2009-10 Football Thread – The Second Half

Jaffa Cake said:

Our tactics are foolproof...

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Are you sure, just like Sunderland yesterday, we seem to be missing a keeper

I thought I'd kick off the second half proper with the tremendously exciting rumour that Gerrard might be on his way out. Apparently there's a divide forming in the Liverpool changing room - the Rafa camp, headed by Torres and Reina; and the anti-Rafa camp, headed by Gerrard and Carragher. It all sounds a bit "lets put the Spanish players with the Spanish manager and say there's a split" to me but I would love it to be true and it is therefore worthy of discussion here.

Second half! I'll try to keep making those overlapping runs up the left, but the midfield needs to give me the ball when I scream for it!

I have heard the Gerrard rumors too. Hopefully it's just a mild case of xenophobia by members of the press.

With the possible exception of Yossi Benayoun, nobody at Liverpool has been putting in consistently good performances this season. Torres is not as injury prone as RVP but he gets hurt with worrying frequency. Hopefully it's just coincidence and not something that will dog the rest of his career.

But I'm sure the dressing room mood is not a good one.

EDIT: I really hope that Clint Dempsey's World Cup prospect aren't damaged by this injury....he's a player we need at that tournament.

i know this a ENGLISH SOCCER or football thread....

but i am amped for the start of the 2010 MLS of the USA.....

i hope becks doesn't leave us here in LA.....

and i'm happy that one of my friend's from my university got drafted in the 2010 MLS Superdraft.....and he is soon to be the smallest player in the NY RedBulls lineup.... at 5'5.

anyways, the biggest moment i remembered in 2009 premier league moment was Hondurian Wigan Athletic player Maynor Figueroa's 60 yard strike from half way. AMAZING!.....well anyways cheers.

leomac08 said:

i know this a ENGLISH SOCCER or football thread....

but i am amped for the start of the 2010 MLS of the USA.....

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As Jaffa said, all soccer is welcome! I'm looking forward to the start of the MLS season as well. Even before the season starts, Columbus begin the first knockout round of the CONCACAF Champions League. Apart from losing striker Alejandro Moreno to Philly, we have the same squad that won the league in 2008, plus one or two new faces. I think we'll be competing for all the silverware again this season. Most importantly, it looks like we'll be able to re-sign Schelotto for another season. And we have new shirts!

Some significant vocal unrest among the United supporters against the owners - that's something new to me.

It's also hypocritical. Fans seem very excited or at least trusting when a mega-rich owner buys a club and does whatever they want with it, as long as they see results. But the second things look shaky they attack "foreign" ownership etc etc (what about Ken Bates?). I'm not supporting the Glazers here, but why is their ownership a problem all of the sudden? I have not heard much unrest from United fans before, when they were winning trophies right and left....

It looks like Babel has to go since Rafa has lost his confidence, but there's no guarantee we'll be getting anyone to replace him...Kenwyne Jones is a player I doubt we'd have considered a year ago, but now he seems a good option. He may make a meaningful contribution, but Liverpool can't afford top four players anymore - so how can we call ourselves a top four club? Especially if we don't finish in the top four?

Jaffa Cake said:

I read this weekend that Beckham may be hanging up his boots after this summer's World Cup – if there's any truth in that I don't know, it may be nothing more than tabloid tittle-tattle but he will be 35 in May so he's certainly got fewer playing days ahead of him than he does behind...

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If the rumor has anything to it, it may simply be referring to Becks retiring from England...with his dead ball skills I'll bet he could be a useful player in the MLS into his 40s. Plus, he has an option to buy an MLS franchise as part pf his contract deal....Beckham the player-manager?

2nd half -

For a moment I thought my Irish cousin, O'Wildly, was in. Rush goalie, that takes me back, jumpers for goalposts ...

Good luck with Smoking Whacki Zaki.

Gerrard - it would be daft if he went to Spain.

Cheers,
OW

Good points Jaffa, and I did read about FC United Manchester a little while back. I guess all the success has merely served to quiet the murmurs temporarily. Just goes to show you that nothing except constant success will paper over the financial skullduggery - as soon as performance drops the questions start being asked.

And Yes, Gerrard going anywhere would be crazy.

Manchester United need a Sheikh, that'll sort everything Can the FA be charged with bringing the game into disrepute?

Jaffa Cake said:

To be fair your Lordship, there's been a long standing dispute between United supporters and the Glazers stretching back to when their intention to take over the club first emerged – the complaints of the supporters are nothing new. A key point of conflict was the fact that the new owners were essentially putting the club heavily into debt as part of the takeover.

A number of the disenchanted supporters actually set up their own football club – FC United of Manchester – in protest, they play non-league football but after early successes now find themselves two promotions away from League Two. We actually saw them play a couple of seasons back, they're a bit of an odd bunch.

I think the issue now is that more and more United supporters are realising the early dissenters weren't too wide of the mark with their concerns.

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Very true, I don't know of any supporters who thought the Glazers were a good idea.Buying a club with money borrowed using the club as collateral (using bridging loans) is at best morally dubious at worst legally dubious.

Perhaps the National Trust should step in and declare certain football clubs as national treasures and thus grant them protection.

swiftaw said:

Perhaps the National Trust should step in and declare certain football clubs as national treasures and thus grant them protection.

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Barcelona is the model for club ownership.

Peterkro said:

Barcelona is the model for club ownership.

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Agreed.

We weren't as bad as I read some post yesterday saying - it's not like we didn't create anything too, we scored two, Fabregas missed a relatively easy chance, and I think at least the first penalty was pretty damn clear, he takes the ball away from the keeper who then brought him down with his legs. I think our 3 points were hard fought, but merited in the end.

We have the opportunity to go to the top of the league on Wednesday, which will hopefully motivate the players a lot.. the bad thing is the incredible piling up of injuries.

I agree with you, I probably sounded a bit harsh on Arsenal - but as a neutral I thought that Bolton were playing well and Arsenal were clearly not playing up to to their full potential. Traore in particular was a weak spot.

But in the end Arsenal finished a couple of their chances and that made all the difference.

As for the penalty shout, it looked at first like the keeper blocked the ball with his legs and Fabregas half-jumped over him then decided to play for the foul - but on the reverse angle it looks like it could have been a penalty. Dowd had a decent angle on the play.

Jaffa Cake said:

Traditionally we now end threads once they get around the 2,000 post mark, meaning that it's time that the original 2009-10 Football Thread hung up its boots, as it were.

Of course, this is a thread of two halves... so I hope you're all ready for the second! You all done good in the first half, so I don't want any heads dropping – I want to see 110% from every one of you.

Our tactics are foolproof...

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...you all know what's expected of you – don't let the supporters down.

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So, warming the bench, am I?!?!?!?!?

Just my luck that I put Dempsey in my team on saturday, been forced to play my wildcard. Nothing like a good refresh of the team in the January transfer window though.

*Types onto his twitter page*
"Not selected for first team again.. no explanation.."

Jaffa Cake said:

Not at all, soccerball of any nationality is okay with us – we even discuss Scottish football from time to time!

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Nice now i know.

Jaffa Cake said:

I read this weekend that Beckham may be hanging up his boots after this summer's World Cup – if there's any truth in that I don't know, it may be nothing more than tabloid tittle-tattle but he will be 35 in May so he's certainly got fewer playing days ahead of him than he does behind...

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i would not be surprised if that happend. The man is getting old, but still has some magic left in him.

Jaffa Cake said:

Midfielder Irving Garcia, one would presume? Good luck to him.

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Right on the spot!!!!!!!!!!!!!! +1, small soccer player he is, but has the skills of a brazilian.

Leo Messi, is small but he has skill with the ball, that's how many people describe him.

Lord Blackadder said:

As Jaffa said, all soccer is welcome! I'm looking forward to the start of the MLS season as well. Even before the season starts, Columbus begin the first knockout round of the CONCACAF Champions League. Apart from losing striker Alejandro Moreno to Philly, we have the same squad that won the league in 2008, plus one or two new faces. I think we'll be competing for all the silverware again this season. Most importantly, it looks like we'll be able to re-sign Schelotto for another season. And we have new shirts!

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The Columbus Crew was almost their last season, however is going to be tough, since Moreno is no longer playing for the crew, but i know that the crew has a good squad, they're the 2008 League Champions.


AND OF COURSE WE HAVE NEW JERSEYS FOR THE 2010-2011 SEASON!!!!

I've seen the Philadelphia Union Jerseys and they're amazing!

Can't wait to see the LA Galaxy's Jersey Home Kit.

and the new adidas Jabulani MLS ball.

Lord Blackadder said:

If the rumor has anything to it, it may simply be referring to Becks retiring from England...with his dead ball skills I'll bet he could be a useful player in the MLS into his 40s. Plus, he has an option to buy an MLS franchise as part pf his contract deal....Beckham the player-manager?

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There were rumors saying that he might own a football/soccer team after his soccer run is over. I Even heard rumors he was interested in managing a club.

I like the ball. I wonder if this means the TG II balls will go on sale....