The Beautiful Game thread, season 2013/14

[Jimmydeicide]

Surely the priority is getting back into champions league, heck even just European football we should be playing our best team to get maximum points in the prem .
Simply playing 2 more creative fullbacks probably would have taken care of Southampton.
Who knows, it could of just been one of those Jekyll and Hyde performances from last season.

[fsquid]

Can we just ban City from any more CL appearances. Bayern played with them like a pub team.

[Macca00]

Can we just ban City from any more CL appearances. Bayern played with them like a pub team.

That said, Boateng is still looking for his jock strap after that Negredo turn!


What the hell has happened to Joe Hart?

[fsquid]

Can we just ban City from any more CL appearances. Bayern played with them like a pub team.

That said, Boateng is still looking for his jock strap after that Negredo turn!


What the hell has happened to Joe Hart?

blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then.

[pk500]

Well, look who was on Charlie Rose for a full hour last night? Sir Alex Ferguson.

http://charlierose.com/watch/60274655

Eager to watch this.

[fsquid]

will there be an English version at a later date?

[fsquid]

[youtube]http://youtu.be/zh-2eGezFeI[/youtube]

[Jimmydeicide]

Can we just ban City from any more CL appearances. Bayern played with them like a pub team.

That said, Boateng is still looking for his jock strap after that Negredo turn!


What the hell has happened to Joe Hart?

blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then.

Your annoying.

[10spro]

A win is a win, is a win, no matter how they come right XXXIV?






R. Hodgson looked like a genius playing Townsend who showed no nerves whatsoever and scored a beautiful goal.

Belgium could be a dark horse in the WC, they are dangerous.

Nice to see Colombia making it back in the WC.

[RobVarak]

That goal in the Mexico game...no words.

[fsquid]

well that was weird hoping that the US didn't score last night.

[Zeppo]

well that was weird hoping that the US didn't score last night.

Yeah. Except in the grand scheme, it will always be better for us to have a strong Mexico team to battle with. Them being out of the World Cup wouldn't have helped us in the long run.

Plus we may get the chance to beat them in WC. Again.

[RobVarak]

well that was weird hoping that the US didn't score last night.

Yeah. Except in the grand scheme, it will always be better for us to have a strong Mexico team to battle with. Them being out of the World Cup wouldn't have helped us in the long run.

I don't know if that's strictly true. I think one national team's ability to develop talent and play football isn't really impacted by the presence of a rival. I think the overall level of play of the competition might have some impact, but even that is probably negligible compared to things like youth training, coaching and having your talent developed in the most competitive club leagues.

I think the level of play of a league has more impact on a club's quality, where you need to match a certain quality week in and week out. A national team has so few games plus the ability to schedule friendlies with virtually anyone, I think that those other factors are way more important.

I do know that I absolutely don't share the punditry's widely held opinion that the World Cup is somehow "better" with Mexico in it. That is a dog $hit team. There isn't a single player on the roster I'd pay to see play. Dull, lifeless, uninspired footballers from top to bottom. There aren't even any good villains aside from the rotting shell of Marquez. They offer nothing, except the crest on their shirt, that the Kiwis don't.

I'm sorry, but I don't think that beating them in the finals again would match the schadenfreude I'd revel in if they don't even qualify. They get five years to sit and stew in a bouillabaisse of national misery and shame. And that's what I want for them.

[fsquid]

I just find it hilarious that 1-2 years ago everyone was talking about their rise to glory after winning the Gold Cup, Olympics, and a few youth tournaments.

[10spro]

AC Milan is not interested in playing, quite content with how things are going after the first half. A boring affair so far and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Just flashes of the old Robinho, Messi and his usual magic.

[10spro]

Got to agree with Blatter on this one.


http://www.theguardian.com/football/201 ... airdresser

[wco81]

Klinsman tried to get Julian Green to report for the friendly this Friday but it sounds like the kid didn't heed the call.

I guess he feels more loyalty to the people paying his salary.

US Soccer, can't get all the best American players?

[10spro]

This is not good for the host country.


http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/16302 ... es?cc=5901

[dougb]

This is not good for the host country.


http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/16302 ... es?cc=5901

Given that the Summer Olympics are being held there in 2016, perhaps Brazil will pass the event horizon for corruption.

Doug

[pk500]

Absolutely fascinating interactive map showing worldwide footy transfers for the last 113 years, by nation:

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/fo ... e_map.html

[fsquid]

So the draw is tomorrow, who you want with the US? I'd take the Swiss out of the seeded pot and Croatia amongst those left in UEFA. Don't really have a read on the africa pot.

[wco81]

Was half-listening to a BBC podcast and they speculated that US might be put into a group of death.

[Zeppo]

Was half-listening to a BBC podcast and they speculated that US might be put into a group of death.

There is almost no way we will NOT be in a relative group of death. With the Asians put into the same pot as us, and Italy, the Netherlands, and France, not to mention Boznia and Herzegovina, England, Croatia, and Protugal all in pot 4, any group is going to be a difficult group for us.

But you have to play the games. Anything can happen once the whistle blows.

[Naples39]

We should be flattered that they say the USA might be put into a group of death.

Every team in Pot C with the USA has an equal chance of drawing the same "Group of Death" opponents as the USA. The only things that makes the chances of USA being in a Group of Death higher than any of those other guys is that their very own presence makes it so.

[XXXIV]

The only things that makes the chances of USA being in a Group of Death higher than any of those other guys is that their very own presence makes it so.

I follow and agree.