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2010-2011 Football Thread
- Thread starter Lord Blackadder
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The Chelsea and Arsenal results aren't surprising; Blackpool were poor against Wigan - their defence looked like a pub team, slow and out of shape - it is just that Wigan were abysmal - the midfield don't track back and the defence would rather watch the ball than bother marking. Chelsea weren't anything to shout about, Wigan had the first half hour but they may as well roll out the red carpet and put up signs with 'This way to the goal' on.
Justice done with Nani's miss - seems like a lot of penalties got missed/saved at the weekend.
Re fantasy football - bad form to discuss it here, or anywhere else - for the next few weeks.
On the upside - the thought of Sky Sports News being in HD makes me chuckle.
Cheers,
OW
Justice done with Nani's miss - seems like a lot of penalties got missed/saved at the weekend.
Re fantasy football - bad form to discuss it here, or anywhere else - for the next few weeks.
On the upside - the thought of Sky Sports News being in HD makes me chuckle.
Cheers,
OW
Gutting it's not going to be on Freeview anymore though
It was handy re team news, and watching them try to inject drama into transfer deadline day was entertaining, but expecting people to subscribe
Cheers,
OW
1-0 down after a boring half. Sigh. I just have to get used to Liverpool playing like a 7th place team from here on out.
So did anyone catch the Vikings-49er game..oops, wrong football! Actually, I am a relatively rare soccer lover from the other side of the pond. I follow EPL and Italian Serie A-subscribe to both via satelite. Unfortunately, both English speaking national teams washed out in South Africa. Come to think of it, Mr. Webb had a rough time of it as well. In a former life I was a soccer referee, but age and bad knees finally caught up with me so I had to hang up the whistle. Now I assess referees. The new EPL season could be a very interesting one.
Well, perhaps you should get to work on our MLS refs....they are not quite stellar...
Welcome to the thread, btw.
yes, it's painful watching some of them and MLS play in general. I do know one of the MLS refs, however, and he is also on the FIFA list. Had a chance to work with him this past summer at a regional youth tournament. And thanks for the warm welcome!
The boy Hart's on fire at the moment.
Equally as warm as his stinging palms is the welcome to fcortese. Hello, fcortese.
Equally as warm as his stinging palms is the welcome to fcortese. Hello, fcortese.
The boy Hart's on fire at the moment.
Equally as warm as his stinging palms is the welcome to fcortese. Hello, fcortese.
thanks. glad to be on board.
Today's recipe for disaster:
Combine in large bowl: No owners, no money, Torres never fit, thin squad, big-money flops and noisy neighbors with more money than God.
Mix thoroughly, pour in to cake pan and bake for half an hour.
Serves about 70,000.
Combine in large bowl: No owners, no money, Torres never fit, thin squad, big-money flops and noisy neighbors with more money than God.
Mix thoroughly, pour in to cake pan and bake for half an hour.
Serves about 70,000.
Equally as warm as his stinging palms is the welcome to fcortese. Hello, fcortese.
Warm welcome indeed! As is my custom I shall down a pint in honour of your arrival the next time I'm in my local Irish church (read pub).
Very interesting game today. For my Liverpool supporting friend that watched the game with me the defeat proved to be a difficult "reality-check" pill to swallow, as it brought to the front-line, once again, all the issues that the draw with Arsenal had temporarily partially alleviated.
The truth however is that I can see many teams losing points to Man City away and I'll can tell you now, I'd happily take a point there.
I couldn't resist comparing Man City all during the game to Chelsea of 4 years ago and have come to the frightening conclusion that they might, very possibly, carve the same path as they did.
P.S. Will we be discussing tactics and specific details on here or would that be over doing it?
meanwhile the german bundesliga started the weekend (i was off the internet for a whole week) and needless to say some are coming into the season as they left the world cup
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TorMMafMy0k
i somehow have the feeling this wont be the last Kroos assist this season
and after the Dzeko equalizerin the second half, Bayern as usual win the game with an extra time (92 minute) tap in by Schweinsteiger
and the next day poor old Werder Bremen got trashed 4-1 by Hoffenheim and the duel Nistelrooy(HSV) vs Raul(Schalke) was won by the HSV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TorMMafMy0k
i somehow have the feeling this wont be the last Kroos assist this season
and after the Dzeko equalizerin the second half, Bayern as usual win the game with an extra time (92 minute) tap in by Schweinsteiger
and the next day poor old Werder Bremen got trashed 4-1 by Hoffenheim and the duel Nistelrooy(HSV) vs Raul(Schalke) was won by the HSV
I'd rather discuss tactics on a forum than be spoon-fed platitudes by the pundits.
Joe Cole is obviously an important piece of Hodgson's intended tactics and he wasn't available today, so Liverpool fans can take a tiny amount of consolation in the knowledge that today's lineup was something of a plan B - but in the Premier League you won't get far without a very good plan B.
Torres is a huge worry. He's nowhere near 100%. Plenty of people are beginning to wonder if he's going to be the next Michael Owen in terms of fragility. Without Torres, we have no quality strikers. N'Gog and Babel are at best good squad players.
More worryingly, our defense is not what it used to be. I think Skrtel is good, Carragher is reliant of good positioning to be effective because he's old and slow. Agger's had his head knocked in, so perhaps that affected his performance today. Johnson has shown real attacking quality but he gets caught out somewhat frequently and requires protection.
We did not play very well today, but the fact remains that the laughing is over, and the sheer weight of Man City's finances is beginning to tell, and Liverpool is an ideal victim: recent top four club with teetering finances.
I'd rather discuss tactics on a forum than be spoon-fed platitudes by the pundits.
Couldn't have said it better myself!
I think, firstly, it must be said that the 4-4-2 that Hodgson opted for today was new to the players and their unfamiliarity may have factored into Liverpool's subdued performance. Any new formation requires time to settle in so it'll be interesting to see if Roy sticks with it for the whole season, and whether the fans and players will show the patience it requires. Also worth noting is that at Fulham, Zamora was a key focal point and Liverpool lack a strong target man like him
Before the game the commentator on sky made a remark about how Roy was the first manager to play Gerrard in his 'best' role and build the team around that but personally I disagree.
Lets say for a moment that Liverpool's problem stems all the way from the absence of Alonso, a creative force in midfield, and that playing Gerrard deep is the solution. Putting aside that playing so deep diminishes from Gerrard's attacking threat, pundits seem to forget that Alonso had Gerrard running into space for him to pass to, so I ask who does Gerrard have to pass to? Ngo? Kuyt? Babel? Janovic? Not players capable of receiving and making that killer through pass to Torres, esp. against top opposition.
Ok, what if Torres receives? Well he'll find a bank of defenders he needs to dribble past before he's through on goal so not very practical. This is where Joe Cole fits in but we're yet to see if he can step up to the role and his 40 mins during the Arsenal game weren't very encouraging. Questions about his fitness also pop up and if this is Hodgson's only plan for the whole season it's a huge gamble (just ask Chelsea).
Personally I'd love to see Carrick at Liverpool seeing as he's not going to get much play at Man Utd and he would fit the bill perfectly but in truth any proper central midfielder would do.
Also worth noting is that at Fulham Zamora was a key focal point playing the target man role which Roy milked to the last drop and at Liverpool he doesn't have one. I expect him to sign one soon with the required height and strength that his new formation requires.
Defensively I'd just like to add that it was a terrible mistake to have Agger face off with Adam Johnson (an extremely talented player who can run rings around the best left defenders let alone Agger playing out of position) and that it's funny how the second goal was due to a corner, only this time Liverpool were man marking instead of zonal marking, a common criticism of Benitez.
I seem to have raved on and I apologize if my response is too long.
Unless Hodgson makes blatantly foolish tactical decisions or spectacularly crap transfers, I will not blame him if we finish 7th again. He inherited a position in a club very much on the slide, and it will take more than just his exertions to right the ship. I'm behind Roy until further notice.
Gerrard, like Rooney, has a tendancy to run around all over the place. I don't think he could ever be a more stationary midfield distributor of the ball, nor do I think he's best used on the wings, as he is sometimes for England. He needs to play high up the field, in the middle, where he can run at the defense provide service to strikers/wingers and make long-range shots. Which begs the question of where to play Joe Cole...
I am hoping Cole ends up being a solid player for us, but I'm no master tactician and I'm not sure where to slot him in. Like Gerrard, I don't think he should be used on the wings. Perhaps the best thing to do would be to play him as a withdrawn striker just ahead of Gerrard . Cole could make runs while Torres holds up the ball. You'd have a defensive midfielder behind Stevie G and then two wingers. But this setup risks creating a traffic jam between Cole and Gerrard, because they's very nearly be occupying the same space.
I just want Alonso back. <sulks>
Torres can do that pretty well when fit. People will laugh but I think we could use Peter Crouch again.
I seem to have raved on and I apologize if my response is too long.
It was long, but you've only just begun to enumerate Liverpool's problems.
Here's a good one for the neutrals: on Thursday Motherwell will play Odense BK at Fir Park, they lost 2-1 in the first leg but that means they just need to win 1-0 to go through to the group stages of the Europa League. That will be worth £1.5m to a team with an annual turnover of £4m.
So in the Scottish spirit of supporting the wee man, I'll be trying to find a pub with a telly showing it on Thursday.
Oh and you might be pleased to know that Cardiff finally paid Motherwell the money they owed them, despite claiming to be skint then signing 6 players including Craig Belamy.
LB, I don't think Dundee will win the SPL this year as they aren't in it. I don't think Dundee Utd will win it either. Have a look at this on Google Maps and tell me why this should make sense.
So in the Scottish spirit of supporting the wee man, I'll be trying to find a pub with a telly showing it on Thursday.
Oh and you might be pleased to know that Cardiff finally paid Motherwell the money they owed them, despite claiming to be skint then signing 6 players including Craig Belamy.
LB, I don't think Dundee will win the SPL this year as they aren't in it. I don't think Dundee Utd will win it either.
Have a look at this on Google Maps and tell me why this should make sense.LB, we're in agreement and your points hit the nail on the head. My beef with Liverpool was Benitez so I'll be rooting for them this year, I keep telling my Liverpool friend that "we need to unite against the Chelseas and Man Citys of this league".
All in all, best start to a season ever?
All in all, best start to a season ever?
In MLS news, Columbus is still looking good, comfortably topping the Eastern conference and posting the second highest points total behind the now-slumping LA Galaxy.
Geovanni made a sub appearance in nthe 74th minute for San Jose against the Galaxy during the 'Quakes' 2-1 victory. Another move I didn't mention before is that Freddy Ljungberg moved to Chicago from Seattle at the end of last month. There had been rumors of a move for some time, but frankly I didn't expect him to move to another MLS team. I'm glad he's still in the league.
It would be great to see an SPL team outside the Old Firm do something noteworthy - I think every neutral can get behind that. Good luck to them!
I try to be facetiously clever by tipping a team other than you-know-who and you-know-who-else and end up looking like a fool. Which happens more often than I'd like to admit.
In terms of the number of goals it was a big start to the season. But all those drubbings don't say much in favor of competition, do they?
Geovanni made a sub appearance in nthe 74th minute for San Jose against the Galaxy during the 'Quakes' 2-1 victory. Another move I didn't mention before is that Freddy Ljungberg moved to Chicago from Seattle at the end of last month. There had been rumors of a move for some time, but frankly I didn't expect him to move to another MLS team. I'm glad he's still in the league.
It would be great to see an SPL team outside the Old Firm do something noteworthy - I think every neutral can get behind that. Good luck to them!
LB, I don't think Dundee will win the SPL this year as they aren't in it. I don't think Dundee Utd will win it either.
I try to be facetiously clever by tipping a team other than you-know-who and you-know-who-else and end up looking like a fool. Which happens more often than I'd like to admit.
In terms of the number of goals it was a big start to the season. But all those drubbings don't say much in favor of competition, do they?
Definitely don't like those 6 - 0 games, but I'm happy Newcastle is back, and seeing United drawing is great too. If those lopsided matches weren't from 2 of the top clubs, that would be a lot more surprising. A goal difference of 24 goals separates Chelsea and Wigan after only 2 games...
More CONCACAF Champion's League today, specifically TFC playing at home. I'd be a lot more confident of a win if they hand't lost to NY last weekend, after staying undefeated at home for a ridiculous amount of time. But if they can pull another surprise win, their chances of going through to the knockout rounds are very high. That would be great considering they've had no success in the league or any other tournaments since their beginning.
Fortunately, this is my last year supporting our only Canadian representative in MLS.
More CONCACAF Champion's League today, specifically TFC playing at home. I'd be a lot more confident of a win if they hand't lost to NY last weekend, after staying undefeated at home for a ridiculous amount of time. But if they can pull another surprise win, their chances of going through to the knockout rounds are very high. That would be great considering they've had no success in the league or any other tournaments since their beginning.
Fortunately, this is my last year supporting our only Canadian representative in MLS.
Columbus face Mexcican club Santos Laguna. They won the Clausura in 2008 so I expect them to be as good as Toluca and Cruz Azul, the Mexican opponents we faced (and were well beaten by) in last year's CL. I think we can make it to the next round by placing second in our group, but I expect the Mexicans to dominate again, as usual...it would be great to see and MLS club in the final though. I think we'll have a better showing than last year, when only Columbus made it to the knockout rounds.
Why is that? Or do you mean that next season they won't be the only Canadian team anymore? Toronto certainly does maintian good support.
Fortunately, this is my last year supporting our only Canadian representative in MLS.
Why is that? Or do you mean that next season they won't be the only Canadian team anymore? Toronto certainly does maintian good support.
I'm guessing that NathanCH is going to be throwing his lot in with the MLSafied Vancouver Whitecaps.
As a special treat for him, here's a picture of a handsome fellow indeed.
A bit closer than Forest and County, and you don't need a boat either...
I suppose I could have bothered to look at his location.
That's the second time I've made an ass of myself today. Maybe I should play it safe and just shut up.
Pretty cool retro short on Beardsley there - I think they should bring it back!
LB, I don't think Dundee will win the SPL this year as they aren't in it. I don't think Dundee Utd will win it either.
That's astonishing. I imagine there'd be home games played at the same time and they can hear each other? And are those allotments just to the right of Dundee United?
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