The Beautiful Game Thread, 11/12

[pigpen81]

Darke and Mcmanaman are BRILLIANT.

That studio show.....ugh!!!!!!

I refuse to watch it. Lalas and Twellman are dreadful at best.

How will England blow it tomorrow?

[pk500]

Darke and Mcmanaman are BRILLIANT.

That studio show.....ugh!!!!!!

I refuse to watch it. Lalas and Twellman are dreadful at best.

How will England blow it tomorrow?

Agree, Piggy. Sir Ian and Macca are the gold standard.

But Ballack makes Lalas and Twellman look like the most sage footy analysts in the history of television. Ballack offers NOTHING to the studio show other than the chance to induce moistness between the thighs of female viewers.

[pk500]

ESPN continues to make broadcast history with the worst studio show of all-time.

Bob Ley: Balotelli had a great game. What do you think, Michael?

Michael Ballack: Yeah, great...

Bob Ley: ... ... ...

I've seen cameo analysis from Martinez. Why not return him to the studio? I thought he was very good for ESPN in World Cup 2010.

[RobVarak]

ESPN continues to make broadcast history with the worst studio show of all-time.

Bob Ley: Balotelli had a great game. What do you think, Michael?

Michael Ballack: Yeah, great...

Bob Ley: ... ... ...

I've seen cameo analysis from Martinez. Why not return him to the studio? I thought he was very good for ESPN in World Cup 2010.

He's busy trying to get himself the hell out of Wigan.

[Macca00]

I've yet to see Martinez do analysis on TV.....I've always imagined he'd open his mouth but before the words came out Dave Whelan would speak for him.


I'll second that Ian Darke and Macca are a great combo. Except for when Macca calls him "Darkie" which always sounds a bit dodgy. Could be worse I guess, his name could be Ian Black.

[Naples39]

I haven't really watched the halftime shows and stuff, though I did just catch this gem.

Michael, what do you think about this goal?

"Yeah...that's a great cross from Steven Lampard.....heh....yeah look at that"

[pigpen81]

England again finding more ways to lose. How can you not mark Mellberg on a free kick? and why such a deep line?

[pigpen81]

Great response and sublime goal by Welbeck.

[miget33]

An England game that didnt put me to sleep? Well they tried so hard to do so in the 1st half.

[GB_Simo]

I've yet to see Martinez do analysis on TV.....I've always imagined he'd open his mouth but before the words came out Dave Whelan would speak for him.

Martinez is at the Euros with ITV. Speaks sense, does so articulately and is far, far easier to understand on television than Jamie Carragher has been thus far.

Edit: There's a Euro 2012 thread...

[Jimmydeicide]

Edit: There's a Euro 2012 thread...

Yes there is and it makes it hard to make fun of all the stupid comments so can we put the "Ballack moistens thighs" and "England suck ...oh wait no they dont" comments in the right spot.

CARROLL!!! I may have called that one under my breath in one of the threads

[fsquid]

Drogba signs with a Chinese team.

[RobVarak]

Drogba signs with a Chinese team.

An hour later he's going to want to sign another contract. #BobHopeJoke

[RobVarak]

Interesting new soccer quarterly has a kickstarter:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/qur ... t-soccer-0

Good pedigree on some of those contributors.

[pk500]

Thanks for the tip, Rob. Looks good!

[Macca00]

Suicide-prompting thought for Liverpool fans;

A few years ago our midfield had Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano in it.

Now we have Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam.

I'm off to slit my wrists.....

L
(melodramatic and overwhelmed by his man-crush on Xabi Alonso)

[XXXIV]

Suicide-prompting thought for Liverpool fans;
(melodramatic and overwhelmed by his man-crush on Xabi Alonso)

After watching the game today, I understand.

[Feanor]

You knew Benitez had lost the plot when he unsettled Alonso in his pursuit of Gareth Barry.

http://www.caughtoffside.com/2011/05/25 ... y-pursuit/

[Jimmydeicide]

So blame your Dad Macca there is the proof.

[Macca00]

So blame your Dad Macca there is the proof.

Two points;

i. The season right before Rafa started pursing Barry was the worst of Alonso's career. There were a lot of Liverpool fans wondering if he was going to move on anyway because he had been utter crap. He played great in 2009 but Rafa had already fractured the relationship by wanting to sell him the season before.
ii. Rafa never got Barry because Hicks & Gillette wouldn't give him the 18 million quid to buy Gareth Barry (who isn't exactly naff since he won the league with City and was an essential part of their team).

So yes, it was Rafa`s fault that Alonso left but the owners f***ed him by not even allowing him to get his first choice replacement. Compare that to Dalglish who got to waste 20 million on waste-of-carbon Stewart Downing....

[davet010]

So blame your Dad Macca there is the proof.

Two points;

i. The season right before Rafa started pursing Barry was the worst of Alonso's career. There were a lot of Liverpool fans wondering if he was going to move on anyway because he had been utter crap. He played great in 2009 but Rafa had already fractured the relationship by wanting to sell him the season before.
ii. Rafa never got Barry because Hicks & Gillette wouldn't give him the 18 million quid to buy Gareth Barry (who isn't exactly naff since he won the league with City and was an essential part of their team).

So yes, it was Rafa`s fault that Alonso left but the owners f***ed him by not even allowing him to get his first choice replacement. Compare that to Dalglish who got to waste 20 million on waste-of-carbon Stewart Downing....

I wouldn't exactly call Barry 'essential' - he's actually easily replaceable by Nigel de Jong in the current squad. He's got a job to do and does it, but I wouldn't say he was £18m quids worth, although I suppose when you've got the bank, notions of 'worth' become subjective. The key thing from a Liverpool persepective is that if you are going to get a watercarrier, then he's only useful if he's doing that for someone. At City, Barry does it for the incomparable Yaya, but Liverpool haven't got anyone of that quality, either then or now.

Having said that, if your Yankee jokers want to pass £18m in City's direction, Barry can go to Liverpool and we can go and get Daniele de Rossi. I hear Liverpool are also after Adam Johnson as well - based on the prices paid for last year's Liverpool signings, let's start the bidding at £40m...

[Jimmydeicide]

I didnt and i dont want Gareth Barry, i didnt want Downing and well the other guy lets hope hes a Lucas in the making but i dont see it. Henderson is prototypical English player everyone is ragging on about, tough, hard working,with no skill or technique.
He reminds me of Uncle Eddie, "a big beastly bulging man in a blue leisure suit"

Barry is not going to add anything to Liverpool.
Johnson ill have not sure but hopefully hes a bit quicker than Downing.
If the owners over pay they over pay just like all the other clubs do with money, bottom line is Liverpool need an influx of talent in the middle and on the wing to supply Carroll.
If there was one thing Rafa had tho was a strong deep connection with Spanish and European football hopefully those scouts are still in place and they start turning over rocks to find someone, maybe just follow Wengers guys around and just out bid him when it comes down to pen and paper.

[FifaInspected]

Rangers dropped out of Scottish top league.
http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/story/ ... top-league

[pk500]

RVP refuses to sign new deal with Arsenal. Will he stay with the Gooners for the one year remaining on his deal or request a transfer?

[fsquid]

Rangers dropped out of Scottish top league.
http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/story/ ... top-league

wow, they didn't vote for the money first.