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Official Football Thread 2007/2008 (Soccer)

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arseblog said:
A few bits and pieces to tell you about this morning. Alex Hleb is dreaming. He has a dream. A song to sing. And Alex’s dream is to score 10 or more goals this season. Which is a nice dream but quite a dreamiful dream. Based on the previous two seasons 10 is really stretching it but who are we to shoot down a man’s aspirations before the season has begun. If he can score 10 goals then he’ll have had a great season - unless, of course, he scores 8 of those goals in one incredible Carling Cup game against Liverpool at Anfield and the other two come as consolation goals in the first and last games of the season. But that’s unlikely. Not quite as unlikely as Hleb scoring 10 to begin with but there you go. I’m right behind you, Hlebinator.
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:lol

I'd love him to do it though.
 
Antonio Cassano, the Real Madrid forward, has been offered to West Ham and Bolton. (The Times)
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Cassano has completely screwed up his career. When he was younger he looked like the next big thing in italy. Now he's being offered to mid table premiership clubs.

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba may miss the first two weeks of the season with a knee injury. (The Sun)
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Its good news for Liverpool fans if its true. Liverpool play chelsea on the 19th august, bit it looks like chelsea wont have terry or drogba. Its a big blow for them to lose their two best players.

Alex or ben-haim will be used instead of terry and sheva will probably be upfront instead of drogba for the time that they are injured, but thats if they play with a lone striker in a 4-5-1/ 4-3-3, which might not be the case against Liverpool. Throught the season, I expect mourinho to stick to a 4-3-3, but against the big teams, he might change the formation to a 4-4-2. Mourinho did say that he wants to play more attractive football by using wingers, but he said that he will use the 4-4-2 diamond in the games that he needs to and i think he might use it against Liverpool. If thats the case, then sheva and pizarro will be upfront.
 
I read somewhere yesterday that Pizarro could miss the start of the season too. Can't remember where though.

Chelsea could hopefully for once, if at all possible, maybe, when all things come together have a tough start to a season. Please.
 
Stuart Taylor.

He is a very good shot-stopper when he's on top of his game, but against the likes of Liverpool, first match of the season, I don't think he's going to be too reliable. He's a good rotating goalkeeper if that makes sense...
 
Aston Villa defender Olof Mellberg is confident of winning his personal duel with Fernando Torres in this weekend's Premiership opener against Liverpool.

"I have seen Torres a little bit, mainly when he has played for Spain," said Mellberg. "I marked him not long ago when we played Spain and won.

"I don't remember too much of him in particular from that game, so it will be interesting to see how he does in the Premiership.

"Liverpool have a really strong squad, so we won't focus on any one player when we play them. But we believe we can get a good result."
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You tell 'em Olof!
 
PLEASE PLEASE West Ham, buy Cassano. Then the Fight Club can start. Hopefully Keiron Dyer can join in too.

Oh, and, can City sign Bresciano already? Australian newspapers says that the deal is done, but English papers says that Palermo want a couple of mil extra - even after Bresciano has done the medical and agreed terms. Jesus, they are even worse than Shaktar.

Wes said:
You tell 'em Olof!
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You shouldn't be afraid of Torres, it's Olof that will setup Liverpool's goals. :D
 
he's a decent keeper, and still only 26. I think he'd actually do quite well if he were 1st keeper somewhere.

It's always really difficult to tell with keepers though. They can seem as confident and safe as you like, a couple of mistakes and they may never be as good as they were again.
 
Manager said:
You shouldn't be afraid of Torres, it's Olof that will setup Liverpool's goals. :D
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I'm putting money on Mellberg scoring against Liverpool, he always scores in the opening weeks against big teams.
 
Still looking for Penguin Honor Guard, Penguin King in the ff league. We have a few new entrants, but their names are obvious.

Seriously, we'll throw you out of the league if you don't make yourself known here or on the league forum. There's no point joining a gaf league if you're not going to participate.
 
I bet some aren't even GAF members Mama. Just people guest viewing the site unfortunately. Don't want that kind of riffraff in our league!
 
Didn't Stuart Taylor used to play for Arsenal?

And I used to think that cheerleaders for soccer/football were a bad idea, but I guess I could be convinced otherwise...
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Daily Rumors said:
David Beckham was jeered by LA Galaxy fans after sitting out yet another game with his troublesome ankle injury. (The Sun)
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This is total b.s. It was the Toronto fans that were booing him.
 
Shinobi said:
What's happened with TFC doesn't make much sense to me. I figured it could work out, but I didn't expect it to come anywhere close to this. It's really a shame that Becks didn't play, as more viewers would've tuned in and got a taste of the atmosphere.

Meanwhile I'm more determined than ever to get a season ticket now...though with a 3000 man waiting list I don't see how that's taking place (unless a good number of this year's season tickets were bought simply to see Beckham, which is possible).
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It makes perfect sense for Toronto to flock to TFC. Toronto is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. Yes the Leafs are the #1 team in town but when I went there a year ago I saw so many jerseys from across the world, and I guess that has to do with all the different nationalities and heritages represented there. Plus, MLSE set everything up perfectly. The name and colors don't discriminate against anybody it's more like Canada's team. They set up a nice intimate stadium with a south end behind the goal for supporters. They just happened to do everything right from the start.

Cornballer said:
There was also a note last week that San Jose have 1100 season ticket deposits down so far. Not a bad start. and hopefully they can keep the momentum up. The expansion draft will be in November.
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Not bad at all. I don't think you'll reach Toronto's numbers but you have 1100 already without a player or a coach named.
 
Osorio said:
Not bad at all. I don't think you'll reach Toronto's numbers but you have 1100 already without a player or a coach named.
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I just hope that the increases continue. Obviously, there are a bunch of die-hard fans that were going to snap up season ticket licenses as soon as they were available, but the true gains will be made with people that were fringe or new fans.


Looks like Feilhaber might move to Derby.
American Soccer Daily said:
Rams Closing on Feilhaber
by Greg Seltzer - August 7, 2007

With HSV no longer willing to loan the US international out, Rams manager Billy Davies is making a push to bolster his promoted squad with a purchase.

With German daily Bild reporting that the transfer fee should fall in the €1.5 million range when the clubs sit down to talk, Feilhaber agent Henner Janzen has revealed that his client is close to an agreement on the personal terms.

"We are very close," he told American Soccer Daily on Tuesdy morning. "The basics have been agreed, and now we get into the details."

"The contract is supposed to be for three years. We hope it's going to work out. This would be good for Benny."

Janzen also confirmed that HSV cut off the possibility for suitors to arrange a loan for Feilhaber when they sold Alexandre Lass to Wolfsburg two weeks ago.

"It's a transfer, not a loan," he stated. "Hamburg are no longer keen on loaning him out. They will either keep him or sell him."

For his part, Feilhaber is staying focused in helping the Hamburg get ready for Saturday's Bundesliga opener at Hannover 96.

"As long as it's not final, I will push myself in training in order to be fit for the Bundesliga start," he told Hamburger Abendblatt. "Nothing's 100% definite yet."

The youngster has, however, made it clear to coach Huub Stevens and sport director Dietmar Beiersdorfer that he wants to be a part of the first team or move on to another club.

Feilhaber had been sought by the likes of FC Basel, Hannover 96, Heerenveen and Racing Strasbourg for a season loan earlier in the summer.
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1-0 barca - all in all, very poor - you know when certain teams don`t get out of first gear? well, barca didn`t even bother starting the car almost.

Very lazy at times, yokohama could have and should have had two goals.

"The Predator" though ... wow... what a bag of tricks he is.
 
Thanks for the pics, DCharlie.

Looks like US U-20 star Danny Szetela is on his way to Roma.
Italy in Szetela's future
Tuesday, August 7, 2007

By IVES GALARCEP
HERALD NEWS

Clifton native Danny Szetela's dream of playing European soccer is about to come true.

The U.S. Under-20 national team star and Columbus Crew midfielder has reached a contract agreement with Italian powerhouse AS Roma, sources told the Herald News on Monday. The deal makes him the third member of the U.S. Under-20 World Cup team to sign a European contract since the World Cup ended last month.

Terms of the contract were not revealed but Szetela, 20, will join Roma once his contract with the Crew expires on Dec. 31. Szetela, who will leave MLS on a free transfer, is set to complete the deal in the next week or two.

The deal will end an injury-plagued four-year career in Major League Soccer, which began when the Crew won Szetela's rights in a weighted lottery on July 22, 2004. Szetela has made 31 MLS appearances for the Crew, registering three assists without recording a goal.

A skillful and physical defensive midfielder, Szetela impressed European scouts at the Under-20 World Cup by scoring three goals for the U.S. team, which reached the tournament's quarterfinals, where the Americans lost to Austria in overtime.

His play in the tournament, as well as in other competitions for various U.S. youth national teams, made him a transfer target for several top European clubs, including Everton, Rangers, Parma and Galatasaray.

The deal doesn't assure that Szetela will actually play with Roma come January. The Italian power, which finished second to Inter Milan in Serie A last season, could loan Szetela out to a smaller club.

After earning All-Passaic County honors for Clifton High School, Szetela joined the U.S. Under-17 National Team Residency Program in Bradenton, Fla. in 2002 and spent two years playing alongside the likes of Freddy Adu, U.S. national team midfielder Michael Bradley and current Columbus Crew teammates Eddie Gaven and Tim Ward.

Szetela passed up on a chance to go to Europe in 2004, choosing instead to sign a three-and-a-half year contract with MLS. The length of the deal was set at three-and-a-half years by Szetela's former agent with the hope of helping him land a transfer move in 2007, after the Under-20 World Cup. After delivering a stellar performance in Canada last month, Szetela has helped make that plan a reality.

Szetela will playing for the Crew for the rest of the 2007 season. He has played his way into the Columbus starting lineup recently, performing well in a pair of starts for the surging Crew, who are a point behind the Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference standings.

Szetela joins Adu (Benfica) and Sal Zizzo (Hannover 96) as members of the Under-20 World Cup team to make moves to Europe in the weeks following the tournament. Adu joined Benfica on a $2 million deal from Real Salt Lake while Sizzo, a UCLA midfielder, signed with Hannover 96 two weeks ago, joining U.S. national team defender Steve Cherundolo at the German club.
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Osorio said:
If he goes to Derby it'll just be another team to pay attention to. Demerit stayed at Watford right?
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Yes, there were supposedly a bunch of Premierships teams inquiring about Demerit, but he's still at Watford. I think his contract runs through the 2008/2009 season.

EDIT: He was linked with Boro and Fulham this week...
 
Beckham at the Blue Jays - Yankees game...
'Nice guy' Becks Yankees hit
From Steve Keating in Toronto
August 07, 2007

IN a game featuring some of baseball's biggest hitters, it was the injured David Beckham who attracted much of the attention when he watched the New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 today (AEST).

Beckham and his Los Angeles Galaxy teammates extended their Toronto stay, following a scoreless Major League Soccer draw with Toronto FC yesterday, to watch the game.

Beckham admitted he did not know a lot about baseball but certainly would have no problem identifying with the Yankees slugger, Alex Rodriquez, who is also a paparazzi tabloid favourite and working under a contract that will pay him $US250 million ($291 million).

"A very nice guy, everyone in the clubhouse wanted their picture taken with him," said Yankees manager Joe Torre after giving Beckham a personal tour of the New York dressing room.

"He did volunteer that he didn't know a lot about baseball but he was just very engaging.

"Everybody pretty much was (excited), everybody to a man seemed pretty impressed with him."

While a nagging ankle injury has limited Beckham to mostly promotional appearances since making the jump from Real Madrid to Los Angeles, Rodriquez continued to earn his money on the field helping push the surging Yankees into play-off contention.
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Just put £2 on an 8 game multiple,which could potentially win me almost £18,000.

It's extremely unlikely, but I know that, it's just like my version of doing the lottery only I actually have a better chance as it's not totally down to luck (and I'm pretty sure the odds are just better anyway).
 
that's what I love about it too. I will place my bets tomorrow or on Thursday, I'm with betfair now too btw. They easily have the best odds.

Oh, and he did play for Arsenal btw Cornballer. He didn't even do that badly whilst Seaman was out injured for a while.
 
Mama Smurf said:
Just put £2 on an 8 game multiple,which could potentially win me almost £18,000.

It's extremely unlikely, but I know that, it's just like my version of doing the lottery only I actually have a better chance as it's not totally down to luck (and I'm pretty sure the odds are just better anyway).
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I did this last year with Italian teams. 7 games. Went 6/7. Udinese conceded an equalizer in the 88th minute.

Would have won $800.
 
Well I've gone for 7 results I think will actually happen, and one which almost certainly won't but there are always fluke results and if I can just catch one it multiplies my odds exponentially. This week it's Reading beating Man Utd. If I bet Man Utd instead and eveything else the same, I could only potentially win a 10th of the way it is now, and it's still unlikely then.

If I do one multiple a week, as I intend, it's only £80 over the entire year, which I could cover selling a few games no problem. And if I just get one right I'll make a massive profit. Hell if I just get one right for the rest of my life I'll make a profit.
 
I'm thinking that, come Euro 2008, if we can get 16 people interested we can do some sort of random generator to assign a team to each of us which we then put a £2 bet on. So one of us is guaranteed to win and it'll just raise the interest in the thread on results, particularly for teams who don't normally get a look in.

And it's good for everyone really. Members who get the favourites may be more likely to win, but they still probably won't and even if they do they'll only win like a tenner. And those getting the really unlikely teams, yes you're almost certainly not going to win, but if you do you're going to make a BIG profit. It does happen, in the last 4 finals twice it's been won by supposed no-hopers (Denmark and Greece), and I don't know what the odds were on Denmark back then but Greece would have won you £160.
 
I like that idea. I won 80 quid at work when Greece won the Euro.

I remember swearing when I pulled them out of the hat.
 
Mama Smurf said:
I'm thinking that, come Euro 2008, if we can get 16 people interested we can do some sort of random generator to assign a team to each of us which we then put a £2 bet on. So one of us is guaranteed to win and it'll just raise the interest in the thread on results, particularly for teams who don't normally get a look in.
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My brother-in-law did that last time around at his office and said it was a good time. I'd be up for it.
 
Apparently Tevez won't be registered to play in that United friendly this week, and might not be registered for the start of the season.

That's okay, he can miss a few games, but the important date is September 1st, f he's not rgistered by then he can't play in the CL group games.
 
Ugh. Fox Soccer Channel decided to not show the Arsenal-Fulham game here in the US on Sunday. Instead, we'll be able to get it PPV online. Can't believe they canceled it and now have the gall to try and charge for an internet stream. F**kers.
 
hadareud said:
that sucks. Online should be fine though, I'm sure you'll find a stream somewhere.
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Yeah, the problem being that I run on a Mac at home, so not many of those programs work. Oh, and the game starts at 4am California time. The beauty of TV being that I can TiVo it and watch when I get up.

Thanks for the GIF, though!
 
I'd be up for a sweep-stake. I picked up £100 on the office sweep-stake by getting Italy (and Ecuador) out of the hat for the WC. £2 or so entry would be fine. Think what you could get with £16!

Rangers play the second leg of the CL qualifying tie tonight as well - off home now to watch it. We were rubbish in the first leg but two (flukey) goals put us in the driving seat - hopefully our good result as the weekend gives us a boost.
 
lochnesssnowman said:
Rangers play the second leg of the CL qualifying tie tonight as well - off home now to watch it. We were rubbish in the first leg but two (flukey) goals put us in the driving seat - hopefully our good result as the weekend gives us a boost.
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Oh, nice. Let me know if Beasley plays and how he does. There's no tv on that match here in the US.
 
hadareud said:
that sucks. Online should be fine though, I'm sure you'll find a stream somewhere.

however:
ATVO_-_Emirates_Cup_-_Arsenal_v_Int.gif
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God, that is beautiful. I have high hopes for him this season.
 
Yeah, he made a fool of the defender. I support Inter in Serie A (nowhere to the extent to which I support Arsenal) and that even had me rolling.
 
Manager said:
Oh, and, can City sign Bresciano already? Australian newspapers says that the deal is done, but English papers says that Palermo want a couple of mil extra - even after Bresciano has done the medical and agreed terms. Jesus, they are even worse than Shaktar.
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I'm getting sick of this shit too. You don't **** with a team owned by a guy wanted for crimes against humanity. You just don't! Thak really ought to be quicker to let his shtarkers from back home do the negotiating for him.

Mama Smurf said:
Still looking for Penguin Honor Guard, Penguin King in the ff league. We have a few new entrants, but their names are obvious.
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That sounds like Kingpen.

Cornballer said:
This is total b.s. It was the Toronto fans that were booing him.
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:lol ****ing pathetic.

Cornballer said:
Looks like Feilhaber might move to Derby.
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I'd follow the Bruin of Ruin more if he was in England.
 
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