Soccer thread 08/09 (will have spoilers!)

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 3:36 pm

davet010 wrote:"Same as it ever was....same as it ever was"

I'm looking forward to the Championship already

It's fun down here. No other league can you go from 4th to 17th in 2 weeks!

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 1:49 am

Great finish at the Argentinian's Apertura as Yours Truly's Boca Juniors takes the Champioship after a three way deadlock for first place a week and a half ago. Tigre, San Lorenzo and Boca played a round robin to determine the eventual winner and the Blue and Gold took the trophy despite the absence of many key players during the tourney like Riquelme, Palacio and Palermo.

Vamos Boca!

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 4:22 am

fsquid wrote:
davet010 wrote:"Same as it ever was....same as it ever was"

I'm looking forward to the Championship already
It's fun down here. No other league can you go from 4th to 17th in 2 weeks!

You can almost do that in the Prem !!

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 9:57 am

10spro wrote:Great finish at the Argentinian's Apertura as Yours Truly's Boca Juniors takes the Champioship after a three way deadlock for first place a week and a half ago. Tigre, San Lorenzo and Boca played a round robin to determine the eventual winner and the Blue and Gold took the trophy despite the absence of many key players during the tourney like Riquelme, Palacio and Palermo.

Vamos Boca!

well damn, I had that on the DVR. Stupid me for looking in there. Don't really watch it the Argentina games but DVRed the round robin after I heard about it.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 2:47 pm

fsquid wrote: well damn, I had that on the DVR. Stupid me for looking in there. Don't really watch it the Argentina games but DVRed the round robin after I heard about it.

Whenever you hear the league on Fox try to catch a few games, underpaid and underrated these bunch of 17-18 year olds put on quite a show trying to be the next Tevez, Messi or Aguero to be exported to Europe.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Thu Dec 25, 2008 11:19 pm

There are like 5 different things wrong with this rumor:

Real Madrid wanted to sign Jermaine Pennant from Liverpool but his wages demands were too high and he may now end up joining Wigan. (Daily Mail)

My best guess is that Rafa still has some contacts at Real and they floated this to create a January market for Pennant's damn-near worthless ass. Anything else is too ridiculous to believe...sadly.

macsomjrr · Post by **macsomjrr** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 12:25 am

Just curious what you guys thought about Phil Brown marching his players out in front of the traveling Hull fans for the team talk at the half during yesterday's game against Man City. Pretty awesome if you ask me. Brown has gone up 50 points in my estimation:) Imagine if you saw that during an NFL game (admittedly tougher with so many players:):):))

http://www.premierleague.com/page/Headl ... 06,00.html

<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/s1RJCGYa6GQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed>

I think those new shirts must be working for Hull though. They're still sitting in the top half of the table although we've got lots of football left to play.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 3:59 am

Even the City fans were amused - though it must be remembered that the reason he did it was that City had torn Hull to shreds in the first half, and were 4-0 up at the time.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 8:33 pm

Steve Gerrard gets into a row in a Liverpool nightclub because they wouldn't play Phil Collins?

Macca00 · Post by **Macca00** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 9:57 pm

wco81,

As a die-hard Liverpool fan I have to say that if ANYONE touches my car stereo when I'm listening to Phil Collins I go f@cking ballistic so I can't blame Stevie G.

I believe they were playing Phil's rendition of "You can't hurry love" then the DJ stopped it to play some trance. s*** screw a fight, I would have shot the place up...then again I'm f ucking gangsta like that.

I think it's time for Rafa to float more of those Pennant to Real Madrid rumors to distract the press. How about some Dossena to Real Madrid as well?

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 1:01 am

wco81 wrote:Steve Gerrard gets into a row in a Liverpool nightclub because they wouldn't play Phil Collins?

sounds good enough to me. Don't feck with me when they play take me home.

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 11:57 am

Just noticed that Andrés D'Alessandro is back playing football in South America. He had so much promise.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 12:01 pm

fsquid wrote:Just noticed that Andrés D'Alessandro is back playing football in South America. He had so much promise.

Back to River Plate? They surely need someone like him.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 12:40 pm

10spro wrote:
fsquid wrote:Just noticed that Andrés D'Alessandro is back playing football in South America. He had so much promise.
Back to River Plate? They surely need someone like him.

I believe that he's playing for Botafogo or Sao Paolo...one of the Brazilian teams. One of the MLS teams made a play for him but they were rebuked a few weeks ago.

fanatic · Post by **fanatic** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 1:35 pm

So, anyone think that Liverpool can keep it up? While not playing particularly pretty football, they are having no problems scoring whatsoever.

Personally, I think that ManU will kick into high gear in the second half, but it would be nice to see a new champion this year. I don't think Scolari lasts past the spring to be honest.

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 2:08 pm

10spro wrote:
fsquid wrote:Just noticed that Andrés D'Alessandro is back playing football in South America. He had so much promise.
Back to River Plate? They surely need someone like him.

Internacional. He should have never left Germany. He was fit for that league.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 2:27 pm

Inter, that's correct. They eliminated my Boca Juniors at the Copa Libertadores. This guys is a genious when he decides to show up.

<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7n2wVAleoPA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed>

River and Zaragoza still share own his services.

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 2:39 pm

fanatic wrote:So, anyone think that Liverpool can keep it up? While not playing particularly pretty football, they are having no problems scoring whatsoever.

Personally, I think that ManU will kick into high gear in the second half, but it would be nice to see a new champion this year. I don't think Scolari lasts past the spring to be honest.

They've done OK, considering Torres has been out for much of the first half. Hopefully Utd won't come good (and personally I'm hoping for a financial meltdown of the Glazer family fortunes and MU's extinction), but Liverpool may hang on as few clubs will have the dollar to spend big in the transfer window.

Apart from Man City, who in the period between Sep 1 and Dec 31 have been linked with 54 different players

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 3:20 pm

Only 4 more hours until Man City can start spending.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 5:45 pm

fsquid wrote:Only 4 more hours until Man City can start spending.

You mean wasting...

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Thu Jan 01, 2009 4:36 am

Robinho
Kompany
Zabaleta
Wright-Philips

No waste there.....our 'superstriker' Jo was bought with the previous owner's money.

Let's see - we'll have

Arteta
Lahm
Santa Cruz
Owen
Ribery......please, and could you wrap them up ?

macsomjrr · Post by **macsomjrr** » Thu Jan 01, 2009 5:01 am

davet010 wrote:Robinho
Kompany
Zabaleta
Wright-Philips

No waste there.....our 'superstriker' Jo was bought with the previous owner's money.

No waste? You're sitting in 13th place after finishing 9th last season and we're over the halfway point! I think you're going in the wrong direction:)

Half-joking of course cause we all know what money does to a team in the premier league, you'll be top four soon enough:)

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Thu Jan 01, 2009 7:01 am

Trouble is, Mac, that 4 players don't make a team

Of the rest, they can be divided into 3 groups

1) Plenty good enough

Joe Hart
Steve Ireland (must be one of the best midfielders in the Prem at the mo)
Martin Petrov (when fit)

2) Now squad players

Richard Dunne (just the 3 OG's this season)
Micah Richards (started believing his own hype)
Michael Johnson (ditto)
Dietmar Hamann (if only he were 5 years younger)
Javier Garrido
Nedum Onuoha
Kasper Schmeichel

3) Just waiting to clear their lockers

All of the strikers, apart from Caicedo
Michael Ball

So, in Jan City need the following

-top flight CB
-top flight LB
-top flight DM
-striker who can score

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Thu Jan 01, 2009 9:52 am

they sign anyone yet?

macsomjrr · Post by **macsomjrr** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 1:37 am

davet010 wrote:Trouble is, Mac, that 4 players don't make a team

Amen to that. But are any City fans are truly worried about their teams future? Still it is a bit surprising that they're sitting mid-table after the earlier signings. The 5-1 thumping of Hull recently and the early season 6-0 annihilation of pompey show just how good this team can be with its current squad. Scary to think how good they could be by the end of the month.