2010/11 Soccer Thread - Hitting The Home Stretch

Ah, speaking of real pundits... Emmanuel Adebayor just went from incomprehensible to mildly hilarious and highly unnerving when asked why would anybody run whole length of the pitch to parade in front of opposition supporters:

It’s because I showed the fans my hunger, passion and I showed my love for the club, Ultimately, the fans just want to see that and feel it inside their bodies.

Mmm.

He also talks of how City is possibly bigger club than Arsenal, which I would accept from just about any Manchester player except the one who was most likely looking to leave, nobody wanted him and now he's trying to patch things up with fans because he's realized that he has to stay.

Can somebody punch Thomas Vermaelen for using words Barcelona and DNA in single sentence?

UCRC wrote:

He also talks of how City is possibly bigger club than Arsenal, which I would accept from just about any Manchester player except the one who was most likely looking to leave, nobody wanted him and now he's trying to patch things up with fans because he's realized that he has to stay.

Even I've never said that, though I might have obliquely hinted at it I wouldn't read too much into Adebayor not starting though - Bert will adopt a 2 striker strategy when required, and I'm hoping that one of the two won't be Santa Claus or the rehabilitated Jo.

As for Vermaelen, I find the entire concept of soccer players and loyalty to be hilarious. As the legendary Half Man Half Biscuit once sang, in their song "The Referee's Alphabet"

"K is for the kissing of the badge
How ridiculous that looks 6 months later when they're at another club
"

davet010 wrote:

As for Vermaelen, I find the entire concept of soccer players and loyalty to be hilarious.

Sure, but what's really revolting to me is this whole DNA bullsh*t.

(Total derail: what's the best HMHB album? I've found them on John Peel compilations and liked what heard.)

HMHB - all classic. Last two are CSI:Ambleside and Achtung Bono, but pretty much any of them are worth getting. I've got 10 plus an EP, but I am missing one.

Ref's Alphabet is on Cammell Laird Social Club.

Quite agree about Vermaelen, just feeds in to the 'Barca are a special club who are always above reproach' bollocks. Similar to the 'Barca are run the right way and have no debt' sh*te we were fed until this summer.

If you acquire any, make sure to visit the HMHB website, where you should find song-by-song listings of the allusions within the songs. I'm a 40-something Brit with an interest in football who spent too much time in the 70s watching telly, so I get most of them...but if you're not.....

Little taster from the last album

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlRrd...

Scotland scrape a magnificent last-minute win against the mighty Liechtenstein...yes, that's right. A 2-1 win against a load of postmen. At Hampden.

Other amusing notes - City still r.... f...... by having 6 (SIX) players on for England at the same time.

Portugal got beat by Norway 1-0, 1 point from Cyprus (H) and Norway (A) is not a good start.

IMAGE(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/49019000/jpg/_49019953_mcmanus466.jpg)

At least they look really happy.

Alan McInally was commentating on Sky - judging by his reaction, you would have thought they'd just scored the winner in the WC Final against Brazil.

Watched some of Spain's 4-1 drubbing by Argentina, though the merit of players flying 10,000 miles to play in a meaningless friendly this early in the domestic season(s) is beyond me, to be frank.

Robin van Persie, Walcott, Balotelli, Defoe all out for six weeks, I hear

Yeah, Super Mario is having a knee op. Walcott twisted his ankle in the buildup to Rooney's goal on Tuesday, and Defoe's got something wrong with his ankle as well, I think. Not sure how RVP got injured, as I presume he wasn't with the Dutch squad.

Add Dirk Kuyt to the list as well, done something to the ligaments in his shoulder - again, 6-8 weeks being quoted.

davet010 wrote:

Not sure how RVP got injured

He played.

On a not particularly related point, check out TheBig_Sam on Twitter...purports to be the thoughts of Fat Sam, but most likely not, given its propensity to lapse into swearing and similar.

Very amusing though - much more so than the fat sod really is.

I know you know that I despise him....and it looks like I'm not the only one...

http://swissramble.blogspot.com/2010...

Defoe's injured, Carrick's injured, Rodwell's injured and whole Serie A is faking injury.

Another funny keeper screwup:

So, in accordance with the FA's requirements, the most likely candidates for England's manager in 2012 after Fabio are

Steve Bruce
Sam Allardyce
Harry Redknapp

Number of trophies between them - 1 FA Cup
Number of them accused of financial irregularities by the BBC - 2
Number of them who sued the BBC - 0
Number of big clubs managed - 0
Number of them with experience of managing abroad - 0
Number of clubs they've run away from - sh*tloads

Least the Brazilian police can rest easy for 2014, if that's the likely outlook.

Christ, I'd rather have Beckham.

UCRC wrote:

Defoe's injured, Carrick's injured, Rodwell's injured and whole Serie A is faking injury.

for good reason to. One of the things I love about following football is that the leagues keep each other competitive and honest that allot of the haggling between the players and owners never results into the strikes that you get in American monopolized leagues.

The clubs want the right to insist that when a player has a year remaining on his contract, he must accept a transfer to another, equally competitive club that guarantees the same financial treatment and status.
They propose that if the player does not agree to move he must instead come to a deal over his contract with his current employers.

fair to them. Their right to play out their contracts and sign with whoever they choose.

Yeah, I thought that was enshrined in most UEFA legislation. I also fail to see why a player should be forced by the club to join one that is equally competitive. Why would Inter want to do that, unless they think that this will mean that there will be no deal at all ?

The bit about the same financial treatment etc is interesting...since most of the Serie A clubs are all but bust (apart from JuveInterMilan, who all have sugar daddy owners), does that mean that a player will have to wait 2 months for his money everywhere ?

And how would they judge it ?

I'm getting a 'restraint of trade' vibe here.

davet010 wrote:

Yeah, I thought that was enshrined in most UEFA legislation. I also fail to see why a player should be forced by the club to join one that is equally competitive.

The bit about the same financial treatment etc is interesting...since most of the Serie A clubs are all but bust (apart from JuveInterMilan, who all have sugar daddy owners), does that mean that a player will have to wait 2 months for his money everywhere ?

And how would they judge it ?

I'm getting a 'restraint of trade' vibe here.

It will never fly and I doubt the players will even have to strike over it. Thats the beauty of the sport being so competitive. All the players would f*ck off to England Spain and Germany and the next thing you know Italy starts losing its coefficient in the CL even faster to Germany and it would trend to being of the level of France or even the Dutch league.

each league keeps each other honest about the bullsh*t the owners try to pull over the players. Comparison to American leagues the fans have to put up with looming collective bargaining agreements expiring and the back and forth drama if they will have a season past the current.

Bobby Zamora's Leg =

IMAGE(http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c161/pilsnerguy/brokenleg.jpg)

Walcott, van Persie, Kuyt, Defoe, Zamora... they are dropping like flies.

Speaking of teams without strikers: good job by Everton today, they deserved their draw. Blackpool got another three points, looks like they could make it.

Considering Derby had all of one win last time around, and Blackpool's already gotten 7, I think it's fair to say that "Derby 2.0" was a gross underestimation of their talents. They could still easily get relegated though.

God I hate Blackburn and Fat Allardyce. And the three shots at least they cleared off the line.

IMAGE(http://blog.outdoorzy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/walrus.jpg)

You got a webcam into my house ?

Watched two Spanish games last night - Barca were abysmal against a well organised but limited Hercules side, lost 2-0. Their fans provided the usual amount of noise and support after they'd realised that it wasn't going to be a cricket score...ie none at all.

RM beat Osasuna 1-0 in a fairly dull game (ie a Jose special). Ozil played well, but the more you watch them, the more you realise that Higuian, Ronaldo and Benzema don't work together. Oh, and the latter is sh*te.

Isn't Ronaldo injured?

No, he was there last night - guess damage to his hairstyle wasn't enough to keep him out.

Antonio Valencia... ouch.

Hope he can get over it, i'd hate to see a player's career ended like that.

Meanwhile, Rafa makes a Rafa-like start at Inter, drawing 2-2 with Twente, Tottenham go up 2-0 and let it all go to their heads, and Barcelona, on their day, are still 500% better than everyone else.

Also, with this having been said, look for Mr. Chamakh to be run over by a bus sometime soon, given Arsenal's luck with injuries.

Well, Fergie's got the 'best squad he's had in years', apparently, so this shouldn't be a problem.

Gtr Manchester Police prevented a repeat of the 2008 Pictish Rampage by ensuring that all Rangers supporters club coaches were held in Wigan, where tickets were distributed to fans, and then they were driven directly to Old Trafford.

Quote from one Rangers fan interviewed on TV (beer in hand, after all it was after 9am) - "We're being treated worse than animals".

Well, dear sir, based upon the antics of the 120,000 or so Rangers fans who came to Manchester in 2008 to attend a UEFA Cup Final at a stadium which holds 48,000.....you are treated exactly in accordance with your own previous behaviour.

Braga: Not very good.

MTK Zilina: ....well, it's not like we thought they were any good anyway.

Prederick wrote:

Also, with this having been said, look for Mr. Chamakh to be run over by a bus sometime soon, given Arsenal's luck with injuries.

Yep. Expect meteorite shower over Arsenal training ground any day now.