is simply not supposed to be a stronger footballing nation than Austria. Maybe it's too early to talk after one half though.

The only thing I give the swiss the upper hand in is that they're good in punching holes in cheese.
 
^ And Senderos!

Those of you who didn't watch the England game, prepare for a fantastic goalie howler on the highlights.

I hope this 3-5-2 bullshit can be put to rest now.
 
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