Euro 2008 (Official LOL Vidic Thread)

[Untitled]

Dan YOU'RE a disgrace to english football.

:D Oh yes, liverpool FTW.

[ME!!!]

Hearts have one on pens against Gretna in the Scottish Cup Final.
/supports Hibs.
:(

[Angry Balled Fists!]

I can't believe it, WH were so good, they ahd so many english men too, it would have been great for someone other than the big 4 to have won :(

[munky_magik]

No way did Liverpool deserve to win that. ****ing cunts.

[Untitled]

As much as you all didnt want Liverpool to win....

You cannot deny the greatness of Gerrard atm.

[munky_magik]

Oh but I can.

<_<
>_>

[red barchetta]

what an orgasmic final for the neutral.

[Eccles]

:upset: i cant believe we lost, liverpool were a two man team today (gerrard/reina)

i suppose we're still into europe, but the financial backing we would have got as FA Cup winners would have made so much difference to our squad building this summer

[Lord Abortion]

I felt so sorry for Harewood, he missed that because he couldn't even lift his leg to hit the ball...

[Angry Balled Fists!]

Yeah, same ^^

He's such a great player too.

[munky_magik]

Yay, Scotland won the Kirin Cup :)

[Dave de Sylvia]

I felt so sorry for Harewood, he missed that because he couldn't even lift his leg to hit the ball...
He looked like he was about to cry after :(

[2muchket!]

^^ ****ing great stuff that then hahahahah :lol:

[Angry Balled Fists!]

No it wasn't, i felt so gutted for the hammers, it really should have been their cup.

[Eccles]

He looked like he was about to cry after :(it was a pretty horrible moment :( there's no doubt he would have buried it if he was kicking with his injured foot, but he had to kick with his good foot and try to balance on the knackered ankle. it was absolutely heroic of him to be on the pitch in the first place

[moderaterock222]

West Ham played really well, and Liverpool underperformed really. That said, West Ham scored 3 quite lucky goals and Liverpool scored 3 great goals, and had one wrongly disallowed too. So you could say WH pretty lucky really, even though i did think during the 90 minutes that they were the most threatening side.

It was an amazing cup final, played in good spirit. Even though i supported Liverpool, i felt really bad for WH after the game.

Gerrards 2nd was phenomenal though, especially considering the circumstances. I cummed a lot when it went in.

[Eccles]

Liverpool scored 3 great goals, and had one wrongly disallowed too.the disallowed goal is a completely moot point, they scored right after, so the momentum shift happened at roughly the same time anyway. it would be absolute crap to suggest that really liverpool should have won 4-3

[Drahmen]

Ha i love the way everyone hates liverpool. Bunch of pricks. especially the guy who called us "scouse cunts"

[Angry Balled Fists!]

:thumb:

[Steve M.]

gutted for west ham, but every team has lost games they deserved to win. both teams were lucky, liverpool a little more so.

[2muchket!]

Well yet again Gerrard proves his class. The third goal was a cracking goal.

[Angry Balled Fists!]

True, one of the best goals i've ever seen.

[Kickflip_Burrito]

Feel really sorry for West Ham. They played so well and I think they should've won it. Gerrard's 2nd goal was an absolute stunner though. I would hate to have been a Hammers fan in the stadium and see that happen. 90th minute too.

I supported West Ham but it wasn't to be. Nothing against Liverpool, they are a good team, but they win a lot of trophies and West ham don't so I wanted them to win something for a change.

[moderaterock222]

the disallowed goal is a completely moot point, they scored right after, so the momentum shift happened at roughly the same time anyway. it would be absolute crap to suggest that really liverpool should have won 4-3
yeah, i know that. i'm not saying they would have gone on and scored another 3 goals, i'm just saying during the match Liverpool did score 4 perfectly good goals compared to West Hams 3 fairly lucky goals.

[moderaterock222]

Ha i love the way everyone hates liverpool. Bunch of pricks. especially the guy who called us "scouse cunts"
it's because us from the north west can't afford internet and stuff aint it?

[Dead Star]

Gretna were extremely unlucky not to win the Scottish Cup.

and the FA Cup final was one of the best games I've ever seen.

[Lord Abortion]

What I thought was pretty Disgusting, was reading the Observer, and the Lincoln-Grimsby game got more column space than the Scottish cup final.

[red barchetta]

for **** sake... Chelsea dont even need him... such a load of ballacks...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/homepage/int/sp/shdr/hs2/t/-/news/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/4769763.stm

[Lord Abortion]

That's a nice pun there.

[Dead Star]

Free transfer too, thats quite the bargain.

[2muchket!]

Not really £130,000 a week is what hes on.

[Angry Balled Fists!]

What I thought was pretty Disgusting, was reading the Observer, and the Lincoln-Grimsby game got more column space than the Scottish cup final.

good !

Big local derby here :P

[guitarbaz]

thats cos it's proper football and not the mickey mouse version they practice north of the wall.:p

What I thought was pretty Disgusting, was reading the Observer, and the Lincoln-Grimsby game got more column space than the Scottish cup final.

[matt_h]

where are chelsea gonna play ballack? lampard, essien, cole, makele, ballack? or is makele gonna drop out for duff or robben?
they only bought him coz man utd wanted him. same goes for SWP, Mikel Obi (the african teenager), Essien, it is pathetic really.

[Dead Star]

thats cos it's proper football and not the mickey mouse version they practice north of the wall.:p

Because we play fake football?

[Lord Abortion]

I don't think United were ever in for SWP...and we dropped out of the race for Ballack a long time ago...Fergie said he was too similar to Scholes.

[TakeWarning]

It's as if Chelsea need another good player.

I hate Chelsea so much.

[Lord Abortion]

So do we all.

[red barchetta]

Chelsea'll probably play that diamond formation that they used in the latter part of the season. So i suppose they'll buy a striker or two to partner Drogba (Shevchenko or Tevez) and possibly a new left-back (Ashley Cole, Roberto Carlos?). so it'll be:

GK: Cech
DF: Ferreira, Gallas/Carvalho, Terry, -new signing-
MF: Lampard, Ballack, Makelele/Essien, Cole/Robben
FW: Drogba, -new signing-

[2muchket!]

Is mourinho not happy with Del Horno ??
Plus I would bet on Chelsea having a clear out this summer aswell. IMO bridge will go, SWP, Crespo/Drogba. So will alot of teams as I expect there will be a fair bit of activity in the transfer market.

[red barchetta]

i dunno, they've been wanting Cole for a while, theres rumours about Carlos, and Del Horno doesnt really play every week.

i suppose they'll offer Crespo + ridiculous amount of money to Milan to get Shevchenko

[Angry Balled Fists!]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFul0lU3kBw&search=alan%20shearer


MAD RESPECT

[+3kk!]

Is mourinho not happy with Del Horno ??
Plus I would bet on Chelsea having a clear out this summer aswell. IMO bridge will go, SWP, Crespo/Drogba. So will alot of teams as I expect there will be a fair bit of activity in the transfer market.


murinho has aready made it clear, he wont sell drogba. i think lyon offered 40 mil euros for that guy.

crespo will be excahanged for shav.....but because chelsea wants to keep gallas, ac millian might also want to keep shav. so the deal is still very debatable.

some people say that murinho wants to adopt the diamond formation that he used in porto. if he uses it then the wingers will be scrapped, heck i want to know the future of cole, robbern, duff, SWP...them sitting on the bench = VERY VERY WRONG. personally i think the ballack deal is crap, he IS good...but chelsea aready has a player that is simillar. the only thing i can see benefiting chelsea from the deal is to put pressure on lamps, and perhaps increase their eruopean chances..with the expense of unhappy wingers.

i hope chelsea dont get carlos...he's 34 and past his prime for gods sake.

to be honest i think chelsea should not be spending that much on players, they aready have great players to start with. i feel sad for SWP and espically eidur they are great players. SWP might have more action next season as he fits in the club, but eidur is geting [pushed out of the club now

[+3kk!]

man if chelsea get trevez a lot of clubs are goina get a huge bashing.....he's only 20++

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yK2ucVW6BKY&search=tevez

imagine drogs and trevez....

[Angry Balled Fists!]

Great result for grimsby yesterday, i'm sure we'll get promoted.

[Dead Star]

Not that anybody cares but...

Terry Butcher has left Motherwell FC to become manager of Sydney FC.

Maurice Malpas is now our manager. :-\

[Angry Balled Fists!]

lmfao rofl

poor jamie.

so psyched for the game tonight, come on arsenal!

[2muchket!]

I have faith in Aresnal as I've said all along they will win it.

[Angry Balled Fists!]

Yay my tickets for the conference play off final have arrived.

Does anyone know whether row Y will be at the top or bottom ?

[Pinhead13]

My prediction is:

Arsenal 0 - Barcelona 0

[Prince of Darkness]

If it's another penatly shootout I'll cry.

Arsenal 1 - Barcelona 3

[poorquality]

I'll go for 2-1 to barca, i imagine it'll be a close game...

kick off ...so close *creams*

:P I should be in a pub watching this :(

[Angry Balled Fists!]

I don't even think barcelona will win.

[Prince of Darkness]

I think the stadium will explode.

Sudden Death :)

[Pinhead13]

WTF just happened?

[Bad Blood]

Ouch, Lehman sent off. That was harsh.

[BJ_maddog]

bad luck there arsenal 19 minutes in

[Dead Star]

Pires must be absolutely gutted, getting subbed off.

So must Lehman though, I can't see Arsenal winning now.

[Bad Blood]

Barcelona should have been given the advantage. It would be better for both teams.

[Dead Star]

Arsenal would have been 1-0 down though, Although having an extra player.

I guess the advantage would have been better.

[Bad Blood]

Yeah, but it's so early in the game. Arsenal are less likely to win now, with their 2nd keeper, and less players.

Heh.

[BJ_maddog]

woohoo

[Bad Blood]

Wewt. First goal for him in Europe aswell.

[2muchket!]

Wasn't a sending off
F'ucking bullet of a header from sol :amaze:

[Prince of Darkness]

Who was it that dived from Arsenal? That was a solid fake. But he made that Arsenal got the goal so woot!

sucks about Lehmann though.

[poorquality]

Wasn't a sending off
F'icking bullet of a header from sol :amaze:


Agreed about the header, though to be fair it should never have been a freekick, all replays showed no contact whatsoever when eboue (i think) went down.

Also lehmenn should of gone, although i hate it now they're down to 10 men, he was last man and literally grabbed the guys foot to stop him going to a clear goal scoring opportunity.

I dont feel sorry for lehmenn at all

It's pires i feel bad for, sacrificed so early on

[Angry Balled Fists!]

Should have been sent off, easy.

Great game.

'Mon the Arse :D

[+3kk!]

weee................1-0 who would have thought of that!!

i expected arsenal to get trashed,
i expected them to fail more when Lehmann got sent off
and they got a goal!!!
and now what a cracker of a match we've got


now i wish arsenal maintains it

[DonMancini]

I find it kind of stupid that Arsenal scored because of a dive :-/ But meh what can you do. Nice kick by Henry - header by I forgot who =P

I hope Barca wins though, <3 Ronaldinho.

It's funny cause I'm watching it in Spanish (not playing on any other channel here) and every time ronaldinho has the ball they're like "RONALDINHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

[skateMASTERbater2]

Wasn't a sending off

Lehmann was out of his surface area, you think he was going for the ball?:rolleyes:

[Dead Star]

Even if he did get the ball, it would have been a handball amirite?

[BJ_maddog]

the ref-ing is pretty ordinary

[Pinhead13]

There's a lot to be said about the referee.

[BJ_maddog]

Lehmann should have been sent off, it was a very deliberate foul, and the goal should have stood.

I know that's bad for Arsenal, but that's what the rules of the games should have determined.

I'm going for Arsenal now, too, but I would like to see them score another goal, that way they have earned it more.

[BJ_maddog]

Well, now Arsenal have to score another goal to win.

[Pinhead13]

1-1

:smash:

[2muchket!]

PENALTYS !!!!!!! :eek: :eek:


Use the spagehtti legs :p

[Bad Blood]

It could be either or. They couldn't allow then goal and send Lehman off.

Because if there was a foul, there should be a freekick, but if the goal stood, the game didn't stop, there was no foul and play carried on.

Edit: to BJM

[BJ_maddog]

But they can play advantage on fouls.

[Bad Blood]

Yeah, which means the foul doesn't stand.

Oshi, 2:1

[Pinhead13]

2 -1

:amaze:

10 minutes left.

[poorquality]

2-1....if it stays like this my prediction was right :D

[Dead Star]

Arsenal must be gutted.

[BJ_maddog]

From the FIFA site:
A player is guilty of a cautionable or sending off offence, but the
referee allows play to continue to give an advantage to the opposing
team. When should the player be cautioned or sent off?

He should be cautioned or sent off whenever the ball next goes out
of play.

[Bad Blood]

Oh right. It doesn't really make sense, but I guess they're the rules.

[BJ_maddog]

There is a lot of conjecture about the advantage rules, as it is really penalising the offending team twice if a goal is scored.

[BJ_maddog]

ewww barcelona orgy tonight

[Bad Blood]

Yeah.

I feel bad for Arsenal now. :(

[Prince of Darkness]

hey my guess was almost right! I said 1-3. close enough

:( arsenal

[poorquality]

Prediction correct :D woo

Can't really say anything more about the match really, everything that should or shouldn't have been has been discussed, other than those incidents the game was an excellent one to watch

[Pinhead13]

Wow, that was a mediocre game.

[Angry Balled Fists!]

F'uck, bad luck, defended well :angry:

I'm dead annoyed, i hate Barca. Ronaldinhio is gay, Henry is better than him.

And f'uck you, you Brit's who are glad they lost :(

[Give me Beer]

Didn't see any of it! I sort of followed it through the BBC site...

I refreshed the page and it went from 0 - 1 to 2 - 1 for Barça ... I was happy.

[red barchetta]

oh well, we gave it our best...

....

....

**** YOU BARCELONA

[Angry Balled Fists!]

I'm annoyed because they had 10 men for most of the game and played really well and honourabley throughout, and then a few lapses of concentration and slack-ness allowed them to get 2 goals back and they couldnt get the ball after that.

[Bad Blood]

lol @ Dan getting angry.

[Give me Beer]

Haha, my girlfriend just called: Did you see the final? Barca won! Woo!

... and I'm like...I just followed it on the internet...

My girlfriend is more enthousiastic about football than me... ahaha...

[munky_magik]

****ing Larsson. I thought the days of him spoiling me matches were over :upset:

Kudos to Barca though, I think they deserved the win.

[red barchetta]

I still cant believe Henry failed to score even one goal... Valdes was awesome :(

[Drop The Baby]

I totally agree with Henry, the ref made some horrendus decisions.

Some of the tackles Barca got away with compared to what Arsenal got booked for were scandalous. Edmilson, Marquez and Van Bommel were scum- but full credit to the rest of Barca's superb team. Giuly was brilliant.

Was the goal offside?

Gabby Logan is very good looking.

[Drop The Baby]

Poor goalkeeping from Almunia also. Bar the save from Eto

[2muchket!]

****ing Larsson. I thought the days of him spoiling me matches were over :upset:

Kudos to Barca though, I think they deserved the win.

Muahahahaha you must be a Rangers supporter.

Anyway bad luck arsenal I though they atleast desreved to take it to ET or penas.

[Dead Star]

Henry's interview at the end was excellent.

I agree'd with him a tt the way.

[sketchyjoe]

I thought the ref was awful and the first Barcelona goal was offside.

[Kickflip_Burrito]

It hurts more at the fact we were winning 1-0. Almunia should've done better with both goals, especially the 2nd. I really can't believe it. Fair play to Barca, they have a fine team, but it could've been so much different.

Henry was so píssed off in that interview (understandably) but I've never heard him like that before.

[Drop The Baby]

It hurts more at the fact we were winning 1-0. Almunia should've done better with both goals, especially the 2nd. I really can't believe it. Fair play to Barca, they have a fine team, but it could've been so much different.

agreed

I cannot believe some of the bookings that Barcas defensive line got away with, same for Van Bommel.

Edmilson should've gone for the way he jostled the ref, waving an imaginary card at him to ensure Lehmann got sent off

[red barchetta]

Campbell, Toure, Hleb and Ljunberg were all brilliant. so annoying that the referee was a fag. i finally understand how Chelsea fans felt when Del Horno got sent off.


i think it's fair to say that despite playing great football, Barca were the luckiest team this year in terms of refereeing.

[Kickflip_Burrito]

Yeah, its a bitter pill to swallow.

Lets speculate, had the goal stood and Lehmann stayed in goal, it would've been hard because from my recollection, Arsenal aren't that great at coming back from 1-0 down, but, at least it would've been a fair (and most probably thrilling) 11 v 11 match. Plus, there's always a chance Arsenal could've scored more goals.

NOTE : It wasn't the same ref that got photographed in a Barcelona shirt was it?

[Drop The Baby]

No, that was the linesman who got replaced.

Barchetta: As Henry said after the game, he felt he could sympathise with Mourinho now. (My styance on Del Horno's sending oiff in that game was the what he was sent off for was not a red card, but his earlier tackle was a clear red).

[red barchetta]

lets all hope that the bad behaviours of Barca will prevent Henry from signing for them. the only thing that will cheer up every Arsenal fan all over the world is for Theirry to say 'I'm staying at Arsenal'.

[Kickflip_Burrito]

I personally think he will stay 1 more season because he did say a few months ago or so, that he wanted to play at the new stadium, but then after that, who knows.

I think he was spot-on in his interview and was good to see that he wasn't going to censor himself.

[DonMancini]

Y'know, not all bad ref calls were in favour of Barcelona, Arsenal wouldn't even have gotten that first goal if it wasn't for that call on a dive.

Barcelona had WAY higher ball possession than Arsenal did, and seemed to dominate most of the game.

As was pointed out earlier, Lehmann was clearly in foul and deserved to be sent off.

[Dave de Sylvia]

I totally agree with Henry, the ref made some horrendus decisions.
I'd say Arsenal benefitted far more from them than Barca did, all things considered. He was just making excuses for a poor personal performance.

The referee literally got every important decision wrong. How the hell does a referee who wasn't even considered to represent UEFA at the World cup get chosen to referee several top Champion's League clashes, including the final. He had an absolute shocker and within twenty minutes his utter incompetence had managed to change the face of the game.

i finally understand how Chelsea fans felt when Del Horno got sent off.
Same ref too. It seems like he responds more to how high the player jumps than to the actual seriousness of the challenge. Van Bommel jumped the highest tonight, I think.

[munky_magik]

"Everyone was talking about Ronaldinho before the game. I didn't see him today and I didn't see Eto'o," he said.

"Henrik Larsson made the difference by setting up two goals. That was the key.

****ing Larsson :mad:

[Dave de Sylvia]

I thought Ronaldinho and Deco both produced some amazing pinpoint long balls today. And Larsson, yeah, it makes you wonder why he spent all those years slumming it at Celtic when he could have been at Barca or summat.

[Dead Star]

Larsson held legend status at Celtic though, it would be hard to go from the legend of a team, to being someone who sits on the bench at Barca.

[+3kk!]

I'd say Arsenal benefitted far more from them than Barca did, all things considered. He was just making excuses for a poor personal performance.

nah, i think barca and arsenal got quite a number of bad calls and good ones. but still the ref is stupid.

henry was superb before the send off, after that barca was pinning arsenal and he had to wait for some barca slip ups to cause a counter. and even with the counter henry is always being marked by 2 or more players, to add up on that he was getting bashed out there.

in those situations, i'd bet even ronidhino cant do his magic.

[Dave de Sylvia]

He wasn't really superb. He missed a sitter within a couple of minutes, and missed two more through the course of the match. A player of Henry's class has no excuse for not scoring at least once in that situation.

Edit: this is confusing, answer in the other thread.

[Ganondorf]

It was well sad, Arsenal got ao close :(

I hope Henry stays in the Premiership tho

[Lord Abortion]

What a whinging little wanker Henry is.

I don't think Eto'o's goal was offside, but even if it was, it was balanced out by Arsenal scoring from a freekick where the defender was so far away from touching Eboue that he could have been actually outside the stadium.

[Drop The Baby]

What a whinging little wanker Henry is.

I don't think Eto'o's goal was offside, but even if it was, it was balanced out by Arsenal scoring from a freekick where the defender was so far away from touching Eboue that he could have been actually outside the stadium.

Whinging little wanker hahahahahahaha.

You're a Man United fan right? I take it you don't listen to post match interviews ever as normally Hnery is probably the most gracious player in the world when it comes to accepting decisions and results, especially compared to the likes of Fergerson and Neville.

[matt_h]

the eto'o goal was offside, but the touch from larsson was hard to see from the position of the linesman as he had his back to him.
but the referree was absolute shite, he could have played advantage for the sending off as he ruined it as a spectacle and a proper contest. arsenal were the better side before that, and i could easily see henry scoring.
there were so many dodgy decision, such as the henry booking, or the eboue freekick that led to the goal.

[Lord Abortion]

Whinging little wanker hahahahahahaha.

You're a Man United fan right? I take it you don't listen to post match interviews ever as normally Hnery is probably the most gracious player in the world when it comes to accepting decisions and results, especially compared to the likes of Fergerson and Neville.
It just rankled with me a little...I mean the whole thing with complaining about missing that chance because he couldn't move his leg due to being fouled is just ludicrous.

"Ooh, please sir! Rafael kicked me!"
Grow up...

[matt_h]

there were things henry could moan about coz there were some crap decisions but all the kicking was an annoyance and not really a foul, i think

[Drop The Baby]

He said it was due to exhaustion, not injury.

So you believe that players should just put up with the injustice they believe they suffered. Henry's reaction to his disappointment was perfectly displayed after the match, and arsenal did not surround the ref at every possible opportunity to ensure a favourable decision like certain Barca players did, notably Edmilson, Van Bommel and Marquez

[Lord Abortion]

Oh, I'm not defending the referee, he was generally poor. However, the goal/sending off decision could well have made it worse for Arsenal, Barca could well have taken the game over completely after they scored and scored three or four.

I'm also saying that the Eboue "foul" was a terrible decision, that Arsenal profited from, and Henry making the excuse of poor refereeing being the cause of his side's loss is laughable, they were outplayed, and such things as Henry getting booked in an odd way were irrelevant to the outcome of the tie.

He said it was due to exhaustion, not injury.
If that's right, then fair enough, I took it as he meant that because he was "fouled" he couldn't move his foot.
So you believe that players should just put up with the injustice they believe they suffered.
Yep.
Henry's reaction to his disappointment was perfectly displayed after the match, and arsenal did not surround the ref at every possible opportunity to ensure a favourable decision like certain Barca players did, notably Edmilson, Van Bommel and Marquez
So?

[Drop The Baby]

Oh, I'm not defending the referee, he was generally poor. However, the goal/sending off decision could well have made it worse for Arsenal, Barca could well have taken the game over completely after they scored and scored three or four.

I'm also saying that the Eboue "foul" was a terrible decision, that Arsenal profited from, and Henry making the excuse of poor refereeing being the cause of his side's loss is laughable, they were outplayed, and such things as Henry getting booked in an odd way were irrelevant to the outcome of the tie.


Barca could well have taken the game over and scored more, or arsenal could simply have continued dominating the game as they were and scored four. There's no point on guessing what the outcome should've been, the ref took tht option out of the game.

Henry's booking could've had a huge bearing on the game. If that was the stabdard the ref had set for tackles deserving yellow cards then Puyol and Marquez would both have been in the book at an early stage of the game. As Henry said himself, to mark him on a yellow card is a differenr prospect.


Yep

Try and remember that next time Manyoo lose a game and Ferguson berates the ref non stop from the sidelione before getting Querioz to make excuses for him


so?


So your suggestion that he was a 'whinging wanker' is pretty much incorrect then if it's justifiable.

[DonMancini]

Barca could well have taken the game over and scored more, or arsenal could simply have continued dominating the game as they were and scored four.

Arsenal dominating?

Barcelona had, if I remember, around 60% ball posession. They were constantly on the attack from the start and, except for a couple of breaks by Arsenal, always seemed to dominate the game.

I'm not, however, saying that they had constant and total domination but to say that Arsenal could have continued dominating as they were is false.

[Drop The Baby]

Arsenal dominating?

Barcelona had, if I remember, around 60% ball posession. They were constantly on the attack from the start and, except for a couple of breaks by Arsenal, always seemed to dominate the game.

I'm not, however, saying that they had constant and total domination but to say that Arsenal could have continued dominating as they were is false.

*************Context and common sense alert!!!********

Look at the start of the game, arsenal had all the ball and all the play until Lehmann went off. Hence, they were dominating.

After the sending off, Arsenal had one less man on the pitch. It was therefore harder to hold on to the ball.

Thus, after playing for more than 72 minutes with an extra man, Barcelona had more possesion. Before the sending off, that was not true.


------------------------------------------------------------

Reading your reply again i know this post comes across as very sarcastic and patronising, and i apoligise. I would re-write it, but i can't be bothered right now!

Arsenal did make all the early headway in the game and were clearly in the ascendancy until the sending off killed the game as the spectacle it had threatened to become

[TakeWarning]

Well I actually thought that was a pretty good game.

And I think Barca deserved the win.

[Lord Abortion]

Try and remember that next time Manyoo lose a game and Ferguson berates the ref non stop from the sidelione before getting Querioz to make excuses for him
Blaming referees is not what I tend to do, I tend to blame the team.

All managers blame the ref, it's almost a law.

[2muchket!]

Well Terry Venebles looks in line to get the boro job. Any thoughts.

[Drop The Baby]

That seems like it would be a good appointment as he's already been at the club before, should know the chairmen, some players and staff reasonably well.

I quite fancied him as a number 2 to McClaren as well though

[Lord Abortion]

Yeah, looks good.

What else I learned from last night was how terrible a commentry team ITV has.

[Dave de Sylvia]

the eto'o goal was offside, but the touch from larsson was hard to see from the position of the linesman as he had his back to him.
I'm certain it was onside.

Arsenal did make all the early headway in the game and were clearly in the ascendancy until the sending off killed the game as the spectacle it had threatened to become
I wouldn't say that. If the referee had used common sense and allowed the goal to stand they'd have been anything but in the ascendancy.

What else I learned from last night was how terrible a commentry team ITV has.
YES! God yes, I was meaning to say that. I've never heard somebody talk so much crap as David Pleat. The best the pair of them could come up with after Eboue's dive was "I'm not sure how much contact there was." So I switched over to the Irish coverage :cool: Oh man, even ITV is a blessing compared to the American commentary I'll have to endure during the World Cup :/

[Drop The Baby]

I'm certain it was onside.

Wrong


I wouldn't say that. If the referee had used common sense and allowed the goal to stand they'd have been anything but in the ascendancy.

They'd have been a goal down, and would've had 11 players on the pitch to continue looking like scoring at almost every attack. The game fell apart from an Arsenal attacking point of view, they were restricted to set plays and playing pin point counter attacks, whcih get more difficult they more tired you get

Yeah, looks good.
What else I learned from last night was how terrible a commentry team ITV has.
I know, David Pleat is the most awful commentator in the world, he can't even get the players names right.

Some good ones i've heard from him include getting Vieira and Vieri continually confused, Bergonkamp and last night we had Iniiniesta playing centre midfield for Barca

[Dave de Sylvia]

They'd have been a goal down, and would've had 11 players on the pitch to continue looking like scoring at almost every attack.
I think that's an ostentatious prediction.

The game fell apart from an Arsenal attacking point of view, they were restricted to set plays and playing pin point counter attacks, whcih get more difficult they more tired you get
Yeah, Wenger bottled it.

[Ganondorf]

meh, everyone was thinking what Henry said anyway

[munky_magik]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/4993994.stm

Ref regrets red card but feels he performed well overall.

[Drop The Baby]

I think that's an ostentatious prediction.
.

Not at all it was how the game had panned out.


Yeah, Wenger bottled it.

yeah, it was his decision to give Lehmann a red card that cost Arsenal dear.

Oh sorry, was that a ridiculous response to a ridiulous statement?

[Angry Balled Fists!]

Yeah i thought that "Wenger bottled it" doesn't make sense.

And hard luck about yesterday James mate :(

[Dave de Sylvia]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/4993994.stm

Ref regrets red card but feels he performed well overall.
Idiot.

Not at all it was how the game had panned out.
Before Barcelona put the ball in the net. The game at 1-0 is completely different to the game at 0-0.

yeah, it was his decision to give Lehmann a red card that cost Arsenal dear.

Oh sorry, was that a ridiculous response to a ridiulous statement?
No, just confused.

Arsenal have no grounds to complain about the referee's decision to send Lehmann off. Lehmann took down the striker as he was through and goal and prevented a certain goal. The referee's decision put Barcelona at a disadvantage by ruling out a perfectly good goal to call it back for a foul. Lehmann deserved to be sent off; if he was to stay on the pitch it's only because a Barcelona player decided to stick it in the net.

As for Wenger, he played the game the wrong way. As soon as Campbell's goal went in, they sat back and let Barcelona at them. Barcelona played the game extremely well: they were in control throughout, remained calm and got their reward in the end.

[Drop The Baby]

The game's completely different at 10 vs 11 too. The game should've been 1-0 barca and 11 vs 11 on the pitch. Pundits, commentators, players and the ref himself have said that would be the correct decision.


How else would you suggest Arsenal play the game? Full out attack? The idea was simple, draw Barca forward and hit them on the counter. Everyone would be proclaiming Wenger to have pulled off the game of a lifetime if henry hadn't missed a decent chance, Hleb's shot was on target, and Valdes didn't make a superb stop from Freddie.

[badtaste]

How funny was Henry's after-the-game speech? He commented about the Barcelona players constantly kicking his legs, and said something like "But I'm not a woman - I don't fall down...".

I can just imagine all the feminists in the world just going crazy. (apologies if this has been mentioned already).

[red barchetta]

Henry is STAYING!!!!!!!!!! HELL YEAH :chug:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/4996270.stm

news conference at 2pm.

[Drop The Baby]

Arsenal legend. Probably the best player to ever play in the Premiership

[Dave de Sylvia]

The game's completely different at 10 vs 11 too. The game should've been 1-0 barca and 11 vs 11 on the pitch. Pundits, commentators, players and the ref himself have said that would be the correct decision.
Well the decision he made was still correct by the rules. And yeah, the game was going to be different no matter what the referee's decision was, which is why you can't assume Arsenal would have continued to be on top.

How else would you suggest Arsenal play the game? Full out attack?
I'm sure there's some middle ground between all-out attack and all-out defence that we haven't yet explored.

Everyone would be proclaiming Wenger to have pulled off the game of a lifetime if henry hadn't missed a decent chance, Hleb's shot was on target, and Valdes didn't make a superb stop from Freddie.
Yeah, well people tend not to focus on what you did wrong when you win.

[Drop The Baby]

Well the decision he made was still correct by the rules. And yeah, the game was going to be different no matter what the referee's decision was, which is why you can't assume Arsenal would have continued to be on top.
.

You can't assume anything. You can only wish the game panned out as anyone with common sense and an understanding of the rukles would've wished.

Common sense is the main ingredient necesserary to be a referee.


I'm sure there's some middle ground between all-out attack and all-out defence that we haven't yet explored.
.

It was by no means all out defence. I'd like to see you try and preserve a 1-0 lead against a team that attempt to play dominating football against any team they face, regardless of whether they have 10 or 11 players on the pitch.


Yeah, well people tend not to focus on what you did wrong when you win.

So you're simply going to measure Arsene's tactics on the failure of the players to pull them off, despite creating 2 clear cut chances to win the game? If that's your blinkered opinon then there's no point continuing this conversation.

----------------------------------------------------

Went down the lane the other night,
To tel the Yid Scum we've got the new Ian Wright,
They said to me 'how can that be?',
I said to them 'we've got Thierry Henry, Thierry Henry, Thierry Henry....'


ARSENAL LEGEND

[Dave de Sylvia]

Common sense is the main ingredient necesserary to be a referee.
Agreed. But Arsenal still weren't hard done by by any stretch. Barcelona were cheated out of a goal, both by Lehmann and the referee.

So you're simply going to measure Arsene's tactics on the failure of the players to pull them off, despite creating 2 clear cut chances to win the game? If that's your blinkered opinon then there's no point continuing this conversation.
No, I'm measuring Arsenal's tactics on their failure to be right. Wenger played the game wrong; he allowed his team to sit back against a team which you admit will attempt to dominate any team they play. Barcelona weren't spectacular, but they played the game perfectly; they were patient and kept building up attack after attack and eventually they were going to find a weak link. And the weak link turned out to be Eboué.

[SickBoy]

Anyone else think Henry is an idiot for staying?
He could so many great things with other clubs, like Cardiff for instance

[Mother]

Am i the onl one who thinks the refering was not that bad??

Why are the english always blaming it on the ref anyways.

[Mother]

Anyone else think Henry is an idiot for staying?
He could so many great things with other clubs, like Cardiff for instance


nah.. I think henry fits in with aresenal. When he was with Juventus he wasnt all that great.

[Dave de Sylvia]

Am i the onl one who thinks the refering was not that bad??
Yes. Even the referee thinks you're wrong.

[red barchetta]

Am i the onl one who thinks the refering was not that bad??

Why are the english always blaming it on the ref anyways.
yeah you are. as an Arsenal fan, i thought Eboue's dive was stupid. but there were more incidents in the game, like Henry getting carded for a perfect tackle, and the Barca players not getting one card after about 20 fouls (apart from marquez).

[Drop The Baby]

Eboue's dive was bad, i was disappointed with it. To blow my own trumpet, i called it straight away looking at the TV screen, judging by the way he threw his head back and kicked his legs up. It's such a tell tale sign i can't understand why refs fall for it

Am i the onl one who thinks the refering was not that bad??
.

Yes. Even the referee thinks you're wrong.

:chug:

[Dave de Sylvia]

I was watching River Plate play some Paraguayan team last night in the Confederations Cup or whatever the South American Champion's League is called, and it struck me that the referees over there actually only respond to theatrical dives. I thought Europe was bad, but seriously it's like they've gone beyond a non-contact sport and now even not fouling the guy is an offence.

Interestingly, in the Middlesborough-Sevilla match, when it was 1-0 a defender slammed into Viduka's back and he would have had a reasonable call for a penalty had he not thrown his head back and fallen like he'd been shot in the neck. It seems like the more referees who respond to bad continental acting, the more people are likely to try it. Eboué's dive was particularly bad, but you can't say it wasn't in the spirit of the game. If the referee wasn't going to handle the match properly, Arsenal had every right to sink to that level.

[Drop The Baby]

I did feel at the time a sense of justice in the vein that why should we play properly if you're not going to bother.

But then it does take a little credibility out of the argument against diving. I feel the main gripe here though was the ref, not the actions of the Barca players who continued to foul because they were allowed to by the referee.

[Steve M.]

Arsenal legend. Probably the best player to ever play in the Premiership

he's the best striker maybe, nowhere near the best player.

[Drop The Baby]

he's the best striker maybe, nowhere near the best player.

Who's better then?

[Dave de Sylvia]

I would've put Bergkamp and Cantona ahead of him, but at the moment nobody can touch him.

[2muchket!]

Ballack is pretty damn great he'll show alot of people this season.

[Angry Balled Fists!]

I'd say henry is the best player to play in the premiership

(apart from shearer :p)

COME ON SHAYMEN!

Football league here we come.

[Drop The Baby]

Ballack is a superb player

[Kickflip_Burrito]

Ballack is great but I think Henry is better.

[TakeWarning]

Ballack and Henry are equal in my eyes, although I admit I haven't seen much of Ballack.

In other news, we lost 7-0 this morning. :(

[Angry Balled Fists!]

Ah f'uck.

Went to the conference play off final and we lost 3-2 after extra time :(

We took the lead twice too, i thought we (halifax) deserved it.

[2muchket!]

Watford promoted to the EPL, with a 3-0 win over leeds.

[Drop The Baby]

so glad Leeds didn't come back up.

Full credit to Watford, they were one of the favourites to go down at the start of the season

[Dave de Sylvia]

I don't like Watford, probably based only on their ugly shirts.

[Angry Balled Fists!]

Gay i wish leeds won.

Up the north.

[Kickflip_Burrito]

I wanted Watford to win, well done to the Hornets!

[Lord Abortion]

I would've put Bergkamp and Cantona ahead of him, but at the moment nobody can touch him.
Zola too.

[TakeWarning]

Get it out the way, I've gotta say
Can we get some more Watford Pride!

Haven't seen Watford play in years.

[Drop The Baby]

Captain everything!

[TakeWarning]

Such a fun band.

Hey is it true they're releasing a new album this year?

[Drop The Baby]

Yeah should be out pretty soonish, it's been recorded and ready to go since Autumn last year. It's called Buena Vista Bingo Club.

They're touring all round Eastern Europe at the mo, and are in the UK in July. Unfortunately for you there's no Aus tour as of yet :(

[TakeWarning]

Awesome, let's hope it's good.

Shame about the no Aus tour.

[matt_h]

so watford beat leeds...
...12 hours later...and they are already favourites to come 20th!
Not really a surprise though...
other than the 3 promoted teams, who else could go down if they dont improve? fulham, man city, charlton, villa?

[Angry Balled Fists!]

Villa.

[Drop The Baby]

I'd think City and Charlton are still fairly secure.

Villa are in an awful state though.


Iain Dowie has left Palace as was specualted: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/crystal_palace/5001988.stm

[2muchket!]

So he wants to live up north closer to his family hmmmmmm.

[matt_h]

who will get him?
charlton are the only manager-less prem team, i think...
hang on, boro will lose mcclaren, they are up north...

[+3kk!]

chelsea wants R.Carlos....???

i dont see the use and common sense in that..

[2muchket!]

Its Chelski. Nuff said.

[red barchetta]

http://msnsport.skysports.com/list.asp?hlid=389184&CPID=8&clid=3&lid=4161&title=Rosicky+in+Arsenal+talks

:amaze: *fingers crossed*

[Lord Abortion]

Well...we're getting Requeilme!

/spells it wrong

/is talking crap again

:upset:

[Drop The Baby]

Rosicky is a very good player, great at set pieces and can play all across the midfield.

Would be a terrific signing

-----------

Apparently Forlan is set to sign for Barca for 15million euros. The asking price has been dropped from 23 million as Villareal want to take out Barca's 25% 'owning' of Riquelme as part of the deal

[Lord Abortion]

I have to say he would.

It's about time he moved to a better side (much as I hate to mention Arsenal in that regard, you know what I mean)

Why the hell do chelsea want Roberto Carlos?
he's been badly off form for Real.

Past it IMO.

[matt_h]

he is past 30 and is living on past glory, as is half the madrid side. chelsea want a proper left back, and carlos is too attacking imo.
but it is chelsea, so some other prem team must have shown and interest and they came flying in to stop them as only they know how.

[Drahmen]

So Sven yet again makes an idiotic decision by calling Phil Neville up to the england squad reserves to replace Reo-Coker

[RandyfromPennywise]

Chelsea won't sign Carlos, I'd be very, VERY surprised if we do... Wayne Bridge is better than Del Horno, the sooner José realises that, the better.

Rosický is one of my favourite players, and I'd be rather disappointed if he was wearing an Arsenal shirt next season.

With Juan Roman, I would be livid if United signed him, he is genuine World-Class. But opposed to that is that I would get to see him play more than I have this year, and no one can say they don't enjoy watching Riquelme in full flight.

[clown_phobia]

How do you guys think Australia will do against Greece thursday night? They've got a few injuries... but 98,000 Aussies will be supporting them to win!

[RandyfromPennywise]

I'd say it'll be more like 80k for us and 18k for Greece ay! Did you see the numbers the Greeks have been pulling at the training sessions and presentations?! Crazy... Letting off flairs at the training session, I couldn't help but piss myself when I saw that, hilarious.

[matt_h]

hargreaves vs p. neville :angry::confused:

****, i was hoping for hargreaves to get injured so that another striker or defender would be called up. but now if he does, we will get neville.
i would prefer hargreaves coz at least he doesnt give away a load of stupid fouls, he is just boring and doesnt really fit the team. just hope he doesnt play.

[RandyfromPennywise]

hargreaves vs p. neville :angry::confused:

****, i was hoping for hargreaves to get injured so that another striker or defender would be called up. but now if he does, we will get neville.
i would prefer hargreaves coz at least he doesnt give away a load of stupid fouls, he is just boring and doesnt really fit the team. just hope he doesnt play.
Hargreaves v P. Neville, ha! Ah Sven, good ol' Sven.

[TakeWarning]

Roberto Carlos wouldn't be suited to Chelsea's style, nor would he be suited to the Premier League style.

How do you guys think Australia will do against Greece thursday night? They've got a few injuries... but 98,000 Aussies will be supporting them to win!

Haha, since it's Melborune it'll be half Greeks anyway, but I think we can beat them, even if injuries are a real problem for us at the moment.

[Drop The Baby]

Reo-Coker left the squad through injury, he didn't get dropped.

[TakeWarning]

You know, I never noticed so many injuries at one time as I have in the approach to the WC.

[2muchket!]

Well with carrick there the chances of Hargreaves playing is limited IMO. I think Downing and Arron Lennon should both get places on the bench, they provide a different option IMO.

[red barchetta]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/arsenal/5008544.stm

yay :cool:

[Timm]

it was a matter of time when he would quit BVB. they didn't do too well the last seasons. rosicky can be a little genius at times. awesome player for sure

[2muchket!]

Never heard of him personally but I'm sure we'll see proof of that when he plays next season

[Dave de Sylvia]

Eh, it's only for the backups. If we lose a holding midfielder then with Ledley King injured then Phil Neville could do a job for us there. He should clearly be in the squad ahead of Hargreaves, but then again I'd quite like a game if Hargreaves gets one in the World Cup. I doubt that either Hargreaves or Neville will play though, even if Neville gets into the main squad.
With all due respect to Phil Neville and Ledley King, the right choice is clearly some 17-year old from the first division.

[Timm]

Never heard of him personally but I'm sure we'll see proof of that when he plays next season
you'll see him during the world cup playing for the czechs.
he wasn't in good shape this season from what I can remember though.

[matt_h]

Well with carrick there the chances of Hargreaves playing is limited IMO. I think Downing and Arron Lennon should both get places on the bench, they provide a different option IMO.

in the world cup, the rest of the squad makes up the bench, so you have 12 players to choose from, though only 3 can come on.

[Lord Abortion]

Phil Neville is much, much better than Hargreaves.

Damn you Arsenal.

[clown_phobia]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/5009890.stm

Do you think the major European leagues need a salary cap? I think in a way it would be good because it means the rich clubs couldn't just dominate, but it would definately lower the standard of some of the major leagues... even out the standard over the leagues, if you know what I mean.

[Pinhead13]

Now I declare myself the official how many days we've got left dude....:amaze:

So 16 days left!


I'm so excited.

[+3kk!]

meh i hope drogba will like staying at chelsea, currently the english people and some fans dislike him.

Happier Drogs + Shev?/ Trevez?/ RVN?/ Crespo? + Ballack and Lamps

would be a combination that most coaches will kill for

[TakeWarning]

in the world cup, the rest of the squad makes up the bench, so you have 12 players to choose from, though only 3 can come on.

I believe it's 5 that can come on.

[matt_h]

is it? i though that was the new rule brough in for friendlies only, due to Sven making 11 changes a game. i am pretty sure that in competion there is only 3 changes allowed.

[matt_h]

just seen the england 'b' line-up. very youthful and attacking. good to see hargreaves at right coz it means less chance of him playing in the england midfield! strange decision playing crouch though, i would have played defoe to give him match practice in case rooney isnt fit.

[Pinhead13]

15 days left!

:smash:

[TakeWarning]

is it? i though that was the new rule brough in for friendlies only, due to Sven making 11 changes a game. i am pretty sure that in competion there is only 3 changes allowed.

That's right, except there's 5 allowed on the beach, and 3 allowed to come on. I phrased my previous statement incorrectly.

[Lord Abortion]

I wonder why on Earth people think if United sell Ruud, it would be to Chelsea.
Fergie's transfer policy is a little erratic, but he's not stupid.

[2muchket!]

^ That would indeed be lunacy.

[Dave de Sylvia]

I can't believe Chelsea are actually buying world class players now. :/

[red barchetta]

man, Hargreaves sure is crap.

[matthew121]

man, Hargreaves sure is crap.

123 456789

I still can't see why he's in the squad, I guess he wasn't in his 'natural position' but I don't care. Aaron Lennon was really good though, deserved MOTM. I was dissapointed with Carrick, a lot of his passing was awful. Annoyed with putting Walcott on so late, didn't see enough of him, he had a good strike/volley though. Horrible news for Green, I really feel for him, missing out on the World Cup.

Who was that guy who got that red card, he was just gahh! Taking out Lennon just because he's way better, he made like 5 fouls in 60 seconds, deserved to go off. And the linesman was crap too.

Overall, a pretty poor performance and terrible result.

[matthew121]

man, Hargreaves sure is crap.

123 456789

I still can't see why he's in the squad, I guess he wasn't in his 'natural position' but I don't care. Aaron Lennon was really good though, deserved MOTM. I was dissapointed with Carrick, a lot of his passing was awful. Annoyed with putting Walcott on so late, didn't see enough of him, he had a good strike/volley though. Horrible news for Green, I really feel for him, missing out on the World Cup.

Who was that guy who got that red card, he was just gahh! Taking out Lennon just because he's way better, he made like 5 fouls in 60 seconds, deserved to go off. And the linesman was crap too.

Overall, a pretty poor performance and terrible result.

[Pinhead13]

14 days left!

:amaze:

[Dave de Sylvia]

That's going to become annoying if you don't actually post something relevant to go with it.

[TakeWarning]

That's going to become annoying if you don't actually post something relevant to go with it.

It's already annoying.

The Socceroos had a really good game against Greece, we won 1-0 with a beautiful left volley from Josip Skoko. Congrats to the boys, they've improved alot under Guus Hiddink.

As for the England v Belarus game, I thought it was really poor form having a shot into an open goal when the goalie was lying on the ground in agonising pain. On the plus side, I thought Aaron Lennon had a really good game, but I didn't see much of Theo Walcott.

[Angry Balled Fists!]

I'm sorry but i LOL'D when Rob Green fell and they scored :(

[matt_h]

ben foster comes in for green

rooney may be fit to play in the quarter finals and will have another scan on 14th june. he is 6 weeks off full training, which is 2 days before the final.

why the 14th, that is after the deadline, what if he doesnt make progress and they find out on the 14th that he cant play. he should have a scan the day before the deadline

so defoe may have to come in, how did he play last night, my sky dish is ****ed up and missed half the game and the replay this morning


edit: reports were wrong, the 6 weeks is from the injury, so he should be in full training in 2 weeks

[matt_h]

carson moves in the squad, foster is the new stand-by keeper, sorry i didnt make that clear

[TakeWarning]

I always thought England had a huge depth of keepers.

I guess I was wrong.

[Angry Balled Fists!]

yay for owen.

Nah our keepers suck.

[matt_h]

well we used to have seaman, martyn and james as good experienced keepers with backups like walker, wright and young upandcoming ones like robinson and kirkland.
now the experience ones have gone and we have just the young'ens now. but robinson is a top class keeper and james is dependable, most of the time. carson green and kirkland dont get enough top class experience but green should get a move to a premiership club, he did well last year.

[Dave de Sylvia]

I'd have taken Richard Wright ahead of Carson or Foster despite his inconsistent form over the last couple of years. In fact, I'd take him over Green and James.

[RandyfromPennywise]

So Pauleta isn't moving to Lyon and has re-signed with Paris. I have to say that the French League 1 is really gaining some financial muscle, Pauleta is going to be paid roughly £70,000 a week by Paris. This is comparable to the big, big salaries. I mean Lampard earns only £30,000 a week more than that and practically all of the Premier League players bar maybe the top 10 earners would earn less than that. So now Pauleta isn't going to Lyon, OL are tracking Drogba. Could all fit in nicely... We take Sheva off of Milan's hands, OL take Drogs and pay us some of our Essien money back too. Sounds good to me! OL are still trying to get Glen Johnson's signature as well.

Olympique Lyonnais are also trying to sign Franck Ribery from Marsielle, he's a gun, Real Madrid have actually been looking at him for six months now too. OL are really building a dynasty.

:eek: someone talking about something other than the Premier League or England!

[2muchket!]

How did Downing do last night ??? I didn't see the game.

[Lord Abortion]

Ben Foster is a good keeper. Played well for United Reserves last year.

[matt_h]

From what i saw, Downing wasnt that involved, probably coz we kept the ball on the right where lennon was. he lacked a bit of pace, but managed to get some crosses in.

[Pinhead13]

13 Days left!

:cool:

[Mitch2oo6]

Ive seen that post twice and it annoys me already...

Yay for the Socceroo's, they played a good game...Good enough for Japan, Croatia or Brazil? Perhaps not...We will see.
As for England...I dont think they'll get past the heats this World Cup, they're team is starting to head down hill abit...Admittedly, Owen played well, and so did Lennon, but they dont really play as a collected unit. Just my thoughts.

[2muchket!]

^ well your thoughts suck :)

I hope you do realise overallwe have the 2nd best group of players, and probably the best group of defensive players in the WC. The reason we didn't play as a collective unit yesterday is because many of the players that played on wednesday had never played with each other before. There is a lot more cohesion in the first team which consists of Gerrard,Lampard,Beckham,J Cole,Owen,Terry,Robinson,A Cole and the rest. Thats why it was called a 'B' international on thursday :thumb:

[Mitch2oo6]

^ Well so do yours then :)

[2muchket!]

How about reading the WHOLE of my post :thumb:

[Mitch2oo6]

Sneaky edits dont count. However, I agree with you, now that youve put up a reason for thinking my thoughts are stupid. We dont get as much news in Aus, not without foxtel or something. So all I heard was that it was the English Team, not the B team or whatever.

[TakeWarning]

Sneaky edits dont count. However, I agree with you, now that youve put up a reason for thinking my thoughts are stupid. We dont get as much news in Aus, not without foxtel or something. So all I heard was that it was the English Team, not the B team or whatever.

I live in Australia but I knew it was Engand B.

[badtaste]

http://home.skysports.com/list.asp?hlid=390247&CPID=21&clid=120&lid=2&title=SHEVA+CONFIRMS+MILAN+EXIT

Schevy has left the building.

Makes things interesting now.

[Lord Abortion]

Or it makes, if he goes to Chelsea, the Premiership very, very boring.

Come on Fergie, sign someone world class...not someone who you might "think will be world class in a couple of years" not someone "with potential"... someone who is now.

[badtaste]

Doesn't the value of good players (such as Schevchenko and Ballack) go down, due to them playing with other talented players and possibly getting less game time?

It's sorta like the RHCP's album, Stadium Arcadium - if you have too many songs on the album, the album becomes less special. Bad analogy or not, you decide.

[Lord Abortion]

Yeah, and that's the problem with Chelsea...they have some very good players who don't play.
SWP, Gudjohnssen, Duff, and a few others need to get out of there if they want to save their careers.

[TakeWarning]

The title race will be even more boring this year now that Ballack and Schevchenko have jouned Chelsea. Chelsea will just win it with extreme ease.

[badtaste]

Yeah, and that's the problem with Chelsea...they have some very good players who don't play.
SWP, Gudjohnssen, Duff, and a few others need to get out of there if they want to save their careers.

Isn't Gudjohnssen leaving or something?

I've always wondered about this and this probably has been brought up before, but is it still possible for a 'small' club to become a 'big' club?

I look at teams like PSV who always manage to develop great players, but always end up selling their best players (Nistelrooy, Park, Van Bommel) to the bigger clubs. If PSV kept them all, wouldn't they become a European powerhouse? It's similar to large corporations who become richer, while the smaller ones have to cross a bigger gap to compete with them (otherwise, they'll simply be bought).

It's also annoying that the players from the small clubs want to leave to join a bigger club for the money and the reputation.

Couldn't they somehow introduce caps, or new trading policies, or something?

[Lord Abortion]

Well, PSV just haven't got the financial whack to keep them there, they need to sell these players to keep afloat, or so is my understanding of it.

It's also annoying that the players from the small clubs want to leave to join a bigger club for the money and the reputation.
There are a couple of other factors, one is winning trophies. Youy can't do that at a smaller club, well, no trophies of importance, anyway. Plus they want recognition, like players from south America, who aren't held as World class, because they don't play in Europe. (Carlos Tevez, I'm looking at you)
It was all fine and dandy for Pelé to stay at Santos in 1970, but not today. Today, you need to be playing for a top European side to get international recognition beyond football diehards and people who play Football Manager.

[badtaste]

Well, PSV just haven't got the financial whack to keep them there, they need to sell these players to keep afloat, or so is my understanding of it.

There are a couple of other factors, one is winning trophies. Youy can't do that at a smaller club, well, no trophies of importance, anyway. Plus they want recognition, like players from south America, who aren't held as World class, because they don't play in Europe. (Carlos Tevez, I'm looking at you)
It was all fine and dandy for Pelé to stay at Santos in 1970, but not today. Today, you need to be playing for a top European side to get international recognition beyond football diehards and people who play Football Manager.

Interesting. Well, how should/does a club like PSV become financially stronger then? Is PSV not the top club in the Netherlands?

And yeh, forgot about players from non-European countries. That's the exception to the rule. But applied to the context, surely someone playing in France or the Netherlands doesn't need to move to Spain or England, as they still get Championship League representation.

[Lord Abortion]

Interesting. Well, how should/does a club like PSV become financially stronger then? Is PSV not the top club in the Netherlands?
It's not a good situation, it's pretty impossible to be honest, unless the TV companies and whoever the clubs get money off suddenly get as much money as England, Spain and Italy do, otherwise no club from Holland or the like will become rich enough to support their excellent homegrown talent.
Ajaz have a magnificent crop of youngsters(De Jong, Maxwell etc.) but even a team of that pedigree struggle financially and will be forced to sell them off.




surely someone playing in France or the Netherlands doesn't need to move to Spain or England, as they still get Championship League representation.
The clubs still don't have that kind of money as the big three leagues do.Also they don't get the chance to win trophies that are seen to have "worldwide importance" as much and can't stop their players being poached by bigger sides.

Look at Ballack even...Bayern really are a top European side, but even they can't prevent their star man leaving to join a richer and more sucessful club.