The Beautiful Game Thread 10/11

[XXXIV]

My wife and I are headed are flying to London on Thursday, so hopefully the mess will be somewhat cleared up by the time we fly.

Good luck. Have a great safe trip!

[dougb]

My wife and I are headed are flying to London on Thursday, so hopefully the mess will be somewhat cleared up by the time we fly.

Good luck. Have a great safe trip!

Thanks! At this point I'd say the odds of us making it there are probably around 60-40. A lot will depend on how well things pick up tomorrow and Wednesday. Only 2 of the regular 5 flights are heading out for London tonight and unfortunately there is a forecast of more snow for Wednesday.

Best wishes,

Doug

[GB_Simo]

Hey UK-DSP'ers...is this much snow for England unprecedented? I know last year a few pitches in the north were frozen and a few games postponed but this seems like the worse I've ever seen in terms of snow causing problems so far south for such a period of time.

It's certainly not common for there to be quite this much for quite this long. I'm up in the north east about 30 miles or so from Newcastle so I can't comment on exactly how it is down south and the likelihood of doug touching down on time at Heathrow, but the temperature hasn't threatened to get anywhere near climbing above freezing here for the last couple of weeks. Whenever there's a spell of snow, the news outlets act as if we've never seen it before so there's always a certain level of hysteria in the media, but the reporters stationed at the major airports and train stations in London are definitely reaching a higher level of frenzy than usual.

You might wish to note that in the frozen northern wastelands, Newcastle International Airport is open for business as usual, everyone's still making it to work on time and life is continuing (as is the football - one of the two Premier League matches completed this weekend was just along the way from me in Sunderland) though for some reason none of us are having a news network's camera trained upon us as we go about our business. I've seen men wearing light jackets, though, so it must be getting chilly.

[Macca00]

As I told Rob a while ago, I flew into the UK on Friday night to watch the Fulham-Liverpool match on Saturday and was to fly out on Sunday - back to work Monday. My XMas and Birthday present to myself.

The match was obviously cancelled and it's been a f***in nightmare as I have spent the last 36 hours sleeping in Heathrow - it's a f***in gong-show - I have pictures; it's like a 3rd world refugee camp. You couldn't even leave terminal 3 because then they wouldn't let you back in! (I kid you not) I have been on standby since Sunday, I think booked a flight to Washington that got cancelled, then I booked a flight to Dublin to Newark and then Toronto. I was lucky this AM and was one of the few flights that left once they CLOSED f***in HEATHROW DOWN - but then BMI got me to Dublin late and I missed my connecting flight.

So now I am stuck in Dublin....and it's snowing here too. Hopefully they are not as big a bunch of pussies as the English (hides his birth certificate). I am going to come back the next time there is a snow storm with a shovel and a snow blower and I will run the country.

I need to get back because there is no way I am missing my daughter's first Christmas.

Anyway, at least I can leave the airport here and take a f***in shower.

In summary, this is all Roy Hodgson's fault.

Wish me luck,
Lavan

[dougb]

Yikes! Good luck for what it's worth! I'm sure that you've been consoled by the authorities explanation that snow at Heathrow is extraordinary and that they simply cannot do anything about it - even though err this is pretty much the third winter in a row of significant snow there.

Hoping you get back for Christmas with your wife and daughter! Were scheduled to spend Christmas with my father-in-law who's recovering from a stroke but at the moment the schedules are day to day so no idea if we'll make it over. However still much preferable to your situation obviously!

Best wishes and hope you're able to have a Merry Christmas.

Doug

[fsquid]

Brits were too busy getting ready for the Royal Wedding.

[Rodster]

I thought Global Warming was supposed to do away with snow across the pond, so much for that theory.

[XXXIV]

In summary, this is all Roy Hodgson's fault.

Wish me luck,
Lavan

Its very cool that you can still have a laugh....I feel for you and good luck!

[wco81]

I thought Global Warming was supposed to do away with snow across the pond, so much for that theory.

Not this again, every winter?


That's some dedication, flying in just for a football game and flying right back. I can't even be arsed to pay for Fox Sports Soccer channel.

[RobVarak]

It must be bad. Kenny Dalglish is bitching about his local town council on Twitter b/c their snow removal sucks.

Wow, the 21st century is weird.

@wco I think he was going to visit family.

[rhymes450]

I arrived in Dublin Airport yesterday from Madrid. Could've met up for a pint if I'd known Macca was around. Our connecting flight to Cork was cancelled and we finally made it today by train. The taxi driver awaiting us at the train station wasn't too put out by the fact that we arrived 15 minutes late because meanwhile he'd managed to get a photo of himself with Bono (the taxi driver described himself as a big U2 fan), who apparently was also reduced to travelling by train. From what I've seen on TV, very few flights left Dublin today. Hopefully, Macca's was one of them. It didn't look very promising. Can imagine that anyone who comes from a place where snow is frequent must be shocked at our lack of preparation for severe winter weather. The bad news is that the cold weather looks set to continue for at least a few days.

[miget33]

Sounds like Fat Rafa will be sacked at Inter.

[10spro]

Sounds like Fat Rafa will be sacked at Inter.

Will Liverpool take him back? I am pretty sure he'll be coaching back in England, there are rumors than Fergie may step out as soon as the camels come into town and fat Benny may just be at the right spot.

[Feanor]

Already read one Spurs fan saying he's scared Rafa will end up there once Harry inevitably moves on.

[JRod]

Sounds like Fat Rafa will be sacked at Inter.

Can we finally blame Liverpool's demise on Rafa. Roy may not be the right guy, but he's got f***-all to work with. I actually feel sorry for him. I watched Newcastle and Liverpool again over the snow "break" and it was hilarious just how up a stream Liverpool are without a paddle. John Henry better find some money fast.

[dougb]

Hope Lavan made it out of Dublin!

Good news for my wife and I as our flight is operating and we have completed the on-line check-in. Tomorrow morning we'll be in chilly England. There's something about Christmas that just seems a little more special when you can attend a service in a church parts of which are 1,000 years old.

Best wishes,

Doug

[miget33]

[Macca00]

Finally made it home late last night - got from Dublin to NY and from there back home. Tired as s***...smelling not much better after several days stuck in airports.

Worst of all though, I get home and find out my dad has been fired from Inter! This is really going to put a damper on the Christmas dinner chatter.

Anyway, as for this being evidence that Liverpool's demise is his fault - I know I'm not going to change anyone's opinions but do you really think players like Kyriagkos, Ngog and Maxi were Rafa's first choice? Do you think any team with aspirations of a top 4 finish would first choose to spend 1 million pounds, 1.5 million and FREE on squad players? Or do you think he wasn't given more money?

Option 3 is that he was and he spent the rest on food - this is also possible.

Also, despite a s*** squad, Rafa took pretty much the same team to 2nd 18 months ago and at the start of last season the Guardian picked Liverpool to win the Premiership - amazing how now that same group of players is utter s*** - I think Rafa was actually overachieving with this team.

But I am biased as he is my dad.

Regardless, there are a lot of Liverpool fans I spoke to last weekend while getting piss drunk that wouldn't mind getting Rafa back at all. Of course, they were drunk.

Anyway, so nice to be home! And in the interim my practice has undergone crisis and it's cleanup time today!

EDIT:

Also, just wanted to say that if you haven't read "Inverting the Pyramid" by Johnathon Wilson you simply must. Rob suggested it and it's a phenomenal book. After reading that book and then reading the daily football press it really reiterates that 99% of football journos are thick as s***.

[Macca00]

I did that before I left. Some ManU fans helped me. Not sure why....

[Jimmydeicide]

I did that before I left. Some ManU fans helped me. Not sure why....

This looks like my friends house on Scotty road... hes an Evertonian.(fill in any premier club name here)

Id take Rafa Manuel Chandran back if it means i dont see old man Hodgeson rubbing his face off again.

Edit Glad you made it home for babys first christmas Macca.

[Macca00]

Edit Glad you made it home for babys first christmas Macca.

Cheers, mate. Am very glad to be back. Also thanks to everyone else for the well wishes.

[RobVarak]

Glad you made it home...finally. I'm a fan of your Dad as well, but I'm not going to re-hash the same arguments with JRod or anyone else. It was a poor idea for him to take the Inter gig from the get-go.

Glad you liked the book. I can't recommend it to everyone strongly enough. Wilson is also a must-follow on Twitter. The back and forth between him, Sid Lowe and Gabrielle Marcotti is very interesting and informative.

[RobVarak]

This European weather thing is no longer amusing. Boxing day requires a full slate of games, damn it!

[JRod]

Andy Carroll!

[JRod]

Back when Rafa was winning s***, he spent a lot of money on busts. Later when he needed money the well suddenly dried up not because the market changed but because Rafa couldn't be trusted with a dollar. The fact that has was given money but spent it on players that turned into nothing, ultimately led to his leverage going to zero at LFC.

Hicks and Gillette did their best to destroy the club but a manager can overspend when he's successful. Look at the wake of death left by Dave's favorite crook at Tottenham.

Rafa left a team that could only play well for him. I don't know how not to blame Rafa for Liverpool's on the pitch quality (lack there of). He could never secure a team around Torres and Gerrard. And when they don't play you have a really bad team. Hicks and Gillette were terrible owners and are responsible for Liverpool being skint. Anyway, money will be the only way to solve Liverpool's problem and how are they going to secure enough to buy squad players and raise enough just to they can have a stadium to compete with the large-stadium teams.

With City taking up a spot in the top 4, as of Boxing day that leaves Man U and Chelsea as the top three teams. (I include City because of the war chest they have.) Arsenal is arsenal and unpredictable.

It would be easy to say the Henry needs to spend money to get back to the Champs league so that tournament can help raise more pounds for the team. But Liverpool's demise is being replaced by City's spending spree. All this takes the option of spending their way to the CL off the table. Several years ago, they could do this. There's only four seats at the adult table and City seems to have taken a seat.

Objectively, Liverpool is in dire shape relative to the top four, regardless of who put them there. Only Rafa's sons don't think so.