The injuries to Cudicini and esppecially Petr Cech is top of mind. Tony Cascarino still considers the position between the posts to be the safest on the park. There is also a list of severe injuries suffered by goalkeepers. When I started to watch football there were no substitutes and teams would always have their designated outfield player ready to take over if the goalkeeper went down injured.
Rod Little on the subject of what does Steve McClaren write in his notebook. As an aside most fans would have noticed Jose Mourinho scribbling away during a game. But according to the excellent biography by Patrick Barclay it is something that only happens in the first half and is for his use at halftime. In the second half Mourinho considers it a pointless exercise.
Brian Glanville looks at the acquisition of Tomas Rosicky and a historical perspective of other Arsenal playmakers.
Mark Hodkinson on something that is bound to resonate with nostalgia buffs. A book is to be published this week on the late Peter Adolph – the inventor of Subbuteo.
And last and certainly least - is the strip that Bolton’s wore on Sunday the ugliest in the Premiership and if not which one is worst? Which team has the worst strip in the Premiership. For those that missed it it is the clour of something you find hardened on a pavement on Sunday morning.
A severe case of Murphy's law in the Chelsea- Reading game I may say. Nigel Hunt made absolutely no attempt to avoid Cech even after Cech had slid and gathered the ball. It is obvious he was hoping to kick the ball out of Cech's hands. He may have not intended to injure Cech, but he was still keen on going for the ball even after the keeper had collected it. Which raises the question when is the ball a fifty-fifty ball?
This is nothing personal against anyone. So don't get too wound up over these.
Ugliest Kits in the EPL:
1. Newcastle Away – Blue, Maroon, and Gold
2. Liverpool Away – Yellow w/Red trim
3. Bolton Away – Maroon & Black
4. Reading Away – Reddish Maroon and Yellow
5. Charlton Away - Black w/ Gold & White trim.
6. Newcastle 3rd Kit – Bright Light Blue and Black
7. Tottenham Away – Bright Light Blue and Navy
8. Tottenham 3rd Kit – In the preseason they wore a dark Brown kit with Gold trim for at least one match. I didn’t see it on their site. It was bad.
9. Arsenal Away - Yellow & Dark Gray. Hated it last season as well.
Special Mention:
Everton Home – I really like the Blue and White, and ordinarily I would never put them on this list. But what’s with that incomplete white collar? Looks dumb.
Fulham – Their whole kit, Home and Away. They colors are okay, but every time I see them play I think I’m watching a Ligue 1 match. I can't imagine that's what they were shooting for.
Tottenham Home - I just hate that whole Puma design. And those stupid socks too.
Chelsea - They're not ugly, but not great either. But I will say their Light Blue & Black away kits from last year were pretty good.
Last edited by MrRedDevil on October 15th at 11:55 PM.
Best New EPL Kits (Nothing that was worn last season and carried over to this season):
1. Man Utd Home and Away - Classy and Brilliant. (Just so you know I'm not completely biased, I don't really care for our Blue and Red 3rd kit, or our Green goalkeeper's kit.)
2. Arsenal Home - I hate Arsenal, but I hated their home kits more last season. Their new home kits are sharp.
3. Portsmouth – All 3 Kits. Seriously. Take a look on their site.
4. Liverpool 3rd Kit – White with Green down the side. Get rid of that yellow #### Rafa.
Last edited by MrRedDevil on October 15th at 11:51 PM.
JM's comments on Hunt seemed inflammatory, but it looks like he might be right.
In the shot from the half way line it looks like that it was too late for Hunt to get out of the way. However, if you look at what happened from behind the goal, frame-by-frame or at full speed, it appears that Hunt "let" his right knee collapse into Petr. Thank goodness that Cech didn’t suffer the same fate as John Thomson.
If the FA look at this, they'll still need to decide whether this is conclusive proof of serious foul play, which would be a very tough call given how fast it actually happened. I looked this a lot and I’m not 100% sure.
Bobby. Did you have a view?
Last edited by LosAngelesChelseaFan on October 16th at 1:54 AM.
l personally feel that in terms of technique arsenal have the best team and if not the best midfield in the prem and like most not so physical.l have to say l really saw the game against watford as a game where they imployed a physical approach and l felt that if they are at their passing best nomatter what club you throw at them , it always going to suffer and l have to say rosicky and hleb by the end of the season will be up there with the great players to grece the emirates, this season bobby we have dominated every game we have played in the prem,l know when we beat manu you said we started to need to beat smaller teams and l feel the formula is now coming up, on perfomances don't you feel that the gunners are way ahead of projection, that they are in transition and might be out to surprise chelsea.l also thing that cesc has been phenominal this season and his form is important to this arsenal improvement
Last edited by henry14 on October 16th at 5:59 PM.
In civilized leagues of the world, when a goalie dives to the ground and gathers the ball well ahead of the attacker, the attacker simply avoids the goalie. Cech went down and got the ball, in a very routine play; Hunt had no chance to get the ball. Hunt not only failed to avoid Cech, he went in with his knee and cracked his skull, CRACKED HIS SKULL. Again in civilized leagues attackers yield to the goalie, sometimes even before the goalie has the ball. Hunt went in with his knee trying to knock the ball loose, which from the reactions sound like is a routine play in the EPL. If you accidentally crack someone’s skull with your knee, you don’t simply cowardly run away and act like nothing happened. This was no accident. Now Cech will be back sometime next year, and may never be the same again.
Cudicini was injured on another intentional play. Sonko went in looking to blind side Cudicini, and if you have any doubt, watch the replay. It is impossible to have an ‘unintentional’ mid-air collision with enough violence to knock someone out, then land on your feet and stare down your unconscious opponent. Sonko clearly lead with his shoulder right into Carlo’s head.
This violent play and ineptitude of EPL refs like Mike Riley will continue to hurt the English game. Rooney was a victim earlier this year, and his injury, as a result of violent play, had more to do with the disaster in Germany than Sven’s tactics.
If either one of these career threatening tackles (in Cech's case it is a real possibility) is justifiable in the EPL, there is something very wrong with the EPL.
Last edited by Venti_vidi_vici on October 16th at 7:03 AM.
"That leaves Hilario to make his competitive debut for the Blues against Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday as the two powerhouse teams meet for the third consecutive year."
Barca must have two players by the name of Samuel Eto'o, because the only one I've ever heard of is out injured for another few months. I'll be very surprised if he scores on Wednesday!
I looked at the Sonko incident too. It doesn't look that good either. I wont add any more but I just hope that neither keeper is brought back too soon for their own sakes. Cech makes a huge difference for Chelsea but their health is more important than the game.
I have to disagree somewhat with the masses on this one. Unlike Ben Thatcher's event with Pedro Mendes, the Cech challenge is not as obvious. Watching the replays Sunday evening (from every angle that was recorded) on the EPL reveiw show, you can see that Stephen Hunt has indeed overcommited. You can see heim trying to pull his foot out, but that exposes his knee. Pretty bad foul, indeed, but well short of blatantly deliberate.
The Sonko replays show a 50-50 ball in the air with Sonko's eyes on the ball the whole time. Keepers are going to be vulnerable often due to them reaching for the ball with their hands, and the rules are in place to protect them. That doesn't mean a field player has no right to try to get a 50-50 ball simply because the keeper is the other player. It's nothing more than a foul just as if it were any other player. Anything else would be overprotective.
At least Mike Riley didn't prohibit treatment for Cudicini and ask the Cheslea players to drag him off the field. Mike Riley ordered Cech to crawl off the field on his own.
I don't believe Riley booked Hunt or Sonko for their assaults, but still managed to send off 2 other players.
Alan V.
Hunt made no attempt to avoid Cech. I realize that Hunt is a very lively player, who was given a rare opportunity to start and got very carried away. He made a very stupid challenge which may cost a great player his career. Sonko body-checked Cudicini in mid-air and landed on his feet. If Sonko hit Cudicini accidentally hard enough to knock him out, he would've at least lost his balance (or fell over). In any other league both players (and the ref) would be banned for months.
Last edited by Venti_vidi_vici on October 16th at 11:07 AM.
Bad to worse at West Ham... really breaks my heart because they were one of my favorite teams to watch last season, they have some of my favorite players, and Pardew has that easy-going air that I really like. I have only been able to watch a select few EPL games this season so I'm a bit out of the loop, but how are NRC and Benayoun doing? What can this slide be attributed to? It has to be something more than the Argies signings.
Speaking of which, I don't fully buy the Argentina-England incompatibility theory. Heinze has done fine, Arca was Sunderland's only bright spot and was pretty highly sought after in the EPL this summer, and am I wrong that D'Alessandro had a solid run at Portsmouth? Personally I think the issue is that most of the talented Argentinians are snapped up by Spain before the EPL cares to look.
Last question: West Ham has a decent amount of stars. If West Ham goes down, what big name guys do you guys think would sink with them?
PS: The McLaren article is very typical of English sel####efeating press, but my god it's hilarious!
Last edited by USAenglandfan on October 16th at 12:48 PM.
I think Hunt, while negligent, had no intent to injure. Should he have done better? Yes. But that's what accidents are.
Ugliest kits - I neve liked the Aston Villa or Westham kits, but to me the Wolverhampton color scheme reminded me of the "Hazzardous Material" Nuclear Waste logos for some reason.
Also I have to give a nod outside the EPL to Steaua Bucuresti with the shoulder patch look. My favorite were the old brown Barcelona kits from a few years back.
Why is it that Steve McClarran always looks like he has a smirk on his face - a "what, me worry?" look akin to President Bush fielding questions from the White House Press Corps?
Bobby,
Very interesting article on rosicky. I agree with the article in that Wenger is playing rosicky out of his natural position. However, the professor has no alternative. I don't think he can play rosicky and cesc in the middle of the pitch without being soft at the back. gilberto has to come into the equation to help out in defence. I think playing rosicky on the wing to adapt him to the EPL will smooth out his transition.
I am not an arsenal fan but it has been such a pleasure to watch them play football!
If you look carefully at the replay, you can see that momentum is carrying Hunt into Cech. Certainly we can argue that Hunt should have done everything to avoid contact, but how realistic is that when you're running full pace for a ball only to see the keeper come out. It's unfortunate that the injury is as severe but Cascarino's assertion that goalkeeping may be the safest place is not something I buy. When you think of the multiple possibilities of injuries from the wicked pace of a ball to your face (ex. Lehemann's save on C. Ronaldo), diving for a freekick only to land into the woodwork, or the one on one collisions between striker and keeper, it's a job with loads of hazards.
Unfashionable kits - We've seen plenty in our day haven't we? Did you ever see the Athletic Bilbao kit a couple of years back that looked like the work of a wannabe artist splotching red paint on white? The magazine FourFourTwo's October edition had a "can you spot the kit" section with a line up of undesireable kits. One kit that comes to mind was a kit Coventry City wore years ago while trying to accomodate advertisers Talbot into the kit itself...a disgraceful attempt. Then there was the rubbish Mexican keeper Jorge Campos use to sport during the 1990s (those flashy pink/neon kits)...speaking of "sport" there are the all-pink ones worn by Peru's Sport Boys. Imagine them winning the Copa Libertadores and wearing that in the World Club Cup.
I don't think Hunt intended to injure Cech, but injure him he did with his reckless challenge.
Killing someone as a result of reckless driving will land you in jail, which is where Hunt should be, even though I don't doubt that he is a good lad.
In that instance Hunt had no business being anywhere near Cech. He had no chance at the ball, unless he could pry it from Cech's hands. And then Mike Riley making Cech crawl off the field on his own is a disgrace to the game. The ones that roll around in agony aren't injured, it's the ones that lay still that are in trouble - I can't stand Riley, he's horrible.
Last edited by Venti_vidi_vici on October 16th at 3:48 PM.
MrRedDevil, I like your list but I might put Tottenham at the top. Puma should be banned from kit design until they can produce something decent. Rebok should be put on notice that their designs need to improve or they will get relegated as well.
VVV-I've noticed your agenda through your postings and while I respect your knowledge of the game I disagree with you on the "toughness issue" most of the time. Instead of EPL keepers going down due to the flow of play it sounds as if you prefer them to go down by flares thrown by fans that are board out of their skulls by watching slooooooow paced football (see AC Milan v. Inter I believe Dida was lucky to escape with his eyesight still intact).
I have to agree with the criticism of a few of the refs this weekend. The Chelsea/Reading game--good to see Joe "call me Jaque Custeau since I have perfected the dive in the EPL" Cole is back. As well as The Bolton/Newcastle match. Hey, let them play tough football but you actually have a whistle for a reason. I would have had fits if I were any one of those managers. Maybe just maybe those keepers would still be ok if Reading would have gotten a bloody foul in their favor?--VVV, I know you'll like those comments :)
Bobby- Since we are on the subject of Keepers (I enjoyed that article about it being the safest spot on the field) who are your top three EPL Keepers? May I taint your opinion a bit--Is there anyone out there with as good of technique as Van Der Sar?
Last edited by neophyte on October 16th at 4:06 PM.
Neo:
I remember that derby well; it was the Champions League quarter final the season before last, and Inter had their equalizer disallowed close to the end and the ultras went crazy. A flare hit Dida in the back or shoulder. It was an incredible match though and a shame it ended early. It was a blessing nobody was seriously injured; it was a shameful day for the city of Milan. Milan lost to Liverpool in the final – I shake my head every time I think of that match; nobody was complaining about penalty shootouts that day!
I hate to see players get injured unnecessarily, and I honestly feel that EPL refs offer too little protection, and there is a lack of quality among their ranks. The EPL is a very entertaining league and every match is a battle, and I like watching the games. I enjoy the physical nature of the English game, but I hate violent/reckless play, and the fine line is crossed too often. Reading have been a nice story, they play very physical and are difficult to play against, as Man Utd learned earlier.
My vote for ugly jersey, is Real Madrid’s purple away kit.
Petr Cech is probably the second best goalie in the world, and at 25 has an incredible future. Carlo Cudicini is among the best in the EPL, is an incredible shot stopper (including penalties); my biased opinion because of his Milan upbringing. His dad was the Milan goalie when he was born. Also, this may be a breakout season for Timmy Howard, who definitely has the talent.
Neo: Love your comments !! ?
Last edited by Venti_vidi_vici on October 16th at 6:41 PM.
VVV-
I agree with your assessmnet of the EPL's "rough" play. IMO the EPL is a faster paced yet much lower skilled league than La Liga, Serie A or the Bundesliga. That lack of skill is often replaced with a manic "pace" and all it's associated negative accoutrements.
I much prefer continental european football over the EPL however that doesn't mean I don't watch and enjoy the EPL.
I have watched English football for over 35 years and it's a great thing that England has had a bigger influx of "foreigners" in the last 15 years. IMO the EPL would be almost unwatchable w/o them.
I was watching the FSWR tonight and I loved that story about Jock Stein and the coin flip that decided the Celtic-Benfica tie back in the 60's. I bet he ran out of that room as fast as he could.
I've never been against penalties. They're not preferred, but they serve a purpose.
But deciding who advances based on a coin flip is INSANE!!!
Italy beat the Soviet Union in the semis at Euro 1968 on a coin flip. Then won the final in a replay against Yugoslavia, after the first match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Both these tie-breaking methods have been replaced by penalties. I wouldn't mind to see the replay brough back, at least for finals. Coaches who have a problem with replays need to try harder to win at their first attempt! In my opinion a draw is a match in which both teams have failed, and any tie-breaker is a method to pick between two losers.
DIDIER DROGBA: “[Hunt] wanted to intimidate us and to show that he was not scared of Chelsea." Asked whether he thought Hunt slipped, Drogba was perfectly clear: "Not at all. I'm also a forward and you don't need to tell me that story! It was not an accident.”
"He clearly saw that he was going to hit Petr, who had the ball in his hands for two or three seconds and still he didn't pull out his leg. "The worst is what happened afterwards. After he saw, like everybody else, Petr exiting on a stretcher, he began to laugh and act all arrogant." [eurosport.com]
JENS LEHMANN: “It makes me really angry when these stupid TV pundits say it was a ‘clumsy’ challenge but ‘it’s a man’s game’. I know the English league is more physical than most but here you do not respect your keepers. Having played in other countries, I know that referees offer more protection to keepers abroad. Mike Riley did not even give a free-kick when Cudicini was fouled.” [The Sun]
ARSENE WENGER: “I can understand why Mourinho is upset and also worried,” Wenger said. “This year there have been four incidents — Shay Given, Mark Schwarzer, Cech and Cudicini. It cannot be coincidence that suddenly in three months you have four. [The Times]
Bobby: Do you really not have a problem with any of these challenges?
All this talk about the EPL lacking teams with skills is simply wrong in my opinion. Ill put up the skills of Aresenal Man U and Chelsea (all of which i hate) up against the top three teams in any other league. As in most league the teams at the top with the players tend to play a more skilled "pretty" game while the lesser teams have to scrap and hustle for the few chances that they get. Comparing leagues is simply a matter of taste. Its comparing apples to apples and the champions league helps do that.
Last edited by bigdavedisaster on October 17th at 9:24 AM.
Hey Bobby, sorry one more question. I've heard various responses to "Bobble-gate" as I'm calling it, or more specifically, Robbo's mis-hit and the own goal against Croatia. I can't form a definite opinion on it... the name of the game with any goal-bound ball is caution, that much is for sure. If Robbo went for a trap then kicked it, he would have reacted immediately to the bounce. Then again I have never seen anything like that bounce in a pro football match. I was reminded of Caddyshack in a way. Did a gopher uppercut that thing into the air, and if so, did he surface afterwards and do a dance? The bump was invisible. I have seen countless goalies wail the ball forward first-touch when a defender back passes. If the bobble never happened, the goal would never have happened, simple as that. Should he have reacted quicker? Any thoughts?
VVV: I read and agree with a lot of Drogba's comments on the match. He's really well spoken. Was it all in English or was it translated.
Neo: LOL, I love the idea of promoting and relegating kit designers. Puma is quite bad. Remember Ghana's from the WC? Designing vomit.
Last edited by USAenglandfan on October 17th at 11:14 AM.
VVV--I agree with you on the quality rather the consistency of the refs in the EPL. I believe it was the Arsenal match--I thought the ref did a good job. Then the other two matches that FSC broadcast(ed) there was a distinct difference in fouls/free kicks awarded. They (the FA) should really clean it up as far as consistency goes. VVV, for the record I thought both of those challenges were poor and I thought for sure that Sonko was going to get carded. I wonder how much of his challenge was out of frustration due to the lack of consistence from the ref? (add to the fact that Sonko is one big guy and just about anyone would have recieved the same punishment going against him when he has momentum).
Last edited by neophyte on October 17th at 11:21 AM.
Drogba's comments were to L'Equipe (in French) and my French isn't good enough to make my own translation, but I trust are fairly accurate.
Re. Bobble-gate (good one!). Goalies and defenders practice the back pass and sweep. Defenders know which side the goalie wants the pass (right footed / left footed), and not to direct it at goal if possible. Robinson is right footed so the pass could've easily been a few feet to the right of goal and maybe a bit slower. Given the pass Robinson could've stopped the ball, or got more behind it (instead of sweeping under it).
It was a fluke thing and England would've lost anyway. They had much bigger problems at the other end of the park, which isn't surprising for a 5-3-2 formation.
Finally saw a slowed down replay of the Cech incident. Half season ban MINIMUM. Can you watch those events and say with honesty that there is ANY chance in ANY game at ANY time that you would not have avoided Cech entirely, much less with your KNEE to his HEAD????!?!? I can't even fathom not throwing the book at Hunt. I honestly feel sick to my stomach.
I am a Liverpool fan but I can't believe the FA is doing nothing for Cech or Cudicini. So goalies are open game?? I play ice hockey which is much more violent but you wear padding and helmets. On skates, I've avoided hockey goalies better than the Reading players and Sonko's "body check" would be a rough, a 10 minute misconduct and game with automatic review by the league...if that hit was in the NHL.
Hunt was running hard for the ball, and he got in a little too deep. Nobody wanted Cech to get hurt. It was an accident. They happen.
But if people are calling for that to be a year ban, then Ben Thatcher should get a lifetime ban for the Mendes incident because he tried to hurt him. And Asier del Horno should get a 2-3 year ban because he tried to hurt Messi in last year's CL. And Robben should get a year ban for his scissors tackle against West Brom last season because he tried to hurt Greening.
Yes it's horrible what happened to Cech, but there is no evidence that absolutely shows Hunt was trying to hurt him. Same thing with Cudicini.
Anytime a Chelsea player gets hurt, Mourinho swears it was deliberate. Anytime one of his players does something and someone gets hurt, it was an accident.
At full speed, there is nothing definitive in that video that shows Hunt deliberately tried to hurt him. It just isn't there.
Last edited by MrRedDevil on October 17th at 6:39 PM.
Intent : maybe not
Reckless : absolutely (both Hunt and Sonko)
Reckless endangerment: A person commits the CRIME of reckless endangerment if the person recklessly engages in conduct which creates a substantial risk of serious physical injury to another person. “Reckless” conduct is conduct that exhibits a culpable disregard of foreseeable consequences to others from the act or omission involved.
Endangerment can range from a misdemeanor to a felony. (and that's before anybody even got hurt!)
From Bobby's beloved Wikipedia
Last edited by Venti_vidi_vici on October 17th at 6:49 PM.
maybe hunt did or didnt mean to hit cech but how come no one is saying anything about ferreira? i was taught as a defender to sheild off attackers to protect your keeper in those situations and to make sure the keeper wins the ball first. instead he just points to where the ball is (like cech couldn't see it) and lets his keeper get nailed. ferreira should feel just as bad as hunt
As long as
- Managers say “get stuck in,” or players know they will get dropped if they don’t …
- It’s acceptable to create knowingly dangerous situations to intimidate and force errors …
- Players, as Hunt did, create dangerous situations and then can’t or won’t pull out ….
then this is going to happen.
Imagine driving 100 mph through an intersection and crashing into a car crossing your path. “Well, I couldn’t stop, it was an accident” is no answer.
Since Nobby Stiles and Norman Hunter through to Robbie Savage, this kind of play has been tolerated. No amount of ranting by JM is going to change the way the pre match instructions are given for the next tough game. Some players will cross the line but will get away with it.
What we saw in the Reading, Chelsea game happens in almost every game, but without these exceptional consequences. For the FA to take action, would open the floodgates for tapes of every single incident in every game to be analyzed for the intent that VVV talks about. No tape is really going to show what was going on in someone’s mind.
I think that everyone knows that this is and always has been a tough game. I don’t see it changing any time soon.
My final views of the incidents surrounding the injuries to Cech and Cudicini.
Steve Coppell has done a great job instilling in his team a ‘never-say-die’ and ‘battle-for-ever-ball’ attitude. Given the way his playing career was cut short, I’m sure he is the last person who wants to see anyone get hurt on the field.
Before the Chelsea game, I’m sure he told his team not to give Chelsea any room, fight for every ball, win all the 50/50 balls, don’t let them get comfortable. That’s how you play talented teams, especially Reading.
He was a sub all of last year, and this was Stephen Hunt’s first start of the year, and I’m sure he’s determined to give it his all, impress Coppell and keep his spot. He saw his very first ball of the game, Cech and Ferreira seemed to have it more than covered, and Hunt tried to get in there, and if nothing else (see Drogba quote) give Cech a bump, and make him think about it next time. Nothing too malicious about his intent, but the result was a disaster. The impact was extremely violent and Hunt knew it, but yet he acted like he didn’t touch Cech. Adrenaline makes you do crazy things, but the whole thing looked very, very bad, and I can understand why Chelsea are furious.
Cudicini was injured because Sonko decided to close his eyes and make a blind run and leap into the mix, hoping that by chance he could make something happen. He had no idea where the ball was, no idea where anyone else was. He jumped and braced himself, and wound up knocking Cudicini out cold. I’m sorry, but in football that is simply unacceptable. Again, no malice.
Last edited by Venti_vidi_vici on October 18th at 5:24 AM.
RedDevil -
In many ways I agree with you. It's tough to set that kind of precedent. You give some good examples there, but (a) I think Thatcher should have been banned half the season, definitely!, and (b) with the Del Horno and Robben tackles, there was just so much less at stake. Messi and, I believe, Greening were at least standing and half-able to control the impact and fall. Cech was, in a word, naked. On the ground and his head was out there for any testosterone crazed #### to come and bludgeon. Hunt might not be a bad guy, but I think he fits the previously mentioned description. It was about as unprofessional and negligent as you get this side of criminal assault. VVV summed it up nicely. The ball was Cech's. Period, no argument. Hunt could do no good for his team in that situation. He nearly ended up ending a man's life, let alone career. Half season ban.
bobby
Forgot to add this to my earlier post. Spurs 2nd and third kits are terrible brown and light blue? and i cant watch watford without thinking of mcdonalds.
The bhoys were absolutely brilliant yesterday and in my highly biased opinion there is no better kit than those beautiful green and white hoops.
Last edited by bigdavedisaster on October 18th at 10:42 AM.
For all of you who enjoy the diving/accentuating debate in football, here is an excerpt from an American Football training manual for punting.
Practice drills
3) Learn how to fall down
Practice falling down by having someone brush up against you after you kick the ball. Act as if you have been run into by the defense and fall down. Your goal is to get a “roughing the kicker” penalty. Take advantage of the roughing the kicker penalty whenever you can. Do not try and hold yourself up if you are hit or rolled into; fall down immediately.
This is part of the "Good for 3" training camp taught by Kicking Instructor, George Jakowenko, former kicker for the NFL Oakland Raiders and Buffalo Bills. He has over 27 years of instructional experience with the All-Scholastic Football Camp and the Joe Namath Football Camp.
Last edited by Venti_vidi_vici on October 18th at 10:53 AM.
Bobby l have to say first congratulation to liverpool and chelsea, but when l look at their game it was one of the worst attitudes to football by jose mourinho, what was a back four quickly became a back seven, it was boring , similarily to the game arsenal played again cska moscow, it was a miserable game , they had 8 men in the box which is a very poor approach, the perfomance does not give me much to think they can go all the way, what did you think watching the game
VVV--I will give you the respect your educated football (soccer)opinions deserve but NEVER come into a conversation about American Football with weak stuff like quotes from a "training manuel" from some half-baked kicker, who was probably a converted soccer player, that taught at some training camp in the Ozarks! Take it from someone who has played that sport at a level few get to that there is a rule written in stone: do not touch the kicker! There is one ref who's job it is to keep his eyes on that guy during the play and if he "dives" the ref doesn't give the penalty. The rule is a good one and yes has been abused in the past but has been largely undercontrol due to the refs devoted attention. Fakers,divers and wusses in that sport get pummeled. PLEASE do not bring up comparisons to American Football anymore because the sports are vastly different and it only serves to diminish your otherwise "heady" comments.
Last edited by neophyte on October 18th at 3:20 PM.
We have punters and kickers from time to time that are encouraged to take a dive, it happens.
But if you ask anyone that knows anything about American football, they will tell you one thing, punters and kickers are not football players.
American football is vicious sport. It tests your manhood in every way. So let's please not compare the divers in football to American football players, because there is no comparison. Our football is a game that rewards violence and despises diving. If you go down, it's usually because someone put you there.
And please, no Rugby is the toughest sport arguments from anyone.
Rugby is definitely brutal. But when you play a sport where your head and face are completely protected and you wear pads, you will do insanely violent things that cause far more physical damage than what is possible in Rugby.
Neophyte & Red Devil:
No offense to (American) football meant. As I'm sure you recall, the diving and accentuating debate has been a recurring one on this blog. I am in the minority in that I don't have a big problem with accentuating (and sometimes even diving). I have also made the argument that it happens in all contact sports. If you interpreted that quote as an attack on American football, I'm sorry but it wasn't. He is a single individual, who I'm sure nobody on this blog has ever heard of.
I didn't grow up here so I know very little about football, even though I'm doing well in my fantasy league this year. I live in the Cincinnati area, and am a bit of a fair-weather Bengals fan, and am a huge admirer of Carson Palmer, and rank him up there with some Milan players. (From me that's a huge compliment!)
I have never touched an official (American) football in my life. I made a bet with a few friends that I can make a 40 yard field goal, given 5 tries and no snap. I was google-ing for kicking techniques and I stumbled across that site. I have one week to prepare. I have played soccer my whole life and am in decent shape, but I'm sure it's not that easy. If you have any tips for me, I could use the help.
Again, no offense meant to the sport of football, I just pasted a quote, and the person to whom it is attributed (I've never heard of the guy). I would never dare pass judgement on a subject I know nothing about.
Last edited by Venti_vidi_vici on October 18th at 6:30 PM.
I was not so bored. For the first time this season (other than your team) I saw Chelsea put some good moves together. Drogba's goal and especially his pass across the field to Robben were excellent. I thought Boulrarouz and Cole played their best games and Essien was in good form. Certainly it was good to focus on something positive after the last few days. On form, Barcelona could have overwhelmed Chelsea, but they didn’t.. Maybe the group context took the edge off Barcelona but Chelsea certainly did not look outclassed.
I actually enjoyed the Chelsea-Barca game, and I must say that Chelsea looked very solid and in control throughout. Barca's play was a bit too predictable, but Chelsea nontheless did a great job closing down on Ronnie and Messi, and blocking Zambrotta's usually very dangerous overlapping. Sheva still looks rather tentative, but he seems to be moving very well and it's only a matter of time now. In fairness until the goal, neither team even came close to scoring, and after drogba's moment of brilliance, Barca were bound to expose themselves a bit at the back. Either team could've won this game, but I must say, Chelsea looked very solid, and Barca don't have many weapons to draw attention away from Ronnie.
I didn't watch the Liverpool game but away wins in the UCL don't come easy; and a complete mystery to me, Crouch keeps scoring goals.
Arsenal didn't deserve anything from their game, hand-ball or not!
Milan were somewhat lucky to come away with a win, but the defense is starting to look extremely good. Now the rossoneri are also one of many teams who are already one win away from the second round.
No offense taken, it's just that Punters and kickers aren't football players. The kickers and punters don't want to hear that, and they get upset sometimes. But they are not football players. They're kind of in a gray area.
The best way to explain this is with a story about Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Bill Parcells.
A few years ago he was the HC for the New England Patriots. His kicker was having nagging injury issues. I believe it was Matt Bahr. Anyway, before the game Parcells asked the team doctor if the kicker is going to be okay.
The doctor replies by saying "he should be okay to play." Parcells responded by saying "He doesn't have to play, he just has to kick."
I hope that clears things up. Once again no offense taken.
VVV--good luck whith the field goal. No offense taken on the subject. You will find that kickers and punters when brought up among American football player/fans is a touchy subject. Let us know if you win the bet.
I am the soccer analyst for the Fox Soccer Report and appear twice a week - every Monday and Friday at 10:00 EST. I have also been a regular contributor to the Fox Soccer Channel website since the summer of 2004. Over the last twenty years I have contributed to various radio and television programs throughout North America as well writing about the game for newspapers, magazines and websites.
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