2012/13 Soccer Thread

Let's imagine this was Balotelli - do you think his ban would have finished by 2020 ?

IMAGE(http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/968/omfgh.gif)

Fellaini is an overrated douche and a thug (a surprisingly whiny one too when HE is on the receiving end of things). That said, Ballotelli is the one who put himself in the limelight and just set up camp there. He doesn't entirely 'deserve' half the flak he gets, but he certain asks for it.

3-1 game against Sunderland looked a tad bit too casual. We should have scored a LOOT more, but the team kept playing like they were screwing around at the training facility. Meh was still a stroll in the park, but I would prefer if United would capitalize on playing teams that swimming around the bottom of the league (and they were pretty horrendous today) like some of the other top teams would have done.

He was doing it to a Stoke player - he should be given a medal not a ban

Really enjoying Arsenal's new strategy of not playing on the weekends so they can't lose on the weekend so they can't ruin my weekend. Nice to see Wenger finally making adjustments to the strategy.

onewild wrote:

He was doing it to a Stoke player - he should be given a medal not a ban ;)

Harsh...now if it was Robert Huth, that would be a different kettle of chips.

Just watching the Red Dippers against Villa, and guffawing over the commentators as the effortless display of arslikhan as to Gerrard's display is continually undermined by his woeful display. Crappy free kicks, misplayed passes, the delicate touch of a baby rhino...it's all present and correct.

Nice to see Uncle Fester getting a game as well. What, Shelvey you say ? Oh, right.

Urgh. QPR? Really? QP-freaking-R?

The Harry effect!

Also, positively surprised by Chelsea once again.

edit: Re: Liverpool yesterday: as poor as their defence was, Benteke looks like a good all-round player

Pirlo being brilliant, again. How Milan let him go for free is entirely unfathomable.

Maybe his insistence on being paid in Euros as opposed to Bunga-Bunga vouchers ?

davet010 wrote:

Let's imagine this was Balotelli - do you think his ban would have finished by 2020 ?

IMAGE(http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/968/omfgh.gif)

Didn't see the game so don't know what the context was, but that's totally inappropriate regardless and certainly looks like it should have been a straight red. I expect Fellaini will face sanction, to which I say "good".

If this had been Balotelli, folks here would also be saying that it was inappropriate, and that he should face sanction.

Except for everyone's favorite Mancunian, who'd be reminding us Balotelli is young and that he was just arseing around.

Spoiler:

Love ya, davet ;)

Edit to add: one other difference? Fellaini admitted he was wrong and apologized.

Just for that head butt, or the other one, or the hand to the face - all against Shawcross,and all in the same game ?

I just feel that Balotelli gets inordinate amounts of grief - this week's Match of the Day led with City doing Newcastle, yet both Midnite Mark and Mr Boring (Shearer) couldn't wait to get into poor, gentle Mario, who wasn't even there.

And loathe as I am to credit his tweets with anything, but I think Joey Barton has a point when he points out that he got a 12 match ban for his headbutting antics, and he only did it once in the City game. And Fellaini gets 3 and the most corrupt union official in the UK (hello Gordon Taylor) praises him for his 'honesty' in admitting it. Christ, it's not like he could deny it, is it Taylor you obnoxious clown.

Cazorla patting his forehead in front of Mertesacker after scoring a header is one of my favourite sights this season

davet010 wrote:

And loathe as I am to credit his tweets with anything, but I think Joey Barton has a point when he points out that he got a 12 match ban for his headbutting antics, and he only did it once in the City game. And Fellaini gets 3 and the most corrupt union official in the UK (hello Gordon Taylor) praises him for his 'honesty' in admitting it. Christ, it's not like he could deny it, is it Taylor you obnoxious clown.

This is the incident you're talking about, right?

I think there's a little more in play there than the headbutt (also of note: four of Barton's games in that suspension were simply a result of his straight red - the other eight were for the post-sending-off shenanigans). Barton also denied any of his actions apart from kicking Aguero.

Regardless, as I said earlier, I'm glad Fellaini got sanctioned. He can definitely be a hothead (I had to trade him away in my first FM game, when I couldn't get him to stop fouling everybody on the pitch - think he set a team record for most red cards before I moved him, though).

Reading are really bad... like really bad.

Luckily Arsenal play Wigan this weekend who might also be really bad.

Problematic is that with games vs West Ham, Newcastle and Southampton they might go on a little run of form that could be a false dawn.

They need to spend come Jan to make the top 4 this year.

Wenger doesn't need to admit how bad a signing Gervinho is. He can just save face by saying he will be missing during the AFC sign a quality player and conviently never play Gervinho again.

Oh great, apparently the Michelin Man wants to 'reward' City for standing by him while he was suspended for 6 months by extending his contract.

Here's a thought, Kolo. Why don't you reward the club by donating your wages for the next 6 months to charity, or by signing with the next club that makes an offer for you. Offering to 'reward' the club by taking even more money for distinctly average performances and by looking more and more like a blimp with a slow puncture would appear to indicate that you need to do a little more research on the meaning of the word 'reward', and particularly on the direction in which you believe that reward to be pointing.

Barcelona have announced that Tito Villanova has suffered a relapse in his fight against cancer, he will have an operation tomorrow and undergo 6 weeks of chemo.

Good luck fella.

Since Liverpool are going to sign Thomas Ince, whoever he might be, that is a perfect excuse to paste my favourite football gif with Paul:

IMAGE(http://strackattack.com/gifs/paul%20ince%20blackburn%20football.gif)

Shame he hasn't been around since his time at Blackburn.

Ince (son of said Paul) was on Liverpool's books until last year, when they sold him for £250k to Blackpool - so the estimated £6m fee represents another good piece of business. They are also apparently about to spend £12m on Daniel Sturridge, who is right up there when you consider the list of smacked-arse strikers who go missing in action.

Ince P did look completely out of his depth at Blackburn - his later spells at MK Dons and Notts County didn't set the world alight either. Looks like another graduate from the Roy Keane school - where 'hard man' players should learn that there is more to management than shouting and offering your players out in training...but never do.

Arsenal vs Bayern, Man U vs Real Madrid.

C'mon Arsenal !

Very much looking forward to ManU v. Madrid. I won't get to watch a minute of it, but i'm looking forward to it.

Well, it might not be the end of the world, but at least one mystery has been solved - how Arsenal balance their books.

Away ticket, Arsenal v Man City (April 2010) - £33.

Away ticket, Arsenal v Man City (Jan 2013) - £63.

Still, at least they only gouge us one game a season. Unlike, say, their own fans.

davet010 wrote:

Well, it might not be the end of the world, but at least one mystery has been solved - how Arsenal balance their books.

Away ticket, Arsenal v Man City (April 2010) - £33.

Away ticket, Arsenal v Man City (Jan 2013) - £63.

Still, at least they only gouge us one game a season. Unlike, say, their own fans.

The salaries you pay your fellas, your prices will be going up soon too. Barring possibly ze germans, that's just waht the top european clubs do to stay afloat. The sheikh can't be so charitable forever. Even if he wanted to with all those potential sponsorship from companies that are in bed with him, there's only so much.

Unless you unload some of the useless fatties still kicking about. Mostly inflicted by one of our former Reds.

davet010 wrote:

Well, it might not be the end of the world, but at least one mystery has been solved - how Arsenal balance their books.

Away ticket, Arsenal v Man City (April 2010) - £33.

Away ticket, Arsenal v Man City (Jan 2013) - £63.

Still, at least they only gouge us one game a season. Unlike, say, their own fans.

One good thing about being armchair glory hunter is not having to pay for tickets

By the way, Christmas break football is the best. Shame Arsenal - West Ham has been postponed, but there will be plenty of other games to make up for that.

Pikey26 wrote:

The salaries you pay your fellas, your prices will be going up soon too. Barring possibly ze germans, that's just waht the top european clubs do to stay afloat. The sheikh can't be so charitable forever. Even if he wanted to with all those potential sponsorship from companies that are in bed with him, there's only so much.

Total amount invested by our Arab overlords since Sept 2008 - I'd estimate less than £1bn.

Total amount of money generated in a 6 week period in June-July 2008 for doing absolutely nothing...an estimated £11bn (buying then selling shares in Barclays Bank plc)

Even coming from someone whose owners are all but bankrupt (check out how their US businesses are doing) and are fleecing the club and the sheep that follow them for all they can, your statements are quite amusing. You might also want to look at the 5 year investment plans, including the new Academy. Doesn't look like they will be leaving any time soon.

Did anyone else read interview with Eriksen from Ajax on the Guardian website? He seems like a very sensible young player, would love to see him at Arsenal one day.
Speaking of which... am I alone in thinking that what Arsenal needs is physical midfielder in Yaya Toure mold? Just get someone like that, move Cazorla to the wing and let him cut inside (he did that for Spain after all) and that will solve our problems with wingers and physically weak midfield.
(BTW, obligatory praise to Yaya Toure. He's probably the best midfielder in England.)

edit: Looking at the PL table. Everybody's on roughly the same goal difference, very much unlike last year when both Manchester clubs were miles ahead of everyone else.

I'm not sure that Toure has been at his best this season, but on his day he probably is the most complete midfielder in England at least - which is why it's a bit of a pain that the African Cup of Nations has been rescheduled for 2013. I'm not sure that City have an adequate replacement, but I guess we'll see.

UCRC wrote:

Did anyone else read interview with Eriksen from Ajax on the Guardian website? He seems like a very sensible young player, would love to see him at Arsenal one day.
Speaking of which... am I alone in thinking that what Arsenal needs is physical midfielder in Yaya Toure mold? Just get someone like that, move Cazorla to the wing and let him cut inside (he did that for Spain after all) and that will solve our problems with wingers and physically weak midfield.
(BTW, obligatory praise to Yaya Toure. He's probably the best midfielder in England.)

edit: Looking at the PL table. Everybody's on roughly the same goal difference, very much unlike last year when both Manchester clubs were miles ahead of everyone else.

Yeah he is a very sensible player, or at least that is what all the local news in Denmark say about him. They were only disappointed in how poorly he did at the Euros. Which I think, is why some of the bigger clubs have not come around and poached him off of Ajax yet.

Yeah, I think no one else has the same combination of skill and power.

I like watching Wigan. Martinez is a great manager - some of the players in that squad look distinctly average, but whole team looks really well drilled. And they're playing some relatively attractive stuff too.

Jose Mourinho's battle with his players goes up a notch - he's dropped Iker Casillas for tonight's game with Malaga. If the 'Special One' is after engineering an exit from RM, he's going the right way about it. According to Guillam Balague, Casillas hates Mourinho and has told one of his friends that he'd love to spark Mourinho out. God help him if RM lose, the Spanish press will finish him.

EDIT - The Spanish media want Mourinho to blood some of RM's academy players...so he plays Essien at right back. Taxi for Jose !

EDIT2 - Malaga keeper Caballero has just pulled off one of the best saves I have ever seen. I'll try to find it on YouTube.

And if City only buy one player in January, can it be....Cristian Tello from Barca ? He's just signed a new contract, but his buyout clause is only €10m. Forget Villa, he's done - this lad is the future.

EDIT3 - Ah, what the hell, it's Xmas. Can City have Isco (Malaga) as well ?

EDIT4 - Malaga 3 RM 2. Two for Crocky Santa Cruz, although one was a 2 yard tap in to an empty net and the other was poor goalkeeping. I reckon Mourinho is going unless they win the CL...they are 16 points behind Barca and it looks like he's lost the dressing room.