The 2012-2013 Football Thread

[Fuzzy14]

Originally Posted by Lord Blackadder

Craig Levein is gone.

Hardly a surprise I think. Where do Scotland go from here?

No surprise. And from here we go up. Surely?

I have already previously admitted I really wanted Levein to get the job based on what he did with the youth at Dundee Utd, but it just didn't work out. For all we know he's done great things behind the scenes developing future squads but his non-aggressive tactics were just wrong (we need a goal against the Czechs, play the 4-6-0 formation!) and he quickly lost the support of the paying fans with miserable results and playing players out of position. 3 wins in 10 matches is not good enough. We're used to no qualifying for major championships but being Scottish we need the emotional roller-coaster of just missing out on goal difference rather than abject failure from the onset (note the end result is the same.)

So it's the usual names being touted about, this time Gordon Strachan and Joe Jordan seems to be the favourites. Strachan is the media's favourite as he'll be good for a stupid quote, Jordan is the fans favourite as he's got a reputation for tough non-compromising football.

[Lord Blackadder]

Originally Posted by twietee

Has anyone here a sound explanation why ManCity constantly sucks big time in CL? Is it the climate?

If I had to pick one reason it would be Mancini. He is a good manager overall, but his record in the CL is poor. They definitely have a good enough squad to make it to the knock out rounds and even win the whole thing.

I think they will have to change managers in order to win the CL. Mourinho is not going to be around at Real Madrid too much longer, and Man City have the resources...they should offer him a blank check, anything he wants. Of course, that would probably mean Balotelli would want to leave.

Originally Posted by Fuzzy14

No surprise. And from here we go up. Surely?

<snip>

So it's the usual names being touted about, this time Gordon Strachan and Joe Jordan seems to be the favourites. Strachan is the media's favourite as he'll be good for a stupid quote, Jordan is the fans favourite as he's got a reputation for tough non-compromising football.

I vote for Joe Jordan. Ever since that scuffle with Gattuso I want to see more of him. A man who knows how to property administer and sustain a headbutt.

[twietee]

^ Sounds reasonable, but City's poor performance remains a mystery to me. And I agree on 'The Dirty One'. Wonder what Guardiola's about to do though (although I don't think he's going to City). His decision could start a nice little avalanche. Should be entertaining next summer.

[daneoni]

Wow.

Well done Celtic. Played superbly.

[Happybunny]

I can only say Celtic that was one hell of a match.

[Jaffa Cake]

I can sense a seismic shift occurring in the world of football. Without a doubt the Scottish Premier League is now the world's foremost domestic competition.

I've got a sixth sense for this sort of thing, just trust me on this one.

[pachyderm]

In JAFFA We Trust

[Jaffa Cake]

Originally Posted by pachyderm

In JAFFA We Trust

Word.

[Happybunny]

Originally Posted by Jaffa Cake

I can sense a seismic shift occurring in the world of football. Without a doubt the Scottish Premier League is now the world's foremost domestic competition.

I've got a sixth sense for this sort of thing, just trust me on this one.

Joking aside, it's nice that just sometimes the Little guy wins.
It what makes football so great, it's also what keeps the supporters of the smaller teams and lower divisions going, that just sometimes they can WIN.

[DeafRaiders]

In Lennon we Trust! World's best team as taken a beaten!

[smwatson]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20252199

Please let it be true. Please.

[Jaffa Cake]

Originally Posted by smwatson

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20252199

Please let it be true. Please.

Hasn't this takeover been going on since the mid-80s or something?

[oscillatewildly]

Originally Posted by daneoni

Wow.

Well done Celtic. Played superbly.

Ended up watching the game instead of the tripe Manchester United were serving up. Good goal by the young sub.

Cheers,
OW

[Fuzzy14]

I could tell DeafRaiders's allegiance simply from his location

I had to eat a fair portion of humble pie via text and Twitter last night.
But it was a great result, although I fully expected Barca to equalise in injury time! And what a goal by that young lad. At his age he should be trying to avoid Jimmy Saville, not run rings around the Barca defence.

[smwatson]

Originally Posted by Jaffa Cake

Hasn't this takeover been going on since the mid-80s or something?

It's been going for longer than Hull have been pants. Which is a very long time indeed

[Jaffa Cake]

Originally Posted by smwatson

It's been going for longer than Hull have been pants. Which is a very long time indeed

Don't be silly, Leeds United weren't around in 1904.

[Happybunny]

Originally Posted by smwatson

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20252199

Please let it be true. Please.

The only time I remember Leeds playing was this match.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_European_Cup_Final

I also saw that film about Brian Clough.

[oscillatewildly]

A child at the time, still could see the ref was bent.

Cheers,
OW

[takao]

silly me who thought that Bayern vs. Lille was the close game opposed to Celtic vs. Barcelona ... the first half hour was like watching baby seals getting clubbed ...

[Happybunny]

Originally Posted by oscillatewildly

A child at the time, still could see the ref was bent.

Cheers,
OW

I was some what older, and as a neutral spectator I remember it for being a meeting of class (Bayern) and brute force (Leeds).

For me these moments stand out.

After three minutes Bayern's Swedish international defender Björn Andersson had to be replaced by the inexperienced Sepp Weiss after a hard tackle from Terry Yorath, described by Uli Hoeneß as the "most brutal foul I think I have ever seen".

The first half also saw German international Uli Hoeneß, later president of Bayern, suffering a serious knee injury in the 42nd minute after a tackle by the Scottish left back Frank Gray, which would ultimately bring his career to a premature end in 1979 at the age of 27.

I was not the only person in the world to think that Leeds, made more than their fair share of fouls. Brain Clough plus the British press were also not that impressed by Leeds record of fouls.
https://wiki.leeds.ac.uk/index.php/%...f_a_reputation

Thankfully those dark days are behind us, and the game that we all love is now played with skill and not thuggery. (Sliding tackles from behind)

[Confuzzzed]

It's hard to score goals without strikers

[Cox Orange]

Originally Posted by takao

(...)
both Dortmund goals have had very similiar setups: long ball from defender to lewandowskis head who nods it to one of the fast midfielders running past the real defenders who got caught high up the field

if Mourihno doesn't make some tactical adjustments i think we will se more of those counter attacks in the second half

Wonder, how long Dortmund can play that way, until someone will prepare for this and do training for these situations, before the next matches.

On Bayern vs Lille: didn't expect, that such high wins in CL could be possible at that level (though of course I do know nothing, because I have a very limited overview, as you all know).

Short Update on Women's CL:
didn't see the matches. Unfortunately, maybe, because the press says, it was a big fight with much action, Potsdam being unorganized in the first 25min. like the first match, it seems they need to get 1 or 2 goals to wake up . Arsenal went 2:0 until Potsdam came back. End result was Arsenal 4 : 3 Potsdam, though. (Since Potsdam lost in the first match), this means, they are out.
-> The Arsenal ladies are in the fourth final!

Wolfsburg did play 1:1 against Norwegian team Roa IL. (Interestingly, Wolfsburg won all first matches high and in the return matches the other teams seemed to somewhat having been prepaired for it.
Wolfsburg is in the fourth final, too.

[Happybunny]

PSV completely outclassed by AIK Stockholm. AIK just look sharper and far more comitted. PSV just looked tired and beaten

[Jaffa Cake]

Originally Posted by Happybunny

PSV completely outclassed by AIK Stockholm. AIK just look sharper and far more comitted. PSV just looked tired and beaten

By remarkable coincidence I picked up a cheap AIK shirt in a sale earlier today, I'm wearing it now. Clearly my purchase spurred them on to a famous victory.

[Happybunny]

I'm now waiting for the FC Twente Levante UD match to start, so change your shirt JC