Some months ago there were some who questioned why the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish FAs would not participate in a UK Olympic team given that Blatter had given assurances that it would impact on their current status. Here is the reason that the Celts were right.
The decision to dump the goal line technology initiative seems premature but buried in this story is the go-ahead for national associations to decide whether or not to use video evidence to suspend players that set out to deceive officials. Let’s see which associations make use of this power. On the subject of penalty box/goal line judges - that is one exciting job.
In stadia with artificial surfaces the option of bring in temporary grass is
often put forward as an easy solution. A friend has forwarded this research article that looks at the link between "temporary' grass and ACL
injuries.
I’m thinking of taking out a contract on Blatter.
Anyone care to chip in on the cost?
Can any of the New Yorkers recommend someone?
If you’re a neutral or a supporter of one of the four ,that has to be the best quarter-finals in memory.
I’m with Portsmouth from now on ,their supporters remind me of the way it used to be ,and I’d love to see Arry lift some silverware.
Barnsley? nah ,have a thing against the yorkies ,something to do with Leeds ,and I never did like Parky ,apart from when Emu got him ,and saying at least we went out to the winners is no consolation.
Cardiff? Nah ,as much as I’d like to see JFH do well ,don’t want to see the Welsh get their hands on it again ,once was enough.
West Bromwich? Nah ,I remember the ’69 quarter-final at the Bridge ,lost 1-2 ,so I can’t go for the Throstles ,Pompey it is.
Don’t think there’s ever been a semi-finals with only one top flight team ,and I’m pretty sure there’s never been a final without one. And this is definitely the first time there’s only been one replay after the third round.
Sunderland in ’73 and West Ham in ’80 where the last second division winners.
Shame Bristol Rovers didn’t get the chance to match Swindon Town in ’69 as the only third division team to win a cup.
The Lords My Shepherd beats out Goodnight Irene ,aah the magic of the cup.
As far as Avram is concerned ,he showed once again that he is not up to the job.
Fair enough if you want to rest Lampard and Drogba ,but you have to name them on the bench as a safety net ,TSO never made that mistake.
Kalou and Pizarro? they’re never going to
Kalou and Pizarro? they’re never going to change a game off the bench.
Not that it was Grant’s fault alone ,I now give up on SWP ,thought he was going to do big things this season ,but I now admit that he couldn’t hit his arse with a banjo if his life depended on it.
And as for Malouda ,I think we signed the wrong one ,this one doesn’t do what it said on the label ,false advertising I think ,nice one Lyon.
The final straw ,as far as the supporters are concerned ,will be when the home unbeaten record goes ,which could be soon.
Nice to see Tottenham get over the shock of their Wembley win at last ,shame it came too late to avoid the day all gooners look forward to so much ,and I’m surprised none have commented on the significance of today’s results.
Thought West Ham played better with ten men rather than eleven ,and that tells you all you need to know about Louis Boa Morte.
Curbishley’s on a roll ,all the way to the dole queue.
Everton? Think Jagielka’s done enough to get an England call up ,but where’s Vaughny? Unleash him Moyes ,and it's all down to the shade of blue they wear.
And that brings me to Arsenal.
Arsenal! Arsenal! Arsenal!
What's going on ,are you going to collapse or make a game of it?
Nice one Wigan ,love the rugby pitch ,wonder how the Warriors feel about the football pitch.
Is Emile Heskey the greatest non-scoring goalscorer the game has ever seen?
And you gotta love Old Man Ferguson ,he's hilarious ,long may he continue.
Olympiakos are no Barnsley.
AC Milan are no Wigan.
West Ham are no Croydon.
William gallas is no Tony Adams
"Urs, I know Sunderland were in the 2nd Division, maybe West Ham too when they won the FA Cup."
Yes, I remembered West Ham (1979 or 1980?) after my last post- we had a neighbour around that time who was a diehard Hammer (are there any other kind?!), and I seem to recall celebrations ...
There were two or three other Second Division winners in the '70s (Sunderland and ...?), but I was too young to pay much attention at the time.
For Bobby:
Since the '80s, I believe only First Division/ PL teams have won the FA Cup, even though several finals in that time featured one lower division team. In the '70s (most recently), several teams from the old Second Division won it by beating First Division opposition. But I have no idea whether two lower division sides have ever met in the final.
When were the last FA Cup finals featuring two lower division teams (if ever)?
And (to pull a craigy!) what FA Cup finals do you remember as the most exciting, and why?
What was the worst (by any measure)?
What two teams would you like to see meet in a "dream" Cup final (from any division)?
ADDED: looks like RINGO may have answered some of my questions above ...
Last edited by Ursusarctos on March 9th at 11:19 PM.
"[For] the money [Liverpool have] spent you’d expect them to be challenging Man Utd...
Only Reading had spent less money than Everton in the off season until money magically became available to buy Yakubu at the time of the Kirkby vote in late August."
Oh my. Here we go again ...
According to toffeeweb, Everton spent about £21M last summer (2007) to bring in players, in particular:
Yak - £11.25M
Baines - £6M
Jagielka - £4M
with £5M received for players going the other way (Beattie and Naysmith).
This gives a net expenditure of about £16M- which is not exponentially different from the NET money spent by LFC during the same period (since the Torres transfer was almost entirely offset by transfer fees received for other players shipped out).
If you want to compare LFC with United, then the same money issues apply: United has spent much more than LFC on a net basis in recent years, and by anyone's reckoning has a deeper squad. If less net money spent excuses Everton (even if the difference with LFC was not great), then why should LFC be realistically expected to challenge a much more spendthrift United team?!
Re the McIlvanney article that Bobby linked on the possible presence of four English teams out of eight in the Champions League Quarters:
Wow, are we getting carried away.
I've news for you, Hugh old boy- a sample of one (this year) does NOT allow you to detect a trend: "The unrivalled economic strength of the Premier League ... is being belatedly but impressively reflected in a swiftly rising level of achievement in the Champions League."
!!! "... swiftly rising level of achievement"? From a single data point at odds with past experience? Ever heard of the term "outlier"?
The headlines next year if- due to circumstance- there are only one or two PL teams in the CL quarterfinals should make interesting reading: "Money not all it is cracked up to be: the swiftly falling level of achievement by Premier League clubs in the Champions League proves that unrivalled economic strength does not lead to titles" ... or some merde like that ...
Now if we wait 3 or 4 years, and this year's pattern persists, then, and ONLY then, can we start to consider a trend of a "rising level of achievement" (rising as compared to usual prior results). Until then, the results this year are just random noise with no longer term general significance.
HORROR TACKLE AFFICONADOS (Particularly Gooners, Croats and Bobby)
Who saw Bardlsey’s reckless lunge on Pienaar?
Who can tell me why it was a yellow card offence?
Of course no broken leg means go garish pictures and no headlines.
A dodgy penalty decision at Old Trafford is more newsworthy.
Not playing for Arsenal, Man U, Chelsea or Liverpool so it’s not worth any column inches.
Maybe managers like Bruce were right about Taylor’s red card being harsh (paraphrashing the man)
Thankfully Pienaar seems to be none the worse for wear, just bruised.
BLUESTUFF
Three ugly points.
YES!
Vaugnhy is crocked – again
Jagileka isn’t pretty, but he is effective – not quite ready for England but worth a call up in a friendly to see how he does.
DM’s NEW FOUND PRESS SAVVY
Brilliant, true and hilarious
FA CUP IN ALL IT’S BRILLIANCE – I HAVEN’T THIS MUCH FUN SINCE 95
Pompey
Cardiff
West Brom
Barnsley
SF Draw Monday 1325 GMT
Bloomin baggies, now there’s no GAS!
FERGUSON
Shut Up and take it like a man!
BLATTER
Hey Gordon, you have the SAS, why don’t you use them! I’m sure some of the units need mountain refresher courses.
UGLY
Is Jimmy Bullard Dirk Kuyt’s long lost twin?
MAGS
Lovely Lad – I posted a picture special for you, like, on my blog!
I actually gave it 3/10! The 8 was well earnt though – a nice combo!
Be interesting to see how he goes today!
Pretty spot on about the Cups! Steve Claridge agrees!
PREMIER LEAGUE
Wigan grit and some french moaning equals a draw.
There’s only one Jimmy Bullard – that was so a foul
Toon ca
CONT...
Toon capitulate…again
Coppell may be a dour bug-ger but he’s not a bad manager.
West Ham’s aim for mid table mediocrity is just about perfect
SERIE A
Elefants pick up a tasty three
Milan get back to winning away
The old lady gets off her back
Inter get a dodgy pk but win with room to spare
Lazio – something is going on in Rome
Roma – another good win for the Giallorossi
Pink and black and white – honours even – good game - if you ignore the gift awarded to Udinese!
It doesn’t take a madman for Samp to win
Minnows do one in Tuscan Derby (HAH!)
Torino manage to meet Atalanta on an off week
Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't 3 of the 4 semifinalists in the CL last year from the PL? I guess a sample size of 2 isn't much better though.
Maybe LGB can open up his blog for hockey rants. And then I can talk about how awesome it was to watch an "own goal" gift the Pens two points yesterday.
I'll start believing the PL is taking over theories when they actually start dominating the finals (PL vs PL final snooze) and actually get the job done in the UEFA cup. I was ready to crown the PL money machine king last year when Spurs were deep in UEFA and 3/4 of the teams in the CL were PL. Fast forward a month later and Sevilla runs over Spurs and AC ran over 2 PL teams to bring us all back to earth.
I think in the long run its inevitable. More money in the hands of good managers will lead to more lopsided European tournaments with PL teams but as of right now the other teams are still very competitive. I think people are forgetting that teams like Juve are on a mini vacation and Bayern is still around thumping teams in the UEFA cup.
The Rocket was an iconic figure on and off the ice and the best player on the best team of that era. You couldn't go wrong with either Howe or Richard if you were starting a team, then or now.
It's difficult to rate players from different eras against each other, regardless of the sport. Was Pele better than Maradona? Was di Stefano better than either of them? That's hard to judge. What isn't is that they were three cracking players, each of them the best of his generation.
verbs,
Rob Brown was a pretty decent footballer -- a lot of future NHLers played soccer in the spring and summer to stay in shape.
sleeper
Eduardo's absence didn't seem to affect Adebayor at the San Siro. The bigger problem at the JJB was Gilberto, who looked well off the pace.
Bobby,
Barcelona loses to Villarreal. Barca has looked weak and less than the invincible side lately. How much of a hangover do clubs suffer from Champions league play (deep play like winning it all), Domestic cups, League cup, International friendlies, FIFA club cups that seem to follow when a club has success in interclub play?
Barca seems to have the skilled players they could possibly want but lack the destroying presence in midfield or on the backline. Your thoughts.
I love to read all the SAF haters comments. And the article in the independent calling him a tactical dunce is hilarious. Nick Webster stating that it was this year or never for another treble run was probably the stupidest comment of them all! Utd. just rebuilt a midfield, cut the fat off the backline and added a new partner for Rooney upfront THIS year and now they will never have another chance?! In his attempt to sound nonbiased he just sounded ridiculous as did the article in the independent. I will admit that I do not like the rotation in the midfield but trying to replace the likes of Roy Keane and Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs won't happen in half a season let alone one whole one. When you've been around as long as SAF and been as successful you will be a big target.
Re: Wig/Ars (take 2), from my view it seemed that Wigan simply wanted it more. I'm not sure of the stats, but it certainly looked like Wigan won every 50/50 ball. Palacios and Brown were fantastic as was my motm, Valencia. Still, with their quality, Arsenal was able to carve out a few chances that Adebayor (x2) and Fabregas should have done better with, though Kirkland was very good, too.
Re: Liverpool. Great news that Mascherano is available tomorrow. For me, he's the most important player for this situation, protecting a lead. I'm curious to see what tactics Rafa employs. Does he go with the 4-2-3-1 that has been working extremely well, or does he play it a bit more conservatively to protect the lead? I'd like to see a positive approach to get the away goal that will end this contest and that approach could keep the momentum going. We shall see.
Also, a question for everyone interested in giving a response. What to do with Liverpool's center backs next season? It's a difficult one. Carragher has been great at defending and his intangibles can't be discounted. However, Skrtel is certainly more confident on the ball and more of a threat in the opposent's area. I think we can all agree that Agger has the most talent of the three and if fit, is an undroppable player. Either way, it's a nice problem to have. Atletico Madrid and Newcastle can only wish they had one of these players.
More hockey (sorry, waiting for a better outlet)...Watching yesterday's game leaves me yearning that Ovechkin and Crosby stay put and will produce a tremendous rivalry so that I can watch more hockey. That's the only thing that we all missed out on because while Lemieux and Gretzky's time overlapped significantly, they never played much against the other.
Bobby, I've been watching and listening to you over the years and you seems not to have any faith in Arsenal. Two years ago when they were up against the might of Real Madrid your comment on the show was "Real is gonna blew them away" and what happen, it was Real that got blown away. Last week against the might Milan you were kinds 50/50 but based on your comments you were leaning on the side of a Milan victory and we all know what happened.
I think Arsenal's bad patch is behind them now, yesterday they played a very good game but Wigan's strategy was to at least get a point. I think if the pitch was better the results would have been different.
Oh, I should tell you that all of North America's media houses prefer Man U, but I think Arsenal is surprising somebody this year. I'll look forward to your comments from the might cold Winnipeg.
The article on the ACL injuries is quite interesting but I am still not very clear on what is being referred to as a "portable grass system". What I am assuming is that the fields were basically re-sodded? I know there are some other options such as giant trays with grass growing in them that can be placed over an existing surface, over field turf for example, but this doesn't seem to be what they are referring to. I know in the NFL it is not uncommon for a field to be resurfaced during the course of a season, even multiple times. Is resurfacing a pitch during the season a common practice in Europe?
- Do you see the MLS dropping the salary cap in a few years to come. I think the talent is eroding now, especially some players going to scandinavia and fulham.
- What do you think about EPL teams loaning players to other EPL teams. When liverpool played bolton, one player was prevented from facing liverpool, because of a clause in his contract. unfortunately i don't recall his name. Now, this is unfair to everton, who will have to face a full strength Bolton. could this practice result in abuse by big teams lending so many players out?
- Scotish commentator, roddy forsyth, from BBC said that may be the reason scotland have a hard time qualifying for major tournaments recently is because of the weather that is too cold, and many scottish kids do not feel like going out to practice. what's your opinion on this
Bobby,
When will more Americans start playing in Spain, Italy, or France?? Hopefully, Michael Bradley does not sign on for Fulham (joking...sort of). I think England has been hurt by the majority of its squad playing in one league. The Americans seem to be falling into the same pattern.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't 3 of the 4 semifinalists in the CL last year from the PL? I guess a sample size of 2 isn't much better though."
Yes and no it isn't (a line through any two sample points can be called a "trend"- until the third point comes along!). Actually, if McIlvanney had simply taken the time to set out knock-out round places from recent CL seasons, as you suggest, the article could have been a lot stronger and his conclusion better supported. But he didn't.
verbal97:
"Maybe LGB can open up his blog for hockey rants."
There's an idea.
JayAlves:
"'ll start believing the PL is taking over theories when they actually start dominating the finals"
I don't agree. The McIlvanney article was correct to focus on the quarterfinal round, I think, since it leaves room for all CL English teams to potentially make it that far (no English teams can face each other in the round of 16) without depending as much on the chance element that the draw introduces.
By the final, 3 of 4 English teams could be eliminated simply due to facing each other, even if they were by far the most dominant teams in the CL- and in the final itself, you're down to a single game crapshoot that could be decided in part by injuries or suspensions.
My only problem with the McIlvanney article was the lack of time depth to increase sample size.
albertagooner:
"You couldn't go wrong with either Howe or Richard if you were starting a team, then or now."
"What to do with Liverpool's center backs next season? It's a difficult one. Carragher has been great at defending and his intangibles can't be discounted. However, Skrtel is certainly more confident on the ball and more of a threat in the opposent's area. I think we can all agree that Agger has the most talent of the three and if fit, is an undroppable player. Either way, it's a nice problem to have."
I've had the same discussion with my offspring in front of the TV on match days- and we've yet to come to a solution we are fully satisfied with! The "problem", of course, depends upon all three being available to play.
ADDED: and don't forget that there has been talk of offering Hyypiä a one year contract for next year. He would only be there as cover or for specific (and limited) situations, of course, but we've seen again this year that under the right circumstances he can still be very effective. So that makes four!
Since this is a Speaker's Corner, why not ask Bobby for his input as well?
Bobby:
To summarize verbal's question: Should all three of Carra, Skrtel and Agger be healthy and available, how do you see the LFC CB situation taking shape next year (and if re-signed, how would Hyypiä fit in)?
Last edited by Ursusarctos on March 10th at 11:54 AM.
I know that :) So, what country do you support internationally? You never mention it... ever! ;)
Ursus,
Thanks for cleaning up my question. Do you have an opinion on the matter? I go back and forth myself. And I definitely don't support rotating all 3 because that will lead to definite communication problems and breakdowns in defense.
Re: CL and PL "domination". I agree with letting time determine this. Either way, this dude is a ####. At least Tomkins uses stats over a discernable amount of time to support his arguments.
I don't think if Mascherano wasn't capable of playing up to standard would he be played. We'll see though
And what did you think of Hicks' statement? Awfully abrasive. And 13 years of success?!?! Owning a baseball team that's the worst team in the worst division and owning a hockey team that won one title (though LGB will tell you that it wasn't without controversy) isn't anything to boast about.
I believe it is their lack of width and crossing ability. On sunday they played with two towering strikers and I can't recall more than 2 or 3 crosses into the box. On a torn up rugby pitch and with 2 strikers over 6'3" Arsenal should have peppered the box with crosses. Truly ridiculous strategy, I love Wenger but come on it was so obvious.
Come on Portsmouth! They continue to be Man Utd's bogey team. I love it.
Fergie will get some ribbing, but he won't get the same vitriolic diatribes filled with resentment that Wenger gets for saying the same thing. but Fergie is worse b/c he does generally get all the calls, and his team play as dirty as any, as Costigan pointed out yesterday.
Quick question If a team qualifies for europe through a domestic cup competition and get relegated do they still get to play in europe the following season although they are no longer in the top flight
If for some reason all of england could only have one Football or the Queen which one would u choose.
I asked my english friend this morning and he was upset with me for even putting him in such a position LOL. Intrested to see what other englishmen would say
Aldo: For Queen and empire, football is the national sport. You can't separate the two old boy and heaven forbid the thought.
I wonder if SAF is contemplating his navel Considering the ammount of comment about retirement? If the old adage that there is no smoke without fire is true, then I wonder when he will pick up pipe and slippers? When he goes the refs will breathe a sigh of releif that is for sure. I do wonder how much he's been fined over the history of the BPL? He could well hold an unenviable record.
Hugh McIlvaney cannot have watched the LFC Inter first leg. I smell a third hand report and an Arsenal supporter to boot.
If all the English clubs progress, ie if we can get past Milan tomorrow, none of the 4 are guaranteed to go any further, but I do think we have the best chance of seeing an all English final for the first time.
Ringo, I know what you mean about the magic of the cup b/c we experienced that in 88 when we lost 1-0 to the crazy gang. History is there to learn from but some lessons are bitter pills indeed and too often familiar ones.
I hope Pompey win the cup this year, simply because my late father followed them after many years in the RN working and living in the town.
Bobby what's your take on the likely top 4 and the final bottom three in the BPL at this stage in proceedings?
Last edited by redfan2000 on March 10th at 4:08 PM.
Interesting Bobby's blog is easy to post comments on.
Bobby- Im an Arsenal fan but ive noticed the partnership between midfield Gerrard and striker Torres, is this the premiereship Ronaldhino and Etoo before the CL Cup? and your opinion on Robinho being nothing special.. I dont agree because wouldnt you say he played an integral role in the Copa America title, Madrid's title last yr, he terrorized defenders going down the left and slipping balls to players in and arouund the box. Also this yr Madrid started dropping points when he wasnt on the field, I think because he doesnt play up to starship celebrity status he becomes overlooked.
Kirkland played VERY well, and combined with Arsenal's inability to finish, equals a draw. Wigan played well. Yes, the pitch was horrible, but both teams had to play on it. Such is life.
This makes the race a race. Unless one of the teams completely fall apart, these head-to-head games will have real meaning. Stinks for a supporter, great for the drama!
Senderos looks like a workable central defender when he has a run of games. Almunia played well. Gilberto is cooked.
Re SAF's rant: Why? The man needs a warm cup of STFU.
Nice article by McIlvanney, but a bit too flattering towards the EPL. It sounds very similar to what we read last April leading up to the semis.
Arsenal played well against Milan, who however, were not exactly tournament favorites, and it was a very late goal which decided it. The Gunners did more than enough to deserve the win, but could’ve just as easily lost.
Man Utd again got a very late goal in the first leg, which made all the difference against outsiders Lyon.
Chelsea faced what looked like the worst team in the draw and made it look easy at home.
Liverpool will, in all likelihood, also advance against one of the tournament favorites. Despite playing an excellent first leg, they too only managed very late goals.
The EPL teams have all performed very well thus far, but it would be nice if, just for a change, the British media didn’t get so carried away.
Referring to Fabregas, Mc Ilvanney writes: “Though he will not be 21 until May 4, it is already impossible to think of a midfielder in the world who is more accomplished than the Spaniard when he is in this mood.” I think I can do the impossible and think of a few other players who,”when in the mood”, I’d rather have than Fabregas, with all due respect to the kid, who I think is an excellent player and could go on to have a legendary career. (Also I don’t understand how Cesc’s talent fluctuates based on his mood).
I don’t think arsenal have given the title up just yet, but they have far from helped themselves by drawing three very winnable games. How different would it be right now if they had managed that win against Birmingham?
I really like the FA cup but I wish that west Bromwich hadn’t draw Portsmouth. West brom seems like a team that likes to go forward, and I think that their game with Portsmouth pits the two best teams against each other. Im secretly hoping for a lower divison team to win. How funny would it be if Barnsley played feyenord in the cup. Haha, the ticket price would be worth it. Its funny to note that for the first time in a while, it might end up that only one of the big three will end up with a trophy at the end of the year.
Bobby, do you rate senderos. Ive always been a fan and thought that he always was unfairly critized. He sadly is a player that needs confidence, but if he plays well in one or two games he seems then raise up his game. Im thinking of the run of games that led to the FA cup final where he was chosen ahead of Campbell or same thing in the Champions league run of 2006. If he only he didn’t have to face drogba twice a year, he would be a great defender. Plus he is a young kid, a central defender can go up to play until his mid thirties, so I think that in a few years he will be a great player. Plus do you see a player like fabregas, not 21 yet, beating O’leary’s record of games?
Even though I can get Eduardo-centric sometimes, I still think Adebayor is a fantastic player and he will still score goals. However, I also believe his productivity will drop without a supporting striker, i.e Eduardo, Van Persie.
I truly believe, that Arsenal will only pull through and win the title with two elite strikers up front. Fabregas can't do everything on his own after all.
Senderos "unfairly criticized", hey the kid is improving but he is still a a trainwreck waiting to happen, see Aston Villa just a week ago.
Gilberto needs more time on the pitch to get judged fairly. It is impossible forme to believe that last year he was MVP, then had a very good Copa and that now he is done. No way.
Terrible formation and strategy by Wenger this past weekend. At times there was literally no one on the right and the middle was clogged. Gilberto was put in awkward situations.
Bobby, this would be a huge task to ask of you if you wouldn't mind. Could you please summarize and contrast the tactics/playing styles of the remaining 8 CL teams? Three or four lines for each team perhaps, if that is possible in your opinion. I'll have my notebook ready. Thanks.
Re: Arsenal's weakness. Agree with you Mas. Plus they don't have a lethal striker now that Eduardo is out (RvP isn't one in my book). On Sunday Adebayor looked annoyed with his own shooting ability. Also the players are not smart enough in that they maintained the short passes when clearly it's not working. They lack the element of quickly switching sides in attack that ManU are best at. One more, their set pieces are awful. When was last time they scored from free-kicks or corners?
Re: EPL. The dominance of the big four doesn't equal to the supremacy of the league itself. Perhaps we'll soon witness the rise of Spurs and Everton but still the gap between the top and the rest is large enough people are saying they are the super league within the EPL. Economics probably explained most of the top four's success bar perhaps Arsenal. If they keep getting richer their dominance will continue, although there is a danger that some of them may be spending too much on buying players.
Bobby:
Enjoyed reading the article in the Telegraph about the Teves contract and his link to Kia Joorabchian. Man Utd showed their creativity in the transfer market last season, asking Everton to bench Tim Howard as part of the agreement transferring him permanently to Goodison Park. Moyes admitted it, then realized it was illegal, retracted his admission, Man Utd won the match partly due to the reserve keepers errors after being down 0-2, but the FA found nothing wrong because a team is allowed to bench their in-form starting keeper in favor of a kid who has never played an EPL match in his life for no apparent reason.
Is it conceivable that Man Utd agreed to hand the Hammers three priceless points at Old Trafford and possibly keep them in the EPL and the associated financial windfall, as part of the Teves transfer deal? A slick way to pay for Teves, without having to include Joorabchian. Coincidentally the winning goal was obviously scored by Teves. (I admit I see conspiracies everywhere).
Last edited by Venti_vidi_vici on March 10th at 7:22 PM.
FOXCUBE {Anyone else feel free to tear me a new arsehole or nod head sagely:P}
ROMA
460 or 451
quick passing
fluid midfield
attack from deep
a team that counters well
keeper does make mistakes and doesn't dominate box
solid at the back
Totti and Pizzaro
SHALKE 04
Got me there!
FERNABCHE
Ditto!
MAN U
Solid Defensive and the ability to defed with 6.
Good on the counter with a penchant for the flanks.
442 or could be described as 4411
A team built to win not a tam to play pretty football. Although in full flow they are exhilarating
Ronaldo and Tevez
ARSENAL
Purveyors of pretty football. 442 mostly or maybe 451
A certain fragility can be exposed if you play it right (Wigan)
Not as wussy as some would have you believe.
Fabregas and Hleb
BARCELONA
Dunno really!
CHELSEA
Would this be the disinterested bunch who got embarrassed at Barnsley or the side that demolished Olympiakos.
In the CL it's the latter, mostly.
433 good on the counter with pace. can be narrow unless the fullbacks gets up.
Ballack and Drogba
INTER
442 incredible flair in attack
combative and creative midfield
solid at the back
great keeper
problem is that key players are out in the middle and at the back
more importantly the CL is a different animal to Serie A
Ibrahimovic and Zanetti
LIVERPOOL
433 442 451 4231 however it appears in Spanish
On their day they have the players to hurt the opposition. Can play without direction or desire.
On a run (of sorts)
A team that needs it's head right in order to do well. Good head = freakish bounce
Bobby on the report you made a really ridicolous statement that the pitch at wigan is okay be real man.clubs play 60+ game on pitches that are nice and you expect them to adjust to a pub of a pitch.l watched the game thrice and on the adebayor , van persie and bedter strikes the ball took bubbles.that the problem with pundits as soon as a big club looses to a small club you jump to lick the small club's #### thereby negating that things like a pitch where you can not play one touch football, and that the referee did not call fouls in the man utd game, be rationale for God's sake
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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