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2009-10 Football Thread
- Thread starter Jaffa Cake
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Right. I just meant that shifting the MLS season to a different time of year creates as many problems as it solves. There's no part of the sports year that MLS could easily fill.
That's easy to say now, but at the time Liverpool didn't have much leverage in trying to unload Keane. Everyone knew he wasn't fitting in there and they were trying to move him.
There's certainly no easy solution. They are going to have to fight for TV time with other sports one way or another.
I think it was less a case of him not fitting in than Benitez being angry that Keane was bought without his consent. I think Rafa has to take a lot of the blame for that. I can understand him being unhappy with the situation but he could have made the best of it rather than (apparently) just refuse to make the best use of Keane. He's a good striker, and while we overpaid for him I'd much rather have him on the squad than N'Gog, Babel or Voronin.
Hmmm, Pavlyuchenko would be an interesting option for Liverpool but he's sure to cost too much.
It's now been confirmed as suicide, he left a letter at his home.
He'd apparently been battling depression for several years, compounded by the death of his daughter a few years ago. Sad news indeed.
it's obviously the news of the day around here ... just again they showed pictures of the DFB press conference again with Oliver Bierhoff with teary eyes
sure a big shock to german football
edit: the dfb canceled the friendly against Chile on saturday in Cologne because of the tragic death and the training sessions and other sceduled interviews before the game
edit2: the picture gallery on spiegel about people gathering before/after the mass mourning his death sure is heart moving:
http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-48753-13.html
pictures taken from link
sure a big shock to german football
edit: the dfb canceled the friendly against Chile on saturday in Cologne because of the tragic death and the training sessions and other sceduled interviews before the game
edit2: the picture gallery on spiegel about people gathering before/after the mass mourning his death sure is heart moving:
http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-48753-13.html
pictures taken from link
Wow, look at those crowds...that's impressive! It's touching to see so much support.
It sounds from the news like he was hiding his depression even from his doctors and team personnel. Sad.
It sounds from the news like he was hiding his depression even from his doctors and team personnel. Sad.
Wow, that sounds serious...fractures to the pelvis can be very bad. Not to mention both his wrists are broken. Hopefully they are not career-ending injuries.
On a slightly related note, USA striker Charlie Davies left the hospital yesterday. We'll have to wait and see how rehab and recovery goes, but the doctors seem to be of the opinion that he will play again. I sincerely hope he makes his way back to competitive club and national team football.
...And for those who never saw it, here's a shot of what was left of the SUV Davies was a passenger in during the accident. The vehicle was torn in half, it's a miracle that he survived in my opinion.
On a slightly related note, USA striker Charlie Davies left the hospital yesterday. We'll have to wait and see how rehab and recovery goes, but the doctors seem to be of the opinion that he will play again. I sincerely hope he makes his way back to competitive club and national team football.
...And for those who never saw it, here's a shot of what was left of the SUV Davies was a passenger in during the accident. The vehicle was torn in half, it's a miracle that he survived in my opinion.
The thing with Nani is he's one of the most frustrating players I've seen in a long time. If he was just bad then I wouldn't care about him, but IMO I think he's not reaching his potential and that infuriates me. In the end tho, you can't take sides against the big man and except anything good. Just look at Tevez most recently, the fans didn't take it from him and he was 15 times the player Nani is.
The vehicle will have been cut in half by firemen trying the get them out. No doubt the accident was bad but cars don't just tear in half.
And back on topic, for Nani to reach his potential he needs to go back to basics before trying his tricks and flicks, because 9 times out of 10 they dont come off for him.
I disagree...there is a large steel light pole about 100 yards from my house, and I was home one night when a car went through a guard rail and hit it at high speed while running from the cops...it was sheared in half by the impact and the two people inside were killed. Saw it with my own eyes, and it was gruesome. I've read in one or two places that that is what happened here, but I don't have the links handy...though you could be right, it could be hearsay. I've seen cars that were cut open pretty extensively to extract victims. Either way it was a pretty horrible accident.
He has a very good touch at times, maybe he's just trying too hard, and as you say, need to just concentrate on completing passes.
EDIT: On a lighter note, did anyone see the guy brushing his teeth in the stands at the Chelsea-Man Utd match? You can see him just at the point they are bringing Kalou on, standing there in a snazzy jacket and shades. So strange! I was listening to the Guardian podcast the other day and they said apparently he was having a little rendezvous after the match and wanted to be tip-top for the lady. Funny!
So you think you're a geek
http://espn.go.com/soccer/worldcup/news/_/id/4447078/GuideToSPI
1. Brazil
2. Spain
3. England
4. Netherlands
5. Argentina
6. Germany
7. Portugal
8. Chile
9. France
10. Uruguay
http://espn.go.com/soccer/spi/rankings
http://espn.go.com/soccer/worldcup/news/_/id/4447078/GuideToSPI
1. Brazil
2. Spain
3. England
4. Netherlands
5. Argentina
6. Germany
7. Portugal
8. Chile
9. France
10. Uruguay
http://espn.go.com/soccer/spi/rankings
On a lighter note, did anyone see the guy brushing his teeth in the stands at the Chelsea-Man Utd match? You can see him just at the point they are bringing Kalou on, standing there in a snazzy jacket and shades. So strange! I was listening to the Guardian podcast the other day and they said apparently he was having a little rendezvous after the match and wanted to be tip-top for the lady. Funny!
My brother mentioned that while watching the match, I missed it but thought my brother was going mental seeing things.
Interesting post BV - and I can definitely see ESPN doing this...I'm obviously not as familiar with sport in Europe in general, but Baseball, (American) Football and Basketball are statistical playgrounds over here....
EDIT: Watching the LA - Houston semifinal game tonight and Beckham has a pretty goofy haircut even by his own standards. Lets see if LA's dodgy defense lets them down tonight...Oops!! Just as I type this all the stadium lights go out! 15 minute delay while they get the lights back on. Beckham off to the locker room to fix his hair and they are back to it...
EDIT: Watching the LA - Houston semifinal game tonight and Beckham has a pretty goofy haircut even by his own standards. Lets see if LA's dodgy defense lets them down tonight...Oops!! Just as I type this all the stadium lights go out! 15 minute delay while they get the lights back on. Beckham off to the locker room to fix his hair and they are back to it...
All Whites qualify for South Africa.They won't of course get past the first round,but maybe will boost popularity of football in the rugby mad New Zealand.
This less than a day after the Kiwish BV posts about a new rating and ranking system for national teams? Something's a bit fishy there...
The ESPN method looks interesting, especially given that I don't place any faith in FIFA's own ranking system. But we all know the definitive system is the MacRumors Soccerball Index, which rates a national side based on how many posts members from that country have made in this thread. England unsurprisingly top the MRSI, the US would have done well also, but unfortunately points are docked every time one of their citizens thinks it's an American football thread. This means the US are currently ranked 135th, just ahead of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Statistics have really come to the fore in recent years. When I was younger you wouldn't hear talk of stuff like assists and pass completion rates, now you do.
I suppose technology has played a role, with innovations like ProZone that can produce virtually any stat on a player or team you can imagine, but also the blanket coverage the sport now receives – the pundits need something to natter about for all the extra hours they're on the telly.
For the record, 'distance covered at high intensity' is probably my favourite Prozone stat.
That is really excellent news. Record-breaking crowd of 35,100 for a football match in New Zealand, according to the BBC. Captain Ryan Nelson plays for Blackburn Rovers, but I won't hold that against him.
I'll be pleased if they can manage a single point in the group stages.
Galaxy go through to the MLS Cup final after two goals in overtime and a *second* blackout in the stadium (Sort it out, Schwarzenegger!). Dull game overall and with Chicago and Salt Lake still to play the semifinal in the East my interest in the league wanes...Galaxy and Fire are my least favorite teams so I'm going to cheer on Salt Lake since they knocked us out.
Well Done New Zealand!
Drat. But if Accrington Stanley were a national side they'd be in the top as a result!
Well Done New Zealand!
Drat. But if Accrington Stanley were a national side they'd be in the top as a result!
true that statistics have am uch bigger impact in the media today than 10 years ago ... pass completion ratio, miles covered by player, fouls commited, fouls against etc.
10 years ago you got shots, goals, fouls, freekicks, corners for the whole team .. and that's about it ..
i wonder if the influence of video games has any impact on that ?
anybody wants to take guesses on todays qualification games ?
10 years ago you got shots, goals, fouls, freekicks, corners for the whole team .. and that's about it ..
i wonder if the influence of video games has any impact on that ?
anybody wants to take guesses on todays qualification games ?
I'm looking for a shock upset of either France or Portugal. It will also be interesting to see if Egypt can get the 2-0 scoreline they need to avoid the playoff with Algeria.
Watching the USA-Slovakia friendly right now...Slovakia looks very good defensively and are allowing USA the lion's share of the possession and hitting us on the counter. USA are defending well also but neither team is showing a lot going forward. Slovakia with probably the better chances and they lead on a (perhaps slightly questionable) first half penalty.
EDIT: Wow, what happened to Scotland?
EDIT 2: Brazil have the better of the match against England, but they are also carrying on a master class in diving.
and not in that kind of class game to watch .. at least it wasn't in the first half
brasil can do much better ... and england .. well playing as usual
for the other qualifiers i really look forward to bosnia herzegovina booting out portugal.. they would really deserve it.. though i suspect france is the once who will fail
that said i don't know if the following link is true but i sure hope so:
http://www.thehighdefinite.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/nAqPa.jpg
hilarious
brasil can do much better ... and england .. well playing as usual
for the other qualifiers i really look forward to bosnia herzegovina booting out portugal.. they would really deserve it.. though i suspect france is the once who will fail
that said i don't know if the following link is true but i sure hope so:
http://www.thehighdefinite.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/nAqPa.jpg
hilarious
That is really excellent news. Record-breaking crowd of 35,100 for a football match in New Zealand, according to the BBC. Captain Ryan Nelson plays for Blackburn Rovers, but I won't hold that against him.
I'll be pleased if they can manage a single point in the group stages.
Yeah the Cake Tin was packed with 35,000ish fans. Players were very emotional after the match.
Only the second time NZ will be at the World Cup.
And I agree, we will struggle to get a point.
Arsenal can add another injury to its list. Apparently, according to Dutch TV, RVP could be out for 2 or 3 months due to torn ankle ligaments.
Just flipping great! Thats two strikers out already!
Hoping for speedy recovery.
Only consolation is goals have been coming from various positions thus far...hopefully it stays that way
Just flipping great! Thats two strikers out already!
Hoping for speedy recovery.
Only consolation is goals have been coming from various positions thus far...hopefully it stays that way
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