pk500 wrote:Speed must have battled some deeply buried demons. I've watched some video and read some stories and tweets today from his friends and associates, and everyone spoke about the warmth of his spirit, the quality of his person and the magic of his life with his beautiful family, friends and football.
Really hard to fathom why he killed himself.
PK,
I'm pretty bummed about the news and even more so now that it seems he took his own life. Quality player that I really enjoyed watching over the years and, like you said, from all accounts a really nice guy. A real shame.
Very sad news and my prayers go to his family of course. Never heard a bad thing about his character, a true professional in his playing days, kind as a manager and apparently was very generous with his charities. A fine man in a sport that can turn people cynical.
I spent more time clapping during the minute of applause for Gary Speed last night than I did in the 90 minutes that followed. This is a sign not only of what I thought of Gary Speed, but of what I think of Hartlepool United.
Is your team on the slide? No wins in their last 12 matches? Then why not organise a fixture at Victoria Park? We take a dispirited, disjointed set of visiting players and transform them into world beaters, all in the space of just 90 minutes here at the Lourdes of football! Boost your side's confidence with a guaranteed 3 points away from home thanks to our resident therapists, known to supporters across the country as quite simply "the home team's starting 11".
fsquid wrote:Group A at the Euros might be the weakest I've ever seen. Poland, Russia, Greece, and Czech R.
Group B is pretty hard: Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, and Denmark looks like fun.
Group B is definitely the group of death. There's no weak sisters here, and don't underestimate the Danish team. Group C with Spain and Italy looks interesting too, Croatia can be the Cinderella team. France and England should advance in their group.
Socrates, the great playmaker for Brazil and his generation passed away. A midfield that included him, Falcao, Zico and Eder was always a pleasure to watch. R.I.P.
Great player, Socrates. Epitome of elegance. Reminiscent of Beckenbaur and Redondo in that he walked tall with his head up and didn't seem to have to look down at the ball. The kind of player who gave the impression of being emperor of all he surveyed. They say that history only remembers the winners but few, if any, world champions are remembered with the same affection as the Brazil team of 1982. Here's the link to a nice tribute to that side:
pk500 wrote:Yakubu had a decent weekend, single-handedly saving Steve Kean's job for now ...
I think Steve Kean must have some secret photos of the Venky's engaging in some shady behaviour with chickens - no other explanation as to why he hasn't been fired yet.
Boca Juniors won the Argentinian apertura yesterday in what was perhaps their best performance in the past 6 years or so without losing a single match. Although I do miss the 'Superclasicos' between our eternal rivals in River Plate, the boys dedicated the championship to the Gallinas who are struggling in the the B division.
fsquid wrote:I guess the city of Manchester is uninterested in the Champions League.
Raises an interesting point that DaveT can answer: What would mean more to a City supporter this season? A Champions League title or winning the Premiership, with a sweep of the season series against United?
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
How the f United didn't manage to qualify from a group that contained Basel, Galati (who?) and a Benfica side that lost the league by 87 points (or something like that) last year is beyond me. I've seen Europa League groups tougher than that, speaking of Europa league.....
I would laugh more but my team dreams of the Europa League right now.....oh, and we've also been charged by the FA for surrounding the referee on Monday - too bad I can't find examples of another team that does this without any issues....
I am a bit shocked that City didn't qualify but they were in a tough group (all due respect to Galati or whatever the f*** they're called).
Romanian? I thought they were named after Italian ice cream or something.
Anyway, both City and United being out should make the title race that much more intense. Anyone check out what happened in Group D last night? Some sketchy sh1t.
Looking forward to it. A Madrid win would leave Barca with a fair bit of ground to make up. Some of the best players on the planet on view but I'd be surprised if it turns out to be an exquisite match. Maybe too much at stake for that.
rhymes450 wrote:Looking forward to it. A Madrid win would leave Barca with a fair bit of ground to make up. Some of the best players on the planet on view but I'd be surprised if it turns out to be an exquisite match. Maybe too much at stake for that.
Last year although the players were there for RM, they weren't playing as a team. This is their best chance to to upset Barca if you can call it that, but Messi's team got more intangibles at this point. But watching Real this year, they hurt you when you least expect it so if it turns into a bore especially if Mourinho decides to mark every Barca man mano a mano, watch out. Plus they have home advantage.
I would like Alexis to be a starter for the Catalanes and play more on the left side where I find him more dangerous.
rhymes450 wrote:Looking forward to it. A Madrid win would leave Barca with a fair bit of ground to make up. Some of the best players on the planet on view but I'd be surprised if it turns out to be an exquisite match. Maybe too much at stake for that.
A Madrid win might seal the title. The gulf between Madrid, Barca and the rest of La Liga is so large that the top two clubs don't drop many points. If Madrid goes up six points with a victory, that's going to be tough for Barca to catch. Madrid has a game in hand over Barca, too, so essentially the lead will be nine points.
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
rhymes450 wrote:Looking forward to it. A Madrid win would leave Barca with a fair bit of ground to make up. Some of the best players on the planet on view but I'd be surprised if it turns out to be an exquisite match. Maybe too much at stake for that.
Last year although the players were there for RM, they weren't playing as a team. This is their best chance to to upset Barca if you can call it that, but Messi's team got more intangibles at this point. But watching Real this year, they hurt you when you least expect it so if it turns into a bore especially if Mourinho decides to mark every Barca man mano a mano, watch out. Plus they have home advantage.
I would like Alexis to be a starter for the Catalanes and play more on the left side where I find him more dangerous.
Yeah, there seems to be a feeling that the momentum is with Madrid. Regarding Alexis, I'll bow to your superior knowledge. Not one of the first Barca players that springs to my mind but I'll be looking out for him tomorrow now that you've mentioned him. The "Barca B" team that won easily in the ECL in midweek shows the strength in depth they have and put me in mind of the famous Bill Shankly claim that the 2nd best team in England was the Liverpool reserves.
