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The 2013-2014 Football Thread

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And it's official - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is Tan's now.

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"It is a fantastic challenge."

Quite the master of understatement...
 
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Good luck, Ole. That position really is a poisoned chalice. Then again, if he indeed does fail to keep Cardiff up, won't everybody blame the owner?

Maybe Ole's thought this one out after all.
 
Tilpots said:
I want a winner. I want a loser. The last thing I want is a score that ends exactly as it began... Tied.
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Most Americans would agree with you. Personally, I think the notion of a tie score being a 'non-result' is itself flawed. Because in-between the beginning and the end of the game you may get to see some excellent play - and that's what it's all about.

But the US is a results-oriented society. We want, as you said, to see clear winners and losers - so we set up the rules of our sport to make sure that happens. In my personal opinion, that creates an artificial gap in perceived quality between the declared winners and losers.

But really, opposition to football in the US ultimately comes down to the fact that you can't have commercial breaks. :D

Silencio said:
Good luck, Ole. That position really is a poisoned chalice. Then again, if he indeed does fail to keep Cardiff up, won't everybody blame the owner?

Maybe Ole's thought this one out after all.
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That might be true, but Ole will have to function as Tan's stooge from now on - he will have to take "guidance" from above and publicly assume all blame for any mistakes - his or Tan's. The temptation to manage a Premier League team is understandably great, but his chances for success here are abysmally low.

Malky Mackay is literally laughing all the way to the bank, though. Good on him.
 
Jaffa Cake said:
Woah - steady on there, your Lordship. No need to be insulting. :p

I've not seen any pics yet but I'm guessing we'll have worn the away kit's alternative white socks rather than the first choice red...
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i thought they looked like chelsea.... a very mid tabled chelsea... :p

Happybunny said:
I do remember on more than one occasion being told by various Americans in the past one of the main things that they dislike about European Football is that a game can and frequently does end in a draw. I was lead to believe that Americans like there to be a clear winner, at the end of every sport.
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yeah, we are spoiled that way. and folks have never been able to understand draws... I blame the Viet Nam War... a "tie" that really felt like a loss....

Lord Blackadder said:
I'm suspicious of anyone that tries to explain that there's something fundamentally wrong with football [soccer]. Americans traditionally ignore it or disdain it. But the gradual success of our own league (MLS) proves that even here people are changing their mind.

The whole complaint about draws gets voiced often - but I think that is just an excuse to dismiss a sport that people know little about and choose to remain ignorant of.
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exactly...
 
Jaffa Cake said:
The counter argument is of course is that if neither team has proved itself the better after 90 minutes, neither deserves the win! :p
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Lord Blackadder said:
Personally, I think the notion of a tie score being a 'non-result' is itself flawed. Because in-between the beginning and the end of the game you may get to see some excellent play - and that's what it's all about.
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I would consider myself a big sports fan. For me, overtime, extra innings and sudden death are some of the most special moments of a game. It's that bonus. That special time when heroes are made, legend's are born and the Cinderella story comes true. It's magical. As a fan, some of my most memorable scenes have taken place after regulation expires. I enjoy watching the pressure weigh on the athletes and seeing how they respond. Maybe it is a cultural thing, I don't know. I guess it's just what I've grown up with and have been accustomed.

The only other thing I'd say on the subject is that I do find it odd that while the Regular Season allows ties, the Championships of Tournaments don't. Why not have Co-Champions?

Sorry to be the loud mouthed American here. I love and respect the game of Football, always have. It's just an issue I've had with the sport. For the Record, I'm not a fan of the DH in MLB, the shorter 3 pt line in college basketball, anything about the NBA, taking the contact out of the NFL, and in hockey, well, hockey's doing pretty good (except the Caps can't win a playoff series). :)
 
Tilpots said:
I would consider myself a big sports fan. For me, overtime, extra innings and sudden death are some of the most special moments of a game. It's that bonus. That special time when heroes are made, legend's are born and the Cinderella story comes true. It's magical. As a fan, some of my most memorable scenes have taken place after regulation expires. I enjoy watching the pressure weigh on the athletes and seeing how they respond. Maybe it is a cultural thing, I don't know. I guess it's just what I've grown up with and have been accustomed.
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I agree with you that sudden death overtime etc etc is exciting. Unfortunately, I think American sport (and the NFL in particular) is structured to commoditize excitement, to wrap it up in a nice package, to measure it out at a guaranteed rate to television companies, to sell it at huge profit to willing fans, to spread its profits about equally to a cartel of owners. All too often it appears engineered to me. Every other professional sport across the world does it to some degree, but the NFL is the epitome of sport as business.

Now, before anyone makes the obvious counterarguments, world football has a lot of problems. FIFA is fundamentally corrupt and profit-driven, TV companies have too much influence and the sport is too tolerant of wealthy sugar-daddy owners; their capricious incompetence threatens to ruin many a club and generate real financial hardship for many people. Match-fixing is also a real problem, especially in a few specific regions.

I think my love of football is in its apparent simplicity compared with the NFL, its global reach and the more local appeal it has. The NFL is more business than sport these days, and it remains a singularly American affair.
 
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Happybunny said:
Earlier they had Denis Mahmudov under contract, it looks like PEC will finally have some scoring players for the second half of the season.
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Excellent news!

Meanwhile, here in Hull we've had our first big-name departure this transfer window. We had confirmation earlier today that Tom Huddlestone's afro has left the club.

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Needless to say, everyone wishes the afro well in its future endeavours. Rumour is that 'Arry Redknapp has already tabled a large bid for it.
 
Jaffa Cake said:
Excellent news!

Meanwhile, here in Hull we've had our first big-name departure this transfer window. We had confirmation earlier today that Tom Huddlestone's afro has left the club.

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Needless to say, everyone wishes the afro well in its future endeavours. Rumour is that 'Arry Redknapp has already tabled a large bid for it.
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I heard his stylist :rolleyes: was coming up from London to perform the task.
 
pivo6 said:
I heard his stylist :rolleyes: was coming up from London to perform the task.
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Curiously the barber denied he was Huddlestone's regular, saying that there are a few crimpers he uses. Given that he's not had a proper haircut for over two years I hope they're not dependent on him for their livelihoods!

Still, he's been raising a ton of cash for Cancer Research with his hair growing so we'll let him off. His JustGiving page is growing faster than a goal shy midfielder's untamed barnet - over £46,000 at the time of posting. Nice to see some of his fellow footballers making large donations as well.
 
Napoli reject a £50m bid from Chelsea for Higuain. But Chelsea are apparently not giving up yet. Im very curious as to how they'll skirt FFP.

Speaking of Napoli and Chelsea, the former are looking to pry Mata off the latter's hands.

I'm loving this window already.

Meanwhile Wenger might be prepping a £34m bid for Costa. Don't really see that one happening tbh. But who knows...

Juve on the other hand are quite happy to offload their 30yr old striker onto us. Personally, i hope Wenger doesn't bite. He just seems like another Jovetic at City waiting to happen.

I'd rather have Berba...and i don't even like Berba.
 
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daneoni said:
I'm loving this window already.
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There is the potential for plenty of activity from Premier League clubs. I think there is a lot of value in the market because the league is so close this year - one or two good buys might end up being worth a step or two up the table in the end...and if that means getting into the Champions League...

I remember watching Vucinic back when he played for Lecce. His career strike rate isn't bad. Not sure if he'd be a good signing for a Premier League club though. Bringing an old striker into this league for the first time is risky. Eto'o, for example, hasn't done much except cheat. The cheater.

I feel like Man Utd have to buy. Chelsea need a striker badly. So far they are making do without a consistent forward, but that can't last forever. Mou will want to keep Mata to maintain squad depth, but with FFP in force I don't see how they will buy without selling (but I'm sure they'll find a way).

Liverpool could really use a center back and/or or maybe a left back. But I doubt that FSG feel any urgency to spend in this window. Iago Aspas has been a bust (to be fair he is generally played out of position), maybe we can sell him to some Spanish side in exchange for a young forward or left back. We probably will make a loss on him. Then again maybe he'll score a hat trick against Oldham this weekend and I'll just delete this part of my post.... ;)
 
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Hope this window stays closed for Hertha. There was some talk about Ramos leaving us..

Ties: hate them when I'm in the stadium but would hate it even more if a shoot out would enforce anything. Shoot outs are mostly pure luck so would tell little more finally.

Tilpots: put some more fantasy effort into the game man! Where's the fun in winning this thing if you and Pachy are waaaay outta sight.?!? Bring it on! :D
 
Lord Blackadder said:
Liverpool could really use a center back and/or or maybe a left back. But I doubt that FSG feel any urgency to spend in this window. Iago Aspas has been a bust (to be fair he is generally played out of position), maybe we can sell him to some Spanish side in exchange for a young forward or left back. We probably will make a loss on him. Then again maybe he'll score a hat trick against Oldham this weekend and I'll just delete this part of my post.... ;)
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The name being thrown around for LFC is Salah, with Sterling being shifted out on loan. Bender would be the ideal/killer signing but unlikely to happen this window.

We shall see.
 
twietee said:
Tilpots: put some more fantasy effort into the game man! Where's the fun in winning this thing if you and Pachy are waaaay outta sight.?!? Bring it on! :D
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:D

Unfortunately I have! Thank goodness the Wildcard is here. My decisions have been awful. Not sure the WC will change my luck, but I'm going to give it a try. Your lads are strong! I'd copy your team, but I don't have the $$$. :(

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pachyderm said:
i do believe that my fantasy season is a wash.

:mad:
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I'm looking at it as more of a warm up to the a World Cup. Gotta tell myself something... :)
 
Lord Blackadder said:
He's expensive. I wonder if he's worth the asking price.
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£30m is indeed high for what should be a £23m player at most. But since Costa, Mandzukic and Lewy are unlikely, it might be worth a look for Wenger.

He has a decent goal-game stat, and our numbers are dwindling.

Vermaelen forced off at half-time and Theo stretchered off today...'hopefully not serious'. How many times have i said that already the past few weeks.

Guess it'll be Gnabry/Rosicky on the right, Santi/Wilshere on the left and Ozil in the middle again...behind Poldi. On the plus side, Rosicky has been like a new signing for us. Hopefully he gets a new contract
 
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