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Official Football Thread 2007/2008 (Soccer)

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Yazan said:
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Well Kara at least you have enough points that if you were to lose every match from now on to the end of the season you won't get relegated.
 
I have been thinking about it lately. Which teams that are under the relegation-zone in the big leagues are the best/worst?

England
18 Middlesbrough 11p
19 Wigan 9p
20 Derby 6p

Italy
18 Cagliari 10p
19 Reggina 10p
20 Empoli 10p


Spain
18 Dep. La Coruña 13p
19 Real Betis 11p
20 Levante 7p

I personally think that Derby is the worst of the teams listed. Most of the teams are all around the same level though, so it's pretty hard to rank them by separate leagues.

If I rank them in table, we would have something like that (from best to worst):

1. Dep. La Coruña
2. Middlesbrough
3. Empoli
4. Real Betis
5. Cagliari
6. Wigan
7. Reggina
8. Levante
9. Derby

Some of the teams should be way above the relegation-zone (especially Empoli and La Coruña) but I think that at least Levante, Reggina and Derby will get relegated.
 
celestial body said:
Yazan, would you say the quality of the serie A this year has been better or worse than recent years?
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Better. There isn't really any shitty team like Ascoli, Messina, Ternana or Triestina. Napoli and Genoa are back, Roma and Fiorentina are good again and the mid-table teams (Udinese, Palermo, Atalanta, Napoli, Sampdoria) can beat anybody.

I would probably rank this season as the best one since 95/96 or something like that. The only negative things between now and then is that the money have disappeared, the crowd isn't that big (Lazio for example had 65 000/match couple of years ago, they barley have 35 000/match now) and the security is real bad.
 
Serie A doesn't actually suck this year. How about that?

I like Roma, Totti is fantastic I hope he goes to the EPL so he can dry up completely :(
 
looks like Hleb is out for New Castle as well. Great. Thanks Carew you clumsy fuck.
 
gigapower said:
Arsenal's been doing fine without RVP.

God damn that Arsenal v. Chelsea game is going to be amazing.
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it would still be comforting to have him on he pitch. He is by far our best striker and plays by far the least due to injury. It's quite frustrating.

Cesc looks to be out as well so I guess we're looking at an iffy lineup without two of our most important players (not counting RVP since we all knew he wasn't coming back). I hope New Castle is still in shit form when we get there on Wednesday.
 
Cornballer, Ives Galarcep just said the first Red Bulls game of next season is at San Jose. March 29th.

Our home opener is the 5th of April against Columbus
 
h0pper said:
it would still be comforting to have him on he pitch. He is by far our best striker and plays by far the least due to injury. It's quite frustrating.

Cesc looks to be out as well so I guess we're looking at an iffy lineup without two of our most important players (not counting RVP since we all knew he wasn't coming back). I hope New Castle is still in shit form when we get there on Wednesday.
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I thought Cesc was due back in time for Chelsea. Oh well.
 
Osorio said:
Cornballer, Ives Galarcep just said the first Red Bulls game of next season is at San Jose. March 29th.

Our home opener is the 5th of April against Columbus
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Yup, saw that earlier. I'll be there. You want to come by and tailgate? :lol
gigapower said:
I thought Cesc was due back in time for Chelsea. Oh well.
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I think he's talking about Wednesday's game against Newcastle.
 
Cornballer said:
Yup, saw that earlier. I'll be there. You want to come by and tailgate?
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If I manage to go to San Jose can I stay at your place? I'm actually thinking of going cuz I've never been to San Jose and I won't get the chance to while I'm in college.
 
Osorio said:
If I manage to go to San Jose can I stay at your place? I'm actually thinking of going cuz I've never been to San Jose and I won't get the chance to while I'm in college.
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Sure, as long as you don't plan on burning down my apartment or anything, it's cool. :D I actually live in San Francisco, so I'm about 50 miles away from San Jose, but we make the drive down when we go to games.
 
Cornballer said:
Sure, as long as you don't plan on burning down my apartment or anything, it's cool. :D I actually live in San Francisco, so I'm about 50 miles away from San Jose, but we make the drive down when we go to games.
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Don't worry, I'm a happy drunk.:D
 
Watch Shearer don his no. 9 jersey, take the field and score 5 goals against Arsenal come Wednesday.

His true swan song.
 
Finally some one agrees with me regarding going to video for gross fouls that the referees get wrong. In the Sun of all papers.

Henry Winter thinks that there should be a video review of each game so that if the ref miscues a card it can be overturned/upgraded etc by a match review. It happens in other sports but not football.

I've always wondered why? Are the referees an infallible papacy? Is there a fear of acknowledging an error? Seriously WHY???

There have been some genuinely shocking tackles this year that have got yellow cards when they should have been at least reds, or reds with a rider for more games. A player is going to maimed at some time this season, the offender will get a yellow card and the FA will go, "sorry old chap, the referee has given a card, we cannot do anything old bean! We regret your career has been snuffed out by that horrible injury but chin up"
 
Oh man I didn't think Allardyce could get any lower.

Yesterday I posted his loss percentage over 14 games, over 16 games he's officially the worst starting manager of Newcastle with a loss% of 50%, at least his win% with Newcastle is equal to Ruud Gullit at 38%.

Allardyce cancels Xmas
By Simon Bird 04/12/2007

Sam Allardyce has vowed to triumph in a battle of wills with his Newcastle stars after cancelling their Christmas.

Senior players led a delegation to see Big Sam last week to hammer out a series of problems regarding training and tactics, following a miserable slump in form. The defiant Toon boss has since proposed taking his squad on a training and relaxation break starting immediately after their Boxing Day clash at Wigan. After leaving their families following Christmas Day lunch for the journey to Wigan, Allardyce wants to fly them post-match to London for three days in a spa hotel.

He believes it will relieve the pressure of festive distractions at home, before Newcastle play Chelsea on December 29 at Stamford Bridge.

Three senior stars, including keeper Shay Given, held talks with their boss last week.
Advertisement

Allardyce denied injured England striker Michael Owen was part of the trio - but reckons Premier League stars are always moaning about something.

Quizzed over the discontent in his camp, he said: "Players are not happy about a lot of the stuff that I do, because they're players and I'm the manager.

"I'm the man who knows what's right for them and I know it more than they do. That's why I sit in this chair.

"There's always something a player doesn't like.

"The whole scenario for me is that there's no point flying back here after Wigan, when we're playing Chelsea away.

"Recovery is becoming as important as training now, there's so much physical and mental fatigue.

"People don't like it when they're taken out of their comfort zone - so you have to be persistent, give them the right information and tell them it's going to make them a better player."
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2007/12/04/allardyce-cancels-xmas-89520-20199697/
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ENGLAND GOSSIP

FA chief executive Brian Barwick has met Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson to get his advice on who should be the next England manager. They discussed the matter for two hours at Old Trafford, with Bobby Charlton also present. (The Sun)

Former England manager Glenn Hoddle believes Barwick must think carefully about the nationality of the next boss. He said: "This is the English FA and we need an Englishman. If we do go foreign, we need an Englishman beside him to be groomed for the future." (Daily Express)

TRANSFERS AND GOSSIP

Sam Allardyce's future as Newcastle boss is looking bleak after he was confronted by senior players in a revolt over tactics. (various)

Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko fears he is on his way out of the club and is ready to line up a move to America's Major League Soccer. (Mirror)

Aston Villa will pay £10m to make goalkeeper Scott Carson's loan move from Liverpool permanent. (Daily Star)

Arsenal are on the trail of PSV Eindhoven's £5m-rated Holland international midfielder Ibrahim Afellay. (various)

Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is chasing Marseille striker Mamadou Niang as a cheaper alternative to Bolton's Nicolas Anelka. (Mirror)

But Eriksson is still considering whether to make a £12m bid for Anelka, as well as an £8m bid for Liverpool striker Peter Crouch. (various)

Reading manager Steve Coppell is ready to quit, saying he has taken the club as far as he can. (The Sun)

Everton want to sign Wolves' £4m-rated keeper Wayne Hennessey. (The Sun)

Police are trying to find the fan who shone a green laser pen into Didier Drogba's face during Chelsea's win over West Ham on Saturday. (The Sun)

Blackburn boss Mark Hughes has assured Robbie Savage he still has a future at the club despite leaving him on the bench for the last three games. (The Sun)

Sunderland boss Roy Keane has been promised funds to buy new players in the January transfer window. (Mirror)

Wolves are planning to bid £1m for Plymouth winger Peter Halmosi. (Mirror)

Wycombe boss Paul Lambert has emerged as the shock contender to become the new Scotland manager. (Mirror)

David Sullivan says he will remain Birmingham's owner at Christmas, saying Carson Yeung's takeover is less than 10% likely to happen. (The Sun)

Derby's new manager Paul Jewell is set to spend £2m on Blackburn striker Jason Roberts. (various)

Everton are set to pay £1m for Swindon's 17-year-old left-back Ben Tozer, who has played only five minutes of football in League One. (Mirror)

Reading left-back Nicky Shorey will turn down a transfer to West Ham and hold out for a bumper move when his deal runs out in six months. (Mirror)

Newcastle are also interested in luring the England defender away from the Madejski Stadium. (various)

But Shorey would most likely prefer to join Manchester United, who are thought to be lining up a bid for him - although the Old Trafford club may not be willing to pay as much as Reading's £5m valuation. (The Times)

Fulham boss Lawrie Sanchez is keen on Portsmouth's out-of-favour midfielder Matthew Taylor. (The Times)

Benni McCarthy could be on his way out of Blackburn after throwing a tantrum and then driving home when he was taken off against Newcastle. (Mirror)

Aston Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor, who has been linked with a £15m transfer to Arsenal, wants to sign a new contract at the Midlands club. (Mirror)

Sunderland are poised to bid £2.5m for West Ham's Bobby Zamora. (Daily Star)

Arsenal's out-of-favour goalkeeper Jens Lehmann is wanted by German side Wolfsburg. (various)

Crystal Palace want to sign Sheffield United's Chris Morgan. (Daily Star)

Celtic legend Henrik Larsson, who is coming to the end of his contract at Helsingborgs, is set to call time on his playing career. (Mirror)

AC Milan's Croatian defender Dario Simic has snubbed a move to the Premier League and instead wants to join Lokomotiv Moscow. (Mirror)

Reading chairman John Madejski has pledged to provide the funds for major investment in new players during the January transfer window. (Express)

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp wants to make three or four loan signings to cover for the players he will lose to international duty when the African Cup of Nations starts in January. (The Times)

AND FINALLY

Google have delivered some not-so-great news for Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo, who has worked hard to turn around public bad feeling after his spat with Wayne Rooney in the 2006 World Cup. The internet search engine revealed "I hate Ronaldo" was one of the most popular searches in 2007. (The Sun)

Chelsea winger Florent Malouda claims the players are allowed to eat junk food at Stamford Bridge, as long as they still produce good performances on the pitch. (Daily Mirror)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/gossip_and_transfers/default.stm
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Former England manager Glenn Hoddle believes Barwick must think carefully about the nationality of the next boss. He said: "This is the English FA and we need an Englishman. If we do go foreign, we need an Englishman beside him to be groomed for the future." (Daily Express)
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Like Steve McClaren...
 
Wow you can even create leagues, this would be brilliant to coincide with fantasy premier league.

I'm going to try it out some more.

I'm going to create a Gaf league if anyone is interested.
 
http://fantasyrafa.com/

League: Gaf
Password: believe

The latest you can submit your prediction is 2 hours before every match.

Watch me get my arse kicked.

How to play:
* To pick your team click on the 'Pick Team' link.
* On the 'Pick Team' page you can then select which match you are predicting. (You must choose your team at least two hours before the kick off or you will not be able to select a team.)
* You then select the 11 players you think will be in Rafa's starting line up.
* Submit your team, and then you can choose your team for another match.
* If you want to look at the teams you have picked, you can view them on the 'My teams' page at any time.
* If at any stage you change your mind, then you can re-submit your team up to 2 hours before kick off.


* The scoring system is simple: For every player you pick who starts the Liverpool match, you get 1 point, so the maximum is 11 per match.
* After the match you can check back to view your scores on the 'My scores' page. You will see a summary of your season totals and can view your scores for each match.
* The top scorers will be displayed after each match, and you can join a league to see how you do against your friends.
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Afellay and PSV have just agreed on extending Afellay's contract with one year, to 2011.

Also, apparently we're only the brink of signing yet another youngster, 17 year old Peruvian Reimond Manco. He's currently playing at Allianza Lima, and PSV would have beaten Boca Juniors and Real Madrid in the race to sign him.

That's like the 7th player who's younger than 21 we've signed in a year. I'm slowly beginning to believe Wenger is coming to PSV to take over next year, and these are his first signings.
 
Some MLS coaching news....
Steven Goff said:
Q: Any word on candidates for the Red Bull coaching position?
A: One source tells me that Osorio is still very much in the New York picture and that negotiations continue. We'll see what happens. As I reported first a few weeks ago, the Red Bulls approached Osorio, Preki and Peter Nowak.
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Celtic will have to step it up tonight if they want to avoid a severe gubbing.

They were rank rotten last week against Shaktar, and by all accounts even worse against Hearts at the weekend. :lol

I'm sorely tempted to put a tenspot on Milan to win by more than 5 :lol

However, I don't think Shaktar will beat Benfica so Celtic would still go through.
 
Flamini is out for tomorrow night as well as Hleb. Both Hleb and Fabregas are doubtful for the weekend too.

Not good at all.

Now we have Van Persie, Fabregas, Flamini, Hleb, Diaby out.
 
Cornballer said:
Why are there two makeup games for Group D tonight?
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You have to have all teams playing in the same group to prevent match fixing.

I'd assume it's all about the Lazio fan getting shot on the way to San Siro? Or was it that the police were on their way to San Siro and they crossed paths with Lazio fans.

Thread is as dead as an international break today.
 
Looks like Arsene can use the first choice defense. Beyond that I guess you put: Rosicky, Gilberto, Diarra, Eboue/Walcott, Eduardo, and Adebayor out there. Not sure how they'd line up. Bendtner is playing well, too, so I wouldn't mind seeing him get a start.
 
Newcastle (despite playing better against Blackburn) and Middlesbrough can't handle these guys:

Adebayor, Eduardo, Walcott, Bendtner, Rosicky, Denilson, Diarra, Gilberto, Eboue

whoever ends up playing. Just as long as at least Hleb is back for Chelsea.
 
I only watched the first 15 minutes of the United game yesterday because it was on too late and I had school the next day. We could have a couple more goals in the first 10 minutes. We were all over them, yet tevez somehow managed to miss a couple of chances. He should have headed in that perfect cross from anderson.

I want to see a replay of ronaldo getting tripped up by Niemi. Instead of getting a deserved penalty, ronaldo gets booked because he has to put up with the reputation of being a diver and a cheat. It really pisses me off that he still has to put up with refs and fans still criticizing him for diving when he rarely ever does it.

The game against Fulham was the 11th time that ronaldo has scored twice in one game. He's still not scored a hat-trick for us yet.
 
Tomorrow I would put my money on the following starting:

Ade Eduardo

Rosicky Denilson Gilberto Eboue

with Walcott coming on for Eboue, Diarra for Gilberto and Bendtner coming on for Ade if all goes well
 
Mama Smurf said:
I think it's the 12th.
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I've read that its his 11th time on a couple of sites.

He's having a fucking good season so far. He's scored 13 goals in 17 games. For any player thats incredible, especially a winger. I think he's got the best goal to games ratio for anyone in the EPL. He should easily be able to score more than the 23 goals he scored last season. Its not even christmas and he's already scored more than half of what he scored last season.
 
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