Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

2010-2011 Football Thread

Status
Not open for further replies.
Lord Blackadder

Lord Blackadder

macrumors P6
Original poster
May 7, 2004
15,684
5,516
Sod off
Ok, I've gone and done it...perhaps it's jumping the gun, as we are all caught up in the greatness that is the World Cup, but here it is: a shiny new Football Thread for 2010-2011! :D

I'm ready for another season of thrills, chills and spills...

To get things kicked off, I'll note that the Hodgson to Liverpool rumors continue to persist, with the twist that the FA might be looking to replace Capello with the Fulham gaffer. Frankly, I think the FA would be "imbecilic" (to quote Raymond Domenech) to sack Capello. As for Hodgson to Liverpool, he's a good manager, but he will have an awful lot of work to do and he won't get the kind of respect or draw the top players the way a Mourinho or Ferguson would. I'll take him.

Maybe we can start off by discussing team prospects...how is your team doing in the offseason in terms of transfers, new coaches/owners/stadia etc?...are you optimistic or pessimistic? (I just want Liverpool to avoid relegation. :rolleyes:)

...and I'll plug MLS too, what the heck. We're midseason and we finally learned to break for the World Cup. Duh. Columbus are looking pretty good, we have a strong shot at the Supporters's Shield and playoffs again, and are in the CONCACAF Champions League. I want to hear from the MLS fans!

Finally, it would be fun to broaden the reach of the thread further - any fans of the Russian/African/Australian leagues etc.? Let us know what's going on!

Now, I'm done yammering, have at it! :D
 
Lord Blackadder said:
Ok, I've gone and done it...perhaps it's jumping the gun, as we are all caught up in the greatness that is the World Cup, but here it is: a shiny new Football Thread for 2010-2011

To get things kicked off, I'll note that the Hodgson to Liverpool rumors continue to persist, with the twist that the FA might be looking to replace Capello with the Fulham gaffer. Frankly, I think the FA would be "imbecilic" (to quote Raymond Domenech) to sack Capello. As for Hdgson to Liverpool, he's a good manager, but he will have an awful lot of work to do and he won't get the kind of respect or draw the top players the way a Mourinho or Ferguson would. I'll take him.
Click to expand...

I think you need to put a translation in the title since Macrumors is US originated (otherwise it would be spelled macrumoUrs), and a lot of reader may thing you are talking NFL.
 
Firstly, Hoora for the new Football thread, a tip of my hat to you LB and no it can never be too early to discuss the EPL.

Personally, I can't at the moment see anything wrong with appointing Roy Hudgson; I was a skeptic of his at first but was completely won over by that heroic campaign in Europe.

Lastly, I've surrendered to the notion that no manager will ever work for the England national team simply because of the type of players currently "representing" their country. Their egos never cease to surprise me and I'm convinced if Capello can't sort things out, no one else will. Fortunately this "best" generation of players are at the end of their ropes.

I would take Liverpool>England at the moment despite all the clouds hanging over Anfield at the moment.
 
optophobia said:
I think you need to put a translation in the title since Macrumors is US originated (otherwise it would be spelled macrumoUrs), and a lot of reader may thing you are talking NFL.
Click to expand...

We have ways for dealing with those people:

Accrington_Master_08.jpg


Football is football, (American) football is NFL football. I'm an American, and that's how I see things...I call it "soccer" in the US when I'm talking with people who aren't into the game, but I can't bear to do it in front of the whole world when it's been called football since the mid 19th century....
 
*** Puts on moderator hat ***

Enough with the American style vs European style football.

Anyone who prefers football primarily played with the hands can start a seasonal NFL thread, participate in the college football thread (isn't that American football?) or start a Rugby thread.

Any more "this isn't real football" comments in this thread will be considered off topic and therefore in violation of the rules.

*** Takes moderator hat off again ***


Now, I want to see Everton bring in a few quality players, and maybe avoid the abysmal season start from last season, and maybe be a real contender for a place in Europe... :)
 
I'm sure this has been brought up before, but I finally got around to reading Soccernomics and I think it's a must read.

Mitthrawnuruodo said:
Now, I want to see Everton bring in a few quality players, and maybe avoid the abysmal season start from last season, and maybe be a real contender for a place in Europe... :)
Click to expand...


I'm curious to see whether Landon Donovan has another stint at Everton, the first one worked out pretty well.
 
2011... the year my city finally gets a profession top-league football team. :)

Vancouver Whitecaps FC will be playing at the new BC Place (currently being renovated) with a roof similar to that of Frankfurts in Germany. For the first few games of the season they will be playing at a temporary stadium (Empire Field). On the downside, Vancouver is no longer home to the largest air-supported dome in the world.

I've always been a stadium junkie, and it's great to see such great stadiums in the MLS. I travelled to Seattle's Qwest field last summer to watch FC Barcelona play in-front of 68,000 people. Great support here on the west coast and the rivalry between Seattle, Portland and Vancouver should be great fun (with tons of travelling fans I expect).

New BC Place:
Screen%20shot%202010-06-22%20at%2011.00.45%20AM.png


Screen%20shot%202010-06-22%20at%2011.02.33%20AM.png
 
Lord Blackadder said:
I'm curious to see whether Landon Donovan has another stint at Everton, the first one worked out pretty well.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't mind that. I was a bit sceptic about his abilities when Everton signed him, but he was an excellent addition to the team and played several good matches in the short spell he was at the club, and helped turn around a very, very poor season.

We were even beaten by Hull before Christmas, that's how bad our season was... :D ;)
 
Mitthrawnuruodo said:
I wouldn't mind that. I was a bit sceptic about his abilities when Everton signed him, but he was an excellent addition to the team and played several good matches in the short spell he was at the club, and helped turn around a very, very poor season.
Click to expand...

I think most US fans belived Donovan to be a Premier League-quality player, but most of us also felt that his chance to shine in Europe was past. Maybe he did well at Everton because he's more mature now, has less to prove, and had less pressure to succeed heaped on him. He's always been a great player when he puts on the USA shirt, but it was nice to see him finally prove himself in a major European club side.

Not sure if he'll go back though. He's committed to life in California and the Galaxy, and there's no World Cup to prepare for this season. Still, I'd love to see him head to Everton on loan again. I used to be a bit of a "Landycakes" hater, but he's turned me around. The current term being bounced around is "Mandon". :D
 
I really wouldn't be chuffed to see Hodgson roll up at Anfield.

Granted he had a good run in Europe last season but they were poor in the Prem compared to the season before and that is what we should be trying to win.

Secondly, he isn't a long-term appointment in my view given his age.

On the flip side though, who of any sort of calibre is going to come to the club with the finances in their current state and with our present owners still there.... we'll be lucky to have the same group of players turn up !!

Can't believe it's not even August and my hopes for the new season are already on the floor :eek:
 
woolyback said:
I really wouldn't be chuffed to see Hodgson roll up at Anfield.

Granted he had a good run in Europe last season but they were poor in the Prem compared to the season before and that is what we should be trying to win.
Click to expand...

I think I would argue in his defense that, given his resources, he can't really be expected to do much better in the league than he already has done. IF he stays with Fulham he's not going to get them into the Champions League. The best he can hope for is to keep finishing midtable in the league and try to keep playing regular European football.

That's not a dig at Fulham, it's just a financial reality. If Hodgson wants to move up the food chain he'll have to change clubs, unless Fulham do a Man City. Of course, whether moving to Liverpool would be a move up the food chain is debatable at this point. ;)

woolyback said:
Can't believe it's not even August and my hopes for the new season are already on the floor :eek:
Click to expand...

I am expecting nothing. The best I can see happening would be a fourth place finish, but I suspect we'll finish fifth or sixth again, unless the ownership situation gets sorted out (i.e. new owners with lots of money), we get a good manager and he gets to buy expensive players.
 
6 weeks until we kick off up here (I think that's earlier than elsewhere.)
Good news! Rangers aren't up for sale anymore! Bad news! It's because they are totally unsellable.

Madjid Bougherra put in a decent performance at the world cup so I'd expect him to leave this summer. I don't expect any transfers (club might not even have the money for 'free' transfers as you still have to fork out signing on fees etc.)
 
There have been a scattering of reports about European interest in Landon Donovan. Everton remain interested in signing him, and there is of course an obligatory rumnor that Man City are offering a large-ish pile of cash.

I'm more interested to see what, if any, interest other USA players have generated in Europe - especially the players already based there like Altidore, DeMerit, Beasley and Edu. Gomez is happy in Mexico so I imagine he'll stay there, and Bocanegra, Dempsey and Bradley all seem happy where they currently play.

Though, if Hodgson goes to the 'Pool and brings Clint Dempsey I would just have to get a shirt with his name on it, even if he only played there briefly. I'd love to see an American play for Liverpool.

EDIT: Apparently Landon Donovan embraced the local culture a bit too much at Everton....

EDIT2: Oh, and just in case you all missed the action, MLS has restarted league play just in time for the World Cup quarterfinals. :rolleyes: Columbus beat lowly DC United last weekend with a "Hand of Frog"-style goal from Guillermo Barros Schelotto, our resident Argentine (who is, incidentally, the same age as Maradona's man-crush, Martin Palermo). We are now 7-2-3 and top of the Eastern Conference. Lately performances have been a little flat though, maybe the players are distracted by the world's biggest football tournament?
 
Fizzoid said:
If I was a Fulham fan, I'd be devastated. There's certainly going to be a lot of expectation on him. Is he the no.1 choice because he can do a job on a limited budget I wonder?
Click to expand...

Fulham will certainly miss him, as will the players that he developed so well.

Personally, I have very little expectation at all. Hodgson is a very good manager, but he's walking into a basketcase scenario - dysfunctional owners, big debt, big question marks over the composition of the side for next season (who will leave? who will stay? who will be brought in?), the stadium debacle, no Champions League. I'm hoping for a fourth place finish at best, but I won't be surprised at all if we finish 5th-7th, especially if Spurs and Man City strengthen over the summer.

Liverpool may be headed south for some years to come. Once Hicks and Gillette have bled the club white they will leave, selling the club to a second or third tier owner without the resources to compete with the big dogs in this money-crazed league.
 
So are you making any plans for him?

You should do well with him anyway, being the ex Wednesday captain n'all :)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back