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The 2011-2012 Football Thread

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Lord Blackadder said:
USA 1-0 Guadeloupe.

I don't think I've ever been this depressed after a win before. Victory was assured from the first minute, and this was our chance to put up a big scoreline to match Mexico's sparkling results.
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Agreed. The other teams can't help but be unintimidated by us at this point. Jamaica must be unimpressed. On the bright side, at least we don't have to play them on their home turf in a ganja cloud.


Lord Blackadder said:
I want to rant on and on but I'll spare you further whining. Panama beat Canada today and that means we finish second in our group and face Jamaica this weekend in the quarterfinals. We must improve or we will be knocked out. :eek:
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Pretty good tourney so far for Panama though. They have to be encouraged by beating both the US and Canada.
 
aloofman said:
Agreed. The other teams can't help but be unintimidated by us at this point. Jamaica must be unimpressed. On the bright side, at least we don't have to play them on their home turf in a ganja cloud.
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If this were 2009, I would consider victory over Jamaica a foregone conclusion. But now I can honestly see us losing. Our defense is shaky but just about adequate. The real problem is that we can't score goals or break down teams that defend in depth.

aloofman said:
Pretty good tourney so far for Panama though. They have to be encouraged by beating both the US and Canada.
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Results have been good, but I don't think they are a very good team. They simply defend deep and hustle on the counterattack. They also have some physical specimens. It's like 2010 Inter without the talent. They barely beat Gudeloupe, who were a man down, met the USA when we are off-form and should have drawn or won anyway, and only beat Canada because the Canadian keeper is a stiff.

daneoni said:
Translation: "Happy to stay at Arsenal...but will be happier once i move to Barcelona"

Reports say Wenger already gave him permission to speak to Barca.
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The saga continues...
 
I agree with the masses, I doubt highly he really wouldn't prefer a move, and I think arsenal need to liquidate to build...not that they will, but should probably.
 
Liverpool may lose the services of both Maxi Rodriguez, who wants to return to his old club in Argentina, and Raul Meireles, who is supposedly the subject of some interest from Inter.

Neither deal is confirmed, but both were productive under Dalglish. Maxi has been something of an inconsistent player for us, very good in flashes and then invisible for a while. I don't think Dalglish sees him as a long-term starter but I do think he is a useful member of the squad who will need to be replaced since our depth on the left side of midfield is lacking. Speaking of which, when Gerrard returns Meireles will probably be shuffled out to the left more often, with Lucas and Gerrard in the middle. Meireles wants to play in the middle and this might be his reason for looking to leave.

Meireles can probably be sold at a profit but I'm not sure how much Newell's Old Boys (yes, NOB) can afford to pay for Maxi, and they surely can't afford his salary. Stuart Downing and the exciting/highly rated Juan Mata are mentioned as replacements as left-sided midfielders. Charlie Adam continues to be mentioned as a target as well. I don't quite rate him as a starter, but he could be a good squad player.

I do like the fact that Liverpool are generally focusing on younger players in the transfer market. Too many of Liverpool's acquisitions over the last few seasons have been players making their last big move, on big wages and/or have injury problems. So far the transfer policy seems positive and focused. It remains to be seen what kind of squad we can put out when the season starts again.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
Results have been good, but I don't think they are a very good team. They simply defend deep and hustle on the counterattack. They also have some physical specimens. It's like 2010 Inter without the talent. They barely beat Gudeloupe, who were a man down, met the USA when we are off-form and should have drawn or won anyway, and only beat Canada because the Canadian keeper is a stiff.
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Isn't that how half of the teams usually advance to the knockout stage of a tournament though? With so few games in the group stage, there are always some anomalies that cause a good team to be eliminated and a bad team to advance. String together enough games where you get lucky in some way and suddenly you've won it. It's not like you have to get by many teams to win in CONCACAF.
 
aloofman said:
Isn't that how half of the teams usually advance to the knockout stage of a tournament though? With so few games in the group stage, there are always some anomalies that cause a good team to be eliminated and a bad team to advance. String together enough games where you get lucky in some way and suddenly you've won it. It's not like you have to get by many teams to win in CONCACAF.
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Very true. Panama are on a hot streak. They showed good athleticism and determination in the group stage. They have one or two players who can make things happen. They also got a good slice of luck, the best aid of all. I think the best way to play against them is to keep the ball - something the USA is not very good at, unfortunately. We can move the ball quickly but we really need to hold on to it better.

On paper, the USA still has a very solid shot at the final; we'll have to get past Jamaica and then likely Panama to face the Mexicans, where we will be thumped.

On that note, the 5 Mexico players suspended for testing positive for clenbuterol have just passed a new doping test. Their backup "B" sample from the initial test will now be tested; if it comes out clean they'll be back in the tournament. If it is positive, they'll remain suspended until the investigation has been completed. What does this mean from a footballing perspective? Apparently nothing, since the Mexicans continue to win games with ease. Still, they have yet to face tough opposition.
 
Meanwhile, Luka Modric is one of the best midfielders in the division, has five years remaining on his contract, and is still only 25. I think Chelsea's bid of £22 million for his services isn't going to cut it, somehow.
 
United are rumored to be in for him as well, aren't they? We may see a bidding war. 'Arry is rubbing his wheeling-dealing hands with glee.
 
XIII said:
Presumably this must play quite a large role in events like Wimbledon, where they are competing for 2 weeks a year, and the earnings of Nadal, Federer are huge? Crazy.
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Yes, but it's a major and careers are defined by majors. But now you know why the likes of Tiger Woods do not play in the Scottish Open the week beforehand. The difference is these guys want to play in these tournaments which are held in the same country each year. The difference with the Champions League final, World Cup and Olympics is that they move countries so in a way the player is forced to play the game in that country. Therefore their respective organisations insist on a 'tax free bubble' around the event (otherwise they'll go somewhere else.) It's also why FIFA are so profitable, and are currently in the process of moving from tax haven Switzerland to a hollowed out volcano where Seb can stroke a cat like a Bond villain while laughing mmmwwwa ha ha ha ha and plan world domination.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
snip
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Thing is, Gerrard is 31 and somewhat injury prone. How many good seasons does he have left in him? Meireles looks good and hopefully would improve now he's established in the team. I don't think Liverpool are going to off load their 'Talisman' anytime soon (if ever) but going forward I do question his ability to be guaranteed a start


Edit: This just in, the 2011-12 FA Cup: sponsored by Budweiser
 
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Fizzoid said:
Thing is, Gerrard is 31 and somewhat injury prone. How many good seasons does he have left in him? Meireles looks good and hopefully would improve now he's established in the team. I don't think Liverpool are going to off load their 'Talisman' anytime soon (if ever) but going forward I do question his ability to be guaranteed a start.
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For the moment Gerrard is going to be a starter if fit. However, Dalglish is obviously aware of the fact that Gerrard has maybe 4-5 years left in him maximum, and possibly only 2 or so more as a starter if he avoids major injuries. Also, like Ryan Giggs or Michael Owen, Gerrard won't be able to rely on pace anymore, so he'll have to change his game somewhat.

Maxi seems set on going if money matters can be sorted out, but I hope we can hold on to Meireles. He's 28, so he has a few top years left in him yet. Somehow Dalglish has to convince Meireles to enjoy playing on the left wing if he stays though, since Kuyt is a lock on the right and Gerrard/Lucas are the preferred middle pair. I suppose one could push Gerrard forward and slot Meireles into the midfield for a 4-3-3 formation, but we don't really have a left back suitable for that setup.

Fizzoid said:
Edit: This just in, the 2011-12 FA Cup: sponsored by Budweiser
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<laughs hysterically> :rolleyes:
 
It shouldn't make any difference if it's Buweiser or Heineken, or any other large beer brand, to be fair. Two industrially-brewed global beer brands owned by large multinational corporations. It's a question of urine vs skunk.

daneoni said:
Kevin Nolan is now a West Ham Player.

Wait, what?
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It's a Jedi (Sith?) Mind Trick by Big Sam. It's a shame, because I was hoping Liverpool would sign him as Andy Caroll's housekeeper.

EDIT: Manchester United have loaned Bebe to Besiktas. United's official website spun it by saying the flop winger, who "prov[ed] a threat" in the reserves, will be in Turkey next season where his "development will continue". :D Perhaps they are hoping he will "develop" into a player who plays for another club permanently.

EDIT2: New Liverpool Third Kit:

adidas-liverpool-third.jpg


Apparently some Liverpool fans are unimpressed by the use of blue in a Liverpool shirt. It certainly doesn't look very "Liverpool" but third kits are always supposed to be creative departures so I don't see the problem. For some reason it looks continental to me. I like it.
 
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That is a bit of a surprise, although they wanted it to be in England for the FA anniversary they didn't necessarily have to go with Wembley (although it's exactly why it's built that way.)

Looks like McLeish is off to Villa after all. I could understand the reaction if he's crossed Glasgow and went to Celtic, with a hostile crowd he'll need a couple of good results early in the new season otherwise he'll be out on his ear.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
EDIT2: New Liverpool Third Kit:



Apparently some Liverpool fans are unimpressed by the use of blue in a Liverpool shirt. It certainly doesn't look very "Liverpool" but third kits are always supposed to be creative departures so I don't see the problem. For some reason it looks continental to me. I like it.
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It is influenced by Liverpool's very first home kit in 1892:
liverpool_1892-1896-bfh.gif


Another interesting kit choice, the new Nottingham Forest away kit:
Nottingham-Forest-11-12-umbro-away-football-shirt-a.jpg
 
swiftaw said:
It is influenced by Liverpool's very first home kit in 1892:
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"Influenced" in a very liberal sense of the word. ;) It also helps that Standard Chartered's logo contains blue and white (though they left out the green for some reason. I think connecting it to the 1892 kit is a stretching of logic by the club in an attempt to head off criticism about the blue.

swiftaw said:
Another interesting kit choice, the new Nottingham Forest away kit:
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It looks like he's wearing a green cape! :)

Fuzzy14 said:
Looks like McLeish is off to Villa after all. I could understand the reaction if he's crossed Glasgow and went to Celtic, with a hostile crowd he'll need a couple of good results early in the new season otherwise he'll be out on his ear.
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I think this is a terrible move for Randy Lerner. It will all end in tears.
 
aloofman said:
That would be fantastic. It would be too easy to pull a player down from behind though. Better leave the cape out. :D
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Edna: It will be bold! Dramatic!
Bob: Yeah!
Edna: Heroic!
Bob: Yeah. Something classic, like, like Dynaguy. Oh, he had a great look! Oh, the cape and the boots...
Edna: [throws a wadded ball of paper at Bob's head] No capes!
Bob: Isn't that my decision?
Edna: Do you remember Thunderhead? Tall, storm powers? Nice man, good with kids.
Bob: Listen, E...
Edna: November 15th of '58! All was well, another day saved, when... his cape snagged on a missile fin!
Bob: Thunderhead was not the brightest bulb...
Edna: Stratogale! April 23rd, '57! Cape caught in a jet turbine!
Bob: E, you can't generalize about these things...
Edna: Metaman, express elevator! Dynaguy, snagged on takeoff! Splashdown, sucked into a vortex!
[shouts]
Edna: No capes!
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;)

meanwhile Löw has announced that Ballack wont get called up further in the germany national squad after talks with the player.but he will still get a last game to say goodbye
said last game will be Ballack's 99th game, which fits with his reputation of being 'the runner up' throughout his career
 
takao said:
said last game will be Ballack's 99th game, which fits with his reputation of being 'the runner up' throughout his career
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Poor Ballack. The eternal bridesmaid. I've heard he will refuse to play in that last match. 42 goals in 98 caps though - a record many international strikers would envy.
 
Jaffa Cake said:
Hurrah! It's Fixture Day! :)
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Indeed...

Opening weekend - Saturday 13 August

Premier League

Blackburn v Wolves

Fulham v Aston Villa

Liverpool v Sunderland

Man City v Swansea

Newcastle v Arsenal

QPR v Bolton

Stoke v Chelsea

Tottenham v Everton

West Brom v Man Utd

Wigan v Norwich


Championship

Brighton v Doncaster

Bristol City v Ipswich

Burnley v Watford

Coventry v Leicester

Derby v Birmingham

Hull v Blackpool

Middlesbrough v Portsmouth

Nottm Forest v Barnsley

Peterborough v Crystal Palace

Reading v Millwall

Southampton v Leeds

West Ham v Cardiff


League One

Brentford v Yeovil

Carlisle v Notts County

Charlton v Bournemouth

Huddersfield v Bury

Milton Keynes Dons v Hartlepool

Oldham v Sheffield United

Preston v Colchester

Sheffield Wednesday v Rochdale

Stevenage v Exeter

Tranmere v Chesterfield

Walsall v Leyton Orient

Wycombe v Scunthorpe


League Two

AFC Wimbledon v Bristol Rovers

Bradford v Aldershot

Gillingham v Cheltenham

Macclesfield v Dagenham & Redbridge

Morecambe v Barnet

Northampton v Accrington

Port Vale v Crawley

Rotherham v Oxford Utd

Shrewsbury v Plymouth

Southend v Hereford

Swindon v Crewe

Torquay v Burton


And our Scottish friends have a really early kick off...

Scottish Premier League opening fixtures (23 July unless stated):

Aberdeen v St Johnstone

Dunfermline v St Mirren

Hibernian v Celtic

Motherwell v Inverness CT

Rangers v Hearts

Dundee United v Kilmarnock (24 July)
 
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