GB_Simo wrote:I'd start going to the match on a Saturday with my gloves in my pocket, just in case we were really that desperate for a new custodian.
Ok you are going to have to explain this british saying to me. If it's said here in America it must have not gotten out west yet. If it is, well then I must have a slogan sheltered life.
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Roughly translated "Paul Robinson has been playing so badly that any team who signs him on his current form may be as well served by inviting one of their fans down from the stands to take over the goalkeeping duties. Many of said fans may bring their own gloves in anticipation of such an eventuality."
"The players come from all over the world, the money from deep underneath the Persian Gulf, but, as another, older City poster campaign put it, this is their city. They may now exist in the global spotlight, but they intend to keep it that way."
Italy continues to ignore the systemic problems with its football. The WC victory is less effective as a bright and shiny distraction every day. Astonishing that the cretins that own these teams and run that league can continue to languish 25 years behind the rest of Europe with respect to reigning in this nonsense.
I'm sure that FIFA and UEFA will apply the requisite pressure
XBL Gamertag: RobVarak
"Ok I'm an elitist, but I have a healthy respect for people who don't measure up." --Aaron Sorkin
RobVarak wrote:I'm sure that FIFA and UEFA will apply the requisite pressure
Haha...I enjoyed that sentence.
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RobVarak wrote:Italy continues to ignore the systemic problems with its football. The WC victory is less effective as a bright and shiny distraction every day. Astonishing that the cretins that own these teams and run that league can continue to languish 25 years behind the rest of Europe with respect to reigning in this nonsense.
I'm sure that FIFA and UEFA will apply the requisite pressure
Edgar Davids gave a very interesting interview on Monday, where he pointed out, probably quite rightly, that football in Italy often seems to act as a lightning rod for deeper problems within the structure of Italian society.
"The players come from all over the world, the money from deep underneath the Persian Gulf, but, as another, older City poster campaign put it, this is their city. They may now exist in the global spotlight, but they intend to keep it that way."
davet010 wrote:
Edgar Davids gave a very interesting interview on Monday, where he pointed out, probably quite rightly, that football in Italy often seems to act as a lightning rod for deeper problems within the structure of Italian society.
Very true. True of every country, in fact. Appropriately enough, I'm re-reading The Ball Is Round, which touches on a ton of those issues.
Italy's problems were clearly more ingrained than those of England or the rest of Western Europe in the 80s. Economic improvement, increased investment and revitalized infrastructure were able to curb those problems. Italy's problems with corruption and waste are even worse in its public sector than in its football. A really unfortunate thing.
XBL Gamertag: RobVarak
"Ok I'm an elitist, but I have a healthy respect for people who don't measure up." --Aaron Sorkin
There's a very good book called 'Calcio' by John Foot which devotes an entire chapter to the relationship between football clubs, the 'ultras' and violence. Italain soccer is probably the only example in W Europe of the ultra phenomenon which is prevalent in Argentinian and Brazilian soccer, of hard core hoolies having a working relationship (often by implied threat) to their club of choice.
Indeed, some recent works had predicted the sort of developments we saw on Sunday, where ultras of teams who would normally be in conflict with each other (Roma and Lazio, for example) have declared a solidarity against the law enforcement agencies of the state.
Sad to say that years of appalling neglect (approx 60% of stadia in Seria A-C1 fail even the most basic health and safety reviews and have to get weekly passes from the mayors of various cities), laughable crowd control within the stadia themselves (basically allowing huge areas to become no-go areas for police and stewards) and collusion between club management and their hard core fan base has created a situation that will take significant time and efforts to eradicate.
"The players come from all over the world, the money from deep underneath the Persian Gulf, but, as another, older City poster campaign put it, this is their city. They may now exist in the global spotlight, but they intend to keep it that way."
You know Owen is a paper doll. Why put that guy in meaningles games?
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He's blown his chance of a move away from Fat Sam Allardyce to Sven's Sky Blue Powerhouse now
Anyway, it'll all be up for England this afternoon when Russia do one on Israel. I'll be watching Scotland v Italy in their winner takes all game instead .
"The players come from all over the world, the money from deep underneath the Persian Gulf, but, as another, older City poster campaign put it, this is their city. They may now exist in the global spotlight, but they intend to keep it that way."
Damn, what is the deal with Owen? This is much more than bad luck.
The guy must have biomechanical or muscle-skeletal problems that the average guy just doesn't have. He can't even walk on the pitch without getting hurt. It's not like he's this rough-and-tumble, physical striker like Rooney who never shuns a challenge.
Take care,
PK
"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
pk500 wrote:Damn, what is the deal with Owen? This is much more than bad luck.
The guy must have biomechanical or muscle-skeletal problems that the average guy just doesn't have. He can't even walk on the pitch without getting hurt. It's not like he's this rough-and-tumble, physical striker like Rooney who never shuns a challenge.
Take care,
PK
I seem to recall reading an interesting article about him some years ago. In his youth he was incredibly fast but prone to repeated hamstring injuries a la Isaac Bruce. Some trainers worked with him on a program to essentially change the way he trained as well as his gait. The net result was no hammy problems but a ton of ankle and groin issues LOL Damned if you do...
XBL Gamertag: RobVarak
"Ok I'm an elitist, but I have a healthy respect for people who don't measure up." --Aaron Sorkin
Scotland got robbed. That call at the end of the game was almost like Italy knew they would get a call. And they did.
What a disgrace Italian football is. They were not the better side today. Outside of the first goal, Scotland was the better side.
Forza Cheaters.
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JRod wrote:Scotland got robbed. That call at the end of the game was almost like Italy knew they would get a call. And they did.
What a disgrace Italian football is. They were not the better side today. Outside of the first goal, Scotland was the better side.
Forza Cheaters.
I'd hardly say they were robbed - after all, the linesman chalked off a perfectly good second Italian goal in the first half with a faulty offside call, and if you check the replay of that foul, Hutton balks Camoranesi before he is barged...a bit harsh, but there you are. The draw wasn't much use to them anyway, as qualification then depended on France's result in the Ukraine.
"The players come from all over the world, the money from deep underneath the Persian Gulf, but, as another, older City poster campaign put it, this is their city. They may now exist in the global spotlight, but they intend to keep it that way."
JRod wrote:Scotland got robbed. That call at the end of the game was almost like Italy knew they would get a call. And they did.
What a disgrace Italian football is. They were not the better side today. Outside of the first goal, Scotland was the better side.
Forza Cheaters.
I'd hardly say they were robbed - after all, the linesman chalked off a perfectly good second Italian goal in the first half with a faulty offside call, and if you check the replay of that foul, Hutton balks Camoranesi before he is barged...a bit harsh, but there you are. The draw wasn't much use to them anyway, as qualification then depended on France's result in the Ukraine.
Sorry but offsides are mostly questionable. Could it have gone both ways, ok. But there's no way that Italian player even played the ball. He just went shoulder first into the Scottish player.
Yet another cheap foul that determines a game. I've watched this thing (torrent) over and over again. And to me he just never plays that ball.
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You must be joking - even the Sky commentators said that the Italy goal that was disallowed for offside should have stood, and they were all Scots.
As for the foul at the end, you just have to pick yourself up and get on with it. Scotland's defenders fell asleep (as they did for the opening goal) and allowed a header in their own box, which is a cardinal sin.
I didn't argue that the Italian player played the ball, I just felt that the first obstruction was by Hutton on him, although it was marginal.
"The players come from all over the world, the money from deep underneath the Persian Gulf, but, as another, older City poster campaign put it, this is their city. They may now exist in the global spotlight, but they intend to keep it that way."
I was among the 40k for the MLS cup today, only to see the Revolution lose. Again.
I can't believe they blew another 1-0 lead in the finals. They were firmly in control basically the entire game, and then Houston scores on two of their very few chances of the match. After missing a bunch of chances to make it 2-nil, one could sense something bad was gonna happen. Houston did surprise me though with getting 2 in the 2nd half.
Also, my friends and I were chatting at halftime about how DeRosario was completely invisible in the first half, and then the guy ends up with game MVP on a second half goal and assist. Gotta give credit for stepping up in the big game though.
After England's unbelievable good fortune with a Russia loss this weekend, England is pissing it away with a shocking 2-0 halftime deficit at home to Croatia. Carson, a surprise starter in goal earning only his 2nd cap today, let in a real howler for Croatia's first goal.
Will England really let the Euro's slip away? Second half should be fun.
