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Football football. Football football.

  
  

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The Falcon
15:01 / 03.02.06
question: will reading be next year's premiership wigan? can there be two teams in sucessive years like this? has that ever happened before..?

No. And you know why? Because they will be champions, which = the poisoned chalice in this case. Check the last few seasons; I think the champions of the old First/Championship regularly are not only relegated, but bottom of the Prem. Sunderland will maintain this proud tradition.

Re: Newcastle - I think O'Neill, assuming he can do it, is really the only option of those touted.
 
 
ONLY NICE THINGS
15:11 / 03.02.06
David o'Leary was being sandwiched into the frame by Sky. One has to ask why, exactly.

Chum proposed that Allardyce was better suited to Newcastle than England, and could actually make a real difference to their success, this season or next. Conversely, Allardyce could add Champions' League experience to his CV, potentially, with Newcastle, which he probably could not with Bolton.
 
 
The Falcon
15:23 / 03.02.06
We-he-hell, is entirely possible, re: Allardyce, actually. Having no investment, I do kind've want him to be English manager, just because, oh, he's the nearest thing to Mike Bassett on offer. And I think it's a better recognition. I do like gruff, traditional football men as managers (Wenger honorably excepted; ) Aberdeen have Fifer Jimmy Calderwood - a man who I can say, having been in his proximity, swears at an unbelievably admirable ratio to other, proper words. Quite what they made of him at NAC Breda is anyone's guess.

O'Leary? He did alright at Leeds under a spendthrift, iirc? But, no, not really a good idea, I would say. No.
 
 
lonely as a cloud...
07:52 / 07.02.06
I think O'Leary was just in the right place at the right time with Leeds. He brought some good young players into the side - like Smith, Milner and Woodgate - but he was just lucky. He hasn't really proved himself to be a great manager at all, IMHO.
 
 
astrojax69
21:15 / 21.02.06
from what i saw of it - most of the second half and snatches of first - the arsenal win in the bernebeau was an enthralling encounter; between two teams i don't much fancy in the main. much keener on seeing stamford bridge host the catalans tomorrow.

and if i can be arsed getting up, a few hrs earlier (we get champs league at about half six am local) i can watch the stripped bare socceroos take on bahrian away in their first foray into asia, the ir first asian cup qualifier. skoko is not required by wigan and it'll be good for him to have a run with some of the younger, uncapped players. be a tough encounter to get any result in the circumstances. i'd fancy a full strength team but this is a trial run at the depth of our squad to take to germany and i fancy it might be found wanting. we'll see.

so, 'pool go home with a goal to make up, the gunners take a precious away goal home and ac milan got an away draw. all still up in the air, really. bring it on! i love this time of year - it's football football all the way now: champions league, eufa cup, domestic seasons closing, fa cup, we've got the asian cup and of course the world cup is round the corner and the national side has a few fixtures to get them hitting german soil running (as do many other national sides... who do the usa and eng;land face between now and june?) o, joy!
 
 
Benny the Ball
06:25 / 22.02.06
England play Jamaica at some point - and another team I can't remember...

Arsenal were all over Real, it was only the fact that most of their players choked in great positions that stopped them winning by a lot more, that and Lehman.

I think Liverpool will be fine though.
 
 
The Falcon
12:49 / 22.02.06
Arsenal were great last night; in particular Emmanuel Eboue, who on that evidence is a sight better than Lauren and Aliaksandr Hleb, my hot signing tip for 05/06. (It hasn't quite worked out that way, obviously, but I see where Wenger was coming from playing him ahead of Pires last night; he won and held balls everywhere, as well as providing some rapier passes.) Henry was captain fanstastique. Great stuff, lovely to watch; much nicer than grinder Chelsea.

I might pop a five or ten on them.
 
 
astrojax69
02:47 / 23.02.06
i'll take your fiver... if anyone beats barca then they're welcome to the trophy. they play beautiful football, even on a pitch that was far from ideal [though it surely wasn't that bad. both sides were able to move the ball about pretty well, really]

the red card was deserved for a concatonation of offences, but the challenge that earned it was not really so bad. pity the affair had to end with the numbers deciding, i thought a draw at the bridge was probably a reasonable result. i can't see chelski going to camp nou and getting a two goal result, god as they are. if they do, they'll scoop the pools. might meet arsenal or liverpool in the last game!

australia had a good win in bahrain, coming from a first half deficit to win 1-3. bahrian, on paper, are the strongest opposition in our group, so we should get to the asian cup finals. that'll be a treat.

we rank about mid fourties in fifa's standings. i rekkun the socceroos can plateau out at about a mid twenties team in the world rankings if we keep on this form and acquire some depth.

what say ye about the fifa rankings anyway, football 'lithers? is your country ranked appropriately? [don't answer if you're brasilian - we know you're ok!! ]
 
 
lonely as a cloud...
09:51 / 23.02.06
astrojax - Del Horno was niggling Messi all night, but nothing he did warranted a straight red. He certainly deserved a caution, but the incident he was sent off for - if he'd managed to hit the ball before he cannoned into Messi, it would've been a corner and no more would have been said about it. Ferreira was much better at dealing with Messi, anyway - Messi's a left-footed player, so it makes sense to have a right-footed full-back to counter him.
 
Apart from that, it was a pretty entertaining match, especially the second half. Messi was excellent, Eto'o and Ronaldinho were surprisingly quiet, though. Carvalho had a good game, I felt, apart from the stupid foul on Ronaldinho that resulted in Eto'o's goal. Carvalho isn't a player I usually like - he can be quite dirty - but he was pretty clean last night, and made some important tackles and blocks.
 
I think, though, that Chelsea can still pull a result out of the bag at the Nou Camp. If they start with Drogba up front, and either Gallas or Ferreira at left-back, then they'll definitely have a chance, and if they start like they started the second half last night, it should be a classic match.
 
 
The Falcon
12:21 / 23.02.06
The World rankings are a bit ropey because teams from, say, CONCACAF often make top 10 on the basis of solid records against El Salvador, Panama and the like. That being said, they're not a totally useless gauge, and of course the US did make last 8 last World Cup.

Scotland are 61st level with Uzbekistan, which probably is not an inaccurate reflection of Berti Vogts legacy. Looking at the list, I'd certainly put us above Trinidad who we cuffed 4-1 during those dark days, and in among Oz and SA; probably not as good as Serbia or Ghana, just above, but still better than a number of Asian and NorAm teams (Saudi, Honduras probably) ranked yet higher. Hopefully we can climb up to the 30's soon enough. Beating Schweiz'd be a start.
 
 
astrojax69
21:23 / 26.02.06
the first season of australia's new competition, the 'a' league (actually, methinks the branding of it looks quite schmick ) is proving to be the full bottle. sydney fc started the season as the glamour club and the favourites while adelaide, one of the only clubs that was really close to a continued team (with perth glory) from the old nsl, ran hot and were indeed runaway minor premiers.

australia is odd, i think, in having a season declared by a finals series - i rather like first past the post; makes the whole season count. this notwithstanding, the other two stand-out teams were the two from the coast region spreading now north from the greater sydney area, gosford and newcastle.

the central coast mariners - the former - prevailed over the jets in their two leg [at least this bit is fairer!] pre-lim final and so met adelaide yesterday to determine sydney's grand final opponent [dwight yorke's sydney having done adelaide when it mattered in their two leg pre-lim final. subsequently, syd host the grand final and adelaide hosted their semi..]

i of course expected the talent to out and the season's form to tell - adelaide were a game or two ahead of sydney and then another big gap on the final table to the next two/three teams - but the plucky north coast lads stood up - in adelaide mind! - in a single game final and have a chance at being the first team to win the a-league.

i expect the galmour faves will romp home. but the great thing is the real buzz that was never there about football - the beautiful one - in this country. the concatenation of the socceroo's world cup qualification with the inaugural a-league has been a fillip this country badly needed. well, i think it did! and frank lowy, who took over soccer australia and made things happen should be knighted or made governor general or at least told thanks. good upon you frank - his legacy already is a national competition free from ethnic conotations and riots and confusion, one that has been seen by a squillion people with over 30 000 at the sydney 2nd leg of their pre-lim - a fantastic crowd considering anything over 10 000 was almost unheard of outside perth in the nsl - and more expected next week... and, continuing frank's leagcy, the national side has a world class manager and the game is being aggressively developed in junior - and bravo, women's - leagues. the game is being well marketed and of course the product speaks for itself. frank rocks.

and back on sydney fc, rumuours are now extant that robbie baggio - the miracle ponytail - will come out of retirement to be a guest star player for a few games with them next season... what d'ya rekkun about that!
 
 
lonely as a cloud...
09:13 / 01.03.06
I dunno if any Irish 'lithers frequent this thread - but, good grief, what a team Staunton's picked out for his first match in charge! It seems to be either a 4-3-3, or possibly a midfield diamond thing with Robbie Keane at the point operating behind Doyle and Elliot, presumably with Duff and Steven Reid on the left and right, and O'Shea at the base. Back four is solid, with Joey O'Brien and Harte as full-backs, and Dunne and Andy O'Brien at centre-half. And, of course, Shay Given in goal.
 
I have to say, it's a pretty exciting line-up - the most experimental Irish team to be named in a long time. Hopefully this signals the end of where Ireland's plan B was to send Gary Docherty on up front if things weren't going well...
 
 
Jack Denfeld
09:55 / 01.03.06
The Business used to have a song called Southgate about a footballer who messed up some big game, and my friends and I thought it was really funny and used to sing along with it years ago. These are the lyrics

Gareth Southgate stood on the spot
Couldn't believe the chance he got
He'd be a hero with one toe punt
But sent it at the keeper oh what a cunt
SOUTHGATE'S GOING HOME, HE'S GOING HOME
SOUTHGATE'S GOING HOME, HE'S GOING HOME
SOUTHGATE'S GOING HOME - OH NO HE'S MISSED THE BUS
Should he hit to the left
Should he hit to the right
Don't really matter coz he was shite
That's the way our luck goes
Couldn't see the ball coz of the size of his nose
If I score this it'll be a killer
Coz they won't let me at Aston Villa
Didn't take a run up for the kick
Even me mum thinks I'm a prick
DANCE NOW WHATEVER YOU WILL BE
BUT HE MISSED THE FUCKING PENALTY
SO WE SMASHED UP THE TOWN
WHEREVER WE MAY BE
COZ HE MISSED THE FUCKING PENALTY

Who was this Southgate, and was his blunder as big as the song makes it out to be? I don't follow the football, but my buddy did buy me an Arsenal jersey for my birthday once.
 
 
astrojax69
23:35 / 01.03.06
gosh cloud, you must be stoked! 3-0! if it just stays like that for another four years...

what about italy demolishing germany?? this could be a fascinating world cup, with australia playing togo in the final!! not....
 
 
lonely as a cloud...
09:41 / 02.03.06
Jack - Southgate was Gareth Southgate, a centre-half who now plays for Middlesboro. I can't remember what competition it was, but it was a penalty shoot-out (are you familiar with the concept?), and Southgate made a mess of his penalty, thereby sending England out of the competition. I don't think he played much for England afterwards...
 
astrojax - yeah, 3-0 against a practically full-strength Swedish team is a bloody good result! Granted, the home advantage and the feel-good factor of a new manager probably helped, but still. Very encouraging performance, looking forward to another friendly soon - I think they're aiming for one in May. And Duff and Joe Cole's performances last night are good news for Chelsea, too!
 
 
falski
19:12 / 02.03.06
Outstanding result and performance by Ireland. They made a decent Sweden team look VERY ordinary.

As a Scot I wish we had a fraction of the talent that Ireland have... as it is we're going into an incredibly tough Euro 2008 qualifying group with a very ropey squad.
 
 
astrojax69
22:07 / 05.03.06
dwight yorke won man of the match in sydney fc's win of the inaugural season of the 'a' league. sydney downed a combative mariners, from all accounts. one of the few shite things about the new league is that it isn't available on free-to-air, so i followed the match in bits on the 'net, then saw highlights on the news moments after the end.

yorke held two players up beautifully, manouevering from twenty five yards out, pushing them, teasing them, into the box, then slipping it back inside for former socceroo midfield dynamo steve corica to slot it past the 'keeper. over 40 000 people packed in to watch and the commentators all agreed it was a thrilling affair, a worthy first season climax. damn missing it.

but football goes from strength to strength in australia and we now have a warm up game against the dutch before the world cup. we'll need a fresh thread for that one!
 
 
Benny the Ball
20:32 / 06.03.06
Jack/Cloud - it was Euro '96, England vs Germany, we'd gone up through Shearer, they'd come back from someone (that guy who scored a million headers for them, I think) extra time saw a fat Gazza lack the ability to get his foot onto a great ball, and somebody hit the post (Le Saux?) in the most tense, painful semi-final extra time event I have ever witnessed. Anyway, Southgate missed his penalty, the only one to do so - his mother later famously said 'why didn't you just belt it, son?'
 
 
lonely as a cloud...
09:49 / 07.03.06
So - champions' league action...
 
Barcelona vs Chelsea - Well, Mourinho's certainly got the siege mentality thing going, especially after the debacle of the West Brom match at the weekend. Missing Essien and Del Horno - the former would have been very useful to have (especially if Lampard doesn't make it - although according to reports he should do), the latter probably won't be missed, especially if Gallas plays left full-back. As I mentioned, Messi on the right for Barcelona likes to cut inside, and thus a right-footed full-back is more effective against him. Chelsea are certainly capable of winning at the Nou Camp, IMHO. Should be a good match. If both teams play to their potential, and Robben, Drogba and Messi lay off the theatrics, it really should be a classic.
 
Liverpool vs Benfica - it's really hard to see Benfica scoring at Anfield. At the same time, though, it's really hard to see Liverpool scoring, too. Luis Garcia should start, I think, playing in the centre with Hamann or Xavi, with Kewell on the left and Gerrard on the right, and Crouch with either Fowler or Morientes up front. Gerrard and Garcia are IMHO their most likely scorers.
 
Arsenal vs Real Madrid - this match really depends on who turns up on the night. Arsenal's defense seems to have solidified somewhat, but would be no match for the likes of Robinho, Zidane, Cassano and co. if they're in form. Likewise, if Henry can turn it on, he should be able to score at will against a fairly thin Madrid defense. The pitch at Highbury is apparently a little narrower than most, which could stifle Madrid's wide play (they like to have Zidane and Beckham overlapping with full-backs Roberto Carlos and Cicinho on the wings), but Madrid's central midfield (Gravesen and Guti) are a pretty tough pair, and could overwhelm Flamini and Silva. Arsenal are playing to keep Henry; Madrid's Galacticos are playing to justify themselves to their new president. Anything could happen.
 
 
The Falcon
16:47 / 07.03.06
Villareal v. Rangers - God, I hope the latter get a doing.
 
 
The Falcon
16:49 / 07.03.06
I think it's interesting what Mourinho's intent on doing, going out before the players to suck up the hate; clever psychological ploy, rekkin. Still think and hope Barca win, as I'm vastly in favour of flamboyance and flair over grinding Russian mafia juggernauts.
 
 
astrojax69
20:46 / 07.03.06
my girlfriend is a barcelona goal magnet: in the first leg she was kissing me, passing through the living room while getting ready, and i missed barca's first goal. then again moments later, she again kissed me at the crucial moment.

guess when she left this morning (the champ. league is on at the civil time of 6.45am here) and kissed me goodbye? yes indeed, just as the toothy one jinked past a hapless white wall and jegged the ball into the net. missed it again!

that said, chelski were rarely really in the tie. barca to play 'pool in the final??

anyone know why the ajax - inter game wasn't on simultaneously with the other three legs?
 
 
lonely as a cloud...
11:07 / 08.03.06
Well, Chelsea are out now. Mourinho's experiment with Cole, Duff and Robben didn't work, and he should have seen that sooner. Robben made maybe two excellent runs down the right - he really should have been doing that more. The left (Chelsea's left) was a blind alley, as Olegeur had an excellent match.
 
Still, at least they didn't get thrashed. Barca never really overwhelmed them, and it took a moment of magic from Ronaldinho to score. It was a fairly even match; Merk was a little whistle-happy, but his frees were fairly evenly distributed, so neither team could really complain about it. Ronaldinho ran Ferreira ragged, but the double marking system worked; on the right, Messi was always coming up against Gallas *and* Duff, so he never really got a chance before his unfortunate injury, and on the left, if Ronnie got beyond Ferriera, Carvalho was always there with a block or interception.
 
Thing is - in the first leg, down to ten men, Chelsea were immense - they totally dominated the first 20-odd minutes of the second half, but that tired them out a lot, and so they were easy picking for Barcelona, who probably should have scored more at Stamford Bridge.
 
At the end of the day - last night was not a time for experimentation. Barcelona won because they have genius on the pitch - Ronaldinho and Messi put pretty much any other players in the world in the shade, IMHO.
 
 
The Falcon
19:41 / 08.03.06
Sooo, Liverpool humbled by Benfica, Arsenal winning through and Milan and Lyon storming through to join Villareal, Barca and Juve along with the winners of Inter/Ajax, which I'd think will be the former.

Italian clubs haven't done this well for a long while, assuming that last one; Milan, Juve and Barca have the strongest squads in the tournament, but I really fancy either Lyon or Arsenal as dark horses to do it this year.
 
 
astrojax69
20:35 / 08.03.06
lyon, mebbe, but watching the gunners i am not convinced a slicker squad wouldn't run them ragged. real looked out of sorts and neither side looked like [current] european champions, to my mind. zouzou had moments, then faded. ronaldo too is not a ninety minute player any more. henry is adept at holding up the ball but he lacks a partner like a rooney, or a shevchenko, to run off him and finish things off.

i still fancy the winner of the barca - chelski tie, so the former - but also fancy an italian opposition to put them to the test. when is the draw? and why is the ajax match a week out from the others?
 
 
The Falcon
21:49 / 08.03.06
Draw's on Friday. I didn't see Arsenal tonight, because it wasn't on ITV and I didn't fancy venturing outside the cosy confines of teh house; they were absolutely excellent in the first leg, though, and could have won by more. Their form's been apparently saved for this, which is all that's left for them to play for.

I do want it to happen, though, but after the last two years, I see absolutely no reason why any of the 9 remaining teams couldn't do it.
 
 
lonely as a cloud...
14:06 / 09.03.06
Poor old Liverpool. They really need to buy some new strikers. I think Benitez made a huge mistake trying to convert Cissé into a winger. Obviously, the deal was done before Benitez' arrival, but if he wasn't so keen on Cissé, why not sell him, and use the funds to buy a player he wanted? If he'd been playing as a centre-forward more, I think Cissé'd be sharper in front of goal.
 
Morientes - well, what happened to him? He was scoring for fun for Monaco. It's kind of sad to see him play now, he's only a shadow of what he used to be. Crouch isn't really expected to score too much, he's there to knock down long balls to whoever happens to be around. And Fowler... well, he's probably not 100% match fit. Benitez is quoted as saying, when asked whether his strikers ever practices scoring/finishing, that having scored whatever amount of goals, Fowler was unlikely to forget how to do it.
 
The big question I've been hearing lately from Liverpool fans is - what the hell is Pongolle doing at Blackburn? He's always looked dangerous when playing for Liverpool, and a lot more likely to score than their other frontmen.
 
 
praricac
19:29 / 13.03.06
hi there i am new...

agreed, liverpool do need someone decent up front, last time i saw them was against man u in the cup and they were absolute rubbish (fair enough they won, but that just goes to show how awful man u are)
boring, uncreative, uninspiring.

fowler's only there to sell a few shirts and morientes is past it, he seems too old and lazy to adjust to the style of play over here.

champs league draw though!! what the hell happened??
on sky sports news they were trying to claim that the presenter had "fallen over", the words "high" and "drama" spring to mind...
 
 
astrojax69
20:28 / 13.03.06
hi praricac, welcome aboard...

so, who is ya tip to lift the trophy, then..?

all: i know it's only mid march, but shall we start a thread on the world cup soon? there are a number of friendlies to be played before june and a lot of interest on key players who might put a wind up the mix for whatever reason... too soon? if so, when? that's all...
 
 
praricac
11:48 / 14.03.06
i think barcelona are everyone's tip at the moment, and its hard to argue with.
i personally hope they don't win it, as i find them annoying in that weird kind of way that probably only football fans can understand.

barca aside, i think arsenal have a really decent chance if they can get past juventus

oh, and we absolutely need a world cup thread immediately!
 
 
The Falcon
17:09 / 14.03.06
World Cup thread, eh?
 
 
astrojax69
00:37 / 16.03.06
can boro win the uefa cup? poor old roma had their longest winning streak in a pretty useless phase - when they needed a few results (in their cup, and now in europe) they fall over! but it would do me heart a world of good to see our aussies schwarzer and viduka play important roles in winning a major trophy, just weeks before they step out onto the stage where it all matters, in-form..!

and the english fa cup is down to eight. who'd bet against chelski now they're out of europe?
 
 
praricac
11:53 / 18.03.06
i guess boro have a decent chance: fairly experienced team in a pretty second rate competition and they can and do score goals.

however, most of the teams left in it are (to a greater or lesser extent) dark horses as far as i'm concerned.

sevilla are top six in spain i think, with saviola and kanoute both able to get goals at any level (if they fancy it)
schalke are/were flying high in the bundesliga, so have to be in with a chance too
 
 
praricac
23:24 / 24.03.06
HA! My brother and most other people in my family are villa fans, so this makes me laugh more than perhaps it should:

ASTON Villa fan Don Broadhurst secured a Commonwealth Games boxing medal after being spurred on by news of Birmingham City's FA Cup quarter-final tonking.

Broadhurst said: "It has been a great day with Birmingham getting beaten 7-0 and me getting bronze but I'm not finished yet. If I could get gold and the Blues got relegated that would top it off."

Cracks me up how, for all the "football as a unifying force: the game that brings the world together" talk from us enlightened® fans, one of the main attractions is AND ALWAYS WILL BE seeing people we don't like suffer and fail.
 
 
Brunner
10:41 / 29.03.06
Well I just wanted to say that although Patrick Vieira has been my favourite player for the last 9 years, last night seemed to prove Wenger was right to sell him at the end of last season. Cesc Fabregas was absolutely amazing and the young Arsenal side looked far superior to Juventus. It's still within their capabilities to completely throw it in the second leg but if they keep this up I reckon they can beat anyone (and that includes Barca).

Ideal scenario: Arsenal win the Champions League and Spurs finish 4th in the Premiership! Ha ha ha ...
 
  

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